runouw.com

There are many things in this world that don't seem to be possible.

Many things that don't seem to have a reason to be here, even.

But still, we know they are there.

For as long as we have existed, we've lived alongside all of this.

These forces of change, of creation, of destruction...

We have always tried to control them.

Some, to help us all live better lives.

Others, to have power over people's lives...

---

Into the Shadows


Prologue

[Click the musical notes for music/sound effects. Open in a new tab]

[Allen's Perspective]

♫

His eyes opened.

He was lying face down on the ground. As he started to stand up, he noticed he was on a very high cliff, without much space to move around. From there, he could see another hill, and some plains, with the sun rising in the distance. He could feel the cold morning wind in his face. Behind him, there was a small cliff, which wasn't too straight, so maybe he could climb up there. Above that cliff he could see a few trees.

Had this man been here before? This place seemed a bit familiar... but he wasn't very certain of what it was. How had he gotten here? He didn't know either. He couldn't remember anything at all...

---

[Mega's Perspective]

[Sorry, no music yet...]

Megaboy X felt a little dizzy for a few moments, as expected. He closed his eyes for a bit and then opened them again. Inside his small capsule, all he could see was a faint blue light above him indicating that he had reached his destination.

Next to his seat there were some buttons and other controls. To his left there was a screen detailing the capsule's performance. To the right, there was another screen, but there was nothing in it. In front of him, there was the exit door, with a valve handle on it.

---

[Zunar's Perspective]

♫

Zunar refused to open his eyes. He knew he had to get up and do things, but he really didn't feel like it yet. He did his best to cling onto his dreams, until the alarm clock decided to make its always annoying sound. No choice but to get up then...

Zunar's bed was quite comfortable. According to his sister, that bed had the special property of making a person all asleep as soon as they lie on it. And it was kinda true, Zunar couldn't be on that bed without starting to fall asleep.

But as miraculous as that bed was, he wasn't able to rest well that night. But at least there weren't too many things to worry about now. Maybe he could afford to slack off for a day...

On a desk near the door and next to a window there was his laptop, and some notes and pens. In his nightstand there was his wallet, keys, and cellphone. There was a TV on a table in front of the bed, with a very dusty screen. To the right, there was his closet, and next to it, a chest.

---

[Dennis' Perspective]

♫

Even he couldn't believe it.

It was 7 AM and he was still in that slot machine. It's not like it had been a worthless effort, he came here with 1000 Runes and now he had... 200... But it could probably get better soon enough, right? At least that's what he told the other people in the bar all the time. There's always room for hope...

In the bar there was no one besides him, the bartender, and a man asleep on a corner with a bottle in his hand. When Dennis came, there was a lot of people, drinking and having fun and whatnot, but that what like 10 hours ago. His eyes really felt like they were burning at this point.

The bartender picked up the sleeping man, and after waking him up, threw him out of the bar. Then, he approached Dennis, and spoke to him in a friendly manner:

"You know, maybe you should leave now. Get some rest or something..."

[Added to Dennis' Money: 200 Runes.]
[By the way, money is separate from the inventory]

---

[Burt's Perspective]

♫

Burt ran into the alley. Pressing against the wall, he looked to the left to see if he was still being followed. He couldn't see anyone.

He took a moment to rest. He had been running for a long while, and was pretty tired. But at least he was still alive...

It was a very stupid thing what he did. Of course he wouldn't be able to take on those guys by himself... What was he thinking when he tried to fight back? Well, at least he seemed to be safe now.

The alley was pretty much a dead end, there was a huge fence blocking the way to another street with a presumably locked door. There was a green dumpster with a recycling sign on it, and some bags next to it. There was also a door leading to one of the buildings.

---

[Aiden and Wind's Perspective]

♫

There it was. The Teal Dojo. Ever since they started studying in the Teal Temple, Aiden and Wind wanted to be accepted there. And they finally were given a chance to enter. They went to sleep early last night to rest well for their upcoming test.

They were on top of a tall rock pillar, big enough for a good amount of people to stand on. Behind them, was the bridge they took from the Teal Temple to get here, and there was another bridge in front of them which led to the Dojo, which was on a separate part of the mountain. It was quite a marvelous-looking building, with its teal-colored roof, and a beautiful architecture. There was a water pond next to the Dojo, with a few bamboos growing next to it. There was also a neat statue of a meditating person.

Groggily, I get out of bed and walk over to my laptop, opening it. I find my finances program and start it, looking to see how our situation is, money-wise. As I search through the financial records, it really blows my mind that it's been two years since our parents died and I had to get a job to support myself and my little sister Hannah.

I make it down to the bottom of the list, which shows what happened yesterday. Looking carefully, I see that we recently bought some groceries, so we won't need to go shopping for a while, and that the bills are coming out soon, meaning I need to move some money into the account specified for bill-paying.

"Well," I say to myself, "looks like I can take the day off today. I just may need to work a little harder than usual tomorrow."

[Zunar's Perspective]

From far away, a girl's voice was heard:

"Hey Zunaaar! Are you awake? I'm making breakfast!"

[Just in case... when you get to another place, wait for me to give a description before doing anything]

i'll just recommend some music for my scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pt3ML5ey_4

Megaboy X decides climb out the capsule. He quietly says to himself, "W-wow... I d-didn't think that would work. When Dad sent me here, I'll admit I had doubts it would work..." He unevenly stutters around for a moment attempting to regain composure. "Whoa... I'm dizzy..." He walked to the exit door after gaining balance and opened it, walking out. "Huh... this looks different to my time."

"Okay Hannah, I'm coming!"

[I head towards the room Hannah is in, which I assume is the kitchen.]

[Mega's Perspective]

♫

Mega's capsule was in the middle of a fairly sized crater, in the middle of the plains. There were a few plants and trees around, but not much else. There wasn't anyone in this place, it seemed. To the east he couldn't make out much, but the sun was rising from that direction. To the west, he could see some hills in the distance.



[Zunar's Perspective]

Zunar came out of his room. He walked across the living room to the kitchen. Hannah was there, with her usual smile on her face, making breakfast.

"I'm making some fried eggs, do you want some?"

"Sure, thanks," I reply. I then walk over to the refrigerator, pour myself a glass of milk, and sit down at the table.

Allen rubbed his eyes and made sure that what he was seeing was real and not a dream. He even blinked a few times.
''This can't be right... Where am I? How did I get here?
Wait...
What happened...?''
Allen closes his eyes and tries to remember. Unfortunately, all he saw was the color gray. Nothing else. ''Might as well look around this...'' Allen looked at the plain,''.. Cliff.'' Allen saw the small rock wall behind him. ''.. This looks climbable.'' He told himself as he walked towards the cliff.
After a few steps he began to make his way up.
(Stopping here since idk if you have to determine if I climb up or something)

"It's so... vast... you'd never see anything like this where I'm from." Mega quietly mumbles. "Well... I guess the only choice is to run for the hills!" He enthusiastically spoke, running to and up the hills. Upon reaching the highest point, he looks around. "Wow... it's so beautiful..."

[Allen's Perspective]

[...btw Allen hasn't remembered his name yet]

He made it to the top. From there, he could see what seemed to be destroyed buildings. There seemed to be nothing there but rubble. There was also a path that started there and went downhill.

[Mega's Perspective]

[Mega... sorry but the hills are quite far away. You can't just get there that fast. But I'll take it as you standing on top of a rock]

Mega climbed up a rock there was and marveled at how vast this place was. Those hills seemed to be quite a distance away, but it wasn't probably that much. From there, he also saw a dirt road which seemed to lead towards the hills.

[Zunar's Perspective]

Zunar's house didn't have a dining room, so they always ate at the kitchen. They didn't have to entertain too often, so it didn't really matter much. Hannah finished the fried eggs, and served them to Zunar in a plate, with a slice of bread. She served fried eggs for herself as well and sat across the table.

"Did you finish that work you were doing last night?"