Chương 74: 2.32 No Time To Die - Billie Eilish (4:02)

Z3ke (Original Poster) I'm sure you're all wondering why I gave you info on the Witness Chambers. I'd already told you all to go fuck yourselves, and yet now I'm here giving you a prize that you all so desperately crave. I'll tell you right now, it's not for your benefit. This is going to be the last thing that I post for a while. I haven't read any of your replies for the past few updates. I can see the notifications pile up, but I'm not going to go through them. Not right now and maybe not for a long while.

After everything that happened with the Witness Chambers and trying to get out of there, I was serious about walking away from this forum. I didn't want to explain anything and I didn't want to post anything. Hell, I almost didn't even log back in to curse out Binary and tell him that his little trap didn't work. There was a part of me that thought "don't even give them the satisfaction. Just disappear and forget about the forum."

But there was also a vindictive part of me that wanted to log back in and rub Binary's face into the fact his trap failed and I met the Witness and he'd never know what I found. That part of me won and got me posting. So why did I come back and tell you all about how to solve the puzzle of the Witness Chambers? You all can thank Patch for that. I'm still not going to go into everything that we talked about. That stays between him and me. But I will say that we did talk a lot over the past few days.

It's weird, talking to him now. He's still Patch. He still has the same mannerisms and the same way of talking that kinda makes me think that he's a southerner or something. But at the same time, he's more than Patch now. For one, he sees way too much now. That's the best way I can explain how he's changed. It's like he's half human and half weird computer surveillance program. We were in the middle of a conversation and he casually referenced something happening across the city like it was nothing. That was…

a surprise to me. I don't know how I entirely feel about that, and I don't know how that kind of awareness is going to morph him over the next few months or years. I've already said that I worry about losing myself and changing when I upgrade my Persona skill. How much worse is that going to be for Patch by taking a skill up to 11? What happens the next time I visit him and I find something else sitting in that chair? What happens if that person looks like Patch and sounds like Patch but isn't him anymore?

Anyways, we talked about a bunch of stuff over the past few days, including me and my life. He already knew that I'm an Outsider. He knew the first time I walked into his bar. When I asked him about that moniker and what "Outsider" means in this place, he just kinda smiled. He told me that it was mostly folklore. It's something that people don't really believe is true because it's such a rare occurrence. Or at least, rare in terms of the wider world. Outsiders are considered myths.

They're thought of as stories that are told over the campfire or when someone is really drunk. Most people think of them as rumors that showed up one day. It's not like there is a database of "confirmed outsiders" that people can point to. They're too rare to be found. But, and this is the part that I don't like, there are people who go looking for them. Patch said that Outsiders are people from other worlds, other realities, and sometimes even other timelines who get pulled into this world.

And because of that, there are companies and organizations and guilds and people with a bunch of power who go looking for them. They want to know everything there is to know about Outsiders. They want to know where they come from, if they've got special talents, and if they can be monetized or made to grow the power of people and nations. He warned me not to tell too many people about being an Outsider because it's not exactly a safe thing to talk about.

If the wrong people found out about me, they'd want to know more and they'd be "intrusive" with their questions. Other than that, we also talked about my life back home. We talked about the world and where I came from, my job, and what life was like for me before all this. When I told him that I'd been a bartender, he laughed and we spent the next few hours sharing our worst stories about the gig. There was this undercurrent there while we talked. He knew that I was pissed about something.

It turns out that you can't really hide your emotions from someone who sees everything. When he asked why I was so angry, I told him everything. I told him about this forum and about all of you. I told him about Binary and his little stunt and how he'd tried to get me killed. I told him that I was done with the whole thing and planned to just walk away from the forum and not look back. He's the one who talked me down. He told me that you're all still my best option for survival.

It's not a good option, and he warned me about trusting you all blindly, but he said that you're all still the best I've got. I was going to tell him that it didn't matter that this forum is filled with a bunch of lore nerds who could help me, there was no way that I could trust you all again. But he just reiterated the fact that you were my best bet and, as long as I set boundaries, you could still be helpful. Even with that I don't think I would have logged back in here if it weren't for one other thing.

Patch can see a lot now. He can see a truly insane amount of stuff and it's way more than I can wrap my head around. I don't know what his limitations are, or if he'll be able to outgrow those limitations the longer he's hooked up to the Witness Chambers. But I will say that he doesn't know everything. He can't tell what's going on in cities across the globe and he doesn't have the bigger picture lore of all these "games" that you all do. Maybe he will one day.

If he keeps growing the way I think he will, his awareness is probably gonna keep spreading outwards to the point that he could map out the entire world. At that point, he'd be the one who could guide me step by step. But he's not there yet. There are still gaps in his knowledge and experience. That's where all of you come in. You all know the games and you have a lifetime of information that can help Patch.

When I told him about this forum and about how the whole thing is a series of games that you all are obsessed with, he laughed. I told him that you all played through the games and broke them apart and memorized countless bits of lore, and he just shook his head in amazement. I kinda expected him to get angry or confused or maybe go all existential about being an NPC in a video game world, but nope. He just laughed.

When I pushed and brought up the idea of free will and determinism and all that, he just smiled and said something like: he knows that he's not an NPC. In his view, whatever game you're all playing isn't this world. It could be a version of this world, or a reflection of it, or something like a painting of it, but it's not the real thing.

He went into this whole cogito ergo sum thing that I'm not going to repeat here because that's a massive philosophical question that I don't really care about sharing with this forum. What matters is this: I didn't tell you all about the Witness Chambers for your benefit or my benefit. I told you about it for Patch. He needs information. He needs context and systems and lore and history and all of that stuff that you're all so obsessed with.

He needs everything that you've got that can help him better understand what he's becoming and how far that thing that he's connected to can reach. This is what you're all going to do as repayment for me uncovering yet another puzzle you all missed. You're going to help Patch. You're all going to start by writing everything down. I want everything that you all know about The MIZ, which includes the systems and the quests and the people and even the weird stuff that you all have only theorized about.

I want ALL of it. Frankly, you all owe him at least that much. He's stuck in that chair because of decisions that were made in this forum. That's the deal. I'm going to step back from the forum right now and clear my head. I've got money. I've got some books to read. I've got a harmonica and guitar to learn how to play. I've got enough to occupy me for a while.

I'm going to stay in The MIZ for a while, keep my head down, make sure Patch is good, and focus on all the things that don't involve throwing myself into another death trap. You all can do what you want. If you want to solve the puzzle and argue about mechanics and freak out about Rank 11, I don't really care. But I'm done telling you all my story until you put together something useful for Patch. Oh. One last thing.

I know that some of you have been trying to help and you weren't as dickish as Binary turned out to be. You're probably wondering why you're catching strays when it should just be Binary that I punish. Frankly, this entire forum has pissed me off and I just don't care enough to apologize to a few of you. I'll be back in a few days. Or maybe it'll take longer. I don't know. MetaMonger WTF MATE?!

Zeke, you just stumbled into what is very possibly the single biggest mechanical discovery in the history of this forum - Rank 11 - and your decision is to go and read books for a while?????!?!?!? Nope. If you're larping that you want to get home, you need to push forward. You need to follow the leads that this creates. Find some more places like the Witness Chambers. Stack those gains. This is basic progression logic. SoftSpokenMagic How about we treat him like a human being?

That's what he's been talking about for the past couple updates. It's why he was so pissed at this forum. If we take what he's saying, he got trapped in a pitch-black puzzle chamber, had to solve a multi-layered language puzzle, met a half-dead guy fused to a chair, had to kill that guy, then watched his friend take his place. That's a lot of drama for a dood to take. Babybloos ^Soft. Also Meta, it's not like Zeke was lounging around up to this point. Let's recap everything he's done in, what, two months?

Stuck in the Glens and chased by nightmare monsters. Travels through the Deadlands and has to kill two bandits. Lands in The MIZ and has around two days to catch his bearings. Immediately heads out into the Deadlands with Cole and Corva. Almost gets killed by a Bone Kaiju. Almost gets killed by Corva. Once back in The MIZ he gets roped into killing the Reclaimer. Then he gets funneled into the Witness Chambers. When exactly did he get to just take a breather? MetaMonger He's been offline for a couple days.

That's a break right there. SignalLoss You mean the last few days where Z3ke said he was talking with his friend who is stuck in a chair? Not exactly a relaxing spa retreat. TacticalNukems Slowing down might be a pretty smart move. He's been reacting to everything that we've thrown at him, and now he gets a moment to just take a breather. It's good for his mental health. Also, you say that he's not doing anything but that's not entirely true. He did assign us all some homework. 101610166 Yea.

Did you miss the part where he basically said "do something useful or I'm not coming back." That's what we should all be focusing on right now. And I'd like to propose that we don't saturate this thread with all the info. We should spin up a master thread that Zeke can pop in and read. It would include things like known anomalies in The MIZ, unexplained quests, historical lore that never tied into quests. HexaDeweyDecimal | unexplained quests, historical lore that never tied into quests. | HOLY. HELL.

Are all of you thinking what I'm thinking? Could Zeke be using Patch as a way to explore a bunch of lore around The MIZ? Like, he doesn't want to write up a full adventure for some small piece of hidden lore out in the Deadlands, so he gets Patch to go and "observe" it and then he'll share it with us. MushroomCleric O_O StoryLeech Hmm. I too think that this forum should be doing something useful on our end. Just think of it as contributing to the wiki. Actually, that's a good idea.

We should just add a bunch of the wiki entries for The MIZ to a thread and send it Zeke's way. InkWell Why not just DL the entire wiki into a pdf and send it? I'm willing to give up a day for that. 10161066 Won't work. There are size limits to the file size that you can send on this forum. And the people who contribute to the wiki are… loquacious. GnomelandSecurity Okay. Enough complaining and more compiling. If we're "paying back Patch" let's do it right.

DangerX Patch, the true mvp, not only has he been carrying Zeke on his shoulders like a dad carrying their kid, now he's become a big shot who can take him to all of the best amusement parks in the world. MetaMonger Fine. But if he comes back in a week and talks about learning a new chord progression, I reserve the right to be annoyed. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

SignalLoss Not to sound like Meta, who seemingly just wants Zeke sprinting headfirst into the next arc, but I don't think that Zeke should fully settle down in The MIZ right now. Frontiers and The MIZ might be getting too hot for him. He's got the attention of the Pale Regiment and those scavengers down in the Anchor Guild. Milicent was given that book dealing with the glyphs. There's a lot of targets on Zeke's back, and he should be laying low somewhere that is not smack-dab in the middle of the danger zone.

Whether it's guilds, the Pale Regiment, or those Outsider hunting groups that Patch mentioned, Frontiers isn't the safest area for Zeke right now. Gilar | Frontiers and The MIZ might be getting too hot for him. | Just a thought: before his expedition, the Under-MIZ was a niche thing for professional scavengers - and the Flooded Neighborhoods was a pretty hard limit. But now every interested party has proof that 4 people teams with low equip and mid skill have gone into the Research area and returned.

And that Research area has a literal mountain of loot and untapped pre-Fracture buildings with loot. I feel like soon every faction/guild/gang/whatever will start sending teams underground. So looks like the expedition added a whole mini S. T. A. L. K. E. R into the Fracture-verse. SmashQueen Don't know if anybody else has cottoned on to it, but it's very likely that the Pale Regiment has sent out a team to the Glens.

They sent out teams to follow Zeke and his party down in the Under-MIZ, and during the meeting for exchanging the Reclaimer parts, Zeke spun up a tale about a weird sacrifice cult out there. Why wouldn't they follow up on that? And what else is out in the Glens? A computer terminal with Zeke's forum account still logged in. Oh and the Eaters too of course.

Gilar That "computer terminal" is an old PC that either was turned off when Zeke left the Glens or alternatively was working constantly for at least a month in the ruins of a building - it's probably broke right now. CrushDaddyXx We should send Zeke back down to the Glens. Not only can he fix that computer problem, but he can also mix it up with the Eaters. He had to leave back when he was a no skill loser, but he's so much stronger now. He should go and start throwing some hands down there.

It would also have the added benefit of giving us more lore about them, for all of you obsessed with that kind of thing. Saltmines Didn't we all just agree not to push Zeke into any more dangerous shit? Seriously… didn't that JUST happen? Infinite_Eyes I think there is a bit of cognitive dissonance going on with Zeke and his goals. A: He wants to have the knowledge and power to achieve dimensional travel and return to Earth. B: He doesn't want to do the high risk high reward stuff proposed by the forum.

However, his goal is something that is probably beyond the abilities of even the most min-maxed character that this forum knows how to create. If it is even possible to return to Earth, he will probably have to go even further and transcend the limitations of the Fracture games. If he wants relative safety, he realistically would have to give up on returning to Earth. CrushDaddyXx ^Infinite See guys. I'm trying to help Zeke.

Duke_William There is a very big difference between throwing someone in the deep end for high risk, high reward (the Reclaimer fight), and throwing someone in the deep end so you can watch them drown (the whole dev room and Witness thing). 7Spirals ^ Duke. The Reclaimer fight had a purpose. Crush, you trying to send Zeke after the Eaters serves no purpose except for to get him involved in more fights you can enjoy. I agree with everyone else that he should be dipping out from Frontiers.

The longer he stays there, the more dangerous the whole place becomes. He just got Patch up to Rank 11. What do you think the Pale Regiment is going to think about that? What do you think the gangs in The MIZ are going to think about that? He waltzed into the town penniless and disheveled, and over the course of a single month or two, the man got a class, killed a kaiju down in the Research levels of the Under-MIZ, and created an omniscient surveillance system.

If he didn't have eyes on him before, he definitely does now. UnhelpfullyHelpful | I don't think that Zeke should fully settle down in The MIZ right now. | So basically, take a break but pack your bags while doing it. The problem is he's kinda far from everything else. Plus, it's doubtful he's going to want to leave Patch without giving him everything that we've collected. I guess he can head to Nexora. That's relatively close-ish to The MIZ and he can always pop on back and say hello.

Surprise The real question we should be asking is what skill and which game would be the most likely to have the level 11 upgrade so that Zeke gets home. I mean, naturally it would have to be Fracture: the Fall. since just the name of it screams the beginning of the end. BrightSky18 Going by the Witness Chambers, it seems that getting a skill to rank 11 requires both highly specialized/advanced equipment and a faustian bargain of some kind related to the skill.

Pathfinders being explorers both physically and metaphorically at higher levels (seeing branching paths in someone's future) have to sever their ability to explore those paths themselves by connecting to stationary technology that brings their perspective up a level. The Witness Chamber for example, even deteriorated, is likely representative of peak technology of The MIZ before the Fracture and is as hidden as one would expect.

Dodough Zeke should ask if there's anything about interdimensional travel in the Fracture-verse. WilliamWickerness There's always a path to go back to our world, but how much longer? Years? Decades? Maybe even longer, so much longer that you know more about that world than ours anymore? Doesn't that scare you? Missing a world you have already forgotten? Not being able to recognize your friends and loved ones? MetaMonger | but how much longer? | That's why I'm saying he's got to be chasing this lead.

He needs to be out there hunting down ways he can get back home. 7Spirals Both Meta and Crush bring up good points… just by being who they are. We should formalize a bunch of rules so that Zeke isn't thrown into danger again like he has been. Do we know who the next Primary is going to be? Do we have a list of people who are going to be acting as Proctors? Hambone I don't know if we need formal rules. Just don't be a dick. And if anyone is being a dick and trying to get Zeke killed, we can all call them out on it.

Cold_Reboot Grave has already come in and said that we need to be better. I think the addition of the Proctor is enough that it'll cut down any shenanigans from trolls like Binary. BooksReader I'm not sure one person will make things significantly safer. After all, there's already been examples of people making deals in private messages. What would stop someone from doing this again with malicious intent?

Infinite_Eyes If I were Zeke and considering proposing a rule change to the thread, it would be: The Primary must agree to RP that he is telling the truth, and cannot send private messages like Binary did. Trisgelius ^ Infinite. How hard is it to engage sincerely with someone really? Fateweaver It does surprise me that you nerds seem to finally be engaging with Z3ke's premise, because what is the harm in treating it as real?

Even though it probably isn't, it makes for a better story and ensures people aren't constantly trying to break the fic and piss Z3ke off constantly. Look where that approach has gotten us. Connoisseuroffiction The RP idea is really helpful and maybe it will inject some sense of empathy to this forum. BackDiamondDiamond I think the whole RP thing is cringe. It's made worse with the whole Zeke being a real person thing.

I mean, best case scenario is that Zeke has decided to uproot his entire life and hide away to make his fanfic a little bit more realistic. Worst case is that Zeke had a mental break and we're all just nodding along at it because he's telling an interesting story and we don't want it to end.

The_Kijs If my friend had just gone missing, or I had just given up on my entire life, seeing a whole online community enthusiastically decide that being entertaining or interesting is the only way to be worth anything, and even then - if you die excitingly enough that's fine too - can you imagine how gutting that would be? Let's say Ezekial had a mental break, left his whole life behind, and checked himself into a psychiatric care facility in another city and he's writing this from there.

Now imagine indirectly telling this guy, whose whole world has fallen apart, that he's only worth keeping alive if he does a song and dance that pleases you. Congratulations, you're also a monster, right alongside Binary. (Speaking of whom - how anyone could sit there and write out some cliche fucking villain monologue, right down to the "I'll make him pay for wronging me" and "No Mr. Z3ke, I expect you to die" and still think they're somehow the good guy here, baffles me.) StoryLeech Okay…

we're spiraling again and going off on random tangents. Let's get back to compiling all The MIZ stuff so that when Zeke comes back from his break he's not all pissed and raging again. Anyone willing to handle certain topics? I'm thinking something like a) quests in The MIZ, b) quests outside The MIZ and c) lore that Patch has no way of knowing about because it happened before or after the games. ArtooDeetoa I can handle the inside MIZ quests.

ClickWhirr We should probably flag high-risk factions in Frontiers while we're at it. Give both Zeke and Patch a heads up on who might be looking for them and who could be dangerous down the line. 10161066 Ooo. Good call. Patch obviously already knows about the Pale Regiment, so we probably don't need to bother with them. But if someone wants to write something up about both the Shard Choir and the Black Teeth, that would be great.

I'm thinking that the Black Teeth are going to be the biggest boon as far as any info passed along. They're always raiding The MIZ and outlying areas. CrumhatB Don't forget the gangs and "unions" inside The MIZ. The Black Teeth might be bigger and stronger and more well-armed, but they're not all that close to where Patch and Zeke are. Those gangs have got to be considered more dangerous since they're so nearby. KickInator | right alongside Binary. | Is it just me or has Binary been too quiet?

Is he in the background, still doing some shit to get Zeke into trouble and shut the fic down? Mortamir That type of person is probably using an ALT account lmao PRIVATE MESSAGES From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Funny It's funny how that worked out, huh? You set a trap but Zeke just waltzed right out of it, and now you're the one who is getting laughed at. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject: Re: Funny If you're here to gloat, do it in the thread like everyone else. I'm not interested.

From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Re: Re: Funny Oh, I'm not gloating. I'm sympathizing.

After reading everything that has been happening for the past few days, I realize that you must hate him as much as I do. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject: Go Away He just got lucky. That's all. From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Re: Go Away Is that what you tell yourself? Because from where I'm sitting, he didn't get lucky. He completely and utterly embarrassed you. Not only that, but he did it publicly. He turned your plan into his discovery.

Now everyone is treating him like a king, and you're the one who made it all work. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject: Re: Re: Go Away You have a point you're trying to make? From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Partnership I do have a point. I know what it's like to be embarrassed by that rat shit. I also know that it's best to have friends. You're in a frustrating position. You know all the lore surrounding this world. You understand how it all works. But you can't get at Zeke directly.

You shot your shot and it missed. Now you're hiding away from the rest of the forum, licking your wounds. The way I see it, you can do nothing to derail him now. He's not going to listen to you anymore. But I'm not so restricted. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject: Re: Partnership What the hell are you getting at? And why would I trust anything you say? I don't even know who you are. From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Re: Re: Partnership You don't need to know who I am.

Just think of me as someone with a lot more flexibility - both in my actions and my morals - than the average forum user. Think of me as someone who isn't bound to watching from the sidelines. Let's say that I can inconvenience him and put pressure on him in ways that go way beyond what you attempted to do. For me to get my hands dirty, I'm going to need information. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject:???? Information? Go read the wiki. From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: No.

For various reasons, that's not something I can do right now. So you're going to need to give me the info yourself. And in exchange, I will punish him. I will punish him for his impudence and for making you look like a fool. You can sit there and watch him pull further ahead of you and pretend that it doesn't bother you that everyone on this forum is singing his praise. Or you can make sure that his whole story gets derailed. From: Binary_Arcana To: Guest1007443 Subject: info What information do you need?

From: Guest1007443 To: Binary_Arcana Subject: Re: info Oh. I've made a list.

Z3ke's Character Sheet SKILLS Puzzle Intuition - Rank 2 (gained a rank with Witness Chambers) You've begun to see the threads of life. Increased awareness of non-linear patterns. Simple Melee Weapons - Rank 2 You've learned basic, unrefined skills related to handheld weapons like batons, knives, and improvised weapons. First Aid - Rank 2 Basic emergency medical care. Stop bleeding, stabilize injuries, and reduce the chance of immediate death. Athletics - Rank 2 You can move in an athletic fashion.

Performance - Rank 3 You have learned how to weave music, speech, and spectacle into a force that works for you. Instrument Mastery - Rank 3 You can play, maintain, and weaponize musical instruments - both as tools of expression and as unconventional implements in the field. Persona - Rank 3 * You have learned to suppress visible signs of fear, pain, or hesitation. Your posture, expression, and body language present as controlled and intentional.

History - Rank 2 You are starting to understand recorded events, cultural remnants, and the fragmented truths of the world. Glyph Writing - Rank 2 You have taken your first steps into the art of glyph creation. You may now activate basic glyphs.

[Dimensional Storage Space] Blanket Small Journal Pencils Two Forks One Spoon Offering Doll Med-Kit Canteen Flare Gun with 3 rounds Rations Water Purifier Multitool Corva's Axe Flashlight Bedroll Matches and a Lighter Whetstone Hammer Shovel Crowbar Soap Sewing Kit Mirror Glowrods Rope Duct Tape Mess Kit Shearfang Several Books Keystone Elixir