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⬣//JUST AS A SEED TAKES ROOT.
A team of four courageous adventurers managed to unearth a secret Area unique from the others: the Hulle Granz Cathedral. Unlike other Areas, this one is lacking all the usual monsters, dungeons, and treasure. What might the purpose of this Area be, then...?
Well, if you’re feeling penitent or perhaps wish to hold a sermon of your own, head to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground and knock yourself out. What? Too soon?
Anyway, be not afraid! The cathedral is perfectly safe. Following Ganymede’s little incident in the cathedral, a timely email has been sent out to beta testers regarding health and safety that reads as follows:
To our beta team,
Please exercise caution when playing video games for extended periods of time. Take breaks every thirty minutes and do not sit in the same position for more than two hours at a time. Remember to stay hydrated and play in a well-lit environment.
Failing to take care of your health while gaming can result in a litany of health complications, including but not limited to eye strain, muscle fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and involuntary loss of consciousness and motor functions.
We take the health and safety of our beta testers very seriously. If you have any concerns, please contact us at cccorp.ccmail.com.
Thank you for your continued efforts,
CyberConnect Corporation of Japan.
Guilds have been patched into the current version of Fragment and are now available for players to create their own and join others. While some guilds have opted to go the private route, others are in need of players to fill their ranks!
The admins have kindly supplied those recruiting for their shiny new guilds with a number of goodies to aid in their player gathering efforts:⬣ A bundle of personalized flyers proudly displaying their guild logo and a description of the guild’s @ home and available amenities.
⬣ Party poppers and streamers. Nothing screams “join my guild!” like a face full of glitter, confetti, and colorful strips of ribbon.
⬣ A megaphone that lets your voice echo far and wide, even across Root Towns and Areas, but with great potential for abuse comes restrictions! The megaphone can only be used five times before it breaks. Use it wisely!
⬣ A unique recipe for a cocktail, latte, tea, or other type of beverage that can be blended up and served in little sample cups to court potential members. These drinks are unique to their guilds and, when consumed, have a special effect that reflects the leader of that guild. Is your guild leader a pretty cheerful guy? Drinking their special brew will make you feel happy too!
Whatever effect your guild’s drink has is up to the leader’s discretion, but if you so desire, drop a comment under the questions top level and we’ll brew one up for you.
Additionally, you may host a guild open house and invite potential guildies into your @ home to let them take a look around! Guild @ homes are typically locked to guild members & their guests only, so use this as your opportunity to put your best foot forward and impress the world with everything your guild has to offer.
Also arriving with the newest update are mountable Grunties! Aren’t they cute? ...Well, they’re someone’s definition of cute.
While the ability to ride around town and in Areas at 2x speed is certainly alluring, you can’t just walk up to the Grunty Ranch located in each Root Town and take one out for a stroll. If you want a mount of your very own, you’ve got to commit! Becoming a proud Grunty owner means you must first become a proud Grunty parent, and to do that, you’ll need to raise your Grunty from infancy into adulthood.
Just what kind of adult might your Grunty become? That depends on how you raise them and what you feed them. Those strange "foods" popping up all over Areas might not taste good to you, but they sure do to Grunties!
For more information on how to acquire a baby Grunty of your very own and raise it into a proper — or not so proper — member of Grunty society, head on over to the Grunty Ranch.
Mac Anu, the City of Twilight known for its gentle ocean breezes, has been uncharacteristically warm lately. Very, very warm. Its usual orange skies have been swapped out for vivid blues, the sun dwelling high in the sky and threatening to burn everything in its wake.
It won’t take much wandering to feel the effects of heat exhaustion sink in, and even after you log out for the day, those symptoms seem to linger. Do Hien and Zelkova know what the hell is going on? Of course not. Unusual occurrences are slowly becoming the norm in Fragment, it seems, but the point of a beta test is to work out any kinks. Report it and move on.
Lumina Cloth is similarly affected by unusual weather phenomena, but it’s much more pleasant and hospitable than poor Mac Anu. The sun hangs just above the horizon, bathing the strip in early evening light. It’s much cooler here too, and what’s more, it appears that a carnival has rolled into town. What fun!
All the usual carnival fare is here: greasy fried foods, drinks served in foot long glasses, and a litany of carnival games that are totally not rigged. Entry is free and so are the prizes, but some of them take a bit of legwork to win.
⬣ Successfully PK another player to win the carnival exclusive Thursday The 12th™ skin. PK’d players will receive an appropriately spooky ghost skin of their own!
⬣ Step on up to the dunk tank and get dunked on to win a sexy swimsuit skin! Both the dunkers and the dunkees will win this skin, but only those who successfully dunk the player in the tank will be rewarded with the chance to show off some skin. The appearance this skin takes is dependent on the player wearing it, so have fun and get creative with it!
⬣ Take a trip through the hall of mirrors with a friend and do some reflecting! Stare too long into the mirrors and you might recall a memory that doesn’t belong to you, but to the person venturing through the hall of mirrors with you. Did that really happen? Surely it’s all in your head. Memories available for memshare are limited to the ones listed on your application.
Additional rewards include giant plush monsters that can be used to decorate guild @ homes and private rooms (limit one per player!) and a pet goldfish that, unfortunately, will die a hero’s tragic death within a week. Womp womp.
We’ve had a busy week! It seems like there was a glitch that allowed players to equip other players as weapons, which resulted in a ten player chain, wielded by none other than our hardworking head administrator, Hien! I’ll have a talk with him about not doing this kind of thing in the future, I promise!
That wasn’t all, though. An unknown entity reached out to the players participating in the ten-player chain and issued them a special title: Good Friends Stick Together. Fragment’s not supposed to have titles. Well, at least not in the beta. But you can go ahead and add it to your name if you want to anyway, and it shouldn’t cause any problems! We still can’t pinpoint who sent those messages and how they overrode the permissions to create those titles in the first place, but... Hmm. I don’t want to start any rumors, so I’ll keep looking into it.
There are those armor sets too, which I didn’t know had been handed out to those of you that reached level 25. Oria brought it to our attention, thankfully! There’s not a whole lot we can do about it now, but we know that some of them are pretty invasive. But knowing is half the battle, right?
Our friend Ganymede suffered an accident recently that had him lying unconscious in the hospital for about a day. He seems to be feeling better now, thankfully. Ḩ̵̲̼͆̃͐̆ò̸̧̰͕̥̈́͒̕͜p̷̫͙̯͇̾̄͜ę̸̹̒f̷̠̭͉̱̅͘ǘ̴͎̙̥̭̈́̈́l̵͇̙͍̳̜̇̓̒l̷̬̲̀̆̈̅̂ͅỳ̵̧̻̖ ̷̠̫̭̰̦̋͗h̴̰͕̑͗e̸̦̼͇̾͘ ̴̡̢̝̺̳̊̎̎̔p̴̳̠̼̜͔̂̅̐à̵͕̹̟ͅỹ̴̡̛͝s̶͉̕ ̴̢͕̬̑̆̕͝b̸̹̲͗͒̊͑͠ē̶̛͖͠ṯ̸̻̺́͒͐t̶̻͕͎̑ĕ̶̖̀͗͛͋r̷͙̗̙̲͙̓̚͝ ̷̻̠͉̈́̚a̷̡̙̳̽́̀̋̔ẗ̴̢̨̛̬̺t̴͖̳͝ē̷͇̆͆̍̚ͅn̵̪̜͉͊̉̔̄͐t̵͕̼͈̓͋̈́̕î̷̬o̸͇̐͋͑͌n̶̟̫̟̽̑͒͐͘ ̷̜̈́̈̀̂̎t̶͙̂͛ô̸̠̜ ̶̫͎̎h̶͖̳͛i̸̗͖̖̅̂͆̄͛s̸͔̈́̇̍ ̸̩̗̻̕s̵̬̼̳̲̞͝ù̸̞̺̣͙̾͒͛ŗ̴̻̟̻̭̂̈́r̶̡͈̲̣̣͋̊͗̕o̶̥̝̮̓ų̴̻̯̬̊̑̑͌̉ͅn̶̢̙̦͔͖̈̒͝d̷̰̼̤̥̃̿͒̌̎i̸̯͑̾͊̑͝n̵̦͐g̸̪̾͝͝s̷̛̝͙̣̹̍͛͝ ̸͔̲̠̩͗̓̀͘a̷̛̼̓̈́͊ṅ̵̥͆̎ḑ̶̨̯̱͍̇ ̷̛̗̮̀̆ḧ̴̼̪́͗͝i̵͓̬̤͂͐͒s̶̮̎̿̃ ̴̛͔̋͗̽h̷̝͑ͅē̴̱ȃ̵̝͎ͅļ̷͍̀͐͊̊̽ẗ̸̼̺̟̥̼́̄͛h̶̥̹̬̮̽̅ ̷̟̖̮͛́̿t̸̢̤̤̂͒͋̍o̶̼̟̓ ̵̥̳͙̖̆̈́ả̶̛̳̱͙̖̩̿̽͘v̴͈͉͖͊͘ỏ̶̤͚̅͑͝i̴̱͈̩̳̳̿̇̕͠ḏ̵͙̮͗͆ ̶̯̭̝̹̯͊s̸͍̰͔̔̀͋͋̐u̷̟̠͑̔̏̚c̵̨͖͉͇̀͆͘ͅh̴̨̓͌̄̈ ̶̧̱̻̼̏̃̃i̷̱͉͈̿̎̋͒͜͝n̴̢͓͍̂͝͠c̷̢̢̛̹͚̑̓̅ͅi̶͕̟̻̘̫̾͌d̶͉͉̏̇e̵͉̱̩̯̤͐̎̉̾n̸̡̠̈͜ţ̴̇͑̈́͘s̵̩̼͔̙̙̉͘ ̵̮̯̞̮̾̈́͋̔̈h̵̡̗͉͉͈̉̐̅̚ȁ̵͖͚̖̾p̸̰̬͖̩̀̈́̆̓p̶̢̛̼̈́͆̒͘ͅe̷̟̘̩̲̻̾̊n̵̨̩̜̟͆͘i̵̙͉̺̮͠ͅṋ̷̆ġ̶͙͚ ̴̩̋à̷̄̑̂͝ͅǧ̵͖̜͍͕̒̑͒a̷̧̛̞͐̃̈́͘i̷̯͉̬̯̽̍n̷̘̝͓̽̅̕!̵̩͑
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Then, a shy Leviathan approaches her, and she looks at him with a little grin. ]
Hey, nice seeing you again! What's up?
[ Wonder if this is about the skin...? ]
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Oh! Y-Yeah! [And yet Levi's response is startled, like he didn't expect Kara to actually give him the time of day.] Same to you.
I, um...um. I wanted to ask...
[He trails off mid-sentence like he forgot what he was actually going to ask, but in reality, he's quickly become distracted by the sudden appearance of a thought bubble above Kara's head.
He blinks a few times, and then awkwardly responds as if Kara had asked that question aloud.]
Uh, I'm...more interested in just getting to soak in the water. B-But obviously I'm gonna need the skin for that too, so... Yeah. Would you...be up for a game?
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[ Well, we both get the skin, so...seems like a fair ask. I'll take him up on it.
She keeps her smile on her face, like she finds his nervousness kind of amusing. Truthfully, it is! He really has nothing to worry about.
It should be fine. Better than mirror hell over there. ]
Sure thing! I'll join you. Seems like it'll be fun, but what I'm hearing is, I'll be the one dunking you?
[ Hehe. ]
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Really? [Like he even needs to ask! He's getting all the confirmation he needs. Thanks, weird thought bubbles?!] What a relief! You're my savior, KaraBear!
["Mirror hell", though...? He'll have to ask about that later.
He nods in response to who'll be dunked. As his confidence about the situation grows, so does his ability to speak clearly.]
I like being in the water, so I don't mind at all. To be honest, I'm more nervous about what the skin's gonna look like...
[He follows that up with a nervous laugh. What if he looks dumb or ridiculous?]
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...He can't really mean that.
She's quiet for a moment, but shifts her focus to the situation at hand. He seems more confident, now.
Huh...is he more comfortable, now? ]
Oh, yeah. Same here. I'm just hoping it doesn't look too tacky! Can't be seen wearing that when I'm the leader of an aesthetics guild, right?
[ She lets out a cheerful little laugh. ]
I'm sure it'll be fine. If anything, we'll just keep it in our inventory and it'll never see the light of day again, if it looks that bad.
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LOL, definitely not. [He did say "LOL" out loud, yes.] Okay, let's go give this a shot. RNG don't fail us now!
[Before he completely turns away to head toward the dunk tank, he sports a shy smile and adds:]
I did mean the savior thing FTR. So long as your aim's good enough to actually get me dunked, heheh!
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Did you really say L-O-L? Haha! That's a new one, L3V147H4N!
[ It doesn't sound mean-spirited, though! And she keeps the smile on her face as they head over to the dunk tank.
...His first comment makes her a little anxious, because --
...Huh? How did he...?
But she won't say anything about it otherwise. ]
Well, my aim with a nerf gun apparently sucks, but I'm pretty good at throwing. I'll try extra hard! Gotta do things right, since you asked so nicely!
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His face gets hot and he clears his throat, but still only manages a murmur.]
..........Y-Yeah. It's just...y'know, internet speak...
[He almost doesn't want to look her in the eye ever again, but he's drawn to the thought bubble. It's totally going to say something about how stupid and cringe he sounds, isn't it...
...oh?
Oh.
He knows she's saying something right now, but it gets drowned out as he reviews the thought bubble's words. He should say something. He should totally say something, shouldn't he? But how does he without sounding weird and insane?
He'll just...leave it for now. But he should probably not answer the thought bubble directly.]
A-Anyway, let's sign up and get those skins!
[Smooth, Levi.]
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Yeah, yeah! I know! Sorry, I wasn't trying to make fun of you. It's charming!
[ Nothing pops up that indicates otherwise, fortunately for him. At least he can cool off in the dunk tank, because when they approach, she immediately grabs onto a ball available for throwing. ]
Alright, if it'll you feel better, I give you permission to dunk me after. Only if you want to!
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Ch...Charming?
[No one's ever called it charming before. And the thought bubble isn't saying anything to the contrary, so she's...serious? Is this actually a fortunate for him, because he doesn't know what to do with it.
MOVING...ON...]
Uh, I...dunno if I'd wanna dunk you after you've been so nice to me... Unless you wanna escape the heat, too! That'd be fine, then, I think...
[He's gonna stop rambling and scramble onto the platform now!!!! It's gonna suck to get this outfit wet, but at least he'll get to swap into the skin right after.]
Ready when you are...!
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[ She shrugs a little, but once he's on the platform, she gets into a better throwing position. ]
Alright...here we go! Prepare yourself!
[ She pulls her arm back and does a one-handed throw at the target. There appears to be a lot of concentration being put into this. She throws the ball...and it lands on its target.
Enjoy the water, Levi! ]
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[An exaggeration to be sure, but he's really looking forward to the sweet relief from the heat. Hopefully Kara doesn't leave him up here alone with his thoughts for too long, though. Seriously...charming? She's not weirded out by him for that? And she wasn't put off by his awkwardness?
That's...
Before he can continue that train of thought, the sound of the ball hitting its target registers in his head. The next thing he knows, he's submerged in the tank.
The water's so cold and refreshing. He could stay here for a while. He's practiced enough to do it, too. Problem is, the NPC overseeing the game quickly comes to his aid to make sure he's all right and he's forced to pop back up above water.]
Phew! [He shakes his head to get his wet hair out of his face. It's all tangled in his horns now.] Got it in one! GG, KaraBear!
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Nice, we got it! How's it feel? Nice and cold?
[ Looks nice, not gonna lie... She checks her inventory for that shiny new skin, and there it is. Received! ]
Also, you can just call me Kara!
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[Oh, he’s being ushered along to get out so the next pair can go. Goodbye, dunk tank. It was nice while it lasted…
Once he’s out and somewhat less sopping wet, he trots back over to Kara to confirm their new skins. Good, it’s there. He’s going to need to swap to it to have something dry, so hopefully it’s good…]
…Oh! S-Sure, just Kara it is. And in that case, you can call me Levi. I-If you want, of course.
[Shortening usernames already…wild…!
Ahem.]
Did you get your skin? Maybe we can do a reveal together?
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Okay, Levi! Sure thing.
[ She'll nod, too, as a way to affirm his new nickname. But...a joint reveal, huh? Man. She can't recall the last time she did a whole outfit try-on with someone. It might've been with Dehya at some point, IRL? But never in-game.
Man...this better look good.
She might not be nervous on the outside, but her thought bubble says otherwise. ]
Alright, on three. One, two...three!
[ THANKFULLY, she's been saved. She's very pleased. Hopefully Levi has been spared by the skin gods, too?! ]
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But just like Kara, he goes through with it. He’s gotta!
As soon as Kara says “three”, he closes his eyes and equips the skin. Swallowing hard, he cracks his eyes open to look down…]
Oh…that’s not bad, actually…
[When he looks up to check out what Kara got, his…brain short circuits a little. She definitely got good RNG, that’s for sure.]
C-Cute…
[HE SAYS IT WITHOUT EVEN THINKING OH NO—]
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Look at that! You look great!
[ Yeah, he's definitely guild material! Should I ask? What if it's too much, though? He's pretty shy.
Then, she hears his comment, and she blinks. Cute? She knows she looks good in it, but there's something about his delivery that makes it nicer to hear. It doesn't remind her of...
... ]
Cute, eh? Thanks. I appreciate it! I'm glad we both wound up with something excellent!
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Guild material? She...wants to invite him?
--oh no she heard him call her cute. Well, there's no going back now. His voice gets a little shrill and he rushes through his words.]
Yeah! It looks cute on you...even if it's all 3D.
[Normally he doesn't pay attention otherwise, but Kara's been nothing but nice to him. It's hard to not look.]
I'm glad neither of us are stuck in something cringy. We can beat the heat with pride in these! A-And we'll have everyone beat if there's a beach event.
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Good thing you look this good in person, huh, Kara? ]
Hehe, absolutely...! Aren't you glad I have good aim?
[ Haha...an MMO, of all places... The perfect escape from reality...is where I encounter people who... ]
Well then, now that you've got your skin, what will you be up to? Do you need my help with anything else?
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[Ah...
Levi's expression shifts to vague concern, which doesn't quite fit the conversation, does it?]
I...hadn't thought that far in advance...
[You know what? He can't hold this back anymore. It's starting to get kinda personal.]
Actually, I need to tell you... [He taps his fingertips together nervously.] You've, uh. You've got some weird effect going on with you. I didn't know how to bring it up, so I didn't say anything at first, but...
[He makes a motion over his head.]
I...think I've been able to read your thoughts?
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[ Her eyes glance upward, but the thought bubble is unfortunately behind her. She'd question this a lot more if she didn't remember how he had said something in response that eerily addressed something she was thinking.
... ]
I see. So that's how it's been...
[ She presses her fingers to her forehead and frowns. She looks pretty mortified. ]
I'm sorry about that – well, I didn't know it was there, but even so...! I...I hope there wasn't anything uncomfortable, haha, I – had no idea.
[ Matoba had warned her that people would be aware when she falters. Seems like that was pretty sound advice, in the end. ]
Oh, god.
1/2
But it still doesn't stop him from hurriedly spouting in an attempt to comfort her:]
I-It wasn't anything bad, I swear! And- And I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner!
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If anything, and I know how weird this sounds, it...made me feel better about asking for your help.
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In the end, though, there’s nothing that sticks, other than his words. Her thoughts made him feel better? That’s…surprising. She typically tries very hard to keep those under wraps, so what, exactly, is going on here?
She clears her throat, glances away. ]
Ah. That’s a relief then. I-I think.
[ Help. ]
What about them made it easier…?
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They just...always lined up with what you said, I guess? You weren't put off by me, even though I was super nervous. A-And when I started to get more comfortable with the whole thing and you laughed about me saying LOL, it wasn't mean-spirited. You...really meant what you said when you called it charming.
[He goes back to fidgeting with his newly acquired shirt.]
I always assume the worst in these kinds of situations. That the more outgoing people are gonna think I'm a huge weirdo. But...you were always genuine.
[It's his turn to avoid eye contact now. He doesn't know how to end his little explanation, so...]
IDK. It meant a lot for an otaku who doesn't get into a lot of social situations.
[Yeah.]
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