Level 1: A Night To Remember

December 20th, 1998

~5 Days Until Christmas~

Zarc and Ray open their eyes to find themselves in a small room of what appears to be a young boy. Zarc spun around the room slowly, taking it all in. He touched the sheets on the bed and marvel at how real it felt. He then tried the carpet beneath his feet, the wooden dresser against the wall, and even the door knob. Zarc looked like a kid on Christmas, even though the date was December 20th in the game.

"This is amazing! Holy Obelisk! Fable has really outdid herself now! Look! The game even made us look like kids!" Zarc said, looking down at himself. Instead of appearing like their normal selves, Zarc and Ray now looked like younger versions of themselves and were dressed in sleepwear. Zarc wore a matching black and neon green pajama shirt and pants while Ray wore a pale yellow nightgown.

Ray went to say something but was cut off as a noise sounded behind them. It sounded sort of like someone was typing on a type writer. The noise was coming from two duel disks, two duel disks that unmistakably looked like their own. On the screen were red words.

Task: Open Your Christmas Present Early.

"Hey Zarc, look at this." Ray said, pointing at their duel disks. Zarc saw the words, picking up his duel disk.

"Oh, that must be our goal in the game. Guess we should get started." Zarc and Ray attached their duel disks to their arms and the two of them exited the room, exploring around the empty house. There was a bathroom next to their room followed by a closed door, and a kitchen at the very end of the hallway with a back door. The living room was also connected to the same hallway via another door and to the kitchen. Opposite of the kitchen was an open doorway that had light spilling out of it.

Upon looking through the open doorway, Zarc and Ray found a set of stairs leading down to the basement.

"Wait...our Christmas present is down there?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it be under the tree?"

"Well, yeah. But if it was under the tree then it wouldn't be as creepy." Zarc replied. Just as they were about to go down into the basement, new words pop up onto their duel disks. This time they were white.

Hint: You're Allowed To Run. Careful! It Makes Noise.

"But walking doesn't?" Ray asked the game skeptically.

"Rules of the game, Ray. Rules of the game." Zarc said over his shoulder as he descended down into the basement. Ray ran down to catch up with him. As she ran she notice in the corner of her eye a yellow icon in the shape of a megaphone appear on her duel disk's screen, beeping each time she took a rushing step. The icon only went away when she stop running. Zarc looked back at her confused, seeing the icon appear on his duel disk as well. They both soon got their explanation in another hint.

Hint: Watch The Yellow Icon On The Top Right To See When You Are Making Noise.

The small hallway was dark and cramp with junk piled up beside the walls, but the actual basement was vastly large with very little items strewn about. The entire dusty room was lit up by a bare light bulb. In each direction there was a small doorway.

The doorway across from them seem to have its own light so that's where Ray and Zarc checked first. The two of them poke their heads around the corner to see that it was just a dead end room with another bare light bulb. On a table at the end of the room was a white present with red polka dots tied with a red bow.

"Found it!" Zarc announced. Without waiting up for Ray, Zarc opens the gift, first taking off the lid and then pulling the boxed toy out. The toy box was red with the words, Talking Tattletail, on the front. Through the plastic screen they could see the purple Tattletail inside, its blue eyes wide open. Ray looked down at her duel disk to see that their task wasn't completed yet.

"You need to take the entire Tattletail out, Zarc." Zarc reached in and pulled the toy out of its box. As soon as he did that, the toy started talking.

"You're in bigggg trouble." The toy said, its robotic mouth not exactly in sync with its words. Again, on their duel disks, 3 new bars had pop up, similar in style to the Well Meter in the movie version Fable had created, except this was on screen and not on a compass-like toy. Like with Yugo, the red Feed meter was dropping little by little.

"Whoa. This is kind of creepy." Zarc says, smiling at Ray.

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's completely different from the prop versions we had during the movie. Those were scripted so you knew what they were going to say. This is freaky. Here." Zarc tries to hand the toy off to Ray who immediately backed away.

"Get that thing away from me!"

"Oh ho! Who's afraid now?!" Zarc chuckles.

"I'm not scared! I just don't like it." Zarc rolled his eyes and cradles the toy like a baby.

"It's okay, Zarc Jr. I know Ray can be a meanie."

"Zarc Jr?" Ray had to hold back a snort of laughter. "What the Shadow Realm, Zarc?"

"What? I didn't have many toys growing up. I was all into dueling. I'm reliving my childhood, Ray and you can't stop me."

"...Sure, Zarc. Sure." Ray glances back at her duel disk as she hears the typewriting noise again.

Task: He Really Eats! Grab Some Food From The Upstairs Fridge.

"Looks like we have to feed him."

"Then let's get to it." The two made their way back across the basement. Tattletail kept on spouting out weird lines as they made their way up the stairs.

"Me love you!" Tattletail giggled.

"Aww, I love you to little guy." Zarc smiles. Ray sweat drops. This was going to be a long game. She can tell.

Hint: Keep Track Of Tattletail's Needs Using The Bars On The Top Left Of The Screen.

When they got up to the kitchen Zarc went straight to the fridge and opened it up.

"Hey, Ray? Can you feed a Tattletail cheese?" Zarc asked from behind the fridge door.

"Zarc, does it really matter?"

"Well, sorrrryyy." Zarc said with a roll of his eyes. "Moody." He whisper under his breath which Ray clearly heard.

"Hey, I heard that." Ray growled, kicking the door with the back of her foot. "Would you please take this seriously? We're in a horror game." Zarc finish feeding Tattletail and shuts the door.

"I know that, Ray, but a game is still game. No matter the genre. Lighten up a little." Zarc said as their new task appeared.

Task: Brushable Hair. Use The Brush In The Living Room To Clean Tattletail.

"We got people watching us. We gotta entertain." Zarc turned to make his way to the living room. "Isn't your Standard Counterpart a dueltainer like mine?" He added, over his shoulder. Ray blinked. As annoying as he was right now, Zarc did make some good points. By the time she got to his side, Zarc was already setting down the brush he had been using back on the couch.

Task: Wrap Tattletail Back Up.

Just as this happens, Tattletail yawns.

"Yawn! Me tired."

"Guess we put him back in the box." Zarc said. "Alright! Back down into our creepy basement." Ray followed silently. When they got down the steps, the light in the small hallway flickered off, casting them into darkness. The Tattletail is Zarc's arms begins to shake.

"It's dark!" It cried. Zarc and Ray share a look and both of them are rushing forward.

"Well that was...something." Ray swallows as they made it back to the table without any more incidents.

"Pretty cheap scare, all in all." Zarc shrugs as he goes to place Tattletail back in his box.

"Tattletail go night night." Tattletail says.

"Yes. Yes, you do. And please...don't murder us in our sleep, Zarc Jr." Just as Zarc was about to put the present back, Ray spotted something on the table. It was a light blue egg with a dark blue ribbon painted on it. Picking it up, Ray realized that it was plastic. After that realization, the world got completely dark, freaking out her and Zarc for a moment.

"Whoa! Ray, what did you do?!"

"I-I just picked up an egg toy thingy!" She shouted back. The egg broke apart in her hand all on its own and the item inside it drop into her hand. Getting a closer look, Ray could see that the item inside the egg was brown and mushy. A pungent odor surrounded it.

"Smells like...dog food." Ray said.

"Uhh...I think that is dog food. Chewed dog food, at least." Some new words came up on their duel disk.

Found Egg: #1

[Total Collected: 1/22]

Chewed Dog Food

It was almost as if the game wanted to prove Zarc right. A look of disgust cross over Ray's face before she immediately flung the food somewhere into the darkness and wiped her soiled hand on her side.

"That is revolting!"

"Eww, why did you pick it up?"

"I thought it was important!"

"Well, apparently there's 22 of them so...maybe they are?" The world finally returns to normal and Zarc finishes wrapping Tattletail back up.

Task: Go To Bed.

"Gladly." Ray mutters as she turns on her heels and walks out of the basement with Zarc following. The hallway was still dark when they got to it. The two of them quickly moved past it and up the stairs to the first floor. As soon as they did, the phone that was hanging up on the wall started ringing.

"Oh, the phone's ringing."

"Who in the name of Ra would call at this hour?"

"Wait, I actually think this happen in the movie." Zarc thought for a moment. "It did! I remember now! Yugo answered it." Zarc moves forward to do the same thing, but another hint pops up.

Hint: Don't Answer The Phone.

Ray sees the mischief glint in Zarc's eyes and she quickly yanks him back before he could do anything.

"No. Don't even think about it, Zarc."

"Come on, Ray. Live a little!"

"Get into the bedroom. Now."

"...I think we're a little too young for that, Ray." Zarc smirks. Ray's cheeks heat up at what she had just said. Without warning, Ray punches Zarc in the arm hard. "Ow! Geez, Ray!"

"You know what I meant, idiot! Now get into the room so we can finish the level!"

"Alright! Alright! Man, Yuya and Yugo have it tough." Zarc mumbles as he rubs his arm. As they were walking down the hallway to get to their room, both of them felt a cold draft.

"Brr! It's freezing in here! Did someone leave a window open or something?" Ray asked, rubbing her shoulders.

"I hate it when you're right." Zarc sighs, pointing forward. In the darkness Ray could see that the front door was now slightly ajar.

"That door wasn't open when we had Tattletail." Ray says uneasily.

"Nope." Zarc mumbles. "And his name is Zarc Jr." Ray doesn't argue with him. Both of them lean their bodies to the side as far as they could go without falling over, seeing if they could make out anything waiting for them outside in the dark. "I...I think there's an egg out there."

"Those easter egg things, you mean?" Ray asked.

"Yeah. Should I grab it?"

"If you can, but that door looks like a jump scare just waiting to happen." Zarc took a breath.

"If I don't make it back, tell my fans I love them." Ray rolled her eye as Zarc crept forward. He would take a few steps, wait and listen, then take a few more steps until he finally reached the door. Crouching down, Zarc made a quick grab for the egg before slamming the front door shut.

Upon grabbing the egg, like before, the world darken and it cracked in Zarc's hand. A hairball fell into his hand much to both of their horror.

Found Egg #2

[Total Collected: 2/22]

Hairball

Zarc, much like Ray, throws it into the darkness.

"Are those eggs only filled with disgusting things?" He asked as Ray came up to his side.

"Oh come on, Zarc. Live a little!" Ray taunted. Now it was Zarc's turn to be annoyed.

"Very funny." He said. When they both enter the bedroom, Zarc threw his hands in the air.

"Another one?! Really?!" Sitting on the side table was a third egg. It hadn't been there before, when they first woke up in the game. Zarc looks over at Ray and nods at her. "Your turn."

"Excuse me?"

"Hey, if all those eggs are going to be full of gross things it only seems fair that we do it together."

"Fine." Ray grumbles as she picks up the egg. It cracked in her hand.

Found Egg #3

[Total Collected: 3/22]

Missing Sock

Ray lets out a sigh of relief as a blue baby sock fell into her hand.

"Oh thank Ra."

"...Why is there a missing sock in an egg?"

"Out of all the crazy stuff that has happened tonight, that's the weird thing to you?" Ray asked, setting the sock to the side.

"Considering we're in a horror game? Yes." Zarc said. They both waited around the room for a moment, but nothing seem to happen. Zarc looked down at his duel disk. "I think the game wants us to actually go to bed." He said, pointing at the bed.

"I guess that would make sense." Ray casts a quick glance at Zarc before shaking her head and pointing out the door. "Go sleep on the couch."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because I absolutely refuse to share a bed with you."

"Ray, I am very insulted right now! Do you really that I would ever-"

"If my father finds out about this, he would stop at nothing to turn you into a card and rip you to shreds." Ray interrupts. Zarc blinks a couple of times.

"That...is a very good point." Zarc turned to leave. "Night, Ray!" Once Zarc was gone Ray slips under the covers while Zarc laid down on the couch in the living room. No sooner did she close her eyes she was opening them again.