altimit | ⬣//A SINGLE CRACK LETS THE LIGHT IN.

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⬣//A SINGLE CRACK LETS THE LIGHT IN.

  >>UNTITLED ROOT TOWN
  //
  >>FUTURE
//
>>PROGRESS?
  //
  >>HE HUNGERS
  //
  >>Zelkova Corner

        ⬣//BRAVELY SAILING INTO THE UNKNOWN
      

As they say, fortune favors the brave. Five lucky players took part in a Limited Quest: The Mysterious Sky Islands, in which they discovered a brand new Root Town. While the team was largely successful in their efforts to make the mysterious floating town in the sky habitable, not everyone embraced the spirit of teamwork on this journey.

When you gate in to this shiny new Root Town, you'll notice something curious: it has no name. Its name simply displays as "???" in every context menu and there is no signage around the Root Town itself that points to its true name— rather, the name it had before they came along.

Whispers on the wind tell of an evil wizard in flowing white robes who ruthlessly boiled the village elder alive. With him died all of this mysterious Root Town's lore and history, and in its place are tales of the monster who robbed this land of its identity. The elemental sprites that populate this village refuse to speak their name, simply wishing you "good luck, have fun!" as you turn to leave.

While on your journey to check out the island, you'll notice how unstable the bridges are. Unstable might be putting it lightly, because for some unlucky souls, crossing the wrong bridge means plummeting to your death. It seems that whoever was put in charge of constructing these bridges didn't give a damn about structural integrity.

The local sprites are pleading with adventurers to assist them in building better, more stable bridges, but bridging the gap between one island and the next is not a job for a single person. If you have enough of a heart to heed the pleas of the sprites, you'll want to work with your fellow players to get the job done. All the wood, nails, and rope you need to construct better bridges has been helpfully supplied to you by the sprites. You could always sabotage the project too, of course, but what kind of person would you be if you did that?

        ⬣//BUILDING THE FUTURE
      

The professions system has been added to fragment. Rejoice, busybodies, for there is much furniture to be built and dubious potions brewed.

In celebration of the new crafting & gathering system, a crafts festival is being held in the Unnamed Root Town. Take care not to plummet to your death while traversing those rickety bridges.

Players are encouraged to set up a booth of their own and trade their unique handcrafted items with their fellow adventurers. In addition to being supplied with enough level 1 and level 2 crafting materials to give the crafting system a spin, the local NPCs are running a contest encouraging people to come up with their own for a chance to have their creations canonized as real crafting recipes.

To submit your own recipe ideas, you need only fill out this handy form:

Recipe name:

Recipe category: Alchemist, Carpenter, Chef, or Jeweler?

Which two items does your recipe call for? Choose two items to combine. Only gatherable items (refer to the professions page) can be used.

Effect: What does this item do, if anything?

Description: A brief description of your lovely new product.

Recipe name: Recipe category: Which two items does your recipe call for? Effect: Description:

Submit your recipe contest submissions here.

        ⬣//ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK
      

Fragment's beta test has seen its fair share of unusual bugs and unintended features, and with the latest update bringing many new changes, it's inevitable that some things have broken behind the scenes.

If two players happen to log in at the same time, they might find their avatars swapped with one another's. Thankfully, this issue doesn't lead to the unpleasant exchange of deep-seated memories or anything of the sort, but getting used to a body that isn't yours takes time. Thankfully, this particular bug resolves itself when both players log out.

The windy town of Unnamed Root Town is generally quite scenic and pleasant, but there's just one issue. It's far, far windier than it should be. If the rickety bridges don't kill you, the gusts that intermittently blow across the sky islands might knock you off your feet if you don't watch your footing carefully. Thankfully, the crafts festival on the southernmost end of the island hasn't been impacted by the severe winds. Among them is one voice that you don't recognize: a voice that promises a death, gruesome and bloody, in the days to come.

To everyone's relief, the carnival and its notorious hall of mirrors has packed up and left Lumina Cloth, but your past hasn't finished haunting you. The foul winds carry whispers of the past along with them, uttering words and phrases uncomfortably familiar to you. They're the voices of your past, the voices of people you've known, loved, and lost. Covering your ears won't keep the voices out of your ears. Nothing will.

Finally, on the more mundane some of things, professions have a few kinks of their own that need to be worked out. Occasionally, a crafted item won't come out quite right, instead resulting in one of the following "items":

Alchemist: Truth Serum. Become unable to lie for 24 hours.

Blacksmith: Whatever you're enhancing transforms into a denim disaster. Introducing your new "body" armor, "leg" armor, "head" armor, and "arm" armor.

Carpenter: Mirror Mirror. Reflects the person you're most afraid of becoming.

Chef: Durian Delight. A succulent durian pudding that reeks so strongly that its stench can be smelled all across the Root Town or Area you're occupying.

Jeweler: Crystal Ball. Breaks after one use but allows you to read another player's thoughts for five minutes.

        ⬣//WHAT ARE YOU, AN IDIOT SANDWICH?
      

With crafting in full swing, a certain admin has been lured out of his hidey hole by the smell of delicious chef-prepared meals. Hien is hungry, and you will feed him.

Chefs are not limited by the recipes they know like some professions are, so players are encouraged to think outside of the box and combine unique ingredients to cook up something truly special.

Taste, however, isn't the only important part of a perfect meal. Chefs looking to impress the big man himself are expected to present their culinary delights to him with pomp and finesse. You need to impress Hien if you want to gain more from this venture than the participation prize of a chef skin.

Those who successfully woo Hien with their delectable dishes will be given an additional prize: a little black pomchi pet to accompany their avatar around Root Towns and Special Areas. Hien will be giving these out at his discretion, so you better suck up to the dogboss in charge if you want a pomchi of your very own. If you catch Hien in a good mood, he may even agree to give you a different breed of dog if you ask nicely.

Feed the local Hien here.

        ⬣//ZELKOVA’S CORNER
      

Hello, everyone! Can you believe it's been an entire month since our beta test began? Even though we've already been through a lot together, we've still got three months left! I'm rooting for you all!

As of today, the level cap has increased from 25 to 50. That means new armor and weapons will be available to you! Get out there to different Areas and start leveling up! But don't forget to stop every once in a while and enjoy your surroundings, too. Which reminds me—don't forget to check out the new Recreational Areas! We have a beach and hotsprings for you to enjoy now. I hope everyone continues to have fun exploring!

We've also opened up the GP shop, where you can create your own special armor set for a certain price, along with a few other things. Please check it out!

Oh, and don't forget to use these three new greeting cards I've made! Here they are! Make sure you use them so you can connect with your fellow players! We're all friends here, after all.

  >>Navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Does Fai want a random bookshelf in the middle of Fine Wine? Here he goes. Pop goes a successful craft, and Michel drops it beside them. ]

It would be good if they let us scrap these for materials again.

[ Who's ignoring the question, not him. ]

Oh, that would be nice...

[ He stares at the bookshelf, examining it as he runs his fingers along the shelves.

Then, he gives Winter a mischievous look. ]

That isn't what I asked, though.

[ It's not like this is a secret. But on the other hand, he doesn't see any benefit to someone connecting his two handles... ]

...Why? I didn't think you played games.

[ This one notwithstanding. Should he drop another bookshelf? On Fai, this time? ]

[ Fai just shrugs, giving Winter a wide grin. ]

I don't, but if you like making games, I still want to hear about it.

[ This is called bonding. ]

[ Sounds dodgy as hell... but after he worries at the thought a little more, he still can't find a real downside, so: ]

I've made a few. I wouldn't particularly say that I like it.

Really? But if you've gone through the trouble to make a few...

[ His brows furrow as he continues examining the bookshelf. Hm. How many books can he fit on this? Should he put it in his own room? ]

Why do you do it?

[ Is making games his real job? ]

[ Winter preoccupies himself looking through crafting menus. Maybe in addition to the bookcase, they need a small table? Why not. ]

...I was curious what it was like to make something. I haven't put out anything new in some time.

[ Long enough that there were one or two comments on the forums asking about it. An odd feeling. He glances back at Fai, sizing up the bookshelf... in a game in which he thinks the yaoi may be the only book. ]

Keep that, if you want it.

[ Hey, maybe they'll one day get books? Fai has yet to try pirating them into the game. ]

I will~ I like it!

[ He directs his grin towards Winter. ]

What's your game like?

[ How to even answer that, without invoking an obnoxious "you wouldn't understand" or explaining things for ten minutes. Gears are visibly grinding in his head. ]

...There are a few. A mystery game. A pet game.

[ After waiting patiently for an answer, Fai immediately perks up at the genres. ]

A pet game? Do you raise pets?

[ As if there's anything else to do. ]

[ Looking at Fai like he's trying to figure out if that's a trick question... ]

Yes. [ ... ] They grow differently depending on the input. Like the grunties.

That’s cute!

[ It seems like he’s… being genuine, shockingly enough. ]

I’d definitely play that. That kind of game is more my speed.

You have a cat. Why would you need a game like that?

[ Not what he made it for. But Fai's apparent enthusiasm is... a little nice. Winter is thawing a tiny bit more. ]

For fun, of course! I couldn’t pick my cat’s personality, and I could always use more pets.

[ He gives Winter a playful wink. ]

People really enjoy those kind of games. Mystery too.

People are always complaining on the forums that they're too obtuse.

[ Just because the mystery had seven endings, and the only one that allowed the player character to live required you to sacrifice the NPC after unlocking all the other branches... ]

...They were just to pass the time.

[ michel please…. ]

Stop reading the complaints then, silly~

[ He laughs. It’s hard not to read those things, so he gets it. ]

Did you stop because you have something else filling your time now? [ He pauses. ] Or is Fragment taking up that space?

[ That gets a very deliberately nonchalant shrug. Fai better not be thinking he cares what the comments say... ]

Fragment. At least until the end of the beta. [ And it's not as if there's anything else he wants to make right now, anyway. ] And you? I'm surprised you're still making time for it.

[ Too late, Winter. He’s thinking about it…!! ]

I’ve met a few people I like, so I keep coming back.

[ It feels like some sort of excuse even to him, but it’s true. Still, there’s more to it than just that for him. He pauses before finally continuing. ]

You know… playing this game is like a little break from everything else in my life. It’s been nice.

[ From the thoughtful look on Winter's face, he, at least, doesn't think it sounds like an excuse. He just gives a slight nod to that part. ]

Not just from your thesis work, I take it.

[ It's a question, but also not. If Fai wants to sidestep more, he can go back to furniture... ]

[ It’s the fact that Winter gives him the opportunity to sidestep that he decides not to.

Funny how that works, isn’t it? ]

Nope.

[ But that’s all he can really say about it, at least without prompting. ]

I actually really enjoy my thesis work. I’d work on it twenty-four seven if I could.

[ So many things are easier when you don't feel trapped, aren't they? ]

...Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. No one works on a doctorate without being fixated on their research.

[ Which leaves another clear possibility to Michel. That simple "nope" feels like an opening rather than a dismissal. And Fai maybe understands him well enough now to become more blunt if he's misinterpreting. ]

Is it about your brother?

Is my research about my brother?

[ He furrows his brows, and it's impossible to tell if he's kidding, genuinely confused, or trying to postpone having this discussion. ]

[ It's impossible to tell... but Michel isn't a man who gives the benefit of the doubt for free. He gives Fai the flatest look he can manage. ]

Hold on. There's nothing in my inventory small enough to throw at your head.

[ Time to summon some softwood to start ominously carving again. A smallish block should do. ]

[ He bursts out laughing, dodging behind the book case so he has some cover in case he finishes that block sooner rather than later. ]

Your guess was right. That's part of the reason why I'm playing.

[ Michel mimes throwing it at him, but there's no real danger of it leaving his hand. His brow furrows as he lowers the block again. ]

Something happened with him, although you haven't spoken in a while.

[ Or to him, his own perpetual fear for both of his brothers. Didier, particularly, always putting himself in danger... ]

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i'm so sorry for this

ARE YOU. ARE YOU THOUGH.

hehehehehe

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