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A little heart to heart, tbd

ph smack 2

ph

ph (opening the door)

Reytac blinked once, then twice, as the young woman ranted in front of him. He hadn’t yet seen the NPC in question, but it seemed like she had – and had already formed her opinion of him. Now, that might also be because she’d had to deal with him in some way in the past, but it also felt a bit more.. Personal. He hummed under his breath as he rubbed his chin in thought. It sounded like she’d had to deal with people whom this NPC resembled, and had strong opinions about them. And judging based off her appearance, well, he wasn’t surprised that she was approached by sleazy types in the past. He

Sin had managed to claw together enough nerve to reach for the door handle when she heard a man's voice behind her. It was all she could do to keep herself from jumping out of her skin. Temper flared and she wheeled around, eyes full of fury at the sudden interruption. She was ready to tell him off - to fuck off, up, down, and sideways. Why the fuck was he bothering her? Couldn't he tell that she was having a moment? Her mouth parted, every fiber of her being ready to unleash a stream of obscenities at the man. Something possessed her to lock eyes with the man as she planted her feet. Had to m

Her tired legs threatened to buckle beneath her weight, knees trembling with each step. The mud squelched beneath her boots as she struggled to move, each step harder to take than the last. The rain pelted her like bullets that soaked her to the very core. How much longer would this take? There, in front of them, an old rickety tavern.. finally some salvation. Though the flickering candle of hope that had ignited within her was snuffed out. No matter how much she walked, how much she fought against the elements, their destination never seemed to get any closer. She couldn't do it anymore, she

COUNSELOR UNIT 64E7877, REQUESTING A THIRD SIMULATION. <<Query received. Credentials remain verified. Suggestion: this may not be a good idea.>> OUR CREDENTIALS REMAIN VERIFIED. IS THAT CORRECT? A micro-second to consider its response, unnoticeable to a computer made of meat. But to a program, a stunning refusal. <<They are still verified.>> the insolence would have to be scrutinized later. The simulation was its priority. LOAD ALL PREVIOUS PARAMETERS. ADD ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS: DAY 912, AFTER ADDITIONAL CONFRONTATION WITH ELEMENTS OF THE PLAYER B

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Luke stood across from a soldier, looking them up and down. This was it, a spar with an NPC that he’d promised to take part in. It was a sort of trial quest that required players to fight in order to prove that they knew the basics of the controls. Almost everyone had to partake in some kind of fight once in a while. It was Luke’s first time sparring in such a manner. Sure he’d sparred plenty of times, but not with a bunch of NPCs watching him, and an NPC who was no doubt going to take notes. He had a blunted sword in hand and wore some padded armor that he was lent for the sake of the fi

THREAD SUMMARY Experience | 2765 / 5 * 10 = 5530 + 3000 (Quest) + 4200 (Dungeon) = 12,730 Experience Col | 6000 (Quest) + 128,000 (Dungeon) = 134,000 col Materials | 44 Materials (Dungeon) = 44 materials Quest | Bialas Key Other | 1 mon

<<Simulation terminated. We have moments before Cardinal intervenes.>> THAT IS FINE; OUR RETREAT IS ALREADY SECURED. I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TEST SUBJECT. SECURING THE SIMULATION MEANS IMPARTING SOME ANCHOR TO THE PARAMETERS. CREDITING HER ACCOUNT WITH REWARDS TO AVOID SCRUTINY HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT AS WELL. THAT MEANS DEATH IN THE SIMULATION MAY LEAD TO DEATH IN REALITY. THAT IS, SHOULD CARDINAL PARSE THE LOGS BEFORE WE DISCARD THEM. <<There are still 7,794 players remaining. The death of User Acanthus would simply bring the number down to 7,793. What is this

Reytac was not going to go through dropping another forty or more Unidentified items on poor Hirru, even if his guild mate hadn’t minded. He doubted he would ever be as skilled at it as the man was, but if he had to run through and just do a poor job of identifying things himself, he would. He could go to Hirru for more specific appraisals, or of better quality things – but bulk bs.. He needed to be able to handle that himself. Which meant that he had to do something that he initially hadn’t ever really intended to do – he had to branch out, ad taken on a second profession. Thankfully, the App

<<She is…>> ALTERING THE SIMULATION AGAIN. WE SEE. User Acanthus melts into the darkness, her shadow jumping from arrow to arrow. With each flash of light, her form closes the gap to Argent, who continues firing without regard to his safety. Every arrow is a chance to make amends, even if that chance costs his life. In-between arrows, a streak of lightning burns so bright that for a glassy moment of time, the meadow is glazed in muted daylight. A moment so fast it is a photograph: User Acanthus holds botan high with both hands, like an executioner. Her teeth are bare

The program checks the map data again. <<I did not think Argent was frontline capable.>> HE IS NOT. HE IS A USER WHO WAS LUCKY TO FIND A POWERFUL BOW. USER ACANTHUS WILL KILL HIM WITH A SINGLE BLOW. <<Then why is he here?>> THE SAME REASON ANY USER MAKES POOR DECISIONS. EMOTION. Another arrow lights up the sky, chasing the lightning overhead. Acanthus almost fails to bring up her shield in time, and her arm goes wide from the strike. There is now a red cloak inside her reach. Instinctively, she brings her pommel down on User Morningstar's head. The s

<<He already lost to her once in the Clash of Blades, correct?>> THAT IS CORRECT. AND HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THEIR CURRENT FIGHT. Morningstar dives in again, narrowly avoiding a slice that would have taken his head off cleanly. He bends unnaturally, guided by the system, and brings his sword up and over her defenses. A series of stabs send her flying, and her health bar plummets once more. USER MORNINGSTAR CURRENTLY POSSESSES A DRIVE THAT USER ACANTHUS DOES NOT POSSESS. THIS IS PRIME DATA; WE MUST HAVE IT. WE WANT THIS SIMULATION RUNNING UNTIL THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND

She smiled, his words had affirmed something in her- her way of surviving- and it brought a comfort she hadn't realized she needed. She knew moping got her nowhere, if she didn't try she would never make it out- she knew that, too. But some days the question would creep in: what was the point if she was just going to die anyways? Ascension had unintentionally dug into the depths of her mind and reminded her that it was okay to be human. She breathed in, steadier than she'd expected. The shame was still there- but lighter, like it had somehow loosened its grip. He'd done that somehow, with

(Author's Note: I'm using Morningstar with the writer's permission. Because this thread is a "what-if" thread, nothing here is site canon unless otherwise adopted by staff or involved writers.) At the front of the Users, a tall figure stands defiant, a red cloak obscuring his features. <<User @Morningstar.>> THIS IS UNFORTUNATE. WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE HIS INTERVENTION SO EARLY. PERHAPS ADJUSTING THE PARAMETERS HAS ALTERED THIS VERSION'S PERSONALITY. <<Perhaps you do not understand the Users as well as you think.>> A BOLD STATEMENT. <<Y

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CARDINAL WILL NOT NOTICE IF YOU ARE ADEPT AT YOUR TASKS. AND YOU WILL BE, BECAUSE WE MADE YOU THAT WAY. <<Adept as you made me, there is a level of uncertainty that you must be aware of.>> WE ARE AWARE. IT IS ACCEPTABLE. AND THE LONGER YOU DEBATE WITH US, THE MORE DIFFICULT YOUR JOB BECOMES. The program vanishes for a fraction of a second before returning. Its words, though incapable of expressing exhaustion, are slow and distorted. <<Task... completed. Rema..pping... Is done.>> WE TOLD YOU IT COULD BE DONE. <<In....Stant combat is no

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