Xebek\’s Blog

The start of vol. 2, where Haseo learns that him and everyone else in the game can’t log out.

Summary:

• We start off with Atoli waking up from her attack in Haseo’s arms in Raven. Kuhn had used Magus to bring her there. After telling her what happened, we find out that Atoli can’t speak, but can still communicate using text I guess. They all realize eventually that none of them can log out of the game.
• Yata guesses and they eventually figure out that they aren’t really in the CC Corp Server, but that because of the AIDA attack them and everyone in the world can’t log out and are trapped in a fake AIDA Server. They figure out that the only way to get out would be to investigate AIDA areas, but to do that they need help. Yata tells Haseo and Pi to go to Zelkova and ask Moon Tree’s help in finding AIDA areas.
• We also find out that Atoli’s Epitaph was stolen from her, which could be the reason for her voice loss. It also prevents her from using her powers to hear AIDA sounds. Her PC data was beginning to crumble and Yata says since their minds are linked to their characters, if Atoli’s PC degenerates and disappears, it could effect her greatly.
• Haseo and Pi go to Moon Tree to ask for assistance and when they try and explain things without giving anything away, Sakaki comes out and says that he knows about Project GU and that they are in an AIDA server, much to Pi’s shock. Moon Tree eventually says how it doesn’t matter really, they are all here to help and agree to investigate the abnormalities with them.
• Pi, Kuhn, and Haseo check out an area and eventually find some AIDA and destroy it, however they receive a short email from Nala, from Moon Tree saying that they need to come to the beast statue. Nala tells them that there are voices inside the temple. They go to investigate to see Ovan and Gabi talking. Haseo jumps in and asks what they are doing, and Ovan just says talking with an old friend. Gabi says they once pledged eternal brotherhood together.
• Haseo says he doesn’t care, and Ovan eventually just says he’s doing what they are, searching for a way out of the AIDA server. Ovan reveals he knows about GU and Haseo asks how he knows that, and asks what he wants. Nala comes in and says that it all doesn’t matter; they all just want to escape so that’s all that matters.
• Ovan says Yata is wasting their time. That if this is a mirror server there should be an Operation Folder that has the data that Yata could use to send everyone to a normal server. Haseo and Kuhn ask Pi if this was true and why Yata didn’t’ say something. Pi jut gets nervous and says they didn’t have any proof. Ovan adds that perhaps Yata had no intention of escaping at all.
• Ovan says that the players are all feeling strong emotions, that there is o better place to observe AIDA’s caustic effects on players. He says that this is his ideal laboratory. Haseo starts yelling at Pi since she knew this but Kuhn says they should go see Yata. Ovan and Gabi leave so Haseo heads back to Raven.
• Yata tells them that its true, but he didn’t tell them because he had no proof. Haseo seems fine with that and Yata says that they will now go to the operation folder. He says they can use Tri-Edge’s signs to navigate and after collecting some items from AIDA, Haseo, Pi and Kuhn head though a sign into the system.
• After defeating an AIDA gatekeeper, Haseo gets an item called O-van01 and he notices the similarities to Ovan. They continue to the operation folder and Pi accesses a terminal. She begins to run a program and the system starts counting down until the program will run. The program goes off, and sends out a blue wave that hits all the players in the game, logging them out including Pi and Kuhn, but leaving Haseo. He finds himself in a black plane, and an AIDA gatekeeper appears before him Haseo tries to fight but can’t move, as it closes in on him.

Impressions:

This seemed like as good of place as any to take a break. Next has got to be where Haseo meets Azure Balmung and Orca because of the scene he is in. Although, I’m a bit intrigued why he alone wasn’t forcefully logged out. All the other epitaph users were. The only thing I can think of that perhaps it has something to do with the item he received. Or, that there really is no reason to it. But in any case, it’s rather odd that the item Haseo got was basically named Ovan. Technically O-van01 but still. I wonder if it was named after Ovan, or the other way around. Perhaps it’s a rather important item and Ovan named himself after that. It could really go either way, but would be a bit more interesting if the item came first, as it shows its important enough for Ovan to name himself after it.

Gabi and Ovan’s history was quite interesting as well. I knew Gabi was semi important, just because he was a guild leader but seemed not too phased by some of the odd stuff happening. However, I didn’t know that he had a relationship with Ovan. Him and Kuhn knew each other, since Kuhn started Kestral and all, but Gabi’s relation to Ovan is quite new and interesting. The whole eternal brotherhood thing was the interesting point. It could have been just Gabi being kind of weird like he has been shown to be, but perhaps the two of them were both in IMOQ and that relates back to that. In either case, they have a relationship and I hope they expand that further, because already Gabi’s an interesting character because he’s kind of funny, but him being connected is better. I’m glad that they have people other then just the epitaph users involved in the story.

Already Sakaki is showing more signs in this volume then he had before about being relatively evil. Although, he is a kind of cool character for that, because even though he eventually becomes an enemy basically, he is at the same time talking about spreading justice and keeping the peace throughout the world. He really is an interesting character. He either got his information about GU form Atoli or somewhere else. Somewhere else would make a bit more sense. Since Sakai is the 10 year old in Online Jack, it shows that he is kind of crazy and ha already written the epitaphs in blood.

Atoli is also another main thing. I didn’t really know that you could have your epitaph stolen from you. Seems a bit odd but I guess AIDA can break the rules. Unless of course its not AIDA that took it, but Sakaki. As I said above, he is one mysterious crazy evil peace-shouting guy.