"They are a hydra with no head."
A light drizzle hydrated the otherwise cold and once-dry cobblestone streets of Helsann for several days on end, turning small ridges and dips in the city into ever-full rivers. Light traces of mud, in the shape of boots, reflected off the smooth surfaces. Despite the rains that whetted them, they were apt to disappear from the empty streets; there were few who trudged outside to disturb their markings. The clouds had yet to fully materialize, for now but a loose collection emptying pitiful levels of moisture. The sun was still bright in the sky, casting a rainbow far off in the distance where the true storm approached. The city was glistening, but beyond its shingled roofs and flowery gardens, the forest beyond eerily lurked, devoid of leaves and merriness.
Crows squawked in their branches, wrestling with one another for seemingly pointless reasons. The depths of the forest floor grew steadily darker despite the obvious lack of foliage, as if enchanted to forever be characterized by evil and ominous whispers of wind. To the empty streets, who bore no citizenry, such a disheartening scene was invisible, for they were all huddled in their warm homes, fueled by the burning fires in their chimneys and the embrace of loved ones.
Such a scene... was watched only by a select few.
At the city gates she stood, unperturbed by the slowly increasing rains. Her expression was one of distaste for all that she saw; a tired, unamused visage fitting for an old crone who had grown weary of living. And yet her face was young, a shame to be dominated by so unfortunate an appearance. Clad in the clothes -strangely- of a church-going nun, she left her arms limp at her sides, the waved blade in her grasp had its tip standing atop the cobble. Rain dripped down its length in an undulating fashion, following the curves of its edges. Her hood was already beginning to soak, and sagged over the ridges of her eyes, adding further to her disgruntled expression.
A distant howl broke her statue-like stance, albeit with only but a twitch of her hand, causing the metal blade to screech on the stone street. With a sniffle, she relaxed a tad more once the howl faded away.
Helsann City Hall
The tall and wide building of Helsann City Hall was comfortably warm inside, decorated with a colorful motif of reds and browns, reflective of an autumn season. A large fireplace built into the main stairwell blazed with heat, casting a glow over the embroidered carpets stretched out before it. Several people (generally servants, maids, and butlers) hurried to and fro at the first and second floors, easily ignoring the peculiar folk that had gathered.
The champions were motioned to head to the city hall first and speak with its mayor. Certainly, as the rains picked up, they likely relished being able to stay indoors for the time being. The entrance was clearly luxurious, but at the same time had a sort of quaint cabin-like feel to it, reflective of the homey and warm feeling the town gave off before the drizzle began. Here they would gather, and begin their proscribed mission. For the time being, the mayor seemed to be absent, and few servants were courteous enough to pause and help the guests.
"They bend their own rules."
Almost as soon as they champions had accepted the Free Board mission, they were contacted remotely by an unknown identity. So-called Uni-Coms universal to all champions allowed for the agent to speak with each and every champion separately, and though they did not know it, all at once. The agent's voice was clearly hurried, with no time to spare with questions or conversation. He was straight to the point.
When the champions responded to the call, they were met with a hasty greeting, if one could even call it that.
"Champion. You have accepted our mission. I will be your guide and operator for the duration of the mission. You may simply call me 'Zade'. More than likely you are not currently located in the intended location I have for you. Please find your way to the Agar Mythos Hub, specifically the 5th District. When you reach your destination, I will contact you once more." The Agent hangs up without further word or sincerity.
Agar Mythos Hub, 5th District
The world of Agar Mythos, for the most part, was a 1:1 scale representation of the real-world city of Tokyo in Japan. The buildings, their interiors, their features, were all a carbon copy of Tokyo in the main hub. As such, it was of an obviously technologically advanced nature compared to the frequently fantastic and old-time atmospheres of other locations outside the Hub. Advertisements for Agar Mythos products flashed on screen, attempting to sell miscellaneous merchandise to champions and NPC's alike. As a true universe simulation, even the seemingly mindless entities of Agar Mythos led rather ordinary lives.
The city was highly stratified, stretching a near mile into the sky and riddled with skybridges, walkways, and outcroppings. District 5 was a specific location within the hub, of course, situated right in the middle of the city's heights, but slightly to its edges. Innumerable champions and NPC's walked along the pathway, their voices adding to the already deafening noise of city life. The champions arrived via portal, or by physical transport; whichever they could afford.
Upon entering it fully, they received the anticipated call from their operator promptly.
"Champion. Your first goal is to meet up with your mission teammates. I advise you find your way to the Rekre Mall and find the Puella Cafe. There you will meet champion Reilcall who will give you information on your target. Zane out." He once again hangs up... promptly.
"They need... more."
"She's... difficult." A tall, inhuman figure loomed over the champions, well over eleven feet in height, but thin, lanky, and covered only by an equally preposterously long lab coat. It and the lab coat were of pristine, divine whiteness, the likes of which no real-world hospital could ever hope to attain or maintain for that matter. The lab coat's sleeves extended well beyond the creature's own hands, and the coat itself touched down to the floor itself. Everything save for the creature's blank white face were discernible. Three sky-blue electronic eyes were the only features on its surface, aligned in an 'L' shaped pattern, as if it were missing a fourth. It's voice was robotic but kind, like a shy but sincere individual who greatly tried not to step on anyone's toes.
At its feet, a much less pleasant appearance made itself... herself apparent. Dreary, pale, and devoid of any clear happiness, the girl was a definitive antithesis to the cheery doctor towering above. The doctor attempted to introduce her as, "Delphia," but she returned no response, not even a nod. The doctor gave a heavy sigh, his back arching.
The champions had arrived at the location in which they'd "pick up" the so-called program detailed in their mission outline. It appeared, then, that this program appeared as a flesh-and-blood one (as far as virtual reality went, that is) rather than some disk or cube. Courteous as the champions might have been, Delphia offered nothing but a crimson stare and a grim outlook. Whatever the champions were supposed to monitor in her didn't look to be too promising at the time.
"We request that you have Delphia accompany you during your daily activities in the Hub. We hope that multiple champions can offer a greater range of experiences to her," the scientist cast a long, wide look over each champion, one by one, "and subsequently, result in a greater amount of data to look forward to." With a slight nudge, the doctor urged Delphia forward, closer to the champions. "It should go without saying, but we expect you to maintain her safety as well," the doctor said, a much more stern tone in his voice.
The girl slowly picked up her feet, standing before the champions as if completely uncaring of being stared at or in the center of attention. She herself looked to each champion one by one, stopping at the champion Averus, whom earned a particularly long gaze from her red eyes. The moment was fleeting however, and she quickly returned to one of indifference, turning instead to the floor, staring at something entirely unimportant.
"Do we have any questions?" the doctor proposed.
"WE"
Aurora Transfer Tower
The update and expansion had come several months ago, unleashing a new series of locations in Agar Mythos that spurred on an entirely different sort of competition in the game -and one that caused flight ticket purchases in the real world to skyrocket. The "Aurora" update was highly anticipated, for it put forth a macroscopic competition into the game like no other. Whereas champions in the Hub and surrounding locations went day to day working on single missions and small-scale battles, Aurora featured multiple "nations" that players aligned to. From there, bidding proceeded, and eligible champions were selected to join on a specific team and fight for that nation as mercenaries alongside loyal NPC's. As each nation was its own "Planetoid" floating high in the sky, great aerial battles took place upon the backs of flight-capable creatures and upon the decks of massive ships. During the height of seasonal battles, entire airports in the real world become inundated with passengers wishing to take hovercraft into the sky to view such battles.
The Aurora Transfer Tower, located in the heart of the Agar Mythos Hub, was the only possible way to enter the Aurora location. The deck that the champions attended to the Event Horizon mission, however, found the place strangely empty. For all of its popularity and traffic, their specific flight deck was completely and utterly devoid of other souls save for themselves. Outside, the bustle of the city could be clearly heard, but the interior of open-window floor gave off a strangely quite tone, as if things were purposefully hushed.
For a few minutes, the gathered champions were alone with one another, free to talk, but in time their conversation was cut short and their loneliness averted. A man with rather strong eyes, donning glasses, had stepped into view, seemingly from nowhere amidst the empty flight deck. Bringing a gloved hand to his mouth, he coughed quietly, clearing his throat, and began to speak.
"Good to see you made here, champions. I assume the Mission Board did not totally butcher the mission statement if you are all here," he smiled, fixing his glasses, "The corrupted information was quite intentional, you see. This is not a mission issued by a human or corporation, but by a fellow AI. It is off the record, so to speak, so I advise you maintain that everything discussed here and thereafter remain a tight secret." The man took a few steps towards the open window overlooking a section of the city and continued. "I must not go into details as to the background, but I will say that it is for a worthy cause." He turned back to the champions.
"I have in my possession a sealed data box that needs delivery into Aurora. I cannot go myself, so I request that you all safely deliver it to its intended location. A certain Princess Manabusa is who you will look to give it too." The man snaps his fingers, materializing a solid black box in his hands, its edges outlined in a dark green. "This item is undetectable by most sensors in Agar Mythos, but that does not mean you should keep it out and about. Guards will identify it as a mystery gift from the Aurora Opening Event, but if given time could potentially see it as foreign. Keep it safe." The man approached the group, hand with the box outheld, awaiting for one of them to take the responsibility of holding it on their person. His face turned to one of absolute neutrality.
