[center][h2][i][color=f7491d]Lab 64[/color][/i][/h2][/center] [hr] As the three most interactive before the glitch went about their business, Erika's chant slowly died into something much, much quieter until it stopped altogether. Her eyes having been glued to the air above the crew before the twitching remnants of a human being now slowly dropped to look dead at them and remain silent as very dated 80's music played in the background. .... .... .... Suddenly a text prompt appeared over Erika's head. The same kind you might see when you're building a game. [color=silver]freew1LL.exe running[/color] As soon as the prompt appeared over Erika's head, her blue eyes widened within the game. Though she continued to glitch like mad, a gurgling sound came from the depths of her throat. Shaking, she slowly lifted her hands up in front of her face. The entire time she did so, her neck doing an unnaturally tick. She turned her hands over slowly, the gurgling sound graduating to a small hiccup-like whimper. Then she looked up at the players before her, going still. [color=silver]ERROR:No Walking Animation Implemented[/color] She appeared directly before Nyx, gripping his digital collar hard and dragging him closer. Panting hard, she leans in close to his ear and is only able to get out a whisper. [color=silver]"...ro....he...want....be...do...do you...want to...be a....hero?"[/color] Had Nyx chosen to turn at this very moment, he would see the image of Erika smiling in glee. It was nothing psychotic and it almost seemed like the girl was genuinely happy, as if she had been promised something grand. But the dips in the tone of her voice coupled with the flicker of her appearance made the scene all the more...disturbing. As if they were watching a reel of Erika's last moments before something, anything, happened to her. And judging by the fact that the girl, as far as they knew, was still missing in the real world, they probably were. [color=cornflowerblue]"...Yes...."[/color] The whimpering response beckoned for digital tears to slide down Nyx's jacket. She outstretched her arms and went to wrap them around him, as though she were embracing an old friend.... or a lover rather than a strange avatar. [color=silver]freew1LL.exe has stopped running[/color] Suddenly, Erika glitched back into place where she was before, her real-world style avatar slumped over with her hair down and covering her face. The music was forced to stop playing in a fritz of static before the Unrelenting Jukebox's music player was erased from existence altogether, glitching like mad before disappearing from his side. The screens inside Nyx's mask all went blank and staticky. Nies Hellum's staff was suddenly placed on fire, and unable to be used. Last of which, Eclipse Princess's sword became entirely too heavy and fell to the ground from its holster. Then, like an unreliable Elder Scrolls game, began glitching erratically, swinging around and partially into the floor, then the wall, and all the way back out of the cave. [color=silver]"Do you want to be a hero?"[/color] The line was spoken again, coming from Erika's own mouth. But something was off. Something was different. As Erika's image began to flicker out more and more, Jukebox's music player suddenly clicked back in place. But almost as if it was haunted or possessed, it began to play a softer, more somber [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u0PZJQqUXE]tune[/url] that was beyond his control. No matter how much he tried he would not be able to shut the thing off. This wasn't the end of the strange occurrences. Erika's form now began to fade, certain parts of her body blending in with the static...before a shape emerged. A tall figure draped in dark cloaking, a hood raised over their head to conceal their features. But what could be made out were twin points of red eyes that seemed to beat with apathy and disregard. [color=silver]"Do you want to be a hero?"[/color] it asked again, this time flickering between the robed figure and what looked like Erika's form. Only this time she was no longer smiling. Due to the glitching images, it almost appeared as if she was screaming, her mouth disjointed and stretching beyond what was humanly possible. Simple prowess of editing...but it still came across as unnerving with the lack of Erika's audio. Then, with those final images.... The dungeon began to crumble. Not in the typical way... but in a sense that cause the game to glitch like mad. The generator disappeared and reappeared in various places, some of it through the avatar's bodies without the consequence of pain. The forest area's background music began to play instead of the sturdy drone of the dungeon's BGM. And then it cut in several places, switching back and forth until the background tones were nothing but a dull screech. Beneath the dark tones of Unrelenting Jukebox's music player, a voice was screaming out. But the noise was distorted, like someone had spoken directly into the microphone. Erika's disjointed voice. The very same thing she screamed against the Jukebox's music player was displayed across the formerly black screens inside Nyx's mask in glaring, running red letters that refused to shut off, filling the player with an excess of information. Nies Hellum would experience several status ailments that would flicker across her screen, each one of them affecting her to some degree. From burning, poison, cutting, and freeze...it was perhaps thankfully that the effects were moving at a mile a minute lest she be stuck with an unbearable amount of pain. She would at least survive this experience. Eclipse's messaging system was going mad, receiving letter after letter after letter until the number rose to the thousands. Messages were being received constantly, all with the same subject title. "It's Me." .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... All the players present were forcibly logged off with a screeching static noise that only ended when they opened their eyes once more in the real world. They would find though, that they are still able to log right back on shortly after. All those messages Eclipse had received. All the screaming Unrelenting Jukebox had heard. All the words Nyx had seen displayed on his masks' screens said the same thing. "1722 Wallan Street. 529" [hr] [center] [@KoL][@McFazzer][@Mega Birb][@Caits][/center]