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⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE
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.
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.
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.
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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[He's a little more resilient this way]
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<< Whatever floats your boat, I guess. >>
[ Could not be him...or so he says. He finally tilts his gaze down from where he's eyeballing the sky. ]
<< You seem to be doing pretty good despite the massive shitshow this place is turning into. >>
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It's easier to focus on things I can do rather than what I can't.
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<< What an optimist you are. >>
[ Hm. ]
<< I'd do that, but I'm too busy thinking about how to kick the shit out of someone I can't see. >>
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[Cat? He'll keep petting the cat then]
Oh, you mean the voice that keeps talking to us?
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<< Obviously, unless you're hearing more than one. Then you probably need a psychiatrist. >>
[ ...A lot of people around here could use one, on that note. ]
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[ But that's not wrong, honestly.
...cat... ]
...it's really annoying, isn't it?
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It's fine. This is normal cat behavior. He pulls his hand back to give it a little glare.
<< I don't need some little rat in my head telling me what makes me happy or not or how I fucked up. I can make those decisions for myself, thanks. >> ]
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[Honestly, it's reliable! He doesn't need hope from a mysterious voice]
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<< I get enough of people saying shit about my life already. >>]
[ Valid because his life is kind of a shitshow, but ]
<< If you ever start talking about staying, I'll punch you, just letting you know. >>
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[Just. Ugh. Ugh!!! At the thought. Frustrating]
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There's a moment where Dosei scrutinizes Sinclair quietly, intensely, before he finally exhales sharply and leans back again, satisfied.
<< Glad there's one person I can count on around here to not go stupid batshit crazy. >>
[ This is EXTREMELY HIGH PRAISE, do with it what you will. ]
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[Sinclair laughs and holds the cat back over to return to Dosei. There you go]
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<< Yeah, don't brag about it. >>
[ Or do. He's not your mom. ]
<< Why'd you even come out here, anyway. They get sick of you cooking fish in the guild hall? >> ]
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[ He, uh...hasn't really payed attention to any guilds at all thus far. ]
<< Then you should be petting dogs or cats or something instead of cooking 500 fish. >>
[ He can't really sign 'Duh' but he hopes the energy gets across. ]
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[ The first person to invite him so of course he said yes. and now that his hands are free]
<< the fish are for heals. I wasn't doing that for stress relief. >>
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[ Dosei has....no particularly strong feelings on Zelkova, good or bad.
The cat has not decided his hands are free real estate, yet, so he's safe...for now. ]
<< Pretty sure working is the exact opposite of stress relief. Go eat a cake or something, weirdo. >>
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[Now that he thinks about it. But he'll have to craft it.. Hmmmmm]
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Then he'll reach out and grab Sinclair by the wrist, yanking him up none too gently as he turns to head in a different direction. Time to start walking, come along, twink. ]
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Ramiel...?
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Or a cat, evidently, because it becomes clear when they approach that Dosei is taking them to the cat cafe...his second home.
No matter what Sinclair has to say about it, Dosei will simply push open the door and walk in...and probably shove the taller boy in the nearest chair. Sit. ]
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Probably because moments later, said worker comes up to the table and promptly deposits two plates of chocolate cake in front of the two boys. Amazing. ]
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It looks good. Thank you.
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