[ Chapter XV (15): "UPGRADING THE LOBBY, CHANGING CODES, SO MUCH WORK!" ]
[ "What the hell am I doing with my life..." ] Arthur glanced at his left, at the videofeed of Players either on the Platform, on the Spawner, or on the Garden talking to themselves with Plants occasionally passing by playing with themselves.
Then he glanced at his right, at the videofeed of Players dying occasionally in Arena A, Arena B, or in Arena C from either a Knight, a Viking, or a Samurai. As they didn't have time to adjust on the setting before getting beheaded by the NPCs.
Sitting on his gaming chair could he be seen contemplating on what to do forward, should be a) work on the Lobby, expand the Plant population getting Credits in turn, and increase the Player population. Or, b) work on the For Honor Games, on Barry, on the Arenas and wait to gain new abilities...
[ "I got it!" ] After some time of thinking, he then was finally able to reach a conclusion. And he concluded that... he might just as well do both, as the ultimate ruler of this realm, he of course needs to do one, or the other, or even both to progrees his story.
In boredom, or perhaps lack of motivation, he has been sitting on his chair for an hour and a half... Busying himself by playing Tomodachi Life in his computer, it is fun... But finally after all of that, and after waiting for his wallet to refill to some degree he finally get the motivation to get a move-on.
Before then getting bored and slumping down back on his chair... [ "What's the point." ] Clutching his head as he spins around in circles, to at the very least motivate himself... he opened up the building capabilities of the System, then glanced at the videofeed, wanting to see which-of-which needs upgrading.
[ "I guess... that needs to be bigger, the spawner needs refining, the Garden refurbishing... Hah." ] Without him even noticing it, he was already nitpicking each and every single part of the Lobby— as his hands then continues building, causing much needed changes for the Players... which is panicking due to earthquakes.
...
[ "The end is near!" ] Player No. 23 after dying for the 3rd time to some weird-looking Viking in a ship surrounded by hundreds of them couldn't believe his luck... As he gets teleported back to the Lobby— Paradise, he could hear the screams of fear, screams of excitement, and screams of terror going on about around him.
[ "Damn it, what the hell is going on?! Why is people leaving, screaming, panicking!?!" ] Having spawned back in the middle of the Platform, he couldn't believe the chaos that is happening around him. As some Plants also gets infected, the mood of the Players reflecting on them as some of the Cherrybombs and Potato Mine exploded causing others to fly high.
Before then respawning from their ashes, as no one could truly die inside UTOPIA— a common rule that they all know. Some Peashooter on the other hand could be seen shooting wildly in the air, as the Sunflowers just smiles through it all, oblivious to what's happening.
No. 23 on the other hand glanced all-around him, then at the Garden and could see the problem... The infamous Garden is currently disconnected from the Platform, with it flying high up above the... clouds(?) no, the space; as some poor Players glanced up from the Platform and some below on the Garden. [ "Ah- what the fuc-?!" ]
His words cut itself off as he felt the ground that he is on shake wildly... [ "H-huh?!?" ] Causing him to hold on to dearly on the tree right besides him, as the others do so... Some of the Players falling on the void, while some do quit from the experience overall. The rest of the Plants on the other hand either falls on the void like the others or holds on dearly like the Chompers.
[ "W-we're all going to DIEEEEEE!" ] A Player beside him, a woman holding onto ground, with tears on her eyes screamed... trying to rescue her by offering his hand, he couldn't, as that said lady seconds later fell on the void screaming. [ "Damn you woman...!" ]
Others also followed suit, as they felt their hands give up. All screaming as they do, the Plants who couldn't hold onto something, like the Wallnuts followed as well... Seemingly smiling as they do fall. [ "No...!" ] About to cry in seeing them die... fall into the abyss, he stopped. [ "Oh wait." ]
As he then noticed them all spawning back on the Spawner Area, also the frantic woman that was crying earlier being there... No. 23 easily noticed this fact as he looked on confused. Also the Plants as they comes out the pillar of light, looking safe and well. [ "They aren't... dead yet?" ]
One of the Players who are holding onto the benches that is glued to the floor remembered a fact, as he is after all an OG Player— one of the original 15, as he then spoke up to explain clearly what's happening to the other who are seemingly not in the know. [ "Oh yeah, I forgot. We-we uhh- we wouldn't die even if we jump into the void, Player also couldn't starve." ]
The remaining Players on the Platform glanced at one another, including No. 23 as he then jumps without being forced too. Followed suit are the Plants, then the remaining Players as all left there... To the surprise of them all, rather than floating aimlessly on the void, they instead get blinded by light as they then felt something hard under them.
Stepping out the light did No. 23 and the others noticed that they aren't in the void anymore, but is instead right in front of the Spawner. With the Players and Plants that are in the Spawn Area looking up at the levitated Platform and Garden.
[ "Huh... the more you know." ]
[ "What is the Creator even doing?" ]
[ "I-I have no idea..." ]
[ "Perhaps he is upgrading the Lobby, again, you know like before." ]
[ "Perhaps..." ]
[ ... ]
The Players around No. 23 kept discussing amongst themselves, as he then sat by the stairs listening to them. As he then pets the small Sunflower Plant besides him, looking clearly at the changes that is going on... He also doesn't know what exactly is going on, but he hopes the Creator entity whoever be is do something worthwhile.
Sighting to himself, he was about to add on the conversation that is happening on the biggest circle. [ "Hey, I thin-" ] Pausing as he glanced at one of the sitting Players having a blue circle under him... the guy disappearing into particles seconds later. The others also noticed this, but mostly everyone got tired of the topic.
As almost all of them had experienced it one point or another, so they debated what kind of NPC that guy would be fighting. Either Viking, Samurai, or Knight... No. 23 having forgotten what he was about to say, instead shrug his shoulder as he also talked to them, adding his theories... Like a 4th NPC or something-something.
...
[ "Huh... that's kinda... cute." ] Arthur smirks in seeing the Players in the Spawn Area talk to one another, while the Plants just jumps into the void. The Players stucked in the Garden on the other hand could be seen panicking, as at the moment they are feeling earthquake, headache without it even feeling like that at all...
He guesses that he shouldn't be handling that place that roughly, in turn causing them motion sickness. But meh, quickness is engraved into his genes, the faster he does the work, the faster it'll be done. So without care, Arthur kept changing the Garden without care for the Players.
[ "It's Hell!" ] He could hear them screaming through the videofeed as some prayed, he on the other hand just continues... Increasing the landmass and the area of it, his Credits depleting on the side. He kept adding details here and there, water, soil, architecture that blends.
For what felt like eternity, Arthur kept adding things that shouldn't make sense and some that does. To of course the joy of the Plants in the Garden, and to the dismay of the Players in the Garden— as the ground that they are in after all are cracking in half, being extended, being cut.
After some time, and after he spent about 1/4ths of his accumulated Credits, Arthur the Creator finally felt satisfied enough to let go of the Garden and to instead focus on the Platform that has no Players in it— no one in it actually except for a Wallnut stuck in-between the trees, smiling. [ "Hah?" ]
Confused and amused by this, he let the baby Plant stay there. As he then continues to get his move on, seeing that the place is filled to the brim with chaos i.e. dirt that have scattered making the place dirty, he first started with removing all of the dirt in the Platform through his coding powers.
Basic stuff, just deleting them all with his Credits not even getting decreased with him doing that. Then he destroyed the current furniture, most of it, except for one that the Wallnut is in, in fear that he might hurt the baby. [ "Good baby..." ] Seeing it smile through the videofeed, he codded something special just for it.
[ MAYOR WALLNUT ] a title, one that only it has. Floating just above the level of it that Players and him could see... After some time he then continued changing the decor around the said Plant— making the trees a little bit bigger, the furniture fit with the theme that is... Nature.
The dirt also after being moved by either the small Plants or by the Player accidentally would be returned back to where they we're previously. The crushed non-sentient Plants planted on them to gain back life after some time, etc.
After some time, he finally felt satisfied enough to let it go and hover the Garden to be connected back to the Platform. As he then connects back both of them to the Spawn Area wherein Players and Plants alike are patiently waiting...
Seeing that he has plenty of Credits left, he then used all of it to buy about 4 Day Pack— exactly 400 Seedlings that he distributed to the Inventories of the Players. Both online and offline, as he did cause quite a shock and made about 1/3rds of them leave.
[ "Whoops." ] On the online Players on the other hand, about 50ish of them, they each have 4 seedlings in their Inventories with a newly given Mission about planting them etc... The rest of the Credits in the other hand was spent on buying junkfood, candies, softdrinks, and such to use as rewards for the Players for Missions.
In short, it was resrock of supplies as he then opens back the newly refurbished Lobby to the Players after some time... Which took probably an hour without Arthur even noticing such fact, that do be happening most of the time with him not having a solid way to measure time correctly. No clocks, no calendars, no daylight or moonshine... not even a body that needs sleep, only feeling tired mentally due to having been awake for a long time.
In short, perhaps it took a long time for the Players as they waited... As some of them are after all actively jumping off the void of space, posing as they does... Even the Players on the Garden which was panicking previously before are now carefree and jumping off; [ "What in the fuck...?" ]
The fixing took that long due to Arthur getting engrossed into coding, fixing, and even curating rules for objects to follow. Due to that, he wasn't able to notice the fact that his Players, all of them are having an sky diving competition to see which one reach further before then being brought back into the pillar of light— the Spawn.
Perhaps the individual he could connect most here is his Champion— the newly spawned Barry Allen who is now wearing fresh new pair of but dirty clothes, acquired new armor and a sheathed dagger on his waist. He looking lost than ever as he glanced around him...
At the new changes, as he just came out of a brutal battlefield that needed for him to fight in but thankfully not kill. But perhaps what he most wonder is that, everytime there is something new in the Lobby... Why is it that he is always out of the loop, and not informed. [ "Why does this place keep changing without me?!" ]
[ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ]
[ 06/23/2025 ]
[ 06/24/2025 ]