Forum Thread

"..."

Kendo seemed to make up his mind. Suddenly, he bolted away, dragging his cart behind him. He swiftly ducked into the chocolate aisle, looking nervous. His head was pounding, he was nervous and tired. He wanted his chocolate and wanted to get out. He fumbled and dropped his pen. It broke into a pile of machinery on the floor. It was clearly not a normal pen. He nearly bumped into Uyu, which made him slow down.

"s-sorry..."

---

"..."

Mouth slightly agape as he saw the roboticist rush away.

...Was he That bad at socializing??

He quickly controlled his expression of surprise, and thought hard. He reflected what he said, and there wasn't anything wrong, that reaction was the least he expected of Kendo.

His speech was normal, he didn't talk in any way that was aggressive or soft that made him seem suspicious, so what went wrong?

Or was it his long hair, that made him seem weird?

Many question spiraled in his head, dragging him down, was he that bad at socializing??

---

Flinching hard as Uyu was bumped into, stumbling as his heels clicked on the polished floor, his mind immediately switched to customer service mode as he gave him a kind smile. "Oh don't worry about it. Here, you dropped your pen. Let me help you." He smoothly, taking out a handkerchief from seemingly out of nowhere with a flourish. Kneeling down, he draped the silk cloth over the scattered pile of machinery and frowned for a second. It wasn't anything normal that he recognized but he wasn't about to go prying. People deserve their secrets and Uyu had his own fair share of them. A quick wrist flick had the cloth bundled up in a neat package, most of the parts wrapped up within the handkerchief all safe and away from prying eyes. "Here you go, sir. Best not be running to quickly now or your next unfortunate victim might not be so kind, yes?" Holding out the parcel of parts, Uyu gave Kendo the one he gave to any frightened customer and dropped the package into the scientist's hand.

---

"I- t-thank you..."

He took the handkerchief and sped off, to checkout. he wanted to leave as quickly as possible. There were so many people... and he wasn't acting like himself around them. it wasn't safe here. HE wasn't safe here. They all gave off strange auras, and they looked so familiar. The flamboyant man just now, he could tell with a glance that there was something up with him. The investigator was weird. The tall man with the Japanese-animation hair was strange, the two little girls acted far beyond their years. This place was not safe.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Well, since no one seemed to care, Kairien stopped caring about the literal "man that fell from the sky" in his cart right now and stepped away, listening to all these people blabber on. He pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a loud sigh, obviously not in the mood for this. Right now, he was dealing with a gardener, a forensic investigator, a roboticist, a vent crawler, a girl named Phoenix, and another guy that he had not yet even heard speak.

Geez, how'd he wind up in a whacky NPC quest with these people? He could already tell this was going to be so fun, totally not a mind-bogglingly stupid and painful "quest"!

"Well, if anyone cares..." He spoke up, his expression showed that he was obviously unamused. He was about to state his full name like pretty much everyone else before his roaming eyes landed on Li Fengyu. That man pointed out odd things about others, and it was obvious that he had relations with the police. He was probably on record anyways, but he didn't want this man to suddenly have his entire file in his head as soon as Kai said his own name, it just seemed a little weird for some reason. "I'm uh... Kai, I just work at the gas station down the ro-" He paused, remembering the text from earlier. His face turned slightly sour as he corrected himself, his voice turning a little bitter. "Used to work at that gas station..."

How the hell did I end up in this situation with a bunch of well-known names, people who actually do things...

Well, that roboticist was gone by now, and he hoped that he would be soon as well. This was just too tiring...

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---

"I'm uh... Kai, I just work at the gas station down the ro-"

Finally a new face that didn't pop out. For a moment, he almost thought that everyone here was into something suspicious or illegal.

"Used to work at that gas station..."

Or maybe not. He took a deep breath inwards, and barely stopped himself from massaging him forehead. Well that was suspicious..

Perhaps, the criteria to get kidnapped by those scientists and 'doctor' was to be in suspicious activities.

---

Magnus jumped out of the cart and looked around at the people blabbering.
"So hey,umm I'm...uh Magnus and I ...umm...I was here to fix the ceiling? I mean of course I was umm fixing the uh...ceiling. And I....uh just fell? Yeah..."

Unable to explain his position any more, and overwhelmed with the jumbled thoughts, Magnus knocked over the tall guy and made a dash for it.

However he stumbled right into the roboticist and they went over sprawling.

---

Oh goodness, even the ceiling dweller was introducing himself. Sure, this man claimed that he was fixing the ceiling but anyone could see that he wasn't all that well off and his clothing, dear gods were atrocious and certainly not work safe. Uyu was going to have to make his escape before he could be roped into the idiocy by proximity alone and he made to escape as quickly as he could. Only to be foiled by the power of sheer dumb luck as the ceiling man ran into the poor scientist who looked like he was having one of the worst days of his life. Uyu couldn't blame him, he felt bad for the poor soul who had to undergo so many baffling hijinks in the space of an hour. At least the silk handkerchief that held the broken pen didn't spill open, scattering everything into the winds again. Small mercies he supposed, but it also meant that the two men who were sprawled on the ground (huh... fanfic idea perhaps even if he wasn't the type to write such literature) now blocked his one exit. Wonderful.

"So sorry to interrupt this get together, but can you please take this outside to perhaps the parking lot? Somewhere that won't block customers from accessing what they need, preferably?" He requested the buffoons who surrounded him on all sides with the best customer service smile that he could muster. Honestly, it was really convincing, his soft and kind tone betraying none of his growing frustrations. For all those listening, it really did seem like this poor shopper was caught up in the madness and just wanted out while harboring no ill will towards anyone. Which, really. Was the truth. Uyu might have to pull out the wine bottles though.

---

Kendo was hurriedly checking his items out, when he heard Uyu.

"So sorry to interrupt this get together, but can you please take this outside to perhaps the parking lot?"

Oh god. That was towards him. He couldn't handle this. He internally cursed.

"Why did I have to buy so much chocolate..."


He flipped through his wallet, pulling out a credit card.

---

Li Fengyu sighed, not wanting to anger anyone, he slowly moved his cart away. He may haven't gotten what he wanted from Walmart, but he did get some use and interesting information. Li Fengyu thought with his lips quirked up.

Even though, with those answers came more questions...

He quickly made a quick list of the question in his head that he is going to look over later, as he checked everything out, and entered his car, before making his way to the police station again, to grab a laptop and then finally going back to his apartment.

Where he brought everything that he bought into the fridge, and going straight to the living room with his police-barrowed laptop and another cup of coffee, planning to search up all of the names of the people he met today all night.

Perhaps then, may he be just a slightly bit more prepared.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

And with that, through the power of Plot™, Kairien had left the scene and gotten everything else he had come here for, ignoring everything else that was going on. He caught a few nasty glances from other shoppers, but he paid no mind to that while he went to check out.

It's been a long day already, he just wanted to go back home... Maybe he'll take this weird journey some other time...

He put his groceries in the trunk, having a little bit of trouble closing the trunk due to the messed up latch, but he managed. Kai then slumped into the driver's seat and sat there for what seemed like ages, unsure of what to do.

He thought about all those people, how they tied into everything... Was he supposed to go with them? Was he supposed to just... Do this alone? He wasn't even sure...

(small post bc i'm lazy)

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Kendo hurridely made his way outside, his bag of stuff disappearing into thin air. He quickly walked through the streets, trying to get away as fast as possible. He passed Kai, but didn't seem to even notice.

"Need to get away... need to get away... rotting heart... what was that?... I don't know..."

---

That was interesting. Quite a bit to be learned. Seems like nothing else would be happening, so Athena took her leave. She was busy today.

---

"Krrrk"
The coke can rattled hollowly as Magnus continued sucking even after it was over. Annoyed with the sudden noise disturbance, he threw the steel can with extreme force, wincing as it shattered against the wall, leaving a mark.

Who cared? It wasn't his house anyways...at least, not any more. Well, it want a house either, it was a mansion.The Grace family mansion....whose inhabitants had all died in the massive gas explosion, all except the last one of the dynasty... Magnus... Who ran away to become the smartest beggar in town.

The house had been abandoned and declared inhospitable site and a monument of respect to the grace family, who used to be the richest.People also claimed it to be haunted, but no ghosts had troubled him...at least not yet. Organising his jumbled thoughts, Magnus let out a hoarse laugh at the irony of the situation. Not much time from the richest to the poorest.....

Straightening up, Magnus spread out the map before him. After escaping from Walmart, where he had behaved most foolishly, Magnus went to the police station and made friends with the sweeper, eventually worming out a map of the place from him. He intended to sneak in at night and search the servers for Rotting Heart...

Magnus eventually formulated a plan worthy of a forensic investigator.He would have to keep the detective person occupied...by puncturing his tyres, as he was the only one probable to be there at night, or so the sweeper had said.

As he got up to go out to accomplish the first step of his plan, Magnus heard a slight cracking sound outside. He summoned his scimitars and ran out to see-
Nothing. Absolutely no one was standing there. However still suspicious, he slowly walked forward and arrived at the central hall table. And the tabled was pinned a note written in blood-

"Go to The Rotting Heart. Tell no one, not even your family. We have given you and your comrades....secrets. One word, and your fate shall be sealed. For your own good, go to the Rotting Heart"

Comrades? Was it those people he saw at the Walmart? Well, the doctor was one, and the tallguy, the roboticist and the pretty girl and....
Never mind. He would first have to find out where and what the hell was rotting heart. Then maybe....

---

The rotting heart... What the hell was that!? More importantly, where. Athena didn't have time to waste searching for some possibly non-existent place which a random voice told her to look for. She wouldn't have to worry about the next part of the message, she had no one to tell anyways. Better start looking.

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Spooky Narrator

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Well, that day was... uneventful to say the least. Well, at least everyone understands the situation a little bit more, right?

Wrong, they knew nothing at all. Fun.

The sun had burned its way into everyone's eyes in the morning, reminding them that today was a new day and they had s**t that needed to be done. Like... Maybe nearly die a few times, forced to listen to their own minds tormenting them, deal with insufferable people for a long journey, and so many more fun things. Oh the joys of becoming a part of a strange experiment, their fate now at the hands of some random dude in a white trench coat. Or was it... Two random dudes in a white trench coat... Who knows, nobody could tell with the coat on.

Speaking of a random dude or two that now had control over every aspect of these poor characters' lives, watching their every movement, listening to every word they said, and even monitoring their thoughts to an extent (creepy...), he was up doing his work once again. Time to be an alarm clock they can never turn off.

Oh, that reminds me, hi. That random dude in a coat? Yeah, that's me, I'm Spooky Narrator. Nobody here knows it yet, but I actually go by Dr. Arevo, not "Frankenstein" or "That Guy", just Dr. Arevo. Thanks.

. . .

Each of them woke up to a throbbing headache once again, a high-pitched noise constantly playing in their ears, but it didn't seem to come from anywhere except their own heads. Oh fun...

To those that had a phone, a strange message was blaring on the screen, one that caught everyone's attention right away. To those that didn't, or were known to never use their phone, a sticky note on their forehead shared Dr. Arevo's message instead.

"Well, hope none of you had nightmares, there's no time to waste. Can't weasel your way to a convenience store because you "forgot" something, gotta take a road trip first. Besides, the rest of the necessary supplies (and some quality items) have been fully stocked while you were asleep, didn't have the budget for name-brand stuff so I do hope you enjoy 'Dortitos'. Don't ask how I managed to do these things, it's better if you didn't know.

Anyways, to make it a little easier for you guys I have saved the location of The Rotting Heart in your devices (for those that didn't have one, a fun-sized colorful pamphlet detailing the location was given instead), I do hope you make it there safely, but I can't guarantee that certain... Obstacles won't be in your path. Good luck!

Oh, and please do remember, tell no one. The consequences are... less than humane to say the least.

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kai woke up from his very unfortunate and very short rest, if it could even be called that. It was more of a power nap, and the headache he still had didn't make it any better. He drove home almost immediately after the store encounter, and did almost nothing except worry and pack.

Too bad he woke up to an even worse headache, almost like he'd been shot through the skull. Totally not speaking from experience. He groaned and sat up in his bed, immediately reaching for the bottle of pills that he had recently gotten for these damn headaches.

After a few moments of utter silence, the man reached for his phone, his eyes barely even open enough to see the message. Kai noticed it last minute though and slowly rubbed his eyes to hopefully clear his vision before reading.

. . .

Geez, intrusive much, eh? He assumed this guy just broke into his house while he was asleep, and he didn't doubt it either. He obviously knew everyone's addresses or at least their current whereabouts, so it wouldn't be surprising if he just came in uninvited...

Oh whatever, he had to get up anyways, couldn't worry about it too much. He did enough of that last night.

Kai couldn't help but wonder though... Who were those people? The man had the faintest memory of their existence, but... did he actually know them? They all had to be in on this, right? He sighed and hoisted himself off his bed and headed to the shower, then got everything else ready for the road trip.

Grabbing the key and slowly opening the trunk, Kai stuffed all his belongings in and hopped in the front seat, turning his key and... Since when did he have a full tank of gas? A rarity nowadays, especially since money was tight, but he wasn't going to complain. A long pause was held as he just sat there, contemplating whatever the hell he was about to do. He didn't want to see those people again, but if the road to The Rotting Heart was that dangerous, and they were in on it...

Wouldn't it be best to travel with them?

Eh, who cares, he was starving and there was a local bakery in town he could stop at. The message didn't say anything about grabbing breakfast after all.

. . .

He parked his car in a strangely vacant parking lot, slightly confused about the emptiness but didn't really complain. Hey, the fewer people there were the easier he could get his food. He walked in and placed his order, then sat down at one of the two-person tables and pulled out his phone. Kai figured that he could do at least a little research before he sent himself to die.

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Once again, jokes on spooky narrator, Uyu doesn't sleep. As the sun began to crest over the horizon, still hidden by the massive that made up the city, there was a click as Uyu's apartment door was unlocked and the owner stepped through. To put things kindly, he looked like a model who had just come back from a shoot that had involved getting a car to run over him. His migraines were getting worse and honestly an annoying high pitched whining has been following around ever since he got in the car and sped home. Thank goodness there weren't any other drivers on the road at the time.

Collapsing on the couch, Uyu dropped off his goods on the coffee desk and closed his eyes for a moment. It stung for a moment as he let himself sink into the ratty fabric. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn't ever wake up. But unfortunately, that's not how life works. With shaking hands, Uyu fumbled with a medicine box holding a hoard of painkillers because apparently he was a child and couldn't open those damn child safety locks. Popping a few in and washing it down with Sprite, Uyu nearly fell out of his seat when his Blackberry brick vibrated out of his pocket, clattering onto the floor. He kind of wanted to cry actually.

Picking up his phone as best as he could, Uyu scrolled to his mail and clicked it open when he saw that he had a new mail. Reading through it, his lips curled into an ugly snarl as he gently placed the device face down. What happened next is definitely not PG-13 so uh.... well use your imagination. There's a sleep deprived man who's ready to throttle the next person he comes across. You can guess.

Snatching his keys off the ground and enough supplies for a few days that he had thrown together in his rage, Uyu stormed out of his ruined apartment, slamming the door shut on a room trashed beyond belief. Fine. He'd play, but only to give whoever was running this whole thing a new necklace. A custom made one that fit so snugly around their neck that it would be quite difficult to breath. Yes, something like that would be a perfect thank you gift.

---

That night Magnus had planned to sneak and puncture the doctors car...but all of a sudden that note on the table had staggered him. He went back into the house and sat heavily on the previously luxurious bed, but now a bed bug haven.

He rummaged around the house and found an old chessboard and chess pieces along with some weird device which looked somewhat like the flat torch thing people called a phone. He crammed it into his pocket, and arranging the chessboard, started playing.

A sudden shuffling noise broke Magnus's attention. He stood up and peeped outside.
No one.
He summoned one of his scimitars and a light glow from the blade lit up the house. Moving forward, he came again into the central hall which was-
"Holy- !" He screamed and ran forward. There was a collapsible laser bow and a blue backpack. He quickly zipped it open and looked inside.
Unbelievable.

The bag was full of food, medicines, a nylon rope, grapple hook and....A letter.
....

Was it those people? Was he really included in some big mission? Ever since the accident, Magnus wanted least attention. But it was just the opposite. Not that his blond hair or grey eyes helped though.....

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, with the collapsible laser bow and the weird thimgy in his pocket, sunlight glazing off his two sword rings, Magnus headed to the local bakery to grab some cakes with then coins he had stolen yesterday.

He saw a battered old car in the parking lot. Ignoring it, he walked in, and ran straight into the tall guy from Walmart.
"Er....hi?"

---

What the- She really had to stop being surprised. But in her defense, no one, no one, had successfully sneaked into her base/home, much less bring anything with them. It just wasn't possible. Athena scanned and checked the strange 'supplies' in every possible way, looking for any kind of clue for who was doing all this. And making sure that they were safe. Unfortunately, nothing turned up. At least the contents were mostly safe. She still doubted the 'Dortitos'.

Sure enough, there was a new message in her inbox. Quite hard to miss, when you rarely get any. Grabbing her backpack which could compress pretty much anything, she neatly stacked whatever she would need and could fit in it. The few bulky items went in a separate trunk.

Security was amped up, That Guy wasn't getting in so easily now. A few slightly heated phone calls, and her schedule was clear for the month. No idea how long this was going to take.

Why was she doing this? That Guy didn't give her any reason to follow his directions, and she really really didn't have time for fantastical adventures. Was it a secret thrill for new challenge? Or a need to prove that she was strong enough for whatever That Guy was going to throw at her? Whatever it was, she was on her way.

---

Kendo was awoken from his slumber by a throbbing headache. he groaned as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes. He checked his phone. immediately, it blared red. A message popped up. He jumped up in surprise, hitting his head on the ceiling of his car.

"Mate... what...?"

He put the phone down. He looked around, trying to remember where he was. It came back to him. He had parked in a vacant lot somewhere and fallen asleep. He glanced at the seat next to him. There was a bag of essentials, consisting of mostly chocolate and soda. He sighed, as he got out of the car, stretching. He took a mental note of where his car was and walked off. He noticed a bakery nearby. he shrugged.

"eh... why not?"

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