Futuristic Humanization IC

[archur]

Humanity is destroying itself.​

One by one the plight of technology takes another form, another body, another mind under it's thrall. Soon, the world will succumb to the artificial and everything will rust, and crumble to ashes. Nations war with one another over quickly depleting resources, their people begging for release, only to be beat back into submission. The creative minds of earth are spent exhausting themselves over new weapons, new bombs, immediate solutions to problems that religion and greed create. Billions of souls crowded on a ball of rock and water in space are jammed together, squeezing for space, begging to be free. But the only freedom feasible enough is death. And so these souls share that freedom with one another, quite often. Often enough to beg for another release, for a solution for those trapped mentally, physically, spiritually. Danger is loose, and it is already grafted to you.

But those who realize the danger they have sown into the earth wish to reconcile, and offer a second chance for those who can afford to take it. Not many are able to truly make the most of such and opportunity, but it's window grows smaller and more dim as time passes. Finally, freedom, but at a price. Years of time will pass and maybe the earth will be destroyed then. That matters not. What does matter, is what can be done in the present.

This is their story.​

CS

Coded by Devious Dilbert​

 

[archur]

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CS

 

[archur]

It was a cold and rainy morning in London, as usual. In fact, he really doubted that London had any other weather than 'rainy and grey', he has never seen a day where the sun was shining on a cloudless day. There was always dots of grey clouds painted onto the blue canvas overhead. "Another day in His Majesty's Kingdom I suppose." He said aloud to himself. "Alright, just think of nothing. Nothing. Shhhh..." He then mumbled, trying to coerce himself into silencing his own tinny voice, his words sounded like they were synthesized, artificial, his own vocal cords replaced with a computer's speech analog. The price to pay for having luxuries like he did.

"The street he was traveling down was narrow, an old street. Horrible for cars really, they were more of side alleys that cars sometimes came down through. It was one of the many ways to his work. That doesn't necessarily mean that it was efficient. He should've taken the tube to work if he wanted to get there before 8, but now it was 30 past 8 and he was almost there so all was fine really. It really wasn't like he was trying to delay or is walking down this mostly empty street because he had a lot on his mind to think about." A window nearby was shut as he kept walking, narrating his anxiety aloud to try and find some revaluation by looking at it from an outsider's perspective. He called out to the window. "Sorry!" "The stupid thing'll short out someday, and then I won't be a freak with a mask that talks to himself. I'll just be a freak with a mask." He coldly remarked.

He finished the rest of his brisk walk with a relaxing bout of music to calm his nerves. It was always calming to listen to music, got his mind out of the deep dark, and filled his thoughts with music, so he was humming, something more socially acceptable than to talking to yourself. Blaring sirens passed by as police cars chased a revving engine on the outskirts of the city. Typical. Syndico's large tall building sat in the middle of a shopping center and a residential district, easily accessible to both. That was one of the company's original goals with their products, make it so that everyone could get their hands on it. They did that well enough alright.

The stylized Syndico S leered down from the white glossy walls at him. Another day at the job. Directly under the S, he pushed his hand forwards, grasping for some sort of indentation on the featureless surface. The entire building seemed to be utopian in design, no doors, windows, or air vents, just a white shiny block with a spiky red S on it. Finally finding the gap, he inserted both his fingers into it as a small machine scanned over it with a blueish light. Strange how there wasn't anyone to help him with entering the building today, hopefully there would be at the other locations. Then again, it was seven in the morning, but it was just strange how Craig wasn't here today. Probably at another location. The large man with his imposing figure and bald head was something of a comforting figure for Erik. He really didn't know why, but he knew that that man had something of a strange past.

Entering through the doors which had slid to the side almost magically, he entered the stark white hallway. The doors slid shut behind him as he passed the entrance room, and the blinding white facade finally vanished. Nobody at the receptionist's table, which proudly presented itself in the middle of the atrium. Two staircases flanked it on either side, spiraling up a few flights. He took the left staircase today, and made it to the third floor of the twenty five story building. His office. Bit of a mess at the moment, but that wasn't the prime concern at the moment. Today was supposed to be the launch day for the company's new pet project, to 'save' humanity or whatever. He had to configure a program his father gave him and test it to ensure it is safe and whatever other mind-numbing safety precautions he had to go through before the opening hour at nine o'clock.

He gingerly pressed an eject button on the back of his helmet, just a little above the nape of his neck. Out from the little sliding port, he caught a USB from falling to the ground. Poor helmet design on his part, but he always used that to try and talk to people whenever he couldn't bring himself to say 'Hi' without embarrassing himself. He had been scanning through the files on his walk absentmindedly, letting it run background processes to better understand the type of problems it might crash into. But so far, it seemed that the suits made this one with all the best bits. Completely smooth. All he had to do it seemed was just plant it into the machine and wait for clients to come online.

Shrugging, he wiped his arm across his desk, clearing the stress filled pizza nights and various memorabilia from his desktop. Holoscreens appeared before him, but he waved them away as well. His arm syncing with the electronics in the room, he brought the VRPlayer to the center of his desk using a series of arm motions, mostly manipulating it from the walls from the side of the room, under the floor, and up through his desk which was connected to said floor. Poor planning on design maybe, but it was cool to have things you put on your desk vanish. Fun trick when he introduced his family to his job. He picked up the blocky console, and set it down near the 'window'. The 'window' was really a camera feed from the walls of the building, that was why it was so glossy, and the lighting is feigned natural light, keeping an easy glow on the eyes and mimicking the actual light value outside according to the time and weather. Technology is cool. He knocked on the window, pulling up a menu with varying options, from 'Turn off Window' to 'Call Coffee Machine'. He used that last one a lot. He selected 'Call VRPod'. Within seconds, the walls parted to allow the large pod, something out of an old sci-fi that was angled so the user would be laying down in a comfortable position, allowing them to just step in and turn it on. Of course, Syndico milked this idea by making small accessories that could be brought into the sim as well, no matter what sim it might be. Smirking, he placed a little model of a 'Turret' from his desk into a side compartment to be scanned in for later. He hoped he had somewhere to put it in the sim.

Placing the USB disk into the console, he then plugged it into the side of the Pod. This pod was a dev pod, one of the more finer in tastes, being one of the first to actually been used by the founders of Syndico. This pod was kept in special storage, away from the more mainstream consumer pods that were kept on the first floor for the clients. Those were in rows and mass produced, while his was a one of a kind. Something hipster-ish really, since besides from having the blue tint on the sides, it was virtually identical. He wondered if any of these new clients had ever really been in one of these buildings before, but usually the process was pretty linear. A receptionist would guide them to the back and then they put their things into the little side storage before hopping in. But he knew somebody was going to step out of line. He did when he first signed up for the job and had his first briefing by stepping into one. The side effect list was a doozy! Headache, swollen gums, nausea, vomiting, the whole nine! It in comparison to having his arm cut off was nothing however, but a job is a job, and it's a well paying one too.

"Well," he said aloud to himself. "here goes nothing." He hated stepping into the Pod without knowing what sim he might be dropped into. A little bit of shimmering as his eyes and ears readjusted to the artificial room he was placed in. It was full of space, and he appeared to be sitting at a wooden desk, his little 'Turret' sitting on the left edge of it, just like it did in the real world. A snort from Erik was all the was warranted from the simulation's placement of his desk toy, and then it was back to business. He would simply have to wait until all clients appeared. Twining his fingers, he began to twiddle his thumbs in anticipation, waiting for the first few clients to pop into existence onto his host server.

 

[0stinato]

Aside from eating and sleeping, Rüdiger saw bathrooms as yet one more place to partake in activities that were a waste of time. Did he feel more satisfied now than when he'd gone in? Did he feel better? Did it make any difference? Not particularly. He kicked at the door as it took its sweet time sliding open for him - was it reincarnated from a snail, was it really? - before striding out. One hand snaked out of his pocket to adjust the hem of his shirt - white, like the purest virgin angel - before moving up to unbutton the very top. Why had he done up that button, was he nervous?

Probably. A few minutes ago, at least, he'd been struck by the slim paranoia that whoever was looking at him would be suddenly suspicious of him. So he'd done up the button.

Loosening it allowed his neck to move more freely, and the claustrophobia his shirt was bringing vanished, similarly to how his paranoia had left his body a while ago. It hadn't lasted long... neither had it been strong... but being trapped in a bubble of grey, it was really concerning if he felt anything. All he could do was imagine how strong that paranoid sense would have been if the Nerve Stapling wouldn't have got in the way.

More importantly though, that paranoia had got in the way of any sort of positive experience he may have just had. He continued to slouch down the stark white corridor, commenting in his own head how perfectly everything was coloured - or not coloured, not coloured - and finally saw the queue he was supposed to be standing in.

"Do not attempt to lean on the railings."

Rüdiger stared blankly at the sign as he read it briefly. It offered nothing more than that, hovering in midair... though he knew what a) the sign was and b) why it had the warning. The sign, like the railings, were clearly going to be holograms, though pristine and perfect ones. They fit in so well it was - almost - impossible to differentiate between the hard, solid desks Syndico workers were sat at and the sign and railings themselves. The sign's ability to hover was the giveaway, but the railings... Rüdiger could only imagine the amount of people - stupid stupid stupid - who had attempted to lean on... light.

He sidled around the railing - surely social norms forbade him from walking through it? - to join the queue. Both hands had found their way back into his pockets. And so he stood, statue-like. Staring at the hood of the jacket of the person in front of him. And he missed his own hoodie. It was his go-to attire, his hoodie. But it was far too paint-stained to qualify as something smart enough to go out in, let alone to check into a once-in-a-lifetime Syndico offer. The company offering him salvation - or close enough to it, emotion? - surely expected him to not come dressed in something that made him look like a paint-murderer. One cuff of the hoodie was permanently stained red - or, as the tube called it, mesa crimson - so it definitely looked like he'd killed... something, if not someone.

The queue moved slightly, and Rüdiger's attention was drawn across the hallway by a girl. Recognisable, but completely opposite from him in terms of colour; while he had on a white polo shirt and white jeans - so hard to find white jeans in a mens' size - she seemed to be dressed entirely in shades of grey. But her skin wasn't too far off in hue to his own. So at least that was a nice colour relief.

He didn't stay looking at her too long as she vanished out of his peripheral vision, but he'd noticed her presence. It would be hard not to, what with his relation to her.

Devious Dilbert

 

[Hercynia]

Aaron shrugged a little lower in his jacket, wrapping the black material around himself as the bitter wind howled along the streets, flurries of snow alighting in his eyelashes and the stray strands of hair that escaped the snug hood they were hidden under. Trees bowed under the howling gale, and Aaron spent a brief moment pondering the poetry in their kneeling - as if begging a superior foe to show mercy. He stopped momentarily, reaching for the camera in the satchel strapped securely to the outside of the jacket, before stopping, glancing around and hurrying onward. A woman holding hands with her child gave him a strange look, and Aaron hunched even lower, as if attempting to drown himself in the soft folds of his jacket, and sped up. He couldn't stop here. He would- He had places to be, and there was no time to spare.

At least, that was what he told himself. Nevertheless, he thought back to the woman's suspicious look, the tugging of her child's hand. Was he really- No. Physically shaking the image out of his head, Aaron forced himself to slow his pace to a regular walking speed. Self consciously, he glanced around again, noting with relief that the street ahead was empty of pedestrians. Nobody really wanted to be outside in this weather, he supposed - not that he could fault them for it. Still, they should really be used to it - when it came to snow, Canada seemed to have no boundaries.

As Aaron walked, he noted that the buildings around him slowly became taller and cleaner, shining white and grey towers rising into the overcast sky - and there, dominating the skyline, his destination. Snow flicked around the looming Syndico tower, its edges fading in and out of the white snow flickering down behind it. The white blocks most distinctive feature was the dominating red "S" that shone brightly through the blizzard, a harsh gash in the pure tower. All that failed the metaphor was blood, Aaron mused, and resisted yet another temptation to take a photograph as he hurried on towards it.

 

[FLTxxBLACKOUT]

“All approved patients please make your way to sim dock 3”

I looked up from the singapore national news and blinked twice. I quickly moved my finger across my tablet removing the news from the screen and instead filling it with a long list of notification the most most in bold letters read “Report to sim doc 3”. I hadn't missed heard it the day had finally came after nearly two months of waiting within this facility i'm finally one step closer to answers.

I got up off of the bed i had been sitting on the room i was in much like the rest of the Syndico facility was very bland and very white. The only things with in the room was the bed that hung out from the wall and a faux mirror that showed the beautiful singapore skyline. I moved over to the blank wall opposite of my bed and moved my hand towards a small indentation as i pressed it in the wall slid apart revealing an open hallway that led to my left and right. I stepped out into the open hallway that would have long very unnaturally long if the few open doors didn't hint to the fact that many more rooms were hidden at regular intervals. Two months in this place has not helped with learning the layout of this building everything looks the same white wall, hidden doors and in a few choice places the red Syndico S. I pressed down on a few buttons on my tablet and a map of the facility was brought up. So to reach sim doc three i'd have to head right and continue on till the first left then id walk past the john johnson memorial plaza until i reached the sim dock. Easy enough I thought to myself and began the trek. One thing about syndico that still gets to me is why are there so little people i could go days without seeing another soul it was so odd to have such a state of the art facility but not having anyone use it. As i finished turning the last corner i did see some one a tall nicely dressed man wearing an all white suit with a red tie along with a red S on the left breast pocket. He was standing next to a dead end and as i reached him he asked me for my identification. I handed him a slip of paper having my name and picture with a signature and the printed letter of approved stamped over it. He looked at before moving to the side and placed his hand on the wall as he did wall slid open to reveal the sim dock.

The sim dock was a large room about the size of a football field. The room looked at home with the rest of Syndico large white walls the only differences where the large wires that moved across the roof i couldn't see exactly where they led across the middle of the room was a large red curtain with a white stage in front of it leaving about 15 feet at either side of the stage that was only blocked by the curtain. In Front of the stage were ten white chairs in two orderly rows. 6 people were seated in the seat they were mostly young rebellious types most likely here to show their parents they can't be controlled. I sat down down in the back row and as the last three subjects entered the room I thought for a second on why anyone in singapore would even want to try this procedure. Compared to the rest of the world singapore was a heaven minimal crime, no underground slavery rings, and functional immortality, why would people throw that away? Just as i had that question i thought about myself and if really was a good idea to leave everything behind on a hunch, at the end of the day no matter if it was right or wrong I can't go back now I come to far to leave without answers. I looked back up at the stage and there were now three people dressed in standard syndico uniforms the one standing in the middle walked up to the podium on the stage and began to address our group.

“Welcome everybody. Today is the day we have all been waiting for the day you all make history, for on this day we start the rehumanization process and after it is complete you along with many other people like you from around the world will be the first people in year to live as truly yourselfs. This process will remove any and all mind and thought altering augs from you and return to you your humanity and your life and we thank you all so much for taking this brave step forward in the world. Now if all of you will head to the left side of the stage we will be collecting any last valuables you own and safely depositing them until you reawaken, and then the process can begin.”

We all got up moved to the left curtain that was no open and on the inside was a small room where people were collecting items from the subjects. I handed them my tablet and continued through one more curtain to a room almost double the size of the last filled with rows and rows of these white pods. They clearly were expecting a lot more people to join then had actually shown. One of the staff members led me to a pod and as we approached the glass began to open sideways and the inside had a nice seat which the helper told me to step inside and relax. I did as instructed and entered the pod as i sat down the glass sit back and before i could even think to say something a shock hit the back my neck and soon I felt tired and blacked out

When I awoke i was still sitting but not in the pod as i had before but instead of a more conventional chair and in front of me was a chair with a man with a weird helmet on they sat in a old room similar to what you would find in the average office. Before i had a chance to say anything the light around me began to shape and change into the form of people as more subjects began to enter the simulation.

 

[animegirl20]

The German girl looked up at the tall building that stood in front of her. She stood there for a moment then headed inside the building and took a look around. There were people talking working and all sorts. She looked around and found a lady sitting at the desk and walked towards her. She guessed this was where she needed to be. The woman looked up at her and very clearly judged her clothing. Klara thought this woman was insane if she thought what she was wearing was weird. Had this woman not seen what people consider style today? The woman asked for her name. When Klara gave it to her she looked on the list not seeing her but then checked another list. The woman glanced up at Klara stood up and told her to follow her. Klara followed the woman down the hall. Klara thought she would see more people here but it didn't seem to be making to much of a fuss. She wondered how many people were actually doing it. Of course she had to remember that this was happening around the world not just here in Germany.

She soon found herself in the lower level of the building and in front of her was a pod. The woman instructed Klara to get in, which she did. Klara got in and the moment the pod closed everything went black and she then suddenly found herself sitting in a chair. She looked around and saw two men one wearing a helmet. She was curious to why but decided to ask later. "Nur drei bisher nicht wahr? (Only three so far huh?)" She said to herself. She then made a quick note to herself that she should probably speak in English. Klara adjusted the red bow on her head then crossed her legs as she waited for more to arrive.
archur
FLTxxBLACKOUT

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Fiora Velaeris
Location: Syndico, London, England

Fiora dusted herself off. She looked into the mirror reflecting the white walls and white floors behind her. She stared for a while, preening her hair.
Syndico was a white, blank slate both inside and out. Not a stain or even a dent or crack in the wall was present. It was overwhelming, she thought. The environment gave her even more chills than the thought of getting into their pods.
She sighed and leaned over the bathroom sink, looking into her own eyes. Her watery, dark eyes.
Coming here alone was proving to be an intimidating task, she thought and groaned softly to herself.

In the bright and stretching halls of Syndico, there was not a sound except for her light footsteps and the friction of her clothes. She wore quite a bit of dark grey and black, making her feel a bit out of place in her surroundings. But it wasn't just the sharp contrast of colors that stressed her. She was walking down empty, lifeless hallways. Until she had reached her designated number.

She preformed a quick self-mental check, took a deep breath, and frantically looked both left and right down the hallway.
She caught a glimpse of somebody she briefly met earlier. 0stinato
Oh, him. He's the only human I've seen so far...

She stepped inside the room. It was white too. An older man asked her name and she gave it. He told her to lay in one of the pods in the room and she did just that. Then the world dimmed.



Dezien Romaire
Location: Syndico, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

A tall man sat at a desk dressed in pure white set down his hot coffee as a younger, shorter male appeared at the doorway.
"Romaire?"
"Yes, sir. That's me."
"Okay, let me quickly..."
The room was silent. The tall man skimmed the light yellow sheet of paper on his clipboard as the boy took a few steps inside..
He stopped in the center of the room. A few seconds passed by.
"Thought suppressors, huh? Must be a nightmare." The man made a face before getting up from his desk.
"...Yeah. It is..." He shifted in place.
"Don't I know it..."
The younger male looked up to the taller man.
"Alright, let's get started." He gestured to a pod. A long, grey pod. It was the only thing in the room that wasn't white.
The boy walked over to the pod. Glass doors rose and he laid inside.
"Relax, close your eyes. Don't think," he chuckled.
The younger male squinted at him.
Soon, he heard a click and then found himself in a dark and empty void. It seemed a few others had already arrived before him.

 

[Hercynia]

Aaron stepped inside the Syndico building, noting with relief that the lobby he found himself in was completely empty apart from himself and a lone receptionist. That made sense though, he supposed. Few people would have any reason to be here at 4 AM in the morning. Not unless they were here for the same reason as him.

Aaron took another few steps forward and flinched in surprise as the automatic doors behind him hissed closed. He glanced at the receptionist, embarrassed, but she was still looking down, typing away on her computer. Good. He took a few breaths, calming himself, and lowered the hood of his jacket, his red hair spilling wildly out of its confines. Only one thing to do now.

Slowly, carefully, Aaron made his way towards the receptionist, fingers tapping against his thumb in a staccato rhythm as he attempted to clear his mind of thoughts. Five metres away. Four metres away. Three metres away- and the receptionist looked up. Aaron stopped, suppressing the instinct to bolt.
"How can I help you?" The receptionist asked, smiling the fake smile all receptionists were trained to present.
"I'm Aaron Frey, I- I'm here for the-"
"The new augment removal program?" The receptionist smiled her fake smile once again, and tapped a few keys on her computer. "Alright. Down the hall, up the elevator, through the second door on the right."
Aaron nodded, and left, as quickly as his legs would carry him without breaking into a run. That had been... relatively painless, much to his surprise. Reaching the elevators, he frowned in disdain at the five sealed metal doors before taking a small door to his right marked "Stairs". He climbed the steps two at a time, thankful that it wasn't yet late enough in the morning for any members of the public to be here yet. Reaching the top of the stairs he waited in momentary irritation for the automatic door to slide open, before checking himself. He had time. No need to be impatient.
Aaron walked slowly down the featureless corridor, until suddenly, finally, he was outside the door. A blank, opaque white door in a blank white corridor. The only marking on it was the red "S", glowing brightly. Aaron stared at it, and as he stepped closer to examine it further the door slid open.
The room was fairly large - larger than Aaron had been expecting, anyway. Two men in white coats floated about six empty pods with grey glass fronts, checking connections, wires, and tapping at the small displays set into the side. A few large lockers were built into one wall, and wires wound their way across the ceiling. The empty pods were arranged oddly though - instead of in a line they circled around a thick central pillar, where pipes, wires and cables snaked down into the pods. The room was filled with a low, taunting, almost inaudible hum, that danced in and out of hearing. Aaron stepped slowly inside the room, towards the lockers, and as the door slid shut behind him one of the men in the white coats glanced up and made their way over to him, consulting a small holographic pad.
"Aaron Frey?"
Aaron nodded.
"Please place your items and personal effects into one of the lockers, then make your way to a pod." The man spoke stiffly, dark circles around his eyes. Aaron nodded again, and made his way to the lockers, taking off his satchel and jacket as he did so and placing them inside. Did he have anything else? He didn't think so. With a shrug, Aaron turned towards the pods, doing his best to swallow his trepidation. The pods seemed to stare at him, like some newly discovered deep-sea monster. The technician sidled up to him, a neutral expression on his face. Aaron caught the distinct smell of ozone and burning rubber, and resisted the temptation to wrinkle his nose.
"Ready?" The technician asked.
"Yes." Aaron's voice trembled a little as he spoke, and his fingers started tapping their staccato rhythm once again. He slowly made his way towards the pod closest to him, flinching as the lid rose up amid a release of white mist and a loud hissing. Well. Now or never, Aaron supposed - and quickly, before his nerves failed him, took the last two steps to the pod, and lay down inside it. The glass door hissed shut and the technician smiled insincerely down at him.
"Close your eyes, Aaron."
Aaron did so, against his better judgement, and then there was a click, and he opened his eyes, staring at the new world before him.

 

[MahoganyLeaf]

Fara sat in her brother's car, as he drove. He'd offered her a ride like a real overly-protective brother would do for their amnesiac baby sister. Despite her refusals, he'd sincerely insisted that having her walk all the way over to Syndico by herself would only tire her and was unnecessary when he had his car and therefore could easily drive her there instead.
She took a proper look through her side window and briefly observed the crowds of people walking their ways across the streets, seemingly busy with their own lives as they quickly passed them by.
The weather was a bit sunny today with a few clouds surrounding and covering the sun here and there, but also pleasantly breezy and cool. It was nice this way, she'd thought. The air was neither too warm or cold. A decent balance of the temperature was what she'd preferred most of the time.

"So...Sis, are you nervous?" Her brother, Greyson, asked her.

Fara was abruptly pulled out of her flow of thoughts, turning her vision back to the dark-haired older male in the front seat.

"Hm? Oh, uh yes. Yes, I guess so." She quietly stated, fiddling with her thumbs as she looked out of the window once again, attempting to figure out what else to say.

Greyson knew of her difficulty with small talk with other people, he didn't want to press the conversation further in case it made her feel awkward. And he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in his presence, although it pained him to know that his own sister viewed him as a stranger. Syndico had better help her turn into her usual self with every past memory of her life intact, or else he wouldn't know what to do.
They could only pray for her recovery.

"Um, by the way. How's Catherine and the baby doing?" Fara asked this time.

"Yeah, Well they're doing pretty great! Um, Carlos has been practicing his walking again, and he seems to have been improving tremendously. Of course, he still trips every once in a while whenever he loses his balance, but he never gives up!
Oh man, I gotta tell you, the little guy is quite feisty. I think he'd been taken it after his mother." He made a chuckle as he recalled the times he'd spend with his family.

His sudden enthusiasm made Fara genuinely smile, making her enjoy listening to the stories of baby Carlos' silly shenanigans and her sister-in-law's poor attempts to keep his cute tiny outfits as stain-free as possible.
From what she'd learned so far about this man who claimed to be her brother, she could describe him as a tall man in his late twenties, seemingly charismatic and kind on the surface but incredibly worrisome when it came to family matters. Others would've described him as a typical family guy like if it was a term to be used on someone boring and dull, which is not true.
Regardless, Fara truthfully appreciated his help, and if what he and her parents had told her about Syndico was true, It could actually be her opportunity of getting all her recollections back.
Greyson turned on the music player, putting on a relaxing song to pass the rest of the time as they soon arrived at their destination.

"Welp! We are here. And what do you know! Their place appears a lot shinier than in the pictures.... Think you can make the rest of the way there by yourself?" He tapped his fingers slowly on the steering wheel while a teasing smile played on his lips.
She rolled her eyes at him. The guy could admittedly be such a goof sometimes if he wanted too.
"Er, yes I can? I have my own pair of legs. I mean what do you take me for?" She sighed while responding, raising her eyebrows at him while resisting a smile from forming her mouth.

"Alright, Alright, just kidding, just kidding.'' They both proceeded to step out of the cozy car

"But before you go, and I most likely won't be seeing you again for a veeery long time...How bout a hug for your big bro?"

Her eyes widened slightly at his suggestion as she tilted her head to the side, finally giving in and hesitantly moved forward, instantly squeezed by his crushing bear-hug. She awkwardly patted his back before he let her go.

"Okay. Now. You're free to go. I won't hold you back any longer. See ya later kiddo."

"Yeah. See you." She replied.

She waved him off with a smile as he drove away.
Turning around, she was met with a huge glossy scenery. A huge white block shaped building with it's distinctive red S, used as a symbol for 'Syndico'.
Seeing as no one was guarding the main entrance, Fara quietly shrugged to herself and stepped inside the place.
Making her way over to the receptionist she noticed her pure white uniform, which had a particular red tie and a blood-reddish S mark on its left breast pocket. Nonetheless, she went ahead and spoke to her. The lady asked for her identification, which apparently had to take a little while, before instructing her to follow her. She was led into a room filled with pods, she was told they were used as a part of their augmentation removal program. She was advised to place her belongings into one of the lockers before a technician came and helped inside one of the pods.
The man said to close her eyes. When she did, a tiny mysterious sound of a click could be heard as her vision became black. Then subsequently regaining her sight once again. This time, gazing at a different world beyond her.
She wasn't alone there for sure. Her eyes curiously falling upon these new unknown figures.

 

[0stinato]

"Repeat your name for me?"

She sounded... like she was from Essex. Or, to be more precise, Rüdiger suspected she was from Essex, but putting on a more refined voice. She was, after all, the first person Rüdiger had spoken to once he'd got into the building. The face of the company. Or a face. In the London branch. Alongside two short-looking men. All three were the face of the London branch of Syndico. The first faces to greet the scheduled clients. That probably wasn't her real accent - maybe she'd be fired if she talked any other way? - he suspected.

He re-pronounced his name - Roo-di-ger Geh-el - slower. Then just got a bit angry and told her how to spell it. Apparently there was still no correlation between his name and any other name in the database. He told her there was an umlaut on the U. And then she got it.

Rüdiger was unamused by the situation, but left without fuss. He was allowed in - "up the stairs, Simulation Room A2" she said, followed by the fakest smile ever - and so in he went. As he climbed the stairs - why no elevators, hm? - he realised he wasn't really managing. He was aware how unfit he was - "It's because you don't eat, Candy!" says stupid friend - but only when he was climbing stairs did he truly notice it.

However, he got to the top soon enough, but had to take a few seconds to breathe. Lungs. Windpipe. Throat. All seemed tortured. By a small climb. So he cursed himself before he gingerly opened the door of Simulation Room A2.

Perhaps it would be impressive - a big room with the whitest lights Rüdiger had ever seen, and some symmetrically placed pods forming a circle - but Rüdiger didn't really react to it. The artist eye appreciated it, of course, the colours and shapes and symmetries, but that was about all he could muster. He could only notice, but he didn't feel.

"Right this way, Mr. Geihl."

Rüdiger's eyes narrowed as his arm was lightly touched by a suited man. The colour of the suit was... difficult to pin down. His instincts told him it was blue, but the light said it was a sleek black. Confusing.

He was led over - still had his arm being touched by some clean-shaven stranger, dammit - to an open pod, and instructed to make himself comfortable. His height didn't quite allow that - is there no option to put the footrest away? - but he tried his best. The man smiled at him, eyes kind, and sealed the pod. Rüdiger shut his eyes.

And Rüdiger stepped into blue-light digital.

 

[seasonedcat]

(This is a combined post of me and Juju =3 )​

Kitty pressed her face against the glass window in an attempt to glimpse the top of the skyscraper but the glass of the taxi blocked her gaze long before then. Maybe the pillar of white had no end at all, growing ever upwards into the clouds? Somehow the looming buildings and swaths of people reminded her of something, faint and familiar in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t remember what it was. This strange feeling had become somewhat of a common occurrence for her but no matter how used to it she was it always left her with the sensation that she was missing something. Concluding that it was unimportant, she gave a content sigh and continued to watch the blur of people stream by the car.

Silvia lazily played on her gameboy, not taking her eyes off her intense pokemon battle for a second, “Kitty what are you doing?” she asked boredly.

“I was trying to see the top of that skyscraper.” Kitty replied, turning her head to acknowledge Silvia’s question before pointing up at the shining white building with a stylized ‘S’ emblazoned on it. “But I couldn’t see it… so now I’m watching the people. Do you need help with anything? Can I help you with your pokemon?”

Silvia let out a long sigh and was about to respond we suddenly the taxi driver spoke up, “We’re here. That’ll be 28$” Silvia sighed again before paying the man and exiting out her door, closing it behind her and placing her gameboy in her pocket.

Kitty was quick to follow and once she was outside she took another look for the skyscraper’s top. Her head tilted backwards, squinting her eyes to examine a distant sliver of white gleaming in the sun. Could that be it? It was so far up that she was certain you could stand on its tip and catch the sun. She was imagining what it would be like when something cold and wet fell into her eye, causing her to screw it shut and wipe it with a knuckle. Snow was slowly falling in little fluffs of white that landed in her black hair and stuck to her eye lashes. A small, happy smile spread across her face and she reached out a hand to catch a few of the flakes. It was cold on her palm as it melted, but she didn’t mind.

Silvia blew her warm breath on her hands before shoving them in the pockets of her green jacket. Dang it’s a lot colder here than in Mexico….. Despite the cold Silvia was still too lazy to zip up her coat, revealing the plain white t shirt she wore. “Come on Kitty let's get going.” Silvia walked into the building knowing full well that Kitty was not far behind her. A woman wearing a wrinkle free blazer and some fancy skirt and heels was waiting for them inside, a huge step up from the worn jeans and sneakers Silvia wore. “Follow me.” Silvia lazy gaze was directed ahead causing the woman’s smile to tighten slightly. “How troublesome, come on Kitty let's go.” Silvia responded before resuming her pokemon playing.

Without hesitation, Kitty kept pace with Silvia while they followed after their guide. The three continued up a winding staircase that formed beneath their feet and fizzled out in a bloom of electric blue only moments after being stepped off of. In the middle of the staircase their guide stopped them before motioning with her hand over a screen in the wall. An electronic voice declared ‘Access granted. Transporting to Sim Dock 34’, startling Kitty, before the bright blue hexagons below the three extended around them in a transparent circle. Kitty looked down to find the lobby suddenly become smaller, only to realize that they were ascending up the tower. Maybe we are going to the top?

The temporary elevator stopped just in time to see the white walls part open to reveal a door. Their guide stepped through it without so much as looking back to see if she was being followed and made her way down the white hallway. She stopped at the end, entered a code onto the wall, and motioned for the two to enter the doorway once it slid open. Inside the room were two cylinders with the words POD 435 and POD 758 printed on their sides. Silvia and Kitty were instructed to approach them and as they did the once seamless pods cracked open to reveal a cushioned interior with a headrest.

“The simulation will commence shortly. I advise you to not waste time getting into the pods.”

Of course, Kitty rushed to the pod, laid down in it and closed her eyes long before the pod even closed around her. Silvia on the other hand let a sigh before turning off her gameboy and approaching the pod, “What a drag..” she said lazily before lying down in the pod. The door then closed sealing her in the pod.

Silvia woke up sitting in a chair, Kitty sitting next to her along with other people sitting in one big happy friendship circle. And Mr.Cool Guy sitting in the middle wearing some kind of helmet. “This is so troublesome I could just die.”

 

[archur]

His twiddling was as quickly interrupted as he began it as a man materialized, sitting on a chair that had popped into existence under him. "Rich kid". Erik himself was no better, seeing as he was leaning back on his leather office chair, feet propped up on his large wooden desk, something that would be seen in a CEO office. Now that he thought about it, the large window behind him, the desk, somewhat dim lighting, high ceiling, and the heavyset wooden doors that faced him, it might've been modeled after one. That was pretty cool.

"Hey, what country did you come-" He began before he was interrupted once more by another client entering the server. This one had an extravagant set of clothing, and was also sitting in a chair. "So is this the type of stuff they'll put down for the clients eh? Real fancy i'm sure with those folding chairs." He voiced out loud. "Whoops. Hello there!" "Nur drei bisher nicht wahr?" Said the woman who had just popped in. "Her ping must suck." "Nicht sprueche deutsche, we're English speaking here, and I don't think they have subtitles in this sim." He stated, almost sarcastically, with a tinge of fact.

"Alright. We should have a few more coming, so just give us a good few minutes before the server is mostly full, alright everyone?" He said to the two clients. He gave two thumbs up from his comfortable position, before returning to staring at the ceiling. But they wouldn't have to for long, as more popped in. At least eight more. The servers could usually fit twenty or more, but he didn't like large crowds all too much, so he decided that he would start setting his settings to 'private' instead of 'public'. Easier to do rather than have to readdress everyone over and over again like some sort of quest-giver.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Humanization Effort™! Welcome to. . . My office, apparently, we're going to do a quick headcount and short introduction of each other, if you're comfortable with that." He cheerfully stated, ending his sentence with a almost anxious clap of his hands as he tried to figure out what next to do. "What next, comms?" He nodded to himself, agreeing with his own spoken thoughts. "So, I want to inform you of the simulation that we will be stepping into. It's going to be much unlike those you might have used here before. Many of the situations you will be put into will be unlike you have ever experienced in the real world, and it may be easy to lose yourself in those times. Fear not! For we at Syndico have a system of communication. Like a radio of sorts, or a phone or instant messaging system or whatever you might use. Only it's meant to contact me. I can of course contact you, but this system should only be utilized for support if something is bugging out, or if you find yourself running into a glitch. Otherwise, you really shouldn't be touching the thing I am going to give you." He trailed off a little at the end, quickly pulling up his right sleeve to reveal a sleek, white, artificial arm. Angular in design, and a spiky red Syndico S on the back of his hand. He summoned a holo-screen and began manipulating the sim. A little text box appeared before him.

console

spawn;set.watch-10x

bind;watch.admincomms

setcomms;channel1

uservolume;50%

esc

"And that's that." He concluded, slipping the sleeve back over his synthetic arm.

"There should be a bundle of watches that should appear before me shortly. They'll tell the local time, and you can slap the watch to contact me. Just don't abuse it, i'll be mildly annoyed, and might slap you. After you slap the watch, you'll have an open communication source with me until you slap it closed. Remember to actually close comms. I've had forgetful people keep it on for hours, and to wake up to whatever pleasure sim they've been in at like, 4 in the morning. . . unpleasant."

As he finished speaking, a bundle of watches poofed in front of his face, one by one, landing on the table in front of him. They were smartly black instead of the standard Syndico white. Easier to conceal. The watch's were blank faced, instead projecting the time when the user brought it up to be read. It also gave the local time and local date, whatever method they used, and the converted system so users wouldn't have to translate all that mess into something understandable. "Easy, brainless, Syndico. That's just how things are."

"Alright, that's that. Hopefully we won't need to use that at all." "I'm sure you all will get to know each other well during our time here, but i'm going to give you a little time to talk if you would like. And by a little time, I say 10 seconds. 3 2 1, And we're in!"

A flash of red light, and everyone blacked out.

First, the sound of feet pounding the ground. Its growing thunder becoming louder and louder as all the senses came to. Opening his eyes, he found himself, and the clients, behind a gruesome scene. Men, clad in brightly polished steel, battling against darkness itself. These men were dressed unlike what most would think of knights, instead they were of varying uniform, if you could call it that. Some had light leather armor, wielding a pair of asymmetrical blades, others hefted large poleaxes, versatile weapons of old, donning themselves in large armor of the pointed variety in proportion to their poleaxes. All range of weapons were included in the hands of these knights, mismatched in color and armor, only seemingly in a group by their close cohesion of efforts against the living shadow that fell on them like a tidal wave. One man would duck under his shield, flail in hand, kneeling downwards and sending the quadrupedal shadow creature overhead into the pointed tip of another's poleaxe.

Yet, despite the efforts of the knights, the shadowy creatures pressed on. Wisps of pure black came off their forms, as if they were lit with ethereal anti-fire. Most were four-legged, their heads resembling the skulls of wolves. Others met the warriors in proper combat, their weapons made of the same substance that made up their bodies. Their faces were obscured by gruesome looking helmets, their bodies almost tank-like with the amount of armor pressed onto them, grisly capes flowing behind their death-march. They were uniform, with spiked kite shields and large bastard swords they hefted in a singular hand. Their darkness was pressed up everywhere, shrouding the sky in black clouds, and coating the ground that they tread on.

The line seemed to be even, though in the favor of the encroaching dark. Knights were overtaken, desperate to hold against the black fiends. One raised his spear to the air and gave a cry to his god. "BREMORA! GIVE ME STRENGTH!" A flaming thunderbolt struck him from the darkened sky. A cheer from the defenders, as their goddess answered with a boon of the elements. Flashes of light came from the line as their weapons shared the boon, striking their enemies down with thunderous flurries of enchanted strikes. This was powerful, but it might not have been enough. Bodies of both sides littered the ground, their weapons still held fast in their hands, rooted into the ground, still within their enemies as final acts of defiance. One horned warrior was slumped over his sword, which was planted firmly into the chest of the shadowed warrior under his foot, which was still twitching and croaking, struggling even to his last breath.

Erik had no idea what was going on, or what he was supposed to do. The battle seemed so. . . Real. People were sacrificing their lives for some unknown purpose, against what seemed to be a malevolent force that had overtaken the land, and possibly their comrades. Erik noticed that he was crouched in the light underbrush that the clients were hiding in after his legs began to ache and tire. He stood now, looking back to his clients warily, and to the broken bodies before him, then to the battle ahead. He took a few tentative steps forwards, gingerly plucking a weapon from the ground. It was a short sword. It might've been too heavy or too light for him, but it wasn't time for being picky. He looked back towards the group of clients. Lightning flashed in the distance.

"Well, what are you people waiting for?"

"Now," he decided, "it's up to us to help the knights. Sure, maybe we were untrained, had little to no protection, and are wielding weapons they had never previously used, but it was our only way to stand a chance, give the knights a chance, relieve some pressure and take some for them. So that when the darkness rushes to us, we won't have gone down without a good fight." He voiced somewhat softly to himself. He felt his thoughts leaving his lips, so learning to quiet down was a very useful skill. Sword in one hand, Erik began to rush towards the battle, gripping the blade tightly in his left. The sounds of battle had gotten closer, and a wolf-morph had broken through the line, making a dash straight for the helmeted stranger. It lunged, it's mouth agape, fangs ready to strike. Without thinking, Erik thrust his fist straight into the maw of the beast, his right hand smashing the bone and sending it to the ground. He stomped on the beast's side and plunged the sword through the head of the wolf creature, killing it. A few more broke through. He hoped that his clients were battle ready, because there seemed to be one last wave that they would have to brave.

Hercynia Devious Dilbert 0stinato MahoganyLeaf animegirl20 FLTxxBLACKOUT Anaxileah seasonedcat Juju

 

[animegirl20]

Klara glared at him hearing the bit of sarcasm. She then rolled her eyes already not liking this guy. They waited for a few ore to come in and once they did Erik started talking and explaining things. But suddenly before any of them really had a chance to say anything they found themselves staring at a battle. Klara looked in shock of what was in front of her. "The hell is going on here?!" She watched as the awful but amazing battle continued she soon found herself hiding with the others which she didn't even remember moving.

"Well, what are you people waiting for?"

She watched as he ran in towards the battle. "Are you crazy?!" She couldn't just stand there an watch and she didn't want come off as weak or scared. Also she really didn't want helmet head showing her up. "Oh fine!" She walked up looking around and picked a sword off the ground. Seemed good enough she really couldn't be picky. As she was looking at the sword she felt a presence behind her. She turned around slowly to see one of those wolf creatures staring down at her. "Oh wow...." Ok she was officially in over her head but she was going to do it. She got a tight hold on her sword and took a few steps back. "Okay, lassen Sie mich es. (Alright, let me have it.)"
archur Hercynia Devious Dilbert 0stinato MahoganyLeaf FLTxxBLACKOUT Anaxileah seasonedcat Juju

 

[FLTxxBLACKOUT]

I soon as the other enter the sim my mind was these people all looked so different and so strange there nationalities and ailments alien to me. Questions began to surge through my head why are these people here, what do they have to gain, where are they from, and who is this helmet headed man that was speaking to us. I stopped the internal questioning and began to listen more closely to the helmeted man talking. The first thing that i noticed about him is that he really doesn't have a filter he just goes on and on with no end. The worst part is that his rambling had little extra information, and quickly made him quite annoying. He then told us we were going to talk to each other or not as he quickly counted down then there was a flash.

I woke laying on the ground my head lying uncomfortably against a sharp rock and the first thing I noticed is the noise. Clashes of metal on bone, screams and grunts of pain, and the most terrifying inhuman gurgle and moans. I quickly sat up the others already standing around me looking ahead where the sound was coming from. I could instantly tell one thing we definitely weren't in a comfy office anylonger. Ahead of us sat a desolate wasteland rocks fires and bodies the only thing standing out from the plain. The ghastly noise i had been hearing was coming from the two forces on fighting on the field one side a ragtag group of what could be closest described as medieval knights. The other half was rabid beasts of bone and armour there black oily appearance was unnerving and terrifying. They moved like rabid beasts overtaking each other to reach the defending knights there growls and shouts sounded like the cries of banshees foretelling death to any that face them. As i watched the knights fight off these beasts I heard the shouts of the helmeted man telling us to fight. I looked as he charged into the fray after him, i'm not sure weather it was a genuine want to help of just the want to impress the helmeted man that drove them in the fray, but i knew it was suicide. I stood up and saw a the other who had not charged hiding behind rocks and waiting most likely in fear. I felt both these options wrong and took a third. I ran in the opposite direction of the conflict. The others could throw themselves to death if they wanted to but i was going to survive no matter what they through at me. As i got further from the fray I began to slow down and i moved up to a large rock and pushed my back to it catching my breath. As i sat there listening to my own breath in out in out in out out. I stopped my breathing quickly and my eyes as i listened in out in out. I looked up and saw the edge of the face of one of those horrific beasts. I lost control for a second and screamed. The beast heard this and looked down at me before making a large guttural roar and lunged at me. I fell to the ground putting out my left arm to cover my face and and the beast bit down on it i waited for the pain of teeth entering my flesh but none came. My robotic arm. The beast was unable to chew through it but it didn't stop the beast from trying as it yanked and fought with my are. I knew i wouldn't have much time left before the beast was able to beat my defences and i began to accept my defeat. I guess this is where is “survive” wait that didn't sound right. How could i survive when it would soon break through my arm and i'll “fight”. As that thought went through my head I looked to my right and saw a sharp rock “fight survive fight survive FIGHT SURVIVE”. I knew what i had to do i reached for the rock and as i grabbed it i quickly swung it left. The sound of bones smashing was heard as it connected with the head of the beast it recoiled slightly but did not let up, and neither did I. I swung again and again until the beast fell back on the ground but i was not done i got up and continued the assault until the beast no longer moved. I dropped the rock a mix of blood and the black oil of the beast covered the rock and my hand as i fell to my knees. I looked down as my hands and then to the beast and then the weapon then I Shouted in a mix of fear, anger, and confusion.

 

[0stinato]

Shadowy creatures, about the size of wolves - no, bigger! Much, much bigger - prowled around and didn't exactly behave like wolves. From his position on the ground, where he'd 'fallen' after the simulation had swapped their location from a boring office to the heat of battle, Rüdiger could only watch. For the first few minutes he was mesmerised.

He hadn't said a word in the office, and had hardly listened to the helmeted man speak, so to suddenly see blood and death was quite a shock. But the reasons he hadn't said a word were still lingering in his head. He was thinking about the simulation, about what to expect and about how he was technically only made of pixels... pixels and real-life neurons. They were probably monitoring - they, that's shudder-worthy - his brain functions. His eyelid movements. His body contortions, his adrenaline, his heart rate, his... well. Rüdiger didn't know. He hadn't any GCSEs, so certainly secondary-school-level science was out of his reach. His knowledge of the human body extended to things he'd picked up watching either television or true-crime documentaries on serial killers.

That last one was a hobby.

Those thoughts were still in his head though. About what they - they again, the Syndico people yes? - were monitoring. So that meant this simulation had a purpose. And that meant that all Rüdiger had to do was fulfil that purpose and he'd be let out.

Right?

However sound his logic, though, he had no proof. So all he could do was get to his feet - were canvas shoes really appropriate for this situation? - and scout the area. In his peripheral vision, some simulation-goers were picking up weapons which seemed like a good idea. Protect himself from the shadow-beasts, yes?

"Yes?" he said aloud to no one. Before he started slowly walking away from the group. His eyes were still pinned on the shadow-beasts... and what nightmares they were. They seemed to change form beneath his gaze, and their backs sometimes had spines on, sometimes had... fur... Rüdiger squinted and still couldn't tell. They were the Blur tool come to life.

All around him, people were getting into the thing, like it was more than a game, like it was life. A girl with a sword, a boy running elsewhere... others either panicking or getting their collective arses into gear. And Helmethead urging them onwards less-than-happily. But he was there to instruct them. Rüdiger knew that at least.

So, what was step one? Well, for all intents and purposes, step one was probably 'don't lose your head, keep calm'. Well, he'd fulfilled that without hassle. Depressingly enough. Yet another reminder that he was more emotionally dead than a rock on a bad day.

So step two, do what Helmethead said and grab a weapon. If he was instructing, it was best to listen to him. Follow the rules. Do everything he was supposed to. He couldn't go wrong if he did that, surely? And so Rüdiger essentially wandered a little more towards the thick of it, where there was simulated death and simulated blood and simulated dirt churning together into one simulated mess of umbers and oranges. Looking for something sharp. So he found something.

He was a little disappointed to discover it wasn't his favourite weapon - a morning star, it's such an oxymoron - but rather just a boring old ordinary sword. And it felt real in his hand, but he wasn't going to let it fool him.

He backed off a little, blinking, breathing, living. All the same as he had been. And he looked around. Big shadow-beasts. Shadow-beasts that inspired a little alarm somewhere deep in his head to go off... but not enough to cause him any issue. Still. He wasn't about to run into a fight - running was out of the question, he had no muscle mass below the waist - because if he'd believe anything, it was that saying. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

And looking at himself dressed almost exclusively in white - the best, perfect, purest colour - he was the angel.

 

[Hercynia]

Aaron tried his best to sink into the chair and avoid the gazes of any of the others who were sat around him, before noticing that, fortunately, their stares were focused on the man in front of all of them - a Syndico employee, maybe? His clothing was certainly odd enough, what with the golden helmet. Aaron's thoughts were confirmed as the man raised his arm, the red Syndico logo almost a malicious eye, judging him. He shivered; there was definitely something unsettling in the symbol. The jagged edges almost cut into his eyes, and so Aaron closed them tightly, momentarily, before shaking away the troublesome thoughts and attempting to tune back into the helmeted man's monologue.

"-we're in!"

The office disappeared around Aaron in a flash of red - Syndico seemed to like that colour - light. Aaron found himself kneeling in scrub, amongst the rest of the motley group assembled by Syndico. This was not a place he was happy being, but his discomfort was suppressed by the events around him. The Syndico employee had teleported them into the midst of a war - albeit no war Aaron had ever seen. Men grappled with towering colossi of smoky, shifting shadow with blades, bows, and staves. The entire situation was just... surreal. Perhaps it was meant to evoke emotions of fear and hate, but Aaron had seen wars - real ones. He'd seen the impact of them, the impact of missile strikes that left children without parents and indiscriminately slew all around - innocent or not. What he was seeing now reminded him more of a video game, or a film - perhaps that was where Syndico took inspiration.

Still, Syndico had eyes everywhere in this simulation - doing nothing was out of the question. Aaron stumbled backwards as the helmeted man yelled and charged, picking up a sword. A weapon - a good idea, maybe, if Aaron had ever used medieval weaponry before. Which he hadn't. What a brilliant day today was turning out to be. More of the people around him grabbed swords, and Aaron's eyes scoured the ground before him in an attempt to find something - anything - familiar, until after a brief eternity his eyes happened upon something he knew how to use - a knife.

Aaron ran forwards, picking it up, reservations momentarily forgotten as adrenaline coursed through his body. A niggling question ran through his mind: Would Syndico care if he was injured? This was just a simulation though, would he really be hurt? He turned, and his questions were forgotten as one of the shadowy wolves reared above him. Aaron shrank back, before his instincts kicked in, and he rose the knife, slashing at the dark beast above him. This wasn't the first time he'd been in combat - he'd fought plenty in protests, in riots - although not lately.

 

[Juju]

(This a combined post of me and seasonedcat )
​

Kitty opened her eyes to find herself in an area completely alien to the perfect white of the room she had previously been in. There were no chairs, no pods, no white -- besides a man in the corner of her vision -- and more importantly, no more walls. This world was gray and bleak… and loud. Kitty brought up her hands in an effort to drown out the clamor of clashing metal, the growling of creatures and the unanimous shouting of a thousand voices. There was something else there too, which was as easy for Kitty to pick out in the mess of sounds; screams. People were dying. She knew this even before her eyes looked past their helmeted guide to see an armored man being overpowered by a shadowy creature. A shadowy creature that then turned to run towards the group of people. She lowered her hands from her ears.

“Silvia. Can we help them? Can I help them?” She asked, standing herself up and quickly dusting motes of dirt and fallen leaves that had clung to her jacket. Silvia had given her this jacket and it was poor manners to get it dirty.

Her question was answered not by her friend, but by the man wearing the helmet. He picked up a sword and inquired on their hesitation. So they were going to help them afterall! A swelling of rejoice erupted in her chest. She would help too!

Silvia opened her eyes and halfheartedly listened to Mr. Cool guy before waving him off and making herself more comfortable and shutting her eyes again. Helping them was too much work. She did her best to tune out the others on the battlefield, they could handle this by themselves.

Meanwhile, Kitty watched what their guide did and copied it, running over to a corpse and picking up the nearest weapon. Clutched in the hands of one of the corpses was a halberd, which Kitty tore from his dead grasp and lowered to her side. This would help!

“Sorry for taking this, sir.” She quickly said to the dead man. “I will bring it back to you later.”

After the brief apology she ran past their guide, who was battling with a lupine creature, and charged at one of the monsters stalking towards him. With all of her strength she swung the bladed end of the halberd towards the distracted creature’s head, shattering the skull beneath it with a loud crack.

“I am very sorry!” Kitty shouted to the creature as its form began to dissipate upon death.

She turned around to find a similar creature rushing for her. Kitty thrust her weapon towards its canine face only to watch it sidestep the strike and clamp its ethereal jaws around the polearm shaft.

When the creature tugged on it, Kitty tugged back and attempted to talk to the creature. “Please let go!”

Silvia’s peaceful relaxation was interrupted by a yell from Kitty. She let an annoyed sigh, I’m having a real crisis of faith here….. “How troublesome.” She muttered before jumping to her feet and scanning the battle for Kitty. She was having a tug of war with a wolf, both of them trying to get Kitty’s weapon. “ Dang it Kitty, this is why we don’t have nice things.”

Silvia then approached a nearby corpse and crouched down, prying the daggers from the man’s hands. Close enough to knives I guess. Not too heavy too...pretty nice. She then dashed into battle, stabbing the creature quickly on the head just as it had grabbed Kitty’s weapon from her. She then gestured for Kitty to arm herself again, but not before slicing a wolf’s throat as it tried to attack her from the side, her gaze still fixed on Kitty.“This is so troublesome I could just die.”

“Hi Silvia! Thanks for helping me!” Kitty said with a smile as if nothing happened and picked up the halberd. “Let’s help our friends!”

“Ya, ya just don’t expect it next time.” Silvia then let out an annoyed sigh at the thought of more work, “Yay...just peachy.”

 

[MahoganyLeaf]

Time passed as many other clients had joined their server, filling in the otherwise white and plain looking room with a variety of different faces. Naturally, she would from first sight begin to analyze the people she'd just met and their use of body language. It was interesting- No, fascinating to consider how she and these bundle of strangers would be spending time together on a journey, and for god knows how long, all together with one goal in mind- To remove their mal-augs and become their good old selves again.
A man wearing a strange golden helmet began his speech, snapping Fara out of her daze. He made an introduction of the simulation.

He must be working for Syndico..and from the looks of it, he appears to possess a mechanical arm too.
Oh, but I wonder what his helmet is for...
She listened intently while he explained the functions of their communication devices, each one of them would get handed over a small wristwatch used as a method for them to communicate with him even from afar, only a simple slap was needed to either turn it on or off.
And of course, misuse of the device was unallowed- and would earn them a slap from him.
Uh, Yikes. Duly noted then. Hmph.
Her glasses had slid down her nose, making her inattentively pushing it back in place using two fingers.
He finished his massive flood of talking and yet before anyone could get time to react to the newly found information they'd just received- a sudden red light flashed across the room when suddenly everything went black subsequently.

Wait what the-, before she could complete her contemplation, They transported into an unfamiliar location right before her eyes and immediately catching her off guard as she jumped in surprise, making her nearly trip and land on her bottom.
The sight was downright lurid in her opinion. Ear deafening screams and roars could be heard in the distance, armored knights and other classes of fighters viciously storming into battle while opposed to larger wolf-like monstrosities.

In a fast motion of sheer panic, she ran to find cover.
She pointed her head up to the skies and paid heed to the generally darker grayish atmosphere enclosing their scenery.
Slain and injured bodies were laying in their weak state alongside with their comrades crouching down beside them, healing their bleeding gashes and covering them up with bandages.

Uhhh, god... This gives a rather great impression of how the medieval times were like back then. Err, minus the magic and weird armory. But why are we here..? Is this..
Ah, this is what he meant by us being put into situations we haven't experienced in real life. Right, duh.

''Well, what are you people waiting for?'' The man with the helmet shouted, grabbing a nearby sword as he dashed bravely- yet too hastily, heading for his target, fiercely throwing his punch straight into its jaw, knocking it down, stomping upon its side before thrusting his large blade through its head as one close by could watch blood squirting from its pierced head.
The sight of gore made her nauseous as she held back the urge to puke, covering her hand over her mouth in revulsion.
This was supposed to help her regain her memories? Really, how?
I mean. Do we all have to fight? No choice for alternatives...?

Nope. She guessed not, shuddering a bit.
Nevertheless, she held her head up and took a deep breath of the chilly air, attempting to build up even the smallest measure of courage that could aid her on the mission.
This was only a simulation. A virtual reality, meaning that it was only her conscious being affected. And whatever happened to her in the simulation couldn't possibly hurt her physical body in any way.
Although she assumed it would hurt. It would be painful. But no, it didn't matter. Regaining her past collections of memories back was far more worthy than fretting about some petty virtual pain that would eventually go away.

Just focus on what's most important. Your goal Fara. This is ridiculous, I shouldn't act cowardly right now. Pain shouldn't scare me. She exhaled.
I have far too many questions left unanswered as of yet.

Scattered on the muddy ground laid weapons around, once wielded by the fallen soldiers, waiting to be held and fought with.

Okay, here goes.
Fara started by picking a random choice of a sword, though it appeared to be a tad bit too heavy for her smaller shaped hands. Her eyes fell upon the figure of a dark brown staff sculptured with a crimson gemstone to its top. A staff was used for...magic and healing, like in those fantasy genre video games.
Though she couldn't help but feel uncertain about the thought of relying on magic. She literally had no idea how the damned stick even worked! But upon closer examination, other types of weapons would require her to engage in close quarter combat. Presumably not her specialty, and she definitely didn't even wanna try anything out blindly either.
Perhaps a ranged type of weapon would work. Then again, bows and arrows would, however, be ineffective as well since she was clumsy and sucked at aiming in general.
Comically, it was as if one of the beastly creatures had listened to her inner thoughts and had enough with her indecisiveness, seting itself on a sprint towards her direction, looking by no doubt bloodthirsty and hungry for a prey.

Fara made a gasp and turned her attention again to the collection of scattered weaponry.
Agh! You know what?! What the hell!

Having no other option, she hurriedly bolted out of her cover and dashed forward to grasp hold of the previous staff she had considered, laying the closest for her to pick up so that she wasn't completely defenseless in her current position.

In agitation and turmoil, she swung her staff, hoping it would perform at least something for her. To her luck it shot out a stream of flames, scalding its beastly face as it winced and jumped backward.

"Woah, woah, woah!", She yelled, eyes wide in astonishment.
Her relief did not last for long when the monster growled and bared its fangs at her as it was about to chase after her anew.
Fara took her opportunity to flee from its presence as far as the time would allow before it could catch up with her.
Swiftly dodging the beast, she jumped to the side before it threw itself at her, to which it catapulted straight into a tree.
Grabbing her chance she aimed to finish the brute off with another handful streams of fire, finally bringing an end to the creature at last.
She was panting heavily, although she also felt like celebrating for defeating a large hairball with own hands. Or rather..staff.
But that was only one out of many. There were several lefts to defeat.

Yay.

 

[Anaxileah]

Clicking.

Whirring.

These are the noises that come every morning to the young brunette, prior to when she opens her fluorescent eyes, exposing them to the fresh air of the early day. These noises are what rouse the youthful female, bringing her to consciousness and allowing her to see the brightly colored ceiling that lightens her equally ebullient abode. The circuitry that trails down her face and arms controls the activation of her artificial eyes, making her sleep and rise at set times everyday, which are capable of changing, should she desire to do so. This day, however, was a special one that deemed her hour of waking be nine o'clock, giving her time to eat breakfast and make her way to the infamous Syndico building, known to be marked only by the red 'S' and otherwise identified by the pure whiteness of the structure.

The 17-year-old girl blinked awake after the mechanical startup of her eyes finished executing the programs needed to begin her visual processes, her brightly illuminated amber irises glancing about the room with a habitual drowsiness, despite the lack of grogginess present in her eyes or body, for that matter - a controlled heartbeat does that to a person. She rose from her bed with a graceful fluidity she lacked during her childhood and strode across her room, reaching for her wardrobe to change out of the oversized nightshirt she purchased with her parents' money; apparently taking your parents money and using it on fashionable clothing was "in" these days, as others her age would say. Or was it a constant thing for teenagers to do? She could never be sure. Despite the influence of her generation, the brightly colored female still favored her usual archery garb over anything else - it was all black, included wristguards to protect her from any backlash from her bow, and became the most comfortable outfit she owned. That being the case, she bought several pairs of the same outfit.

After donning her most preferred clothing, Madeleine Eyre rode the stairwell's handrail down to the first floor of the manor in which she lived, ate a few pieces of fruit for breakfast, and made her way out the double doors of the Eyre foyer to the gardens owned by her parents as well. Rich families always obtained beautiful lands, according to discontented classmates unhappy with her stature. Nonetheless, the land her parents owned was indeed breathtaking, and now that she could see it in every color imaginable, it was something she could not fathom living without. The moderately cheerful and exciting female made her way through the garden, her lengthy ponytail swinging from side to side as she meandered from her home to the nearest form of public transportation, briefly stopping every few flower bushes in order to smell the scents of the dancing girls (Impatiens Bequaertii), alstromerias, and chrysanthemums grown by the house staff. Several of the plants they owned were imported from other countries, mainly to show off their wealth; although the reasoning irritated Madeleine, she did enjoy the variety of floral scents surrounding her home.

The trip to the Syndico building took much longer than the female had expected, what with her inability to run and catch the bus before it left for London. The young female was forced to wait beside the designated bus stop until another one arrived, which then housed a driver who gave her trouble regarding her card, the only form of payment accepted on the damn busses. After another hassle or two, Madeleine was finally able to make her way to the area of London that was home to the famed Syndico building. Of course, it wasn't until she was an hour late for the meeting she was supposed to attend for the "Humanization Effort," a project that was searching for volunteers and just so happened to come across Madeleine's path. The illustrious female marched across the street in front of the massive, bleached building, tapping her right ring finger to her thigh as she did so in order to see the building's structure rather than the bright white and seemingly flat front of the building. The alteration in her visible spectrum changed her eyes from amber to purple, which of course did not denote the type of sight she chose (x-ray). The method for entry was quite visible, and as there was no one there to teach her how to activate it, she approached the building with an expression of slight concern alighting her features, at least until the door opened for her, permitting her entry.

The hallway that branched off from the doors were identical in style to the external decor of the Syndico building, and the only thing that stood out from the long corridor was the desk protruding from the blank environment at the end of the seemingly endless trail towards it. A woman was seated at the desk, her fingers tapping away furiously at the keyboard. Her attire corresponded with Madeleine's blank surroundings, causing the colorful female to feel quite out of place in such a whitened location. Nonetheless, she approached the desk and opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped before having the chance to begin speaking by the woman's pale hand. Her hand then turned and pointed to one of the the rooms on the right hand side of the desk before returning to the keyboard, her tapping remaining constant the entire time. Is this how most people behave when they are older...? Madeleine wondered to herself, relating the woman at the desk to one of her many professors at the private education facility her parents enrolled her into for the past couple of years.

After momentarily blinking several times to shake the thought from her memory, Madeleine did as the woman directed and made her way over to the room that the woman gestured towards, one foot following after the other in an almost tantalizing manner, with the pace she had. She did not want to tire out before she even had the opportunity to meet those she would be working with. When she went through yet another hallway and finally reached the room she was meant to enter, which contained a pod and another human being who wasn't all that chatty. The person within the room pointed her to the pod and from there it was easy to navigate: find a server that was open, part of the program, and then get connected. Shouldn't be any problems, right?

Madeleine was very wrong to assume so, that much she figured out as soon as she appeared in the simulation. Rather than loading in behind the line of safety with the other men who appeared to be fighting a certain enemy, she arrived right in the middle of the field between the men and said enemy. In front of her were a handful of clashes between those who could only be perceived as the good guys and what appeared to be molten undead creatures covered in some form of tar or oil, causing them to emanate a noxious gas that was thicker than smoke from a fire. Wait...if there are good guys in front of me, then... Madeleine turned and flinched at the nearness of the repulsive beings that were advancing in her direction, but not close enough to physically harm her, supposing she was able to be harmed in the first place. Her immediate instinct was to run, but she could only jog a short distance before becoming increasingly exhausted.

Apparently, that was all it took for two of the five creatures to take notice in her presence and no longer be focused on the knights they had been attacking previously. Her brightly colored eyes, now tapped into the color spectrum mode once more, flickered between the two creatures and then the ground, her eyes searching for a weapon or some form of protection. The nearest thing she could grab was a shield to protect herself in the last moment it took for the creatures to reach her. The shield slammed hard against her body as the creatures attacked her, the female gasping for breath as she reached for a weapon, knowing full well that she couldn't take on those two alone, not without a- "Bow!" Madeleine exclaimed aloud, seeing a bow several bodies over until she was hit again by the creatures, the shield digging more and more against her body. Another glance around the area revealed the presence of several others who appeared to be fighting these monsters as well. Might as well cry for help.​

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[archur]

The last of those vicious Drax were finished. Damned creatures, created of pure malevolence and sent to turn all into twisted versions of themselves.But that was if The Order didn't have anything to say about it. He, Knight-Brother Felgorth had sworn to protect and serve the innocent people of the realm, no matter who or what they are, and to uphold peace no matter the cost. That single oath of fealty bound him to the role he plays on this mortal plane, and it is the role he chose for himself. He found himself slaying the last of them, slicing his massive zweihander almost effortlessly through the corrupted warrior's plate armor, leaving the warrior's upper torso spinning through the air as his enemy's lower body weakly collapses without any muscle to support it. He wiped the slick black liquid that filled the Drax off his blade with his thumb and forefinger, preparing another strike.

But that last strike didn't seem to be swung. He noticed that through his fevered tunnel vision, that the death and gore around him had ceased to move. The battle was over. He would have to swing his sword no more for a few more days hopefully. Many of his battle brothers and sisters had fallen today, and he was not going to simply let any battle be in vain. Not in their name.

He almost let his guard down when a sudden outburst of noise came from the other side. A cry of help, a plea for assistance. Another wave. How many more good people had to die today? Felgorth let his massive blade rest on his shoulder as he ran, pumping his arm and legs as he ran as quickly as he could, Brother Mortuos and Sister Ysolda flanking his left and right respectively. They would follow him to the grave, and that might be exactly where they were heading. He spotted her in the distance. A. . . strange looking girl, not quite old enough to have borne children, but only on the cusp of it. She was befallen by the Drax on multiple sides, only having a battered shield to protect her. That was Solus’s shield. Damn bastard wouldn’t go down without taking at least a few dozen with him. The poor girl wasn’t able to support the blows that shook her with each strike. With a charge and cry, Felgorth leapt into battle once more.

“BY BREMORA’S LIGHT, I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE ANOTHER INNOCENT LIFE YOU BASTARDS!”

His giant cleaver of a sword easily hacked through one of the Drax’s hounds, splitting it perfectly down the middle. The two halves fell apart at the sides, but that was only a small victory. Three more came from the shadows to charge him, each ready to bite into his flesh with corrupted fangs. Only they never got the chance to, as Mortuos came charging in, the armored juggernaut plunging his poleaxe straight through the three wolves, skewering them with the sheer amount of force put behind the instrument of death. By this time, Felgorth was able to pick up his weapon and address the lady. “This place is unsafe, you need to get out, NOW.” Sister Ysolda was tying up a few more of the fallen warriors by swinging her flail in the air, keeping them at a distance, and clobbering those who dared to try their luck against the immovable woman. Pointing a gauntlet backwards to his comrades, he followed his own finger to see something a little more strange.

A group of peasants in more strange clothing taking on the stragglers that managed to slip past him. They were. . . Interesting, how they took out their targets. He could only stare for so long before his attention was taken back by a loud roar. Slowly, his gaze drifted back to his two comrades. Ysolda, in her thick armor and blue tunic, was covered in black liquid the time she was able to address him. “We’ve got a problem!” He could only imagine the horror under her Folkel helm, the leather flaps that hung under the cap of her help swaying left and right as she quickly looked between him and the monstrosity that was in the distance. Mortuos raised his poleaxe over his head, preparing an overhead strike against the monster that had taken form. It was almost hard to see, it’s pitch blackness blending into the already stormy dark background. It was a famed Siege Breaker Form. Created when assaulting castles, they stand as big as a chapel, with large battering rams for arms, and pillars for legs. They are creatures of pure malevolence, but what was one doing out here?


Mortuos rolled out of the way from a slow swinging attack from the Siegebreaker, but it didn’t seem that Mortuos was the target, as it was scraping the ground with it’s fist, picking up. . . the broken forms of other Drax. As that horrifying realization hit Felgorth, he dropped his weapon. That same creature. . . It has taken the lives of so many, his family, his people, his castle, his king. It was what brought him to join the Order. It was unbeatable. But there was Mortuos, valiantly hacking away at it’s legs. He wouldn’t let him down. He knelt down picking up his enchanted sword. May the Goddess smile on him today. “Ysolda, bring this girl to safety.” The shorter knight shook her head. “We are brother and sister. We are to never leave each other’s side in battle.” “DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! DO YOU WANT TO THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE FOR ‘HONOR’?! TAKE THIS GIRL AND RUN, AND DON’T LOOK BACK!” Solemnly, she nodded and helped up the stranger, fitting the shield the stranger was carrying over her back and letting her sling the bow she had picked up over hers. “Come on, we haven’t much time to run, they’re buying as much of it as they can.”

-x-

Erik however, was having a blast. He had just downed one monster demon thing, and one of his clients had protected him. The others didn’t seem to have as much fun as him, but he didn’t care all that much, he was enjoying himself for once. But as he realized that he was screaming “DIE DIE DIE” and stabbing the dessicated corpse of the wolf creature he had slain earlier, he hadn’t really been paying attention to what had been happening around him. His responsibilities came first, system admin. A notification came up on his visor, a new player. Standing from his kneeling position over the corpse, his knees caked with mud, he looked over the faltering din of battle to see the new player, and a very, very, very large shadow monster thing. Headless, almost, with cone-like limbs. It was slow and lumbering, but like anything with that size, was probably very painful to be hit by. No matter. This was a sim after all, pain, stamina, and strength didn’t really apply here. Nor did time or space, as he began to access in sim protocols.


“Alright everyone, I’ve got a plan to take that out.” He broadcasted, his voice thundering across the landscape. The various NPCS looked startled and confused, trying to look for the source of the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere, the hills and rocks and trees. “It’s a sim. Stamina, weight, and pain are all burdens of reality, so we don’t have to worry all too much about that here.” He grinned internally. “So let’s get this big ol’ blight and settle for some tea and crumpets after.” He turned off megaphone and walked forwards, a little past the various warriors who had no idea what deity had tried to contact them, or what cryptic message they were just given. Off in the distance, two little figures were skirting around the large monster, dashing left and right as the sluggish swings of the monster missed them. The two figures kept distracting, but their attacks didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the monster, who was simply annoyed at their interference. The monster made a deep gurgling sound, flecks of the black foul smelling liquid raining in it’s demonic laugh.

 

[0stinato]

With the news of how "stamina, weight and pain" were only existent in the real world, and mostly ignored in the simulation, Rüdiger stared at Helmethead before he went back to his psychotic behaviour. Rüdiger's eyes had been following him, and he'd picked up very strongly on Helmethead's oddness. Of course, everyone was mad here. The fault of the mal-augs... and somehow this simulated violence was supposed to help?

He twirled the sword in his palm and still didn't know where to begin. The facts that his body was apparently lighter and stronger in the simulation didn't change the fact he had no training in combat. His clothes still remained the shocking white they had done - he'd not touched a thing with the sword blade yet.

Time to begin.

A fair few metres away, a beast was jumping at someone. His feet had left the turf before he'd noticed they had, and as his sword raised, he noticed the angle his hand was at, the sideways tilt of the sword blade. And it glinted.

His wrist held all the power, and all his elbow did was pull the sword back, and he repeated the odd slashing action. Effective or not, he couldn't really tell, and the young man was doing his own more appropriate damage to the beast.

How exactly had his hand adopted that particular action, then? It was sort of like a sketching motion, only with his arm pulling back. He had to use his shoulder, that's how the young man was going it, that's how he'd seen Helmethead doing it.

So he tried, his expression nothing more than a slight frown attempting to copy Helmethead's vigorous movements with his own swordhand. The blade found slight purchase, but seemed to slide right off the beast's shoulderblade as it turned.

On the horizon, the massive behemoth kept coming, and Helmethead's idea wasn't yet spoken. And Rüdiger's eye was on this beast first. Assisting the stranger in the sim.

He'd never have done that in real life.

Hercynia

 

[animegirl20]

Klara had been actually doing pretty well with fighting the monsters though she noticed something wasn't quite right when fighting them. She expected more pain. Though she had been dodging quite a lot so maybe she just wasn't getting hit or at least hard. Suddenly she heard a voice booming around her she thought for moment trying to see whose voice that was. "....helmet head?"

“It’s a sim. Stamina, weight, and pain are all burdens of reality, so we don’t have to worry all too much about that here.”

Klara froze, she knew something was up. Something in her brain kind of snapped. She smirked and looked over at the monster with her eyes burning with fire. "Oh this going to be fun. You guys are so dead." She cracked her knuckles then walked slowly to the monster. "I got a lot of rage I've been wanting to let out and I'm about to let it all loose." She dashed out to the monster and went on a killing spree. Left and right the things were coming at her and she was slashing punching kicking. Everything she had been holding in was coming out like a wave and she was wiping out any creatures in her path. She had to admit she was having a blast now.

 

[archur]

Mortuos was beginning to tire. His arms were weakening after each resounding strike against the siege beast, and his legs began to feel sluggish as he pushed himself to roll out of the way of another strike. He didn't think he had much more in him, but that wasn't his concern. His concern was the lives of the men and women he served with, and making sure they made it to safety long before he was killed against the fabled enemy he onesidedly fought against. He wouldn't let Battle-Brother Felgorth be taken today. That man had helped him push through the very reaches of death itself, and he figured that today would be the day that he finally let himself be greeted by the angels themselves. Plunging his ax into the leg of the monster, he wasn't able to pull it back out. Suddenly, wiry black tentacles erupted from the leg of the beast, and pulled him and his ax directly into the black goop.

It reeked of death and despair, it's stench choking the air out of his lungs. The darkness was wriggling inside of his armor, corrupting his flesh. Is this what it was like to die? He then heard a voice. No, it was many voices, speaking all as one. They were speaking to him from inside of his head, twisting and turning around his thoughts.

Gnats. That's all you are. Little, filthy, crunchy gnats. Gnats that don't understand the power that they trifled with, that even dared to contest this land against the forces of the Matriarch! Fools! Buffoons! And to think those gnats could stand against myself! I am the coalescence of hundreds of years of war, the very essence of battle itself! You are nothing! You will tire out and die, and I will ever march on to destroy all pockets of resistance on this pitiful plane you call 'yours'. My queen will take back everything into the purified black matter that defines your very plane, the black perfection that defines what once was, and take back our world! You are nothing, and cannot stop me! Now you will join the winning side!

An evil cackle, but it grew quieter and quieter as it continued. He couldn't breathe. He began to lose consciousness until his vision came back. It was the very same black substance that had enveloped him mere seconds ago. He turned to meet his savior before he was yanked out of the way of a blow towards the ground. A guttral, if you could assume that it had guts, came from the beast. It was angry that it's prey had gotten out. Mortuos however, was just glad that he was on his feet. Who saved him?

"Brother Mortuos?" That's who it was, what was he doing here. No matter, this monster was going to kill everyone.

"We must leave, we don't stand a chance against this thing!"

"And let our villages die? We end this here!" Mortuos has never seen such bravery. Or stupidity. But he had sworn to his brother that he would follow him to the grave, and so he did.

Meanwhile, the monster was truly getting sick of having to 'fight' these little nuisances that he just couldn't get a hold of. Realizing that there were bigger fish in the sea, he roared, a deep, gurgling, more of a belch than a roar really, and charged towards the group of knights and strangers. His spindly legs ended in flat, circular, soles, that stomped and spread little pockets of monsters as he walked, sending a few more distractions so he could clean up the finishing blows.

 

[Hercynia]

As Aaron continued to blindly slash at the dark beast's relatively more vulnerable underbelly, shrinking back as gravity took its toll on the wolf and it dropped rapidly back to earth. He'd just moved far enough away not to be crushed as its front legs slammed down onto the ground when he registered the helmeted Syndico employee yell something about "burdens of reality". Well, Aaron supposed that answered his question about feeling pain. Furthermore, it seemed unlikely that they could "die" in the simulation - perhaps if they took enough damage then they would... what, respawn? This did seem like some video game, after all. Then again, not like Aaron had ever had that much experience with them - he had spent far more time doing the things he really enjoyed, for all the good it was doing him now.

Snapping his attention back to the beast before him, Aaron considered briefly - very briefly, as it was clearly not very patient - how to go about actually, well... killing it. He felt a momentary twinge of guilt at the thought, before banishing the notion - this was a simulation, he reminded himself. It was no more alive than a block of code was. Still, you had to hand it to Syndico - the creature certainly felt, well... real, as paradoxical as it may have been.

It was now that Aaron noticed a man who had, for some reason - perhaps he was spurred into action with the news that pain was nonexistent - run over to the shadowy beast Aaron had been fighting and was hacking at it rather ineffectually. Well, perhaps calling it ineffectual was harsh - after all, it had certainly gotten the beast's attention. Well, as good a time to strike as any, Aaron supposed - and, taking two steps forward, drove his knife down, into the wolf's neck. Black liquid sprayed, and Aaron rapidly backed away, attempting to shield his eyes from the beast's vile blood.

Having reached a satisfactory distance from the miniature geyser, Aaron lowered his arm, just in time to see an enormous shadowy... thing, approaching.

0stinato