With every outstanding invention or new technology developed, you, more times than not, find it is born with the best of intentions. However, there is that side of humanity that lurks in the shadows and seeks to abuse such things, primarily for personal gain.
Shortly after the NISM discovery and creation of PIMs from Life Surge Studies 5 years ago, there was an 'incident'. The TNN never reported any story or news about it as it was dismissed to be a misunderstanding between a few employees.
Rumor has it, a few words that are often taken out of context like 'freedom' and 'control' were thrown around. Maybe they were enticement opportunities or maybe they were sincerities in their root meanings, nobody knows for sure except the ones that were there in that room.
What is certain, is that two unsanctioned copies of the schematics for the PIM were downloaded that day and left the building. Where they went? Your guesses are as good as mine.
It wasn't long after the first prototype testing phases were completed that Life Surge Studies became fully funded. People were throwing money at them left and right and hand over foot, trying desperately to speed up the process of what they finally understood they were doing. People loved it!
It was also about the same time, that you would hear a few odd stories involving animal thefts. I don't mean people going to your local pet shop and taking home a kitten they didn't pay for. I mean actual animals stealing things.
One story that came across the wire was about a rat infestation at a bank. The rats seemed to be hungry for the cash though and infiltrated the vault with ease through the floor and the contents of the vault disappeared with the swarm into the sewers.
Another a few months later, involved a buffalo and an elephant, that had a liking for 'destroying' ATM machines - and taking the contents inside with them.
The most prominent of these bizarre thefts was that of several trees falling on and destroying a string of armored trucks in various cities across the globe. Once a few trees crushed the vehicles, murders of crows came swooping in, snatched up and and flew away with the bags full of cash.
People will do what they have to to get the money they need I suppose. Or want.
What do they call that? Malicious? Where someone is spiteful though show no true hate? It's what the crimes were. Nobody got hurt physically, but it was discovered to be done with a purpose nonetheless.
You see, there were some that have abused the technology and turned it into a money making machine. By beating NISMs into submission or humanly tricking some of the critters into battling and doing their bidding, it gave rise to what we now call factions. The Malicious being the first in their pursuit of power, dominion and control.
The money they stole (and a few years later took credit for) was used to develop their own type of PIM, though almost identical to the ones on the market today. The only option they left out was 'befriending'.
Now, the Malicious faction is everywhere having slowly and quietly spread like the disease greed is, beneath the widely popular and loved, Life Surge Studies highway to understanding NISMs. The Malicious Faction controls and operates underground pit fights between NISMs and run a black market for buying and selling NISMs. They are everywhere.
They cannot be stopped.
Or can they?
These will be treated like a PVP encounter with a few modifications. Faction membership and wagering will be the things considered that make these interesting. A player does not need to be part of a faction to enter in a pit fight. The matches will be determined by whoever enters first. There is no level matchmaking and no reveal as to who is next in line or in front of you.
Pit fights are run by the controlling faction of certain buildings or areas. Players do not win anything from the bets unless they place one themselves and/or are a member of the faction controlling the building. A player wins the entry fee minus the 25% faction rake.
A pit fight initiates when two players visit the ‘building’ and put up their entry fees. Upon two players entering, a round of bets will be taken after the players are revealed. Only 1 NISM per pit fight. These are battles for real money and the winner of a pit fight will get whatever the entry fee was minus the faction rake.
In this game, factions will be offered and able to be joined. Ultimately, player created factions will rise. A warning will be announced when you enter a faction’s area (even if you are a member) asking you if you wish to proceed and how. Visit the Warehouse or Enter a Pit Fight. While at a faction building or area, there will also be a list of all the faction members, starting with any friends, proceeding to enemies and then other players. This can be seen in the Faction Warehouse as a submenu alongside the other choices. It is not mandatory for a person to be a part of any faction. However, once a person joins, they may not join another faction for 6 months. They may leave at any time. There will be advantages to being a member of one though.
Some quests in the game will only be able to be completed by the cooperation of a faction. This is to encourage team building in the hopes that people make a few friends along the way.
Outside of the player factions, a fully functional NPC faction will exist called ‘Malicious’. They are the bad guys in the game and can often be found farming NISMs to battle in their pit fights or defacing properties across the planet. If they see you, the lower ranked ones will most often attack without warning and force you to engage in a battle. The descending ranks (currently) go from General to Captain to Enforcer to Grunt. More may be added as the game evolves and the players help to shape it.
Sorry James, not this time. In the next issue, we will delve into what bonds are, how they are created were discovered. Man's best friend? Shero to the rescue? DO plants have feelings? Does your guinea pig look like you? Does your fish follow you? What about the whales?
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