Private Eastern Brisshal Investigating the Consequences

[Ueno Mizuki]

As Mizuki had imagined, Cleo wasn't easily persuaded. However, she clearly did think about her position, which Mizuki could respect. It would be a strange and, frankly, boring world if everyone was the same. And, while the detective had so far made it clear that she considered Mizuki's position absurd, or at the very least disturbing, it wasn't like she'd been openly insulting or anything. At worst, a bit dismissive, but that made sense considering Mizuki was essentially arguing the position that virtual reality was still a reality.

I can agree that the actions of our ancestors don't have much to do with the present, although I guess our disagreement is on whether what is normal represents what is good.

She smiled at that part. It shouldn't come as a surprise that addressing the issue of life within the virtual world quickly led to rather difficult topics.

I think if we start debating the nature of morality we might be here for a while.

Cleo's reaction made it clear that she was aware of the problem that Quincy was, almost certainly, a copy of the original. There was no scientific reason to believe that Quincy's consciousness had somehow actually been pulled into this virtual world: while the Quincy that Cleo met might be indistinguishable from the original, she couldn't be the original by humanity's current understanding of physics.

As Cleo processed some conflicting feelings regarding Quincy's fate Mizuki checked one of the slaps of bear meat by grabbing the stick holding it and pulling it close. The slabs were big enough that they could stand to be roasted a bit longer, so she put the stick back before returning her full attention to Cleo.

The problem is that this world is so... realistic, that it forces us to look at a question which was already impossible to answer: what is real?

She held a hand in front of herself, first clenching it into a fist and then relaxing it.

Unsurprisingly, the existence of virtual reality as realistic as Terrasphere has resulted in many people returning to this question. Reality is supposed to be what you can perceive, what definitely exists outside of your head, and which can be verified by others. But Terrasphere matches all of those requirements. The only argument against this world being real is that we access it through technology which we know for a fact is meant to simulate reality, not create reality. But that runs into the problem that scientists have yet to be able to prove that our own reality can't be a simulation. In fact, as technology keeps progressing the odds that future technology could accurately simulate a reality like ours only seem to increase. Terrasphere already makes it difficult to tell the difference.

Perhaps a bit of a strange and messy topic to be discussing in the middle of the forest while roasting bear meat above a large fire, but there you go. Mizuki placed her hands together, fingers interweaving as her tail slapped against the ground behind her and her fingers pressed hard against the back of her hands.

You can say that because you've never seen anyone disconnect from our reality, or remember anything outside of our reality, there's no reason to believe you're living in a simulation. And that's a logical perspective: many intelligent people hold that belief because while it doesn't disprove the possibility it doesn't matter. However, I can't really agree with the idea that this reality doesn't count. If we were to subject the people in this world to the Turing test, whether you take the people who died three times or the NPCs, I doubt you'd get any results which wouldn't tell you that they're sapient.

This topic was honestly just as bad as morality. Mizuki grimaced before relaxing her hands and chuckling.

Sorry, I started going on about what was only supposed to be a side branch of my actual point.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

That was definitely one way to word it. They had some different opinions as to whether or not the status quo was good. As to whether or not the things that were normal were good, it seemed they had some disagreements on that, though she had also disagreed privately with some of Vina's points about people not being all that bad, so it wasn't like she was a stranger to disagreeing with the people around her. It was, at least, good that she wasn't having to fight off a wolf woman intent on clawing or biting out her throat because she had said something that was mistaken as an insult when it was in fact anything but an insult. She could only nod, to the point about normalty and morality.

I don't think I can accept this world as being real for one simple reason, really. It's not about how human the AI seem, or about how we can't prove that the real world isn't a simulation, or anything as grand as that. Not at all, really.

She stared into the flames, cold calculation giving way to a kind of burning rage, staring at the flames as they crackled each time fat dripped from the meat being roasted above it, sizzling and evaporating away in the heat of the fire. A fist clenched at her side at the thought, teeth clenching for a moment before she blew out, in an attempt to release some of that anger.

The fact remains, simply, that this game is little more than a murder weapon, at the end of the day. Made by somebody with the functionality to kill and wielded for that purpose, no different to some kind of remote bomb or IED, or a drone strike. It's killing people and taking them away from their friends and families.

People that she'd sworn an oath to protect when she joined law enforcement, being killed by a video game of all things. It should have been a bad sci-fi comic, but it was real and she was living through it. It made her soul howl with rage, even as she felt the hunger to understand what this game was and why it kiilled people. And why it allowed those people that it killed to exist even after it had killed them, at least in some form. It almost felt like a murderer, keeping some of the victim's belongings to remember the crime.

I hate this place. I can't stand it. But I have to figure it out. That's the only way to save everybody. To learn why it does what it does, to learn why players want to play it and find a way to make it safe, or to make them no longer play.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

For Mizuki's philosophical musings to be followed up by such straightforward and practical arguments from Cleo was a bit of a shock. The wolfess looked at the detective as the red-haired female human looked into the flames, cutting down all the complicated questions to return everything to black and white. This was a video game, and those who played it and were unlucky enough died. She wouldn't accept that, and she would keep digging until she found a solution.

Mizuki looked at Cleo for several seconds before sighing. It was a very practical point of view, even if she felt like the philosophical implications also had weight to them. For example, if someone preferred life in Terrasphere, would it be considered suicide if they racked up three deaths so they didn't have to worry about Earth any longer? But it was clear that Cleo had made up her mind, and as Mizuki had suspected beforehand, she wasn't going to change that. Maybe in future discussions, but for now it seemed like Cleo was completely focused on her task.

I don't really agree with the solution of making people no longer able to play, but I'm on board with learning everything there is to learn about this world and finding a way to make it safe. Just because I've accepted the possibility that it might kill me doesn't mean I'm happy about it, and if we can find a way to remove that risk I'm fully in favour.

A grin adorned her lips, a rather wolfish grin which somehow matched her glowing, mismatched eyes.

You'll have to live with me using this world as an opportunity to experience things I wouldn't be able to experience on Earth, though. I'm guessing the psychologists are dying to know how the rules of this world affect our behaviour.

While the two of them had been talking the slabs of meat had slowly turned brown, their fat dripping into the fire with the accompanied of hot sizzling. Mizuki checked one of the slabs once again, and while it wasn't a masterpiece it was sufficient that nobody could say it wasn't a roasted piece of meat.

Without getting up from her position she made all the sticks bend and length until she could snap them off, collecting the slabs of meat and piling them up next to her. Grabbing the first slab she bit into it, her fangs tearing through browned muscle meat as she chewed on a large chunk of it.

But if it'll help you be more comfortable, I'll at least cook the meat when you're around. I'm not planning to abandon my ethics, I just want to try out something different.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I'd rather not take the game down completely if it can be avoided, because not only was that already tried once and it failed, but there are some genuine reasons that I've heard for people to play it. Some lost loved ones to it, but can still see them here. Some people aren't fortunate in the real world, but can be just as fortunate as other people here. I'm not saying there are no aspects about this game that are good, but the bad stuff is like a rot. It spoils everything that's good and makes it all taste like ash, soot and sludge. I can't see how anybody can find this fun, until that threat hanging over everybody's head is removed.

It was unlikely that she'd be the one to remove it, she was far from the only agent in the game, at least as far as she knew. It was common for agents to become enamoured by the game, though. To end up similar to this girl, or to Vina, somehow able to overlook the murder and death just because it was a decent game and had some very realistic features.

I think the psychologists have concluded that the effects of this world on the psyche are, for the most part, nearly wholly negative for most people. You have to have something that this game, and only this game, can give to you. Maybe you can't walk in real life? Maybe you're an amputee? I don't know if there are any people that genuinely play this game, just to have fun playing a game.

It had become something of a monkey's paw, a thing that promised people the things that they wished for in reality but couldn't have, for multitudinous reasons. Power? Ability? Money? Life? All of it was possible, but you had to risk death to obtain it.

Cleo shook her head when Mizuki mentioned that she would cook the meat, shrugging as the flames of rage crackled behind her eyes. When she had actually let out her stance, spoken it out into the world and made it real? Made it live? It felt like minor things didn't matter so much anymore.

Do whatever you please. Eat raw meat if it, for some reason, pleases you. This talk has reminded me how important it is that I treat this seriously and how important it is to look at this game as the weapon it is. So thank you.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

I'm very curious how they bypassed the VRSA's blockade. Like pretty much everything about this world, it seems to defy our understanding.

Mizuki had mentioned how Terrasphere already presented a serious issue for distinguishing between reality and illusion, but truthfully Terrasphere wasn't a very good example because in many ways the technology seemed to be significantly more advanced than anything other companies possessed or used. It made the fact that the developers were a complete mystery, and the inability of any authority to track them down, significantly more alarming. It made sense, but if the authorities were outmatched to this extent, what else could these developers get up to?

Well, aside from hijacking every broadcasting device at the same time to announce that Terrasphere had returned, even including that trailer almost as if to give the finger to the authorities.

The wolfess gnawed and swallowed a chunk of meat before replying to Cleo's question regarding how anyone could enjoy this world.

Well, Miss Looker, there are two answers to that. The first one is that, while you see Terrasphere as a tool that the developers use to kill people, other people see it as a hobby similar to mountain climbing or gambling. We know these things are dangerous, and yet it doesn't stop people from enjoying them. And given that Terrasphere offers much more than either mountain climbing or gambling, people are also much more willing to accept the downsides.

The second answer is that... Well, let's use an example. We all know that there are people in third-world countries who live miserable and short lives. We all agree that this is bad, we sympathize with these people, and we wish for this to stop. However, the fact that this tragedy exists doesn't stop people from experiencing happiness.

She took another bite, creating several seconds of silence as she tore the meat to shred with her fangs and pulverized it with her molars before swallowing it and continuing.

I'm not arguing against your position: I'm just saying how I think people who enjoy this world look at it. It's unlikely this is the case for everyone, but if you want to understand how people can enjoy this world you have to look at how gambling and other dangerous activities persist despite the best attempts from well-intentioned people to put a stop to them.

By this point, Cleo had made it clear that she looked at Terrasphere the same way an officer looked at a gun used to kill the victim. And that perspective wasn't wrong, but it wasn't the only perspective someone could have when it came to Terrasphere.

She was about to argue against the claim that Terrasphere had primarily negative effects on people, but thinking back on how everyone else had been feeling in the months before the four-year long break it was clear that people had been worn down by everything they had gone through, especially the realization that death in this world had actual consequences. Mizuki had actually been immensely lucky, being able to enjoy herself without developing some kind of trauma.

Hmmm... I might be an anomaly then. Although I guess this world does offer me something I didn't have on Earth. But you're correct that nobody would be part of this if Terrasphere was just a game.

Of course, Mizuki figured Cleo believed that meant one had to be compelled through a sincere need to be part of Terrasphere. The wolfess herself, however, believed that Terrasphere was more than just a game.

However, they'd already covered that ground, so it was better to move on from it. It was interesting to see how the detective had quickly stopped caring as much about Mizuki's bestial habits, as she had been reminded of what truly mattered to her. The proto-wildling certainly had no objections to being allowed to do as she wished, although she did feel like Cleo's perspective was a bit too antagonistic towards the world.

I'll thank you for your understanding then. Meanwhile, I would urge you to be patient: the developers of Terrasphere just managed to outwit the VRSA and all the involved authorities. We don't know what resources they have available to them, and the technology they use is bizarre. If we do ever find the answers to our questions it will take years.

Who knows, maybe if we keep exploring the world we'll figure out how to gain admin privileges. This is supposed to be a virtual world, after all.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Yes, the fact that the developers had managed to overcome the VRSA blockade was something of a major incident and nobody was sure how they'd managed to do it. Frankly it was a bit embarrassing for the VRSA to be run in circles by a group of unknowns that didn't have access to the funding and equipment that an international agency had. Though, Cleo wondered exactly how Terrasphere was being funded. Something like this would require very powerful servers, which required a lot of money to create and maintain, so it was entirely possible that there was some rich asshole out there that was basically funding this whole thing underneath everybody's nose.

What a sour thought...

The hobbyists are something of a problem, yes. The difference between playing this game and climbing a mountain is that the mountain doesn't actively attempt to kill a person, nor does the mountain then proceed to create an AI replica of each person that it killed. Also, typically climbing mountains is expensive, since you need the gear, travel stuff, all those kinds of things.

And yet, Mizuki herself was clearly one of these hobbyists, so it was likely that her words were all falling on deaf ears anyway. It was clear they stood at very opposite ends of the spectrum. One liked the game and used it to enhance her life, whilst the other despised the game and only entered it because it was essentially holding other people that played it captive. Those were pretty hard viewpoints to reconcile and Cleo definitely doubted that there was anything that would change her mind, though she wasn't closed off to the idea of finding some positive qualities to this whole virtual world. One day maybe, when it could no longer kill people, the game would just be something that could actually be played for fun.

I don't see much chance of a player obtaining admin priviliges in all honesty, but there has to be some kind of clue somewhere. The truth can never be totally erased and killers are very likely to leave references and hints in their work, often to feed a sense of superiority they feel when they know that clues are out there, yet nobody is putting them together. You see it in shows and films a lot since it actually kind of happens like that, at times.

With a sigh, she looked at one of the sticks of roasting meat, staring at it. How the hell did they manage to code taste into a game? How did they know what everything tasted like?

What made you start eating bears? And raw meat?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Their previous attempts at discussing their different perspectives hadn't really gone anywhere, or at least not in a direction where they could reconcile their perspectives beyond the fact that both wanted to find a way to remove the danger from the game, and were willing to work together to achieve it. As such, Mizuki shrugged as Cleo pointed out why she considered Terrasphere to be vastly different from the examples Mizuki pointed out.

I'm not opposed to discussing this in more detail, but I'm just saying those are the kind of reasons people probably have for enjoying Terrasphere despite the downsides.

Cleo had expressed confusion at the idea that anyone could enjoy Terrasphere, so Mizuki wanted to help her understand. She didn't think the detective was going to change her mind about Terrasphere any time soon, but more understanding was always good.

Mizuki grabbed another slab of meat and tore off a chunk, savouring the sweet taste as Cleo talked. Her tail wagged behind her to express her enjoyment, and her primal aura meant that Cleo might be able to sense some of the contentment Mizuki felt while eating. The primal aura was more effective with beasts and people who were in tune with their instincts and emotions, but a sensation as basic and universal as satisfaction at good food was something anyone could perceive.

Admin privileges might not be possible, but I agree that there should be clues to be found. This world is supposed to be similar to Earth, after all, except thousands of years after in the future and with fantasy elements. And from what I've heard, in the time that we couldn't access this world more advanced technology has been showing up, like those android people.

She tilted her head slightly as Cleo brought up classic killer personality traits.

If they made a world as vast and realistic as this while keeping themselves hidden they would probably want to show off at least a little. As for my preferences...

Cleo didn't immediately receive a response, the huntress tearing off another chunk of roasted bear meat and devouring it before replying.

As I said, I started out wanting to experience freedom. Becoming an adventurer made sense to achieve that, and since I'd chosen this caenis body I decided to also try out things like running on all fours. I'd say it just grew on me over time.

Although if there was a turning point I'd say it was the day that Vintergard was attacked.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo seemed to simply ignore whatever primal aura that Mizuki gave off, finding little reason to listen to whatever instinctive response it tried to draw forth, sitting with one leg crossed over another as she tossed another piece of wood onto the fire so that the wolf girl could continue to enjoy her food without having to take a break in order to keep the fire stocked and burning brightly. She wasn't sure she agreed with the reasons that people played Terrasphere despite the risk of death. The rewards for playing just didn't seem to outweigh that kind of risk to her, it was a completely alien thought process, to accept that some people were willing to risk death for a chance to escape reality.

The android people and this existence of magitech does, at the very least, hint at the possibility that interacting with the systems of this game from the inside won't be quite as impossible as one might first assume. Though with so little discovered, it's honestly quite infuriating. How on earth have the players not banded together to search for the answers to these mysteries?

And yet, they'd managed to band together to form groups like the Lion's Pride and were intent on defending each other? It was honestly a little maddening, how willing they were to just accept the way that things were and not even seek out answers or discovery. Had they all lost the sense of adventure they'd joined the game with when they'd learned that they could die? How was anybody supposed to figure these kinds of things out if nobody took any significant steps towards them?

Though that was when Mizuki said something that caught her interest, referencing some kind of attack that had happened. Maybe it wasn't pertinent information to her overall case, but it would perhaps shine something more of a light onto the caenis' behaviour and ways of thinking. It was definitely something that was worth asking about, at the very least. There was very little that she would lose from trying to get to know Mizuki better, aside from some time, but she was already losing that sitting here holding a conversation, so that was a pretty moot point.

The day that Vintergard was attacked? What happened? I don't really know much about what happened before the blockade, but I dunno if I understand how a settlement being attacked can drive you to start eating raw meat. Unless you were about to starve to death and had no other choice?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cleo did have a point that from the outside at least, it looked like the players hadn't really explored as much of the world as you would have expected. On the other hand, it wasn't like the world of Terrasphere made exploring very easy.

There are a couple of factors that make exploration a bit difficult. The first one is that this world is really big: it seems to match the shape and size of Earth exactly. I'm honestly not sure how any computer powerful enough to simulate all this could remain hidden for any amount of time. I don't think there's any other virtual world which approaches even 1% of the size of Terrasphere.

It truly was a frightening thought. Just how was this virtual reality created, and how had it stayed hidden?

Since Terrasphere is also much more immersive than other virtual worlds and feels more like another reality than just a game, people have a lot more to do than just exploration. Building a kingdom is not something other virtual realities allow unless that's the entire point of the setting, but here it was something Travelers decided on because they could and because they wanted to.

The third factor is that since falling off a cliff actually has consequences, people can't afford to be as reckless. I haven't heard of any real glitches yet, but we both know how the first big VR game ended up.

The children who'd managed to glitch themselves into a deathloop had ended up traumatized, two of them not having woken up even after nine years. A tragedy, but if you somehow were the unfortunate person to discover a glitch which killed you... a deathloop wouldn't just traumatize you, it'd erase you. Mizuki shivered before continuing.

The realism of this world means that it's not a good idea to just start walking in a direction and see what you encounter. And even if you can deal with that, most of us were invested in protecting the areas we already knew. You might have heard about the Titanius incident, where some kind of giant, cosmic tentacle monster was threatening the entire kingdom at once and we all banded together to defeat it. If all the strongest Travelers had decided to head out and explore the rest of the world, Astorea and Falderen might both have been completely destroyed.

She realized that this wouldn't exactly help convince Cleo that this world wasn't meant as a death trap, but Mizuki wanted to at least be honest and not rely on lies and deception to defend her position. And it was important for the lancer to be aware of this kind of thing: just because she was a police officer who'd entered the game to protect others didn't mean Cleo was safe herself.

Exploration is something people are interested in, but it's more comparable to how it works on Earth, where you have to collect funding, resources, and participants for expeditions. Before the VRSA dropped the hammer we were planning to send an expedition to the Hylands.

The topic of the assault on Vintergard was a bit more personal for Mizuki, although that didn't exactly mean she was unwilling to talk about it. The wolfess left the meat slabs alone for the moment, staring into the fire as she gathered her thoughts before she began to talk. She wasn't sure she was going to be convincing, but she stared Cleo in the eyes nonetheless.

For context, the arrival of us Travelers was disruptive for the People of the Land, who you'd call NPCs. Having these new people just show up out of nowhere, eagerly taking the roles of adventurers, heroes, and occasionally villains had both its benefits and its detriments. After we took over the western half of Falderen and renamed it Astorea, when we'd originally been tasked to help keep the elf slave rebellion under control, it led the king of Falderen to conclude that we were a threat. To that end, he decided to try and get rid of us, because even if it was thought that we couldn't permanently die at the time he had figured out how to imprison us in a manner where we couldn't log out.

He first tried to capture all the strongest players and take back his territory, but they managed to break free. After that, he decided to destroy us with military might. Some of the strongest and experienced Travelers joined forces with the king's daughter to sneak into Stockbon and eliminate the king, but the rest of us had to defend Vintergard against the king's armies.

Mizuki reached up and rubbed one of her own ears, thinking back to that siege.

I said that I'd made myself a caenis, but the truth is that before that siege I was a felis, as nobody knew caenis existed before that day. At least, none of us, and the character creation room didn't give us the option either. The Caenes, or wolf people, live on top of the Hylands I mentioned earlier. The king had bolstered his army by somehow forcing one of the biggest and most militaristic of the caenis tribes, called the Lunatic Tribe, to join the attack.

As the wolf girl continued to talk her golden eye began to change colour, slowly but surely turning from a brilliant harvest moon into a vicious blood moon. Mizuki herself didn't notice it, as she just kept talking.

The leader of the Lunatic Tribe was a female called Snefrid, and she looked a bit like me. It was night, and the combined forces of the Lunatics and the king's army were more than we could hold back. At least, not forever. Snefrid was a monster, both in ability and deed. Bloodthirsty, tyrannical, remorseless. None of us could hope to stand against her alone. Together we tried to drive her back or take her out while keeping each other alive, but she showed no sign of stopping. We killed her, eventually, but most of us were at death's door.

For some reason, I couldn't help but want to defeat her. She and her tribe embodied unbound savagery that was both terrifying and mesmerizing. At first, I was just there to help defend Vintergard, but as I fought Snefrid I got drawn in. I'm not really sure why, since Snefrid was a horrible person, and I'm glad we killed her. Maybe it was just the first time I was really forced to fight for my life with no real hope of survival, and I got intoxicated by the adrenaline surge. But that was the first time I felt a genuine bloodthirst.

That wasn't the end of the story, but Mizuki wanted to give Cleo the opportunity to process what she'd said so far. It was quite a lot to take in, and she expected the detective to have more than a few questions.

That, and she was pretty sure that the next part of the story would evoke less than a positive reaction from Cleo. Unless the officer had already completely come to terms with the fact that Mizuki was... well, she would object to the term unhinged, but it was clear that Terrasphere had gotten to her.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

You're not wrong. A computer powerful enough to process all of this should be giving off a power consumption reading similar to that of the sun or something equally insane. It really makes no sense that the developers have managed to remain hidden for this long with nobody the wiser or any closer to figuring out who they are and how they've done what they've done.

Seriously, the funds and equipment for this kind of accomplishment didn't just appear out of nowhere, so there had to be quite the serious operation going on in a place that nobody could find, somehow. Unless this was like one of those ridiculous crackpot theories, such as the whole Terrasphere thing, from the very start, being run by the world governments in the first place. It certainly wasn't a common theory, but it wasn't totally unheard of, which was honestly just pretty concerning when it came time to apply that knowledge to what she knew about society as a whole and how it would affect all of them. Literally the only worse thing would have been Terrasphere being normalized, but there were definitely some people that would actually be okay with that, so she didn't want to tempt fate.

And yet, as Mizuki spoke, all she was really doing was convincing Cleo that Terrasphere was a death trap that only served to fill the purpose of killing people. There could be no other explanation for a game that actively sent a giant monster to the starting area. That just wasn't something that most games that respected the player did, as far as she knew from her studies on game design philosophy. Studies which felt less and less applicable the more she heard and realized that the developers of this game weren't ordinary game devs, but instead psychopathic murderers using video games as little more than a weapon.

And then she realized that the story that Mizuki was telling her was one that she had heard from Vina, in a different context and only in passing, though all of the story had her disagreeing with basically every sentiment that it brought up. Actively encouraging a bloodlust in a player made the game seem like everything people had been afraid even regular video games were, back in the day when they were worried that violent games would cause people to become killers.

Seeing Mizuki's eye begin to change colour, though, had her retrieving her spear again, no longer pretending that she was polishing the tip as her own crimson eyes stared into the wolf's bloody eye. Her mind raced, picking apart escape routes and weak points to aim for in the event that the girl attacked, posture stiff and ready to explode into motion at a single moment's notice.

You realize you've just admitted to the fact that this game gave you murderous intentions and bloodlust, correct? And I'm supposed to genuinely try to believe that the game has any redeeming qualities at all after all of this?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki should have paid more attention to how Cleo clearly didn't find anything of what the huntress told appealing or enticing. She might simply be telling the tale of what had happened in Terrasphere, but it was clear her audience considered it more of a horror story than anything else. However, the wolfess was drawn into her own story, eyes staring into the past and those times which had changed her so much.

Her gaze sharpened as Cleo spoke up again, mismatched eyes focusing on the red-haired beauty who was now looking at her like she was a threat. One eye an icy blue, as if possessing the cold of winter, and the other a bloody red, its visceral heat a sharp contrast with the other as both eyes glowed faintly. Underneath those eyes, Mizuki's fangs were more pronounced as she spoke. While she made no move to attack or threaten Cleo, her gaze was less human and more lupine, more predatory.

I sought to protect the innocent from a mad king's call for genocide. In the heat of battle, where I couldn't be sure I would survive, as we all tried to keep the city from falling until the veterans eliminated the king and forced the enemy to surrender, I felt alive. I feel no desire to hunt anybody who hasn't made themselves a threat to others. Do you judge the hunter for enjoying the thrill of the hunt?

After several seconds of staring at Cleo, Mizuki turned her head and stared into the flames instead.

You're free to decide for yourself what you think of the game. If it makes you feel better, I don't think you'll find anybody quite like me.

While quite a lot of people had gone through rough times and changed in demeanour because of it, Mizuki couldn't think of anyone who had become like her, actively embracing this different life and such a savage one at that. Her gaze wasn't as intense as before, but her eye remained red, and her fangs and claws remained more notable than before.

Anyway, as it turned out this mad king had some method to control his soldiers and make them fight against their will. Once the veterans managed to take him down the soldiers all immediately stopped fighting, so either they really disliked being controlled like that, or the king's decision to turn Astorea into an enemy wasn't supported by his subjects. Which is a good thing, because after defeating Snefrid most of us weren't in any shape to keep fighting for much longer.

Afterwards both sides helped clear the battlefield, setting up camps for the wounded to get treated while the dead were collected. At least, the Astoreans and the Falderans: either there were no Lunatics left at the end of the battle, or the few that had survived their leader's fall fled. Snefrid's corpse was left alone at first, however, and I remained with it.

She frowned, her expression puzzled as if she was trying to figure something out. Truthfully, she was: a puzzle which had been in her head for over four years and which she couldn't solve.

I don't really know what drew me to her. I've tried to figure out why she seems so important, but I can't think of an answer. Back then, I just felt like I had to somehow pay my respects. She was horrible, monstrous, but she'd also been the most awe-inspiring figure on the battlefield. It's easy to say that only fools find honour in death, and it's the rational perspective, but it was impressive how she kept fighting right until the end without a shred of hesitation. Especially since she had only a single life, unlike any of us, yet she acted as the enemy's vanguard all by herself.

I didn't have enough energy left to carry her or bury her, and there wasn't anywhere to carry her to and I don't know what her tribe thinks about burial. Instead, I remembered something I read about rituals performed by some ancient cultures, or those tribes left in the Amazon and other jungles.

She turned her head away from the flame to look at Cleo. The message in her gaze was clear, even if her expression didn't change much: Cleo wasn't going to like what came next.

After a successful hunt, they would eat the heart of their prey to inherit its strength and courage. Since there weren't any Lunatics left I couldn't ask them what their customs were, and Snefrid's body would have wasted away long before I found one. Given that I wasn't the one to deal the final blow she might not be happy that I was the one to eat her heart, but it seemed like the best thing I could do at that time.

After that Zelrius, the one I mentioned before who struck the final blow, cremated the rest of her together with any bodies which couldn't be returned to their families. I don't really remember anything else afterward, because I'd already been running on empty before I retrieved the heart. Best I can tell I fell asleep almost immediately afterward, but when I woke up I had become a caenis.

It would be intriguing if eating the heart had anything to do with it, but apparently, the caenis race became available to players after we defeated Snefrid, so most likely I purchased the race transfer just before falling asleep.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The more that Mizuki spoke and the more attention the girl paid to her, the more that Cleo felt like she was being threatened and she didn't like it. Hands gripped the shaft of her spear until her knuckles turned white and her teeth clenched in her closed mouth, refusing to say a word but listening to every single word that was spoken. It was, at least, a mild comfort to know that this was seemingly an isolated incident and that not everybody had adapted to this game by embracing the savagery and becoming a wild animal in human form. Now she just had to know if Mizuki acted the same in the real world, minus the power and ability of course.

And with the warning look that Mizuki shot her, Cleo knew that she wasn't going to like what she would be hearing next. It was terrible to know that she was correct, listening to the story and hearing how Mizuki had just been called to this woman that had nearly killed people and eaten her heart. Knowing that Mizuki would eat animals was one thing, but cannibalism? Was it even cannibalism if she hadn't been a Caenis back then? It was a slippery slope and Cleo was sure Mizuki had tried to justify it countless times.

Don't take it the wrong way, but I honestly don't think I've ever heard a more horrifying story. We're talking essentially cannibalism, here, you understand?

Her spear vanished back into her inventory, the detective holding her head in her hands as she hunched forwards, looking for the life of her like she would be sick at any moment. A hollow chuckle escaped her and then it exploded, until the woman was hunched over holding her stomach, groaning as her leg bounced anxiously.

A game giving somebody PTSD to the point that they came alive in the battlefield. That they take joy in killing things. God, what a bullshit fucking mess this whole thing is and I'm here stuck in the fucking middle of it.

She tossed another log almost angrily onto the fire, sighing. What kind of horrific broken soul was sitting near her, right now? It was insane and ridiculous and god did she feel like crying, screaming and laughing all at once. It was a manic feeling, constantly shifting and roiling in her stomach, like a churning pit of acid or the lava in the mouth of a volcano.

It's not even an unusual response to trauma. Some veterans report feeling alive in combat, finding meaning in it. You fought a damn war, nearly died for it. This is just so wrong.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cleo's reaction was more or less what Mizuki had expected. Other Travelers didn't consider the huntress's actions normal or understandable either, except possibly Zelrius due to that messed up Death Affliction of his. As for the People of the Land... Mizuki's hunting kept her away from the civilized settlements, so there hadn't been an opportunity to see what they thought about it. But she was pretty sure she knew how the humans, the elves, and the faerin would react. Her fellow beastfolk might be a bit harder to predict, although the feles at the least seemed more human than cat.

I understand, yes. You're not the first one to bring it up.

Cannibalism, even more so than eating raw meat, was one of those things that were simply not considered acceptable behaviour. Mizuki herself had almost vomited when she ate the heart, more than once feeling the bile rise, but she'd forced it down together with the muscle which had kept Snefrid alive right until the end. She knew why it was considered taboo, but once she'd done it once she found that she didn't really care much.

Seeing how Cleo was becoming nauseous from the tale Mizuki was telling the wolfkin raised a hand as if to reassure her, only to realize that the hand looked more like a claw at this point, with dark fur covering her arm all the way to the elbow. Retelling the tale after so long had done something to her. The memories were strong, and she often revisited them in her dreams.

Quickly retreating her hand, Mizuki placed both palms against her face. Breathe deep... She exhaled slowly, feeling her body relax as the animalistic features diminished until she was back to her usual self. Her red eye also switched back to gold, as the nostalgic bloodthirst faded away. If Mizuki didn't know better, she'd almost say that she inherited some of Snefrid's savagery. Unfortunately, eating hearts didn't actually allow you to steal traits like that.

On further consideration, she didn't think Cleo would want her comfort at the moment. Instead, Mizuki went back to eating the bear meat, although she couldn't help but chuckle when her companion lamented the horrors of Terrasphere.

You're a good person, but you don't have to be so worried about it. I don't regret my decisions, and I'm still alive. Strangely enough, I might be one of the few of the old guards who haven't died a single time.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

And that was just the most messed up part, Cleo found, as Mizuki mentioned that she'd never died, not even once. That opened the floodgate, the detective leaning back to laugh, as if she'd heard the best joke in existence, whilst tears slid down her cheeks, as if she were sat at a funeral. She didn't notice at all Mizuki's attempts, undone as they had been, to comfort her as her mind raced through everything she'd just heard, picking it apart and trying to wrap her head around the true meanings of every single syllable, all of which had led her solely to a single conclusion.

Terrasphere had damaged this girl without even killing her.

What a thought. How real it was, that it did not even take death or torture unimaginable to cause such a dramatic shift in a person and to wipe away any sense of human decency in them. Just like real life. The thought made her vision swirl for a moment, though that may have been the tears that swam in her eyes, of joy, rage or grief she wasn't quite sure. All that mattered was the the realest thing about this game was the pain it could cause and the power to change people it wielded.

Her laughter ceased and the lancer leaned forward to snatch a piece of meat, biting into it and letting out something of a mixture between a sob and a hum of appreciation, hunching over in once place as she chewed before she swallowed finally, glancing at Mizuki again to see that the changes that the girl had gone through had now receded, though she wasn't sure what had caused them in the first place. She was pretty sure that they were indicative of something though.

God. What a mess. Why did I ever consider that it was possible to deal with this nightmare before more people were forever affected? What kind of stupid naivete was that?

She groaned, finishing off the chunk of bear meat and almost snarling at the way her body wanted to reach for another, clamping down on that feeling and shoving it deep inside of herself, taking a few deep breaths to regain her composure and lock everything away where she couldn't touch it again. She had no need for feelings like that on the job.

Well, at the very least you aren't dead. Your assistance helping keep people from overhunting this area will be appreciated. I can't pay you for it, though.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki didn't really understand why those words caused Cleo to start laughing and crying at the same time. It looked like the detective had been holding her feelings in for as long as the wolfess had been talking about what had happened, so maybe it was just the final straw. There was a conflicted expression on Mizuki's face as she looked at Cleo, on one hand wanting to help, but on the other not knowing how to.

Given that her companion had made it clear that she still considered Mizuki a possible threat, she didn't think any assertive physical contact would be a good idea. Hugging someone or patting them on the shoulder may seem harmless, but if it came from someone who you saw as a deranged cannibal you remembered just how much either act doesn't require your consent.

She also couldn't think of any words she could say. And so the huntress just kept scarfing down bear meat while she hoped that this outburst would help her companion sort out her feelings and come out better at the end of it. She really took all of this more harshly than Mizuki, and sometimes you just needed to let it all out to reorganize your mind.

What she did do, however, was rouse her aura and use it to deliver a simple message. Mizuki was doing fine. She might have gotten twisted somewhere along the way, abandoned what most humans considered too important to ever abandon, but she was doing fine. She didn't need anyone grieving for her, or pitying her.

What was more surprising was Cleo suddenly grabbing a piece of meat and devouring it once her outburst had come to an end. It was interesting to watch, the logical and levelheaded female human indulging in the more crude feast that Mizuki had prepared for herself. Fortunately, enough meat was left that if Cleo wished to eat more she wouldn't have to be concerned about running out unless her hunger was as impressive as Mizuki's.

You can't keep people from being changed by the experiences they go through, but you can still steer them in more positive directions. It's worth trying to make the game safe, even if we don't even know if it's even possible.

Everything else aside, she did strongly agree on that point. Once Cleo finished her chunk of meat Mizuki was curious to see if she'd eat another, but it looked like the detective was done for now.

I find that bear meat has a surprisingly sweet taste to it. And I don't need payment for helping out with that. It's important to make sure the ecosystem doesn't get permanently disrupted, both for the wildlife and for the people.

Her mismatched eyes, back to how they always were, studied Cleo with some concern on the huntress's face.

How are you feeling now?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The only way to stop somebody from being changed by the experienced they went through was to stop them from going through those experiences in the first place. Maybe once she logged out today, she would advocate for another blockade of the game? Though considering they'd done it once and now the game was back, she had her doubts that trying to cut off the servers would work a second time. No, the only things that would end would be the arrest of the developers.

Or their death.

She almost violently forced away the sensation that Mizuki was trying to convey, fury returning to her eyes for a brief moment as she snapped her eyes over to the wolf woman, the crackling flames reflecting in her eyes, though the fury died down a moment later as she breathed out and released all of those feelings. She did not appreciate whatever Mizuki was trying to do, using some kind of spell or ability on her like that. This was hardly the time or the place to be attempting any mind trickery, not was she the kind of person that should have her mind messed with.

She had to protect everything she knew.

I'm feeling like shit. This has been such a fucking awful day. I need a drink badly.

She hunched over with a sigh, her mood slowly calming now that she was clamping onto her raging emotions and exerting her own control over them again, burying them deep where hopefully they wouldn't bubble forth until she was in a safer environment to destress. She felt like a spring that had been coiled so tightly that she was under enough tension to slowly begin to shear apart and shatter.

I've never had a more stressful job in my entire life. This isn't even hyperbole. I feel like I age a year every time I log into this game.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki blinked as Cleo seemed almost angry at being told non-verbally that she really didn't need to worry about the huntress. The wolfkin didn't know what the red-haired beauty was so upset about, but her aura dissipated as she focused on her own food. Maybe she just hated the idea of Mizuki insisting that she was fine despite being, as Cleo described it, a soldier who'd been fucked up by the war she'd been in.

Maybe Cleo did have a point about the drink though.

There's a tavern in Honeyhome, so we can go unwind there if you think it'll help.

Cleo really seemed to be taking it all a lot worse than Mizuki would have predicted. She was beginning to get worried that if the lancer wasn't given the opportunity to unwind in a major way soon she'd have a true freakout episode, or possibly even a meltdown. It was good to see that the detective was truly invested in protecting people, but if she found Terrasphere this stressful that altruism was going to backfire on her in a major way.

Well, you can't help others if you aren't in good shape yourself. And you aren't going to figure out how to keep people safe today, so let's go to the tavern.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo shook her head. The idea of spending any time in a tavern made her mouth taste like ash and soot in the worst ways possible. She sighed, cupping her chin with a hand and leaning forward to look into the flames. All she knew was that there was no way in hell that she was going to be spending time in a tavern of all places, especially in a game she was pretty sure she despised now. If only she wasn't so damn curious as to the meaning of everything behind it all, then perhaps she could just put it down, or dedicate her all to helping people, all the time.

The last thing I want to do in this life, is go and hang out in a tavern in this game. I'm not going to treat this game as some kind of retreat, where I can afford to have fun and spend my time drinking, when there could be players out there being killed and taken away from their families.

She licked her lips, tasting the remnants of the meat she'd eaten, her leg bouncing in place as she looked away from the flames and at Mizuki. If she had her own primal aura, it would be coming across as being pretty agitated, but she didn't. Still, her body language probably did a good enough job of conveying it that she didn't need a primal aura to do so for her. She shook her head again, rolling her eyes at the idea that she wasn't in good shape.

I'm in perfectly fine shape, thank you very much. There's absolutely nothing stopping me from getting out there and helping more people right now. Aside from the fact that I'm sat here talking to you, but I accept that I can't possibly be everywhere at once.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki furrowed her brow at Cleo's response as if the entire idea was preposterous. The wolfkin exhaled through her nose, then shrugged and grabbed another piece of meat.

You can log out and drink back on Earth if you want. Although it'd be better to at least return to Honeyhome first, so you wouldn't have to worry about any dangerous wildlife being nearby when you log back in. I gotta say though if you're that sensitive to the idea that something bad happens to someone somewhere it's no surprise that you look like you're about to snap.

It wasn't meant as a mean-spirited jab, but Mizuki did find it strange how Cleo's earlier rational attitude was so quickly switching into a pathological need to sacrifice herself to help others. Was she just the kind of person who hid all her emotions deep down until they overflowed? The wolfess couldn't really do much about that, so she'd just devour the next piece of bear meat.

She watched Cleo as the human practically emanated stress, her mismatched eyes taking in the small details such as the frantically bouncing legs, or the way those eyes shifted focus so abruptly.

I meant your mental shape, not your physical. No offence, but you look like the next piece of bad news you hear is going to make you explode like a powderkeg.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The fact that somebody was picking up on the stress meant that she really did need to bury it better, Cleo figured as she breathed out, then breathed in. In for 6, out for 10, then hold for 7. Over and over again, she repeated this breathing pattern, until she began to feel her usual calm washing over her again, swallowing down a slight stab of panic that she'd shown something so unseemly to a stranger and instead she watched as Mizuki reached for another piece of meat, shaking her head slightly at the sight and sighing as she breathed out again. All of her emotions could be discarded with her breath. It was a coping mechanism she'd developed early on in the job.

Ah, no, believe it or not I am actually pretty fine. Your story is just one of the more shocking ones I've heard and similar to a few cases in the real world I've had the...distinct displeasure of having had to work.

Dealing with murderers and their dark deeds was never exactly the nicest job in the world, even on the good days. Having to piece together how and why things had happened didn't usually make it much better, but she had developed ways of coping with those things. There were people she could talk to, methods she could use to discard the stresses that built up. She did shake her head, at the suggestion that she would explode like a powderkeg, the tension bleeding out of her body until she seemed as rational as she had been before, or perhaps even more rational, considering they'd met under bad circumstances.

I'm sure you've pieced together that I work with law enforcement in the real world. It's never been the nicest, most friendly or mentally healthy job in the world, especially since I sometimes deal with the criminals quite directly. Believe it or not, I don't actually drink. I'm not a fan of the permanent damage it could do to my body. In the real world, I can't just do whatever I want without thinking about how it would affect my body.

@Ueno Mizuki