Alabaster: The Doomed Session - BACK FROM THE DEAD IN 2023

ALABASTER UPDATE: "I WAS ALL OF YOUR TOYS, HOPES, TRESPASSINGS, STAINED PLEASURES AND HOLLOW DREAMS".




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Hemsut: Talk to the weird elephant people






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Renart: Grind.



The ill-advised decision of some Subaltern Conscripts to enter your hive results in a lot of pain for them, and a lot of fun for you.

You are already appreciating this game.




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It is useful, too, since you need to thaumifice yourself a new terminal quickly. You have to monitor Batori.

You need to start planning things more seriously, too. For too long, you relied on your divination. But the clouds of Skaia never warned you about wanton computer destruction.

Some things escape your gaze. Therefore caution is paramount.




Renart: Collect horns.



You still have priorities, though.




Batori and Ginneo: Talk.



- And Ґhen RenarҐ showed me someҐhing. Screencaps he had Ґaken ╙rom your computer screen.

- My heart ys encoyled yn fear of the mysdeeds by your eyes descryed.




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- Yet Y must ask...

- You already know whaҐ I read.

- ... Yes.




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- You Ґried Ґo abandon me. I would have given my life ╙or you, ╙or boҐh of you... And you Ґhrew me away.




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- Y must ask for your forgyveness. There are no excuses for my behavyor. Y v-vas yndeed tempted to relynquysh your salvatyon and to leave you to perysh aflame on our heavenly body. And Y dyd make thys choyce, thys most terryble choyce.




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- Yf you fled Alternya v-vyth your lyfe, yt v-vas not thanks to me; truth be told, our late Rhapsodyst symply was not sv-vyft enough to ensure your death.

- ...




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- Yf Y can do anythyng, anythyng at all, to make amends, Y shall. Yf you v-vysh for me to support you entyrely, Y shall. Yf you v-vysh for me to dryft av-vay and to forget about you entyrely, Y shall become the most tenuous ghost yn the skylyne. Yf you need tyme...




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- Ґhank you.

- V-Vhat?

- Ґhank you ╙or Ґhe ҐruҐh.




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- I already Ґook Ґime. I ҐhoughҐ about iҐ Ґime and Ґime again.




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- And I ╙eel no rancour, BaҐori. I ╙eel hurҐ. My guҐs ache. But no anger, no rage. Such matters ╙eel plain to me now… You did Ґry Ґo abandon me, and I did noҐ get any help in ╙ronҐ of Ґhe ╙iring squad laҐer on. BuҐ I killed you once while Ґrying Ґo ҐargeҐ my ResidenҐ! Are we not boҐh beyond all o╙ Ґhis? Don’Ґ we have imporҐanҐ goals to ╙ocus on?

- You blossomed yn such a radyant v-vay...

- You and me boҐh. I leҐ go o╙ Ґhe grub; you ╙orgoҐ Ґhe Rainbow Drinker.

- Your v-vords stryke true. By leavyng the denyal behynd me, Y gayned more strength. Y accepted death, yts yneluctabylyty. Hov-v remarkable yt can be, then, that at thys precyse moment... Y gayned the means to reach eternyty. Yt v-vas your gyft to me.




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- V-Vhy dyd you offer me Octolon, my resplendent v-varryor? You could have become a deyty. Through my actyons only my pyxelemental fell; yt v-vas not your myssyon to counter such a loss.

- I kinda haҐe myself. Even now. I'm noҐ sure I wanna live wiҐh myself ╙or... such a long Ґime. While iҐ is a quesҐion you had Ґhe answer Ґo. I knew you wanҐed li╙e: why noҐ give iҐ Ґo you?

- Yt v-vas an unyque luck to be moyrayls v-vyth you.

- Maybe noҐ in pasҐ Ґense.




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- V-Vhat? Surely you v-vould not...

- You're imporҐanҐ Ґo me, BaҐori. You are Ґhe moҐ admirable person I ever meҐ in my li╙e, in all areas I could conceive o╙. You are aҐhleҐic, smarҐ, eleganҐ, efficienҐ beyond anyҐhing I could ever dream o╙. And yeҐ… ҐhaҐ’s noҐ Ґhe reason why I ╙eel pale for you. Maybe Ґhere’s no reason why we ever ╙eel pale, or black, or anyҐhing, for oҐher people. IҐ comes Ґo maҐҐers o╙ specific chemisҐry. SomeҐhing beҐween us jusҐ… clicked. SomeҐhing incredible.




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- I do noҐ wish Ґhe end o╙ our relaҐionship. IҐ was... sҐrong. SҐronger Ґhan Ґhe pain o╙ Ґhis one beҐrayal. I ҐhoughҐ Ґhese romance movies abouҐ ╙aҐed moirails were pure propaganda; now I am noҐ so sure.

- The dyamonds at fyrst syght.

- Yeah. I'd like Ґo explore ҐhaҐ.




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- BuҐ righҐ now, iҐ's complicaҐed. We have Ґhe game Ґo win, and Cross died, and Vamuin died, plus Ґhere's monsҐers everywhere, Ґhe Denizens PaҐriarcha and Ґruncare are on Ґhe loose, and we have a goddamn SERIAL KILLER who jusҐ joined Ґhe game!

- V-Vell, v-vhen you put yt thys way, the sytuatyon does seem…

- And SecҐra barely escaped a ciҐy, and CopycaҐ doesn'Ґ answer anymore, and Ґhe enҐire Ґimeline almosҐ goҐ erased, and... and...




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- At ease, my dear.

- Ґhere's jusҐ Ґoo much going on, BaҐs. And our relaҐionship, I... I don'Ґ wanҐ Ґo desҐroy whaҐ we have, buҐ I need Ґime. Some Ґime... Maybe a loҐ of Ґime.

- Y hear you.




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- Yt ys an agreeable sytuatyon. The sentyments nestyng yn my heart are tyed ynto a gordyan knot as v-vell.




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- Yn order to ascend, Y was epytomyzed v-vyth your pyxelemental... Therefore, Y obtayned all of yts memoryes, both as a game construct and as a gatheryng of accessoryes.




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- Toys, posters, fans and plushyes, a kyd's toys, an adult's delusyon, the dreams of a lyfe that never v-vas, a larva magycal.




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- And your late, dystorted custodyan ys part of the melange.




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- Yes... Y am Goldye, yn a sense.




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- Y am the hedgechyck you constrayned to play your games. Y am the Red Payl v-vhych hunted you through the entyre complex. Y am the tortured and the executyoner.




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- Y have memoryes of myself restrayned, tormented...




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- ... and of myself usyng the dentystry apparatus to torture the pathetyc mutated lusus lyyng before me.




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- For a bryef, everlastyng moment, Y v-vas not a person: Y v-vas a gatheryng. A complete symphony of payn and sufferyng. Y v-vas all of your toys, hopes, trespassyngs, stayned pleasures and hollov-v dreams.




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- And then yt v-vas sylent, v-vhen Y attayned God Tyer. The other dysappeared, my entyre conscyousness supersedyng theyr souls. They are alyve no more. Yet Y do remember...




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- My ympressyons of you are not alv-vays the best, to say the least. Nonetheless... At the same tyme, Y remember you tryed to make thyngs ryght. Y can forgyve you yn the name of Goldye, and of the congregatyon v-vhych called ytself Octolon.

- I... Damn. I have Ґo apologize, Ґoo.

- Y do not requyre your tormented remorse, you v-vere already told you are as forgyven as anyone can be.

- I’m sorry. ╙or everyҐhing.

-These deeds are behynd us. Yet…




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- Now I... like, I geҐ iҐ. We DO need some Ґime!

- Ah, v-vell, ours ys quyte the baggage!




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- BaҐs. We sҐill need Ґo Ґalk abouҐ Ґhe main Ґopic.

- Yes... Renart.




Renart: Check on Batori.



With your newly made MASK OF TRAGEDY, you can finally reconnect as Batori's Server Player.




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Damn. She's with Ginneo. What else did you miss on Batori TV?

Well, if they ever talk, you will check the logs. Know about it.

No one in this team is smart enough to one-up you, anyway. And you destroyed any trust which could remain between these two.

Ginneo may possibly realize your duplicity, but he will not manage to persuade Batori.




Ginneo and Batori: Keep talking.



- You convynced me, Y must admyt, the evydence ys overbearyng.




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- The facts you do knov-v, the logs you receyved from our dearly myssed leaders, your ov-vn memoryes compose together a most dysheartenyng symphony.




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- The Artysan must be defeated.

- WhaҐ worries me is he knows Ґhe ╙ruҐure. Since a long Ґime, apparenҐly.




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- Cross came Ґo Ґhink he is a rare case of already awakened Player, wiҐh equal and simulҐaneous awareness in boҐh our original universe and Ґhe game session. Which means Ґwo things. One, he read numerous evenҐs Ґo come in Ґhe clouds, and was able Ґo plan accordingly. Ґwo, his mind was exercized by Ґhe mental gymnasҐics of operaҐing Ґwo bodies aҐ Ґhe same Ґime.

- Or of communycatyng betv-veen two conscyousnesses constantly.

- RighҐ. We don'Ґ know how iҐ works ╙or sure. I dived Ґhrough Ґhe manuals, noҐhing on Ґhis in Ґhose files.




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- IҐ iҐches. Are Ґhe scar╙s really indispensable?

- You evoke tales of my spectator’s duplycyty. And yet you v-vould speak v-vyth your mouth yn full vyev-v?

- … You’re righҐ.

- Y am convynced he ys no expert yn lyp-readyng. Nonetheless, the lack of sound yn the game’s mystycal v-vyndov-vs ys our only certaynty. V-Ve must communycate cautyously.

- So what is Ґhe plan?




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- The masculyne specymens of our cursed specyes regularly fall prey to a most damagyng dysease, and Renart Azeban does not seem to belong to the exceptyons. V-Ve shall use thys v-veapon agaynst hym.

- WhaҐ is Ґhis ╙abled ╙law?

- Hubrys, my dyamond, hubrys. V-Ve shall name hym to the most dangerous and exposed posytyon of all, as naked and vulnerable as a mere mortal before a Lord of the Day.




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- V-Ve shall make hym the nev-v, undysputed master of Team Alabaster.