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⬣//BLOSSOMING FROM A GAP IN THE ASPHALT.
A new Root Town has been revealed: Naval Monte, a tiered city built upon a mountain jutting up from an endless expanse of ocean. These fortified walls house an innumerable number of NPCs who, unlike those which occupy other Root Towns, are quite a bit more advanced.
Those of you who spend entirely too much time logged in have no doubt noticed the set patterns the NPCs of Mac Anu and Lumina Cloth take to move from area to area. Their paths never change. Their dialog rarely diverges. Talking to a freshly painted wall would be more stimulating than conversing with your run of the mill NPC, but Naval Monte's are different.
They move in accordance with their own whims, seldom found in the same place twice. Some NPCs have entire families while others boast elaborate backstories and speak at length of their tales of bravery and triumphs over evil. While they won't accept your party invites, they may instead invite you to share a meal with their family and regale you with stories until you've had your fill.
Travel far enough into the depths of the city and you'll hear tales of a graveyard that sits within the core of the mountain, but the NPCs who guard this elusive site are defensive at best. Don't expect them to let you in, but given their advanced nature, you may be able to wheedle some valuable information out of them.
Be aware that there is a price to enter Naval Monte. After crossing the vast bridge leading right up to the mountain city, you'll be accosted by no less than a dozen eager vendors fighting to peddle their wares to you. Some are so desperate that they ask only for a single GP, and in exchange, they grant you passage to the city.
Ask them why they're so desperate to make a sale and they'll answer plainly: if you don't, the curse will persist.
Come Saturday morning, an email flagged as urgent pops up in your inbox.
To our beta team,
It has come to our attention that a number of our beta testers have failed to report previous underlying health conditions that may negatively impact their ability to perform their duties as intended.
In our ongoing efforts to monitor the health and safety of our beta testing team, all participants in Fragment's closed beta test will be required to complete a health screening before the date of September 16th in order to continue participating in the beta.
Beta participants will be matched with a health professional in their area and the fees for their screening and assessment waived. As such, it is necessary that you make an appointment with the medical professional assigned to you or select another from within our network.
No exceptions will be made for those who fail to submit their health assessments to CyberConnect's Health and Human Resources department. Termination from Fragment's beta testing program and applicable legal action will be taken in the event that you fail to participate in these necessary steps.
We take the health and safety of our beta testers very seriously. If you have any concerns, please contact us at cccorp.ccmail.com.
Thank you for your continued efforts,
CyberConnect Corporation of Japan.
Murmurs of an unusual NPC have begun to circulate within Naval Monte.
According to eye witnesses, one of the local residents has "gone rogue". According to them, a woman with dishwater eyes and hair messily pulled into a loose bun has been spotted going door to door begging to be let in.
"We need to go," she shouts, her eyes glossy with tears, her every word slurred. "We'll be safe there! We'll be free! We can't live like this anymore!"
From what you've heard, that woman has managed to break free from the confines of her native Root Town and has been seen running through the streets in Mac Anu, Lumina Cloth, and the nameless Root Town in the sky. You may have even come across her, accosted in the street and urged to listen to her increasingly erratic ramblings.
"I need you to take me there! Take me to him! His father left the key within him!"
Ultimately, nothing you say or do will influence the woman's behavior or calm her down. All you'll get for your troubles is an ill feeling in the pit of your gut, something that blooms from within you and spreads infinitely outwards. An infection you can't cure.
You won't realize that the infection has begun to spread and mutate until you see it blossoming all around you, your fellow testers complaining of an unidentifiable malaise. You'll know what afflicts you and everyone you've infected when it's far too late to do anything about it. Until this unfortunate "bug" is patched, you'll continue to get sicker and sicker. The progression of the illness is as follows:
Stage one: The complete inability to lie, but is that really a bad thing? We could all stand to be more honest and communicative.
Stage two: The loss of one of your key senses, but only one. Maybe it's your sense of smell. Your keen tongue. Your vision. Whatever it is, it's a vital part of you that won't return to you until you log off, but when you next log in, you may find that a different sense has gone missing instead.
Stage three: Disconnect from your real world body. You'll realize after several days have passed that you can no longer feel your real self as keenly as before. You may not realize you've slapped yourself in the face or knocked a tooth out on the edge of your desk until you log out for the day and witness the extent of the damage.
Final stage: Memory loss. Your head feels foggy. Concentrating becomes a struggle, your thoughts sluggishly crawling through your mind and and ultimately losing their way. In the final stages of the illness, you may forget to log out for days at a time and wake to find yourself passed out on the floor with your headset jostled loose, inadvertently freeing you from the game.
The "cure," aside from a timely patch, may hide somewhere within the game. Before your senses leave you, you'd better start asking around.
As many of you know, it isn't easy to get ahold of CyberConnect when you need them. Hien is, at best, completely useless. Pete isn't much better. It's for these reasons and more that players have been invited to a digital conference and encouraged to give a voice to the rising concerns within the beta testing community.
The conference is to be held, both ICly and OOCly, on September 23rd at 12PM EST. If you have any burning questions to ask the people who hold power and influence over the state of the game and what happens within it, you can't afford to complain about timezones. This is your opportunity to speak your mind and have those questions answered.
OOCly, the conference will begin on September 23rd at 12PM EST and end on October 7th at 12PM EST. During this time, your characters can ask whatever questions they'd like of CyberConnect corporate staff, bring up concerns, and provide insights on their beta testing experiences.
Participation is mandatory (ICly), so set your alarms and don't be late!
Hello, everyone! Sorry I was away for a while. I got stuck in an outer level of the game and it took me a week to get back, but I should be just fine now! I hope I didn't miss anything too serious...
I did see that all of you have worked hard on those recipes, though! I liked all of them so much that I've added each of them into the game so that everyone can make their own. Congratulations!
no subject
...You don't know?
I suppose it would be up to me to say.
[ ... more silence. Whatever he has to say must be certainly important. ]
In this case, it was 'only a matter of time before the game started to challenge not only our minds but our wallets as well'. [ Heh. ] Though, I don't suppose you might have expected me to say something like that...?
no subject
[ He looks bewildered while awaiting Albedo's response, then seems surprised by it. Not too outwardly, though - his eyebrows quirk an inch. ]
I'm not entirely certain what I was expecting you to say, to be honest with you ...
no subject
Hmm, fair enough. Moving on from that, I must ask:
Were you around for recent events?
no subject
I ... wasn't, actually.
[ Upon hearing about Mithrun's death, Punisher view all the way to England to see Brambles. His last two weeks have been spent offline with him. Logging back in has made him a little bit nervous, but ... ]
But I heard about it. I'm not entirely clued in, though, I'll admit. I've been mindful to ensure that what I take in isn't just gossip or rumours.
no subject
Prudent of you not to take what has been said of the incident lightly.
[ It may as well he considered one now. Curiouser still, he asks: ]
What do you think about it?
no subject
I spent the past two weeks offline over it.
no subject
[ Nothing more, but nothing less than that, either. ]
It looks like the company might be taking steps to address any potential concerns. We might be back to playing the game without any further similar developments. That would be ideal, wouldn't it?
no subject
It would ... that's the way things should be intended.
The technological advancements which allow us to have such an immerse, full-body experience are beyond my own comprehension. But the game designers should have been far more forthcoming about potential risk factors before launch. I can only hope that no further incidents put people in danger. If I were a developer, I would shut the entire thing down until all safe-proofing measures are taken.
no subject
Albedo listens, attention rapt. Fascinating, isn't it? That even in the face of dubious conditions people will have reasons to return to them. Though that isn't their fault. The idea of connections can be motivation on its own, as he distinctly recalls a response in a previous conversation he's had. ]
A well-thought out response indeed. Whatever direction they are taking thus far does not indicate it is motivated by any ethical concerns. One might hope that to be the case, but their previous responses are a sign that this trend hasn't deviated in the slightest.
...Though, I imagine that there are hopes this might change.
no subject
Exactly. I'm definitely one of those who are hoping.
[ He nods. ]
My name is Brambles, by the way. Are you new here? I haven't seen you before.
no subject
[ Or rather, that's his username. Albedo is fortunately a bit used to using the pseudonym, otherwise he might have accidentally revealed his real name at this time.
Brambles does seem friendly enough, after all. Even if it is just the initial meeting, first impressions are as important as second ones. ]
As for whether or not I'm new, I can't say that I am. But, I also don't tend to spend too much time playing. Busy life and all that...I'm sure you can understand.
no subject
[ He laughs softly. ]
I can definitely understand. I'm brand new to this sort of thing, and my real life certainly keeps me busy.
no subject
I am rather fond of it, so I appreciate your compliment. It's good meeting you as well.
[ Albedo isn't always so good at standard greetings, he thinks. But one other small benefit to playing the game is that it gives him to practice. ]
...Speaking of real life, what are you hoping to achieve when you're not playing the game?
no subject
Well, I mainly aspire to further my studies and get a PhD. What about you?
no subject
[ Real life can be quite hard, but at least he doesn't appear troubled by it. ]
...Which is partially why most of my time is usually occupied. That said, what exactly are you aiming for a PhD in?
no subject
[ He beams!! ]
Well, I did my university degree in Ecoscience. So ... something following a similar measure would be ideal. My interests are quire ranged, but I really love natural science.
What research do you enjoy?
no subject
It seems we have more in common than I could have imagined.
[ But, at the inquiry, he responds thus— ]
As, after all, I will confess that my interest lies in natural science in general as well. [ Chemistry, of course, would be one of them. But anyways. ] At the moment, however, I have been focusing on research specifically into evolutionary biology.
no subject
Wow...! Amazing! I'm tremendously impressed! You definitely seem like the sort of person I'd love to sit with and have a cup of tea with while discussing everything to do with science!
no subject
Maybe even over a cup of virtual tea?
[ Albedo won't mind, for perhaps clear reasons, participating in such conversation. ]
no subject
no subject
Very well then. I'll be looking forward to it.