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>>38525301

She pauses, continuing with a sigh. “The merger would leave us a council, of the players that are either the strongest or the most fit to lead.”

The conversation stalls.

“It's just talk,” Ayla says. “So don't go telling all of your friends, alright? I mean it.”

“I understand.” You respond. “So, now what?”

“You need to introduce yourself to Liza and the Crimson Guardians. They're good for the expedition, of course, but it'd be nice of you to make the proposal proper.” Ayla says. “In addition to organizing the other members of your party.”

“I think I can handle that.”

There's a pause, and she raises an eyebrow at you. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>38525313

> [[ UI Messenger – Group Chat ]]
> [[ Ascheritte changed the conversation topic to: raid dungeon ]]
> [[ Aelriss has joined chat. ]]
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Sup
> [[ Tatsumaki has joined chat. ]]
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Not much.
> [[ Tatsumaki ]]: ?
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Got in touch with Ayla?
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Yep
> [[ Aelriss ]]: How was the honeymoon?
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Fuck off.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: B)
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: The Keepers are good with the expedition. They brought it up at an Alliance meeting and it went over well.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: I'm about to go talk to Liza about it. We're going tonight, if that's alright with you guys.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Hello?
> [[ Aelriss changed the conversation topic to: Inner Sanctum Expedition ]]
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Sorry, I'm here.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Anyway, I've got nothing better to do.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Tatsumaki, will you be online later?
> [[ Tatsumaki ]]: ok
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Alright. How long do you want to wait, Ashe?
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: 8 or 9 PM.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: But.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: That's CST. It's in just a few hours.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Uh.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Oh, shit, right. This game has no clock.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: We can't see the sun, either. The light down here never changes.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Figure something out, then. Log if you have to.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Are you going to the Guardians' hall right now?
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Yeah, why?
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Nothing, never mind. Talk about it later.

“Greetings!” Cardus ambushes you on the way out of the guild hall, emerging from an adjacent staircase as you make your way out of Ayla's basement. “What's the good news?”

“Uhm, not much.” You respond, raising an eyebrow. “Just organizing an expedition.”

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>38525451

“Ah, the journey Ayla spoke of earlier. Yes, I wish you and your friends the best of luck.” He nods. “And do let me know if your group is in need of a cartographer. We've got to gather as much information as we can, even if the message boards are down. And... I don't charge.”

> [[ Contact Request: Cardus ]]

“Thanks, I think.” You respond.

“Y'know, I think Ayla's taken quite a fancy to you.” Sulya chimes in, making her way into the room from the opposite hallway.

“I somehow doubt that.”

“Doubt all you want,” She responds, “Apparently, the guild leaders have been speaking quite a bit about you and your friends. Dorian can't stand the fact that Ayla's been slumming with a bunch of guildless.”

“Mm...” You raise an eyebrow. “He defintely doesn't seem to care for me. I'll keep that in mind.”

> Ask something else of the Writ Keepers.
> Make your way to the Guardians' hall like you planned.
> Go ahead and take a break now.

>>38525476
>Go ahead and take a break now.

>>38525476
>Ask something else of the Writ Keepers.
What's their thoughts on the CG guys, they may have had more dealings with them
> Make your way to the Guardians' hall like you planned.

>>38525476
>> Make your way to the Guardians' hall like you planned.

>>38525476
>>38525524
this

>> [[ Aelriss ]]: How was the honeymoon?
>> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Fuck off.
>> [[ Aelriss ]]: B)
kek

>>38525476
> Ask something else of the Writ Keepers.
Is being that down on people outside of the whole guild-related sociopolitical complex a common thing, or just Dorian being Dorian? It wouldn't surprise me if the default assumption is that it's in the context of recruitment or something, but an outright disdain for looking outside the bubble period strikes me as a little weird.

>>38525524
This

>>38525476
> Go ahead and take a break now.
let's get this out of the way, and generally deal with small real world shit. so we are not ambushed with it later on all at once.

>>38525476
>Go ahead and take a break now.
Real Life worry.

But we seriously need to tell Liza to get her shit in gear before she does something we'll all regret.

>>38525476
>> Make your way to the Guardians' hall like you planned.

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>>38525476

“Is it normal to look down on the guildless, then?” You continue.

“I figured you'd ask. There's a pretty great swath of opinions across the people of Averron. Of course, it varies based on a lot of factors—how much money you've got, how high-ranked you are in the hierarchy of guilds, and whether or not you have a problem with authority.” Sulya grins. “Dorian's adopted a sort of exceptionalism when it comes to the Keepers. He's sort of second-in-command, and doesn't really care to have his commanding officers running about freely, unless they're recruiting.”

“I guess that's reasonable.” You nod. You're not really sure.

“Maybe.” Sulya says. “He can be a bit defensive sometimes. I'm sure if you just talk to him, he'll see where you're coming from.”

“I just might have that opportunity later—thanks. What do you guys think of the Crimson Guardians?” You ask. “I'm about to head over to their hall, and was wondering if you guys had any particular opinions.”

“They're an interesting bunch, to say the absolute least.” Sulya says. “I've heard they're all pretty different personality-wise, which leaves you wondering how they work together so well in the field. I certainly wouldn't want to cross one of their exploring parties, anyway.”

“Indeed.” Cardus nods, inching closer to join the conversation. “I've yet to interact with anyone higher than an initiate in their ranks, but from what I've seen, their skill is admirable. I believe they owe their success to good leadership.”

You nod; they seem to be expecting you to continue, but you merely smile and wave the two of them off as you exit.

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>38526355

> [[ Crimson Guardians – Guild Hall ]]
> [[ Guild Leader: Liza ]]
> [[ Guild Officers: Kainzo, Mendicant, Florica ]]
> [[ “ Glory Is Forever ” ]]

The opulent barracks awaits, and you don't waste time, making your way to the top of the stairs and knocking the door. It's a little bit of time before someone answers, an imposing-looking figure who you might have seen around town before.

“Can I help you?”

> Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.
> Introduce yourself.
> Write-in.

>>38526384
> Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

>>38526384
> Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

>>38526384
>Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

>>38526384
>Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

>>38526384
>> Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

>>38526384
>> Introduce yourself, and note that you're here to see Liza.

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>>38526384

“I'm Ascheritte.” You nod. “I'm here to see Liza about the expedition.”

He's already brought up his UI menu. There's a pause, then you hear the sound of an incoming message. The legionnaire glances up at you and nods, offering a handshake. You accept—his grip is strong, and even through your gauntlet you can feel a strange heat exuded by his armor.

“Welcome.” He smiles. “I apologize. Just wanted to confirm. I'll show you to the main hall.”

> [[ Guild Hall: Crimson Guardians // Crimson Guardians' Territory // PVP Disabled ]]

The place is set up like a military barracks, as well. Down the hall to your left, you think you see an armory, manned with a few Guardians who appear to be discussing weaponry. You mind the decoration, functional as it may be; archery targets, training dummies, and numerous pen-and-parchment maps, including one of Averron, are in corners and on walls everywhere you look.

You pass the meeting room, where a number of large tables and an impromptu podium are set up. It's the main hallway that he leads you down, opening into a large floor with a balcony overlooking it; a staircase on either side of the room leads upward, and a number of heads about the room turn as the two of you enter.

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>38527265

“Ascheritte.” Liza makes her way down—you can see a couple of regal-looking chairs set up at the top, presumably for her and her officers, and there's a few doors behind them—from the upstairs, spear at her back. You note her expression; though she looks much less severe without her armor on, it's one of utter disinterest. She approaches, stopping in front of you a bit before grinning. “I see you've recovered since our last meeting. To what do I owe your presence? Have you made your mind up?”

Given the possibility of a merger, it's strange that she's asking—but you don't want to let on that you know.

> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.
> “Do you mind if we talk in private?”
> Publicly cast aspersions on Liza's leadership.
> Other

>>38527306
> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.

>>38527306
>> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.
>> “Do you mind if we talk in private?”

>>38527306
>> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.
>> “Do you mind if we talk in private?”

So, do we get pissed, gently admonish, or remain neutral?

>>38527306
> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.

>>38527380
Ask her about her take on the merger thing, then we'll see.

>>38527306
> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.
> “Do you mind if we talk in private?”

>>38527380
When asking her about the various shit she's been up to? Neutral first, get her side of the story, then react as appropriate is what I reckons

>>38527306
>> “Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” Let her know you'll be leading one of the expedition groups, and ask about the second.

>>38527477
We're not even supposed to now about that. We'd probably get ayla in trouble if we brought it up

>>38527380
Neutral. We don't know her well enough to talk down at her without getting her mad at us in return.

>>38527306

“Ah, no, it's not about that. It's, well, we've already met, but Ayla insisted I introduce myself.” You say. “The Guardians are prepared for the expedition tonight, correct? I'll be leading one of the groups.”

“You're the one she was talking to, then?” She raises an eyebrow. “We were in the middle of a somewhat importance Alliance meeting at the time—I stressed to her that you and all of this business must be quite important, if she had to bring it up right then.”

“I'm sorry.” You say.

“I'm not upset.” She smiles, a bit to your surprise. She's difficult to read. “Ayla believes this raid will be to the benefit of the Alliance. As long as that's the case, I have no reason to distrust either of you.”

“I'm glad.” You respond. “I'm told that you wanted your guild to lead the second group. Have you made any thoughts as to who you'll be sending?”

The legionnaire speaks, from over your shoulder. “Kainzo is making preparations, and he'll likely be bringing one of our initiates along.”

“He's a good leader, and the prospect appealed to him.” Liza says. “The two of you should get along well. I'll see if he's available to speak before you leave, if you'd like.”

“That would be fine,” You suggest. “One more thing, though—can we talk in private?”

There's a ubiquitous sound of armor clanking, as more heads turn. Liza gives you a confused look, then turns to the rest of the members of her guild. “Relax,” she says, “It's fine. Ascheritte, come this way.”

Upstairs, and behind the officers' seats, Liza leads you through one of the doors, which opens into an empty room with slightly washed-out looking wooden walls. As the two of you enter, she shrugs, turning to face you. “Apologies. The guild halls come with living quarters you can customize, but I haven't had the time or need to do anything with mine.”

A pause.

“Well?” She asks. “Is something the matter?”

> Write-in

>>38528044
I didn't want to speak privately, my vote goes towards not mentioning the merger since we're not even supposed to know about it

>>38528044
It's about what the weirdo starting the clanless revolt was going on about. I didn't want to make you look bad in front of your people. Was what he said true? Do you hate him that much, and he you? Why?

>>38528139
This, pretty much.

>>38528044
>"What's the latest on Anax and his freaks?"
>"I was considering trying to join the CG and I've heard rumours of a test - what's involved?"
>"What are your thoughts on the alliance? Does it work together as effectively as you'd like?"
This one is an attempt to gauge her thoughts on the merger, without letting on that we know about it.

Adding to >>38528217

>"Thanks again for saving my life."
>"Is what Anax said about you compromising the town's security true? Do you regret doing so?"

>>38528217
I'm a little skeptical about the last one since the way it's leading comes off as us independently feeling wary of the alliance's viability.

If we're going to talk about the alliance, I'd want to lean way more general than that. Maybe try to lead her into it by asking about how well she felt the uprising was handled in a more general sense. Segues in better from the previous topic of conversation, and gets her on the topic of alliance security stuff without prompting it quite as directly.

Also might get some of her feelings on the less strictly alliance-affiliated town guard faction, which I'd be interested in hearing.

>>38528044
There is nothing we need to ask her in private, aside from requirements for joining the guild.

>>38528110
This

>>38528447
Yea, I'm wondering why the Guards aren't a part of the Alliance. They have as much invested in the city as anyone.

>>38528378
Don't bring shit like that up in the middle of CG headquarters.

>>38528044
>>38528217
This, all the way.

>>38528447
You make a good point. Can't really think of a good way to word a lead in though, any suggestions?

>>38528514
But.. they are?

>>38528535
Did you miss the bit where we're now in private?

>>38528447
I really just want the raid to happen soon.

>>38528550
My impression was the Alliance consisted of the guilds founded by the 3 people that raised the city: Disposable Heroes, Writ Keepers, and Crimson Guardian. I'm not certain of that though.

>>38528680
Oh, by Guards I thought you meant the CG rather than the Averron Guard.

Either way, I think they still take orders from the alliance even though the charsheet doesn't say they're in it

>>38528550
>>38528735
>“Alright, then. One more thing. The Averron Guard is a guild, then—and you just guard this city? Why's that?” You ask. “Aren't there better things to do than sit here?”

>“Mm, I guess. But it's relaxing, and the alliance members pay us well. This game is amazing, no matter what you're doing. Everything here feels real enough to mean something. And it's good experience, when a nameless goes rogue or a monster strays too close to the town.” He responds, then laughs. “That all the questions?”
They're a non-Alliance affiliated guild that outsources their services in exchange for pay. It's more that they're employees than they're a part of the political landscape, which is a weird place for them to be, especially given the recent tensions in the city.

Only thing I can think of is to ask how to celestial gem enchantment works.
Like what options does it give...and how it works.
Does it give options towards special effects, or a skills/anything.
Or more information towards abilities/classes
things she think that have been extremly usefull or just show us her skills tree..

>>38529086
When upgrading an item like armor/weapon.
And if she is willing to disclose how many gems did it take to get her armor to have the ability to fly.

>>38529086
>obtain private audience with the top player
>use it to ask about tips for beginners

Makes me kek

>>38529140
Why wouldn't we?

>>38529252
No, it's valid, I just find it really funny.
Kinda like meeting a god and asking it the best way to make toast or something.

>>38529140
That's Sargs for you. Brain density of a fucking jellyfish. I wish we could've gotten one of the cool namefags like Brutus, or the stupidly lucky one.

>>38529252
Aelriss already told us exactly how it went.

>>38528044
Have you seriously not told anyone that this whole situation with Anaximander is your fault yet? Not even just the other guild leaders? If you're going to tell me "it's to protect the stability of the system", Anaximander already said that you're the first one to shit on the system. If you don't have any other reason, you'll only be proving him right.

>>38529366
>Anaximander already said that you're the first one to shit on the system
>First
>Despite Anax organising a revolt
It was in response to his shenanigans, Liza would have had no need to otherwise

>>38529308
>namefags
>cool
nope

>>38529308
>Aelriss already told us exactly how it went.
I must have missed that, I guess.

And if you have something better feel free to say it.. cause thier doesn't seem to be much up for even a debate.
Throwing in options so people can at least think of something. Instead of nothing, and just shit posting.

>>38529408
sorry, first one AMONG ALLIANCE REPRESENTATIVES.

and, you know, Anax is trying to break the peace, unlike everyone else.

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>>38528044

“First of all, I wanted to thank you again for saving my life.” You say.

“You're welcome. My Crimson Wings allow me to move quickest to where I'm needed.” Liza says. “I'd advise you to avoid flying in the future, unless you've got something like them. What did you want to talk about?”

“It's about Anaximander.” You suggest. “I thought it might not be appropriate to bring it up in front of the rest of your people. Was it true, what he said?”

“You believe the kind of person who'd do what he's done would tell the truth?” She sounds astonished, but still appears uninterested. A brief pause; she turns away for just a moment, exhales deeply, then looks back at you. “Was what true, now?”

“Bad question.” You shake your head. “Sorry, I mean—I couldn't help but pay attention to what he said. Why does he hate you? Or, why do you hate him?”

“That was our second meeting.” Liza says. “I was aware of his involvement in the organized Nameless ganks, but not the extent of his abilities. He seems to be getting stronger as well, unfortunately enough. He's completely obsessed. But the majority within the Alliance refuses to implicate anyone as part of the push for neutrality within Averron. After today's events, the problem is no longer that we're for lack of evidence: rather, they fear the possibility of an all-out war.”

“Understandably, I'm sure?” You grit your teeth.

“Of course. But, were it up to me, I'd have Freakshow driven out. We'd have a lot fewer dead players on our hands that way.” Liza says.

> [[ Continued ]]

>>38529308
>cool namefags like Brutus
some kind of giant faggot like you.

>>38529509

“What do you mean when you say he's 'obsessed'?” You ask.

“I'd rather not talk about it.” She responds.

“So, I take it you don't think the Alliance handled the uprising well?”

“I believe we should have been more proactive, if that's what you're asking. We protected the city as well as we could, given the circumstances, and we've ensured the Guard does well to mitigate these things whenever possible.”

"But, do you think that--?"

"Ascheritte." Liza interrupts you, and her tone seems a bit harsher. "Our encounter with Anaximander was quite recent, so I'm sure you haven't forgotten our exchange. I don't believe you're the type who'd call my integrity into question here and now, but if that's what this is, keep in mind that an uprising like this can and will happen again if action isn't taken in due time.”

What will you do?
> Other

>>38529549
I think we need to be more direct.

>"Did you really spread the CG too thin on purpose, and not tell anyone about it?"

>>38529549
Gotcha. He's just an asshole who can't seperate the game from reality, and is making it worse for everyone. It's just...you're taking this kinda personally too, don't you think?

>>38529549
>"Sorry, that's not what I was getting at, I just- Nevermind."
>"That aside, I was considering trying to join the CG and I've heard rumours of a test - what's involved?"

>>38529308
>Aelriss already told us exactly how it went.
WTF are you talking about?
Where are you pulling this shit from?
Are you retarded?

>>38529607
No. She has no reason to answer those sort of questions.

>>38529640
I'll back this

>>38529549
I kind of want to make a guildless secret strike force to take down Anaximander

>>38529640
sounds good

>>38529674
not even for a plain "no"?

>>38529696
I'll back this, though. The guilds are easy to spy on.

>>38529696
That's an entertaining notion, he'd certainly never see it coming.

That said, he was on par with Liza last time and since then he's stolen a boatload of CG's from players his guild PKed in the uprising.

We'd have to build a full party specifically to counter the bullshit we know he can pull and even then...

>>38529797
hopefully after the raid we'll be more powerful and have enough celestial gems to make a badass artifact.

>>38529739
She'll either say 'no' and we won't believe her or she says 'yes' and we look down our nose at her. Either way, she won't be happy with the question. If we want to join this guild, pissing off the guild leader won't help.

>>38529827
>our party gets enough loot to each get an CA
>We become the A Team and go kick ass for reasons
>The A is for Ascheritte

>>38529549
Ask if she has any idea where Anaximander might have gone

>>38529837
>we won't believe her
I would. She said it herself: Anax isn't very credible, and it's her word versus his.

>>38529308
so dumbass where you pulling this shit from.
been here for a while
I didn't see any IC explanations

>>38529925
Well, a more accurate thing to say would be that the portion of the playerbase that really don't like her wouldn't believe her anyway

>>38529971
I really don't like her.

But I'm not going full SHE'S NOT TRUSTWORTHY, so there's that.

>>38530005
Aww, really?
From the latest scenes we've had meeting her again she's either very good at social manipulation or a pretty friendly person.

>>38530005
She's a total bitch in my opinion

>>38529549

“Sorry, that's not what I was getting at.” You say. “Forget about it, alright?”

“Mm.” She nods.

“Regardless, I was still thinking about trying to join up with the Guardians, and I've heard rumors of a test. What's involved?” You ask.

“So, you are still interested.” She smiles. “I can't say too much. We like to change it up, but mostly it's just a few questions we like to ask. The way our guild operates, we like to know with certainty that you're an active player, someone who's interested in betterment, influence, and what's good for Averron. We don't judge a lot based on current equipment, but do care about accomplishments, and try to hash together some sort of test of skill. You'll have to talk to Mendicant, if you're truly interested; he's around here, just ask someone on your way out and we can handle it now.”

> You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.
> Ask about the other Crimson Guardian officers.
> Ask Liza's opinion of the Writ Keepers and Disposable Heroes.
> Write-in

>>38530037
it's that combined with the fact that most of the guild's gems were funneled into her wings that makes me cautious.

After we take down Anax, we'll see.

>>38530183
> You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.

>>38530183
> You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.

>>38530183
> Ask Liza's opinion of the Writ Keepers and Disposable Heroes.
>You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.

I'm not really sure what we're looking to learn asking about the officers. Might be interesting to see her thoughts on the other guilds though.

>>38530187
Yo, don't dis the wings, foo'
Dey saved our life!

>>38530183
>You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.
fine, fine, forget it.

>>38530251
I voted to crush our gem

>>38530268
>spoiler
It would admittedly have been pretty darn funny to see everyone's expressions and then the scramble as half of them tried to snort it.

>>38530183
Ask if she has any idea where anaximander might have gone

>>38530183
>> You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.

>>38530183
> You're about done here. Give her the time of the expedition.

>>38530183

“Alright, thanks.” You nod. “The expedition is planned for later tonight—in just about four or five hours, rather. Tell Kainzo to get in contact with Ayla about the specifics.”

“Can do.” She responds.

“Ah, one more thing, if you don't mind?” You ask.

“What is it?”

“Do you know where Anaximander might have gone?”

“I have two theories. A good one, and a bad one.” She folds her arms, tilting her head to the side. “Or, rather, a bad one and a worse one.”

“You've thought about this.” You raise an eyebrow. “Have you told the others?”

“A bit. It doesn't matter,” She grits her teeth. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Alright, bad one first?”

“There's a possibility he's hiding out somewhere in the lower strata. An unexplored branch, or a cleared and secured area that no one's since bothered going back to. With an Artifact that allows teleportation, it wouldn't be hard for him to remain relatively elusive down there—and if the passerby don't know his name and face, they wouldn't be the wiser if they saw him.”

“And the worse?”

“The worse theory,” Liza begins, “Is that Anaximander isn't even from Averron. What little excavation we've done has been in the tunnels immediately around and beneath the city itself. In short, we haven't made it far enough out to determine how distant the other cities are. But we know they exist. If the range of his ability is long enough, it's possible that he could be traveling back and forth to another city. Which raises even more questions that I'm not sure I want to think about.”

“Fair enough.” You look around. “This room's starting to get to me.”

“Understandably.” She nods, moving past you to hold the door open. “After you.”

> Write-in
> Look for Mendicant.
> Head back into the city.
> Log out.

>>38530714
> Log out.

>>38530714
>Log out.

>>38530714
> Log out.

>>38530714
> Log out.
I figure wait til after the raid before attempting to join a guild.

>>38530714
>> Log out.

>>38530714
> Log out.

>>38530714
> Log out

>>38530714
>> Head back into the city.

>>38530714

Once outside, you log out. For a second, you feel dissociated from yourself; then, there's a flickering and an intrusive buzz as you return to your desktop. You pull the headgear up from over your eyes, rolling your head to one side to a scenic view of your nightstand, housing your bedside lamp and a half-empty glass of water from earlier.

You twitch a bit, feeling glued to your bed for a second. The sky outside is a little darker than earlier. It's 5:30—you were playing for two more hours, right? Does that sound right? How long was that skirmish with the Nameless? What about Anaximander? You were in town for a little while, too; you even checked your UI a couple of times, making sure your Celestial Gem was still intact when sending messages.

You're very hungry, and your mouth is a bit dry.

Eric should still be at dinner with Camille—you remember her from one of your gen ed's, sweet, though you've heard she's a bit of a party animal—and her friends at some Thai place a few miles downtown you heard of once. His most recent ex-girlfriend's there too, according to him. You feel sorry for the guy; you only met her once, but she seemed like a bit of an absolute nightmare. Before long, he'll be back on campus at another one of her apartment parties. You've never been to one—maybe you could text him, let him know you want to come after all.

The LAN club's spring break meeting is starting in a few minutes. Wait: they have free pizza.

> Find another snack.
> Get food somewhere fast nearby.
> Check out the LAN club.
> Text Eric.
> Text Aelriss.

>>38531137
>Check out the LAN club.

>>38531137
>> Text Aelriss.
Send her a pic of our dick.
> Get food somewhere fast nearby.
> Check out the LAN club.

>>38531137
>Text Aelriss.
Something tells me this was a mistake?

> Get food somewhere fast nearby.
Screw socialising, we got a bossfight to be back in time for

>>38531137
>Buy some food and bring it to supplement the pizza at the LAN club.
I hate pizza

>>38531137
> Get food somewhere fast nearby.
>> Text Aelriss.

Fooood.

>>38531137
> Get food somewhere fast nearby.
When did we get Aelriss' number?

>>38531137
> Check out the LAN club.

Dude, free pizza. Score.

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>>38531220
I'm wondering the same thing.

>>38531137
>LAN club

Watch this mean something else entirely in this setting. Will we have to roll to see how much pizza is left?

>>38531137

You pull out your cell phone as you drag yourself out of bed. You need to get in contact with—wait, what? Who are you...

There's a beat, and you shake your head, adjusting your headgear to make sure the mild headache you've got isn't because it's on too tight.

Mm, that's it: you forgot to let Aelriss know how the meeting with the Guardians went. Right. You'll have to tell her when you've got a spare moment, or maybe she'll figure it out on her own? You did give her the time, after all.

You head outside into the low light of the late afternoon. Where to, then? There's a sandwich shop just across the street: that doesn't sound too disagreeable right now. You make your way over in due time, choosing from the menu in a bit of a hurry and sitting down for a second before leaving. The girl behind the cashier greets you cheerfully, but is giving you a bit of a nervous smile by the time all is said and done.

You exhale, pulling yourself together, then open your internet browser.

> [[ Wearing and using computing devices like your headgear in public is not socially condemnable. ]]
> [[ However, when an outlet is not available, they will operate on battery power. ]]
> [[ You have 100% battery remaining. ]]

> Check message boards for something about Broken Sky Online while you sit and eat. (Write-in)
> Head back to your room and relax before the raid.
> Head over to the LAN club.
> Text Eric.
> Log onto BSO.

Oh man if that's happening to us the roleplaying guild must be absolutely headfucked.

>>38531466
>Check message boards for something about Broken Sky Online while you sit and eat. (Write-in)
Look up the latest on new stuff people have found, what other cities there are, maybe look at some guides to see how the skilltrees progress

>>38531466
>Head over to the LAN club.

We can log in there, if there isn't a message board we can use for BSO to contact them.

>>38531523
Also look into glitches like that fortune teller glitch when we asked about ???

>>38531466
>Check message boards for something about Broken Sky Online while you sit and eat.
>>38531523
Same as in this post

>>38531466
Search anaximander on the message boards

>>38531466
> Head back to your room and relax before the raid.

>>38531466

You decide to see if you can glean any useful information online, considering there's an information blackout in Averron. It might not apply to you directly, but anything you learn is technically useful. Bearing that in mind, you log onto an old gaming forum that you used to frequent.

Discussion is slow, but looks relatively active. There's people discussing the classes and skill trees, and people talking about death, and what comes after. Some people are mentioning cities, too, and by name, but none of them are Averron—except in one thread, which seems to be collecting all of the information about different cities, and the Celestial Artifacts that have been created there. By Averron's name, “Crimson Wings”. A few others catch your eye, but you don't think the information will serve you well. You search the forum for Anaximander's name, but don't find anything of value; instead, you merely bookmark the link for later.

That in mind, you decide to check the imageboards. The threads here don't last too long; you're not sure if they're getting cleaned up, or the board is actually moving at lightning speed. Why is this game pay-to-play? What do you mean—it's free. Can you upgrade your account if you die? Does it actually hurt when you get attacked? I got killed: how do I get my UI back? This is wrong, the Celestial Gems are doing something to us. Shut up, you stupid fuck, it's just part of the game. Does time move slower in Broken Sky? That can't be good for your health. But that's not possible. How can the game interpret a prayer for a Celestial Artifact? Has anyone been to the fortune teller? The things he says are just completely random. What happens if you buy a prophecy?

You refresh, and refresh again: 404.

You finish your sandwich, feeling a little bit better now.

> [[ You have 99% battery remaining. ]]

> Head back to your room.
> Head to the LAN club.
> Log onto BSO.

>>38531853
> Head back to your room.

>>38531853
> Head back to your room.
> Log onto BSO.
That's quite enough reality for one day

>>38531853
>Head to the LAN club.

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>>38531893
>>38531894

(( Archived. We'll resume here next time.

I'll be back around in a moment to answer any burning questions, or you can ask at:

ask.fm/Sylvetican

Which I'm trying for a while, because I'm told it's the cool thing to do. As usual, thanks for playing. ))

>>38531984
Thanks for running, hopefully we'll get our raid on next thread

>>38531984
Is there anything stopping us from making throwaway emails to communicate with each other outside of BSO?

we can make private chatrooms that won't get shutdown, if ever.

>>38531984
> [[ Wearing and using computing devices like your headgear in public is not socially condemnable. ]]
This makes me wonder more about the march of technology in the real-world half of the setting. I get that most of the action's going to be taking place game-side, but what sort of cultural context is all of this stuff is taking place in?

>>38532120
I have a suspicion that neglecting our real life too much will lead to some sort of intervention.

I mean, the real life component is there for a reason, right?

>>38532165
Probably? I mean, as long as we don't start wearing our headgear everywhere in order to periodically check on whether or not our one Celestial Gem is still where it's supposed to be, I wouldn't be THAT worried.

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I keep forgetting to mention it in other threads but isn't anyone worried about the fact that this game is

>>circumventing some of the headgear's hardware limitations

Pic Related

>>38532941
I think that's intended in the sense that it requires the headgear's equivalent of rooting it or whatnot in order to do something like tone down sensory dampening safety stuff, rather than the software suddenly performing some incalculable magitech overclocking shenanigans.

Either way, the most likely thing is that it's going to be a matter of everyone not having read the EULA closely enough for them to notice that the game's free2play because they're funding it by broadcasting subliminal Coca-Cola commercials into your eyeballs while the game itself is piping in the VR.

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>>38533005
Maybe they're programming us to want coca-cola IRL as much as we want the celestial gems in-game.

>>38533120
Looking at their logo a little closer, the first C is definitely a C, but the second is definitely kinda G-like...

Only a matter of time before they think the imprinting has taken hold and they change the items' name to Celestial Crystals.

And I'd wager they tell you not to put a thin layer of tinfoil between your headgear and your head, too. Probably citing some total bullshit like "electrical conductivity" and "it'll kill you, you moron", I bet. BUT WE KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.

FIGHT THE SYSTEM!

>>38532941
I assume we're gonna hit some inevitable RL spookiness.
Arcadia had some weird shit going on too, that we never really got a chance to find out about.

>>38533120
>>38533278
>you can spend a CG to totally refresh yourself and your party
>total refreshment
ALL THE SIGNS ARE THERE.

what were the rules for sharing contacts again? We can just enter the name, right? I think we should get the names of our LAN club buddies for info on the other cities.

Is this dead?

>>38536140
archived, so just waiting to die unless there's something to discuss.