⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE

[cccorp]

>>Famine // >>Death // >>War // >>Conquest

⬣//AN ILL OMEN

You've had a chance to adapt to your new circumstances and make peace with what your life has become… hopefully. If you haven't, don't expect life to get any easier.

A few things have changed in recent days. Healing no longer works as effectively as it did in the past. If you're in the habit of behaving recklessly, don't expect one of Fragment's few healers to pick up the slack. Broken bones will now remain broken no matter how many healing spells are cast on your shattered limbs. Damage to organs can't be repaired with the wave of a wand.

What's more, HP and SP restoring items have gotten harder and harder to come by. Potions are no longer available for purchase at generic NPC shops and gatherable items needed for crafting have become fewer and fewer in number, limiting your item making options. If you've gotten into the bad habit of injuring yourself heedless of the consequences, it's time to rethink your lifestyle. Playtime is over.

⬣//PAY IT NO MIND

Think of the three core memories that have formed and shaped the person you are today. Some will think back fondly on family and friends while others have been jaded by the ill treatment they've received from important figures in their lives. In any case, it's of little concern to you now. One of those three precious memories has vacated your mind, taking with it a vital piece of you that you can no longer get back.

You may choose one of the three key memories listed on your application to be taken away from your character. Choices are limited to the memories supplied in your application and additional memories submitted for the previous memshare event or not eligible for convenient plot-induced memory loss. Choose wisely, because you aren't getting it back.

⬣//GHOSTS AND GOBLINS

And Sky Fish, and Disco Knives, and Evil Armors…

Has anyone noticed the monsters around town lately? Which town, you may ask? The answer is all of them.

Monsters have invaded Root Towns in large waves, attacking anything and everything in sight. Any lovingly crafted signs or other furnishings you've erected around town are easily torn to shreds and destroyed by the monsters who have come to roost in your once safe Root Towns. On the plus side, PvE and PvP has now been enabled in all Root Towns, which is excellent news for those who wish to combat the monster invasion and those who can't seem to help hurting themselves and others.

These monsters range in level from 50 to 75, and while many of them can be defeated with a bit of ingenuity and teamwork, some of them boast impenetrable shields that no regular attacks or spells can break through. They are also immune to status/potion/armor effects.

When in doubt, turn to your fellow players for support. There may be some among you who know how to deal with these impossibly strong monsters, but there's no guarantee that they'll want to help you.

⬣//WHISPERS ON THE WIND

A lilting, boyish voice sings to you in your sleep. His voice sounds familiar to you, tickling your heart like a call from an old friend, but this is no friend of yours.

"You had every chance to abandon this world and return to your own. What stopped you? Was it ego? Hubris? In any case, it's too late for regrets now.

They say the world is what you make of it. Doesn't the same hold true for reality?"

The voice will periodically visit you and your sleep, but the moral of his message never changes: you did this to yourself. You were trapped here because you chose to look the other way. If anyone is to blame for the current situation, it's you and you alone, but there is a̸̬̲͔̘͈͚̠̫̘̬̗̖̋͑̉̓̿͛̈́̋͐̃̾̈̕̕ͅń̵̩̱̠̫̖̬̲̻͉̝̈́̀̀̚͜͜o̴͍͎̣͔̤̝̲͍̺̿̒t̴̨͚͓͍̜̮̥͊͑̿̈́̉̂̐͜͠͝h̷̨̨̦͕͖̙̞͙̗̗͎̬͛̂̾̋̅͜͜͝ȩ̸͎̭̙̜̯͎̯̳̮̘̲͒ȑ̸̡̧̢͓̠̦͙͇͍͎̭͑̈́̓̿̓̅̑̅̌͑̈́̕͝͝ ̴̧̼͕̟̬̰̞̮̗͔͈̬̙͍̈́̀w̵̗̖̩̘͇͖̲̩̫̣̗̙̲̌͜a̷̛͎͋͑̃͛̆̈̋̑̋͠y̴̡̬͕͈̗̫̯̟̯͊͐̌̀̐͑͘͝͝.

Another h̶̦̘̤̘͐͑̿̂̏̎͋͝o̴̧͖͚̖̜͓͂̏́͒̑̈́͝͝p̶̡͙̏̉̿̎̀̑́̈̆͌̉e̷̡̡̦̣̯̘̺͍̟̰͍̤͛̀́̚͝͠. Will you heed that voice and call to it?

>>Navigation

Comments

[glassbell]

» safe haven ((casual))
[ Furin can be found in a few places after some stuff in the closed threads. He's fine, really.

At the mall, he's been staring at menus in the food court for while figuring out what he wants to eat. There's a lot, okay? (If someone suggests the pizza, fried chicken, or a burger, Furin's eating it with a knife and fork like an animal. Just because.) He also has a large shopping bag, though it's not branded with any of the stores.

The other recreational area he visits is the hot springs, because it feels close enough to home for him and Furin'll take that. He's either soaking his feet in the water, nibbling at a spa boiled mantid egg that he was given by the npcs hosts, or just lying down near the edge of the spring. He will take a dip properly, just give him a bit. Or bother him to, since that's the main draw of this place. ]


» a tricky dance ((fight time))
[ With a little bit of help from the GP shop, Furin can finally take on the smaller enemies invading the root towns when he doesn't have a choice, rather than stunlock and run. But, it is not like a few EXP Boosts will make this a walk in the park. He'll be fine this time, but there are some points where he stumbles with the combos and just barely manages to dodge danger. He keeps going though when its just weaker enemies, and there are moments where he's got the rhythm of the combos the dancing blade of the scythe with crescents of fire or water is mesmerizing to watch. ]

This class is kind of difficult at higher levels... Why did I pick it.

[ There's a sigh. He will definitely not say no to help! More is always better. Though, do say something if the elemental AOE skills are a little too close for comfort. He's been using them when his SP allows it, because god are they satisfying. ]

[glassbell]

» whispers on the wind ((closed to the mods))
[ Furin thinks he's on the ground somewhere now. In a terrible spot probably, but he really couldn't do much about that. Everything has been a blur these past few days. Running from monsters he isn't strong enough to fight, wandering from place to place because maybe the scenery would help jog a memory that won't come back.

All of these lead up to an unfortunate mistake. One that cost him a good deal of blood and his consciousness. ]

Hey.

[ And just for good measure, because he doesn't want to put up with the silence here. Especially not here, because that confirms the worst idea of of the afterlife ever. If you can even have it here, unless that too needs programming. ]

...Hey! I'm not any real position to deny what you said earlier... So it's all true. Happy?

[cccorp]

[Dying alone is a preventable tragedy, at least in Furin's case. It's only a shame the voice can't be there to hold his hand in his final moments, but c'est la mort.]

So you agree with me? That's a good start, but you didn't call to me just to say that, did you? What a waste, when you have so little life left to lose.

[glassbell]

No. If I'm gonna grovel at some mysterious voice's feet regretting my life choices, I should have something else.

[ He sighs, or tries to. If it can't be heard, then it's whatever. ]

With the little bit of life I have left, I can at least hear you out.

[cccorp]

So you'll listen to me, but you also won't...? You're contradicting yourself, you know.

You're awfully calm for someone about to die. I would offer to save you, but do you actually want to live?

[glassbell]

I didn't know you could offer something like that. It feels like it would go against that message you want to give.

But, it would be nice though, to try again. Do a little better.

[ He doesn't answer if he wants to live, though. IThe feeling is 50-50. His voice changes a bit like he's smiling. Tired, but smiling. Death is a funny thing for Furin. It is not his first brush with it. ]

My family was shunned for surviving an accident where others didn't. There was a time that follows it that I can't remember anymore, so I'm stuck accidentally recalling back to those days. How painful, then numb it felt to survive.

[glassbell]

» back from the brink ((closed to hien))
[ God, that's a horrifying thing to wake up to. A mummy. A probably crabby one if he could guess. ]

...

[ Furin gets off his back to sit up, groggily at that (like a bad nap), then checks his health and the character info that says the wrapped up fellow is Hien.

Oh. Well... ]

Shit. Did you...?

[ The guilt is written plain on his face. He just, lies back down. ]

[selfconcept]

[ Good thing Furin opts to lie back down himself because Hien would have shoved him back down if he didn't. Furin will also find himself on top of a tarp instead of the ground... well, it's still the ground, just with a thin layer of tarp between it, but. Yeah. ]

Oh, good. You're awake. My revive skill is useless, so you should keep that in mind.

[glassbell]

[ Honestly a tarp is some improvement. It's not comfy but considering the mess Hien might have found him in? ]

...Thank you. I've heard, and health potions do jack shit.

[ Would Hien mind if he rolled on his side? Healing doesn't do much for the blood that was outside, yeah? It's probably really gross. ]

What happened to your head?

[selfconcept]

The same thing that would have happened to you if you weren't found on time.

[ By that, Furin can guess that Hien had an injury that was not able to be healed thoroughly... by the current strongest Harvest Cleric, himself. He's a walking warning. ]

[glassbell]

Are you... dead?

[ He's actually worried, but it comes out as a groan. The anime thing when you tell a bedridden guy something concerning so they tense up. ]

Sorry. I was stupid.

» a tricky dance ((fight time));

[alchemicalbirth]

[ It certainly wouldn't make them be anything like that at all. Things like battle engagement are still going to be a difficult time.

Especially with high-level creatures running around. ]

There are worse options to choose from.

[ Albedo says simply, probably not providing much helpful commentary, but slashing through enemies he can reach would do that more for him. ]

[glassbell]

[ That gets a soft laugh from Furin. There's a break in the onslaught of enemies for Furin to think. ]

I'm sure. I'd be terrible as a Steam Gunner.

[alchemicalbirth]

I know someone with the class. It would require quite a good deal of expertise.

[ So one would have to know what they were doing, in Albedo's express opinion. ]

What made you chose your current one?

[ And he stabs a monster in the face just after asking. ]

[glassbell]

Yeah. Where I'm from, guns aren't common either. I wouldn't know how to aim and shoot even a fantasy one.

[ He'd be very likely to hurt himself or others. Also, they aren't solo-friendly but that isn't advised nowadays either...

He knocks back a triad of weaker (lower 50s) enemies and with a sweep of water. ]

I t has an interesting name, as silly as that sounds. An unserious word with a serious one. It's also solo-friendly to an extent, which is helpful if my friend wasn't online.

[alchemicalbirth]

It certainly takes time. As you might surmise, it's not my weapon of choice either.

[ Time to stab through a legion of more oncoming enemies. Albedo is a fairly high level, so it really isn't so hard. ]

I understand.

Selecting a class for convenience is a valid strategy.

[ Kicking one enemy in the face before stabbing again... ]

A Tricky Dance

[threatmewted]

[She's patrolling when she spots him and- shit, shit, shit.

She has to duck behind a building to quick change to Tribal Grappler before she dashes in.]

What, you didn't invite me?

[She switches to that far more cheerful, confident voice as easily as she swaps classes. Speaking of which, she's just going to Shell Shock one of those monsters right into the ground, leaving it prone and vulnerable.]

[glassbell]

Um...!

[ Hold that thought, he'll take advantage of them being down with Heavenly Wheel. It takes a nice chunk of their health and if Swallow's fast enough, she can smack em before the stunlock wears off. Of course she's fast though! Grappler Life. ]

I fell behind in leveling at a horrible time, so I had to grab an experience boost. And new clothes too! That's a little embarrassing.

[ If she's wondering if there's any enemy with a telltale green barrier, it's not showing itself just yet. Seeing as Fury has the time to practice on these guys than run, he hasn't seen one yet yet either. Lucky. ]

[threatmewted]

[Absolutely smacking the hell out of it to kill it before it can get up. She's keeping a careful eye out for monsters, but her gear isn't at its best while she's got the default tribal grappler appearance over it, so the less time spent fighting the better.]

Hey, it happens! But let's take care of these guys first and chat later.

[The words are followed by a grunt as she begins pummeling the enemies, ducking and weaving so she's never quite in range of his scythe or the monster's attacks.]

[glassbell]

Yeah.

[ He'll be careful with his scythe! He's found that diagonal slices have less of a profile to save on space. But spacing will always remains weird without skills. ]

You doing alright?

[ He does notice that she keeps on that look and while it makes her recognizable, he can worry a little. He had to cheat with his GP... at least, that's what it feels like (Hien said no level cap armor).

anyways the response is important because he can adjust! And maybe play monster ball or keepaway. ]

[threatmewted]

I did reach level cap, you know! These guys are nothin'.

[Obliterating one with a punch to prove her point. ]

a tricky dance

[secondthoughts]

[ At last... Time for a meeting that isn't on the forums!

Hector is here. Where did he come from? It hardly matters. He stands next to Furin, scepter in hand, eyeing the small monsters that gather before them. ]

So long as you can hold your own. [ And even if Furin can't, it's fine, because Hector's got him. ] You okay?

[ And he casts LaRig Gaem, so that their SP starts ticking up and Furin can get on with his life and rotation. ]

[glassbell]

Woohoo! Time for the MMORPG guys to do MMORPG things! Mob clearing is a classic.

Yeah, for the most. They can't hurt me if they're constantly being hit, or just dead.

[ Oh, that SP regen is nice! He's never looked at the spells of Fragment (he really should...) He'll make full use of it though for the high-level Reaper's Dance, emphasizing the nice stunlocking ability Flick Reapers have even if he's careful and not so smooth with the steps. ]

Can I say I'm surprised you do support?

[secondthoughts]

[ That's perfectly sound logic!

What also ups DPS is speed, so Hector then casts Ap Do to give Furin a boost in speed while he also casts him a little curious look. ]

I mean, no one's stopping you. [ Say what you like, bro. ] But is it really a surprise?

[ He's been so vocal about helping people and everything, ]

[glassbell]

((I forgot the html lmao fuck ANYWAY))

[ Offsetting his lategame practice is very helpful! If he's out of SP he's gonna be in trouble, because then it's like monhun where you gotta practice timing your combos perfectly to chain them for almost comparable damage.

That's how Flick Reaper might work, anyway? High skill ceiling yadda yadda. Since Hector isn't a melee fighter, Furin is free to knockback some of the enemies too! It makes attacking others a bit easier. ]

Maybe not if you like the work, and I won't complain if you do! These spells are very helpful.

[ He feels as light as a feather! ]