⬣//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

tea time

[deto]

[ free tea?! ]

Are you an actual goddess? A buddha?!

[fatalitea]

[oh my]

Oh gosh, you're flattering me a little too much here... I'm just a fellow player that likes to share with others, so... you're welcome to join me for some tea if you'd like to?

[deto]

I humbly accept…!

[ the most respectful bow, before he takes a seat at her table. ]

Thanks! Uh - what’s your name?

[fatalitea]

No need to thank me, I'm happy to provide!

[Mami begins to prepare a cup of tea for her new companion as she responds.]

My name here is Candeloro. What is yours?

[deto]

Candeloro? Whoa, fancy.

[ she seems to have put more thought into her avatar name than he did. ]

I'm Updeto. It's kinda cheesy in comparison.

[fatalitea]

"Updeto"?

[Hmmmm... wait--]

Oh, like a pun on "update"?

[deto]

Yeah. ‘Cause when you first install the game, it updates a ton of files. Also, something something my name.

[fatalitea]

I see! That's actually kind of clever, that you were able to make a pun like that with your name here!

[See? She likes it, despite how cheesy it also is.]

[deto]

Consider it English practice, heh.

[ he’s kind of clever? he’ll take it ]

So what’s up with you?

[fatalitea]

Oh, you mean about my name? Well...

[At that, Mami looks a little sheepish.]

It's a reference to "Candlemas", an event that takes place in February forty days after Christmas. Sometimes it's also called "The Feast of Candles" or more simply "The Festival of Lights" depending on who you ask, but regardless... it sounded like such a pretty name that I decided to try using it for my avatar here.

[deto]

Never heard of it. Is it something that takes place in a specific area of the world? I don't think we do that in Japan...

[fatalitea]

You're right, it's not very popular here in Japan. It's considered more of a European tradition, especially where it's more prominent among those of Christian or Catholic faiths.

[But, well... Mami grew up in a neighborhood that had its more Western slant on religion than other places, so she had ended up hearing about it regardless...]

[deto]

Ah - makes sense. I guess in general I only know about Christian and Catholic stuff through media - like anime and manga.

[ but that’s pretty neat to learn. not something deto would have looked up on his own, but still cool ]

Say, what kinda tea is this anyway?

[fatalitea]

Oh, it's an herbal blend based on one of the game recipes called "Delightful Dream Tea"! Oriade-san showed me the way it's made with the game mechanics recently, and then I tried making it again the way I make tea at home...

[She almost says "IRL" like she normally would have, but then the reminder of their current situation causes to her refrain.]

What do you think of it?

[deto]

[ deto thinks real hard about it. she asked and also provided him with free tea so he wants to give her the best answer he can ]

It’s good. Not sure about the delightful part, but it tastes kinda earthy and. Round? Round. So I get the dream part, a little.

[fatalitea]

[That gets a slight giggle from Mami in response.]

"Round", huh? That's quite a way to describe something, but I'll take it as a compliment, since it sounds like it came out good.

[deto]

Once you ask me past sweet and salty, good and bad, things start to get…

[ he waggles a hand ]

… too complex for me. How would you describe it?

[fatalitea]

Fair enough, I suppose!

In my case, I would say that I think it has a soothing flavor--not too strong so as to be overwhelming, but not so weak either that it merely tastes like hot water. You want a good middle ground when preparing teas like this one.

[deto]

Oh, yeah, yeah. You’re not wrong about it. I’m used to green teas and they always have this… roasted edge to them? So the flavor’s pretty distinct.

[ he sips a bit more of tea ]

Soothing, huh? You’ve been doing okay in here?

[fatalitea]

I'm, ah... finding ways to keep myself calm or otherwise busy, I suppose.

[For the first time in their conversation, Mami's tone is a little more awkward now at the change in subject.]

It's a lot to contend with, but I want to continue to keep doing my best here and help to find a solution to our predicament, in any way I can, no matter how small it might be.

[There's a pause as she traces the rim of her own teacup with a finger, before she asks--]

What about you? Are you doing alright in this place, Updeto-san?

[deto]

Yeah, it is a lot. [ his lips flatten ] But I don’t think this counts as small. It’s a pretty big contribution in my opinion.

Uh, I mean. We can talk about me, but you sure you don’t want to rant for a bit?

[fatalitea]

I'm sure.

[In fact, she'd rather not talk about herself or her own feelings for as long as she can get away with it...]

But thank you, I appreciate hearing you say that what I'm doing here is helping.

[Offering tea and a listening ear, she means.]

[deto]

Alright.

[ he will accept that ]

Well, let’s see… This place is pretty cool. I like how everything is realistic, but it definitely sucks to be stuck here. At first I was angry about it - still am, I guess, but the people here make it better. People like you who keep trying.

[fatalitea]

[Oh... that gets Mami to smile, just a little.]

I have to agree. Seeing other people continue to keep doing their best, despite the situation, has made me feel better about it as well.

And of course, you're one of those people too, are you not? You're also trying to do your best here, despite being rightfully angry about being stuck here.

[So give yourself some credit there too, Deto!]

[deto]

You think so?

[ it doesn’t feel that way to him. he takes a sip of the tea and considers her words ]

I feel like… all I’m going is hanging around and talking to people. [ he tilts his head ] Is this helping you?