.hack//Legacy

Discuss .hack items not covered on other forums

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Adhemas
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Adhemas »

This feels so in line with the old games and novels. I thought it would be one of those LINKish story types but it's like I am reading a 10 year old extra which wasn't translated until now. I really love that. Has Masayuki Yano ever written any .hack related thing before? I can't find him(?) on ANN or anywhere else.
Kazetrigger
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kazetrigger »

Kuukai, do you mind if I add this short story to .hack//Translate? It would be a great addition to keep fans tied over until more Bullet and Link. You'll get full credit of course.

I may however also do my own translation, but yours is very good.
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Lindz »

Dunno how I missed this until now but its neat so far! Silly how they're justifying Kite's idle animation though lol. Since yesterdays addition wasn't numbered does that make it part of Chapter 2 still?
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Kuukai
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kuukai »

Xu Yuan wrote:A possibly similar outfit, everything else looks to be fairly different I would say though. The weapon at first I thought may have been some reference to the Goddess Scythe, but closer inspection of the Goddess Scythe has its folding parts made out of some odd energy rather than bone. Then again the story might go on to further elucidate the theory.
It does.
Xu Yuan wrote:What is interesting here is all but affirmation that Kite's title became "Kite of the Azure Flame" and displays pretty well how the legend of the dot hackers became known. The idea of "tours" were put together to retrace their steps is a strange one though. I wonder how normal players could have pieces those together?
A lot of the areas the .hackers went were posted publicly to the BBS or known to regular PC informants. Despite deletion attempts, I can see people reconstructing it partly, but getting some parts wrong, just like the legend of Kite above.
Adhemas wrote:This feels so in line with the old games and novels. I thought it would be one of those LINKish story types but it's like I am reading a 10 year old extra which wasn't translated until now. I really love that. Has Masayuki Yano ever written any .hack related thing before? I can't find him(?) on ANN or anywhere else.
He wrote .hack//Versus, .hack//bullet, and co-screenwrote .hack//G.U. with Hiroto Niizato. I think he's also the basis for Corporal Yano in the games (just like how Niizato is Ninjato, etc.), although a CC2 director named Takahiro Yano has an "assistant" credit on the games as well.
Kazetrigger wrote:Kuukai, do you mind if I add this short story to .hack//Translate? It would be a great addition to keep fans tied over until more Bullet and Link. You'll get full credit of course.
Thanks! Actually for now I'd just prefer to keep it on Dothackers. It's a work in progress, and I may need to make some edits, etc. Also it's an attempt to help breathe some fresh life into the forums. I appreciate the offer, though!
Kazetrigger wrote:I may however also do my own translation, but yours is very good.
Thanks! And good luck if you do! All I ask is a citation if you use ours as a reference.
Lindz wrote:Since yesterdays addition wasn't numbered does that make it part of Chapter 2 still?
Yes, the chapters are vastly different lengths.
emptyazureskies
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by emptyazureskies »

You have no idea how much I miss the adventures of kite and blackrose.. Been so busy with work..
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Lindz »

About it being 6 months since the final battle, that places this in June 2011 right? Even if they don't give a date who wants ta bet its June 20th as a nod to Infections release date? lol.

From what I've gathered the last majorish events pre-Golden Era go as follows:

- 2010
Morganna defeated /Christmas
("A few days later") Offline meetup *

- 2011
Albireo quits CC2
(Several Months Later: "A couple days ago") Kite gets the new Bracelet
(Several Months Later: Current) Quarantine / Another Birth epilogues
Unison
Legacy


* Could be Dec. 29th at minimum, early Jan. 2nd, 2011 max as its stated to take place during Winter Break (any further would be pushing the "few days" remark imo)
Kuukai wrote:Yes, the chapters are vastly different lengths.
Got it!
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kuukai »

Quarantine ends around Christmas 2010, so this is around June/July-ish 2011.
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kuukai »

BlackRose and I looked at each other.

Both BlackRose and I had been solicited by “.hackers fans” several times in the past. In most cases, they oversold their abilities, and we learned it was safer to not have very high expectations of their skills in battle. But more than that, we had to do everything we could to avoid entangling normal PCs in missions to eliminate databugs.

“Well…sorry, but we have to go at this one alone,” BlackRose started to say. “If there’s another opportunity in the future— ”

“But,” Spoke interrupted, not letting BlackRose finish, “the dungeon here looks really difficult.” In a small voice, she added, “I definitely think it would be better if I went with you. It’d be dangerous if you went alone.”

Her carefree way of speaking instead came across as arrogant.

BlackRose’s expression immediately hardened, so I stepped in.

“Thanks for the advice, but I think we’re going to give it a shot on our own.”

“We (boku-tachi)…”

Spoke gave me a blank look.

“Ahh... Kite-san, you said ‘boku’ just now, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve heard that ‘boku’ is a word used by younger males. I think it’s odd that you use it despite being considered a hero.”

I was stunned that out of what I’d said, that was the part she chose to point out. Seeing my bewilderment, she tilted her head and smiled pleasantly.

“Hmm. But, I understand. You two don’t need my help now.”

“Huh?”

I thought she’d persist more, but it seemed like she was giving up.

“Well then, if you need me. When that time comes, please add me to your party.”

On that note, she teleported out. As her body vanished in the ring of light, it seemed like only her smile remained, like the Cheshire cat.
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Adhemas
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Adhemas »

Thanks. Contentwise novels are always the best way to tell .hack stories I think.
emptyazureskies
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by emptyazureskies »

Adhemas wrote:Thanks. Contentwise novels are always the best way to tell .hack stories I think.
You mean besides the games?
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Adhemas
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Adhemas »

You mean besides the games?
Well, yes of course.
Although some of the LNs go even deeper into story- or character relevant material. Not the whole thing, but certain aspects of it. The only downside is that there is a low chance for a translation now that Tokyopop stopped publishing .hack LNs. Translating novels which consist of more than 200 pages is a hell lot of a work and most of it is only done by 1 - 2 people here. I generally wish that the west would finally pick up just one .hack related thing again, to show that there is still hope. But we didn't get anything after the GU novels and manga anymore, aside from the Quantum OVA if I remember correctly. It's kinda weird if you think about how hyped that VR genre is right now. Though I wouldn't wonder if many of those fans would find .hack rather uninteresting since most of the VR/game series are basically harem anime or LNs.
emptyazureskies
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by emptyazureskies »

Adhemas wrote:
You mean besides the games?
Well, yes of course.
Although some of the LNs go even deeper into story- or character relevant material. Not the whole thing, but certain aspects of it. The only downside is that there is a low chance for a translation now that Tokyopop stopped publishing .hack LNs. Translating novels which consist of more than 200 pages is a hell lot of a work and most of it is only done by 1 - 2 people here. I generally wish that the west would finally pick up just one .hack related thing again, to show that there is still hope. But we didn't get anything after the GU novels and manga anymore, aside from the Quantum OVA if I remember correctly. It's kinda weird if you think about how hyped that VR genre is right now. Though I wouldn't wonder if many of those fans would find .hack rather uninteresting since most of the VR/game series are basically harem anime or LNs.
I know I own the another birth and ai buster novels and one of the gu novels..
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kuukai »

We soon found the dungeon entrance. As we headed down the stairs and went underground, the laid-back, tropical atmosphere of the jungle completely changed. The background graphics that appeared before us made me think of a dank, frigid prison. This of course had nothing to do with the databug. It was a specification of “The World”.

I grew tense just from the scenery growing so eerie.

As I continued along the corridor alongside BlackRose, I started thinking again about how the bracelet would disappear.

I first started playing “The World” because my friend Yasuhiko invited me.

Yasuhiko, or “Orca of the Azure Sea,” and I, a complete newbie, went together to an area, where we encountered a girl in white clothing—the goddess Aura—being chased by Skeith, the “Terror of Death.” Orca succumbed to Skeith’s data drain and vanished right before my eyes. I would have fallen into a coma, too, if not for the hacker Helba, who saved me by pulling me out just in the nick of time. Where I ended up, I received the “Book of Twilight,” which caused the illegal bracelet to appear.

“A great force. The power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user...”

Aura’s words stayed with me after that, and I couldn’t shake them.

That was because the power of the bracelet, which transcended the specifications of “The World,” was the same power as what put Yasuhiko in a coma.

I couldn’t save Yasuhiko without the power of the bracelet, but at the same time my actions seemed to make the situation worse. Because of me, both the Internet and the real world began to come apart, and from that gap would come a misapprehension of overflowing, infinite darkness that would engulf everything. Maybe it was that I’d chosen “destruction” instead of “salvation” after all.

The ones who supported me when I felt discouraged were the friends I made throughout my adventures with the bracelet.

When I was ready to give in, BlackRose was there to first chide me and then encourage me.

Balmung, who had long opposed us, became a powerful ally after we cleared up our misunderstandings.

Lios and Helba put aside their differences and presented a great undivided front.

Then when the all-out war, or “Operation Orca,” began, all of our friends came together to face Morganna.

We were all able to meet because of the path the bracelet led me down. The bracelet was the unbreakable bond that brought us all together.

Therefore, I thought.

If it was the bracelet’s will to disappear, then it was my duty as the owner of the bracelet to see that out.

Thinking about it in such clear terms made my heart ache, like it was throbbing.

Without thinking I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t say why. However, I was becoming aware of a faint sense of unease like a stroke of black ink taking hold in my chest.

“Kite?” BlackRose asked, concerned.

I shook my head. “Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

I tried to convince myself there was nothing to be worried about.

“Hey, keep your guard up! You wouldn’t even know it if a monster ambushed you!”

As BlackRose was talking and she turned the corner, a Magic Portal concealed in the shadows reacted and opened. Three huge shadows appeared and surrounded BlackRose.

By the time I realized they were Armor Generals, it was already too late. A blow like lightning crashed over the top of BlackRose’s head.

“Ow!!”

Her pained cry was lost in the attack sound effect of the second blow as it came crashing down.

Her status display immediately turned red, and the critical warning count began to sound.

Shoot. We were completely at their mercy. The weapons in their hands more or less ignored the player’s defense stat, delivering critical damage.

Even as I used a Healing Elixir on BlackRose, I thought it might only be just in time. The third monster still had yet to attack. Should I keep using Healing Elixirs, or would it be better to have a Resurrect ready?

In that moment, a brief but shrill sound echoed throughout the dungeon. It was a distinctly different type of slashing sound from both the monster’s attacks and BlackRose’s counterattacks. It was like a hard object cutting through water.

The Armor General poised to strike BlackRose froze mid-swing. As its coloring became jet-black, like ink, it toppled over and vanished. The other two followed suit, turning black and vanishing in the same way.

We were stunned. We had no idea what had happened. Just then, a petite figure appeared from around the corner.

“I told you so. It’s a good thing I came back.”

It was Spoke, the girl PC we thought we’d parted ways with above ground.

“This dungeon is dangerous for a two-person party. Monsters like the ones just now appear in droves,” she said, pointing down the corridor with her broadsword. Was it even a broadsword? Its shape had changed from when I saw it before. The metal curled loosely around like a snake, laying the blade tucked inside bare.

With a wave of Spoke’s arm, the strange weapon folded up and returned to its rod-like shape in the blink of an eye.

“Therefore,” she said, smiling, “would you please let me into your party? I'm sure I’ll be helpful!”



The monsters got noticeably stronger from the mid-point of the dungeon on. Along with Armor Generals, other bothersome enemies that were immune to physical attacks started appearing in groups.

If it had just been me and BlackRose, there was no doubt we would have been forced into difficult battles we likely couldn’t have won.

So we were really grateful for Spoke’s helping hand.

With her young, innocent appearance, she didn’t look it at all, but she was actually quite a powerful warrior. Her strange, completely indescribable weapon left behind a lingering effect like a vacuum wave as it repeatedly sliced through the monsters. I’d never seen a skill like that before.

“That’s an amazing weapon,” I told her. Spoke gave me something of a distant look.

“Do you mean that in the good sense or the bad sense?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, sorry! Of course you mean that in the amazing sense. Hahaha. Yeah, it is pretty amazing, huh?”

Somehow, our conversation was getting slightly off-track.

Once the Armor Generals were taken care of, I suggested to BlackRose that Spoke come with us. Furrowing her brows, she pulled me into a corner and whispered, “Are you sure it’s a good idea to get a regular PC involved when we have a databug to fight?”

As she spoke, she glanced nervously in Spoke’s direction and lightly cleared her throat. “Well, that is… She does seem pretty capable, but still, it’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

Whenever fighting a databug, there was a chance that one could fall into a coma.

Honestly, when the time came for the bracelet to disappear, I didn’t want some unrelated third-party there.

Shaking my head, I whispered back, “But she’s come this far already, and even if we argue she might decide to come along. That would just be even more dangerous. It would be safer for her and for us if we added her to our party.”

“I’m fine with it if you are,” BlackRose answered, shrugging.

When we conveyed this to Spoke, she leapt for joy.

“Wow!! Thank you so much! Oh, we should exchange member addresses, huh? I’m so happy! I’m really touched!”

Her words made her seem incredibly happy, but her laid-back tone lacked the same enthusiasm, making it sound like she wasn’t touched at all.

Image

When we made it down to the 5th floor, something suddenly came to me.

“Um...Spoke, are you by chance a foreigner?”

I was thinking of Sanjuro, who role-played an old-style samurai. He was an American living in South Dakota who loved period dramas enough to access “The World” through a Japanese server.

I felt like Spoke’s slightly off way of speaking and her odd word choice were in some ways similar to Sanjūrō’s.

Spoke tilted her head to the side as she walked. “‘Foreigner’? …Oh. No, I’m 100% purely native.”

“Oh.”

Sure enough, I had no idea what exactly she meant by saying it like that.

“Instead of asking me about myself, how about you tell me more about you?” Spoke asked, grinning as she peered at me.

“For example, how about… Yes, that.” Her gaze fell to my right hand. “You could tell me about your bracelet.”

I looked at Spoke, shocked. Her usual smile was plastered across her face.

“I’d love if you could tell me about the adventures you’ve had with it!”

I knew some not completely truthful information about the bracelet was being passed around among some of our most maniacal fans, so the fact that Spoke brought it up wasn’t all that surprising to me. What did surprise me was how she looked at my hand as she talked about it when she wasn’t supposed to be able to see it.

Without thinking, I tried to hide my right hand behind my back. “Um…can you see it?”

“Yes, of course,” Spoke answered, nodding firmly.

“Do you mean to say that you cannot see this nice bracelet? Even if you can’t see it, as long as you know it’s there, it’s the same thing as seeing it, right?”
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Xu Yuan »

Now that is interesting! I hadn't expected that AI's would have had the same programmed response to being asked about whether they could see the Bracelet. It is good also to get concrete info. of the dangers of fighting a Data Bug. Another Birth sort of danced around this but since it was coming from just BlackRose's viewpoint it wasn't really clarified if fighting a Data Bug could really send one into a coma (she seemed to believe it was) but with Kite echoing the same sentiment it is likely something they were told "off-screen" by either Lios or Helba if they are so certain of it. I'm not so sure why Level 90+ Kite and BlackRose were having trouble with Level 19 foes like Armor Generals, but I'll just assume it's because stats and such may work differently in the actual "The World" compared to the video games. The idea that the Broadsword-thing can be flipped into a more compact manner does hearken to the Goddess Scythe, so I could see that point of relation.
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Adhemas
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Adhemas »

I'm not so sure why Level 90+ Kite and BlackRose were having trouble with Level 19 foes like Armor Generals
You mean the General Armor, not the Armor General - it seems like there are a bunch of them with almost the same names. I can't really remember which one they're talking about here since I played it ages ago (and the wikia doesn't have an image) but they seem to be an Omega server monster.
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Xu Yuan »

Oh, you're right. It is Armor General which is a Sigma server foe. That lines up pretty well, it's the second highest rank of Armor in the game.
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Lindz »

O.o Spokes peace out sure didn't last long! If those Armor General's are the baddies I'm thinking of they are understandably tough even at L99 in the game. They hit hard and are non-elemental so they're not easily cheesed with skills.
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Kuukai »

Her words tugged at my memories. I felt like I’d heard that from someone before.

It didn’t take me long to remember. It was Mia—the mysterious cat PC who was always hanging out with Elk, the timid Wavemaster. When we first met in Mac Anu, she looked at my right hand and said that to me.

Image

“You know, you added me, a complete stranger, to your party…” Spoke continued, her smile never wavering.

"But, you don’t trust me completely. Right? There isn’t just 1 and 0. Ambiguity is permitted between Yes and No. Humans are interesting, aren't they?"

Again, she used Mia’s words. How could she know what Mia had said? And what was her point in plagiarizing it for us?

It was like the juvenile girl PC before me had suddenly transformed into something completely unknown.

Mia’s true identity was actually Macha the Temptress—one of the eight phases that made up Morganna. As our ongoing battle with Morganna escalated, Mia regained her past form and abilities, and she stood against us as an enemy of the .hackers.

Thinking about it that far, I was filled with horror.

Could Spoke…could this Heavy Blade’s true form possibly be a phase?

No. Deep down, I knew that couldn’t be it. That simply wasn’t possible. With the exception of Mia, who we rescued after the Morganna Incident, the Eight Phases should have been completely destroyed. They should have been fully deleted by this bracelet.

“That such a person can wield a bracelet with such a high density of data is particularly interesting. ...Huh? What’s the matter?” Spoke asked, looking back at us.

Without realizing it, in a grand lobby on the lowest floor, my feet had come to a halt.

BlackRose, who had been scouting up ahead, came around back to us. “It’s a linear path from here on out, without any Magic Portals. We’re almost to the Gott statue room.”

She must have realized how tense I was as she was speaking.

“What? What happened?”

Spoke continued on as though BlackRose wasn’t even there. “Despite that, you haven’t let me see it once, have you? Data Drain, that is…”

I took a step back from Spoke. Now at my side, BlackRose looked like she wanted to say something, but I stopped her with a hand. “How do you know about that?”

Spoke’s grin only widened, the corners of her lips curling even higher.

Never mind the bracelet, no one outside of the .hackers who fought in the battle against Morganna should know about Data Drain, one of the bracelet’s illegal skills.

“An intimate acquaintance told me all about you. That person said that Kite of the Azure Flame was the hero who saved both this virtual world and the real one.”

She didn’t answer my question.

In a detached tone, she continued, “That person instructed me to go along with you and learn from you. But they didn’t specify exactly what it was I should learn.”

“So I’ve been observing you two ever since you warped to this area, even before we met on the field. Since the moment I saw you. What I’ve seen is—”

“—you’re afraid that when the bracelet disappears, you’ll lose the connection you have with your friends.”

I was shocked. Somehow she saw right through to the innermost depths of my heart and laid bare the worries I’d been trying to keep hidden. I clenched the hand held behind my back.

For me, the bracelet was a symbol of the bond shared by the .hackers. I felt as though losing the bracelet would also mean losing the connections I’d made with my friends along the way. By ridding myself of the bracelet, wouldn’t I also be severing that irreplaceable bond? Wouldn’t it be the same as throwing away those memories?

“Why do you know that about me?”

“‘Boku’ again?” Spoke shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated way and let out a deep sigh.

“I have to say, I’m disappointed. All I feel from you is fear and reluctance to lose. Nothing more.” She shook her head in disappointment. “You’re far too immature.”

“Now you wait just a second!”

Image

BlackRose, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly pushed past me and strode up to Spoke, glaring at her.

“I keep my mouth shut and you sure just say what you please, don’t you?!” Her tone was the same as the time when she’d snapped at Balmung in the cathedral.

“Where do you get off being so arrogant? What do you know about Kite, anyway? Why wouldn’t he be a little hesitant? It’s only natural!”

Surprised by BlackRose’s outburst, Spoke’s eyes widened slightly, but her enigmatic smile quickly returned.

Stepping back slowly, she spoke as though she was lecturing us. “To begin with, you two don’t seem to fully comprehend the situation. You’re misunderstanding.”

“The bracelet disappearing…”

She started heading back the way we came.

“That it’s only natural to hesitate…”

Once she was past the entrance to the room, she looked back at us and grinned.

“You’re operating under the assumption that you’ll be able to delete the Data Bug. Don’t you think that’s a funny hypothesis?”

Her tone retained its persistent innocence. As she spoke, I thought I felt the floor shake slightly. “The world will accept change. The Data Bug is attempting to change with it. He’s desperate to survive.”

When I noticed it, the walls began to pulse. The ceiling was distorting weirdly and becoming curved.

As it spread static from the floor, countless vines rose up and wrapped themselves around me and BlackRose.

“No! What is this?!” BlackRose cried.

The area beneath our feet caved into a mortar-like shape, and the carnivorous plant that had us in its grip started to drag us down, ready to trap us and devour us in its digestive juices.

By now the entire room had gone wavy, and that characteristic corruption was embedded everywhere.

The last Data Bug in “The World” wasn’t a monster, but a dungeon floor. In other words, it was leeching off of the background scenery. The room itself was one massive Data Bug.
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Lindz »

That sure is a weird foe! Rooms an areas normally got bugged out but not quite like this! Between that and Spoke, Kite & BlackRose really oughta just nope on outta there >.>
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Re: .hack//Legacy

Post by Xu Yuan »

Oh hey! Morganna did this same tactic when Subaru, Mimiru, and Bear were going to the Helba Gate to talk with AI Harald. Interesting to see this concept re-emerge. That's pretty neat! I am curious to know where Spoke's sympathy for the Data Bug is going to go, or if it's part of a larger narrative thread.
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