DCAHall3 Act II

(Tale Two)
[cut to the cobblestone path.. place, just outside the village]
[oh, and the chao have flashlights. Forgot to mention that.]
Shade: Right. Where are we searching first?
Dark: Perchance we could be searching at yonder entrance, suh?
Shadow: No. Not the entrance. There is no entrance anymore.
Dark: Ya sure? We can't even check?
Red: Something tells me it's best we don't even check.
Shade: Damn, you two are getting paranoid ALREADY? Halloween only just officially started a few minutes ago!
[they start moving forward; Red trails behind]
[oh, one more thing, the sky is currently dark, but not TOO dark; there's still plenty of light]
[sunset finished little under half an hour ago]
Red: Interested in the time.
[not really. Just the lighting. Gotta make this scary. Want to make it scary enough for two years' worth.]
Red: Right, right.. man, you're really upset about missing Halloween last year.
[Doesn't matter. I think you should move on. It's not safe to be out in the woods at night... alone.]
Red: You can't scare me.
[Red stands in wait for a bit]
Red: ...uh.. hey, guys, wait for me!
[Red runs off-screen]

[cut to a new acre of woods, off to the south of the cobblestone path]
Dark: Captain's Log, 729 AD. We're currently wandering around this strange new world, hoping to find some sign of life.
Shadow: ..who are you talking to?
Dark: You! I want you to write this down! This will go in my log.
Shadow: Wha?
Shade: Just... just let him talk.
Dark: We are currently walking around some odd acre of woods, and I want my mommy.
Red: Pfft, we've just barely started.
Dark: Shut up! I don't see YOU doing anything heroic.
Red: Yeah, well that's because I don't HAVE to. I'm Brian, remember? The boring one?
Shadow: He's got a point there. Dark, you're the one who's supposed to be scaring US. You're Masky.
Dark: Well.... shut up.
[they keep walking for a bit]
[they come across a large, fallen tree preventing further walking]
Shade: Damn. We can't keep going down here.
Shadow: What about to the East?
Dark: That guy told us not to go East.
Shadow: *sigh* Fine. What about West, then?
Red: How about we just turn back?
Shade: No way, and be a wuss? Pfft. We're in this for the night.
Red: I.. I.. aw. Okay.
[they start heading to the West, following the fallen tree]
Shadow: This was a really big tree. It goes on for acres!
Shade: Yeah, well, something tells me this forest isn't normal.
Dark: *gulp*
Red: Fellows, if I may attempt to soothe your nerves?
Shade: Try it.
Red: We are on a different planet. Physics, including how big a tree may be, are bound to differ from our accepted norms.
Dark: That.. that helps.
Shade: Red, I'd high-five you but I'm holding a camera.
Red: It's alright. I appreciate it.
[they reach the next acre of woods, and the fallen tree finally reaches its end]
Shade: DAMN, that thing was huge. Now we can go south!
Red: Yes, but why would we WANT to?
Shadow: Maybe THAT'S why.
[they look, and to the west is the traveler from before, still facing away, sitting at the top of a tall tree]
Red: Right, and to the north is the village...
Shade: Yeah, so let's go this way.
[they hurry down to the south, trying not to look at the vague traveler at the top of the tree]
[by the time they head south an acre, they find a small outpost]

Entry #13 (Red: Outpost)
Scattered on the ground are some binoculars, telescopes, astrology books, and... zoology books, I believe. Upon further
examination of the zoology books, the creatures depicted range from bizarre to outright delusional. This is most likely due
to the aforementioned "alien planet norms." These are obviously normal to these people. Still, this outpost is interesting.
I suppose some villagers or other travelers had come out here to observe the local fauna.

[Red tells the others of his thoughts]
[Dark turns to look at the traveler]
Dark: Guys... he's gone.
[the others look, and yes, the traveler HAS gone]
Shadow: Creepy.
Red: He couldn't have gone far, could he?
Shade: It doesn't matter! Let's move on.
[they move past the outpost and head west some more]
[after a while, they hear the distant sound of water, to the south]
Shade: Water, anyone?
Red: Water is always good news. I say go for it.
Shadow: Eh, why not?
Dark: Fine.
[they go on to the south, and an acre away is a river]
[it goes from the west to the east]
Shadow: What is up there, to the west?
Red: It looks like miles and miles of boring woods.
Shadow: And what is down there, in the other direction?
Red: To the east... looks like the same thing.
Shade: Eh, I say we head down the river.
Shadow: Well, you're the only one making decisions so far. Let's do it.
[they head down the river for a couple of acres]
[at one point, the river curves and heads north; they still follow it]
[of course, as it curves, it makes a U-turn and goes back south before finally resuming its eastward course]
[they keep blindly following it, having no other landmarks to follow]
[they keep heading east until eventually, the river grows in size and takes up the entire next few acres]
Shade: Aw, damn. Now what?
Shadow: ...there! What's that, just by the riverside?
[just by the riverside is a large raft]
[Shade looks at the others with a sly grin]
Red: Oh, no way, you're not planning to...?
Shade: C'mon. What other choice do we have?
Shadow: The other choices are turn back, and wander aimlessly through the woods all night.
Red: .....ahhhhh fine. Fine fine fine.
Dark: Let's DO IT!
[they push the raft into the water and climb on]
[they ride the raft down the river for several acres]
[eventually, they reach a big stone wall that the river goes into (like a drain) and ahhh I can't explain stuff]
[basically, the chao have to get off the raft and they do]
Red: Well, that was a rather uneventful raft ride. Now where are we?
Shadow: No idea. Hey, what's this?
[they find a small path heading up a little valley, to the south]
Shadow: Anybody else feel like heading up this path?
Shade: I know I do.
Dark: Rock n' roll!
Red: Well, majority rules.
[they head up the path to the south]

Entry #14 (Shadow: Scruple)
Okay. Okay. I'm a little weirded out now. I swear I just dreamt we were in some dark woods at night. The others say they
had the same dream. But then again, we're wearing our Halloween costumes, so.. was it really a dream?

But we're.. we're in front of a small town. Like, proper town. In a clearing, too. No trees anywhere. And it's daytime.
Like... bright, sunny day. The sign at the front of the town reads "Scruple," which I assume is the name of the town.

What the hell just happened?

[cut to the town of Scruple, at daytime (like.. noon); no trees anywhere in sight]
[our heroes walk into the town, and find it filled with many other chao]
[the other chao continue on as if our heroes weren't there]
[the three look at Shade, who looks at them with confusion]
[Shade stops a passerby]
Shade: Excuse me, ma'am?
Chao: Yes? What is it?
Shade: Um.. where are we?
Chao: Where are you? Why, you're in Scruple!
Shadow: But we were just in Sancheria...
Chao: Sanch..what? Boys, that's just an urban legend. You'd best stop reading those comic books. Haha!
[the chao walks away]
[they walk up to an old well]
Red: Well, THAT'S an old well.
Otherguy: Heh, sure is! And y'know what's at the bottom of this well? A key.
Shade: A key? Really?
Guy: Really. I'll give it to ya.. for a price.
Shade: Wait, what does the key open?
Guy: That's the thing-- we have no idea. It's the spooky key of no unlocking!
Shade: *sigh* Fine, how much?
Guy: Uh.. got any mepsipax?
Shade: What?
Guy: Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter.
Shade: No, no, we'll get you your mepsipax. Just make sure you're ready to give up that key.
Guy: Yeah, yeah.. we'll see.
[they leave the well and look around]
Red: Okay. What the hell is mepsipax, Shade?
Shade: Pepsi Max. Hang on, I'm sure we can find it. Hey, dude?
[Shade pulls over a random person]
Shade: Which way to the nearest store?
Dude: Uh.. it's at the other end of the town.
Shade: Thanks.
[they head to the east end of the town, and enter a store]
[Shade buys some Pepsi Max]
Red: Now where did you get money?
Shade: Deus ex machina. I had some. So what?
[they head back to the well]
Shade: Here's your "mepsipax."
Guy: That ain't no mepsipax! That there is Pepsi Max.
Shade: That's what mepsipax IS, dude.
Guy: It IS? Oh. Well, I'll be damned. Okay, fine.
[the guy hands Shade an old key]
Shade: Thanks.
Guy: Good luck finding out what that's supposed to open! Not even I know!
[they look around a bit]
Shade: Hm. What could this possibly open?
[they find an old building with a lock on the front door]
Shade: ........ah, it's worth a shot.
[the key unlocks the old house]
Shade: Oh. What do you know?
Red: What good would an old house do?
Shade: You never know.
[they look inside and find absolutely nothing of interest]
Shade: ...you still never know!
Shadow: Let's look around a bit more. This town seems a little too good to be true.
[they take a quick look around the town, and find that it is divided into three sections]
[in the northwest is the front end of the town, where most people live and converse and whatnot]
[in the northeast is the back end of the town, where most of the shops are and where some people live]
[in the entire south end is the abandoned section, where only foolish people go-- nobody will explain why, though]
[our heroes head to the entrance to the abandoned section; a large gate blocks entrance]
Guard: Hey! You kids shouldn't be wandering around here!
Shade: Yeah, um.. hello. First of all, I'm twenty-two. Secondly, yeah, why is this section blocked off?
Guard: Too many lives have been lost back here. You'd best turn back.
Shadow: Whoa, whoa, whoa. "Lives have been lost?" Care to elaborate?
Guard: Many years ago, a.. a.. really bad thing happened. Back there. So we gated it up, and nobody's gone back there since.
Red: That's not very progressive.
Guard: Hey, this ain't the kind of thing you can evolve through. It's one of those natural selection, adapt or die things.
Red: Um.. evolution and natural selection aren't mutually exclusive.
Guard: Whatever! I ain't letting anyone through, especially not little strangers like yourselves.
Shade: Alright. That's fair. C'mon, guys.
[Shade leads the others back to the old house]
[he looks around and starts digging through cabinets and drawers]
Dark: Whatcha lookin' for, Shade?
Shade: So far, this whole town has been one big fetch-quest.. like something out of an RPG.
Red: That's an eloquent way of putting it.
Shade: So I figured, the best way to get past a gatekeeper is to find written permission.
[Shade rummages through a drawer and pulls out a small slip of paper]
Shade: And that's just what I found!
[cut back to the gate; our heroes return]
Guard: I see you have come back.
Shade: Yes, hi. See, I had completely forgotten to mention this before, but.. we were sent.
Guard: You were sent?
Shade: Yes. By Her Royal Awesomeness, the lovely Queen of Georg....zerland.
Guard: Her Awesomeness sent you?! No way.
[Shade shows the guard the slip of paper, with a signature on it]
Guard: Her Loveliness, the Queen of Georgzerland... o_o
[the Guard opens the gate]
Guard: Well, I have no idea what Her Awesomeness wants you to do back here, but.. it is not my place to object. Go right in.
Shade: Thanks.
[they enter]
[this back end of the town is deserted, with some burnt down buildings and some buildings covered in vines]
Dark: Shade, I had no idea there WAS a Queen of Georgzerland.
Shade: Shhh. There isn't.
Dark: Oh. ...oh! Nice oneMAN.
Shade: Red, you're observant. Could you observe this place and write it in a log entry?
Red: Sure.

Entry #15 (Red: The Back End of Town)
The backside seems completely different than the rest of the town. Everything's dark around here, whether it's scorched by
some historic fire, or simply shadowed by some taller, eroded building. That's another thing-- EVERYTHING SEEMS ERODED.
By that, I mean that everything appears as if it has been slowly destroyed by water or wind. Sometimes both. All the sounds
of crowds and laughter and machines have all vanished completely, as if we've moved far away from the town. In fact, the
only sound of note is a peculiar hum. A low hum. It sounds like the kind of hum you'd hear from a large supercomputer, or...
something. I have no idea what the hum of a large supercomputer would sound like, okay? It just sounds... large, yet distant.

We checked out the town a little bit further, and looked around the various downed buildings. There really isn't much to see.
However, Dark was able to find a small box. A wooden box. Nothing's in it. Upon further exploration, Shadow discovered one
locked door, and it was the front door to a pretty big building. It looks almost like a factory. Why do I get the feeling
that Shade's right, and this IS just one big fetch quest?

[cut to back in the northeast section of town; the chao have just left the abandoned section]
Shade: So we only found that one locked door, and this box?
Dark: It's a pretty box.
[they find a little girl crying]
Shadow: Hey, what's wrong?
Girl: I.. I'm lost! I can't find my mommy!
Dark: Oh, no! Here, have this box.
Girl: *sniff* Wh...what's this supposed to do?
Dark: Nothing whatsoever. But it's a pretty birch, innit?
Girl: *sniff* Y..yeah, it IS a pretty box! Gee, thanks, mister!
Dark: No problem.
[they walk away]
Dark: It feels nice to help out little children.
[a random person bumps into Dark]
Dark: Ack! Hey, watch where you're going, buddy!
Red: Whoa, Dark! I think he just handed something to you.
Dark: He did?
[Dark takes a look at what he was just given; it is a pineapple]
Dark: Ooh, yummy!
Shadow: How the heck did you not notice that he gave that to you?
Dark: I'm Dark, remember? 8D
Shadow: ...oh, yeah.
[they wander around town again, and check out the northwest section]
Red: Now, realistically, what can we do with a pineapple?
Shade: We can.. feed the poor, or something.
[a poor person walks up to them]
Poor: Please, sir.. I'm so hungry. Do you have any spare food?
Dark: Hey. Listen. Here's my shirt.
Shade: DARK!
Dark: I mean, here's a pineapple. *hands him a pineapple*
Poor: Thank you!
[the poor guy walks away]
Shade: Seriously, dude, you don't even HAVE a shirt. Just that mask.
Dark: ...HOLY CRAP, MAN, I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING.
[Dark runs off]
Shadow: D-Dark! Wait for us!
[the other three run off, following him]
[he leads them north, down the valley and out of the town]

[cut to by the end of the river at night, in the forest]
[Dark is running to the north, and the other three are standing around]
[Dark suddenly stops running]
Dark: Whoa. Guys, did I just fall asleep?
Shadow: Better yet, did I?! I'm not even tired!
Shade: Um.. uh.. whoa. Did WE? Wait, Dark, in the dream, you said you remembered something.
Dark: Huh? ..oh, right! Up here!
[Dark leads them to the north of the river]
[Dark leads them to a mask lying on the ground]
Dark: I kinda remember seeing this... when we were out on the river.
Red: What the? It's... a mask?
[the mask is made to look like Solid Snake]
[Red picks up the mask, and tries it on]
Red: ..whoa, everything looks... green.
Shade: It's freaking NIGHT VISION, oh, that's AWESOME!
Red: Hang on, guys.. I see something over there, by the river.
[Red leads them over to the river, and crouches down by the shore]
Red: Hmm...
Shade: Well? What'd you see?
Red: It's... a key!
[Red picks it up]
Red: It's an old, rusty one.
Shadow: Why do I get the feeling that...
Shade: ..it's for the factory-esque building?
Red: Should we check it out?
Shadow: Eh. We need SOMETHING to do.
Shade: The kid's becoming more like me by the minute.
Red: Fine! Let's go.
[they head right back up the valley]

[cut to Scruple, broad daylight, no trees around; the chao are standing around]
Dark: ....okay, that is REALLY cool.
Red: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was NOT just a dream. I'm still wearing the mask. *takes mask off*
Shade: You still have the key, though, right?
Red: Uh... *checks* ...yeah!
Shade: Sweet. Let's go, then.
[they head through town and to the abandoned section]
[they check out the factory-esque building, and try unlocking it]
[they do]

Entry #16 (Red: Inside the Factory)
Inside the door was, indeed, a factory. There were broken-down conveyor belts and switches and levers... the whole place
smelled of dusky old dust and smelly old smells. The light humming from before was much more pronounced and evident. We
moved on into the factory, and the first thing we see is this long, dark corridor leading to nowhere.

Before anyone says anything, we're already up at the entrance to the hall. I look at Shade, who looks back at me with a
strange expression on his face, as if to say he doesn't know what's going on, but we're gonna find out anyway.

Shadow steps up to the hall, and nobody says a single thing. In fact, we follow him into the hall.

Entry #17 (Shadow: Tenebrosity)
That was even more surreal a dream than the last. Wait, what? I.. WERE we in that factory? In that town? But, no, I swear I
was dreaming.. but I get the feeling the other three were, as well. ...wait. Wait wait wait. Let me just.. describe my
surroundings. Make sure we get this down.

We're in the middle of a large cemetery. The sky is dark.. it seems like half-past eight. Ish. There are clearly some trees
around us, outside the cemetery.. to the south and west. But to the north.. is.. a gigantic factory. And yet... well..
the factory seems twisted. Bizarre. Some lights are turned on, and some aren't. I think I see some other buildings in the
near distance.

A nearby sign reads "Tenebrosity Cemetery."
"Tenebrosity..." I suppose that's the name of this industrial town.

[the chao look at each other]
Shade: ...
Shadow: ...
Dark: ...
Red: ...let's set one thing straight. We were NOT just dreaming.
Shade: ..I have to agree. No matter how much it seems like we were, we weren't.
Red: Right. We seem to be passing through various... lack for a better term, "realities."
Shade: I'd say "Light World and Dark World," but we entered in THIS world, the darker one.
Red: Yes. But either way, the two realities are VERY real. Hence the term "realities."
Shade: Exactly. So! No running off, and no doing crazy ****. Any questions?
Dark: I gotta pee!
Shade: *groan*
Shadow: I.. I think there's a small industrial town over there. There may be a bathroom there.
Shade: Fine. Let's check it out.
[Dark prepares to run]
Shade: Ap! No running off.
[they walk through the cemetery, and to the east]

Entry #18 (Red: Tenebrosity Industrial)
The industrial section of the town is basically.. a backwards L. We entered at the west part, and it turns and goes to the
north. Up there, though, is the factory. It's seriously a HUGE factory. It is bigger than that.. that village in the woods.
The closer we get, the darker and more ominous it seems to get. The lights...

Oh, right, right, the town. Yes. It's a relatively small town. The buildings are deserted and quite small. You can clearly
see the trees behind them.

Speaking of trees, and I'm saying this so the other three will know what I am currently staring at... I can plainly see the
strange traveler from before, um.. sitting above a tree, facing away from us. Always facing away, isn't he? Ah, and I now
remember what the village chief said, about steering clear of all trees. He was wise to tell us that. As this place gets
darker, the trees become more and more indistinguishable. Luckily, we are not in the forest right now. ..where was I?

[rustle]
[Red darts his head to look at a building nearby; he sees a shadow duck behind it]
Red: Guys... I don't like this place. I don't feel safe.
Shade: Ah, where's your sense of adventure? Of DANGER?
Red: Ohhhh, I sense danger, alright.
Shade: You'll get used to it.
Red: But Shade...
Shade: Ooh, guys, look! A door to the factory!
Red: Ohhhhhhhhhhh...
[they head over to the factory door]
Shade: ...aw, it's LOCKED!
Shadow: What a surprise. Hey, I wonder if we can get in through that window that's suspiciously close to the ground?
Red: Ohhhh--wait, how can a window be SUSPICIOUSLY close to the ground? That seems rather normal to me.
Shadow: Eh, when you take it into context, it seems like it was placed there to let us get in.
Red: I get what you're saying, but even then, it would be CONVENIENTLY close to the ground, not "suspiciously."
Shadow: Good point.
[they head to the window and climb through]

Entry #19 (DUNGEON: Tenebrosity Factory)
Shadow: Um, yes, hello... this is a slightly different kind of Log Entry. This is a Dungeon Entry. You see, there are some
pretty crazy places out there, and the Tenebrosity Factory is no exception. It requires some intense concentration on our
parts, and sometimes we just need to.. focus without really making our actions known, script-wise. Sometimes we even have to
split up, and in a huge place like this.. that's pretty likely. Of course, by some weird power that probably has something to
do with the breaking of the fourth wall and meta-writings, we are always able to keep in contact with each other via these
entries. Now, some of the things written in here may be vague. I'm not sure if that's because we're too busy doing stuff to
bother writing full, complicated, eloquent descriptions like this, or if it's to do with the fact that this is supposed to be
a scary script, but either way... you're gonna have to put up with it for a little bit. Sorry!

Red: The room through the window is some kind of office. There's a small desk and a computer.. and.. yeah, it's boring. The
light is on, though, so I'm wondering if there's anyone around?

Shade: Okay, we're at some sort of huge hallway, connecting all the little offices together. Split up?
Shadow: It'd help. We don't want to spend too much time here.
Dark: I'm fine with it!
Red: I'll.. go with Dark.
Dark: Alright.

Dark: Lotta empty offices here. Anyone mind if I steal a computer or two?
Red: Hey, what if people are actually here?
Dark: ...fine...

Shadow: Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty.

Red: Dark, put that computer down.
Dark: Awwww....

Shadow: Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Em--hello! ...oh. Oh, my.
Red: What? What is it?
Dark: What'd ya find?
Shade: Kid! Kiddo! What's up?
Shadow: Well... I found somebody. Except.. he's dead.
Shade: Now, when you say "somebody..." chao?
Shadow: Yeah, he's a chao.
Red: Are.. are you sure he's dead? You sure he's not just sleeping?
Shadow: The whole room is covered in blood, Red. Blood-red blood, Red.
Red: Urk.
Shade: Alright. So something's happened here. Keep looking, guys. Put your findings on here.

Shadow: The blood's still wet.

Dark: Anybody else feeling kinda weird right now?
Red: You mean fear?
Dark: Kinda.
Red: I'm feeling it.

Shade: Okay, I've reached the end of the corridor. There's a door that presumably leads out into the main factory.
Shadow: Alright, wait up.
Shade: I will. Dark, Red, we're meeting up here.
Red: Gladly.
Dark: Sure.

Shade: Okay. Let's see what's behind door number seventy.

Dark: Jeeze Louise!
Shadow: Crap crap crap crap crap crap... oh.. oh my, ahhh ah.. oh..
Shade: I'm.. I'm..... scared. I am scared.
Red: Since the others are freaking out, I suppose I had may as well write the description for this place. While I must admit,
I'm surprised I didn't freak out, as well.. I suppose that's because I AM freaking out, but in different ways. Doesn't
matter. The description for the main room of the Tenebrosity Factory is as follows.

We stand in a doorway at the southeast bottom floor, staring, eyes wide and mouth agape at the massive room in front of us.
There are vats filled with either cooking oil, blood, or freaking urine for all I care. Either way, the room smells greatly
of all three. There are instruments of torture and cooking around the room, including (but not limited to) a plethora of
meat grinders, a myriad of rotisserie devices, and a large number of assorted doodads that I can only assume are designed to
murder and mass-produce the main line of food produced in this factory.

The main line of food produced in this factory, by the way, is none other than US. I **** you not, there are piles upon piles
of rotting chao corpses attached to the rotisserie devices and being prepared to be dropped into the freaking meat grinders,
and there are multiple conveyor belts covered in what I regret to assume are processed chao meat. What's more, all the lights
are on in this accursed factory, and there is blood scattered all along the walls, and the floor, and the platforms.. and...
ugh, man, I can't take it anymore. I want to get out of here. I want to get out.

Shade: Run. Follow close behind me. Follow. Follow. C'mon. C'MON!
Red: Keep your eyes closed if you have to, ahhh c'mon, don't breathe in too much, Dark!
Dark: It's hard! It's hard not to! Ohhh, urp, it smells so rotten.
Shadow: ..crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap...

Red: Our dashing across the room only got us so far. There seems to be a large.. wall in front of us. No visible form of
entry yet. We're going around it, though.. to the northwest corner of the factory.

Shade: DOOR! DOOR! OPEN! OPEN THE DOOR!

Red: The door opened, luckily. ..well, I SAY "luckily." Now I see maybe we WEREN'T so lucky. I don't think the others have
realized it yet, but the lights are off in this corner of the facility. Although the smells seem to have dissipated.

Dark: Ugh, it's terribly dark in here.
Shade: It's NOT dark, it's.... oh, who am I kidding? It's pretty damn dark in here.
Shadow: I'm gonna reach around and see if I can't find any light switches.
Dark: Heh.... you said "re--"
Shadow: I found something!

...

Oh. That's not a light switch. But then, what IS it? It's all squishy...
Shade: Wait, don't we have flashlights?
Shadow: You and I have our video cameras, and Red has his mask...
Red: Oh, yes. Hang on, let me put the mask o--OHMSRHKSGFSDKO_g sr
Shade: I don't like the sound of that. Was it THAT bad?
Red: Oh... ha, sorry, no, I just thought I saw a HUUUUGE spider, but no. Haha! False alarm.
Shadow: So what do you see?
Red: It's... it's a kitchen.
Shadow: Oh, geez.
Red: But.. but it's clean! It looks spotless. Uh.. let me look around for a light... ah, found one!

Shade: Huh, you're right, it IS spotless! Guess they kept this place clean.
Shadow: Wait, Red, what do you mean, "huge spider?"
Red: It... well... it was nothing. I just...
Shadow: Like, when you reached for the mask?
Red: No, after I had put it on. I saw one.. over there, it went around that corner, to the left.
Dark: Whoa, you could see a spider from all the way over here?
Red: That's the thing.. it was HUGE. Like, the legs were...
Shadow: ...I don't like spiders, Shade.
Shade: I'm sure.. I'm sure he was just.. hallucinating.
Red: It looked... well... I dunno.
Shadow: Just to clarify, EXACTLY what did you see?
Red: Four giant black legs creeping around the corner.
Shadow: Insect-like?
Red: Arachnid-like.
Shadow: Oh, jeez...
Red: Hey, I'm not a big fan of giant spiders, either.
Shade: Wait, let's look at this logically. Why would there be a huge bug in this factory? It seems fully operational.
Red: Yeah, but for one thing, it's an alien planet. Anything can happen. Two, nobody's here. Maybe it ate everyone?
Shadow: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!
Dark: Okay. I'm feeling pretty suicidal. I want to go around the corner.
Shade: Are you sure, Darko?
Dark: Yes. Let me.
Shade: Fine.

Dark: Here goes nothing.

Shadow: There goes the bravest guy I've ever known.
Shade: Dibs on his guitar.

Dark: ..nothing here.

Red: Dark's right. Around the corner is just a small little utility closet-like place.. oh, and a bathroom!
Dark: Eh, I don't need the bathroom anymore.
Red: Okay. There is also a large door leading into whatever that strange wall led to.

Shade: I don't think we have anything else to do. Should we check out that subway?
Red: Subway?
Shade: Did I say "subway?" Hah... fear effs up my words sometimes. I meant.. the door.
Shadow: No way. What if the spider's in there?
Red: You mean, "what if the giant spider opened, fit through, and closed this door?"
Shadow: Hey, you said it yourself! It's an alien planet. Anything can happen.
Shade: Hm, so what'll it be? Wait, let's just check our inventory right now.

-two video cameras (Shade, Shadow)
-one Solid Snake night-vision mask (Red)
-one simple Masky mask (Dark)
-one crowbar (Shade)
-one gravity gun (Shadow)
-one pulse rifle (Red)
-one shotgun (Dark)

Red: Okay, whoa. We've had our old weapons all this time?!
Shade: Uh.. yeah. I dunno if you guys noticed or not, but I've certainly had my crowbar for a while.
Red: There are so many times when we really could have used these...
Shadow: Well, dwell on the past all you want. Just know that we have this stuff now.
Red: Yes. Good point. Okay, I say we head into the door.

Shade: Uh.. Red? Analysis?
Red: Right. So apparently, I'm the analysis guy. ..I'm Slippy.

We stand at the west side of this big, sealed-in room. As soon as we entered, the door slammed shut. Immediately, a strong
scent of blood, gore, and rusty machinery becomes known. I can hear an obvious, loud whirring of machines. Of course, we
can't see a damn thing 'cause this room, like the kitchen before it, is PITCH BLACK. Let me just don my night-vision mask...

Oh, hell no.

Right, so.. first of all, this room is a giant meat grinder. The floor is covered in chopped meats of all varieties. It's
hard to get to the floor without hitting one of the thousands of mini grinders scattered around the walls. Then we get to the
center of the room, where there is a BIG drill-ish device, spinning as fast as possible. No doubt any contact with that would
render anyone useless for the rest of their life.

Then there's THAT.

Hanging from the ceiling, as I did not entirely expect, is a humongous spider. I mean... oh, jeez. That thing.. is... huge.
It doesn't know we're here yet, luckily. It seems to have trapped itself, though, behind the drill. There's no way it can--

Okay, I partially expected that.

It saw us, and managed to slip past the drill RUN RUN RUN!!!

Oh crap it has Dark ahfasi0g

DArk

SHOOT IT
SHOOT IT

Dark: AHFsfisd afjiasd fasf asg asgasgasg asg sjgasdg agh9 gha 9gahs9g asdgs dg fdji0HELP HELP HELP HELP AHH AHHAH
Red: SHOOT IT!
Shade: YOU HAVE THE PULSE RIFLE!
Red: Oh, right.
I was able to shoot the behemoth, and it dropped Dark.

Shade: Dark!
Dark: I'm.. I'm okay!

Red: By the way, we are currently on a scaffolding that circles the room.

Shadow: Okay, it has come to my attention that WE CAN'T SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.
Red: Ack! You're right!
Shade: Red! We're gonna need you to tell us EVERYTHING that happens.
Red: Right! Right.
....
Shade: Like NOW.
Red: Oh!

It's.. sitting there, on the wall directly behind Shade, watching us.

Shade: Did it react to the gunfire?
Dark: Well, it dropped me.
Shade: Hm. I have an idea. Red, fire at it, then when it comes close, Dark, you shoot it with your shotgun.
Dark: Okay. I'm gonna need Red to tell me when, though.
Red: I gotcha.

....

SHOOT!
Dark: Aiee!

Shade: That was quite the roar it just made. Was that a death roar?
Shadow: Sounded more like a battle cry...
Red: ..Shadow! Your gravity gun! I need you to grab one of the grinders scattered along the wall!
Shadow: But...
Red: I suggest you do it NOW, before that.. THING comes at us. 'Cause it's doing that right now.
Shadow: Aaaah!

Red: Right, now fire it.... uh.. to your.. 11 o' clock!
Shadow: AM or PM?
Red: It doesn't matter, just FIRE!
Shadow: Here goes nothing!

Red: Oh, my, that was gruesome.
Shadow: Did I hit it?
Red: Well, no. You just missed.
Shadow: What?
Red: BUT, you freaked it out, and it fell over and into the meat grinder.
Shade: So the stuff we just got covered in...
Red: Don't lick it.
Dark: So, um... now what?
Red: .......just one second.
...
Okay. Let's get out of this room. I need to take this damn mask off.

Shade: There. We're out of that grinder room. What.. whoa, what have you got there?
Red: I found it on the scaffolding. It's a piece of paper with a drawing on it.

The drawing is of a circle. The circle has an X drawn through it. It was drawn with heavy strokes.

Shade: Now, I swear I've seen that symbol somewhere before...
Dark: Yeah, you're right.. it's so familiar!
Shadow: Guys.. can we please just get out of this damn factory first? Speculate later?
Shade: Fine by me.

Shadow: Okay okay okay I hate this room I hate this room
Red: Just close your eyes and stick close tofffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu
Dark: The lights! The lights!
Shade: Oh, for the love of...
The lights just went out.
Alright, did anyone see anything that might have caused the lights to go out?
Dark: I might have.
Shade: What'd you see?
Dark: ..nah, it's nothing.
Shade: No, really, what did you see?
Dark: I kinda maybe saw a man.
Red: A man? What kind of man?
Dark: Birchman.
Red: ..what?
[Dark shakes his head]
Dark: Sorry. He.. was... fancy-lookin'. Like.. he was dressed sorta for a wedding, except NOT for a wedding...
Shadow: Was it a tuxedo, or was it NOT a tuxedo?
Dark: It wasn't a tuxedo, no.. but it sorta looked kinda like a tuxedo! He had a tie.
Shade: Ah, that stuff's not important! His face! What about his face, Dark?
Dark: I..... ah, I didn't catch his face. I just saw him...
Red: Where was he?
Dark: Over at the door we were going to.
Red: ..okay, Shade, may I recommend something? Like.. SERIOUSLY recommend?
Shade: Name it.
Red: Can we... NOT go that way?
Shade: Why not?
Red: Just trust me, I'm getting REALLY bad vibes.
Shadow: Oh yeah? Well, I'M getting really bad vibes from staying in this freaking slaughterhouse in the DARK!
Red: Hang on, let me put my mask on...

ACK.

Shade: You okay, dude? It's a little hard to tell, but I think you went pale.
Red: It's.. fine. Sorry.

I simply saw that man peeking around the corner... -.-;

Yeah, let's just.. not go that way. Okay? Please. Let's not.
Shade: Fine! But can you find us any other ways out?
Red: Uh... hey, what about this front door?
Shadow: There's a front door?
Red: Yeah, right here. Let's try it.


[cut to outside the Tenebrosity Factory; the chao leave through the front door]
[they all gasp for fresh air]
Shadow: Ohhh, we're FINALLY out of that damn place!
Dark: That felt really bad.
Red: I KNEW it was a bad idea to go in there.
Shade: Yeah, but you're the one who saved our lives about a million times.
Red: Well... let's leave the thanking to when we're out of this whole TOWN.
[pause]
Red: Wait.

[cut to the northeast section of Scruple; daytime, busy]
Red: Whoa. That was a little weird.
Shadow: Let's never do that again. Please, I'm sick of Halloween; I wanna go home!
Shade: It'll.. it'll be okay, kid. We're fine. We're alive. I mean, we're surviving, ain't we?
Dark: Red, what's that you've got there?
Red: This? ..huh, that's a good question.
[Red is currently holding a video cassette]
Red: When did I get THIS?
Shade: Ooh, finally, a use for the video cameras!
[Shade takes the cassette and pops it in a camera, then starts it up]

Entry #20 (Shade: The Strange Video Cassette)
It's of the Tenebrosity Factory... of the freaky main room that we all hate. The camera is stationary, showing a good part
of the room, but there are tons of blind spots.

Okay, there are plenty of factory workers. They're all chao, and they're firing up the machines. Are they cooking their
fellow employees, or what? ..oh, wait. They're just cooking, like.. farm animals. ..ah, then some tool comes over and messes
around with the camera, pointing it at people and showing off... and he puts it back down, but tilted a little to the ri--
**** WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! I swear, there was.. there was a MAN. ..there IS a man. Ah, he was JUST off the camera before..
and.. oh, man, ohhh **** I know him oh **** no way...

..where'd he go?
He's gone! He disappeared!

.....oh. OH. Ah. Ooh. Urk. That's.. ooh, that doesn't look too.. ooh, it's making me cringe. And they RECORDED all of this?

Entry #21 (Red: What Shade is Trying to Say)
I can see now that I'm probably the only one who can speak properly under intense fear. So I shall do that.

The video starts off showing a casual day in the factory, where they slaughter cows and such. Then the camera is moved to the
right to reveal the man that Dark claims to have seen... who, after a minute or so, vanishes. Just as he vanishes, however,
a grinder tilts at juuust the right angle to hit a random passerby. As the chao is shredded to bits, a collection of smaller
grinders that were attached to the original all start falling out of place, as well. As some chao try to stop them, other
grinders and machines catch them, and other chao end up trying to run away but then trip, and... well... yeah, it's not too
pleasant. The tape ends abruptly as a black spider leg appears at the edge of the camera.

Shadow: That.. tape.. was... FREAKY. Somebody, throw it away. Please.
Red: I get the feeling we may need this for later, Shadow.
Shadow: What the hell gives you that feeling?!
Red: Call it a hunch. C'mon, let's get out of here.
Shade: Red, you're lightening up fast.
Red: It's not that. I'm just getting traumatized and want to get through this as fast as possible.
[they move onward, over to the northwest section of town]
Shadow: Ugh, guys, just hang on, okay? Let me catch my breath for a bit...
[Shadow sits under a tree's shade]
Red: Fine, have your rest.
Shade: Guys. That man. What the hell?
Dark: I'm sure I know him...
Shade: I'm 100% positive that I do, too, but I don't remember from where...
Red: Now, hang on. I'm not 100% positive that it's the same man you're remembering.
Shade: Well, what OTHER man could it be?
Red: I dunno, some Chao World equivalent of him!
Shade: Hmm, well, no point wondering over it now. Let's get Shadow and get going.
Red: ...Shadow... wait a minute. SHADOW!
Shadow: Calm down, I'm just over here!
Red: Shadow. Get up. NOW.
Shadow: Oh, what'd I do this time?
Red: Slowly come over here. DON'T turn around.
Shadow: Um... okay.
[he does]
Red: Now, let's all just.. leave the town. Okay? Let's go.
[they slowly leave the town; Red keeps his eye behind them]

[cut back to the Sancheria woods; it's about nine o' clock, and our heroes are gathered around the river]
Red: Huh? Oh, right, right, the woods.. oh, crap.
[Red looks around frantically]
Red: Anything? ...no sign. Okay, I think we're safe for now.
Shadow: Sheesh, Red, calm down! I was just taking a breather.
Red: It's not that; it's what you rested under that got me...
Shade: Relax, man! It was just a tree. They're everywhere, in case you couldn't tell.
Red: Yes, but if you'll remember, there are no trees in Scruple!
[Shade, Dark, and Shadow start to turn pale]

Entry #22 (Shadow: Checking off the Checklist)
If we value our lives in any form, we should NOT, under any circumstances,
- Follow and/or approach the "other chao." (Okay, we've done rather well in this aspect.)
- Go near that aisle of trees. (Went in the other direction. Good.)
- Enter any holes in the ground, whether surrounded by bodies, or with a ladder inside. (Haven't seen any of those yet.)
- Go in any houses. (Uhhh... oh, jeez.)
- Go in ANY houses. (Yeah...)
- Go NEAR any houses. (Ack...)
- Enter any houses. (We.. ah..)
- Go in any houses. (We did not do that one. But.. let's be lenient. We didn't go in any houses here in the forest!)
Oh, and we must make sure to keep our eyes on the trees. That sounds fairly easy, considering we'll be in a forest.

"Keep our eyes on the trees?" For some reason, that's starting to sound more and more relevant.

Entry #23 (Red: A Close Encounter... the First of Many?)
I can't believe Shadow was THAT foolish enough to just waltz on over to that.. that "tree." ****. I can't believe I was that
foolish enough to not realize it sooner! I know now that what we are dealing with is not of Chao World origin. No, the being
we have encountered, and will no doubt encounter much more frequently tonight, is from the deepest and darkest corners of the
internet. I.. I swear, it was just an urban legend! A myth! Although, knowing of this DOES make the fact that we are wearing
the Marble Hornets costumes a little.. funny.

Entry #24 (Shade: From Eight 'til Nine)
So in this hour, we disembarked from the village and went south. We found a small little outpost, and steered clear of that
other traveler. We then followed the river down several acres, and found the odd town of Scruple, which seems to be stuck in
eternal daytime, or another time zone, or something. One fetch quest later, we wound up in the twisted, darker version of
Scruple, the moonlit industrial town of Tenebrosity, home to the world's largest meat processing factory. We spent a good
half hour investigating that accursed factory, killing a giant bug and getting out and whatnot. Then, according to Red, we
just had a close encounter...

..with the Operator.


(Tale Three)
[Mephiles picks up the axe]
[he enters a door in front of him and finds himself in a laundry room; the ground is flooded]
Mp: Great. Now I'm alone, AND my feet are wet.
[he looks around]
Mp: Though I get the feeling only one of those is true.
[this room has three doors: the one he entered from, one off to the side, and one up a flight of stairs]
[he heads up the stairs, only for THOSE to break and for him to end up behind the door off to the side]
Mp: Freakin' old house.
[he stacks some crates in the hole in the staircase and makes it to the door]
[..only to find it locked]
Mp: You have got to be kidding me. NOW what am I supposed to do?
[he spots an oddly-coloured patch of wall to his right]
[he whacks at it with his axe, and it falls apart, revealing a bathroom]
[a man's pair of legs are on the toilet, and his upper body (not attached to the legs) is on the ground]
Mp: Holy sh--
[Mephiles holds back his innards]
Mp: Stay calm. It's just a dead guy. It's like Dreamcatcher.. just without the weasels. Just.. head.. for the door.
[he goes up to the door]
[groaaaaaaaaaaan]
Mp: What was that?
[he turns and sees the man's upper body crawling towards him]
Mp: EEEEEEEEEEEK! *whack whack whack* DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!
[it dies]
Mp: Oh man. What the frick was up with THAT?
[he leaves the bathroom and finds himself in a small corridor; the light is flickering]
Mp: This place gives me the jibblies--
[a corpse falls from the ceiling]
Mp: !!!
[he creeps around it, then finds an unlocked door]
[the next room has two doors, including the one he came through; it also has three beds]
[he walks toward the other door, only to hear a loud THUMP]
[he turns and sees the first bed on its side]
[THUMP]
[the second bed flies upward, then falls back down]
[THUMP]
[the third does the same]
Mp: What in the worl--
[the lights go out]
Mp: Okay. I admit. I'm getting kinda anxious now.
[he feels around for the door, finds it, and opens it]
[it's another corridor, with lights on but scarce]
[blood is on some walls]
[at the end of the corridor is an open door (on the left)]
[Mephiles peeks inside and sees a living room, complete with TV (showing static)]
Mp: Seems safe enough.
[as soon as he sets foot inside, he sees a young woman in a black dress standing in front of him]
Mp: HOLY ****.
[she only appears for a second before vanishing]
Mp: What the.. what the..?
[he hears another groan, looks to the right, and sees a zombie]
Mp: What the heck?
[he kills it]
Mp: Right. Uh.. let's.. let's look at this room. Carefully.
[there are four doors- the one he entered, one next to the TV, and two open ones leading to closets]
[he tries the door next to the TV, only to find it locked]
Mp: Great. Now what?
[he sees a couch in front of the TV; on the couch is a pistol]
Mp: Eh. Why not? *grabs gun*
[he lies on the couch and stares at the static on the TV]
Mp: ....this is freaking boring. I hope Mecha and the Doll are having more progress than--
[an eye flashes onscreen]
Mp: --I AM, ack! *sits right up*
[then the TV shows a small corridor, and a door]
[the young woman in the black dress is seen slowly walking up the corridor to the door]
[she is shown opening the door, and just standing there]
[simultaneously, the door next to the TV opens (in such a way that the door, itself, blocks the view of what's in the next room)]
Mp: O_O ........do I dare?
[on the TV, the woman remains just standing there]
[Mephiles slowly gets up, then moves towards the door]
[he peeks around it, and sees an empty corridor leading to another door]
Mp: Fr..freaky.
[he goes up to the next door, then hears the previous door slam shut]
Mp: Wha?!
[he hears footsteps approaching him]
[he quickly opens up the next door, finds ANOTHER small corridor leading to a door, and runs in]
[the ground collapses (again), leaving him to fall down into ANOTHER corridor, where he opens ANOTHER door]
Mp: How many times am I gonna fall? I mean, SERIOUSLY?