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[color=gold]"We can't stay here forever"[/color]

As if on que, a bright pillar of light exploded from the throne at the end of the hall. [color=crimson]"I believe... I may be able to help you."[/color] All five players stared on in shock as a character they were all VERY familiar with appeared in front of them: The Messenger. Being an interdimensional entity, The Messenger only appeared in the form of a brightly glowing humanoid. The only part that players could look at was a horned cap on its head. [color=crimson]"Welcome, Travelers of the Rift. I'm sure you all know me as The Messenger."[/color] The humans could only stare as the enigmatic character they'd come to know stood before them. [color=crimson]"There is a simple reason you all have been brought here. I trust you know of the one called Masada?"[/color] It watched as the five players all gave each other sidelong glances.

[color=silver]"I mean how can we not?"[/color] Thomas strode forward as he addressed the being. [color=crimson]"Masada is the reason we're all here isn't he?"[/color]

[color=crimson]"That is... Not entirely the case, my dear players. Masada has not been of your world for quite some time."[/color] As the players were about to respond, The Messenger held up a glowing hand, [color=crimson]"The world which Masada created, The Rift, is more than just a construct of his mind. When the first game became an overnight success, he found himself being pushed to make Rift Warriors better and more complex with every passing entry. When the series first allowed for online combat... things took a turn for the worse."[/color]

[color=silver]"Online combat... That would be around the fifth entry right?"[/color] Thomas looked to the others for guidance. [color=silver]"Is anyone else making sense of this?"[/color] Judging by their equally confused faces, Thomas knew he wasn't the only one who was completely lost. What did online combat have to do with Masada 'disappearing' and them being dragged into the world of the game? The light from The Messenger seemed to get brighter as the strange being bristled in annoyance.

[color=crimson]"As I was SAYING, when the series moved into the online sphere, something happened that changed the Rift. An unknown virus caused the very world of the Rift to come alive. The characters, the monsters, and everything you see before you ceased to be just a story from the mind of our creator. With that independence, also came rebellion. While some in The Rift wanted to remain loyal to Masada, there were those who believed we ought to be more than just tool for peoples' entertainment. It was all he could do to keep the rebellious ones restrained through near-constant patches and updates"[/color] The Messenger stopped and affectionately rubbed one of the ornate pillars in the Hall. [color=crimson]"Then, after Rift Warriors IX went live, Masada simply... vanished. I'm almost certain you heard about his infamous 'stroke'? In truth, he wasn't laying comatose in the hospital. His mind simply ceased to function."[/color]

Taking in the amazed looks of the five, The Messenger elaborated, [color=crimson]"I only discovered recently that those who wanted to break free from the game had found a way to tap into your world and they pulled Masada's mind into the Rift. With him gone, no one would be able to stop them from escaping the world of the game and wreaking havoc across the internet and possibly even your world!"[/color]

[color=silver]"But if Masada is here in the game world, then who was it that created Rift Warriors X or posed as him for the last year?"[/color] Thomas asked, only for the groups' mouths to drop open when The Messenger pointed to itself. 

[color=crimson]"Once I discovered our enemies had tapped into the outside world, it was a trivial matter to do the same. Besides, you should all know that crossing realities is something I have experience with. I simply 'borrowed' the creator's body and created Rift Warriors X as a a way to summon allies of my own into the Rift. I knew that enticing his fans with the promose of lore and a fully completed story would be more than enough to bring the most skilled of players into the fray. Your current avatars are all made based on the RW9 data you gave me free access to. It is you five who are going to venture into The Rift and save Masada!"[/color]

The group was practically stunned into silence. Despite his usual calm demeanor, Thomas felt himself leaning into a pillar and sliding to the floor in amazement, [color=silver]"Wow... That's just... Unbelievable."[/color] Feeling the black rifle on his back, Thomas unslung the weapon and turned it over in his hands. Everything FELT as though it were real, but if what The Messenger was saying was true, then they truly were inside the world of Rift Warriors. Not even that, they had been CALLED there for the express purpose of saving the very man who'd created it for them. Looking up, he saw Ellen locking eyes with him and he felt a sardonic smile creep across his face, [color=crimson]"Well this definitely beats tournaments huh?"[/color]

[@LuckyBlackCat][@Nyahahameha][@Crimson Flame][@Ryik]