Benjamin – Delta Zone #2 Level 80 – 99
The red and glowing warmth of the Zone lends an odd sense of comfort to our ongoing multitudinous feelings of conflict:
[You have slain Fire Touched Lynx Matriarch LvL 99, experience awarded]
[21,813 Manamotes acquired from Fire Touched Lynx Matriarch]
[Parasitic Mutator trait activated, do you wish to absorb the lesser Fire Affinity trait y/n? 4 minutes 59 seconds remaining]
As one of me declines the chance to potentially become a grey skinned white haired hot pocket, it instead takes to willing away the rest of the notifications. Meanwhile another me shakes off the remainder of the system spawned, giant felines viscera from our plated gauntlets while doing a quick danger survey of our surrounds.
Having just finished clearing out the majority of the Zone for the eleventh time and pilfering a considerable amount of manamotes in the process. Many me’s manage to feel slightly better about being shanghai’d into the role of not-so-benevolent ruler of humanities fractious remnants.
This in turn leads the triumvirate to reaffirm our plans to ditch this planet and go exploring the wider cosmos for potentially less irritating and needy minions while on our quest for revengening. Chomping at the collective bit for phase two to begin and nab even more titles, one of the less helpful me’s points out that its just about time to check in with Giselle...
And in the blink of a ludicrously enhanced eye we’re back to dragging our mental feet like toddlers as another me all too reluctantly opens a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] with the destination of out front of her apartment to do just that. One of me rebelliously takes in the sulfurously comfy zone once more before ex-man-ing up enough to trudge through the tear in reality:
[You have entered Citadel # 1 ‘Keep Out’]
After cancelling the skill and inspecting the magical front door for far too long we superfluously sigh and put hand to pad to check on our deceased...friend's… only surviving relation. The woman in question doesn't keep us waiting long and the door telescopes open to reveal her painfully radiant smile as she warmly offers.
“Good you are ere! Come in, come in!”
She hugs the platemailed me’s after we're through the threshold and one of me awkwardly reciprocates while also trying not to accidentally break her...Uncomfortable greeting generating zero fatalities or injuries, we follow the sun dressed french lady deeper into the level of the Citadel’s central spire she now, for better or worse, calls home.
Making it to the living room a magical teapot is already steaming on an intricately profession carved wooden coffee table. Whats more, the teapot is accompanied by a set of equally itemized ornate tea cups replete with a collection of fancy schmancy iced cookie/cake hybrid's rounding ou her devious ambush her ambush of magical tea and biscuits.
Generally not one’s to turn down free grub in the company of an attractive woman, we still groan as there appears to be yet another accessory present that our formidable intelligence had mos certainly not anticipated...Sitting in one of the seats is none other than The Gemini, Olivia. Our one time Canadian...partner...who is giving us a much, much too eager smile...Intentionally or otherwise Giselle remains indifferent to our universal discomfort as she jovially offers.
“Wont you come an sit for some tea an-”
One of me is thankfully quick enough to deploy a devilish escape plan by interceding.
“Kinda busy day today mate, maybe an-”
But the Canadian Initiate Healer fiendishly outmaneuvers the me with a hasty.
“S-surley your not going to take off so quickly after being here for not even half a minute! Does your friendship mean so lit-”
Another me mounts a counter offensive by way of interjecting.
“N-normally I would love to stay Olivia...B-But things have been heating up with The Union and The Territori-”
Yet that me is quickly out flanked by Giselle as she grabs the armored crook of our arm whilst overriding.
“Nonsenze! Zey won’t wipe eachozer out in ze time it takez to have a cup of tea! Now stop being so rude to my new roommate and come and sit!”
Too shocked by this latest detail, it takes any of me a long few moments to notice that the french lady has yet to succeed in her now vigorous attempts to budge us at all. Whilst two of me begin a strategy meeting about how to overcome the now permanent invasion of this once supposedly neutral territory, another me takes pity on Gérard’s only heir to offer.
“U-uh s-sure...”
While inadvertently allowing us to be led to the seat of the French turncoats intention...Right fucking next to the grinning Gemini...Olivia...
As our internal war room is in an uproar at our latest strategic defeat, Giselle *hmmph*’s cutely as she takes a seat opposite us and picks up the platter with the hybrid confectioneries before thrusting it forward with all the efficiency of a multi-nation beach invasion to demand.
“Won’t you try one Benjamin...I baked zem myself…”
One of me not actively partaking in our escape planning, eyes the proffered baked goods suspiciously for incendiary devices...Apparently our anti-trap measures have taken too long as the rooms other occupant takes one to duplicitous-ly add.
“You really should Ben, they’re soooo good!”
Beset on all sides by the tyranny of evil, all of me’s are in no mans land...Unilaterally routed, one of me gingerly picks up a green coated one and a blue screen promptly informs us our hosts, as yet unannounced, prodigious exploits:
[Giselle’s Glazed Madeleine
Level Requirement: 25
Effect: Increases vitality by 5 for one hour
Restrictions: None
Description: Glazed Madeleine consisting of magically enhanced milled grains and sugars. A delicious and Uncommon baked sponge cake created by the Cook Giselle, which when consumed, will cause a minor increase in vitality to be temporarily imparted in the Elevant]
Trusting the invading Elevation System much more then our captors, a me pops the glistening miniature cake into our now almost completely defunct hole for food and enters flavour country...It’s a big country...
The moment of unanimous transcendental bliss is almost completely sullied, when our blonde haired captor opines.
“See! Told you you were missing out!”
One of me eyes the woman who’s face of shock and horror is still indelibly etched in our memories as she screams in bloodied pain. Warily, all of me wonder what game shes playing before another me leaves the war room to finish the now tainted act of mastication and turn us to face the creator of the mana enhanced delight and query.
“She’s not wrong...If you wouldn't mind I’d like to commission some of these off you?”
Preening at the praise she readily counters.
“Nonsenze! I am more zen appy to make some for a friend!”
Collectively unsure what else to do, a me tries to generate a friendly smile whilst adding.
“Glad to see you’ve found a positive distraction.”
Apparently this was the exact wrong thing to impart as the light in her eyes vanishes as quickly as her smile, whilst she stammers.
“T-thanks…”
As the offending me retreats from face time, the other me’s register a Canadian unarmed assault heading our way. In the process of its syrup like passage we deem it a non-threat and let it pass un-challenged, instead opting to look at its originator with suspicion while she hisses indignantly.
“Idiot!”
Then her pathetic backhand hand impacts my armors pauldron with a clank and it turns out that she is in fact the idiot, on account of having insufficient attributes to deal any damage at all...Better still, The Gemini is harmed and releases another hiss as she shakes the hand to glare at me’s some more for good measure.
Trying not gloat at our injured foe and to undo my's apparent offense to our host, one of us offers.
“S-sorry if I ups-”
But our apology is interrupted by the woman in question as she all too hastily adds.
“Wat! Do not be silly...Now if you will excuze me, ill go an get some more madeleines while you two ave a little chat…”
Two of me begin to chastise the third of us who has yet another of the mini magical cakes in question mid bite. And its much too late before we realize whats actually happening and are unable to exit flavor country long enough to stop her traitorous exit!...Thus the still visibly shaken Giselle vanishes from the room to leave me’s to face down another Canadian assault...Narrowing our eyes at the now irate Olivia, a me begins.
“What does she mean little ch-”
But she cuts the me off while pointing in dainty menace.
“I get your not good with people but can you at least try to not be an insensitive ass to the sole person left alive around here who can’t take it!”
Unanimously confused how our not instantly obliterating this obvious ambush could be seen as impolite or how our attempted apology could be in any way be construed as rude. A me is compelled to petulantly counter in as low a tone of annoyance any of me can afford.
“I don’t know what it’s like where you come from, but where I come from its pretty fuckin rude to use someones emotional trauma as leverage to get someone to stick around so you can entrap them into another compromising situation!”
The Canadian unarmed tea leaf based assault squad sputters for a moment before rejoining in scathing overtones.
“That’s not what this is at all! I just wanted a chance to clear the air and talk about what hap-”
The me at the front lines retreats lest it begin to inadvertently increase our decibels, while another me acerbically interjects.
“What happened was that I told you it was a bad idea and it could hurt you! But you used my concern for that woman in there's well being just so you could get what you wanted and when you did get it, Sur-fucking-prise, instead of listening to my reasonable warnings about the danger you told me to go faster even when i heard your pelvis break and then I had to pull out or you would have died from when i ca-”
Now incandescently red, The Gemini countermands.
“I thought you were just making it up to try and welch on the deal! B-Besides...I mean, caN YOU HONESTLY EXPECT SOMEONE TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU CUM IT TURNS INTO A DEADLY SEMEN PROJECTILE THAT MAKES A HOLE IN THE CEILING AND THE LEVEL'S BEYOND! AND EVEN IF WE PUT THAT TO THE SIDE THERE IS STILL THE SMALL MATTER OF YOU PULLING IT OUT THROUGH MY ALREADY BROKEN PELVIS!...AND DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO PRETEND THAT WAS ANYTHING OTHER THEN YOU JUST BEING A SPITEFUL MONSTER!...I WOULD BE DEAD IF I DIDN'T HAVE A HEALER CLASS AND IF THIS WAS THE WAS PRE-ELEVATION, I COULD HAVE HAD YOU ARRESTED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT!”
Letting her tirade wash over us, a me is taken back to the bloodied sight of her twitching and exposed organs...
Her screams still clear as her current threats as she frantically casts a hued skill to knit the rent mess of her cervix, uterus and intestines back together...
The me not busy reliving the trauma or attempting to mentally cauterize it, desperately tries not to raise our voice to more lethal decibels as recompense for her spittle flecked attack. This in turn leads to an excruciating moments silence for our sex life before a me unevenly counters.
“L-Look I’m sorry alright!?...I-I tried to warn you!... And now you’ve said your piece, you don’t have to drag Giselle into whatever this is, or move in with her just to get back at me...”
More red maple leaf'd sputtering breaks out with the intensity of a wild fire and a me worries that at this point she might well actually ignite. Well at least before she manages in a scathingly low tone.
“Giselle is my friend and if you don’t like it well then it sucks to be you! So no mister Lord of the Citadel! I won’t not be moving in with her and I intend to keep seeing her no matter what you do or say!”
Collectively unsure where to go with the conversation, we settle for blinking in defeated bewilderment. However the Canadian assault seems to take this as invitation for hostilities continue as she straightens up and adds in an unconvincingly neutral tone.
“Now that’s settled we can talk about how you can repay me for my inconvenience... by having another go at completing the deal properly…”
The me that was mid traumatic flashback is wrenched into the now along with the me trying to stop us melting down as we all stare in collective slack jawed fascination at the unfairly attractive bundle of bat-shit-crazy that’s much, much too close for our collective comfort...
As a me points out that we’re a bit hypocritical to label someone crazy, another me counters that we are also one of the best qualified to make such a judgement call! Meanwhile, a third me votes that we have tolerated this impolite socially engineered shoehorning for way too long already. This in turn leads another mass debate to ensue before the triumvirate eventually reaches an amenable consensus. To deliver our verdict a now standing me offers.
“Yeah that’s not gonna happen love...”
She opens her mouth to likely attempt some kind on Benjamin based trade tariffs but the me barrels on.
“I kept my word and now we're through. Whenever I stop by to check on Giselle's welfare I will only be talking to her in the future...Period...The reason I have tolerated this, whatever the fuck it is for so long is out of respect for Toni...So I’ll be going now and if yo-”
Its at this untimely juncture that our host returns with a cloth package and we halt our dictation while she does a quick inventory of the rooms occupants to demand.
“Don’t you try to run off wizou-”
But decision already reached, a me countermands as evenly as it can manage.
“Sorry mate but I really do need to go.”
Which in turn leads the Canadian unarmed forces to rally with an embittered.
“Fine then! run away you fucking coward! SEE IF I CARE!”
Resisting the urge to use force to solve a verbal dispute a me uses [Lesser Matter Manipulation] to acquire the proffered bounty of baked goods, causing Giselle to squeak as another me adds in attempted reassurance.
“I’ll check in, in about a week yeah?”
While another other me opens a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] to the joint Raid Party staging point while Giselle recovers long enough to belatedly demand.
“C-can you juzt talk zis out wiz er...for me?”
Before unilaterally shaking our head in the negative at the cutely pouting French idealist and stepping through the hole in reality to escape this unevenly orchestrated tag team, lest all of me are forced to make any more unsightly compromises than we already have:
[You have entered Delta Zone #3 Level 80 – 99]
One of me wills away the notification to scan the arrayed forces milling about on the rocky cliff tops and another me nods to Oksana who seems to be deeply mired in diplomacy already. Having confirmed everything is in order a third me is about to cancel the still active skill when Olivia sees fit to launch a itemized porcelain projectile through it as she instructs.
“FUCK YOU, YOU WEIRDO! IF YOU DIDN’T WA-”
Before another less surprised me closes the portal for them, to effectively cease her far more hurtful verbal barrage as fractured porcelain shards tinkle to the basalt like ground after their done ineffectually impacting our Armour...
The wind softly howls across the barren plateau as all of me try to maintain our calm whilst the eyes of some 60+ armed and armored magically enhanced people fixate upon us...
Well this isn't awkward at all...
