The Terminal War.
The war that shattered the sky
The war that turned underground into an abominable hellscape
The war that brought Humanity down into an abyssal gutter
The war that ended fifteen years ago.
You are an Echo Strider. A specialized operative with the duty of delving into The Deep. The mission set of mapping, sabotaging, and if the cost-benefit allows, dying in The Deep.
So far, you and your Cell have turned out nominal.
Until one mission. A goal of tracking a mysterious signal has you reeled into events that are far above your station.
The Deep is alive.
The Deep is hungry.
And The Deep is watching you.
Hello everyone. This is my first long term story so all feedback is appreciated.
For feedback, any is appreciated. I would most like feedback on…well dialogue, clarity, and any sort of structural problems. Typos are appreciated (There is probably a lot.) as well. Additionally, I would like feedback on the personality system. Basically your choices in the prologue and chapter one determine how your protagonist speaks, and you choose how they think about a situation, how they react etc. The big things.
However, I am a bit iffy on this due to it potentially limiting how you want your protagonist to come across, so if this becomes a big problem than I’d rather nip it in the bud.
Currently, I have a prologue (approx 5k words) and one chapter fully finished (approx 24k words) and around half of chapter two finished (approx 17k words). This chapter is mainly a rough draft so far, since some portions I feel aren’t that good. However classes are starting for me soon so I want to get something out. So total is now 51k words
Additionally, I have added an 8k codex (not included in word count) for player convenience. Also some of the portions will have additional details, and I have not added The Deep codex juuust yet, but that will come in the next update.
For the next update, it will include the rest of chapter two which will introduce the first relaxed character moments, the introduction to the rest of the ROs (Depending on choices) and more major choices of the chapter. I will also revise Chapter one, adding some flavor text with the characters, typo and streamlining the text to make it seem less repetitive.
The features:
Four personality types that dictates how your protagonist talks based on the choices you make on the Prologue and Chapter one.
Three specialization types on how your protagonist solves problems. Combat, Adaptability, or Insight.
Currently planned for four(possibly five) romance options, two introduced.
Salve (Male): The Cell’s medic. Rationally Minded and focused on keeping you all alive. Even if that means being a controlling figure.
Appearance: Dark brown hair that is cut close to his ears. Beige skin that has been made pale. Sharp dark green eyes that seem to bore into you. Sinewy and agile physique. Slightly below average height.
Gauge (Male): The Cell’s Technician. Irreverent and faithful, but with a dark past that dictates how he feels about himself, and his relationship with others.
Appearance: Wavy black hair that goes over his ears. Upturned hazel eyes, like he always has a joke on his mind. Olive skin than has turned gray, almost blue in some parts. Very thin physique, almost too thin for a Strider. Average height.
The Vulture (Gender Selectable): A Mobile Reaction soldier. Confident, brash and all too talkative. Has taken a particular interest in you for some reason. Is this just some mechanism to cope with their environment, or are they truly interested in you?
Appearance: Blonde hair that goes past their ears if male. Blonde hair formed in a messy bun if female. Sunkissed skin, and light brown eyes that seem to shine easily. Tall and muscular physique.
The Liaison (Gender Selectable): A Vigilant agent who has a particular interest in the Strider Regiment for an unknown reason. Kind and charming. If you prove yourself capable, they will trust you with more secretive tasks. You cannot tell if they are using you for some wider goal, or are interested in you particularly.
Appearance: Dark brown skin with black short cropped hair if male. A professional bun if female. Dark brown eyes that are constantly flicking around. Slighter taller than average. A lithe physique that fits well in a suit or skirt.
For content warnings, this is a darker world so be prepared for that. PTSD, traumatic flashbacks, gore and combat. State oppression, mentions of drug use and addiction.
Here is the link for my demo: CoGDemos
I also have made a tumblr in case anyone wants to follow it or ask questions. I will post updates there: https://www.tumblr.com/communities/symphony-in-the-deep-official/post/805466010768539648/symphony-in-the-deep
Art credits belong to texugo_ink for the cover art.
AI Disclosure: No AI is present within this story.
No — This project does not contain the output of Generative AI
Yes — This project contains the output of Generative AI
! I’m very intrigued and it is certainly an interesting premise, can’t wait for more 
