"This is the destination, right?"
"Yes, obviously. Why would I give you the wrong destination?" The developer asked as he communicated through Nathan's stolen cell phone.
Nathan looked around and saw numerous trucks parked around the scheme.
"Hurry up and head in the base already!" The developer ordered impatiently.
He obeyed and went up to the heart of the entire place, the warehouse, but was confronted by someone. From their figure, it looks like a man of similar height to Nathan. They were wearing a black military combat uniform and their face was covered by a red, radiant visor that complemented his neck-length black hair.
"Who the hell are you?" The figure asked in a heavily muffled voice.
"Uhm, I'm--"
"Let me speak to him, Nate." The developer interjected.
"Uh...here." Nathan awkwardly said as he handed the phone to him.
"Let this guy in. He's one of my game characters."
"Oh, developer! My apologies, right this way." The unknown individual said as he handed his phone back. He placed his thumb on what looked to be a fingerprint scanner in the warehouse. The scanner flashed green, and the door began rolling upwards immediately. When it had rolled up sufficiently, Nathan went inside.
"Who the heck was that anyways," Nathan asked the developer.
"Just an NPC."
"Tsk...can you stop it with your damn game talk!"
"But what else should I call the game character--." Not allowing him to finish, Nathan hung up the phone.
"That's enough of that sadist," Nathan said as he looked around the warehouse. Inside was empty except for a large flat-screen television on the wall and four other individuals, two men, and two women, each standing around.
"Huh, another one's here." One of the women said.
Suddenly, the television switched on. 'Audio Only' was the only thing on display.
"Hello, everyone, it's the developer yet again...yeah, I'm sure you missed me."
"No, we didn't." The woman from before said.
"...Well, it seems that everyone's here now. Why don't you all get to know your fellow party members, as you'll all be working together."
"Didn't you say there would be five other people here and not four?" Nathan asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that, the last guy is just...caught up with something...you'll meet him later. For now, just get acquainted with everyone else."
"Fine...well, my name is Nathan Hayes, I guess."
"Wow, really? You're that Nathan Hayes?" One of the men inquired with excitement written on his face. He was extremely tall and very muscular. His chocolate-colored skin went well with his brown hair. He was shirtless but was wearing black sneakers and cargo pants.
"What do you mean I'm that Nathan Hayes?" Nathan asked with a confused expression.
"You're the one that killed those bastards and escaped the cops! That was awesome, bro!"
When Charles said that, Nathan's expression immediately changed from confusion to annoyance.
How the hell would he know about th--, I bet that developer bastard broadcasted the events to them in real-time. Seeing as how insane he is, I wouldn't put that past him.
"It wasn't even on purpose, but whatever," Nathan muttered. "Anyways, who might you guys be...what's all your deals?"
"My name's Charles Warner! The main reason I came here is to fight strong people. I love fighting!" The muscular man said enthusiastically.
"Charles Warner...where have I heard that name before." Nathan thought to himself. "What about the rest of you guys?"
"My name is Ada Foster, but you can call me Ada. Let's all get along!" Her tone was polite, and she had a friendly smile as she spoke. Ada was an average but beautiful woman. She wore a red tight dress which not only accentuated her curvatures but also complimented her platinum blond hair color. She was the type of beauty that would come to a man's mind when they heard the word beautiful.
"...Wait a second, these guys..." Nathan continued thinking.
"I...am Olivia Gray. Nice to...meet you, Nathan." Olivia softly spoke while averting the gaze of everyone. Ada, unlike Olivia, seemed to be reserved, from her way of speech to even her choice of clothing. She wore a black jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of mid-length boots.
Nathan's breathing sped up as he started to sweat. "These guys are--"
"Hello...mate." The last individual said. His whole attire was a monotonous color of white. He wore a duffle coat with a dress shirt on the inside. He was complete with a size-fit dress pants and ankle-length boots. Even his skin was white, everything except for his hair, which was black.
Upon seeing him, Nathan's body was slightly trembling.
These guys...are actual criminals...
"My name's Jack Knight. I saw you-- Huh?" Jack said as he noticed Nathan's panicked state. "Bloody hell..." Jack said as he started to smile. He came closer to Nathan.
"You guys...are all criminals...right?"
"Of course...we're just like you," Jack answered. "Also, if you're gonna team up with me or whatever...then you can't be showing any fear, mate...I might want to kill ya for it!" Jack's smile turned to a sadistic one.
Everyone was looking at Nathan and Jack in confusion.
Come on, Nathan, calm down. This is your life now...you can't escape it, so at least try your best to adapt.
Quickly, Nathan's breathing regulated and his trembling stopped.
"Heh, brilliant! Good job, Nathan!" Jack sarcastically congratulated him.
Nathan looked at his fellow 'comrades' as he seemed to be analyzing them.
So first, we have Charles, the battle-crazed killer. He loves fighting strong opponents more than anything. Charles won't be too problematic.
Then there's Olivia and Ada. I remember seeing them on the news a while back, but I can't remember what they did, and I don't trust the politeness of that woman.
Nathan then glanced at Jack, who wasn't paying attention anymore.
None of them, however, is as much of a problem as this guy. Everyone knows about you, Jack the Ripper.
"Well, good job everyone! Now you all got to know the names of your fellow party members." The developer chimed in. "Now that introduction's out of the way, it's time for your reward for escaping the cops, Nathan."
Another reward?
The warehouse door began rolling up, attracting the attention of everyone. When it rolled up enough, it revealed a van with its trunk opened. The 'NPC' from earlier also exited the van.
"Come and get your reward, Nathan." The 'NPC' said.
Nathan obliged and went up. When he got looked closer, he saw numerous weapons of many types in the van. Several knives, guns, and even explosives were in the trunk.
"What the..." Nathan, with a surprised look on his face.
"Even though it's not the best, they will be useful. They are all yours, Nate."
"Wow! So many weapons!" Ada said, with sparkling eyes.
"I could use some of those knives...they look pretty sharp," Jack added.
Nathan sighed and quickly grabbed the weapons, storing them all.
"What the! How did you do that? Are you a magician!?" Charles exclaimed.
"Maybe I am."
"There's one more thing for you." The 'NPC' said. He opened the passenger side and handed some gear to Nathan.
"Thanks...I guess."
Nathan quickly changed his clothing in a private area and returned. When he returned, the van had been moved and the 'NPC' was no longer there.
He was now wearing a grey tactical vest and cargo pants. Underneath his vest was a black dress shirt.
"Oh my!" Ada exclaimed.
"Not bad!" Charles complimented.
Nathan was looking at himself using the camera on his cell phone.
Why am I going to need all these anyways?
"Heavily reinforced gear. You should be thanking me for investing this much in a game character. Well, that's to be expected, as I'll need you to level up, Nate."
"Oh yeah...I forgot to tell you, developer."
"Yeah, what's up, Nate?" The developer asked.
"Don't you dare call me 'Nate' anymore...we were not and never will be that close."
"Haha, I see...okay, Mr. Nathan." The developer said, retaining his playful demeanor. "But anyways, now that all that is out of the way...let's get down to business."