11/24, evening

[trollophoroi]

Hellooooo Fragment~

I am so sorry to announce that the news of my demise has been greatly exaggerated!

Not that I can blame anyone, of course! I was not, in fact, 100% certain that Lily would reach out and pluck me away at the very edge of death, and yet! As it would turn out, I was and continue to be correct!

Well, only about certain things. Just. Not everything.

Regardless, I have some news that I must bring to you straight from Lily's own core.

[ This message has been specifically brought to you via the forum because that way no one can even begin to guess how upset Fandaniel is, mmhm, perfect. ]

Comments

[trollophoroi]

Good. I'm glad to hear that.

Please take care of him. There's no telling what danger lies ahead of us now. I can only offer the warning that Cubia will stand between us and Harald, not how difficult the fight will be.

[trollophoroi]

He never manipulated me, Winter.

I allowed him to turn me into Fidchell, although now that I have gone through being him, I would not do it again. Fidchell took only the worst parts of me and discarded the rest.

Still, I do not begrudge you your wariness.

He did heal me, however, and he did give me his core. Those two things are facts. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The rest...

We will still have to go through him to get to Harald. I am not here to beg for mercy for him.

[ganymed]

Did Harald ever tell anything about why he trapped us here??

Urgh, honestly, this is seriously pissing me off.

How are we supposed to even find where this guy is in the first place?!

[userunfriendly]

Understood.

Our "relationships" with him, as much as my conversation can be called that, are very different. I do not have the capacity to dispatch either mercy or judgment. I only want to avoid anyone here being led into a trap by their sympathy. And I will not be Harald's executioner for Lily without seeing the situation for myself. Whichever of them was ultimately responsible, I am finished with being a tool for either.

[trollophoroi]

Only that all the data was meant for Harald.

Perhaps he sees us as nothing more than rats to put into his mazes again and again until there's nothing left. Test every theory, gather the data, compile, and then request a new set to go through.

[justonezero]

...he takes care of me more than the other way around. but i'll protect him in my own way.

[ganymed]

I'm sick and tired of being jerked around.

Harald, Cubia, including what or who the hell ever could be next in the way...they better pick a god and pray. Because there won't be anything left of any obstacle that dares block the way back home.

[dapples]

I see...

[ MUCH EMOTIONS... MUCH FEELINGS IN HIS CONFLICTED LITTLE HEAD RIGHT NOW... on one hand, he's so glad fandan is alive - but aslo. this is so embarrassing. ]

One last question before I find the nearest hole to climb in and never come out again...
What was the purpose of our experience in the pods? Why was my time in it so...
You know...
Naughty...

[trollophoroi]

To give those within their ideal life within Fragment.

Fidchell had no intention to kill anyone. He desired only to keep all of you safe and sound until he and Lily remade everything exactly how they wanted it. If no one had escaped, he would have gone on to lure groups in one by one and capture them the same way.

That yours was the way it was just meant that's your ideal. I may poke fun at you over it but, please, know that I am hardly judging you for it.

[trollophoroi]

Then you and I are in agreement.

I know how I have been acting in the past but please believe me, I mean to leave this world alongside the rest of you now.

[trollophoroi]

Even so, those who take care of others often find themselves needing that same kind of care from time to time.

Keep that in mind in the future, hmm?

[trollophoroi]

Of course.

Whatever happens, I hope you will view Harald's words, should he offer them, with as much scrutiny. I do not believe he will be trustworthy, no matter what else may or may not turn out to be the truth.

[ganymed]

...I remember how you acted like an ass before, yeah. I haven't forgotten and how it pissed me off.

Anyway, if you had different intentions, you'd be just trying to convince us to stay in the world or talking like you were possessed again. That's what makes it actually believable.

[justonezero]

yeah

i'm trying to make sure he's ok too

[insinning]

It could go back to Emma Wielant. The poem was written by her, after all. And judging from her interests, she seemed to have an interest in 'bettering' humanity...

[insinning]

i see. it's difficult when no one has the whole picture

harald hoerwick's room does exist here but no one can get into it

i wonder where the traces of him are then

and how are we meant to face him as the programmer? it was hard enough with skeith

[gluttoning]

Do we know where that room is?

The game was able to make its own city without CCCorp or Harald's involvement, right? There has to be something we can do to work around it.

[insinning]

no. i don't think it's a place any of us can access easily.

hien was the one who informed calx about it

[userunfriendly]

To be entirely blunt... I can promise without fail that I will trust none of you.

I will determine what I can from what we see before us, knowing how simple it is here to manipulate even that.

[gluttoning]

Nobody else has admin access, though.

Maybe... we'll have to deal with Cubia first before we get any answers. If it really is just him behind Cubia, he really won't want us to find him anyway. Maybe that will change if we can find a way to make sure Cubia can't be used by him anymore.

[Like, y'know, murder.]

[insinning]

that's the only way to be certain

we get rid of cubia for good.

not here (this time in the right place)

[regressive]

[trollophoroi]

[ Yeah, yeah, he isn't going to contest acting like an ass. He did that, in spades, and all on purpose, so... ]

I'm glad that part, at least, is believable.

I do wish I could offer more advice for what's to come but this is the best I can do. Hopefully the forewarning at least keeps some surprises from actually catching us off-guard.

[trollophoroi]

Is that so? Well, what better way to do that than by sticking them all in a controlled environment? A mad thought, to be sure, but it would solve the biggest problems.

Hunger, illness, housing...

[trollophoroi]

Good.

Well. I suspect I will see you both directly soon enough if Cubia and Harald intend to make themselves known to us in short order.