⬣//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?

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Comments

[bleatingedge]

1.//Fight For What You Believe In

VULCAN!

[A phoenix bursts to life in the sky above Naval Monte's front gates, diving down and slamming into several monsters, then swirls around its summoner, Leo. He reaches up and affectionately scratches underneath the flaming bird's beak as it dissipates into embers.]

Are you guys okay?

[The wavemaster turns around, checking over every nearby peddler and homeless individual. Even if they say they're fine, he insists upon giving them extra supplies - food, water, alcohol, whatever.]

Hopefully they stop showing up for a bit.

[He flops down on the ground, exhausted but unharmed.]

2.//A Reprieve

[The Epicurians HQ. Late at night, relatively speaking.

Leo sits on one of the many couches in the lobby, drink in hand, simply enjoying the silence and calm. While he's not well per say, he's had several days to come to peace with his current situation. Laying down to die wouldn't accomplish anything.

Watching someone walk through the front door, he pats the cushion next to himself.]

Ah, nice to see ya. Why don't you sit down and relax with me for a little while?

(Closed)

[bleatingedge]

3.//Reaching Out

[Resting comfortably in bed, Leo manages to fall asleep. The voice once again speaks to him, whispering its mean and horrible things into his subconscious. Only this time, he manages to work up enough will to respond.]

I stayed here because of my job. I needed this. To write my guide, to make sure I get paid. I'm going to... save up enough to get my own place.

[His mind swirls. He feels like something is missing, but it's impossible to recall.]

And there's people here that I care about. I couldn't just abandon them.

Not to mention... Beyond all of the terrible things going on, I was having fun. I couldn't help myself but get caught up in the moment and enjoy the game for what it was.

[cccorp]

Mm, at least you're honest. A job, happiness, friendship... I understand why you stayed, but now it seems you may have no choice but to remain. Can you live with that?

[bleatingedge]

I mean, I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I?

[There's a small pause as Leo decides what to say next.]

But I think I've made peace with it. There's people here who need my help. And if I can make sure they're safe, that's more than enough.

[cccorp]

You've got a much healthier outlook than some of your peers.

You can do whatever you want in this world. Be whoever you want to be. Why would you ever leave?

[bleatingedge]

Because this world is in the hands of a group of people I can't trust. Things are slowly getting worse and worse and there's not much we can do about it beyond cope. And I have goals and aspirations in the real world. I won't feel... complete without achieving them.

1

[dissimulative]

[ Oria doesn't like being here, but he figures that he should make round to help out once he was mostly done with clearing out monsters in ??? root town for the day. That's when he sees Leo flopping on the ground though, and he's suddenly worried. ]

Faunus?! Hey!

[bleatingedge]

Yo.

[Oria is given a lazy thumbs up.]

How's it goin', Oriade?

[dissimulative]

I'm fine, but it looks like you're not? You tired? I can cover for you...

[ Leo is strong, but he's worried about lone spellcasters. ]

[bleatingedge]

[Leo waves his hand nonchalantly, then rests his head on it.]

Ah, I'm fine. I've just been on my feet... er, hooves, for a while. I wouldn't mind having someone else assist for a bit, though~

[dissimulative]

[ With that, Oria smiles. ]

Sure thing. I was worried for a moment, you know! The best I can do is stuff food into people's mouth for them to heal.

[ Even though Leo took care of the monsters for now, Oria will still keep an eye out. ]

Though I don't think the NPCs can be harmed...

2 but also kind of wildcard

[secondthoughts]

[ After Leo tells him to drop by on his post, Hector does just that.

He pushes open the doors to the Epicurians, smug little grin on his face. He said "fuck CC Corp" and survived—why wouldn't he? ]

Hey, Leo.

[ WHAT IS UUUUP ]

[bleatingedge]

Hector!!

[Leo immediately gets up from his seat and WHOOSHES over, giving Hector the biggest bear hug he can manage.]

I'm so glad you're okay.

[secondthoughts]

[ Hector catches Leo in his arms and squeezes. He's not losing out in this bear hug competition. ]

Yeah, me too.

[ Genuinely, he didn't know if— ]

How've you been? You doing okay?

[bleatingedge]

[OOF. Yeah, Hector definitely wins this one. But that's totally fine with Leo - he's content to just stay in this embrace for a while.

Upon being asked if he's doing okay, he makes a sound crossed between a sigh and a laugh.]

I uh... Hm. How do I word this? [He utters an actual sigh this time.] I've had to deal with depression for a long time, and part of my treatment involved medication. Which... doesn't exist here obviously. So I started dealing with the fallout of that riiiight after you disappeared, and Uta 'dying'. Fun timing! I'm... okay for the most part now, but it's still pushing down on me underneath the surface.

[secondthoughts]

[ Leo may be taller than Hector but he's not losing this one!!

Hector just keeps Leo tightly in his arms while he talks, rubbing his back gently and just letting it all sink in. He tilts his head, pressing his head to the side of Leo's. He's sorry he vanished. He's sorry his reckless actions hurt him. ]

That's...a lot to happen in such a short period of time. [ His voice is low, sincere. ] I'm so sorry, Leo.

[ He pulls back, just to flash him a little grin. ]

I'm back now, though.

1

[tylorific]

[ Tylor flops down right next him after that display. He would've tried to keep aggro long enough to line them up all nice for him. But now, a breather. Even in the wake of the last wave, Tylor is laid back as ever.
Though maybe a shade more tired and bruised. ]

Boy, I hope so too, boss. [ Wordlessly, he offers a supportive arm to toss over Leo's shoulders. ]

That was a pretty cool move though.

[bleatingedge]

[Leo lets the arm drape over him, taking this as an opportunity to lean a bit further into Tylor.]

Why thank you~ Picked it up while leveling. Got to the current cap even!

[He seems very pleased with himself for a second, then glances over to see his guild-mate covered in bruises.]

Ah shit, one sec.

[Pulling out a staff shaped like a quill, he chants a simple two syllable phrase:]

Ul Repth.

[A wave of healing energy washes over Tylor in two waves. The initial wave is a small and flat number, but the second wave is much more substantial, healing exactly a third of his max HP.]

Feel a bit better? I know it's not working especially well right now, but hopefully it makes the pain sting a bit less.

[tylorific]

[ Tylor accepts the weight easily, encouraging it with a brush of his thumb. ]

Wow, that's great! I'm proud of you.

[ But at the curse, Tylor tilts his head. The question mark over his head is almost visible until the spell hits. Even if the effects are less and less, Tylor still sighs heavily. There's no shame at the volume or the relief there, peaking with the second wave as blooming bruises recede and lighten. But the deeper hits, the older cuts and bruises, remain.

His first response to that question is a beaming smile. What follows is a gentle hug, and a -- ]

Thanks, that really hit the spot. Are you hungry?

[ Knowing Leo, Tylor already offers a cream puff up to his guild leader even as he asks. ]

[bleatingedge]

[Leo was about to say "you're welcome", but Tylor's offer immediately overwrites manners.]

Ooo~ I could always go for a cream puff.

[He immediately devours it out of Tylor's hand.]

[tylorific]

[ Despite being tired after the fight, Tylor still laughs at the eagerness. He's steady and warm in his uniform, casual physical affection an increasingly common thing lately for those in his orbit. ]

Fighting sure works up an appetite, doesn't it?

[ He asks before popping one into his own mouth and offering Leo another. ]

2, post 6.5

[tablescraps]

( Mithrun hasn't been in the Epicurians HQ in a hot minute, but not for any bad reason - he's just been spending a little more time in Fandom Foodies.

Still, he doesn't dislike Epicurians. Not at all. )

... Sure.

( A lot less of a dead fish than he was earlier in the month, but still not particularly animate, he strides over to Leo, taking a seat. )

Tired? Or just relaxing?

( Or luxuriating, considering it's Leo, but he seemed kinda stressed lately, if Mithrun recalls right. )

[bleatingedge]

[Leo raises his drink as Mithrun approaches, then takes a sip.]

Mmm, a little of column A, a little of column B. Got back from my daily patrols not too long ago. Thankfully I didn't come across any shielded monsters this time. But I only assume that was pure luck.

[tablescraps]

... Do you need help patrolling? I don't think I'm doing much these days.

[bleatingedge]

I wouldn't mind some extra help now and then...

[Leo's expression dims a bit. He isn't sure what Mithrun is going through, but it's not hard to imagine.]

...How are you holding up?