Cut the Sky is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2025 by SV Linwood. It was an entry in the Main Festival of Spring Thing 2025, where it was awarded Best in Show.
In this science fiction story, you play as a swordsman. You've been wandering for a long time. In the Oeserl Plains, a brigand demands your valuables. You should examine what lies here, and you should talk to him, but you solve most problems with your sword.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Choose your character's name:
>> Player (for example)
Choose your sword's name:
>> Mic (for example)
>> SPACE
Oeserl Plains
A brigand with a machete demands your valuables. You are prompted to examine your surroundings first. And you might as well; this brigand is no threat to you.
> x brigand. x machete. x steed. x cape.
> x sign. x stalks.
> x me. i. x Mic. verbs.
> talk to brigand. ("Quit stalling.")
> cut cape. cut machete.
After two losses, he gives up and leaves. You could also have cut his steed instead of his cape or machete, but I think it's kinder to let him keep that.
Satisfied?
>> yes
You may now WANDER to proceed to the next scene, or RETURN to the start of this scene. These commands can be used at the end of any scene.
> wander.
The Valley of Light
You have joined a caravan as a guard.
> x skystones. x caravan. x guard.
After your third turn with the caravan, a rock giant rises from the earth and begins to plod towards you.
> x giant. z. (The giant raises an arm.)
> cut arm. (The giant topples.)
> x boats. x merchants.
The guard tells a story about a drunk wizard.
> x mountains.
Wind and grass combine into a floating swaying snake.
> x snake. z. (It coils, ready to strike.)
Sometimes the snake takes an extra turn before it's "ready to strike". If necessary, wait for that moment.
> cut snake. (It's gone.)
> z. z.
The guard tells a story about a caravan stumbling onto a nest of grues underground.
> x spear.
A shadow wisp grows from nothing, laughing.
> x wisp. (Guard says your sword can't do anything to this one.)
> cut stone. (The stored light banishes the wisp.)
The caravan stops for the night.
> talk to guard.
> wander.
You are paid well. The caravan will head back home, west, but you continue north.
The Lonely Pass
In a lonely pass, you encounter a gunman who intends to collect a bounty on you. But he also wants a fair fight. He'll count down from three, and draw at 'one'.
> x gunman. x hat. x spurs.
> talk to gunman. ("Three")
> z. ("Two")
> z. ("One"; the bullet is out of its chamber.)
> cut bullet. (The gunman holsters his gun.)
> talk to gunman.
> wander.
You travel with him and part ways in Pertra. He's going west; you, east.
The Northern Steppes
You join a pilgrimage headed to the Citadel of Nom Avrak. They stop to make camp. You need do nothing but wait until they retire.
> x campfire. x pilgrims. x spires.
> x beetles. x sky. z. z. z. z. z.
"For is it not the right of all things to die?"
> SPACESPACESPACE
The pilgrims retire.
> wander.
The Scirre Wastes
You wake, finding a woman on your bedroll. You must act decisively and strategically, but you can spare two turns (and no more than two!) for examining.
> x thief. x bedroll.
Now act!
> cut bandana. (She jumps to the ledge.)
> cut bedroll. (It falls.)
> cut ledge. (She jumps to the tree.)
> cut tree. (She falls with it.)
What will you do?
> cut bandana. (She has a gemstone eye.)
> cut gemstone. (She can see normally now.)
> wander.
The thief resumes her pilgrim disguise; she's gone a week later.
The pilgrimage reaches the Citadel of Nom Avrak. One by one, they cannot solve the entry riddle. It's now your turn.
The Gates of Nom Avrak
> x pedestal.
> x sky. x gates. x emblem. x symbols.
Try cutting white followed by the rainbow in ROYGBIV order. Don't worry about how the symbols are changing colors as you proceed.
> cut white. cut red. cut orange. cut yellow.
> cut green. cut blue. cut indigo.
Before you can get to violet, the symbols blink out. You failed.
> think.
I don't think the riddle is solvable; whatever sequence I tried, the symbols wink out after the seventh cut. But the point is, you don't need to solve it.
> cut gate. wander.
The Citadel of Nom Avrak
> x Oracle. x dome. x tendrils.
> x panel. g. g. g. g. g.
> cut tendrils.
> wander.
You walk back through the wasteland alone.
Janthai, the Water City
> x pastries. x vendor.
> talk to vendor. (He'll help you if you do something about the smokesmith's smoke stench.)
You now see a woman on a red mat with smoke and glass bubbles: green, blue, silver, purple, and gold.
> x woman. x smoke. x bubbles. (which?)
> x purple. (brings good sleep)
> x green. (chases sleep away)
> x blue. (just pretty)
> x silver. (brings happiness)
> x gold. (shows visions)
> x mat. x canals.
> talk to woman. (She'll take a break if you humiliate the captain of the guards.)
Let's put her to sleep instead. I didn't even bother trying to find the guard.
> cut purple. g. g. g. (She sleeps.)
> talk to vendor. (He points out a peddler.)
You now see the peddler. His wares are a wooden amulet, a curved dagger, a golden crown, a stone mask, and an ornate box.
> x peddler. talk to him.
> x amulet. x dagger. x crown. x mask.
> x box. (Open it to be shown the way.)
> cut box. (A compass points southeast.)
> wander.
The Forest of Ruan
A rogue wizard begins to chant. His incantations at various times will summon a fire arrow or tentacles or orbs of light or a homunculus.
You can cut these things to stop them, but the wizard keeps summoning more. You can also ignore the attacks, and you survive them, but the wizard keeps chanting anyway.
What you need to do is defeat the attacks indirectly by cutting the appropriate things already here in the forest. I know "clever" counter-attacks for all but the arrow, so I guess just cutting the arrow counts as "clever". Four clever counter-attacks in a row breaks the cycle.
By the way, feel free to cut the wizard's robe if you want to, but know that this wizard has no shame about being nude.
> x wizard.
When there's a fire arrow:
> cut arrow.
> z. z.
When there's tentacles:
> cut vines. (The vines and tentacles entangle each other!)
> z. z.
When there's orbs of light:
> cut shrubs. (The orbs chase the birds.)
> z. z.
When there's a homunculus:
> cut tree. (The trunk falls onto it.)
> z. z.
The wizard casts something new. You're elsewhere.
?????
> x tower. (can't focus on it)
> x dunes. x sky. x me.
> x Mic. (still real and solid)
> think. (This is an illusion.)
> cut illusion.
The Forest of Ruan
If you fancy the wizard as a bed partner, don't hesitate to kiss him. He's agreeable.
> wander.
You spend nine days with the wizard. Finally, he makes a portal and shoves you through it.
In a small outpost, a gang of outlaws with clubs surround you.
Kothk Outpost
The brigand in the Oeserl Plains was more interesting than these losers.
> x obelisk.
> cut clubs —or— cut obelisk. (They flee.)
> wander.
The Black Tower (outside)
> x gate. cut gate.
The Black Tower (at 1st sentinel)
Inside, a metal sentinel bars your way.
> x sentinel. x panel.
> cut sentinel. (You go up.)
The Black Tower (at 2nd sentinel)
A panel of a white orb and another metal sentinel.
> x sentinel. x panel.
> cut sentinel. (Its limbs are in the way.)
> cut limb. g. g. cut sentinel. (You go up.)
The Black Tower (at 3rd sentinel)
> x panel. (of Citadel of Nom Avrak in a jungle)
> cut limb. g. g.
> cut sentinel. (The gem makes the sentinel flicker away for the instant your blade would connect.)
> cut gem. (It falls)
The gem will soon self-heal; strike before it can.
> cut sentinel. (You go up.)
The Black Tower (at 4th sentinel)
> x panel. x symbol. (red)
> cut symbol. (symbol and aura turn orange)
> g. (yellow...)
> g. (green...)
> g. (blue! The colors resonate and the aura is gone.)
> cut gem.
Before you can, the sentinel crashes. Spoilsport. You climb.
The Black Tower (at top)
> x panel. (planet surrounded by a glowing hexagonal web)
> x guardian. (stone face)
> talk to guardian.
> x dome. (You need to go up higher.)
> x tendrils.
> kiss guardian. cut tendrils.
> cut dome. (You go up.)
The Sky
> x sky. (hexagonal sheen shimmers)
> cut the sky.
The true sky is revealed, with sun, then later, stars, but you don't know them by those names.
You walk back down to...
The White Desert
> x sky. x Mic. (You can't just DROP it, can you?)
> think.
> cut Mic. (It can't cut itself.)
> drop Mic.
> x Mic.
> wander.
What is your name?
>> Player
Will you seek out the strange, cheerful wizard? The stone-faced caravan guard? The quiet gunman? The nimble thief?
*** The End ***
> command. (You may REMINISCE to revisit any scene in the game.)
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
A game by SV Linwood.
It was made in Inform 7, created by Graham Nelson, and uses the extension Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short.
Many thanks to my beta testers: Arthur DiBianca, Max Fog, andrewj, Tabitha O'Connell, and Andrew Schultz.
This game contains mild depictions of blood and violence. But you do not have to spill blood if you don't wish to do so.
This is a limited parser game. Type verbs to see which actions are available.
This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!