Companion video game scripts

[Session note: combat barks. One line per take, leave a gap] [enemy spotted] Eyes up! Three of them, by the rocks! [firing an arrow] Got you. Stay down. [low on arrows] I'm nearly out! Somebody buy me more arrows after this! [player takes a big hit] Hey! Are you alright? Fall back, I'll cover you! [enemy flees] That's right, run! Tell your friends! [effort: dodging] Hah! Too slow! [after the fight] Everyone in one piece? Good. Let's not do that again for at least an hour.

[A cell door swings open. KESTREL, a battered sellsword, looks up from the floor] You. What are you doing here? No. Don't answer that. Help me up first. [effort: standing] I told you to leave. I said, clearly, take the map and go. That was a plan. A good plan. You were supposed to be three valleys away by now. [beat] You came back. You know how many times I've been left in a place like this? I stopped counting. Nobody's ever come back. Not once. Not even when they owed me money. The last captain I rode with sold my horse while I was still in the stocks. Then he sent me a letter asking for the saddle. [quiet] I don't know what to do with that. [clears throat, recovers] Right. Well. Don't get used to it. I'm not hugging anyone. Give me my sword. And the next time I tell you to leave, ignore me again. It seems to work.

[A cryopod hisses open. Soft blue light. The ship's AI, LYRA, speaks from everywhere] Good morning, Captain. Please don't sit up too quickly. You've been asleep for two hundred and eleven days. I'm glad you're awake. It's been very quiet. I have three updates. Two are bad. I'll start with the good one. The coffee machine survived. I kept it warm for you. I also talked to it, occasionally. It is not a strong conversationalist, but it is a very good listener. Now. The bad ones. The navigation array is offline, and we are not where we're supposed to be. Also, someone else is on board. [pause] I don't know who. I don't know how. My cameras on Deck Two show nothing, but the door logs show someone opening and closing the galley every night at three. But they've been asking about you.

[Session note: three hint levels for the same puzzle. Record separately] [hint 1] Hmm. Those three statues look like they want to face something. Maybe the sun? Have a look around! [hint 2] Psst. See the sun carved on the far wall? I bet the statues would like to look at it. Just saying. [hint 3] Okay, okay. Turn all three statues to face the sun on the wall. I believe in you. Mostly. Go on!

[BOLT, a small robot dog, wags a metal tail] Beep! Status report! Battery at twelve percent. Tail at one hundred percent. Snacks at zero percent, which is very sad. Recommend: charging. Also belly rubs. Mostly belly rubs. Boop!

[A quiet corner of the camp. TOMAS sits with an old letter] Hey. Got a minute? I never told you why I joined up. It's not because I believe in the cause. I mean, I do now. But that's not why. I had a brother. Have. Have a brother. Daniel. When the soldiers came to our village, I ran. He didn't. He stayed to get our mother out, and I just ran. [beat] I heard he's alive. Working the mines at Grey Hollow. Prisoner, probably. I've had this letter for two weeks. It's from someone who's seen him. I keep reading it. I keep not doing anything about it. I'm not asking you to fight a war for me. I'm asking you to come with me. Because I don't think I can walk in there alone. And I don't want to run this time.

[A locked door in a noble's manor. SIR ALDOUS stands guard behind the player] [player approaches lock] You're not going to pick that, are you? That is a private door. In a private house. We were invited for dinner. [if player picks the lock] And you've done it. Wonderful. I am now an accomplice. Mother would be so proud. If anyone asks, I was admiring the woodwork. [if player walks away] Thank you. Really. That's the most sensible thing you've done all week. I'm going to write it down so I remember.

[A cargo bay. Alarms in the distance. VEXA leans against a crate, checking her rifle] So. Funny thing. When you hired me, you said this was a simple pickup. In and out. Very light gunfire. [an explosion, offscreen] That was not light gunfire. I'm not saying I'm leaving. I'm saying my rate just went up. Double. Plus the ship's coffee. All of it. Take your time. I'm sure the security droids will wait. They seem patient. Heavily armed, but patient. Though I do notice they're getting closer every time we talk. [if player agrees] Pleasure doing business. Stay behind me and try not to touch anything that blinks. [if player refuses] That's fine. Really. You go ahead and handle the twenty armed droids by yourself. [beat] I'll be here. Counting. [if player threatens her] Oh, that's cute. You know I'm the one holding the big gun, right? Let's call it double, and I forget you said that.

[The player draws an old blade. It hums. A voice speaks from the steel] Ah. Finally. Do you have any idea how long I've been in that stone? Three hundred years. Three hundred. And the last person to pull me out used me to cut bread. You'll do better, I'm sure. You have the look of someone who's about to make a lot of terrible decisions. Before that it was a farmer who used me to prop open a gate. Before that, a very confused goat. I am Varrick. I was a king, once. Now I'm cutlery with opinions. Swing me properly and we'll get along. Lower the elbow. Lower. There. Now. Somebody nearby wants you dead. Shall we go and disappoint them?

[A rainy forest path. PIP, a pocket-sized dragon, peeks out from the player's hood] No. Absolutely not. I refuse. It's raining. Do you know what rain does to a dragon? It puts out my fire. My whole personality is fire! [sneezes: a tiny puff of smoke] See? That was supposed to be a fireball. And now my nose is wet. A dragon with a wet nose. If the other dragons saw me now, I would have to move to a different mountain. Wake me up when there's sun. Or a fireplace. Or a sandwich. A warm one.

[Radio. A reactor alarm. JUNO, the ship's engineer, speaks through static] Hey. Hey, can you hear me? Good. Don't come back down. The door's sealed from this side and it's staying that way. No, listen. Listen to me. Somebody has to hold the coolant valve, and my hands are already here. That's just maths. [effort: straining] You'll need to fly the ship. Left engine pulls a bit. Don't trust the fuel gauge. And feed the cat. She likes the salmon ones, not the chicken. She'll pretend she likes chicken. She doesn't. And tell the captain the spare part he wanted is in my locker. I was saving it for his birthday. Wrap it up nice. [static, beat] I'm really glad I signed on with you. Best job I ever had. Terrible pay. [laughs softly] Go on, now. Get them home. [beat] It's alright. I'm not scared. I'm really not.

[Session note: approval reactions for companion SAFFI. One line per take] [approval up, small] Huh. Nice. I like that. [approval up, large] Now THAT is why I follow you. Don't let it go to your head. [approval down, small] Hm. Okay. I would not have done that. [approval down, large] No. I'm not okay with this. We'll talk later. Right now I can't look at you. [approval neutral] If you say so. You're the one in charge. [romance approval up] ...You're kind of impossible, you know that? Don't stop.

[Helmet display flickers. KEY-9 speaks] Navigation online. Objective is two hundred meters north, through the collapsed tunnel. Alternate route: east, across the bridge. The bridge is old. Statistically, it is also very likely to fall down. The tunnel is dark, narrow and full of spiders. But the spiders are small, and the tunnel is unlikely to fall down. I recommend the tunnel. [if player takes the bridge] Interesting choice. I will begin composing your memorial message. Do you prefer formal or casual?

[A farm gate. GRANDPA BRAMBLE shoulders a pitchfork and a picnic basket] Now hold on a minute. You're not going to the Crooked Woods without me. I've been walking those woods since before your parents were born. I know which mushrooms are dinner and which ones make you see music. And don't look at me like that. I may be seventy-four, but I once fought off a goose for an entire afternoon. A big one. With opinions. It took my hat, my lunch and very nearly my dignity, but in the end, who walked home? Me. The goose stayed in the pond and thought about what it had done. [he taps the basket] Besides, I packed sandwiches. You didn't pack sandwiches, did you? Thought not. Let's go, then. Slow pace. Plenty of breaks. Nobody touches my pickles.

[After a duel. Rain. RYO lowers her blade and laughs, breathless] [breathing hard] That was a lucky hit. You know that, right? Pure luck. I've been beating you since we were twelve. Twelve! In the training yard, in the tournament, at cards. Every time. [beat] You got better. When did you get better? No, don't answer. You'll be smug. [she sheathes her sword] Fine. Here's the thing. The Iron Court is coming for this town, and you're going to try and stop them, because you're an idiot. And somebody has to make sure the idiot doesn't die. So I'm coming. Not for you. For the town. [beat] Okay. Maybe a little for you. Tell anyone I said that and I'll deny it. Loudly.

[Session note: medic barks. One line per take] [healing player] Hold still. Hold still! You're fine. You're fine. Okay, go! [squadmate down] Man down! I need cover, now! [out of med kits] I'm dry on med kits! Nobody get shot for a minute! [player ignores warning] I said stay behind cover, not go for a stroll! [revive success] Welcome back. Don't make that a habit. I only have so many of those left. [low health warning] You're bleeding everywhere. Come to me, right now! I can't patch you from over here!

[A dungeon entrance. MILLIBERT clutches a ledger to his chest] I want to be very clear. I sell potions. I do not drink them in combat. I do not throw them at skeletons. I keep them on a shelf, in alphabetical order. Why is the floor sticky? Why is everything here sticky? [a distant roar] Right. Okay. Fine. I'll come. But if I die, I'm charging you for it.

[Radio static. NIA, the player's partner, speaks from a van outside an old hospital] Okay, I've got you on the hallway camera. Lights are terrible. Very horror movie. Love it for you. Keep going. Room twelve should be on your left. The records office. [pause] Yep, I see you. You're at the door. Go on in. [if player hesitates] Hey. It's just an old building. I'm right here. You've got this. [pause] Wait. Hang on. You're not on the camera anymore. You were right there. Can you hear me? Say something. [if player speaks] Okay. Okay, good. You're okay. Something's wrong with my feed. [beat] There's someone else in the hallway on my screen. Standing at the door you just went through. Don't turn around. Just walk. Slowly. Toward the stairs. I'm coming in.

[A misty bamboo forest. A white fox with three tails sits on a stone] Oh good, you're awake. I was starting to think you'd sleep through the whole trial. Humans do that. I'm Suki. I'm your guide. Well. Guide is a strong word. I'll mostly watch and make comments. Three gates ahead. Each one asks a question. Answer honestly and the gate opens. Lie, and you'll walk in circles until spring. [her ears flatten] And whatever you do, don't follow the blue lights. They're not mine. They're very hungry. [brightening] Right! Off we go. Try to keep up.

[Earpiece crackles. DEX, a teenage hacker, chews gum on the line] Okay, I'm in their system. Wow. Their password is "password one." Adults, honestly. Cameras on floor three are looping. You've got ninety seconds before the guard comes back from his snack break. Vault is on your right. Code is four, four, nine, two. [beat] Wait. Somebody else just logged in. Like, right now. Move faster. Please.

[A rooftop at night. Lanterns below. ELIAS sits next to the player] Can I say something? It's going to be weird. Sorry in advance. You know when we were in the caves, and the bridge went, and you grabbed my arm? I keep thinking about that. Not the falling part. The part where you didn't let go. [laughs nervously] This is coming out badly. What I mean is, I look for you. In every room. Even when I don't need anything. I just like knowing where you are. So. That's it. That's the weird thing. [if player returns feelings] Oh. Really? You're not just being nice? [laughs] Okay. Okay. Wow. I'm going to stop talking before I ruin it. [if player says they're just friends] No, that's, yeah. That's fair. That's completely fair. [beat] I'm still glad I said it. And I'm still going to look for you in every room. As a friend.

[The northern gate of the city. Soldiers behind him. CAEL, a trusted companion, steps forward] I wish you hadn't come this way. I really did try to send you east. [if player trusted Cael] You trusted me. Every step. Every night watch. You gave me the key to the vault and you didn't even count the gold after. I need you to know that was real. All of it. The jokes. The fire. All of it. But they have my daughter. And you, I'm sorry, you were never going to be more important than her. [if player doubted Cael] You never really trusted me, did you? I saw it. The way you kept your sword hand free when I was behind you. Smart. Honestly, it made this easier. [both versions] Put down your weapon. Please. Nobody else has to get hurt today. I'll make sure they're quick.

[Session note: idle lines, played when the player stops moving. One per take] [idle 1] So. We're just standing here. Cool. Love standing. [idle 2] I'm going to count the clouds. One. That one looks like you. Bit lumpy. [idle 3] If you're thinking, that's fine. If you're asleep, that's also fine. Just let me know which. [idle 4] I've named that rock Gerald. Gerald and I are friends now. You took too long. [idle 5] Hello? Is anyone in there? Blink twice if you need a snack.

[A forest clearing. Goblins surround the camp. LIO, ten, grips a wooden sword] Uh. Okay. There's a lot of them. That's a lot more goblins than you said. You said maybe two. That's, like, nine. Ten! There's ten! [breathes in] Okay. Okay. Grandma said brave isn't not being scared. It's being scared and doing it anyway. [shouts] Hey, goblins! You're in our camp! Get out! [beat] They're running? They're running! I did that! Did you see?

[A ruined chapel. DAME HOLLIS polishes a dented shield] You asked why I still wear this. The sigil. When there's no order left to wear it for. There were forty of us once. The Order of the Last Light. We swore to guard the road through the mountains, so that anyone could walk it safely. Merchants. Pilgrims. Children. The road is still there. The forty are not. I was away the night the fortress fell. Delivering a letter. A letter. [beat] I could have taken this off. Gone home. No one would have blamed me. But the road is still there. And people still walk it. And someone still needs to stand on it. So I say the oath. Every morning. Out loud. For all forty. [she lifts the shield] Now. You're walking the road. Which means you're under my protection. Try not to argue with that.

[GRIBBLE, a newt-sized familiar, sits on the player's shoulder] You cast the fire spell. In the library. Again. [sighs] I'll fetch the bucket. You apologize to the librarian. And this time, mean it. Last time you said sorry to the bookshelf. The bookshelf did not need it.

[A ruined highway. RUBY aims a crossbow. Her dog growls beside her] That's close enough. Hands where I can see them. [to the dog] Easy, Bandit. Easy. Good boy. [back to the player] You've got a water filter on your pack. That's either very lucky or very stolen. [beat] Bandit doesn't like you. Bandit doesn't like anybody, so don't take it personally. Here's the deal. You share the water. We know the safe route to the coast. You walk in front. [to the dog] Come on, buddy. Let's see if this one lasts.

[A small train station at dawn. The train hisses. MARLOW holds the player's bag out] Here. You forgot this. Again. You'd forget your own head if it wasn't screwed on, and I've seen how loose it is. I'm not getting on. You knew that. Somebody's got to fix this town up, and I'm the only one here who knows which end of a hammer is which. [train whistle] You'll be fine without me. You'll be slower. Much slower. And you'll get lost at least twice before lunch. But you'll be fine. [beat, quieter] Thank you. For all of it. For picking me up off that road. I wasn't really alive before that. Not properly. [clears throat] Anyway. Go on. Train won't wait, and neither will I if you make me cry. Write to me. Not every week. Just when something good happens. So, every week.

[Session note: revive lines. One per take] [reviving] Hey, hey! Stay with me! Come on, open your eyes! [revive complete] There you are. Don't scare me like that. Up you get. Slowly. [revive interrupted] They're on me! Hang on, I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere!