⬣//BLOSSOMING FROM A GAP IN THE ASPHALT.

[cccorp]

>>NAVAL MONTE // >>HEALTH // >>ROGUE NPC // >>CONFERENCE // >>Zelkova Corner

⬣//A TOWERING MOUNTAIN AMIDST THE WAVES

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.

⬣//FOR YOUR HEALTH

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.

⬣//ON THE RUN

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.

⬣//YOU CAN TRUST US. WE PROMISE.

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!

⬣//ZELKOVA’S CORNER

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!

>>Navigation

Comments

[fluorite]

Not at all. I think company would be nice right now, actually.

[ With a smile, Fai scoots over to give Tylor a bit more room where he's perched. ]

It's a real shame there's no city quite like this one anywhere in the US.

[tylorific]

Well, there's a place like this in Europe, isn't there?

[ Tylor asks happily as he settles comfortably beside Fai. ]

[fluorite]

There is! Venice, Italy. Have you been to Europe?

[ There are quite a few here who have, so he wouldn't be surprised if Tylor was on that list too. ]

[tylorific]

I have, once. My dad had some kind of event in London once. I've never been to Venice, though.

[ Tylor doesn't mean to provide all that detail, but he only blinks, gaze dropping at the mention of his dad. And then he looks entirely unconcerned. ]

What about you?

[fluorite]

[ He glances over at Tylor, just barely catching that blink. ]

I grew up in Norway and moved to the US when I was around eight... so I traveled around Europe quite a bit. I don't remember a whole lot of it, unfortunately.

[tylorific]

Oh, really? But it sounds like you didn't visit Norway much at all after that, huh? Can you still speak Norwegian?

[fluorite]

Å ja, det kan jeg!

[ "Oh yes, I can!" ]

But you're right, I didn't really visit after moving here. It's mostly had to do with money and having somewhere to stay for longer than a couple of days, since my family wouldn't really want to see me.

[ ...

Well, he didn't mean for that last part to slip out. Shit. ]

[tylorific]

Oh, then forget them. Friends are better, because you can choose people you care about. Why make yourself miserable for people you don't even like?

Besides, whatever's left of mine doesn't want to see me either. Actually, I don't think any of them consider me family at all, anyway.

[ Tylor says it all so flippantly, with a little laugh at the end. But then he pauses, and turns very seriously to Fai.

He leans over-- ]

Do I smell like I've been drinking to you?

[fluorite]

[ Oh. So, he has similar family issues, then? Fai didn't expect it, what with how earnest and happy Tylor seems to be all the time.

He tilts his head at the sudden question, but leans in closer to smell him. ]

Let me see.

[ If he has been, Fai will immediately be able to tell. ]

[tylorific]

[ Well, he used to smell of sake or whiskey in game more often than not, but it's noticeably too faint now to be the cause of anything.

This close, he can't help the innocent and shameless honesty-- ] I almost forgot how pretty you are.

[fluorite]

[ Fai laughs, and it seems like his good-natured reaction to the compliment is his genuine reaction.

With a smile, he pulls back. ]

Whatever I smell is faint. But it’s a real shame it took me getting close for you to remember~ [ He pauses. ] I appreciate your compliment. Really.

[ There’s no ill intent behind Tylor’s words. They’re simply honest, and he appreciates it. ]

[tylorific]

Oh, I agree. It's just been a while! A lot of things happened since the last time we danced, after all.

[ Tylor returns the laugh with one of his own. ]

But I'm surprised you're not used to getting compliments like mine all the time.

[fluorite]

Well, it’s mostly from men trying to sleep with me.

[ Which… he doesn’t mean to say, but there isn’t much he can do about it now. At least he’s being this candid with someone like Tylor over most of the other people playing this game.

Maybe if he turns this away from the kind of compliments he gets, some of the focus can be off of him. ]

But a lot has happened? Care to update me?

[tylorific]

Huh, that was some time ago.

[ His deep breath is the only warning before-- ]

Well, I got really drunk and slept with a person I love. Both of them, actually. Then both of them again at the same time, and I really couldn't help falling even more madly in love with them. I sure thought things were going well, everyone was happy, you know?

[ A dramatic sigh. But his words come out in a tumble as his gaze drifts. It's almost like he's just not paying attention as he gets distracted by a boat. ]

But then I was Spankmaster for a day and I guess M&M really doesn't like him so he accidentally killed me. He ignored me for a while. I didn't even realize how much being ignored like that hurt until we all skyped about it. That sure was a disaster. But now I think maybe it was a good thing. We got all of our honest feelings out there. Everyone knew where they stood, even if no one was happy anymore.

I love too much, I think. Too many people at once, and I can be too much for people. But, well, I'm trying to learn for him. How to think of his feelings first, before letting people kiss me.

Anyway, we decided to go back to how things were before! And it was great again, really great. But then his avatar died! Everyone acted like he actually died. That wasn't fun at all.

I knew he was alive though. I could feel it. But I still missed him. We missed him. And I don't think I've ever missed anyone like that since my parents--- Wow, I don't even know how much I just said.

What were we talking about?

[ Tylor devolves into laughter, but doesn't actually seem that worried. ]

Oh, right! You deserve to be complimented for more than just sex. Sex is fun and all, but beauty is way more than that. Just being able to sit here with a beautiful person really makes my day.

[fluorite]

[ Ah, Tylor. That compliment nearly distracts Fai from everything that had come before it, even though he had been listening carefully.

Nearly. ]

Hmmm. You really have been through a lot. But you know, you’re learning to adjust the way you act because of someone you love. That counts for a lot, in my opinion.

[ And he has a feeling he knows who one of those people is, given the details Tylor gave. ]

[tylorific]

You think so? I'm only living my life the way I want. But, I guess at some point I decided that I wanted them both in it if I can help it. I won't blame either of them if they don't, and I'm not sure I can ask them again.

[ Still sounding too light for how sincerely warm his words are. ]

I hope I can make them both happy, because that's really what they both deserve. That's what matters.

You deserve happiness too, Fai. Have you found any lately?

[fluorite]

You'll come to some sort of solution that makes everyone happy, I think. In the end, people will choose what will make them happiest.

[ Aside from self-destructive tendencies and all that, but he likes to think that Tylor would try and avoid that.

At Tylor's question, he pauses. Seems like he's managed to turn this back on Fai after all. ]

Well... I do have a boyfriend. I met him in this game, actually.

[tylorific]

Oh, do you? Congratulations! Wow, everyone seems to be getting together around here, how nice.

[ Tylor's laugh is more a happy sigh. ]

So, who's the lucky guy?

[fluorite]

[ Lucky, huh? Fai isn't so sure he'd classify anyone involved with him as lucky, but... ]

Yael. Do you know him?

[ Yael isn't exactly the most sociable sort, so Fai really has no clue who he knows beyond a couple of others. ]

[tylorific]

Oh, I do!

[ Tylor sounds so cheerful at first that it's almost whiplash to the more serious and warm words that follow it. He even reaches for Fai's hand to squeeze as he looks over at him. ]

So, I guess you already know how big of a heart he actually has, right? I hope it works out for him this time. For both of you.

[fluorite]

Thanks.

[ He smiles softly, turning his hand over so he can give Tylor's a little squeeze back. ]

He pretends he isn't, but I know he's extremely sensitive. I'll do my best to take care of his fragile heart.

[tylorific]

It makes me happy to hear you say that.

[ Tylor is content with his hand remaining there for now, lacing their fingers if Fai allows it. His own expression shifts to return that soft smile with one of his own. ]

Oh. But you like that about him, don't you?

[fluorite]

[ Fai allows it, knowing full well that Tylor is simply affectionate, and who is he to turn down affection with a friend? ]

I do. He's also incredibly blunt, which I also like.

[ What can he say, he likes crass men. ]

[tylorific]

[ It is friendly, and Tylor can't help but be pleased with how often he is allowed to simply be himself around here. ]

That's true. [ A laugh of acknowledgment as he relaxes beside him. ] Somehow, it feels like you two balance one another out, doesn't it?

And if you get married, I hope you invite me to the wedding. I love weddings.

[fluorite]

I'd like to think we balance one another.

[ Where he lies, Yael is honest. Where Yael angers easily, Fai remains calm.

But the mention of a wedding has him laughing softly to himself. ]

We'll see about that. It still feels a little too early for me to think about it.