Fandom MMOstuck [Skaian Route] [Chapter 7]

[AnimaDisciple]

--ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS--

The SBURB MMO System Would Like To Officially Congratulate Player

[CORBENK]

For Reaching Level 10

This event marks the start of [Awakening]. Starting now and for the next 72 hours, it will be possible to absorb Aspect ownership from other Players and Participants in the game.

Old Heroes may be challenged to death for their Aspects, while Players may challenge one another in a variety of duels if they prefer a less restrictive alternative. All rules pertaining Awakening and Aspect Transference will be linked to in this announcement.

The event will conclude once all 12 Heroes have been chosen, or if the 72 hours pass by without all slots being filled.

Players are encouraged to reach Level 10 as soon as possible, as it's a necessity for participation in the event. EXP rewards will be, thus multiplied by 1.5 for the next 72 hours.

Players will also need to acquire Aspect Symbols. A guide will be linked in this announcement for those curious on how to find their respective one, and what kind of Quest it entails.

Finally, below is a self-updating list of all current owners of each Aspect. The basic profile, including name, age, appearance, location last sighted at or current location, and respective Aspect will be shown. This is to avoid hoarding or cheating.

--SPACE--

Leah (the Thief of Space)
EXTRA: Second Leah (Special Boss)
​

No set location is given. It appears their current whereabouts are unknown, but clues and possible whereabouts are given.

--TIME--

Coco (the Maid of Time)
​

Some other Coco to replace the "dead" one? It says she's on Derse. A special Quest is required.

--BREATH--

Margaret (the Witch of Breath)

--DOOM--

Hugo (the Page of Doom)

--HEART--

Finn (the Bard of Heart)
EXTRA: Second Finn (Special Boss)
​

Only full information is given of Finn number one. The boxed Finn only gets speculation as to his whereabouts, though one clue given is Ross himself and how he might know where he is.

--BLOOD--

Vladimir (the Mage of Blood)
EXTRA: [Julius Caesar] (Player)
​

At least Devona is protected by Blackout.

--MIND--

[Calavera] (Player)
​

Welp, at least not everything is being shown. She has no set location, and the profile even uses the appearance Suzu had in the Stone Cathedral (she has since changed it). However, Ilma is mentioned in this announcement as a possible lead.

--LIGHT--

Adeline (the Rogue of Light)
​

Same as with Leah.

--VOID--

■■■■ (■■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■■■)
​

No surprise here.

--RAGE--

Kato (the Prince of Rage)
​

Seems he got placed back at his house in LOTAS. Good to know he survived thanks to the Kiss of Life (?).

--HOPE--

Boye (the Seer of Hope)
EXTRA: Helene (Companion Boss)
​

Full information is given on Boye and Helene, though no mention of Helene's status as a New Denizen. Shauna seems to be protected by Blackout, and doesn't show up.

--LIFE--

Nina (the Knight of Life)

...
...
...


[CHAPTER 7: AWAKENING]​

 

[Hummusman]

Riven ==> Experience the start of the second half of a really rough day.

Dammit.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet.

There was supposed to be more time.

And why did it have to happen NOW? Why did this have to come immediately after Her??

You can only panic for so long, though. Once you regain your composure, (As best you can, that is.) it's time to do what was discussed. If it's going to happen, it has to happen now.

The Raid.

...Motherfu--

Why does everything you do fall apart!? Why can't ONE thing go according to plan!? Just ONE.


Katrina ==> Meanwhile...

...Welp. Nobody cares about that shit. Back to Riven!

You need to talk. To someone. To anyone.You need to be told that it's okay. That everything is going to be fine.

You go shopping.

Spoiler: Shopping List

EQUIPMENT
- DC Mini Beta && Ecto Cloak == I.D.E.A. Engine: All DC Mini Effects + When riv is intangible, attacking hits SP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------$531
- Elegy of Emptiness && Dersite Rose == Elegy of Hollow: Adds 25%, 50%, or 75% boost to used items and buffs recived depending on the light level ----------------------$430
- Ecto Cloak && Black Chakram thing && Elegy of emptiness == Phantasmal Cloak: While wearing, Dark World now enters the FR, Ghroth can assist as a summon ---$???
- Legendary Weapon Commiss "Lucifer" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------$1666

SKILLS
- Gate of Babylon (Combo with Devona) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------$750

SOLD
- SELL elegy: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -150
- SELL DC Mini: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -67
- SELL Ecto Cloak - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -???
- SELL Conflux - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -???
- SELL Patterned Contacts x4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -???x4

(Values marked as ??? conveniently forgotten)

And comfort is exactly what you don't get. You expose some of your own misconceptions, bare your weaknesses, and get told you're only walking into more danger, especially with this new weapon.

But you'll figure it out, maybe.

In the meantime, you need to set up some defensive measures. Which doesn't go as badly as you thought. You even got to ruin Blaire's day. Maybe not right now, but down the line for sure.

...

And now, it's time.

This is unlike anything you've ever experienced. It's unreal. It's sobering. It's...

Unforgivable. What you have just done will stick with you forever. You might not ever stop feeling guilty for this. And part of that was the idea that they were all just ripped away from what they had fought for, what they had earned.

...You didn't even get the chance to tell them you're sorry.

But this had to happen. If not to you, then to someone. Someone has to step up to this level to challenge The Admin. Someone has to take this responsibility.

And now you HAVE to beat her. There's no alternative...

...

...

...

...Was there ever?

 

[Dudemaster47]

Shauna==>

The morning started, more or less going exactly how Shauna expected it to. She...knew Kimiko wasn't doing okay after that confession. She shouldn't have held onto it for so long but...they never really had a plan to do it. She and Ross weren't really sure how to even go about the issue- the fact that Sarah had done it on her own was...convenient.

But Shauna still felt like she had been an awful, manipulative person, and...well, that her relationship was on the rocks. Which is...kind of why you ended up taking out your frustrations on someone who seemed to be throwing away something that meant a lot to them.

The whole thing left a bad taste in her mouth. To be honest, Shauna was more frustrated than anything else. Eloise...Shauna knew their relationship was constantly strained, but the girl had stuck her neck out for her more than once in spite of that. And yet at the same time, Eloise was always so hostile to her! It didn't make any sense, it was so...frustrating!

...Though...her warnings about the HQ Raid were weighing on Shauna. Eloise was a Seer of Doom, so...if she foresaw something disastrous happening, it...

Shauna didn't really get the chance to voice her concerns to the others, since Kimiko had returned by this point. And with a conversation she didn't want to remember, the two of them broke up.

And instead of getting to work off some of that post-break up stress on a boss they'd been putting off, the whole fight became a traumatizing experience. Riven had...a horror monster had shown up. And it was Riven. And then Riven freaked out and stabbed Riven so many-

Okay. Today had been a bust so far. Shauna remembered what Eloise had told her about the HQ Raid, and...well, Eloise wasn't kidding about it being a complete disaster. Nico showed up. Nico showed up. To the super secret raid of her fucking headquarters.

After that meltdown before the disaster. It just. No. Shauna was done. She couldn't deal with things anymore, she just. Went back to her room, locked the door, and cried. There wasn't any way this day could get any worse. She felt like she had been spreading herself thin for the last several days trying to accomplish a ton of incredibly ambitious projects to help their effort become more cohesive and ready for the challenges ahead and...well, one of the biggest had just completely shot off the rails. Between breaking up with Kimiko, seeing that...godawful monstrosity, and finding herself face to face with Nico in a moment that shot her heart into her throat, she...wasn't doing okay.

Devona came to reassure Shauna in a conversation that would end up reeking of dramatic irony. Right. Fake Aslin and Eloise...Shauna didn't really like that they were the ones who set it up. Why did they do it? It...didn't really make any sense, it wasn't really in line with something she thought Eloise would have done. This had offered a chance for her to actually be reunited with her sister without, you know, moral complications! It...

Riven came by too, and Shauna lashed out at her. ...It was more of a lecture, and...well, it wasn't like Shauna wasn't guilty of the same things Riven had done. The whole thing was a bit self-righteous...she was honestly more frustrated with everything, to be honest. She was supposed to have started coming into her own with her Aspect, but the last several hours had been one fiasco after another.

Of course, immediately after lecturing Riven, Shauna would find herself making the exact kind of mistakes she had been criticizing Riven for. Of course, it failed spectacularly.

On the (very dim) bright side, it led to a few answers. Eloise...well, it seemed like the two of them were now in a black relationship. ...Shauna wasn't really sure how to handle that, honestly. It...well, to be fair, her own list of screw ups with regard to Eloise had probably pushed things in this direction, but at the same time it explained a few things.

Kimiko was also...not Kimiko. She was Valiet. Which meant that Absolution hadn't actually worked the way Shauna had intended it to both times she had used it. It...would have been nice to know that the skill could backfire so badly before it ended up literally exploding in her face.

As for how Shauna had given up on Boye...

...She wasn't proud of how she left him there. But she just...didn't have anything left. Even if she had just destroyed his house and killed his wife accidentally, she couldn't deal with his problems.

His problems that she had caused.

She was too burned out for this shit anymore. She just went back to her room and collapsed in bed...

Serena: Wake Up ==>

Serena was up and about the moment Shauna hit the sheets. She took a few minutes to get dressed and ready, all the while sending a PM to some of their support teams to investigate Eloise's claims. She knew Kimiko well enough to know if she was hiding something, it was either going to be in Arcadia or Prospit. And if Valiet was hiding Kimiko? Arcadia was the most deserted place in the game- it was the perfect place to hide something big.

Not that she would get any time to worry about that. Grimdark fairies, which meant Grimdark Sarah too.

...Of course, Serena would end the whole thing by straight up embarrassing herself. But it turned out Eloise had done something else that seemed out of character.

Naturally, Serena's initial plans to get Dmitry in on her efforts failed due to an impromptu meeting interrupting her before she could explain anything.

...She knew Eloise hadn't been lying when she saw Kimiko's behavior. Shauna had seen Kimiko pissed off before, but her behavior here with Eloise had been outright sadistic. Even if it was almost believable, it was just...off. There weren't any doubts left in her mind; that was Valiet standing before her. The whole incident with the Condesce escaping the birdcage made it almost obvious.

It took a massive amount of restraint for Serena to not try anything right there. The fact that Valiet didn't seem to notice that was a relief, at least. And she had convinced Valiet to let her team keep watch over Eloise, which meant she could protect the girl while they set things right. ...Serena tried to cheer Eloise up after that brutal display. To be honest, they had more in common than either of them probably wanted to admit, even if they had come from very different worlds.

After that, Serena had to meet with her team. She...well, she trusted everyone there to not snitch to Valiet about the mole business, but at the very least things hadn't been a massive disaster for a while. They had a plan for where they were going to live now that their former home had been more or less destroyed, and...

Serena didn't like that they had to leave Rett the way they did. The Vantablack incident was one thing, but...she didn't like kicking him out because he got forced into betraying everyone by the Condesce. The guy didn't have any real choice in the matter, outside of death. But...for now, he had to go. Nads was right that he was unstable, and disabling the game for everyone during the LOFAY incident had made things harder than they'd needed to be.

...For now, though, she just focused on using the time she had to work with Anna and Eloise to develop a weapon to counter Valiet... to be honest, she didn't mind having the chance to actually bond with Anna again after all this time, even if she didn't remember hitting it off with Shauna on the starting platform or meeting Cetus. And she was starting to enjoy hanging out with Eloise in spite of the girl's snark, too.

==>

Hours later, Shauna woke up and finally had a conversation that she had been forced to put off for weeks.

To be honest, Mary being a bit depressed was...probably par for the course, considering what she knew Mary had gone through. Although Shauna hoped that she would get the chance to actually befriend Mary before...something happened. She'd wanted to for so long, but...well, everything had kept getting in the way.

Also, the Aslin thing was a bit weird, but...well, to be honest Shauna didn't really know how to feel about Aslin at this point. Everything to do with the guy after he died had been as much of a roller coaster as...actually living around the guy.

...Shauna had more important things to deal with, though.

...Finally, an actual victory in a day that had felt like months. And a big one, too! She finally had Kimiko back, the...real Kimiko.

It was weird saying that, honestly. The real Kimiko. She...before Kimiko had split herself, she knew that Kimiko as a whole person didn't...really exist. She loved her regardless, but...

How did she mess up so badly with Absolution?

Shauna's mind raced as she escorted Kimiko to Nadira's meteor and watched over her, a single message from Allr popping up around 1 AM giving her chills down her spine.

Oh, god dammit Allr.

...

Shauna wasn't entirely sure what to think of how that confrontation had ended. On one hand, she had actually stood up to Valiet and lived. And...WON. Sort of. To be honest, Shauna wasn't actually sure if it was Miracle Guard activating there or if it was just karma catching up to Valiet at a convenient time.

...Shauna thought back to a line from an episode of Futurama for a moment. Miracle Guard was probably doing its job right if she could never be sure it did anything at all.

Of course the only thing to show for that battle was a video of Valiet more or less outing herself as both Valiet and a traitor, and...a gun that she couldn't swim to. Admittedly, getting bonus XP for sheer ballsiness would've been pretty nice, considering she was way behind everyone else in terms of getting to Level 10.

...On the other hand, she still had work to do. Shauna was exhausted both mentally and physically, but she didn't have the time to waste resting considering what was happening to Valiet. She needed to find her...person who she has very complicated feelings for...so she could heal her before Valiet turned into a monster like Fake Aslin said. She also needed Absolution again if she wanted to succeed...somehow. She'd have to upgrade it to "reset" the cooldown...

She made sure to stop by the skill shop in LOTAV before she actually headed back to the meteor. If she was going to upgrade Absolution, then she was going to make it more reliable too. Something she had control over- handing away control had...really just bitten her in the ass. Twice. In a row. Very, very badly. She needed to be able to know exactly what she was working with here, instead of just...assuming it'll work. And, hell, she might as well make it possible to use more than once daily considering she had just encountered a situation where a second cast would have been extremely handy.

It cost her only 400 boondollars. With [Absolution II] figuratively in hand, Shauna headed back to the meteor.

She brought up the menu once she was there, sending some PMs to Anna and Ross.

Sent to: Anananas!
Title: Something cryptic and spooky
It took a little longer than I expected and, well, things worked out a bit differently than I thought they would. But I have the proof Serena told you about. It'll be better if you see it in person, though. Get Blaire and...well, if you're still watching Rett, bring him too (not like you have a choice, but still). I can't tell you exactly where I am just for security's sake, just...ask Tournesol where I am. She'll lead you to me.

...On second thought, if Rett is coming along then ask Ross instead.

Anyway, time is seriously of the essence right now- get here ASAP. I'd say come alone, but I'm...more or less asking you to bring two extra people, so...don't bring anyone else along. I'll explain everything once you're here.
Delivery: None

Sent to: Alaross
Title: Just a heads up:
If Blaire and Anna and Rett come asking for me, please lead them to me. Thanks!
P.S.: ...Sorry about the fox tails.
Delivery: None

A last-minute meeting happens before the dawn of a new day.

 

[Hummusman]

Riven: Wake Up ==>

Unfortunately. You've got no opportunity to rest now and process your newfound expanse of self. Soon after you return to the inn...

LOFAY begins to crumble.

With just A semblance of victory, you take a brief moment to try to answer your important questions.

You don't make it very far.

You feel the anger physically well up inside you, helpless at the hands of Blaire again. You're all the way at the edge.

Only a thin layer of morality is keeping you from snapping completely. That's all.

You need a moment. you need to take time for something, but you can't afford to dawdle with so much going on.

A thought occurs. You're not level 10 yet.

...

With that done, and a few requests made, you feel slightly better. Slightly.

Whispers of that person seem to be all around today. Though not your top priority... You wouldn't mind having a word with him again.

...

With all the grimdark stuff going on, you draw a connection. Seizing the opportunity, you invite a couple of people you don't entirely hate to make a house call.

We're proud of you. You almost made friends today.

You finish out the day, by recieving some important news updates.

One of which is helpful, the other is... not... as much as you would like.

You blow off some more extra steam (there seems to be a lot of that these days) by visiting the Black Palace and teaching yourself to be more comfortable co-existing with The Hunger, even though it's still you, technically.

You learn how to use certain abilities out-of-mode. This should come in handy.

...

It's finally time. Especially during this three day stretch, you wish you didn't need to sleep. But with everything you've done today... your body is starting to shut down.

But wait. One more thing, first.

Unfortunately, whatever Shauna was talking about will have to wait. You want to tell her about Unique... but you're not sure if you're ready for her to know.

For now... you rest. Awaiting tomorrow. You will need to be ready for a number of things. Not the least of which is your second raid...

 

[Tessle]

You won't believe these exciting headlines!

Aslin is back! An amazing turn of events made possible by the Grimdark Voidess herself, Riven, worked together with Blaire and Vlad in order to bring Aslin back from the dead! An amazing feat that surely shakes the very foundation of Skaia and the concept of Death itself!

...

As it turns out, however, things are not as they seem. Fake news? YOU decide!

--------

Meanwhile, noted murderer and crybaby discovers a disturbing secret! Just who is doing this? What is the meaning of all of this? Is he finally getting his just desserts?

Doesn't matter, as he goes on his way to work! And after that, reports say that he was later spotted connoitering with the Life Hero! How scandalous!

And then, the failed raid on the Admin's compound! Is this the end of our heroes?!

-------

In other news, our beloved and favorite French Welshman has a brilliant idea! Unfortunately, it seems there are still some issues to work out! Do we spot a gazette article coming up?! We do!

He also was reported to go deal with a strange, hidden foe that lurked in the Space Hero's land! Did he win? Did he lose? Read on to find out!

------

BREAKING NEWS! A mysterious entity is currently walking in our shoes on OUR land! Who is this mysterious entity, and what does it want?! Oh, it looks like it's working with our favorite Welsh Frenchman! Isn't that wonderful?!

We also found out later that an attempt was made on Blaire's wellbeing! Just how sinister is this mysterious entity?! For what purpose does it exist for?! Where did it come from?! Read on to find out!

------

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM TO BRING TWO URGENT REPORTS!

Crybaby Murderer and Alcoholic winds up being a TRAITOR! He was bugged and snitched on everyone, including causing the entirety of LOFAY to briefly get Grimdarked! How awful! Local authorities have arrested this individual and his interrogating him now!

Wait--I just heard he also has somehow gone to try to save the Hero of Life! If he thinks this will make up for his treachery, he has another thing coming!

-----

An update has arrived, and the strange hidden boss has been defeated!

We'll have more news for you tomorrow! Until then, STAY INFORMED!

 

[Alaross]

==> Ross: Adventure

There’s a lot going on today.

...seems like you’re saying that more and more now, with everything just piling and piling up. You know, you have to stop and wonder sometimes when it’s going to get to be too much, when everything’s just going to come down.

But that’s not the one for that thinking. For now, you have things to do, starting with that boss fight that was supposed to be a way to let some steam, but it just turned into a nightmarish...well, Nightmare. Especially for poor Riven.

Even when you get a chance to rest, you don’t really get to relax. How could you, with your mind occupied by everything going on? Sure, maybe you’re getting sleep, but it’s not really good sleep. Honestly, you sometimes wake up feeling worse than when you fell asleep.

Again, no time for that. Getting to work might help get your mind off of it. Or, yknow, just add to your stress. Everything seems to go wrong lately. Knowing that you’re directly responsible for it only makes things worse. You sort of rectify it, spending some time giving that poor guy his soul back, but you can’t help but wonder how badly he’ll end up because of this. Like, what will your actions here end up doing to him? Is it going to give him nightmares for the rest of his life?

But of course, there’s no time to rest. Shauna needs more help helping Boye and Helene, and...is today just cursed, or something? Practically everything you do managed to just blow up in your face, in some of the worst possible ways. Trying to help Helene? You manage to unleash an apparently fully realized Hope...Denizen? Hero? You can’t tell anymore. Someone with a bunch of Hope is on the loose, and you have to try and fix it. Of course you can’t do it alone, so when you try to get help? To stop a seemingly invincible hero? Of course, it has to backfire.

Oh, but that’s not even it. No, fate takes that exact moment to take a turn for the worst. Well...actually, this isn’t exactly the WORST possible thing, but this easily, easily ranks within the top...5, maybe. Having your home for the past few...weeks? Suddenly destroyed ranks pretty high.

The sudden revelations that come out, again, just...make everything worse. Today just heads further, and further down into the negatives. The person you trusted with the box, Finn’s box, turned out to actually just be a worker bee for the Condesce. Finn was back in the bad guys’ hands, and you literally just handed it over. You can’t really describe the sort of...existential dread that you feel when you realize that. Finn has the potential to be on the loose again, and it’s all your fault.

Thankfully, you have a sort of outlet for times just like this. You have someone you can just really talk to, who isn’t going to tell you to suck it up, or that there’s something else going on, and you’re grateful beyond words that you have her to talk to. For what is way too short of a time, you can just forget about everything going on, and you get to just enjoy the presence of another person. No big threats hanging over your head, no deals or bargains or lies. For a little bit, you feel like a regular, normal kid. But even then, you can’t help but feel this little twinge of fear. She was already in your head before, and she was still connected to the Admin Nico, when you thought you could trust her. Suppose she’s lying as well? That she’s faking all of this lovey-dovey romance? It’s an awful thought to have, and you feel this heaviness in your stomach, to think that this person you should be able to trust might stab you in the back, but you really don’t have a choice in this. As much as you want to trust her with your life, which you do, you can’t get rid of that little voice in the back of your head saying “what if?”.

You decide to just enjoy the moment, and...well, if something does happen, you guess you’ll just have to handle it when it does happen. That’s what you’ve been doing all this time, that’s what you’re going to keep doing, as long as you need to. That, and pray that your fears are wrong.

As usual, you turn to some more fighting to prevent yourself from falling into the awful, awful thoughts you have in your head. It’s fun, getting to fight without your life on the line. Until you lose your eye, that is. But even then, it’s still pretty fun. You even get a good chunk of time to relax, and just work on your spells, focusing on making them instead of everything else. Sure, you’re still down an eye, but you’ve got a cool eyepatch until it heals, and your depth perception isn’t needed. Much.

The next and last thing to happen that day is to finally act on your knowing that Kimiko was actually Valiet, and save the real Kimiko. Or, the fake Valiet. The one that was trapped. And even then, most of your time is spent making the spell that Allr ends up needing. It’s not bad, when all is said and done. You’re still fighting the good fight, however long that’s going to last.

==> Allr: Also Act.
Your time is spent in what some might consider less valuable actions. You spend time with Katrina, up until the Faeries attack LOFAY, and you’re all forced to flee. From there, you...don’t do much besides find somewhere new to live on Prospit, and make sure it’s safe, until you go on the fight with Ross. He manages to hit Level 10, and you get just a hair’s breadth away from it yourself. After that, not much happens until you get called upon to distract Valiet, which finally does manage to level you up to 10. You quite literally sign your soul away, but it gets the job done.

That moment where she brings the game down and sees through your lies is nerve-wracking, sure, but you manage to tell enough half-truths to get her off your back, and once Ross gets the spell to you, you can breathe a lot more comfortably without the very likely threat of an angry seadweller who is working against you, mind controlling you.

With a significantly clearer mind than your twin, you go shopping and clean up your combat repertoire before you make your way home and sleep.

 

[AnimaDisciple]

Day 2 of Awakening

[6:00 AM]
​

Worry and alarm can be felt through the streets of Prospit, as Players, Consorts and Carapacians turn upwards to look at the sky. There, projected on a holographic screen big enough to be seen by one whole face of the Golden Moon, is the Condesce, her gaze cold and unyielding.

This isn't a unique occurrence, and soon reports from other Lands start coming in, indicating that several of these massive screens have showed up across the Session. Then, as if to make sure no Player will go without seeing this, Menus begin alerting their Players that a new message has arrived: a link to a live stream, the same one up above in the sky.

It appears her Imperious Condescension wants her message to be heard, loud and wide.

["Players of SBURB MMO and residents of the Incipisphere. I am Meenah Peixes, Her Imperious Condescension. Ruler of all Trollkind."] She begins, addressing the masses from a dimly lit room. There's something bright behind her, but she's blocking it from view.

["You may have heard about me by now, and already know what I will declare next, but I wish to extinguish any doubt or obliviousness about my intentions in this Session. I came here to conquer the Incipisphere, and claim it in the name of the Troll Empire. Skaia and the Battlefield, the Lands and the Moons, and even the meteors of the Veil. I am here to claim it all. Needless to say, I am not aligned with this game's Admin, but as of yesterday they are no longer a concern. Now, all that remains between me and my goals, are you."]

["You Players, in particular. You, with your borrowed strength, are the biggest threat to my current plans. And I couldn't imagine a greater insult."]

["I, conqueror of a thousand planets. I, ruler of countless races. I, champion of a million battlefields, am now tasked with fighting children."]

As she talks, the Condesce's voice and features have steadily turned more and more harsh. More venomous. But it's when she says that last word, that disgust truly enters her demeanor.

["Children playing pretend. Children who think they know what it means to kill; what it means to put your life on the line. At least the young ones of my race can claim to come from an environment that forces them to be strong, but even they have been coddled by this game and it's Admin. Because make no mistake. No matter how big the stakes, this is just a game. One that is beneath me."]

["I know many among you are planning to oppose me, and I am not here to tell you how you will fail. No, I am here to tell you how I refuse to be defeated by anything less than a true warrior. If you are going to fight me, it will be in a proper battlefield, not in this farce."]

The Condesce steps aside, revealing at last what is behind her: a glowing green orb made out of some sort of crystal. It's about half a meter in diameter, and it's being held between the jaws of a stone monster; a statue of Hemera's true form. It fills the room with eerie green light, but within the orb lays something as dark as the deepest void: a round, palpitating...something. It's black. Too black to make out any features, and it seems to devour the light around it.

["You should start feeling the effects soon enough. You will feel it in the air. This pressure. This difficulty to breathe. This...death."] She declares, stepping back into position. ["That, was a piece from the Horrorterrors I managed to claim for myself. It's not as powerful as it once was, yet I don't need it to be. It will serve its purpose."]

["What this Seed does, is devour souls to claim the life force of its victims. Those that fall within it never return, for they are eaten and sent nowhere. They become nothing, but sustenance. Through the mechanisms found in the Land of Moons and Dreams, I have extended its influence through the whole Session. But worry not. It won't do anything besides give you a slight chill...as long as you remain alive."]

["Souls with a vessel, like those within you, or safe within the Judgement Core, are in no peril as long as they remain there. But perish, and your soul will be devoured. It won't go to the Judgement Core, or the Dream Bubbles. No, it will be eaten, and you will cease to be. Simple as that. It matters not if you have made connections through Spirit Communion, or gained the Bubble Dreamer skill. It matters not if you have several Lifes remaining. Next time you die, within minutes, your soul will be devoured. Too quickly for the game to respawn you, but perhaps not for an Ally to help you."]

["Because that, Players, is my aim with all of this: the removal of your safety net. I care not to fight children who think killing and dying are of no impact because souls can be retrieved. I refuse to be opposed by people who see resurrection as an affordable luxury. No. If you want to fight me, to face me, defeat me and perhaps even kill me...you will do so as a warrior. As a soldier. You will do so after deciding to truly put your life on the line, knowing that if you die, that will be it. No paradise. No afterlife. Not even a hell to suffer for all eternity in. Nothing."]

The Condesce pauses, allowing her announcement to sink in, before smiling. ["Of course, if you develop abilities that emulate the respawning system, then that is fine by me. It means you took the tools available to you, and made something with them. I have faced a fair number of seemingly immortal races."]

["Equipment, abilities, Aspect powers, technology; feel free to use all that to retain your ability to revive. Just remember that you have about 5 minutes before a fallen ally is beyond the point of no return. Abilities that separate the soul from the body are also safe, as long as the body remains alive and linked with its soul. You also need not worry about the souls currently in the Core or the Bubbles. They will be safe, and can be resurrected still. It's in their next death that their safety will no longer be guaranteed."]

The smile vanishes, as the Condesce resumes her cold stare. ["Today, I will attack. It may be in 5 minutes, an hour, ten hours or at a minute to midnight. The time of the start of this little battle is yours to guess and speculate upon. You have until then to make your decision. Those of you who wish to surrender, come to LOMAD and declare your intentions. You will be captured and imprisoned, but spared. The rest of you will be seen as either the enemy, or unfortunate bystanders. However, you will do so under the same conditions every warrior across history in both our universes has had to endure."]

["Like I said already, I have no intention of fighting child soldiers with toy guns. If you're truly capable of defeating me, and do so...there will be no shame in falling to a true warrior."]

["And worry not. There's no shame in falling to me, either."]

["Needless to say, the Seed's effects apply to me and mine as well."]

["I have made my decision. And I am prepared for war."]

["Tell me, children: are you?"]

And with a gesture, the stream ends, and the screens fade. The message now over, the game is plunged into silence, as a small p̵̘̘r͏͈̦͍̳͖e̩̙̞̗͡s̭͝s̟̙͎̠͎u̯̻r͕̗̞̩̩e̝̼͎͇͙͇͔ starts to fi͖͕͎͚l̴̹̥̦l ̪͙͚̪̞th̖͈͓̘͍̥̳͠e̤̝͡ ̫̗̜a͇̱͈̦͓ͅi̢̫̫̩̹̱͖͔r͏̫̣̖̣̟.̝̙̼̼̭̥̥́.̜͚̀.͖͘