Asunder
by The Libravore
-first draft in progress-
by The Libravore
-first draft in progress-
Asunder -Chapter 6 released-
Started by TheLibravore [2753655] on in Art & Literature.
About this thread
Posts archived: 19 / 19 posts (100%) · the total is Torn's reply count + the opening post at the last fetch
Counted by TornLife from the archived posts.
- Archived posts
- 19
- Discussion span
- →
- People posting
- 2
- Likes on archived posts
- 12
- Authority score
- 9 / 100
- Historical score
- 11 / 100
- Story score
- 33 / 100
- Engagement score
- 58 / 100
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Away
Chapter 2 - TORN
Chapter 3 - Home
Chapter 4 - No Woman Is An Island
Chapter… Um… I forget
Chapter 6 - Uncanny Valleys
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1 - Away
Chapter 2 - TORN
Chapter 3 - Home
Chapter 4 - No Woman Is An Island
Chapter… Um… I forget
Chapter 6 - Uncanny Valleys
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Mentions: Asunder -Chapter 6 released-
Chapter 1 — Away
There are days when the real world isn’t a place worth living in. Days when time seems still and stagnant, like live has left life and all that’s left is wanting. Wanting something more. Wanting something else. Wanting to escape, even if it’s just for a day, an hour, a minute. On days like that, be careful what you wish for, because what else is the real world but what we imagine it to be?
The air was thick with the scent of rain as the sky went dark. Electricity filled the air with tension. Anticipation. But people went on with their day in blissful ignorance. No umbrellas or jackets would stop what was coming. The roar in the distance wasn’t thunder. The world stuttered, like a record skipping a scratch in the track. A scratch had been drawn through everything and on one side everything was normal.
I stumbled as a MODERATOR bumped into me.
A message appeared, “What is going on with your thread here? https://www.torn.com/forums.php#/p=threads&f=49&t=16267279&b=0&a=0&start=0&to=22256981 You've made a tremendous number of bumps/posts in a short period of time”
I had messaged people before, and received messages, but I’d never stopped to think about how I did it. And everything the MODERATOR had asked and said made no sense. I hadn’t ‘bumped’ with anyone since arriving in Torn City (not for a lack of attention after an ill fated Valentine’s debacle) and I had no idea what a post was. I was standing in the A&L forum halls, what did he—
I felt my lips move as I MESSAGED a reply back, “Formatting to break it out and link individual chapters as I write them. Which is why they’re labeled ch1 ch2 etc..”
The MODERATOR messaged a reply to that and seemed satisfied, but I couldn’t focus on it. My body repulsed at the strange words my mouth had made. They weren’t mine. I had no idea what they meant. I was on the other side of the scratch.
As I looked around I noticed a strange word floating in the corner of my vision and my heart stuttered in my chest, just like the world had stuttered moments before. [background color=var(--bbc-body-bg-color)]Some distant consciousness trickled in as a lifetime of memories began to seep through cracks in a wall I hadn’t known was there.[/background]
There are days when the real world isn’t a place worth living in. Days when time seems still and stagnant, like live has left life and all that’s left is wanting. Wanting something more. Wanting something else. Wanting to escape, even if it’s just for a day, an hour, a minute. On days like that, be careful what you wish for, because what else is the real world but what we imagine it to be?
The air was thick with the scent of rain as the sky went dark. Electricity filled the air with tension. Anticipation. But people went on with their day in blissful ignorance. No umbrellas or jackets would stop what was coming. The roar in the distance wasn’t thunder. The world stuttered, like a record skipping a scratch in the track. A scratch had been drawn through everything and on one side everything was normal.
I stumbled as a MODERATOR bumped into me.
A message appeared, “What is going on with your thread here? https://www.torn.com/forums.php#/p=threads&f=49&t=16267279&b=0&a=0&start=0&to=22256981 You've made a tremendous number of bumps/posts in a short period of time”
I had messaged people before, and received messages, but I’d never stopped to think about how I did it. And everything the MODERATOR had asked and said made no sense. I hadn’t ‘bumped’ with anyone since arriving in Torn City (not for a lack of attention after an ill fated Valentine’s debacle) and I had no idea what a post was. I was standing in the A&L forum halls, what did he—
I felt my lips move as I MESSAGED a reply back, “Formatting to break it out and link individual chapters as I write them. Which is why they’re labeled ch1 ch2 etc..”
The MODERATOR messaged a reply to that and seemed satisfied, but I couldn’t focus on it. My body repulsed at the strange words my mouth had made. They weren’t mine. I had no idea what they meant. I was on the other side of the scratch.
As I looked around I noticed a strange word floating in the corner of my vision and my heart stuttered in my chest, just like the world had stuttered moments before. [background color=var(--bbc-body-bg-color)]Some distant consciousness trickled in as a lifetime of memories began to seep through cracks in a wall I hadn’t known was there.[/background]
Mentions: Asunder -Chapter 6 released-
Chapter 2 — TORN
Four bold, capitalized letters spelled out the name of the city I was standing in. TORN. Wherever I looked there they were, just at the edge of my vision.
My heart began racing in my chest as it started again. Breath came in short, ragged gasps. I couldn’t get enough air. Was I even breathing air? Had I ever needed to pause to catch my breath since arriving in Torn?
Memories, like a story someone once told me, trickled though of some other place, some other me. I used to need to breathe, I had panted after running and… other things. Sometimes I even needed to stop and think about my breathing to steel my nerve when I felt overwhelmed or anxious about something.
Nerve?
New words and symbols at the edge of my vision came suddenly into focus, which was not helping me decide that I was NOT one of the people who believed that Torn was a virtual world like the Matrix. Energy, Nerve, Happiness? Were all of these things supposed to be so… obvious? And here I was just standing around the middle of the forums attracting attention I didn’t need. I needed to head—
Four bold, capitalized letters spelled out the name of the city I was standing in. TORN. Wherever I looked there they were, just at the edge of my vision.
My heart began racing in my chest as it started again. Breath came in short, ragged gasps. I couldn’t get enough air. Was I even breathing air? Had I ever needed to pause to catch my breath since arriving in Torn?
Memories, like a story someone once told me, trickled though of some other place, some other me. I used to need to breathe, I had panted after running and… other things. Sometimes I even needed to stop and think about my breathing to steel my nerve when I felt overwhelmed or anxious about something.
Nerve?
New words and symbols at the edge of my vision came suddenly into focus, which was not helping me decide that I was NOT one of the people who believed that Torn was a virtual world like the Matrix. Energy, Nerve, Happiness? Were all of these things supposed to be so… obvious? And here I was just standing around the middle of the forums attracting attention I didn’t need. I needed to head—
Chapter 3 — Home
The walls and halls of the Forums peeled away, leaving me in a bare room full of information I shouldn’t know about…me?
A flash of a memory added a strange familiarity to the words. I could almost remember seeing them before on some kind of CELLPHONE? It made my head ache, as of the concept didn’t quite fit, but I could see myself holding a rectangle and peering into the world from—
I was in the city again, well kind of. I could see the city, and it felt like I was walking the streets, but it also felt like I was a staring down at a map. Vertigo wrestled with confusion but numbness won. It felt like I was in some kind of dream. Dreams I could figure out. Maybe if I focused hard enough I could get—
HOME.
The bare room was back. The word settled in more firmly, more solidly. It didn’t mean quite what I meant when I was thinking about what a home should be, but knowing the difference gave it some kind of substance it had lacked a moment ago. I could feel it coming into focus at the edge of my consciousness as something solid. Real.
HOME became a real place in my mind I felt two doors forming next to it. AWARDS and ITEMS. They both seemed familiar, but they could wait until I had finished wrapping my brain around exactly what HOME was supposed to mean now.
I took a moment to catch my breath (was I even breathing?) and closed my eyes as I pictured the white walls of HOME in my mind. They felt so familiar. With a gesture the information flowed over the bare surface as I reordered it. Equipped Armor, Equipped Weapons, and Latest Messages were displayed to one side, General Information, Property Information, Skills, and Personal Perks in the center, and Battle Stats, Working Stats, and Job Information to the other side.
Behind me my Latest Events, Faction Details, and Criminal History broke the mundanity with a kind of mad genius that only the truly paranoid could accomplish. It was exactly as I had imagined it and I beamed at the organized chaos of interconnected success and failure. It made my fingers itch to grab a gas can and set someone’s warehouse on fire… which I still recognized was probably not the best impulse to have.
”Okay, if I’m going to be stuck here at least I can be comfortable.”
I closed my eyes and in my mind I formed the word—
The walls and halls of the Forums peeled away, leaving me in a bare room full of information I shouldn’t know about…me?
A flash of a memory added a strange familiarity to the words. I could almost remember seeing them before on some kind of CELLPHONE? It made my head ache, as of the concept didn’t quite fit, but I could see myself holding a rectangle and peering into the world from—
I was in the city again, well kind of. I could see the city, and it felt like I was walking the streets, but it also felt like I was a staring down at a map. Vertigo wrestled with confusion but numbness won. It felt like I was in some kind of dream. Dreams I could figure out. Maybe if I focused hard enough I could get—
HOME.
The bare room was back. The word settled in more firmly, more solidly. It didn’t mean quite what I meant when I was thinking about what a home should be, but knowing the difference gave it some kind of substance it had lacked a moment ago. I could feel it coming into focus at the edge of my consciousness as something solid. Real.
HOME became a real place in my mind I felt two doors forming next to it. AWARDS and ITEMS. They both seemed familiar, but they could wait until I had finished wrapping my brain around exactly what HOME was supposed to mean now.
I took a moment to catch my breath (was I even breathing?) and closed my eyes as I pictured the white walls of HOME in my mind. They felt so familiar. With a gesture the information flowed over the bare surface as I reordered it. Equipped Armor, Equipped Weapons, and Latest Messages were displayed to one side, General Information, Property Information, Skills, and Personal Perks in the center, and Battle Stats, Working Stats, and Job Information to the other side.
Behind me my Latest Events, Faction Details, and Criminal History broke the mundanity with a kind of mad genius that only the truly paranoid could accomplish. It was exactly as I had imagined it and I beamed at the organized chaos of interconnected success and failure. It made my fingers itch to grab a gas can and set someone’s warehouse on fire… which I still recognized was probably not the best impulse to have.
”Okay, if I’m going to be stuck here at least I can be comfortable.”
I closed my eyes and in my mind I formed the word—
Chapter 4 — No Woman is an Island
I blinked my eyes. I couldn’t remember what I had been trying to do a moment ago. A week ago. I was… Home?
“Mistress Libra?”
I turned towards a girl who had spoken to me. One of my maids.
”Yes, Jenni?”
“I- I know it’s unseemly to ask, but… when we’ll be getting our pay for the last week? I really enjoy our time to l together, Mistress, but if I don’t pay Duke back soon I’m afraid I’ll get a visit…”.
Her eyes darted down towards the floor as her legs trembled.
“Of course! I understand. Let me see if my contact is awake so I can put together the latest shipment and check my funds. If I don’t have it tonight then I’ll stop by the stock exchange first thing tomorrow. If Duke has a problem with that he can bring it up with me and I’ll see if I can round up 50 people to help change his mind.”
Jenni’s eyes welled a little as she squeaked out, “Thanks.”
Her footsteps echoed down the hall and carried up the stairs. She had gotten into some trouble with Duke before I’d hired her a few weeks back. Her two children had been expatriated from Torn some time ago and getting them set up hadn’t been cheap. Most of my help had a similar story. Duke kept the economy moving, I’d give him that.
I stripped out of my combat gear and handed it to another maid as I passed her. I didn’t have much use for modesty and I didn’t feel like wearing other people’s blood as I made my way down to the pool. Guards patrolling the grounds gave me confidence I might not have and that added to my comfort and happiness.
The cool water of the pool ebbed away at aches I hadn’t even noticed. My butler made her way towards me with a drink as I luxuriated. One of those impossibly pink beverages filled with tequila and questionable life choices. I smiled as I took it, “Thank you Sam.”
”My pleasure, Miss, as always.”
I took a long, slow sip from it, letting the sweetness and heat seep slowly into me as I took a deep breath.
“Move all of the imports to our usual spot for M and take whatever you need to from the sales to bring our finances current for the staff. Put the rest into stocks and leave… oh… a million and a half in cash for purchases.”
Sam smiled her most infuriating smile, it made me feel like a cat who had done some amusing trick on command.
“Very good, Miss.”
I sighed and slipped under the water as she stepped away.
I blinked my eyes. I couldn’t remember what I had been trying to do a moment ago. A week ago. I was… Home?
“Mistress Libra?”
I turned towards a girl who had spoken to me. One of my maids.
”Yes, Jenni?”
“I- I know it’s unseemly to ask, but… when we’ll be getting our pay for the last week? I really enjoy our time to l together, Mistress, but if I don’t pay Duke back soon I’m afraid I’ll get a visit…”.
Her eyes darted down towards the floor as her legs trembled.
“Of course! I understand. Let me see if my contact is awake so I can put together the latest shipment and check my funds. If I don’t have it tonight then I’ll stop by the stock exchange first thing tomorrow. If Duke has a problem with that he can bring it up with me and I’ll see if I can round up 50 people to help change his mind.”
Jenni’s eyes welled a little as she squeaked out, “Thanks.”
Her footsteps echoed down the hall and carried up the stairs. She had gotten into some trouble with Duke before I’d hired her a few weeks back. Her two children had been expatriated from Torn some time ago and getting them set up hadn’t been cheap. Most of my help had a similar story. Duke kept the economy moving, I’d give him that.
I stripped out of my combat gear and handed it to another maid as I passed her. I didn’t have much use for modesty and I didn’t feel like wearing other people’s blood as I made my way down to the pool. Guards patrolling the grounds gave me confidence I might not have and that added to my comfort and happiness.
The cool water of the pool ebbed away at aches I hadn’t even noticed. My butler made her way towards me with a drink as I luxuriated. One of those impossibly pink beverages filled with tequila and questionable life choices. I smiled as I took it, “Thank you Sam.”
”My pleasure, Miss, as always.”
I took a long, slow sip from it, letting the sweetness and heat seep slowly into me as I took a deep breath.
“Move all of the imports to our usual spot for M and take whatever you need to from the sales to bring our finances current for the staff. Put the rest into stocks and leave… oh… a million and a half in cash for purchases.”
Sam smiled her most infuriating smile, it made me feel like a cat who had done some amusing trick on command.
“Very good, Miss.”
I sighed and slipped under the water as she stepped away.
Chapter… Um… I forget.
A fog settled in my head over the next few days. Evening classes, listening to my managers and director as I learned more at my “new” job. I took a wrong turn down an alley with too much cash in my pocket and someone reminded me not to do that.
I don’t remember much from that, just that whoever it was was big. I think? The diamond bladed knife left a big impression. In my foot. In my hand. I managed to empty my minigun into their foot right before they stabbed me in the stomach and I don’t even think they flinched.
Not the most expensive lesson I’ve had, but one I should have already learned. Avoid the streets with any more money in your pocket than you need for your errands. At least I’d stopped by Duke’s before that instead of after…
Duke’s?
The evening was a blur. Between the tequila and the casino I think there were a few trips to Mexico? I’m pretty sure I hadn’t married any of my staff on the trips. I resolved to stop drinking as soon as I was done drinking… probably.
I dumped an reasonable pile of lottery tickets out of my handbag. A receipts for purchases of stuffed jaguars and more tequila and wolverines and honestly I stopped checking at that point because my head was throbbing. Speed did not mix as well with tequila as you might think, or maybe it mixes exactly as well as you think?
The last thing out of my handbag was a poster? As I unfolded it I recognized familiar forms in the… um… artful? photographs that decorated it with the words—
“Sam!”
A fog settled in my head over the next few days. Evening classes, listening to my managers and director as I learned more at my “new” job. I took a wrong turn down an alley with too much cash in my pocket and someone reminded me not to do that.
I don’t remember much from that, just that whoever it was was big. I think? The diamond bladed knife left a big impression. In my foot. In my hand. I managed to empty my minigun into their foot right before they stabbed me in the stomach and I don’t even think they flinched.
Not the most expensive lesson I’ve had, but one I should have already learned. Avoid the streets with any more money in your pocket than you need for your errands. At least I’d stopped by Duke’s before that instead of after…
Duke’s?
The evening was a blur. Between the tequila and the casino I think there were a few trips to Mexico? I’m pretty sure I hadn’t married any of my staff on the trips. I resolved to stop drinking as soon as I was done drinking… probably.
I dumped an reasonable pile of lottery tickets out of my handbag. A receipts for purchases of stuffed jaguars and more tequila and wolverines and honestly I stopped checking at that point because my head was throbbing. Speed did not mix as well with tequila as you might think, or maybe it mixes exactly as well as you think?
The last thing out of my handbag was a poster? As I unfolded it I recognized familiar forms in the… um… artful? photographs that decorated it with the words—
“Sam!”
Chapter 6 - Uncanny Valleys
“Yes, Miss?”
Samantha didn’t even have the decency to blush at the poster when she saw it in my hand.
“What the- how did- why is-“
”A storefront logo for an adult novelties shop, by the power alcohol, and enthusiastic support of the idea by the entire staff.”
I felt my hangover threaten to turn itself into a real migraine. A vein somewhere behind my eyes throbbed as I closed them. I didn’t hear Sam come closer but tension melted as she pressed her fingers into my temples.
”Please tell me I didn’t quit my job and blow my savings on this.”
“Of course not, Miss. When have I ever let you make such an important decision intoxicated?”
I looked down at my foot and looked back up at her with deliberate slowness, my expression serious.
“The doctor was right there and you’ve already made back all of the money you gambled that day,” she beamed, “but you were already gambling before you started drinking. Besides it wasn’t a business decision. I know you expect Mistress Vix too much to leave without notice.”
My head still throbbed, but Sam was right. If I wanted to check my employment status then the —
COMPANY
My head swam as the focus of the world shifted and I suddenly stood in the middle of Roid Ragers. My nightgown had been replaced with the sports bra and leggings I always wore into work. I was still getting the hang of nutrition, but my managers & director helped tremendously.
I knew in an intuitive way that I could use the experience I’d been gathering at work each day to help speed up my studying or add to my own strength. Maybe soon we’d be able to work together to get to 10 stars but—
I shook my head and took a step back out of the floor of the fitness center and into a white room. I’m front of me a Roid Ragers poster and employee roster hung on the bare wall. It seemed familiar, like —
HOME
”Oh, **** me.”
“Yes, Miss?”
Samantha didn’t even have the decency to blush at the poster when she saw it in my hand.
“What the- how did- why is-“
”A storefront logo for an adult novelties shop, by the power alcohol, and enthusiastic support of the idea by the entire staff.”
I felt my hangover threaten to turn itself into a real migraine. A vein somewhere behind my eyes throbbed as I closed them. I didn’t hear Sam come closer but tension melted as she pressed her fingers into my temples.
”Please tell me I didn’t quit my job and blow my savings on this.”
“Of course not, Miss. When have I ever let you make such an important decision intoxicated?”
I looked down at my foot and looked back up at her with deliberate slowness, my expression serious.
“The doctor was right there and you’ve already made back all of the money you gambled that day,” she beamed, “but you were already gambling before you started drinking. Besides it wasn’t a business decision. I know you expect Mistress Vix too much to leave without notice.”
My head still throbbed, but Sam was right. If I wanted to check my employment status then the —
COMPANY
My head swam as the focus of the world shifted and I suddenly stood in the middle of Roid Ragers. My nightgown had been replaced with the sports bra and leggings I always wore into work. I was still getting the hang of nutrition, but my managers & director helped tremendously.
I knew in an intuitive way that I could use the experience I’d been gathering at work each day to help speed up my studying or add to my own strength. Maybe soon we’d be able to work together to get to 10 stars but—
I shook my head and took a step back out of the floor of the fitness center and into a white room. I’m front of me a Roid Ragers poster and employee roster hung on the bare wall. It seemed familiar, like —
HOME
”Oh, **** me.”
Ch7
Ch8
Ch9
Ch10
Ch11
Ch12
Ch13
Ch14
Ch15
Because I’ve gotten a message about it, yes I will be posting as I’m writing my chapters. I’m a working mom, though, so it’ll be spotty, but I’ll do my best.
Just read the first two paragraphs you posted, looking forward to the rest.