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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!
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[ Such is the reason why Oria continues to have "Big Whiny Baby" title above his head.... he can't even take it off. Woe. ]
I dunno about the birds though. I think they're waiting for me to feed them or something?
[ He was putting together random recipes and materials, because that's all he can do while blind and ate an animal attracting food... ]
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[ We can also pretend that Ganymede has at least occasionally glanced at the title with squinty eyes sometimes. Oria's life truly is suffering. ]
...Maybe they are? What do birds typically like, anyway?
[ He's a fan of animals but he knows little about what birds eat. Hm, well, besides breadcrumbs sometimes. ]
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Bits of fruit. I feed some to my parrot sometimes. Bird seeds too, but I don't know where to get those here.
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[ But, bird seed doesn't exactly seem like the kind of commodity devs would think a big enough deal to put in. ]
I was thinking maybe I could put together a small snack for your bird friends, but...hm.
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[ There's more than 20. ]
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...There's at least more than twenty of them. You've got practically an entire flock.
[ Not that he thinks Oria can tell right now, considering. ]
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[ He laughs a little, but then thinks. With things happening nowadays, he contemplates several topics to talk about with Ganymede. He's been curious of something for a while, but... ]
Do you have a protector? Ganymede.
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[ It's so weird. He hasn't seen it without anybody else?? Anyway, him asking the question catches him off-guard. ]
...What do you mean?
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[ The cake's special effect drew them to him, but he didn't even know he made a special cake. That's what being blind does to you when you blindingly craft things. ]
I mean something like a bodyguard.
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[ But at the clarification, Ganymede does have an answer. ]
I don't leave my house unmonitored, no. Why are you suddenly asking? Were you...thinking about before?
[ The memory Oria had happened to witness more than awhile ago. ]
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[ So, yes. ]
But close surveillance at all times? Doesn't that get suffocating? How can you even go on a date??
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As for the question, though... ]
Surveillance is only there to prevent people who shouldn't be on the property or elsewhere from getting close to me.
I could still go on a date just fine. It isn't like I can't have private conversations.
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[ :3c
Even while blind, Oria is still a rascal. Tell him your stories, Ganymede. ]
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[ His face is turning red which hints towards yes, he has. ]
...but, maybe.
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Can you tell me? I wanna know... what it's like to date someone like you. We can compare notes.
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[ Oria has found his happiness in the game too, huh? OR...or outside of it. Well, he doesn't really mind sharing this sort of thing with him, he thinks.
His cheeks are still red, tinged with embarrassment, but no regret. ]
What part do you want to know? What it's like, you mean?
[ Or the person? ]
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[ He wants to know everything!! But Oria also thinks this will give him a lot of insight on who Ganymede is as a person. ]
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[ To the point where he was not even flirting, because he never did it out of interest. Not out of obligation, but thought if someone asked, why not? But they never seemed to want to date him out of wanting "love". ]
This one, though, is...different. I think of him as important, sweet, thoughtful, and complicated, but those are things that draw me to him. It's like being dropped into a heavenly pool of water, and feeling like you were blessed each moment.
...So, what about you?
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[ Damn. That's rough, buddy. At least make rich people connections?? ]
But that sounds really nice. I'm glad you found someone like that! "Being blessed each moment"--the honeymoon phase is strong, isn't it?
[ He's teasing a little. ]
Like I said, I dated a lot. I was almost always taken. I made a lot of connections over time because of it. No one really wants to deal with the burden of dating someone like me for a long term and I get why.
[ This isn't meant to sound self-depreciating since Oria is basing it off other facts, but it is what it is. ]
So when I did get into those two serious relationships and the way they ended... they taught me a lot of things--about myself, and how I view things.
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[ Ganymede was not very good at making connections because he had to trust people to even try, RIP in rest (and he definitely panicked sometimes, ending it himself.) It's okay, though, it's clear he doesn't seem to worry much about those...
Though he throws him a look at the honeymoon phase. ]
We're ourselves with each other, no matter what too. And I like that.
[ His comment sounds petulant, and he sounds definitely embarrassed about the teasing...but there's a pause as he listens to the other talk some more. ]
I don't understand. If they love you, wouldn't they be able to shoulder the burden? It just proves that most of those people were fake. But if you got something out of it, that's good. [ ... ] What do you mean? What things?
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You should keep that person close. They sound really worth it.
[ Oria still has a gentle expression on his face despite everything. Maybe it's a good thing to be blind right now, though he would have loved to see Ganymede's expressions. ]
But I also think it's within their rights to not date someone who can't make any promises for the future. I don't know when I'll die. I don't know how much time I can spend with someone after I start university. I don't know if they can handle the social pressure. There are a lot of factors.
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[ Ganymede never can imagine doing anything else.
That being said, his heart aches just a bit hearing that. He wants to immediately shout that it isn't fair, he shouldn't have to worry about dying young, especially now that he understands—knows—the reason for the context. ]
It doesn't feel right. [ He says, puffing his cheeks a bit, even if Oria can't see. ] I want you to be happy too. You deserve that much.
[ But it is as Oria says, yet he just doesn't like hearing that. It sounds kind of immature, and still he can't help it. ]
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Aw, Ganymede! I didn't think you cared so much about me!
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Did you have to say it like that?
[ He's dying from low-key embarrassment even if Oria can't tell right now...rip ]
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[ Oria smiles, turning his head a little towards Ganymede because at least it's obvious where he's speaking since he's sitting on the bench next to him. ]
But you're right. I think I deserve some happiness too! As a little treat for everything I've gone through. I'm dating someone right now, actually. He makes me feel very happy.
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