Helping Nyx by Josefina Runnquist
You have been given the location and adress of the server in the Matrix and seem to have reached it. Before you enter the server node you have to choose which programs you wish to be able to use.
You can only chose two programs to load into your avatar, but there are more than two programs to choose from. The programs that you can choose from are Attack, Defend, Trace and Spoof.
Attack is a given as you might need to tear down firewalls or attack hostile programs but the other choice is less obvious.
If you choose Defend, you will be able to block attacks from hostiles.
If you choose Trace, you will be able to get a glimpse of locations before you enter them.
If you choose Spoof, you will be able to remove all traces you might leave of your presence.
[[Choose Attack and Defend->Loadup Complete 1]]
[[Choose Attack and Trace->Loadup Complete 2]]
[[Choose Attack and Spoof->Loadup Complete 3]]
The path is narrow and slippery and the water is dark with the occasional shadow moving beneath it. There is no wind and the sky is cloudy.
You arrive at the end of the path and can see the Shrine in front of you. The Shrine looks to be made out of wood and the door seems to be open.
[[Enter the Shrine]]
[[Take a look around the island]]The surface of the lake appears smooth but you can see shadows moving just beneath the surface. The lake seems to stretch on for a long time, but you can faintly see shapes in the distance. You see no obvious signs of any watchers or protective programs but looks can be decieving.
[[Begin walking the path towards the Shrine]]
[[Take a closer look at the lake]]The inside of the shrine is dark, faintly lit with some electronic lights set into the walls. The floor is paved with dark wooden flooring and the walls are made out of wooden panels with abstract landscape scenes. In the middle of the room there is a statue depicting a dragon (if: $Sawpattern is true)[One of the panels catches your eye, on it there is a tree bearing the pattern that the shapes in the lake formed.]
[[Approach the statue]]
(if: $Sawpattern is "true")[[Approach the panel]]You look closely at the lake, at first you see only the same dark water that you have seen all along. But after a while you start to see shadows move under the surface, watching them you realize they form a pattern. You memorize the pattern.
(set: $Sawpattern to "true")
[[Begin walking the path towards the Shrine]] The statue gleams in the light, it looks to be made out of gold or some similar metal. The eyes glisten like rubies as they catch the light. The mouth of the dragon is open and you can see what looks like shining, electronical wires running up and down the tounge.
You sense that this is a portal to another part of the server.
[[Touch the statue]]
(if: $Programs is 2)[[Attempt to see where the statue leads]]You approach the panel and see that there are faint lines inside the etched pattern. You can see that the lines glisten faintly in the light and look like electrical wires. You sense that this is a portal to another part of the server.
[[Touch the panel]]
(if: $Programs is 2)[[Attempt to see where the portal leads]]The island that the Shrine is on is fairly small and covered in a fine white sand. Walking around the island takes less than a minute and there does not seem to be anything else except the Shrine on it.
[[Look into the distance]]
[[Look at the Shrine]]
You can faintly see shapes of some sort in the distance. It is hard to tell whether they are other islands or just mountains as they are very far away. There does not seem to be anything else for miles around you.
[[Look at the Shrine]]
[[Enter the Shrine]]The Shrine is made out of wooden panels and has a slanted roof with ceramic tiles on it. The wooden panels have red borders and seem to be made out of some kind of light wood. You get the feeling that this Shrine is built fairly recently even though it looks old. (if: $Sawpattern is "true")[You can faintly see etchings of the same pattern that you saw the shapes in the lake make on the edges of the panel]
[[Enter the Shrine]]You enter the server node and appear in what looks to be a natural scene. In front of you there is a placid lake with a small path leading to a Shinto Shrine in the middle of the lake.
(set: $Programs to 2)
[[Begin walking the path towards the Shrine]]
[[Take a look at your surroundings]]You whirl through the Matrix, connecting to another, hidden part of the server. You appear in what appears to be a study. The walls are made out of thin wooden panels and the borders are painted red. Everywhere you see etchings of metahumans, all seeming to be in great pain.
You have barely had time to look at the room further when one of the etchings come to life. A huge orc walks out of the panel, brandishing a large sword and jumps towards you! It seems like this part of the server is guarded! You have no choice but to defend yourself and deal with the threat head on.
[[Attack the guardian]]
You trace the statue and realize that it leads to another part of this same server node. Probably to the part of the server where the information you seek is stored. There seems to be a program set to guard the entrance to this other part, but you feel that if you are just careful you can hopefully avoid attracting it's attention.
[[Touch the statue -> Touch the statue forewarned]](set: $Traced to "true")You enter the server node and appear in what looks to be a natural scene. In front of you there is a placid lake with a small path leading to a Shinto Shrine in the middle of the lake.
(set: $Programs to 1)
[[Begin walking the path towards the Shrine]]
[[Take a look at your surroundings]]You enter the server node and appear in what looks to be a natural scene. In front of you there is a placid lake with a small path leading to a Shinto Shrine in the middle of the lake.
(set: $Programs to 3)
[[Begin walking the path towards the Shrine]]
[[Take a look at your surroundings]]You whirl through the Matrix, connecting to another, hidden part of the server. You appear in what appears to be a study. The walls are made out of thin wooden panels and the borders are painted red. Everywhere you see etchings of metahumans, all seeming to be in great pain.
To your left you can see the etching of an orc gleaming slightly and a small, barely visible line going from it across the entrance to the room. You gingerly step over it and nothing seems to happen.
Aside from the etchings on the wall there appears to be nothing of note except for a desk and a chair, both carved from a dark wood. On the desk you can see a book lying open.
[[Read the book]]The huge orc runs towards you and you barely have time to think before it is right in front of you. You know that a hit from the guardian will probably be something that you will feel in the physical world.
(if: $Programs is 1)[Luckily you loaded up a defence program, so you can choose to defend yourself against the attack]
[[Guardian manages to hit with an attack]]
(if: $Programs is 1)[[Defend against the attack]]You approach the desk and take a closer look at the book lying on the table. You sift through several pages of images of tortured metahumans before chancing upon a page with a code written on it. You memorize the code and close the book. You feel like you have gotten what you came for, and that it might be time to leave the server. (if: $Programs is 3)[Beacuse you loaded up a spoofing program you know that you can spoof to remove all traces of your presence on the server, making sure you can't easily be traced]
(set: $Tricked to "true")
(if: $Programs is 3)[[Spoof to make sure you can't be traced]]
[[Leave the server]]You activate your defense program and your chosen form of defense activates and blocks the sword. You are not a complete newbie when it comes to fighting over the Matrix and you manage to defeat the program without giving it any further chances to attack.
Aside from the etchings on the wall there appears to be nothing of note in the room except for a desk and a chair, both carved from a dark wood. On the desk you can see a book lying open.
[[Read the book]]The sword of the Orc slices through your shoulder and you can feel a searing pain in you head, you will surely feel that when you jack out. Fortunately you are not a complete newbie when it comes to fighting over the Matrix and you manage to defeat the program before it manages to hurt you further.
Aside from the etchings on the wall there appears to be nothing of note in the room except for a desk and a chair, both carved from a dark wood. On the desk you can see a book lying open.
[[Read the book]](set: $Hurt to "true")You erase all traces of your entry into the server
[[Leave the server]](set: $Spoof to "true")
Send the following code to Nyx on Shadowlands
{
(if: $Hurt is "true")[alfa]
(unless: $Spoof is "true")[lambda]
(if: $Tricked is "true")[gamma]
beta
}You trace the portal and see that it leads to another part of the server, hopefully a part containing the code that you seek. You notice that there is a guardian watching over that part of the server. Knowing about it you think that you can get in undetected.
[[Touch the panel->Panel forewarned]]You touch the panel and is instantly whirled through the Matrix to another part of the server. You arrive in a small room covered in panels depicting the pattern you saw earlier and metahumans and humans. The humans seem to be capturing and killing the other metahumans.
You don't have the chance to see much more before one of the humans in one of the panels seem to come to life. It seems like this part of the server is guarded! You have no choice but to defend yourself and deal with the threat head on.
[[Attack the guardian->Guardian panel]]You touch the panel and is instantly whirled through the Matrix to another part of the server. You arrive in a small room covered in panels depicting the pattern you saw earlier and metahumans and humans. The humans seem to be capturing and killing the other metahumans.
To your left you can see the etching of a human with a katana gleaming slightly and a small, barely visible line going from it across the entrance to the room. You gingerly step over it and nothing seems to happen.
The room seems to be devoid of anything but the panels and you spend some time looking over each of them in turn. Finally you notice that one of the panels have small etchings that upon closer inspection turn out to be text!
[[Read the text on the wall]] The human pulls a katana from a scabbard around it's waist and runs towards you and you barely have time to think before it is right in front of you. You know that a hit from the guardian will probably be something that you will feel in the physical world.
(if: $Programs is 1)[Luckily you loaded up a defence program, so you can choose to defend yourself against the attack]
[[Guardian manages to hit you]]
(if: $Programs is 1)[[Defend against the guardian]]The katana slices through your shoulder and you can feel a searing pain in you head, you will surely feel that when you jack out. Fortunately you are not a complete newbie when it comes to fighting over the Matrix and you manage to defeat the program before it manages to hurt you further.
The room seems to be devoid of anything but the panels and you spend some time looking over each of them in turn. Finally you notice that one of the panels have small etchings that upon closer inspection turn out to be text!
[[Read the text on the wall]](set: $Hurt to "true")You activate your defense program and your chosen form of defense activates and blocks the katana. You are not a complete newbie when it comes to fighting over the Matrix and you manage to defeat the program without giving it any further chances to attack.
The room seems to be devoid of anything but the panels and you spend some time looking over each of them in turn. Finally you notice that one of the panels have small etchings that upon closer inspection turn out to be text!
[[Read the text on the wall]] You approach the panel so that you can read the text properly and when you have read it you memorize the code.
You feel like you have gotten what you came for, and that it might be time to leave the server. (if: $Programs is 3)[Beacuse you loaded up a spoofing program you know that you can spoof to remove all traces of your presence on the server, making sure you can't easily be traced]
[[Leave the server]]
(if: $Programs is 3)[[Erase all traces of your presence]]You erase all traces of your entry into the server
[[Leave the server]](set: $Spoof to "true")