⬣//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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[gluttoning]

[His forearm comes up to block the blow (15) with a similar response. A wince, his SP bar taking far more of a hit than his HP by a long shot. He does not have much left.

With one arm up and his lance along with it, Misteaks shoves the bottom half of his weapon against one of Hien's legs with the intent to trip him up. (11)]

[selfconcept]

[ Maybe he was an acrobat in his past life, but he ends up jumping over the lance to dodge (11, heads) and keeps barragging Misteaks with basic attacks with his staff (3, 7, 13). He sees the SP going down, and figures that's what he wants to test, so a multi-hit should be better in this situation. ]

[gluttoning]

[It's a correct assumption. Even though Misteaks only allows one of the attacks to gain any significant blow (5,2,19), all three still chip his SP down to zero.

The effect is immediate. A status labeled only as "Enraged" engages next to Misteaks' username as his eyes blow wide and he lets out a yell that could otherwise be a roar. Any hesitations he was holding onto are immediately forgotten.

Completely uncaring of how he's opening himself up for an easy attack in the process, Misteaks shoves himself up close like a hostile animal, grabbing for Hien's wielding arm with the intent to twist it (13, roll for advantage). If Hien attacks back, he will notice Misteaks' defense has now doubled at bare minimum, as has any residual attack damage.]

[selfconcept]

[ Hien really should have been prepared, since Misteaks has been wanting to test something. Hien can't inspect the level cap gear, so he has no idea what these effects are, but he's starting to understand what Misteaks' does very fast as he feels his dominant arm grabbed (5). The tight hold is enough to leave a definite bruise and he feels the pain run up his arm, before he forcefully yanks it away last minute before his arm fully twists, only able to be done because he's twice as Misteaks' level. Hien is very sure that his arm would have been demolished if he wasn't.

The penguin alarms all quietly activate, starting their countdown away from the battle so that they don't break mid-fight. That arm is definitely going to be sore for a while though.

Given that Misteaks is currently in an Enraged status, Hien knows he won't have much time in between attacks, so he quickly casts a speed buff and physical defense up on himself. Granted, he could just code a slippery potion into existence just to see how long the effects would last without fighting, but.

There's no way that Hien would pass up on the chance to be violent.

But for now, he stacks his defenses with a defense boosting item too. Hopefully this would make him more resilient (as a Harvest Cleric? eh. we'll see) in the meantime.

It would have been a great day to be a Macabre Dancer right now. Alas. Hien gets into a defensive stance with his staff. ]

[gluttoning]

[He won't have to wait long. With no thought given to strategy, Misteaks' regains his footing, clawing for a hold on Hien but never quite getting it as the cleric boosts himself. With a growl, the Lord Partizan pushes forward with his lance for a blow to the ribs, harsh but unsteady in its aim (4).]

[selfconcept]

[ Perhaps it's the consistent headache that Hien has been having, but his game is suddenly thrown way off and he's experienced pain where he wasn't used to having it (his arm). Hien takes the blow to the ribs. That will definitely leave a bruise for later, and luckily only a bruise, thanks to the defense buffs Hien currently has... sounds like he'll be covered in them at this rate, though he promised someone that he'd stop trying to get hurt.

That's that and this is this.

Lord Partizans may be tanky, but Hien won't cast magic spells. He's not aiming to kill Misteaks here, so he should continue with physical attacks that have never been suited for Harvest Clerics.

This hasn't killed Mithrun before when he was level 50, being the squishy Edge Punisher he is, so he breathes in despite the sharp pain in his chest and performs a strong roundhouse kick at Misteaks' arm (17). ]

[gluttoning]

[The blow connects hard (9) and Misteaks reels backwards, his weapon hitting the ground and skidding off across the street.

He doesn't chase it.

The force feels right. Like prying something open slowly.

He laughs. A wild sound, unhumored.

Barehanded, he gets right back up and charges for a full-body tackle. (5)

Off in the distance, a timer goes off. 5 minutes.]

[selfconcept]

[ An incoming full body tackle is easy to see, so Hien manages to sidestep incredibly last second out of Misteaks' reach then tries to whack his head with the staff (3). That probably won't go well due to physics, but who's to say... ]

[gluttoning]

[It does little more than bounce off the back of his horns (8), though it DOES get his attention, attempting to once again get into Hien's space to grapple for a hold on his body. If successful, he'll try to lift him into the air and toss him (18).]

[selfconcept]

[ Misteaks is incredibly successful with grabbing Hien (2) and the admin suddenly finds himself in the air, crashing into some indestructible building wall. Oof. Thankfully, he's nimble enough to get back on his fee, but he eventually gets steady.

Ah, he suddenly wishes he swapped out his weapon for a level 1 staff so that he could be as violent as he wanted without worrying about Misteaks' HP loss. But Misteaks wanted to test things, and Hien would like to as well. Would his Enraged status get stronger after taking big damage?

They're in a beta test, after all.

Hien quickly casts an AoE thunder spell, but doesn't focus his target on Misteaks directly. He's trying to get him with the residual, outer damage instead so that he doesn't eat too much of his HP bar. Alas, it's a wide range (14), so can Misteaks escape it? ]

[gluttoning]

[He sure can get the hell out of dodge, though just barely (15) because dicebot said Hien has no rights and I'm crying forever. The crackle of electricity does seem to piss him off considerably, something in his energy a little more engaged at seeing Hien actually start fighting back properly.

With Hien up at a distance now, Misteaks still follows in pursuit, picking up his lance on the way and chucking it bodily in Hien's direction (15). Football throw in action.

A second timer rings.]

[selfconcept]

[ Dicebot really said Hien has no rights, so Hien gets impaled with the lance (5). Rough. Luckily, it misses all his vitals, and Hien yanks it out of himself anyway, blood spilling on the floor.

And he laughs.

It surprisingly doesn't hurt, but maybe it's because he's so high on an adrenaline rush right now, combined with the buffs. Speaking of which, Hien recasts the physical defense buff and heals himself to full. He's always been good at casting quickly, mostly because he's been practicing on casting spells within melee range all the time. How else would he be able to be a DPS Harvest Cleric? By casting wood and thunder spells inefficiently? lol. lmao.

The lance is thrown at Misteaks with the blunt side (8) and Hien rushes right behind it to give him a proper punch to the solar plexus area (14). ]

[gluttoning]

[The initial laugh in return infuriates him, despite the smooth hit. It churns more vibrantly than usual, aggravating the beast, forcing him forward to get up close and personal, get him in his hands--

The lance being thrown nearly hits him square in the face (2), causing him to flinch and stumble at the blown both both hands manage to catch the fist aimed for his abdomen (16), digging his nails in as the force of the hit drags them both through the dirt in momentum.

With a heaving breath, Misteaks grabs Hien fully between neck and jaw and shoves him backwards, intent on pinning him to the ground as hard as possible (20).]

[selfconcept]

[ Good thing he's wearing basic brown leather gloves, or those nails would hurt. But what actually hurts is when Misteaks grabs and pins him to the ground (6). His head hurts again even more when hitting the ground and he's starting to feel dizzy, but he grits his teeth.

Then he primes his hand and attempts to jab at his trachea with a lot of force behind it (20).

[gluttoning]

[It's a solid hit (12), one that has him gagging and wheezing for breath.

His grip does not let go (heads). But he, at least, is too occupied trying to breath to make another move just yet.]

[selfconcept]

[ And here goes another staff swing (16) to the head in an attempt to get Misteaks to let go of him, because he's really feeling that lack of oxygen soon, because he's performing actions that take up his breathing. ]

[gluttoning]

[He tries to block when he sees the weapon come down in his peripheral (15) but it lands, a solid thud against his temple as the redhead growls in pain, letting Hien go to instead blindly fumble for that stupid staff (2).]

[selfconcept]

[ He feels like he can breathe again. He sharply takes in a breath, coughs once, and rolls out from under him, escaping with his staff (10). On the ground or standing, he casts a single target Thunder spell at Misteaks (5). His aim isn't great because he feels really dizzy right now. ]

[gluttoning]

[Given that they're so close, the spell hits, and Misteaks grits his teeth through a yell at the shock of it. But he pushes through it quickly to at least free himself past the edge of the AOE (17), edges of his hair and clothing still frying from the current. His focus snaps back to Hien, furious, marching right back over.

More. Let him stew in this more. Let him see that frustration.

A third timer goes off before he fully breaks the distance, however. 15 minutes now up, the status block disappears soon after, and Misteaks starts as though being woken up very suddenly, his pace halting misstep with a wobble and heavily panting breath.

His eyes cloud as he tries to reorient himself, his feelings, what he remembers, taking a knee and letting his weight crumple for a moment at the residual pain from the spell, coughing and sputtering.

Off in the discarded distance, the spearhead that had turned to black during their fight swirls back to vibrant lily white.]

[selfconcept]

[ The third timer. Hien watches Misteaks stop and basically collapse as he sends him a party request. Should Misteaks accept it, Hien will cast a full party 100% heal with along SP regen for the party. ]

15 minutes.

kosteaks...

[gluttoning]

[A shallow nod from the ground as he lets the spell sink in.]

Got it. Ugh...

[The bruises still ache, as does his throat. But at least their bars are back up to full. Still, he can see the spilled blood vibrant up against the building where Hien had retreated, along the walkways--]

Damn it, I... impaled you, didn't I? Are you sure you're okay? How are you still standing??

tiny steaks....

[selfconcept]

[ Hien has two options in front of him:

1. Try to assure Misteaks that he'll be fine with the full healing.
2. Say the real reason why he's fine.

... ]

I'm fine, since it didn't hit a vital. I'm used to this.

[ Nailed it. ]

kosteaks = Barrett at age 3

[gluttoning]

That shouldn't matter. This stuff is dangerous now, you still lost a lot of blood--

[His jaw sets as he goes to fish up his weapon from the ground and shove it back into his inventory.]

Hector knows some medical treatment, maybe we can take you to him. You can't just bleed out.

baby steaks... still raw

[selfconcept]

I know how to apply some medical treatment too, besides... He's in no condition to be worrying about anyone else right now.

[ Hien spawns several rolls of bandages by his side, landing on the ground with a small plop. Due to healing, it looks like most of his injuries healed! No major internal organ damage and some bruises are still left here and there, but his headache still rings, bouncing around inside his head. ]

Here.

[ While waiting for their SP to top off with the SP regen spell, he hands over the very kind of cheeseburger that Misteaks said that he liked way before and a container full of something similar to honey lemon tea for his throat. None of those restore HP nor SP, but they're still food that most people find comfort in. Some rolls of bandages for Misteaks too. ]

Go to your resting place to heal your throat and bruises.

[gluttoning]

[Oh.......... cheeseburger. :(

"what about the meds" what ABOUT them

He takes the offerings hesitantly, but his brows still stay draw tight as his mind sticks on one point.]

...What do you mean, he's in no condition?