6: Casualties of the Wingding Zone

Ashita

Here we are at the deceptively beautiful entrance to the realm of the self-styled porno-shaman. Salve and AIN, whose figurative tentacles involuntarily recoil as they attempt to approach this place, warned me profusely against taking you here. Even the austere taskmaster, Dogun, attempted to block my transport signal in his inevitable wordless fashion.

Yet if one needs a coffee crystal, this is where one must come. Such a rare and valuable artifact could only been crafted by a solitary, crooked mind. This is a being far beyond our power to destroy, and so we must tolerate his existence. I will give no further information, as it is information here that is dangerous. Dangerous to know the limits to which the mind can be pushed. Do not listen to what he says and perhaps you can come out of here with your soul. Fractilion's realm borders this one, and thus you may be hearing from him, as well. He spends more time in this region than I ever would, and so he may be of help in directing your path.

(nothing is printed on the screen, but you hear a murmur of female voices)

Fractilion

I must say, quite unwise of you to bumble on down here without snatching up the sorceror's coffee crystal first. You're going to take a dip in some boiling goo trying to jump your way out of here. In all seriousness, though, I think Ashita was crazy to send you here. I wouldn't be surprised if the sheer illogic of this place stunted your growth henceforth. All you need to do is take a look at the female body parts locked into the walls to understand the kind of fate you could meet. If you're trying to open some doors you might have better luck opening some mouths or eyes first...

"A" has been a good sport about her division across the complex. Her component parts have been more than cooperative on an individual basis, though seem to possess an as yet unexplained telepathic link of some kind...? "C", ever the stubborn one, still refuses to open her eyes unless I give her a little more juice from the machine room, and then looks at me with the fiercest glare, like she might rip herself out of the wall (but of course she can't... ha!). "E" was another strong will, a problem solved only by the unnatural distance that now exists between her tongue and her toes. I stare at you through eyes of "E" and "S"... just like I'd always imagined! As you walk these halls, you'll see a number of my dreams realized. You may call me a face pirate. Frankenstein was no monster to me.

Fractilion

What's the matter, are you lost? The sad puzzle pieces will only stare at you. This place has been still for quite some time. The coffee crystal throbs nearby (below), but the doors are sealed tight. A council of three women decide who passes through the entrance. The wizard has placed high windows throughout the citadel, which he passes through with ease (with aid of the crystal), but can easily deter intruders such as yourself who lack the ability to scale a wall. My sources tell me it is impossible to reach the Consulting Room from here (the Green Ring) on foot. You're lucky I'm here to help you. Back to the wingding zone with you, then.

WORLD VOICE

SUSPICIOUS LACK OF ACTIVITY IN REGION FOR UPWARDS of 4 LUNAR CYCLEs was INTERRUPTED YESTERDAY by soft SOLAR MURMURS of negligible intensity. SCOUT AGENT has yet to submit FOLLOW UP REPORT on FRAUDULENT EMISSION STRATEGIES designed to fool the archaic previous auditing system. UNNATURAL NATURE OF INACTIVITY in region has been noted and set to SECONDARY INVESTIGATION PRIORITY.

. . . . . . . . remote connection established

. . . . . . . . remote connection established . . . . . . . . abstraction subroutine restricted

. . . . . . . . remote connection established . . . . . . . . abstraction subroutine restricted . . . . . . . . development tier path reserved for maintenance entities only . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . remote connection established . . . . . . . . abstraction subroutine restricted . . . . . . . . development tier path reserved for maintenance entities only . . . . . . . . automatic system wipe and reboot . . . .

WhoWHR.urse

All that rises must converge.