Scene #7195: Project G.U.

Owner	Pose
Haseo	Perhaps predictably at this point, the main meeting area for this is Mac Anu. A city of eternal sunrise/sunset and one filled with various canals and bridges. There's not much sight seeing to be done though, as everyone is rounded up by a young man in yellow garb. Other than introducing himself as Kuhn and identifying himself as a member of Raven and Project G.U., he doesn't say much as he guides the group to their destination. Well, he speaks. A lot. It's all pointless friendly speak that you'd get from someone who is extremely extroverted and probably an awful womanizer. Once he's guided them to where they need to be, a flight of steps that lead downward to a single door, he hands them all an @key. Specifically, Raven's @key. He helpfully explains what it does, which is allow them access to the guild hall, but other than that, doesn't really explain what it IS. The inside of the guild is unremarkable, and Yuuki would probably realize it's the same exact lay out as Haseo's, complete with some weird mascot pig thing. A mascot pig thing that points the group to one of the rooms in the back before going back to looking over some sort of clipboard. The room they're pointed to, is probably where things start to make sense. The aesthetic of the room is a lot more grandiose, a long hall way with a fancy carpet that leads to a single wall with various engravings, the most stand out being that of snakes. Perhaps more stand out than that, is the two figures at the end. One's a lightly dressed woman with pigtails, and the other is a rather large tan man who stands atop a floating pedestal. It's the man who speaks, his voice deep, which given his stature, makes sense. "Welcome, to Raven. Or rather, should I say Project G.U. I am Yata, and it is I who has called you down. If you've got any loud proclamations to make, please do so now, I'd like to make my proposition with as many few outbursts as possible." He's also, weirdly, extremely condescending.
Cordelay Levail	Cordelay follows along, keeping a neutral expression in the face of Kuhn's chatter and looking around with interest at the surroundings. Upon hearing Yata's proclamation she crosses her arms with an unimpressed expression but remains silent, though there's a subtle tension to her stance as she awaits the proposition in question.
Tomoe	Tomoe has kept an eye on THE WORLD and when she caught wind of this situation? tomoe was quite interested in checking it out. Given her own experience, she might be of use here and she was very interested to know more about them after all as well. The towering woman didn't seem to mind Kuhn as he leade them onwards. Tomoe seems to enjoy the banter with him. Tomoe ponders for a moment looking things over. She sees w woman whom she'd flag is a fairly heavy hitter and the man beside her almost screams is a WIZARD of some sort to Tomoe. "Thank you, I'm Tomoe the Iron Lily Vice Guild Master of the Gate Crashers Union."
Karlan Nobles	A new face is here! Pramanix's curiousity has gotten the better of her after hearing about this strange new World in the strange new world she's been poking around in lately. Having only a cursory knowledge of video games hasn't stopped the religious leader from making a stop in Mac Anu, however, taking in the sights up until the group is rounded up by the man calling himself Kuhn. There's probably going to be a lot of pointless banter coming from her in return. Sadly, the banter can't last forever, and she puts on a slightly more businessy face when they get into the guild proper. Keeping her tail tucked under an arm, she's hit first with his height before giving him a blank, mildly confused look. "Loud proclamations...? Is that normal around here?" There's some genuine confusion there, but it wears off after a few moments as she dips into a light bow. "Ehm... Anyway. My name is Pramanix, Karlan Saintess. Blessings to you, friends. So this World... What is the situation?"
Staren	Staren just sort of blinks at Kuhn and follows him. He's dressed in normal clothes (well, for him) rather than armor for once as he doesn't expect a fight. "Proclamation? Not so much. I'm Staren Wiremu, of the Concord and also of the Gatecrashers, and I take it you've called us here to explain what the GMs are planning for this world that people are now living and dying in...?"
Zero Kiryu	Zero Kiryu is not present on his own, as usual. He's following along at /somebody's/ flank, largely looking disinterested throughout. It's only once he and the person he's protecting have reached their final destination -- which is yet another STOCK ROOM, albeit a bit re-fluffed -- that something actually grabs his attention. He looks up towards the large, deep-voiced man addressing them. "Hey." Though it comes out that way, the noise Zero makes is more of an attention-grabbing, casual vocalization than it is an actual word. He continues, "If you say sometihng like that, then..." "It seems as if you will definitely say something objectionable." He doesn't elaborate. It's unclear if it's an actual refusal. Except to Yuuki, who absolutely knows that it /is/ a roundabout refusal of terms, on the off chance that something objectionable to him is actually said. It's relatively unlikely, though.
Yuuki Kuran	A small amount of PLOT is spoken to the group, an @key is handed out, and everyone is gathered up before AN ASSHOLE. But there's a matter that's more important than extremely aggressively assertive members of Ravens/Project GU. And that's Death Grunty. "Grunty! You're here too? Wow, you must be busy. I saw you at Haeso's guild base, but you're here too! It's nice to see you again." Yuuki carries on with the pigman. "Do you work at all the guild houses? It must get really tiring handling all that stuff yourself. Do you have any help?" She leans forward, right hand out at the left corner of her mouth so her lips can't be read -- even if she's speaking barely below a stage whisper. "Oink twice if you're a prisoner here. I'll break you out." Oh, apparetly they're meeting someone with STANK ENERGY. Sure, ok. Project GU. Zero leads in with his statement as Yuuki brings up the vanguard, raising an eyebrow. "I'm capable of waiting until the end for comments, if that's what you're asking."
Haseo	"The GMs? Clearly, they're content to sit on their laurels as they remain trapped in a world with no way back. Or perhaps, they've been collecting data and not rushing things recklessly in a game engine they barely understand. Choose whichever is easier for you to believe, it doesn't concern me so long as you're cooperative. " Yata reaches out in front of him, a green orb appearing in his hand as various holographic panels fill the room. They aren't currently displaying anything however, so they're just blue and partially transparent. "I believe, honestly, that you'll find I'm quite reasonable. Anywho, now that the window for complaints are over, I'll go over why I called you all here." Pressing his fingers against the orb, the previously empty panels start filling up with various pictures. Most of them areas or monsters covered in graphically glitchy black spots, but a few of them possess large, gelatinous creatures that look more like they belong under a microscope than inside a video game. "More than any player killer or monster, the biggest threat to the playerbase as a whole. AIDA. A network of aggressive AIs. Your average player can't hope to deal with them, and unlike other deaths, there is no 'revives'." There's another press on the orb, and all the previous panels disappear, leaving only one large one behind Yata. The picture also changes, revealing the remains of a dying AIDA and the rough silhouette of a player. It's hard to really make out what they look like, but it's pretty clear they're wielding a one handed sword. "And yet, we've seemed to have found someone who can do it. And not in the same manner as those employed by G.U. So to put it simply, our manpower is extremely limited, so we would task you in tracking down this man and bringing them to us. With force, if necessary."
Cordelay Levail	The explanation of the AIDA and the mystery man bring a smirk to Cordelay's lips. "If this stranger can indeed slay these beasts where no one else can, he must be quite the warrior. I would rather like to meet him myself." Turning her gaze from the projection back to Yata, she asks, "Do you have any more information on this mystery man? Such a poor quality image will make it difficult to find him if it's all we have to go on."
Staren	Staren frowns slightly as Yata picks his indignance apart. "They could call us, then." He folds his arms but he doesn't start an argument, at least not then. He listens to the spiel, frowning slightly at 'anywho' like he wants to correct it. "...So someone is out there killing bad things and you want us to not only interfere with them but antagonize and possibly harm them. Why in 'the World' would we do such a thing? And if you say it's to work together, nice try; You could have asked us to bring him a message or a communications device. Why do you want him brought here, by force?"
Karlan Nobles	"So this network... They've been neutralized, and you're looking to interrogate the person responsible." Pramanix keeps her tone neutral as she nods slowly, tapping a finger to her chin. "They're likely very dangerous, and certainly not an average player by any means, if that picture is any indication." She purposely avoids looking towards Staren as he shows his displeasure, instead taking an approach closer to Cordelay's. "When was the picture taken? Has this player been seen anywhere else recently? Perhaps... A name they answer to?"
Tomoe	Tomoe says "It's passed the point where one could consider this just a game." She notes before Yata hits the point of being done with complaints. She listened thinking her expression darkens about the mention of AIDA. She watches for a moment looking it over and nods to Yata for a moment as the images change. "So it's a full-on death game with these things now. I get the nature of the job and I'm in on this. We talk them down if we can, drag them in by the ear if we can not."
Yuuki Kuran	"AIDA... Creatures that kill you and bypass the normal methods of revival." Yuuki repeats. It's pretty thick stuff! There's a quiet grimace at 'the window for complaints are over', a flare of annoyance at the presumptiveness. Certainly he led with something in that vein, but... Still. "Do you know if the AIDA have any connection with the lethal PK'er Tri-Edge? I'm very curious if so." She points at the image in the orb. "If there's no apparent connection, I'd like to ask if you know the state of people that the AIDA kill - dead? Or are they also in a coma?"
Zero Kiryu	Zero seems to lose interest altogether. This is not actually what's going on. He leans vaguely in Yuuki's direction, his weight shifting against hers. Partially, because he knows that anything with a remotely human weight may as well be a child's toy in terms of weight to her. But mostly because he is extending his psychic presence towards Yata and directly skimming his thoughts instead of actually listening to most of what he says, attempting to ascertain both levels of honesty and any deliberately omitted details.
Haseo	"It's very tiresome to deal with someone who assumes the establishment doesn't have the safety of their people as an interest, but I deal with one upstart brat, one more is hardly anything. So allow me to summarize: there are eight players in The World with the ability to fight AIDA. The ability to do so can not be replicated, and all eight players are currently accounted for, though to say that gathering them all has been an issue is a bit of an understatement, but something we do not need you for at this time." Yata adjusts his glasses, the light of the room causing them to glare. "If there are other players within The World however that have devised a way to do so, we may be able to do so. Though given that as far as the system is concerned, this player doesn't even exist, I have my doubts. I have my theories and my were it up to me, I'd leave this man be to collect more data before confronting, but as it is now, those higher up than me are getting restless in my approach to the AIDA problem. They want a solution now, when this is a delicate situation." It's clear by the tone of his voice, that Yata is not one hundred percent onboard with the idea he's proposing. He is however, pretty clearly going to go through with it. Either because he's towing the line, or because of other, undisclosed reasons. "The picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, though records of an unknown party cleaning up AIDA has been known to us for some time. This has been the cleanest picture we've been able to take." He quickly answers Pramanix, before turning to Yuuki as she actually asks a question that catches him off guard. Though it appears that catching the man off guard only causes him to tilt his head quizzically. "I suppose nothing gets past the Director of the Concord. Tri-Edge and AIDA are connected in some capacity, though not in a way made clear to us. Be they a subordinate to AIDA or the leader is all in the realm of speculation, but where Tri-Edge appears, AIDA generally isn't far behind. As for the victims. They both share the same fate. Their consciousness lost to the sea of data and their bodies laid comatose."
Cordelay Levail	Cordelay closes her eyes for a moment, considering the information. "Whether this Tri-Edge serves or is served by the AIDA is of little consequence - humans being manipulated by inhuman forces are just as great a threat as those who bend them to their will. Though Master Staren's point is valid, the fact remains that making contact with our mysterious stranger is of vital importance. If nothing else, he will undoubtedly hold secrets to combat the AIDA threat, if not eliminate it entirely." Her eyes open again as she declares, "Leaving the matter of capturing him aside, are we all agreed that finding this AIDA-slayer is a mission we should undertake?"
Staren	Staren rolls his eyes at the upstart brat comment but doesn't press further. He looks to Cordelay. "I think they're at least worth talking to. Finding out how they do it is a solid plan but we can at least not start out antagonizing them. If they're not interested in helping anyone else take down AIDA... then I suppose it will depend on specifics -- how easy they are to capture without killing them, and whether additional information makes it seem that reverse-engineering their methods are likely and more beneficial then letting them continue."
Tomoe	Tomoe says "Even finding one more local who could fight the AIDA would expand your ability to respond. I also find that attitude refreshing honestly given my personal experience in situations like this. I see why you want to get this person onboard one way or another. I think I get where you are going those above you are breathing down your neck, and don't quite get the ground situation. Look I'm sure everyone here will do what we can to get this person on board without having to drag them off." "Haseo has gone on about Tri-edge before too." She pauses for a moment thinking about this. "So then their minds might be able to be found then? ADIA look like some kind of microorganism of some sort... humm" "Might try hiring them if appealing to their better nature does not work."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki nods. "If Tri-Edge and AIDA are connected, you have my support in solving this problem. I have an idea on who we could engage to restore the 'killed' players - Doctor Stephen Strange, or perhaps that new 'don't call me a doctor', Edward Blackwell. Them being doctors isn't..." Yuuki props up Zero lightly with a supportive hand. "... material. Stephen Strange is a master of time itself and assisted me with a very delicate and painful matter in the past. Edward Blackwell claims to be able to solve any ailment at all. I would like to request that, even if Tri-Edge is connected to the killings, permanent measures aren't taken on him until we exhaust our easier solutions to the coma problem." Her eyes lock with Yata's. "If the secret to the killed player's restoration is Tri-Edge or AIDA's life, not their death, I wouldn't want to condemn them all." After a moment, she pans over to the rest of the party. "Unless there's a better idea? I understand engaging the Paladins in this may complicate things quite badly, but I believe Stephen can be convinced - and I trust him enough to ask. Blackwell, I'm not so certain of."
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix actually appears to relax a bit as she listens to Yata further, her expression almost looking sympathetic when he mentions the higher ups. "I see... No, that's understandable. It's going to take some time, but having some idea of how long ago this was might give us some pointers." She responds, turning back to the picture after a moment to try and glean some more clues from it. It's the connection between Tri-Edge and AIDA that catches her interest more than the picture, though. "So if we can find one, we'll likely find the other... Keeping tabs on AIDA may be easier than hoping we catch a glimpse of Tri-Edge, then." Pramanix pauses, then crosses her arms while furrowing her brow. "But if AIDA is an entire network, that might be too much to keep track of at once." She exhales lightly, then perks up while turning to Yuuki. "It couldn't hurt to ask for extra assistance, could it? They seem an honorable enough organization, and predicting Tri-Edge's potential targets should be easier with more eyes on the problem." A beat, and then she turns to Yata. "... Have you noticed any patterns to where the Tri-Edge has appeared?"
Zero Kiryu	"There's no need... to act so grown-up when you aren't." Zero says, relieving Yuuki of his weight a moment later. He shakes his head, "It sounds to me as if considerable stretches of this system are completely unknown to its architects. That's strange to me, considering the assets that I've seen in use in certain elements of the system. The layers that are made most evident are quite simple." "How is it that there are A.I. in this environment complex enough to completely defy the parameters of the environment? Is there an individual you can identify who is most directly responsible for the gruntwork that went into the crafting of this setting? If not an individual, then a team?" He asks.
Haseo	"You're free to talk to them. If you desire. Though I believe a player that has the power to avoid being logged doesn't much care for conversation." They don't seem to care much that they want to talk rather than capture. Probably because as he confessed, he highly doubts it will get them anywhere. It's just easier to give them the go ahead when them doing so won't change much. "As for pointers, I've already devised a plan to track down our AIDA slayer. It will take some time to set up. An ambush is what we're aiming for. Given that we know what they're after, the only thing I need to do is calculate the next AIDA appearance and have you all wait there. A task easier said than down, but this is what collecting data is for. Unfortunately, this will mean confrontation, possibly on two fronts." Yuuki then raises concerns about how to deal with Tri-Edge, something he's surprised Haseo didn't ask, before remembering Haseo is a simple boy who does not understand how to deal with problems outside of acting like an absolute brute. "I see. You can trust that the removal of AIDA and Tri-Edge will restore those who have been lost. As loathe as I'm to admit however, this is based on prior experience with a similar problem in the first version of The World rather than any solid facts. But in this case, the 'sea of data' would be the vast and plentiful AIDA. Removing AIDA would return the consciousness of the lost players to The World." Yata promptly ignores Zero's comment about acting his age because he is a big boy with big boy feelings and has big boy money. The second thing they say, causes him to crack a smile. Like he just asked a question that brings him joy to answer. "That is a good question? How did C.C. Corp create a game that they seemingly have very little control over? Creating AIs that surpass even my understanding? Truthfully speaking, compared to the last iteration of this game, they have a lot more freedom to control the systems they want. However, they still decided to mess with something they barely understand. Half of this game is a black box. Originally developed by one man to create the Ultimate AI under the guise of a Massively Multiplayer Game. It was sold to C.C. Corp for them to host, but the man never did explain the inner workings, nor did the company care. There's a dramatic pause as Yata runs his hand over the orb, pictures from a city that looks a lot like Mac Anu appearing on the display behind him. It's a lot more simplistic though, like it's from a game that's a bit older. " Suffice to say, even after the catastrophic events this black box has caused, they still want to get their money's worth. Also, unfortunately, the very system he created to oversee the creation of the AI rebelled against him. You could call him patient zero, though it has been years since his passing. So while there is a man responsible for most of the grunt work that matters, we are long since past getting any answers from them in any meaningful way, and the other half of this game's code does not matter. I hope that answers your question."
Cordelay Levail	The explanation causes Cordelay to shake her head disgustedly. "To trifle with forces beyond one's comprehension is dangerous, and to subject others to it irresponsible in the extreme. Regardless, we at least have the opportunity to salvage the situation before more lives are lost. As for this confrontation on two fronts, that will be where I can contribute most - the art of war is one I am very familiar with and I doubt facing monsters is much of a departure from it. We will dispatch the emerging AIDA and deal with our slayer afterward." The disgust on her face turns to another smirk, though a bit more savage than the one she sported before. "In this matter I, Cordelay Levail, the daughter of the Dragon, will support your endeavors."
Staren	Staren was starting to wonder if, for some reason, MMOs in this world are just Like This and the care required to meddle with them is the same as for the darkest magics anywhere else, but then Yata explains that it's just that CC Corp bought a black box and then subjected everyone else to it so they could feel like they got their money's worth. He sighs. "I see. It does explain a lot about the state of the world, and thank you for that."
Yuuki Kuran	"Two questions I believe are my last ones, then, Yata:" Yuuki raises a digit. "Is removing a specific AIDA enough to remove their influence on the 'lost data' of the comatose people?" She smiles, raising a second. "What does G.U. stand for?" Staren's observation - and the metatext around it - causes Yuuki to burst out laughing. "It is a theme, isn't it, Staren? Over and over, the same story. You'd think people would get tired of telling it, or falling for it. But people are people, all the same."
Tomoe	Tomoe looks over to Yuuki as she brings up people who might be able to help those who have fallen. "Stephen Strange is a good idea though as for Edward Blackwell I'll have to trust you on that as I have no experience with him." WIth that said she turns back to Tata and thinks a bit more as The plan is laid out. It seems fairly logical too. She's also now starting to think of how to deal with a two-front fight also some more information on how they might help the people who had been mind gonked. "So most of the game is a black box? Unsupervised AI creation? Yeah, I see why we got a mess here to deal with. This is a hell of a mess that we have to clean up if we do get anything on the black box parts, I take it you'd want that delivered to you as well? It does make a lot of things make a lot more sense." "I'm in on this and I'll hit up the rest of my guild about it. I might be able to get a few more able sorts on board for this."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki snorts. "Don't bother trusting me on it, Tomoe. I'm just suggesting him from a conversation on the broadband. It was just an idea." She answers quickly, in full good humor. "There's enough magic doctors that one might have a clue or cure."
Karlan Nobles	"Oh. That makes things more straightforward, then..." Pramanix nods slowly when Yata mentions the plan, remaining silent as to the ambush. "I imagine AIDA is teh larger priority when it appears, but... We'll see what opportunities arise once everything starts to come together." With that settled, the topic shifts to the origins of the mysterious game world... World that they're in at the moment. It's all new to Pramanix, and she listens intently to try and understand as much of it as she can. "That will have to do, I suppose...? This is all rather impressive as is, so trying to make further sense of the nonsensical wouldn't get us any closer to finding the mystery person."
Staren	Staren gives Yuuki a confused look when she laughs, then chuckles nervously and rubs his head. "They think 'it'll be different this time, /I'm/ more competent' and to be fair, if you ARE competent this doesn't happen, which is why Concord R&D hasn't destroyed Grand Dorado at least twice over already."
Tomoe	Tomoe replies in muich the same good humour to Yuuki. "Very well then, still it is an idea."
Haseo	"Were defeating one AIDA enough to reclaim those who have been lost, we wouldn't be in as bad of a situation as we're currently in. No. Whether the consciousnesses simply jump from AIDA to AIDA as they're a collective, or if there is one main AIDA where that data is stored is yet to be fully determined. The latter is the ideal, and the former is a headache." With no longer needing the fancy display, Yata runs his hands over the orb one more time, the picture behind him disappearing and leaving the room rather empty. "As for what G.U. stands for... Officially it's Grow Up, but I find it more interesting to come up with your own meaning. " The floating platform he was standing at this point also begins to descend, mounting firmly into the ground below as a small pedestal pops up for him to place the orb he was so found of. "Anyway, it is as you said, Miss Levail. We are salvaging a situation. This was never going to be pretty. Though at this point, I believe all your minds have been made up. I'll keep in touch. Pi, please see our guests out." The pink haired woman who has been silent the entire time up until this point, makes herself known by pointing everyone out. There will be no loitering in the secret cool GM zone today.
Cordelay Levail	Cordelay smiles to herself as she departs, a new energy in her step that hadn't been shown when the group entered. Her drive to become stronger will never be truly satisfied, after all, and this new AIDA threat looks to be a perfect opportunity to temper her skill even further. "I will see you all when we embark on our mission. Until then, prepare yourselves!"