⬣//GROWING WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

[cccorp]

>>Gathering // >>Waiting // >>Can't Return // >>It's Real

⬣//STERILE WHITE WALLS

September 23rd—conference day. In the hours preceding the meeting, beta testers are supplied with information on how to access the virtual conference room and offered a set of conduct guidelines. Testers are urged to read them thoroughly and instructed to sign their name on the bottom of the page to confirm that they’ve read and understand the following guidelines:

1. All questions will be addressed. Do not interrupt speakers or other beta testers when they are asking questions or having their questions answered.

2. Conduct yourself professionally and appropriately. Do not curse, shout, or otherwise engage in disruptive behavior. Violators will be muted and their speaking privileges revoked.

3. No eating or drinking. Keep your virtual space clean and free of debris.

4. Remain seated. Excessive movement or inappropriate behavior will result in restriction of your avatar’s movements.

5. PvP is disabled in the conference room. Weapons cannot be drawn and your Fragment inventory is unavailable during the duration of the conference.

Players are generously allowed one hour to filter in and find their seats, review the guidelines, and discuss the questions they’ve prepared with their fellow beta testers.

⬣//THE LOW RUMBLE OF DISTANT THUNDER

One hour comes and goes. The room remains occupied only by the beta participants, CyberConnect Corporation’s flashy logo spinning idly on the conference room’s 80 inch display. Restlessness begins to settle in, idle chatter turning to frustration as one hour becomes two. Still, no one from the Corporation shows.

The conference room remains devoid of purpose, some forty-odd people sitting alone in a sterile conference room, a locked room, should anyone grow so restless they try to leave. Any attempts made to break doors and windows will fail.

The door is locked, as are the windows, the world beyond their stark white blinds a slurry of purple and black. Thunder crackles in that dark, endless void. Even if you could leave, where would you go?

⬣//TORRENTIAL RAINS

It’s painfully evident after three hours of silence that no one from CyberConnect is showing up to the conference, but you knew that already, didn’t you? This mandatory meeting was fishy from the start, some would argue, while others may yet hold out hope.

That ends the instant anyone tries to log out and leave. Everyone who attempts to leave will be met with the same error Shoka was some weeks ago, but this time, the error is permanent. This time, there is no connection between mind and body anymore, and any attempt to “reach” your real self will fail.

You feel no one on the other end. You no longer feel the weight of your headset on your head or the keyboard beneath your fingertips. All your worldly aches and pains have drifted away only to find you here in your new reality, every sensation so real that Fragment no longer feels like just a game. Fragment is reality.

Three hours pass from the start of the conference. The boring white walls and rickety office chairs shudder and shake and give way to the Mac Anu everyone knows. You’re back where you started, more or less. What you do from here is up to you.

⬣//LOST TO THE TUMULT AND BEDLAM

Some menus remain online. Players retain the ability to send and receive friend and party requests, access their inventories, spells, and weapons, and so on, but a few notable items are missing.

Players can no longer toggle their pain sensors on and off. Every blow you take is one you’re forced to suffer through, and what’s more, your health no longer automatically regenerates when idle. You’d better keep a stash of potions or a pocket healer handy.

While you’re at it, try not to die. The sharp-eyed among the group may notice that the respawn information nestled in the menus is no longer accessible to them. The respawn counter now reads as a series of zeros instead of the typical 20 minutes. Now is probably not the best time to continue testing Fragment’s death mechanics, but nothing’s stopping you from trying. No one’s going to save you, either.

Good luck, players. The real test has begun.

>>Navigation

Comments

[curvaceous]

[ She had feared that this would happen. For Shoka, this wouldn't be the first time. Somehow, she should've seen this coming, but – ]

Fuck.

[ She shakes her head. ]

I can't. I can't even feel my headset.

[threatmewted]

[Oh shit oh fuck]

Is- is it just everyone this time?!

[curvaceous]

I don't know for sure.

[ She's clearly trying not to panic, but uh... ]

...But I'm inclined to believe that it is.

[threatmewted]

[Cool. Cool cool cool cool.

After a few more confirmations, she looks over at Hien with a flash of - concern, not for him, but more like she's gauging her chances of surviving being in the same room as a tiger.

...

And then apparently decides "fuck it" before turning to everyone else.]

Well... this is seriously a problem, then. Because if we can't log out, we'll die for real if we die here.

[selfconcept]

[ He hears it.

But he doesn't do anything.

Good fortune smiles upon ye, for he will not show up at your house and murder you. ]

[threatmewted]

[Come try it bitch!!!!!!! Everyone's trapped now she's got nothing more to lose!!!!!!!!!!!]

[curvaceous]

[ Jesus fuck. ]

That doesn't surprise me, but I gotta ask, how do you know for sure? Is it from that time you got PK'd a few weeks ago?

[threatmewted]

Yeah. Hien confirmed it. And then he told me to keep my mouth shut, or else.

But I mean, if he wants to do something about it now...

[gluttoning]

[He at least doesn't look surprised, outside the general level of public panic.]

...No PK. Maybe... it's better to think no death to mobs or debuffs, either...

[He is POINTEDLY looking at Mithrun and Hani wherever they are sitting right now. Do not.]

[threatmewted]

And no jumping off of high places, or trying to swim out too far, or- I don't know. Walking into lava or shit.

[tinged]

[ #trust ]

[trashtier]

[Hey Levi, how are we handling the horrors--]

That's literally the plot of a horror movie, what the fuck.

[Not well. Understandable.]

[threatmewted]

I mean, it kind of has been for a while? But everyone insisted on playing anyway, soooo.

[tinged]

[ trying to connect to their real body like - ]

Permanently?

[threatmewted]

If our dear head admin is to believed. Which I'm assuming he is, considering he threatened me over it.

[ganymed]

[ They're trapped

In a game. Nowhere to go.

And dying here? It will kill them.

He's too overwhelmed by too many feelings to be even properly angry.

Ganymede can barely breathe. There's too much talking. There's just too much.

He runs off to warp to another area or something bye. ]

[userunfriendly]

[ Dammit. There's probably more important discussion to be had at this meeting, and ordinarily, Michel would be inclined to keep a level head and hear the rest of it. But...

He has at least a guess at what Ganymede, specifically, is going through. When Ganymede makes his abrupt exit, Michel isn't far behind. Fortunately it doesn't take brilliant detective work to track him back to Fine Wine. ]

Ganymede...

[threatmewted]

Hey, where are you-

[Oops, there he goes.

Shit. Hope Michel knows what he's doing.]

[trashtier]

[Levi had come into the conference prepared to give CCCorp a piece of his mind over everything that's happened so far, but any burning anger he'd had immediately fizzles out and gives way to panic.

Of course! Of FUCKING course! Why should we have expected anything else?!

...the only thing keeping that panic from physically manifesting is his concern for Barrett and Kara right beside him. Well, most of it, at any rate. His breathing has become shaky as he tries to process all of this.]

M-Me neither...

[gluttoning]

...Shit.

[His hand is against Levi's shoulder as Barrett stands up, letting Shoka say her piece first and just not looking remotely surprised by it.]

Don't force a log out through a life reset. Neither of you. Okay?

[trashtier]

You don't have to tell me twice...

[He looks up at Barrett, starting to scramble up after him.]

W-Where are you going?

[gluttoning]

...

[He pats the top of his older brother's head.]

Nowhere. Just need to talk to a few people before people start running off.

I'll be here, Levi. If you need a sec... [His eyes flick to Kara, and then back to Levi.] ...We can meet back at the guild.

Is that okay?

[curvaceous]

[ Hard same, Levi. Kara can't say she's entirely surprised by this, but it doesn't make it any less scary.

Like Barrett, she lets Shoka speak, and once that's settled, she'll walk back to Levi. Her expression is that of distress, but she's trying not to give way to how scared she really is. ]

...

[trashtier]

[Levi's distress is much harder to hide. As he reaches for Kara to hold onto, it's not just in a protective way. He wishes he could be brave about this for her, but the reality is he's seeking comfort too.]

[curvaceous]

[ She can sense that, yeah. She leans on him when he reaches for her, and there's a thought that crosses her mind.

If she had to choose between keeping herself safe or protecting Levi, she's choose the latter. Every time. There's no question, no sense of self-preservation when it comes to keeping him safe – alive. She won't tell him that last part, but the thought almost drives her to tears, and it shows in how she closes her eyes tightly. ]

I'll keep you safe.