As Aaron sat there in his gym, his arms would lay across his chest, "Can you believe this nonsense, a game changing one's Psyche... They use to say the same thing about violent games causing folks to be violent. Plenty of my elders, use to game and play all sorts of things, hell I use to game as a kid. Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty. All sorts of violent or crazy shit. Never once did I shoot up a bank or steal cars. You can't blame the game for bad parenting. Why is it folks always take the easy way out and pass the blame everywhere but where it counts. Although I will say Susana Aldagos has some amazing tits, the things I'd do with her. I wonder if she could be the third..."

He'd tap his chin thinking about Sera, but in reality, he'd shift his gaze to the side. The news cast spoke some truth, his psyche had suffered some, he enjoyed pain more. Being a tank usually revolved around it, the berserker skill caused one to turn pain to pleasure or in some cases nullify it. Early in the week he cut his hand and didn't notice til he got out of the shower. The concept of it affecting one's mind was one he shared with others in the game, but it was both interesting and concerning that these concepts were not just fabricated or assumed anymore could quite possibly be legitimate concerns.

Thankfully he'd yet to meet any young kids in the game and that was a good thing; imagining a young child playing and experiencing some of the more traumatic things, such as death or sex...the latter thought caused him some distress. His sister although no longer truly a kid was the first one to come to mind, especially considering the alleged rape which happened in the game a week back.This was definitely one game that should require parents to supervise their kids with or at the very least be age restricted.

"On second thought, children are impressionable and dealing with the death of a family member at a young age can be a problem. Let alone dying one's self." He'd frown and shake his head, "Felicia remind me to send out a memo to all my students and parents to keep an eye out for their kids and to stay away from the game unless supervised. Sex and death alone should be enough reason; let alone a world where laws and rules are unrestricted...who know what sicko's are playing that game." Making another mental note Steele would remember to link the news report and his thoughts so he might inform the guilt of the newfound dangers that might be lurking. They'd need to look out for one another more than ever.

It was one thing when the game had a few perverted freaks like himself who knew or respected boundaries. But it was an entirely different ball park when you emphasize those specific things such as sex and death. It wouldn't be long before an influx of players would arrive. Most of which are children, especially when tonight many parents would be telling them not to play the game. Outside of the children Steele considered to be his, he knew most would listen and a few wouldn't. Much like any kid, if it's considered cool or what is what they'd do just the opposite of what they were told not to. Especially the angsty teens rebelling.

A quick slap to his face passed as he shook his head, "Tyl help us.." he'd mutter as Felica commented, "Oh, nothing; just send out those memos to our students and gym members; especially the parents. But remind them their children might not listen and they may need to consider playing themselves to protect them if they find out they do; it may be a good exercise for parenting; fuck I don't know just tell them to watch the embedded clip." he said frustrated as he began to walk off, "Bye Felicia, I'm heading home to check on my kid sister..." The reality being, he was off to go log into the game and head to the new player spawning area in Brisshal forest; simply to see the damage this PSA would cause.

Mail

@everyone
Attention all members of The Heroes Of Falderen. There was a CNN Broadcast, which basically highlighted Realistic sex and death. It also warned parents to stop their kids from gaming. You know what this means, lots of new players. Kids and lots of freaks, especially those seeking the game for those immoral reasons, this being said.

Scout Brisshal forest when you can and protect the little ones. We can't allow this game to change too drastically or give the government any more reason to shut this down; especially when the Psyche of kids is involved. I'm not saying baby sit the brats, but just make sure there are no predators in these areas; if you find one use extreme prejudice. May Tyl help you in your efforts for justice. Below is the attached Video link
~Aaron Steele
[ Video ]

Mail

@Sera Phim
Hey, what do you think of Susana Aldagos tits? We should add her to the list of potential lovers....

 

Ayame turned on the boardcast for no reason other then to have something to wake up too when she got out of Terrasphere. But when she heard mention of it she started to pay attention. She too a moment and listened to what they had to say. People dying? Now that was concerning but on the other hand gamers had the tendency to forget to eat and if you stayed in there for too long well you would end up dying. However, this wasn't the first time she'd heard of people dying in games. She wondered if they ended up as NPC's or something in game and that's why someone had to mention the things she already knew. She rolled her eyes at most of it. "Yea and no one cared when we all were stuck in SAO you think that didn't fuck with brains. there is always some risk i mean honestly." She spoke in japanese when she said this but she took a deep breath and shook her head. A place like Terrasphere was an opprotunity. No matter which way one saw it. And like she had in SAO she was resolved in protecting those younger than herself so she knew what was needed. She had lived in a reality albiet different from Terrapshere for two years. She could tackle what came next.

She put on her gear and calmed her mind. Fuck Susana and the others that didn't see full dive technology like she had once when she was younger. And how she saw Terrasphere today. However, it was good to know that at least with this perhaps parents would pay a little more attention and send their children in with others. or perhaps there weren't going to be the large amounts of kids that signed into the game. Either way she'd find a way to make sure things didn't get to out of control for her anyways. She would just keep her eyes out. After all that was all part of the gaming culture. She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and opened as she started then game.

 

Kohaku was sitting down doing a few things for self study when the broadcast came on. He looked at the television screen rolling his eyes. Of course the publicity for Terrasphere was going to get to this point at some point he was sure. It wasn't like it was without its faults and people were scrutinizing every game that came onto the markent including the ones that seemed to have slipped through their fingers. He wondered however, why people were dying. He wasn't really worried about it. After all if someone forgot to sign out to eat and drink that was their own fault and not the fualt of the games. It wasn't like the game was trying to kill you or anything. But he knew a few gamers that would not drink or eat for a day or two because they were playing a game. And someone had to remind them to do so.

He had established a surefire way to make sure that he would wake up and all that so that he could eat. And frankly he was sure that his head on was on better than that of others. After all he liked the living thing even if he liked the idea of being a Pker. he shook it off not really caring about much until her heard his father's footsteps and his mother screaming something. He immediately turned off the television and locked his door. There was only one other person in this house that had the key to unlock it and well they were doing their duty. He quickly finished what he was doing and knew this was going to end very badly for his parents anyways.

As they came to the door the tried to open it. "Not gonna happen. One i know what you just watched. Two i'm nearly legal, Three, no matter what you say I'm stll logging in. Oh and if you cut power to what I'm doing. I'll just get it turned back on with my own money and don't think for a second I don't have any. and it won't be coming out of your accounts but we can talk about that later. I'm studying so don't even start." It didn't stop his parents at least not a first anyways.

"Excuse me young man but you will be unlocking this door and coming out to talk about the civilally." his mother screamed at his bedroom door. "You did what?" came his father's voice calmly as if he was surprised which in a way threw off ko but not as much as it really could have thrown him off. "Like i said. I'll talk about this later. I'm currently trying to study. I do have appearances to keep up you know. After all i do live in the shadow of my brothers so I have to be good in something." He laughed and ignored his parents as he zoned them out and went back to his studying.

 

Elizabeth's Recluse

It was fairly late. The occult crazed scientist was up late as always. Sleep really was not something she did much. Tonight she had a cup of rich black coffee. Her 5th, no 6th... no actually maybe her 10th... whatever. She had work to do. She had finished up on a few Q&A's on her personally run cult website and was now working on a new conduit for her dimensional research project. If only she could open a gateway herself without the need for that stupid Dive Tech. Elizabeth knew she was getting closer. Her gateway would be a masterpiece. She would be the most praised mind of her era! Hmph... as if she honestly cared. Nexus Corp had best keep things under wraps. If anyone took this from her... she would not allow it. If only she could... actually... finish... zzzzz....

Her head fell onto her key board as even her 10th cup of coffee was not enough. Her body was exhausted. She began to dream of the most wonderful nightmares.... the dead wailing and hell breaking lose on Earth. Wonderful black slime raining from the sky and catching the masses a blaze. So glorious her dark gods were....

*Notes From Chopin's Nocturne Fill The Air*

"Ugh... what is that... oh right.... damn it. Should have turned it off."

Elizabeth reached for her cell phone near the desk she sipped her now cold coffee and saw a name she was unhappy with seeing... oh Babylon save her.... Elizabeth was about to ignore it when she remembered she had needed the girl to gather something from her division for a approved new project in her own research. Answering it, Elizabeth spoke softly and with a bit of grog in her normally cool voice.

"Yes? Di-"

The gentle voice interrupted with the sound of great concern and worry.

"Elly! Are you okay? Will you be okay? Did you see the news?"

Elizabeth blinked a few times what was this girl goring on about now? She switched to a search engine that she had a custom privacy protection program installed to her exact specifications with (it was excellent... this girl was useful in some ways maybe). A news article and video from CNN was at the top of her news search results. Elizabeth was not the biggest news watcher but the voice of Hitomi on her phone was blowing up and the words Terrasphere caught her attention. Elizabeth's tired eyes watched the video as Hitomi continued.

"I-I'm sorry Elly. I am just worried about you. I know you have a interest in the game. it's why you asked for that firewall upgrade earlier. I don't know how I feel about some of the things that game might allow.... and if it ever were to become anything even remotely like the Sword Art Online incident! T-that would be horrible! I kno- "

Elizabeth's face was still very tired but it was now smiling. This was hilarious. So.... this message was pretty useful for someone with her aims. She would have to thank the media for spreading such wonderful things about the 33rd dimension. Yes, attract the most unsavory so that they may be saved. Trapped? No.... it was meant to be for all of humanity to transfer over. This was not bad news at all!

"Enough Hitomi. I need my paperwork tomorrow first thing. Goodnight."

Hitomi would start to berate the witch about her way of dealing with people in that 'nice and advisory' way that she does. Oh no, she was not dealing with this tonight. Elizabeth hung up and glared at her computer some more. What a nice late night gift....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere..... another person had watched the report. It was actually a reviewing of the video.... they had to see it the moment it aired and now watched it again..... Terrasphere..... could make Sword Art look like child's play..... or next best thing to ever be......

​

 

Alia for a girl that was not a huge gamer had kept up with the goings on of the gaming world enough even if she had little time to game originally. Now she had more and had set her foot down on being able to play. The news on the other hand seemed to want to take the relaxation it gave her from her. Thankfully her parents were not home right now but it was late and the little ones had not wanted to go to sleep and so they turned to look up at her as she listened to the CNN broadcast. She had not seen anything unsavory in the game yet but she knew that it was fully possibly after all the world was new and it was full immersion. But she wasn't about to let her younger siblings play in such a game. She had never wanted them to do so without her anyways. And on top of that they were more into playing ball outside and running around driving her batty. They weren't into games yet but they looked up at her just the same.

"Sissy isn't that about the game that you play. Is it really that dangerous? And what's sex?"" The boys said in unison to young to actually understand half of what the boardcast was talking about. She was actually rather upset that they would say such things but then again this was later at night and the young ones should have been asleep and they had been playing a quiet game before this. She looked down at them. "I'll tell you about that three letter word when you are older. but do you remember your lessons in school health?" She questioned them. Both nodding. "So sex is how we came to be?" She nodded because there was no other way to put it. the nine year old and six year old staring up at her wanted the confrimation and she didn't lie to him. "Well remember i told you you came out of mommy's stomach." They nodded. "Well sissy isn't going to be doing any of that in that game. She wants to help the other players and relax. So she will be using her sword to protect the people." She said actually glad that they looked up and started shouting story story after that.

She drug them off to their bedrooms and settled them into bed and started to give them a story. Once they were asleep she walked out and the phone rang thankfully answered on first ring by their butler. She was standing by knowing who it was on the other end. She was handed the phone. "i'm fine mom. No i'm not going to get into something like that. you raised me better. yes mother." She rolled her eyes and then she hung up the phone and wandered off to her room this was going to be interesting. Backlash always caused a few problems so she was going to have to keep and eye out. It was a game and like all games people wanted to blame it for faults in parenting. She shook her head. Thankfully she was a far more serious teenager then most her age. She fell asleep dreaming of terrapshere as a place she could run away too.

 

"Neil!"

Neil quickly skidded into his mothers room, where she lay with her steaming morning coffee, her eyes glaring at her tablet's screen as if her eyes might make it explode. "Take a look at this," she turned to look at her son, and he promptly came to her side, sitting on the bed and stared at the tablet too, and the video began to play.

A woman came on screen, and almost immediately mentioned Terrasphere. Neil gulped loudly, and while he kept watching, his mother looked at him worryingly. "Something the matter, sweetie?" she asked, but he didn't respond, and only kept on watching, his fist clenching repeatedly. "What is this shit..." he muttered under his breath, and he stood up, leaning against the wall dizzily.

"This is nonsense, I know honey..." his mothered sighed and turned the tablet off, laying it on her lap. "Who cares about that kind of thing in a video game. If you can trust your kid to play it sensibly, then that's fine. And this 'virtual reality' thing... it's no different to the real world, really. It's just as dangerous. I don't see what the fuss is about, the news just goes in fricking circles with this kind of thing," she muttered to herself, and Neil turned to look at her. "I'm... going to go hide in my room for a bit, okay? I have something I need to do. I promise I'll be out for lunch," he explained and she nodded. "Alright... I hope you're okay, sweetie, I know how much you used to love your games," she sighed and stared down into the brown swirls in her mug.

Neil nodded and smiled. "I'll be okay, don't you worry," he reassured her and headed out of his mother's room. I'm going to need to do some searching... with this news Terra's going to spread like a virus to potential criminals and catfishers... and if no one else will, I'll make sure to serve justice.

 

She was working on a paper when she heard her brothers. "Hey issy come here that game is on the news" She stopped what she was doing and headed out towards the tv just in time to have her brothers reply from the beginning. She watched it rolling her eyes. "Seriously are they trying to call those types of people to the game. I mean full dive and full immersion things will always be dangerous but they don't have to make it more dangerous by their stupidity all the time do they?" She questioned them as her brothers laughed a bit. It was true she had gotten into gaming because of them but they were highly over protective of her as well.

"As always they are trying to speak of things they don't truly know themselves. which reminds us. you've been playing more then we have. seen any of that stuff going down." She looked up at her brothers. "Naw, i'm just a lowly cook and alchemist. Don't have any clients yet either. but my guild wouldn't stand for such things happening in game. Our leader is pretty protective. Plus he wants us all to be heroes" They laughed and said a few more things before she walked back to her room. She wondered though, the news was going to cause some serious trouble and she wondered what they were going to have to do about it. So once she was done with the paper she had been writing she grabbed her VR gear and she logged in to read the notice from Aaron. Well it was time to step up her game. She wasn't actually a fighter all that much but when the time came she could be.

She wasn't gonna let some idiot hurt any of the kids. She shook her head and decided it might be time for some grinding on her own. After a bit she signed off and laid in her bed thinking. "Welp not much I can do now. I'll patrol later" She smiled to herself as she fell asleep.

 

It was stupid, really, and a complete shame that some people died playing the VR. Especially when it could have been so avoidable — Cecile herself used alarms to notify her when it came time to eat or sleep, or to dedicate time for studies and assignments. Proper time management ensured that she was never stuck in a quest or dungeon, unable to leave when real life came calling. And though she had yet to be on a raid, she figured it couldn't be too hard to make provisions beforehand, like keeping a whole stash of food beside the bed for easy access, allowing one to take care of their daily needs in five minutes or so, flat. The only reason one would die playing Terra Sphere would be due to carelessness, and it was saddening to read of people paying for their mistakes in such a permanent way.

Personally, she wouldn't go as far to say that people should avoid the game. Though she wasn't a gamer, she doubted there was any other game which was Terra Sphere's equal, in realism, customisability and scope. When it came to the type of character she wanted to play, the sky was the limit, the masteries working together to form unique combinations that could be tailored to each person's play style. The world was so vast, that sometimes she felt like she'd actually been transported into another realm, and it did a very good job in filling in the tiny, world-building details that made even a day of doing nothing but wandering around the various zones interesting. And most importantly, everything felt real. Cecile supposed it was like another Sword Art Online, but instead of being trapped there, this time people could freely enter and exit the world of TS, choosing for themselves which world they want to live in, and when to do so.

So while she understood why people might feel wary of how realistic the game was, the solution wasn't to boycott the game — and all its beauty — entirely, but to develop safeguards that protected the people who played. Parents could play with their children, and members themselves could avoid PKing, or fighting with the intention to hurt. If people keep their pain threshold settings strictly in the 'simulated' option, though it still hurts like hell, its no longer quite as psychologically scarring. One could also play the game without entering the more harrowing dungeons, thereby avoiding death. Really, Terra Sphere was like real life: just because the world was a dangerous place doesn't you hid at home and avoided the world, but rather you'd take precautions, and work to make it safer for both yourself and others.

"...But there's the matter of the amnesia death affliction." Cecile muttered to herself, closing her computer as she got ready for bed. She was willing to let Arachnophobia go; there were many possible explanations as to how it worked, from hijacking the avatar when a spider is spotted, to inducing chemicals that stimulated fear. All borderline mind manipulation, but nothing too harmful, and it wasn't like it was anything permanent. Simply log off, and one can face spiders at their leisure. But causing amnesia was a whole other matter...it targeted specific memories, and while she wasn't quite sure, she doubted they'll come back even after someone had left the game. With that kind of power, who knew what the mysterious creators of Terra Sphere could get up to?

Lying down on her mattress, clapping twice to turn off the lights, Cecile heaved a sigh, before rolling over to snuggle into the duvet. All this speculation was useless. She herself was still going to continue playing the game, after all — she'd invested too much to ditch it now, not when the supposed risks have been nothing more than hearsay so far. She had friends, a guild...she couldn't just up and leave without a very major reason. Which meant that there was no point in pondering these conjectures; it wouldn't change her mind, and Cecile supposed she'll find out the truth when she had to, if and when it affected them all...

 

Sabine had woken up six am sharp to the sounds of New Brunswick chugging along into a new day. Things never seemed to just be quiet up here and she had missed the west and the interior of the country with a horrible ache. There was nothing for it though as she'd spent an hour slowly hobbling around her small apartment to get ready. An hour later, the knock on her door had her gingerly headed down the elevator of the apartment building and into her father's car to head to her early morning appointment.

Car rides were one of the worst parts of her days now with her leg like it was. There simply was no easy way to sit that kept either her leg or hip from screaming in a pain that medicine did about jack all to muffle. While she was the type to be up early anyway, her father certainly wasn't so she didn't bother with much small talk as he blearily listened to whatever morning talk show was on the radio and nursed a coffee. There was one good thing about New Brunswick and that was the surplus of good physical therapist offices she had to choose from. They pulled up on time and she didn't have much more than five minutes of sitting in the waiting room before she was good to go. "See you later, spitfire," her father said and pulled her head down to his height to kiss her forehead before he headed off to do whatever for the three hour session she had today. She was always amused at just how much taller she was. "Later."

It took an hour in for her to cry for the first time that day. She'd overstretched and the muscles were quick to remind her that while the various fractures had seen their surgeries completed two months ago that meant nothing for their overall health and fitness. The strangled sobs were a disgusted sound to hear and she hated herself for every single one she couldn't stop. Her physiotherapist didn't scold her, but she could see the twist to his mouth that spoke of either frustration or pity. She didn't care for either. "Take a breath for now, drink some water, catch your breath. I'm going to set up the next few exercises and adjust our times today. That sound good, Ms. Rixende?" Sabine waved him off and nodded, mad at him and herself. He was used to it, she was sure, but he didn't deserve to be stuck around her shitty mood. He hadn't fucked up on an easy and familiar cliff now had he?

The woman leaned back in her seat and found her attention drifting to the tv set up in the corner where a story played about- she straightened up, biting back a wince from the movement. Terrasphere. "Health safety? Hah, bit too fucking late for that now isn't it you stupid shits," she spat under her breath. Sabine's hand drifted down to push at a knot of pain where her thigh met hip without thought. She wasn't worried about her psyche because of a damn game. She was worried about going flat out of her mind from being forced to be a waste of space in her own life. She was useless like this, stuck like this, rotting physically and on the inside like this. She was made for out there and for movement, she was made to live on the knife's edge not be hobbled on crutches and made to spend hours under the watch of people 'looking out for her' because of her injuries. "I can look after myself," she said to no one but herself.

 

Alpha blew the television screen a raspberry just before clicking the remote button and powering it off. "Katherine!" a voice called and she stilled, her face going pale, as she recognized the tone as something she would very much rather not face. Her mom only called her by her full name whenever something was going to happen to her and, tentatively opening her room door with shaky hands, she hesitated in yelling back to her mom downstairs. "Yeah, mom?" there was a bang and she flinched, eyes widening. This was not good.

"It's breakfast time and you're not down yet?! I made all your favorites for your special day today and you can't be bothered to show up?!" her mom yelled on the top of her lungs, fangs possibly showing. Alpha really didn't want to imagine how she looked right now but, as she knew very well, a second gone to waste is a second that her punishment would be even worse than what could be imagined. The feasibility of her mom's creative ways of ruining her life would be seen as impossible should it have never happened to her (she would never find out why in the world her mom would buy a dozen tarantulas and set them loose in her room simply because she overslept and missed the school bus). She hurriedly exited her room, leaving the door gaping open, and rushed down the stairs still in her pajamas and hair in a tangled mess. "I'm here!" she breathed when she finally reached the kitchen, panting heavily while her mom was still at the stove and her dad was eagerly watching the television screen centered in the dining room. Her mom shot her a nasty glare. "Go to eat before your food gets cold! You're going to be very busy today with all the tutors and such and you need the energy. No leftovers, got it?"

And, with that, Alpha plopped down on the chair directly across from her dad, her elbow on the table and her hand supporting her askew head. Her dad took his mesmerized attention from the screen for a minute to look at Alpha, giving her a big smile. He was so happy that you could see the crow's feet at the ends of his eyes crinkling and his wrinkles becoming more pronounced. "Hey there, tiger!" he greeted before his expression morphed into one of contemplation as he looked back at the screen. "Hey there, dad."

They were quiet with only the sounds of the newscast and the sound of Alpha's fork clinking along the porcelain plate as she tried to get enough motivation to finish her meal of sausage and eggs. Her dad, without once looking away from the television screen, coughed and directed his next words to Alpha. She looked at him questioningly before his words made her blanch and internally panic. "Susana Aldagos, huh? I think I've heard of her a couple of times before but I'm just not that fond of her reporting. And now she's definitely stooped to new lows. Terrasphere? Sword Art Online? Bah, that's just a con made by those filthy governments to scare us from making more advanced technology, Kat. Don't listen to a damned word what they're telling you and don't be scared, okay?" he reached over to ruffle through her hair. Does he know about the game in her room? What'll happen when he figures it all out? What if the government finds out she was playing the game? "Y-yeah," she affirmed him nervously, fanning her collar. "Don't worry, dad. It's just one of those rumors and, like, nothing's gonna happen and it probably doesn't even exist!"

As the breakfast ended and the day began, however, Alpha couldn't shake those paranoid thoughts out of her mind nor Susana Aldagos' words. She hadn't really thought about it but the connections between Terrasphere and Sword Art Online could be there and, last she heard about that Japanese-incident-turned-universal-problem, there were over ten thousand players trapped and only six-thousand and one-hundred forty-seven survivors. She shivered and, with worries staining her mind, she didn't touch it for the rest of the day. The next day, however, she couldn't resist going into that dream world yet again. Like her dad said, it wasn't as if anything was going to happen. Right?

 

In their capitalist day and age there was this pervasive idea that anything earned with hard work was somehow better. Your meals tasted better if you had just gotten a paycheck after working three months of forty hour weeks at one job and a paycheck for your twenty-five hour a week second job. It felt better to buy yourself a new car, after the old junker had gone and fallen apart, with payments taken out of your income for the next foreseeable for-fucking-ever. Was music from a CD you bought to make yourself happy under the crushing weight of the world at the cost of your next three meals supposed to sound better?

Aiden certainly didn't buy into any of that nonsense. No, he was more than happy to leech off the people who did so very well for themselves. There was a rush of joy and malicious content to steal from some man in a three piece suit with a watch worth more than all the apartments he had lived in with his mother and sister over the years combined. At the present moment he handed over a twenty lifted off said suit not but half an hour back and waited as the workers readied his order. He'd be a bit ashamed of just how grotesquely sweet the concoction was, but he was man enough to admit he had a hell of a sweet tooth. Anyone who said coffee flavors were girly or manly deserved to get shoved into one of the lines down in the subway as far as he was concerned. If you weren't going to shut up and enjoy life then you might as well shut up and quit making everyone else miserable or self-doubting. Not that he cared about other people. It was hard to do when there were a trillion of the damn ants crushed onto the same state with it's famous little islands as he was.

He accepted his drink and left the change from the twenty in the tip jar, wondering if the rich fucker who had owned it would have bothered. Probably not. It felt good to spite him. Aiden headed out of the packed station and hit the sidewalks. A notification from his phone caught his attention and his fished it from his pockets while enjoying the scalding drink in the other. It sure as fuck tasted better than any coffee he'd ever paid for out of pocket and he doubted that was just because Joe Coffee was having a great day. "Maybe it tasted so good because the suit had worked so hard for his money," Aiden thought with a sarcastic laugh.

Miles

check it

With an irritable sigh, the man cut through the crowd and found a bench to collapse in for a moment. He clicked the link and watch it cycle through a few different connections before a youtube video popped up. "Terrasphere, huh?" Aiden smirked as he watched it and rolled his eyes at the words the woman on screen blathered out. "Hah, little late to care about the kids, lady." He'd have to take the poor worker at the cybersecurity firm a box of donuts in thanks for the SD card he didn't know he'd lovingly handed over to Aiden's thieving hands. He'd leave it in the break room and everyone would pat him on the shoulder for being 'so considerate' and 'such a great intern.' Man, they ate that shit up. Nothing like ass kissing to climb the ranks in any type of company really. All the while he'd enjoy playing with strings when he had the chance. Mostly stealing things though. He'd snagged at least twenty pens from the same department head because the man insisted only this one brand of fountain pen was good enough. They were probably in a landfill by now.

There might have been some kind of point to the video though, he though as he closed it at the end and rose to finish the errands he'd originally left for. The idea of the game affecting his psyche had never really crossed his mind. Aiden had played in plenty of the VRMMOs and similar games and he'd never had an issue. Of course, none of them were quite like Terra. In the same line of thought, Terra was nothing like SAO. He wasn't sure their concerns were justified unless there were a bunch of children apparently running around the game have sex with adults. It wasn't like anyone could change your pain setting and murder the shit out of you for kicks. He smirked at that thought, knowing the guild his character was running with would be the type to do so if they could. They were all types of fucked up, but they were entertaining. As he considered Rook his feet almost stopped, but New York didn't pause for anyone so Aiden had to quickly settle back into a fitting pace when someone shouldered past him.

Could Rook's magic and connection to the other planes in the games really have any actual effect on him? Could the odd connection they had formed with virtual entities ever leak over into the real world? Surely not. Aiden Ford was no religious man and he felt no impulse to go seeking the heavens or the hells all of the sudden. Then again, he also hadn't been playing long. He hadn't died yet and gained a death affliction. Could the game rewriting that bit of their collective mind in the game do so in the real world as well? Aiden barely noticed when he'd finally managed to bite through the inside of his cheek, wincing at the pain and the taste of iron. It didn't stop him from drinking the last of his coffee, but it did keep him from forgetting the concerns trying to make a home in his head.

 

Odette gave a huff and set her feet to the side of the treadmill, standing to take a drought of water and slake her thirst as sweat ran down her brow and body, clinging to her despite the cool air conditioning of her apartment. Sighing, she wiped sweat from her forehead and set her bottle of water down, feeling the burn in her muscles. She'd fallen into a routine of play, eat, play, excercise, eat, play, sleep. Rinse and repeat. Totally absorbed. But using the equipment in her apartment so that she did not wither away in body. She had spent quite a bit of time playing the game lately, which was perfectly fine; she'd no need for work, and needed to stay far away from her other hobbies and addictions if she wanted to keep her newly attained lifestyle. A compulsive gambler, she was terrible at managing money. That was why she'd hired a lawyer to do all that for her, while she just got a cheap apartment with some fancy furnishings. The tenement itself was nothing nice, but she'd made sure to get exercise equipment and comfortable furnishings for guests, as well as a whole nice entertainment suite. The creme de la creme of course was her ever so comfortable gaming "chair" which was more like a massage parlor you could fall into a coma over. It was the loving cradle she used when immersed in the game that was currently on the news.

What?

She snatched up the remote and turned up the volume, listening to the broadcast. People had... died. Playing. So what? There were probably plenty of people that stayed logged in too long in plenty of other games and died from it. They weren't giving real facts and real news; just hyping up the fear for an "undeclared" game that they didn't want people to play on. Well, fuck them and fuck their bullshit. The VR helmets couldn't malfunction like the Sword Art Online incident, so it wasn't the game killing people. It was their own carelessness and stupidity doing it. If they just logged out from time to time... ate and exercised like she did, then they would be fine.

"Fucking NEETs," she swore, placing her feet back upon the treadmill and continuing to run. If a few morons ruined the one thing that kept her sane and distracted, she would lose it.

 

"What a bunch of bologna."

People had died playing it? Plus, those parents who were worried were idiots. It was likely that their kids had found out about such things, and had done it, far sooner. He could think back to when he did that. Of course, he had listened to it a few times. He couldn't believe it. He had heard of that whole SAO thing, and what happened, and honestly? He couldn't see it happening again.

Triggers or not, he held some firm opinions about what was happening currently.

The people dying obviously were those alone, who did this out of desperation. He thought about it being a sort of mercy killing, but shook his head.

"It's like the warning they put out on various types of things in those old days. I ended up just fine. It certainly hasn't bothered my mental state. I'm just as I was before."

He went to his kitchen and started to butter some toast. He had some time to think, some time to ponder what the whole thing was about. In his day, there wasn't all this badgering around about this whole thing. Heck, when he was in highschool, he wouldn't have even thought about this deep sort of VR being a thing. They basically had to let kids be kids and in this day and age, being a kid was a lot different from back then.

Back then, you didn't have such strict business. You could be out till dark, but god forbid you came in after dark. You were dead then. Momma would take a belt and smack you a good one. You wouldn't learn your lesson, and that was just happen like that. He was crafted into what he was today, a rich guy who worked for his money but also had a good bit anyhow. He was born into money, but never let that be a factor.

Even when he saw Terrasphere, he didn't think about the money it might cost him in the long run, he looked at it with childlike wonder after realizing what it could do. It could save him from being quite so sad and lonely. Sure, the relationships might not even be real, but there was usually a person behind the avatar. That was the simple matter of fact. He had someone to talk to, even if it was an NPC.

Even NPCs were realistic enough that he felt a good bit comfortable talking to them. Sure, not about real life problems, but there was nothing about translating real life problems into 'game problems' that caused any sort of problems with the A.I.

He knew the rules. You don't bring up real life with the NPCs or they'll get real angry with you. That was fine and dandy, and that was how things were. It's just like how real life was, you did something bad, there was consequences. That's how the game was. He felt like the people at CNN, who he already didn't like, were taking wrong considerations.

Sure, they weren't wrong about it being realistic as far as he was concerned but that wasn't the thing. The thing that actually mattered was the fact that you had to teach kids about this bullshit. He was taught at a young age about what this whole thing was about. He was told to wait, sure, but the matter of not being a fuck-happy child.

He sighed and started eating his toast. He brought up his phone and decided to call someone. Gah, what was his number. Once he found the number, he dialed up an old friend of his. He wondered what Ryan was doing these days.

"Ryan, how are you?"

"I'm doing alright Jack, how are you?"

"I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit kerfuffled. You know that Terrasphere game?"

"Yeah. Son's into it. Saw the article, guessing you want my opinion on it?"

"You bet. I play it myself and it's mostly harmless. Hell, I'd bet that this did the opposite of what they wanted it to do."

"Well. I think that while not wrong, it's too good to cut down. I mean the game, of course. My son's general demeanor has just been happier lately since I let him play it. Course, I only allow him to play it after he does his homework."

Jack laughed and continued to talk to his old friend for about another half an hour. He felt refreshed about getting to talk to a guy who didn't play about it. He shared his concerns with Jack and that was fair. Simply put, he was concerned about the kids but for the most part, felt it was safe. For every bad apple, he was sure there was enough good ones to take care of it.

 

"You find yourselves surrounded on all sides by the myriad undead that once made up the townstead which you've called home your whole lives. From the west, Mrs. Kramer and her three children crawl from out of the muck of the street, the heavy rain washing the blood and the filth from off their faces to reveal the horrible twisted screams they'd held as they died. To the east, old man Mayor, the mysterious and eccentric gentleman who had endeared himself to you, stumbles forward with a terrible limp and outstretched, searching hands. His glass eye rolls about in one socket... but the other appears to have been chewed out, along with half of his face, by whatever foul beast had caused this path of destruction."
Lightning crackled and the players jumped in their seats, Henry's smile widening as she moved from the sound effects playlist on her laptop to the shivering figures of her victims. Or players, as they preferred to be called.

"Dawson, you're closest to the crowd of undead and the only one that can do anything since you lost your ranged weapons at the river. You can take one action in the surprise round, before we roll initiative. What do you want to do?"
"I... take my hammer, and I strike the closest undead to me."
"Collin the Adorable Corgi?"
"God, no! Uh... what's the next closest?"
"Franklin the blacksmith's apprentice."
"Right. I smash his head in, and I give a mighty shout to my comrades. Uh... 'FRIENDS! Let us not be taken by these foul abominations on this day!' And..."

Dice clattered across the tabletop.
"19?"
"Okay. Roll 1d6 and add your strength modifier. Everyone, roll initiative."

The clatter of dice and the whoops or awwws of excitement and disappointment filled the room as everybody calculated the order in which they would all act. Once that was determined, Henry opened up the excel spreadsheet that already had all the NPC information jotted down, arranged by initiative for this encounter. Franklin the Apprentice was easily dispatch, but Collin the Now Abominable Corgi made Dawson suffer for his weakness in attacking it, dealing two points of damage. Several turns of intense combat went by as they battled their way through the town, coming at last to the tavern which had been the Old Mage's home, where they expected to find the best of weapons and relics to aid them. The party began to shout for the Old Mage to show himself if he still be among the living, growing haunted by the silence.

"James, stop staring at my tits. What does your character do now? The door to the top most room is slightly ajar, and the sound of creaking can be heard within."
"I wasn't staring, I'm just zoning out while I think on what to do next. Your breasts are just in the way."
"Whaaaaat the hell kind of distinction is that?"
"Look, I wasn't staring, I'm just-"
"Nah, nah, nah. Just tell me what you want to do next."
"Probably you."
"Hahaha, nice..."
"Hilarious, assholes. Both of you, shut up. James! Action time. Five, four, three-"
"Alright, alright, I kick open the door and I-"
"Roll a reflex save."
"WHAT?"
"Roll a reflex save. As you kick the door open, you see that Old Mage is slumped in the air, hanging from a noose fashioned out of his own magical jumping rope he had been so proud of. Below him stands a skeletal figure, clad in blue robes which stares at you, holding-"
"I looked through the crack in the door before opening it though! I wouldn't have entered if that's what I saw!"
"Yooooou did not look in. You walked up to the door and kicked it open, without checking."
"This is bullshit, I-"
"Did not look before you leap. Roll a reflex save. Fire is coming at your face."
"Way to be a real tit, James."
"Hahaha, nice..."
"Shut the fuck up. Look I-"

Henry sighed and gave a low growl, staring the obstinate player down. There was always one in a group...
"Roll the reflex or fail the reflex, James." She stared at him, waiting impatiently as he went to pick up the die, his face turning and catching the television in the next room over which was playing at low volume beneath the background noise of the ambient music. His eyes drifted over the scrolling news bar at the bottom, the large warnings in bold letters that made up the night's "top story" and cautioned people not to play some Terrasphere game he'd only heard vague rumors of. He knew that Henrietta played one of the fancy VRMMORPG type things, so it might be something that concerned her.
"Henry, there's something on the news about-"
"Who the fuck cares?" she sighed, reaching for the remote and turning off the television in the other room, completing missing the warning broadcast. It was beyond annoying that he not only tried to back pedal and cheat his way past his own fuck up, but now he was trying to stall the game for everyone else and being a real That Guy about things.
"Pick up your dice and roll already. You can't avoid the AOE forever."