altimit | ⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE

  >>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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ah. Better. He definitely likes both feet on the ground and he staggers back in time to grab his lance to block(19), pushing back to try and swing for Hien's head (14).]

[ I rolled a 7 and 6, but Sinclair aimed for the head anyway, so that's gonna be a critical failure for Hien. He gets a direct hit to the head and no amount of defense buffs can save him right now. After being flung off to the side from the impact, he falls face down on the ground. His HP is still in good standing, but he remains there as if he's dead.

He's not dead though, and he's definitely not playing any tricks either. After ten seconds of stillness, Hien tries to lift himself up from the ground, but he crumples back down. ]

[Sinclair had assumed Hien would hit him twice as hard in turn--not just. Crumble. He drops his lance and hurries over to Hien's side, visibly worried]

Hien? Are you okay?

[HP is fine sir? What is going on]

[ Hien groans out of pain when he usually stays silence despite whatever damage he receives. Must be that bad to hit a head recovering person in the head with a lance, Sinclair. ]

... Give me a moment.

[ He's still trying to get up but his arms aren't cooperating either. ]

I'm sorry--! I wasn't thinking.

[Ice? Does he have anything cold in his inventory. Freesia ice cream? That can work as a cold back]

[ He does not want ice cream splattered on his head!! Hien eventually rolls over so that he's facing the sky instead of the dirt ground. ]

... You went straight for the weak point without thinking.

[ And he's not here to scold Sinclair on that, because-- ]

Good. You always want to end fights as soon as you can.

[Praise...? For inflicting pain? He's both touched and concerned]

Ah...but like this...is it really okay?

I have a sturdy head.

[ He will be fine. Probably. ]

Mm, maybe I should teach you methods before you test them out yourself. Various kinds of kicks that are suited to your height, where to aim for what purpose... you're not like me, so end your fights as fast as you can.

[ Because Hien enjoys fighting a little too much. ]

[ Sinclair nods a little. Sinclair doesn't enjoy fighting really. It's always been for a purpose, but when he lets go... ]

...yeah. I think that would help.

[He definitely can't do what Hien can]

[ Hien can finally push himself up enough to sit, and then slowly stand back on his feet. ]

Are you more comfortable with punches or kicks? I'm going to assume that you have lance techniques built into your muscle memory.

I think punches suit me better.

[ He has to think about it. Panic mode aside]

And um, I did get taught the single stick in real life.

[Hence why sometimes the lance gets used as a baton rather than a skewer]

[ The single stick... Hien thinks of police batons, which admittedly doesn't bring up good memories, but he digresses. ]

To end battles quick, you want to aim for these with your fist: nose, base of skull, throat, side of neck, jaw, solar plexus, kidneys and liver.

[ The groin too, but he doesn't feel like he has to say that... ]

I'll explain if you pick the three best areas that would be easy for you to get a punch in.

Mmm...the throat, solar plexus and kidneys, I think.

[Assuming Sinclair is shorter than most people he fights, those are the most easy to reach options for him, he thinks]

If you go for the throat, you can cut off their breathing or even damage their spine. It's painful for them either way, but don't go for this if they're blocking it by having their chin down.

Going for the solar plexus will give more pain, and could even disrupt organs functioning for a second. It also has a lot of nerves, but take care not to punch their ribs. You need to be precise. Their breathing can also be cut off to induce panic.

The kidneys are a little hard, because they're tucked away in the body, but it's like kicking someone in the groin if you manage to get a good punch in. They're sensitive, so they'll definitely remember the pain that comes from that.

[ tldr they're all painful ]

[ Sinclair is taking a lot of mental notes, don't worry about it]

I see... normally I just go for the head.

[ Or nose, as Hien witnessed]

Mm. The point of landing a strong punch is to temporarily paralyze your enemies to buy you time.

[ Like bashing their head with a baton or running away or whatever else. ]

It isn't unheard of to kill someone with a single punch either, depending on the other person's condition.

[ He slightly tilts his head. ]

... But I think you'll be fine regarding that.

...I mean, I don't really want to kill anyone.

[A pause. He'll amend that:] Except for that person...[And now an AI program but]

But if it's good enough to buy me some time, I think that's good enough for me.

[ Hien nods and takes Sinclair's hand, slowly curling it into a fist, but done in a particular way. ]

Punching like this might have a better effect. Focus your energy on your fist, not your arm.

Like this?

[Sinclair frowns, moving the way Hien directs]

A little more power to the fist.

[ He gestures over to the training dummy. ]

Test it out.

[Hmm, more power?

He readies himself, thinking...and hits the dummy as hard as he can. He might be thinking of Lily]

[ After the punch, Hien walks over to inspect the training dummy. Hm. Interesting. ]

I don't know the math behind this, but that was a good punch. Remember the feeling.

[! Sinclair blinks at the dummy.

Huh.

So that's how it feels...]

I will. Thank you, Hien.

⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE

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