Theatre Room
This room appears to be a massive theatre. Countless seats litter the room, more than the silly little cast could ever fill. You seem to have come in through the lower entrance, right next to the stage...there looks to be an entrance to the upper floor somewhere, but it's inaccessible for now.
Stranger: ...What the two had found was a massive theatre stage, with more seats than they could ever imagine a place could have.
For a moment, they only watched in wonder as they stepped inside, only to notice that there were other people already inside this place...
...And an unusual scene was unfolding down by the stage.
Ivan: "Come onnnn, tell me! If I hypothetically plucked one of the petals, would it hurt? Have you tried it before?"
Lotus: "N-No I haven't tried that before! P-Please, leave me alone! I don't even know where we are right now!"
Clober: "Hehe! You're acting really funny, plant guy! I didn't know someone could be sooo easily scared!"
Jasper: As he walked down the carpet, Jasper called out to the strange trio. "Hey! You three!" He cried.
Jasper: He watched as their bickering quieted, all eyes facing him. It was...really awkward.
As he stood there with his tail wrapped around his leg, it was the robot who spoke next.
MX-Z0: "Are we correct in assuming this is the "theatre room" that voice spoke of?"
Clober: "Woaahh! A robot!" The little green one said, skipping towards her and immediately poking at her metallic skin. "Do you have buttons I can press all over? Beep boop, beep boop!"
MX-Z0: "...Please do not touch me."
Lotus: As if trying to ignore the...antics of the two people with him, the one covered in petals and vines spoke. "Uhm...I would hope this is that room. Me and the other three woke up here, s-so-"
Stranger: "...Other three?" The man raised a brow.
Lotus: The purple boy went silent with an eep!, freezing for a moment before the feathery fellow took the show for him.
Ivan: "Oh, yeah, back there," He chirped, pointing to the darker corner of the stage.
Rue: Someone...unusual was sitting there. Staring at nothing.
Ivan: "That guy hasn't said a single thing, even though they woke up here too. Keeps giving me looks-looks though! I can only assume it's because of the striking plumage~..."
The man hummed a tune under his breath, posing like he was an admirable statue.
Stranger: He...tried to ignore this, instead staring up at the man on the stage.
Rue: He had taken notice of the people glancing at him, blinking slowly before he got to his feet. He jumped down to the chairs, both his artificial and organic arms laying limply beside his body, as he spoke in a monotone voice.
"What?"
Stranger: "...Just curious about what you were doing. No need to be rude."
Rue: "I'm not being rude." He replied, sitting down in a seat without a change of expression. "I just talk like this."
And without another word, he looked away from everyone else once more.
Clober: ...Meanwhile, this one still hasn't stopped poking at the robot. It's a miracle she hasn't punted this one across the room.
MX-Z0: Although, she seemed more focused on the matter at hand. "...Do we know how many of us there are?"
Ivan: "Nope." He was now sitting his legs up on the seat in front of his, flexing his talons. "No idea how big this place is, why we're here, any of that."
He then flashes a grin. "But who needs answers when you have...meeeeeee~!"
Lotus: "Uhm...I would like answers. I would like answers a lot-"
???: "AAAAGH!"
Jasper: ...Someone just entered the room.
...Actually, multiple people just entered the room...
...And someone who definitely wasn't a person.
Tarnish: "HELP! I'M BEING ATTACKED BY SOME FOOLISH HEROES! SAVE YOUR DARK MASTER OR PAY!!!"
Tarnish: A man in a strange coat was being chased through the room, yelling some nonsense. And what was chasing him was even more nonsense.
Gust: A horrifying screech ran through the room, as a terrifying beast charged after that man. But underneath that screeching, a voice yelled out from a small collar around the creature's neck...
"Evil! Evil! Gust will get you! Evil!"
Jasper: For a solid half a minute, he had no idea what to do. It's unlikely anyone there did...until the tom-and-jerry duo accidentally sent him flying across the room, the nyric tearing past him.
"W-Woooaaah--!!" He yelled, slamming against the floor. It felt like a shock went through his body, and he just...lied there, convulsing.
Gust: The nyric stopped.
"Oh...? Gust- Gust hurt someone...uh oh."
Gust: Giving up on her chase, she padded back to Jasper, nudging his face with her own.
"Gust is sorry. Gust is here to help...!"
Jasper: "H...huh?" He whispered, opening an eye to see the behemoth of a nyric looking at him. It sent a shiver down his spine, but...if that voice was somehow the beast's, then he assumed he was alright?
Gust: She allowed Jasper to put all his weight on her as she helped him back up, making a soft coo of delight.
"Person...okay now?"
Jasper: "I...I think I am...thank...you?" He stuttered.
Gust: "Yippee!" The nyric squeaked, bumping her face under Jasper's hand. "Gust helped! Good at help!"
Jasper: It was a nice, tender moment in all of the confusion.
That was immediately ruined.
Tarnish: "Oh...phew!" He cried, his cape somehow flowing in the wind. "This man before me has tamed the beast!"
He put a hand on Jasper's shoulder, laughing and giggling all the while. "You are a real servant of the new worldburner Tarnish! ...That's me."
Jasper: "W-Worldburner!? Like Ciar!?"
Tarnish: "Why, yes! I am his second coming, destined to become a true evil leader! And you are now my second in command!"
Jasper: "...I am!?"
Paradi: "An unusual tactic of gaining support."
Jasper: "WHEN DID YOU GET HERE!?"
Stranger: "...They kind of walked in while that whole scene was happening. Not the most observational one, are ya, kid?"
Paradi: "Hm...How unusual you all are. And I suspect this isn't the whole group so far."
Lotus: "T...There's around ten of us right now...how many more could there be?"
Ivan: "Let's fill up all the stands! 100- no, 1000 people in this theatre! Sounds like fun, I think!"
Lotus: "I-It would not be! That sounds like a nightmare of noise!"
Rue: ...
Rue: "...I believe my chair is on fire."
Jasper: "W- What!?"
He looked over, and his eyes did not deceive him.. Another unusual face was blasting Rue's chair with fire. Panic immediately spread through him.
Firestarter: "AAHAHAAHAHAA!! Wow, who knew these chairs were so flammable! I should light this entire place if I wanted to!"
Lotus: "W-Why!? Why would you do that!? Do you want us to die!?"
Firestarter: "Mmmm, nah. I just got super angry, cause I woke up here for some reason. And this chair? They're paying the price."
Rue: In a manner much more calm than one would expect, Rue slowly rose from his chair and sat back down in another one, returning to his leisurely activity of staring into space.
Paradi: "Ah, there's the person I woke up with. Having fun, Firestarter?"
Firestarter: "You bet, winged guy! Which one should I get next? I vote the bird guy's spot, I love roast chicken!"
Ivan: "Wh- Hey! I'm a CORVID, not a chicken! Do you know anything about animal attunement?"
MX-Z0: "All of you, cease. Now."
MX-Z0: Unexpectedly, the robot who had been idly watching this whole time rose her voice. It felt like someone's mother was calling them down after they got into trouble...but with how her eyes glowed, and the calm confidence she had in her words...well, the chaos quickly grew into silence, broken only by the crackling fire of a burning chair.
MX-Z0: "...Look. A bunch more people have just arrived. I predict that we won't get much more people after them."
She pointed up to the door, and indeed, another large selection of folk were walking over. Each one seemed confused in some amount...some stranger then others.
Bryan: The first person down looked like some sort of regular guy, minus the minor scars and the bat he held in his hands. He had a kind, if not nervous, expression.
Seven Stones: Behind him was another plant-attuned prota, with six stones levitating around his head. He wore a mask on his face, and bags covered his eyes...it was hard to tell if he was sick or not.
Dax: And a silent as a mouse, another one crept in. Their eyes gleamed like those of a feline, and they gave a soft chuckle upon seeing everyone else waiting in the theatre, before sitting down himself.
Hitori: ...But what followed them was the weirdest one yet.
They appeared to be animal attuned, but their face boggled the mind. It was as if their facial features were almost fully censored, a mental blockage coating it. But despite those antimemetic qualities, nothing else seemed off about them. There was a sense of whimsy about them, looking at the room in awe rather than confusion.
Arsenic: ...And last, as if trying to keep herself hidden, was a short, scarred prota. Her tail lashed on the ground, and she didn't seem keen on meeting anyone's eyes. She kept her distance from everyone else as the two groups mingled, all sixteen protas inspecting the room and conversing.
Bryan: "So...I'm hoping this is the place, eh?"
Jasper: "I mean...have you guys seen any place besides here that looks like a theatre?"
Hitori: "Nope! Me and Arsenic woke up in a weird red pool. The nyric was there too, but they ran right out when they woke up."
Gust: "...Was scared of...little blue guy...sorry."
Stranger: "...Hm, there's sixteen of us. That seems like a good number...but we still haven't seen who called us here."
???: "That's because I'm getting things ready! Give me a second!"
A mysterious voice rang out from somewhere in the room.
Lotus: "W..Where did that come from!?"
Paradi: "It sounded like a squeaky toy."
Jasper: "It also sounds real similar to whoever spoke on the intercom..."
???: "That's because I was the one who called you here! Now, without further ado..."
The Destroyer: And then, from the top of the stage, a podium appeared...
...And with it, a prawn.
The Destroyer: "Hellooooo my contestants! I'm so glad you're all here!"
Jasper: "Contestants...?"
Rue: "...That's a prawn."
Rue slaps himself in the face before looking again.
"...Yup. That's actually a prawn."
Clober: "Huuuh? But how's the shrimpy talking?"
Gust: "Maybe...maybe has a collar like Gust? Gust woke up with collar on...it makes them talk!"
The Destroyer: "Why yes, I gave you that as a gift! My mother's uncle gave it to me, but I don't need one."
The prawn giggles, floating in the air about the podium and swirling around. "But we have more important things to talk about. I'm here to welcome all of you to the killing game!"
Jasper: The entire crowd froze as it ended its sentence.
"K...killing...game?" Jasper croaked. Surely this...thing, whatever it was, just misspoke...right?
The Destroyer: "Correct!" It replied. "I've gathered you all here today to play a game of killing! Murder, even! It's all a bit complicated, but I can assure you that-"
Arsenic: From the back of the crowd, Arsenic rose into the air...
...and slammed her tail down onto the prawn.
The Destroyer: SQUISH.
The prawn easily splattered into pieces.
...And then, as Arsenic stepped back for a mere moment, the little creature easily brought itself back together. It wore an angry face on itself.
"Wow! How rude of you! I wasn't even finished explaining myself!"
Arsenic: "H...How did...?" She muttered.
The Destroyer: "Simple! I am a demigod that does not follow the rules of your mortal lives. Now go back to your seat, please!"
Arsenic: "...You bitch. If you plan on killing anyone, fat fucking chance. Especially if it's me."
The Destroyer: "Me!? Killing you guys!? Ugh, this is why I needed my explanation time! I'm not killing anyone here- you're going to kill each other!"
Jasper: And Jasper thought he was mishearing things at first...no, this prawn was serious! And he was going to...he would make them do that to each other...!?
He felt his body lose all control, going limp in an instant. He fell to the floor, to the gasps and shock of those around him.
Stranger: He quickly scooped Jasper's fainted body up to help him out, but...to be honest, he was close to vomiting himself. He couldn't remember a thing about himself...and now this!? It was too much all at once. He saw that lotus boy started to tear up in the group, a few others clutching any weapons they had tighter than usual, and many more just...staring, dumbfounded.
The Destroyer: He pushed the conflicted Arsenic aside, sitting back at the podium as he continued.
"Now, if I am to explain...the premise is simple. You all have done some reaaaallly bad things before now, and I dragged all of you from Serpent City to make you repent! But, you can go back home...but only if you kill someone! And not just kill someone, but have nobody figure out it was you! Of course, if you do get away with murder, everyone else will die as a result...but you can go home! Otherwise, you stay here forever."
Paradi: "...Bad things? Are we some sort of sinners to you?...(To be fair, I can see it for a good few of us.)"
The Destroyer: "Correct! You all are my lovely sinners, put in a game of death as punishment! Of course, all of you could just agree to not kill, and live here forever...there's food, water, games, and even a bunch of dorms for your every need...but I have reason to believe you all won't come to that agreement."
Stranger: "...What makes you assume that?"
The Destroyer: "Huh?"
Stranger: "I don't think anyone here would willingly kill someone else just to leave, even if you think so. I'm not sure how you got us here...but if we came in, we can get out."
The Destroyer: "...Wowww, what inspiring words! You must be the protagonist. Too bad you lost all of your memories...maybe if you had them, you would think different."
Stranger: His eyes widened.
"W...What are you...did you take my memories away from me!?"
The Destroyer: "I had a good reason, of course. Trust me...if you had those memories of yours, this game just wouldn't be fair!"
With another spin in the air, the prawn let out a laugh. "That's all for now! Ta-ta, toodaloo! I'll see you again tomorrow to help really get this killing game started. Have fuuun~!"
...And just like that, the prawn was gone.
Stranger: ...Speechless. Everyone was speechless. For what felt like forever, nobody said a word. But then...
Lotus: "A...AAAAAAGH!"
Lotus: The timid prota from before burst into tears, letting out a cry of agony. Panic was written across their face as they raced from their seat, and out of the theatre.
Ivan: "Woah- Hold on-!"
...Ivan reached a talon out, but Lotus was already gone.
Ivan: Shaking his head and with a look of newfound determination, the two-toned prota raced after him...leaving the remaining prota quiet and contemplating.
Stranger: "...I...should take this guy here," He says, gesturing to the still passed-out Jasper he was hauling around. "and find those dorms that guy was talking about...if anyone wants to help."
MX-Z0: "I am willing to provide assistance," she responds. "The rest of you...we must find a way to escape this place if possible. Search the rooms. We can meet up in the morning back here."
The others gave a nod of acknowledgement as the two paraded off, holding Jasper like he was a piece of large furniture.
Firestarter: "Soo...we kill, get away with it, and we can leave?"
Bryan: "W- Are you actually entertaining the thought of-?"
Firestarter: "No I'm nooot! I would be so messy with it, 'cause all I use is fire...and like, explosives! It would be so easy to tell it was me!"
Tarnish: "I am no stranger to doing evil things for the good of my legion!...But I have a second in command now, in the form of that passed out orange guy. And if he cannot escape, neither can I! I am an honorable worldburner!"
Gust: "...Gust thinks...that you should not speak. Or hurt others."
Tarnish: "...Am I being insulted by an animal...? How bold of a creature."
Rue: "It's kind of useless just chatting here." Rue speaks up, finally standing from his chair. "That robot told us to look around. I'm going to do that now."
And with that same, blank face, he was gone.
Seven Stones: "...Huuufff...what shoddy luck I have." His voice sounds raspy as he speaks up for the first time. "Does anyone want to go search the rooms with me? I promise, I don't bite."
Clober: "Oooh! Me! Me! I love exploring, especially if it's with the funny looking stone guy!"
Seven Stones: "...That's a name I've heard before, I must say."
With a little follower in tow, both he and Clober head off.
Paradi: "...Say, nyric, you would be a fine steed as I peruse this place. What do you say?"
Gust: "Gust is a great steed! Let's go!"
She bends down and lets the robed prota on her back, before racing away.
Dax: ...And trailing behind those two, undetected, was the quiet Dax. Although his normal sly expression seemed shakier compared to before.
Bryan: "...Huh. That just leaves us five. Guess we form a search party and head out ourselves?"
Firestarter: "Well, this chair stopped burning...so I guess I can go now."
Tarnish: "There is strength in numbers, I have learned!"
Hitori: "Yeah, what the weird guy said!"
Tarnish: "Wh- I am not weird! I am perfectly normal, being with the cursed face!"
Arsenic: ...She was quiet.
Bryan waited for her to say something, but she just walked backwards, casting a glare at him.
Bryan: "...Alright, whatever you say," He stands from his seat. "Let's go look around, folks."
The four of them leave as well....
Arsenic: ...And she is left alone.
Arsenic: "...Kill someone...and leave...?" She whispers to herself. After a moment...a slight smile creeps onto her face.
"...I wouldn't say I'm a stranger to that concept, at least."