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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
Did you have to say it like that?
[ He's dying from low-key embarrassment even if Oria can't tell right now...rip ]
no subject
[ 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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...Right. We are strangers. Were. [ He then adds: ] But, I'm glad to make that clearer, and that you think so too.
[ But, his lips curl upwards slightly, even if he's not sure what kind of expression to make. There is something like relief, a bit of his own happiness, and the urge to learn more. Well, to gossip. ]
You've found your own person too? For real? ...What about him makes you happy, when you're with him?
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[ Oria grins, feeling pretty happy when talking about this person to someone else. It feels a little like bragging, but he thinks this person deserves to be bragged about, so there's that. ]
I also like how sincere and accepting he is. The latter is what made me fall really hard for him.
[ There's no shame in admitting it either. ]
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[ Seeing the grin on Oria's face, Ganymede can't end up thinking otherwise. Plus, that happiness in his tone? Unmistakable. ]
Qualities like that are hard to find, even in who people would think as 'good'.
[ Sincerity and accepting, he means. ]
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[ Regarding the last line Ganymede spoke. ]
It's hard to find genuine sincerity nowadays--moreso if they haven't been ruined by it and eventually shed that out of their personalities. But even in the face of hardship, he still kept it, so that's what I admire about him the most. If anything, he has my respect as a person... and those aren't given out much.
[ Oria laughs. ]
I think we've done well about supporting each other.
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Well, not impossible. Though, with him agreeing with his assessment, and laying out those little factors, he can't but help be a teensy bit more curious. ]
...Seeing the way you talk about him like that? I'm not surprised.
[ ... ]
Did you first meet the person you're dating now by playing the game? Like I did?
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[ It makes him think... ]
He was sweet to me back then too, but I don't think neither of our feelings were romantic back then. It did show me on how caring he was though, even though I wasn't all that close to him at the time.
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[ So, a most fortunate blossom into romance, isn't it? The seeds of previous association had already been planted... ]
You two weren't really close before, despite having already met. Though, being here strengthened that bond. Something about that is—well. I don't have a word for it, other than "good".
[ ...pause. Ah, right, they've been gossiping about their loved ones already, so— ]
...You probably wanted to know who I'm dating too, right? We should do an exchange.
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[ He can't stop grinning today and he keeps it on his face when Ganymede suggests the exchange. ]
You don't have to be so formal about asking who I'm dating! But I like that side of you too, Ganymede. It's a bit endearing.
[ He swears he's not flirting.... ]
Anyway, I'm dating Vogel.
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L-look...! I don't usually talk about these things with anyone. It's only recently that I have, in some ways...
[ He hrmphs again, especially because of the endearing comment. But he knows the other has a loved one so it's easy to take it just as teasing. ]
Winter. I don't know if you've spoken to or met him. Though, I remember going on a dungeon run with Vogel before. He seemed nice enough.
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I know Winter! He's a funny guy--kinda awkward, but I can tell that he means well.
[ ... ]
You guys are super alike, huh?
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W-well...of course he means well. He always does.
[ Ganymede means for that to sound like an agreement but he ends up saying that a bit aggressively, though he blinks at the question, lips quirking upwards a bit. ]
I'm trying to figure out if you saying to him make might him surprised, or start thinking about additional similarities. But...we talked about that before.
It's like two covers of two entirely different stories that appear the same on the outside, but once you read what's within the pages, you discover what little variances are in each word. Each tale.
[ Though he's smiling still. He does like hearing that for reasons. ]
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[ Oria can't help but wonder. ]
It sounds really profound.
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Yeah, maybe by accident. But I might be a little proud of it too myself.
[ As he beams just a little. Though, something else comes along as Ganymede considers something, and he asks: ]
...By the way, do you think you might need help getting yourself somewhere where you can properly rest on a bed, like to a guild or something?
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[ Yeah... ]
Thanks for the offer though.
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[ Everything that they had just discussed—which is worrisome all on its own, though he knows it's nothing he can do anything about. But, it's natural to be a worrywart when a friend is in a dubious situation, right? He's learning that a bit more even if it makes him antsy. ]
I should probably get going. Also, it might be hard, but if you ever feel like asking for help, you should do that too.
...Anyway, I'll be seeing you.
[ Ganymede will be making a mental note to check in on Oria next time he sees him. Just to make sure he's not gotten any worse than before, and so after bidding good-bye, he will make his departure. ]