⬣//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

[insinning]

Maybe we can try a dungeon we've already been in before.

[Hmm. Hmmmmmm. Checking the randomiser too]

[threatmewted]

I don't remember any of those keyword combinations.

[For some reason, she didn't think it would be necessary.]

[insinning]

Hmmmm.

[ Thinking]

'Hidden Advice Night Moon' was my first dungeon. Let's try that.

[threatmewted]

Works for me.

[Inviting him to her party before inputting the keywords.]

[insinning]

It's hot there.

[ Fair warning, honestly.And into Volcanic Dungeon Hell they go]

[threatmewted]

Ugh, I hate these kinds of fields.

[Still, she readies her scythe and begins marching in gamely enough. Time to see her Tarot gearset in action.]

[insinning]

[ And almost immediately, Phantom wings descend upon them. ]

Let's get through it quickly and make use of the wings.

[threatmewted]

Got some places to search?

[Incoming mimics? No problem, especially not for her overleveled scythe.]

[insinning]

There are a lot of dungeons that have high places...and hidden areas. Maybe there's something to be found there.

[And he's trying to stay away from the angel potion when he can]

WHERE THE FUCK DID MY NOTIF FOR THIS GO

[threatmewted]

Well, works for me. Let's get going.

[She's got a high enough level that none of these monsters are going to pose a threat, even under the current circumstances.]

DW STOP EATING NOTIFS

[insinning]

[Yep. Just. Smashing through them]

Well, at least this dungeon is still low-leveled.

[Time to pick up all the parts]

[threatmewted]

[Hell yeah supplies! Sure is going to suck when these run out!]

Not a bad haul.

[insinning]

[Nice!! Time to start stockpiling]

Both our guilds should be well supplied after this.

[threatmewted]

Sure will be.

Which one are you in again? Never really paid attention 'til I had to.

[insinning]

Moon Tree and Noir's guild.

[It's a bit...embarrassing saying the name aloud honestly]</small

[threatmewted]

Noir's guild? Which one's that?

[Say it.]

[insinning]

Phantom Operatives.

[Don't make fun of the name!!]

[threatmewted]

[...

Biting down on her lip, but not quite in time to stop the soft snort.]

Seriously?

[insinning]

She didn't name it...but um.

[He has no defense for this]

They had good intentions for helping people.

[threatmewted]

And here I thought we already had a guild for anime nerds.

[Shoka you're literally a member of said guild.]

Well, long as you've got a roof over your head I guess.

[insinning]

Oh, is that where the name came from? I thought it was inspired by Arsene Lupin...

[He's a lit nerd, excuse. Anyway]

If worst came to worse, there's the hot springs inn...but I was part of Moon Tree, so.

[threatmewted]

There's a bunch of shows and games that riff off it. I guess that's probably where it originated from, though.

Oh, Zelkova's guild? He invited me too, but I already had one by then.

[She says, like you can only join one at a time.]

[insinning]

I guess I wouldn't have joined if it had been "Phantom Thieves."

[Thinking]

We can join multiple though. But I get it.

[threatmewted]

Yeah, pass.

[insinning]

[Pffft]

Do you need any extra crafting materials?