Elysium Core - L'Internet du Soir

[mirror]

As the navi descends, Mirror realizes he knows who he is. He nods knowingly as Phenoix says his piece. Challenger most likely had a handle on whatever situation was going on, and there were enough like minded persons about to handle any escalation, as unwelcome as something like that might be.

"It has been a long time, Phenoix. And our encounter with Eon sounds about right. I..." he pauses "...haven't really been up to anything, it seems. Been offline for a while. No connection with my operator. But that's not really my concern right now. Right now, I'm here, and things, as usual, seem to be happening."

[Mega]

Things had happened, and Golem remained otherwise unmoved as the others ignored the shooter's warnings. His veiled threat seemed to have the opposite effect, instead causing more to gather then disperse. Golem was silent, calmly observing the situation as it considered it's options. Leaving was very low on the list, as there wasn't anyone else that was heeding the navi's warning. It concluded that there wasn't enough data to take action one way or the other. So it remained still.

[Longinus]

Longinus felt the ground beneath him beginning to crack. A quick glance down confirmed his suspicions. He started to get ready to move, just in time to look up and see Phoenix striking down toward him. That momentary distraction away from his targets was all that was needed to keep him in one place. 

But Pheonix made a horrible mistake. When the ground cracked, Longinus didn't "fall and leave the gun behind". Longinus is the gun. As he started to fall, the barrel caught in the hole, spanning the distance with it's sheer length and Longinus's arm remained rooted firmly within the cannon, as it was an extension of his own back and arm. 

Longinus's body whipped back with the impact of catching on the hole, his legs now dangling over the open network beneath the walkway, inseparable from his weapon. He quickly glanced back up in panic to see the yellow blade crashing down toward him, the massive electrical charge still at full power. He frowned, realizing what this meant.  "Stop! You have no idea what you're-" He tried to shout at his attacker.

The pain was unbelievable. 

It was as if someone had started dissecting his arm right then and there, slicing it in half but keeping it still attached, far worse than if they had just cut his entire arm off. What kind of navi does that? Immediately afterward, the charge exploded outward in a conical shape, destroying a massive section of the walkway despite its containment and spiraling out. It was a minature supernova, destroying everything within a 12-meter radius. The cannon was designed to blow through barriers and shields, and while the containment might have protected most of the area, anyone who was immediately next to Longinus would have to deal with the incoming wave of energy. Its wide dispersal meant that it was less powerful than a head-on shot, but it was still strong enough to take a considerable chunk of health from most navis. 

And then, the light was gone, and so was Longinus, having forcibly logged out from the crippling damage he sustained. The only reminder of what just happened, and what they had done to this navi, was the large hole in the network where there was once a walkway. The weapon was driven out of the area by the madmen, playing with forces they didn't understand.

And well, truth be told, neither did Longinus. But his operator understood these forces, far better than anyone else there.


-----


"Do you understand why we receive these high profile assignments?"

Longinus remained in his personal terminal, knowing not to speak at the rhetorical question his operator asked. Any other operator would have been disappointed or angry, but his operator was currently programming a replacement navi for him, having already given up on Longinus. 

"It's because you are able to go to the lengths that no other navi will to accomplish your mission. You have no moral regard, no weakness, and you succeed. Anything short of that is failure."

That word pressed down on Longinus as his injuries slowly healed. He was inside the terminal, attached to a series of programming computers designed for reparing, reprogramming, and modifying navis. He was in his operator's computer laboratory, a dark room filled with servers and such devices. The intimidating presence of his operator. 

"Your bumbling idiocy has ruined my relationship with the client, caused a number of potential jobs to be pulled, and worst of all, allowed whatever information the client wanted hidden to get out. There are dark forces, powerful forces, at work behind what you see. But it is not your job to know that. Your job is to succeed. You can't blame their ignorance for your actions, you are in a position to lead them, to convince them to do whatever is necessary to do what you need. In that aspect, you have failed."

His operator stood over the terminal, staring down at the navi without expression. Longinus was in too much pain, and bound by too many repair programs, to gesticulate or speak his mind, though he knew it would mean little. 

"As a result, you will be given a memory wipe, and a mental reprogramming, to give you more fortitude at the cost of your intelligence.You will no longer be treated to high profile assignments, and your healing process will be exacerbated as part of the learning procedure. Your weapons will be reduced in strength and you will be given failsafe triggers for override commands. A navi that fails because of their own inability, is worse than a program that can succeed without a mind." Joseph looked at the screens behind him, showing details of a second navi. "Your replacement will be my primary navi, and when given the opportunity, you will be sent on a suicide mission at the earliest chance to allow your deletion to be useful. That is the only reason you are not being deleted immediately."

Longinus couldn't speak. Not because he was shocked, but his speech functions were already disabled. 

"The client is currently dealing with some incredibly powerful energy sources on the net, and their plans for them can shape the future. It is my job to facilitate that, and you are my tool. I am the best, and you have failed. There is no tolerance." His operator paused. "I'm telling you this, despite the fact that you're about to suffer a memory wipe, in the hopes that if by some extreme chance you retain an iota of memory of this failure, you will recall the gravity of your failure, and just what you've allowed out into the world by failing to secure this area for the client. That portal? The shell network? The client has plans for this that would leave you even more broken than you are now if you just knew the future they see."

Joseph walked away from the terminal, over to his laboratory computer."You will be allowed to think when I need you again." He pressed a series of keys, and Longinus's world went black as he blinked out of consciousness.

Joseph walked over toward his office chair, sitting down in front of a series of monitors.

"Nothing will prevent me from victory, least of all my own weapon..." He looked carefully at the navis on the screen, many of them half-programmed, and he prepared Longinus's replacement. Armor of gold and silver, nobility and honor... the client wanted those who knew anything about that area to be destroyed, and he knew the best way to do it.

[LC: Longinus, Log out]

[Deleted]

Phenoix was not quite prepared for the blast to be so powerful, however a secondary barrier surrounding the first quickly diffused the issue. Sure it held some power, but nothing compared to that which Phenoix held. Though he knew Challenger would have no problem with the collateral damage, the rest of the area would, so it was better to contain it to the best of his ability. Forcing a logout was not his intention however, so that plan backfired. Phenoix's hand moved up to rub his brow, ridden with stress. Why can't it just be easy, why can't people just listen? Phenoix spoke once again to Mirror, confident that the other navis in the area would likely gather around as well, though Challenger just lost his chance to fight, so perhaps something would have to be done about that.

"Indeed that would seem to be the case. I've only just learned of a network known as the 'Shell network' and apparently it has already become corrupted by something. I had heard about some sort of mystery data that was bugged out and some creature coming from it some time ago... I wonder if its the same phenomenon."

[B.o.B.]

B.o.B. hung from the edge of what remained of the now wrecked platform. B.o.B. had not been expecting the other navi to get caught in the hole and then consequently explode into a huge conflagration of energy. If not for the flame navi's barriers the damages could have been quite worse."What in the world is happening?..." A red ? displaying on its face plate. B.o.B. still hanging from the ledge...

[Raven8]

...what? It's over? Challenger didn't even know what happened, and it's over?! He didn't even get to punch the gunner, and it's OVER?!

...this was disheartening, but whatever. Challenger walks over at a brisk pace and reaches down to B.o.B., pulling him up and giving a half-hearted smile.

Challenger: Great job, Bobby. Thanks for the help; he was a hard one to pin down.

Story battle complete.

Longinus/B.o.B./Phenoix gain 60 EXP/600z for the fight.

[B.o.B.]

B.o.B. gladly accepted Challengers help up from the ledge. B.o.B: "Thanks...no problem...is what friends do...What now?..." B.o.B. said quietly still displaying a ? on its face plate. B.o.B. stood looking towards Challenger...

[Torchman]

"Excuse me," a voice spoke out from behind Phoenix. A tall, large navi in red armour spoke, a rather tired look on his face. He had a rather tired look on his face, as though he'd just woken up for a very long sleep. "I've been offline due to a glitch for several months and I can't seem to find a reliable navi around here."

He pointed to the number above his own head, then gestured to the very numbers above the groups heads. "Do you by chance know why these numbers are a thing, and why I've witnessed several navis attack each other for no reason at all?" Erat wanted to go into more detail, but he wanted to get back into the world after having spent so long in a drunken sleep. Couldn't even remember why that had happened, except that his arm hurt slightly.

[Mega]

"The game..." A voice suddenly replied. It was Golem that spoke at last, just two simple words that would generate another obvious question. One that the monolith would not answer directly, if it felt at all obligated to. "A game has been enacted to encourage wanton violence against one another. To what end? Not enough data to answer..." Golem continued in it's methodical manner. Okay, so it DID feel like answering that other obvious question.

Golem slowly rose to it's feet (concluding that it was the cause of the platform being unstable now) and shifted it's weight on it's knuckles and feet to alleviate the damaged platform of it's stress.

[Torchman]

"Oh great..." he muttered, his eyes closed as he pinched his nose, "So the entire net could basically turn on me at any given time. Just fantastic." Of all the times for him to become active again, it had to be when the entire net was a death zone. It was definitely a strength in numbers situation, otherwise it was a priority to get off as soon as possible.

But after being out for so long, he wasn't in a hurry to get off the net and hide. No, that wasn't his style. He was a warrior by heart, and he wouldn't back down, regardless of if the entire net was against him. He just needed to even the odds somehow...

And he had his solution.

"Say, seeing as how you aren't attacking every navi on sight nor each other..." He began, "May I stick with you gentlemen? I don't fancy my chances alone in a net where anyone can turn on you at any point, and currently strength in numbers seems like the best plan to go with."

[mirror]

So. Many. People. Barely hearing Phoenix as he speaks of some "Shell Network," Mirror finds himself distracted. He registers the new navi in red armor and hears his question of joining the group.

Not exactly enjoying just how busy everything was, he finds himself thinking back, perhaps because so many were gathered around, to the days of the Crusading Shield. The faction he started, the faction he led. He didn't really look back on the time with much fondness. But that faction had been a group, a unit, of like minded individuals with a common goal.

This here was a group of like minded individuals, no matter how one cut it. And it sure seemed like they had a common goal. Survive.

Mirror didn't particularly think of himself as leader material, but recognizing that someone has to get the ball rolling, he steps forward and calls out to everyone.

"Hey everyone. Let's talk about all this."

No going back now.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm MirrorMan. There's definitely something going on, these so called "games," that are putting all of us at risk. I'm sure we all realize the benefits of staying together. Anyone who wants to do so, stay here with the rest of us. But, if we're going to stay together, we need to be proactive. If we're not, we're just a stationary target for anyone who is playing these "games." So, what should we do?"

He had his own ideas of what to do, but not wanting to come off too strong, he opens the floor to ideas.

[Deleted]

Phenoix spoke up. Unlike MirrorMan, he did see himself as taking a leadership position. And while he had been silent for some time, what the reflective navi said was true. They did need to be proactive. They needed to amass a greater force and get down to the bottom of whoever was behind this. To that end, Phenoix took the metaphorical stage.

"Our ultimate goal is clear, we need to find whoever is behind this and put a stop to them. However doing that will be difficult. I fear that for each point amassed in these games will only make them stronger. So we have two options. We gather all those who share our ideals to create a force to stand against this menace and prevent as many deletions as we can while we wait for the mastermind to show themselves... Or we start a manhunt ourselves. Regardless of our choice I feel like our best lead is with the one navi who began this game with some number of points. This Nidhiki. Whatever they did to start the game with their points will at least provide us some lead. Or so I hope."

Phenoix looked to Challenger. He wanted him in this group as well, but he knew that he was very likely simply looking for a challenge for his fighting skills. Perhaps that could be the reason for his joining.

"I understand that you are one who searches to fight. But I also see that this game has little meaning to you. Will you too join us? At the very least, perhaps when no other answer but fighting presents itself to us, you would be our vanguard."

[Longinus]

At this point, a private message arrived for Phoenix. It was, from of all people, Longinus.

Keep this message confidential, for now. There's a lot more to this 'game' than merely killing navis, and my client is aware of the forces that are trying to act on the net. 

Recall the navi granted 100 points from the beginning, Nidhiki. My client sent me on a mission to protect and secure the navi to safety. Part of that was preventing any further investigation into the Shell incident, which is intricately tied to the Game. Preventing this investigation has been my primary goal, and the purpose behind my appearance in the Internet of the Night. There are far more details I would like to share, but not over a message that could possibly be intercepted. What I have seen since I left the Internet of the Night, however, would shock you.

Despite your strength advantage over myself, there's information and value that I have that you would be most interested in, especially if you want to get to the bottom of this. I've been put on a general assignment now, and I'm allowed to engage with you and whatever resources you can bring. However, I believe I know both why Nidhiki was marked so high for points, and what is about to happen next, and the team of navis I witnessed in the Internet of the Night, even if they do pacify themselves with you, won't be able to do anything about it.

Needless to say, the bloodshed you were hoping to prevent in the Internet of the Night was already happening elsewhere, and in much greater quantity than you may have been aware of. You're already far too late, and if I had your strength, I could have prevented what just happened. Likewise, if you had my intelligence, you would have been able to prevent the damage as well.

I hope that we can cooperate. If yes, then I will find you in a private location. I'm not safe where I am now.

[Torchman]

"I'd prefer the first option." Erat answered. "I don't like deleting others for sport, and it's only asking for us to have a constant target on our heads. Plus we don't know how the point system actually works besides deleting a navi. Do they go to any navi involved in that, or just whoever caused the deleting blow? And how would that make us any better than anyone abusing the games for their own goals?"

Erat brought up multiple good points. With the rules of the game so vague, and with them in such a large group, it wasn't an efficient method for them to go around in a deleting spree. Plus, for wanting to stop a culprit, they sure took out alot of potentially innocent navis to do so.

"We know who the first place of the contest is. We should be going after him and either have him join us if he agrees to it or delete him if he appears to be no better than the rest. He has the biggest target on his head, and will have the most pursuers. Worst case scenrio, someone with worse intentions than us, and alot stronger, got there first and has already deleted him and claimed his points. In that case, we go after them."

He looked at the group before him, his massive axe forming in his hand as he held it back over his shoulder. Together, they could do this."Sound like a plan to the rest of you?"

[mirror]

Mirror nodded in approval to Erat's words. This Nidhiki was as good a lead as any.

Not much to do but wait for the opinions of the others, he stands and waits. What would come of all this? That a faction could be born weighed in the back of his mind. He had his doubts about power structures that were innately found in such things. Though, he wondered if just maybe this one, were it to become a reality, could be different...