Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/20525996/Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Joker%20QuestEquipment FAQ: http://pastebin.com/UedDDkeFRecap: You are ANON, the RED JOKER. In our last instalment, you visited NARA DREAMLAND'S grand opening, on a double-date with your best friends KAZUYA and NATSUMI. Things seemed to be going fairly well with HECATE, until - At an attraction named the MANOR OF DUSK - you and KAZUYA ended up playing a solid-light shooter based off the red world, with the former RED JOKER as the last boss. Needless to say, you're still a little shaken.
The Cafe Au Latte is a small - But heavily licensed - restaurant set on a terrace, overlooking the futuristic metropolis of Umbra City. Like everything to do with an amusement park, it's over-decorated and over-priced, and as such has clearly been doing a bustling trade today. Still, it's a decent place to catch your breath...And after what happened at the Manor of Dusk 'attraction', you've found yourself in need of that. "We were so *worried*~!" Natsumi exclaims - Her brown eyes wide with mingled relief and exasperation, her untouched iced coffee slowly perculating in the heated air. "-When *both* of you vanished like that, and the door closed...We didn't know *what* was going on!" At her side, Hecate nods in silent agreement - Though she seems slightly more amused, the toe of her boot nudging against your foot as she clears her throat, softly. "It *was* a surprise," she admits...Before her slim shoulders lift in a little shrug. "-Still, at least you're none the worse for wear..." Looking faintly sheepish, Kazuya rubs at the fading bruise at the side of his mouth - "I can't believe that was all a game," he mutters, almost to himself. "A little warning would've been nice, sheesh." When the Red Joker's...double, ghost, spectre, whatever...fired, the game came to an abrupt end. The lights came back on, the toy guns in your hands ceased functioning - And then there were calm directions to leave by a far door, replace your coats and weapons...(Continued.)
-All of that, and you never saw a single member of the staff, or heard a human voice. Perhaps it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise - You've heard that Nara Dreamland is mostly automated. But given the eerie resemblance to the hellish crimson underworld, and your predecessor's appearance...Well, you can't help but wonder. [ ] "Sorry, Natsumi - We didn't see it coming, either."[ ] "You didn't seem *that* worried, Tsukimi."[ ] "You all right, Kazuya? That's a nasty bruise you got there."[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20576688Fuck yeah, Joker quest. Been forever since I caught one of these. Who's tsukimi, by the way?
>>20576753(That's the alias Hecate is going by.)
>>20576688> [X] "You all right, Kazuya? That's a nasty bruise you got there."Yeah, he got pistol-whipped by a hologram. Bet that smarts.
>>20576688> [ ] "You didn't seem *that* worried, Tsukimi."She's probably seen some serious shit, but she ought to warn us about stuff like this before it happesn. unless hecate just finds it funny.
>>20576688[ ] "Sorry, Natsumi - We didn't see it coming, either."
>>20576688Awwww, she was worried about us. That's cute. > [X] "Sorry, Natsumi - We didn't see it coming, either."
>>20576688[x] It was a surprise, but you have to admit that it was pretty awesome. We got to shoot ghosts, you got to go Chow Yun Fat and slide down a banister, sure some warning would have been nice, but you have to admit it was really damn cool.
> [X] "Sorry, Natsumi - We didn't see it coming, either.""I know," she says - Though her eyes are a little red, as she glances away, trying not to tear up. It's...actually quite nostaglic. Natsumi always was a bit of a crybaby, when she was younger - Well, up until middle-school, anyway. To see her like this...It really takes you back. "-I know, it's just that, it's just that I *thought*..."> [x] You have to admit that it was pretty awesome. We got to shoot ghosts, you got to go Chow Yun Fat and slide down a banister, sure some warning would have been nice, but you have to admit it was really damn cool."Boys will be boys," Hecate sighs, taking a slow sip of her drink - She gives Natsumi's shoulder a sympathetic pat, and the other girl sits up a little straighter, visibly composing herself. It seems they're getting on a little better now, which is a relief. "It was, wasn't it?" Kazuya agrees, with a wry chuckle: "-Ah, it's too bad we didn't *win*, though...We were so close to the high score." About a thousand points short, to be specific - Going by the list that flashed up on the screens afterward. No. 1 on the list was Visitor No. 86, PAZ - Capping things off with a close-to-perfect score.Your friend tips his head to the side, his brow slightly furrowed: "Is everything all right, Anon? You've been kinda quiet, since you froze up at the end..."[ ] "-I didn't freeze up. I just missed the shot."[ ] "I was just a little surprised, that's all."[ ] "I thought you'd been *hurt*, Kazu. Can't blame me for being worried."[ ] "The last guy...He looked like someone I knew."[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20576957[ ] "I thought you'd been *hurt*, Kazu. Can't blame me for being worried."
>>20576957[X] "I thought you'd been *hurt*, Kazu. Can't blame me for being worried.""It was a tough shot and the red cowboy who showed up out of nowhere caught me off guard and was rather fast. I was expecting another big monster and I didn't correct fast enough."
> [X] "I thought you'd been *hurt*, Kazu. Can't blame me for being worried."That's right. When he yelled out like that - For a moment, you thought something had gone inexplicably *wrong*. He looks distinctly embarassed, rubbing at his cheek again; "-Yeah, that was my bad, really...After the Boss turned up, I must've tripped, or *something* - By the time I was up, it was all over."He nods, as if confirming it. "Sorry about that, by the way. By the time I got up, it was all over. But the *look* on your face!" Kazuya attempts an odd, focused grimace - A stare of absolute concentration, squinting as if to peer down a sight...A look that was probably etched on your face at that *precise* moment, all the more ludricious for it's dead-eyed seriousness. It's enough to draw a delighted laugh from Hecate; Even Natsumi can't help but smile. "-Still, there's always next time, right?" Kazuya goes on, with a shrug; "We were pretty close, anyway."[ ] "Did I *really* look like that?"[ ] "Hey, that's not funny."[ ] "...Speaking of 'time'..."[ ] "-So, where are we going next?"[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL
>>20577048[ ] "-So, where are we going next?"
>>20577048[X] "Did I *really* look like that?"[X] "-So, where are we going next?"
>>20577052>>20577051> [X] "Did I *really* look like that?""Absolutely," he says, with a solemn nod. "-It's not so bad," Hecate muses aloud - Her stocking-sheathed leg brushing lightly against yours, beneath the table; "I've never seen you look *that* serious before...It's quite charming, really." She flashes you a little smile; After all, she's seen you *fight* before. > [X] "-So, where are we going next?""Let me check- Oh, crap...The *time*!" Something must've jarred Kazuya's memory, as he glances down at his watch; Standing so quickly his chair skids back across the floor."-We're almost late for the Dreamland Flyer's...I didn't think we'd take *that* long!" The Flyer...? Oh, right - The largest Ferris Wheel in the world, and one of Nara Dreamland's main attractions. In all the excitement, it must've slipped your mind; Kazuya had free seating for it's opening, but you're a little behind schedule, after that unexpected detour.[ ] "-We can still make it, if we hurry."[ ] "Settle down, there's always next time; Let's just go somewhere else."[ ] "It's all right - I was thinking of heading back, anyway.[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20577153[ ] "-We can still make it, if we hurry."Watch something ends up with Hecate and Kazuya sitting together and Natsumi and Anon.
>>20577153> [ ] "-We can still make it, if we hurry."How often do you get to see something like that? Go for it, don't waste the chance.
>>20577153[X]"-We can still make it, if we hurry."
>>20577153[X] "-We can still make it, if we hurry."There's no way in hell we're going to miss the world's largest ferris wheel. I mean the romantic potential alone is worth it, not to mention the view. Let's go.
Fortunately, it isn't actually *that* far away; There's a tram route up the winding path to the foot of the Flyer - One that cuts down the travel time immeasurably. You reach it well within the alloted time; A few minutes early, though there's already a growing crowd milling at the entrance, a serried row like the teeth of a fractal dragon. It's...quite something. The giant Ferris wheel - Or an 'observation wheel', as a convenient plaque informs you - reaches 44 stories high, making it quite literally the tallest Ferris wheel in the world...Eclipsing *both* the Star of Nanchang and the London Eye, by a fair amount. Countless capsules - Climate-controlled, capable of seating two people comfortably or four people in a pinch - adorn the spokes of the Flyer, which is beginning to turn in a slow, majestic counter-clockwise rotation...The top almost reaching all the way into the clouds. As you're waved on through, after flashing the express pass, Kazuya stops to look up; "Now, isn't *that* something," he sighs, in something like awe - The soft flicker of the wheel's lights like tiny stars as late afternoon turns to early evening. You notice he seems a little nervous...Though 'eager' is probably the better word. You see Hecate and Natsumi walking slightly ahead, giving you a moment alone with your buddy. "I think it's going well so far, don't you?" he comments, shading his eyes with the blade of his hand as the cars rotate closer - "...So, who's coming with you?"[ ] "Natsumi, of course."[ ] "Tsukimi, of course."[ ] "You, I guess?"[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL
>>20577355> [ ] Tsukimi, of course.Let's go with hecate, since we have a choice. The other options sound like comedy ones.
>>20577355[X] "Tsukimi, of course.""Kazuya, have fun with Natsumi."Give him a proper brofist. We get to spend time with Hecate, he gets to sit in a nice private compartment with a great view with his girl, I think this is the best choice. Kazuya would be a fun bro option but we just had some serious bro moments and choosing Natsumi would send all sorts of wrong signals everywhere.
>>20577355[ ] "Natsumi, of course."
> [X] "Tsukimi, of course."> "Kazuya, have fun with Natsumi."> Give him a proper brofist. "That's what I thought~!" he laughs, with a 'saw it coming' grin - You tap fists, before the capsule alights with a *hiss* of servoes relaxing...He has time for a quick but heartfelt - "You too!" - before he settles into the car, helping Natsumi up the step. You see him wave to you, as the capsule lofts upwards, like a bullet in a revolving cylinder; The next one lowering smoothly in its place, the doors cycling open. Hecate giggles, as she clasps your arm in hers - Glancing up at you sidelong, tugging you towards the capsule. "Shall we~?" she inquires, her voice lilting; Green eyes bright with mingled excitement and mischief alike.[ ] Free. YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20577520> [ ] Free."Of course, my lady. Our chariot awaits."
>>20577520"Of course Milady, it would be my pleasure to join you.Would you care to make a bet on whether anything goes horribly awry? Standard wager of course."
>>20577562We already lost the first one. Seconding this, by the way.
>>20577579That's the best part about the bet, losing the bet is a good thing as it means nothing went wrong, and no matter who wins we're going to get a kiss sooner or later.
>>20577579>>20577551>>20577562She smiles ~ Giving your arm a little squeeze as you step into the padded interior of the car. It's a small space, but a cozy one - Made exceedingly comfortable as the capsule seals with a gentle hiss of climate-controlled air. It's an exo-capsule design, attached outwards of the wheel structure; The glass crystal-clear, the curving smoothness marred only by the discreet steel framework. Beneath you, the ground falls away - As with silent smoothness, the capsule rises on the pre-determined path......And you're off. It'd take about a half-hour for the Flyer to complete a single rotation - But for the first five minutes, no-one speaks, watching the faces beneath receded to nothing, the faintly dizzying sensation of being seated in air filling you with a momentary vertigo...One that fades, as Nara Dreamland - And beyond that, the city - stretches out before you, seemingly into infinity. "It's beautiful," Hecate breathes - Her voice soft, hushed, slim fingers barely grazing the glass as she looks out the window. She looks absolutely awed, an expression of nearly childlike wonder on her elegant features, framed by midnight hair. "I never...I've never seen anything *like* it before..."[ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20577630> "So are you."I'm getting flop-sweat here, OP! I don't want to screw this up.
>>20577630"It really is beautiful Hecate. Everything is just so small down there, and entire city stretching out underneath you. The lives of so many people contained in something that's looks so small and so big at the same time.I'm glad I came here with you. For the first time in ages, because of the Manor of Dusk, I got to see the "game" as a game again, something I could truly enjoy instead of knowing that every time I did it my life was on the line. And now I get to spend time watching the city below us alongside the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Thank you for coming, thank you for letting me show you Anon as well as the Red Joker."
>>20577664Oh shit, swag at critical levels. Totally going with this.
>>20577664Hecate goes silent; Silent, and so very, very still, the beginnings of a blush spreading beneath her pale skin. Silhouetted by the soft light as afternoon shades to evening, she looks lovely, ethereal - Her lips curving in a warm, gentle smile."-You always know *just* what to say," she murmurs; Her emerald eyes meeting yours, holding your gaze *just* long enough to make you feel pleasantly uncomfortable. For a moment, it seems she's about to say something more, her lips parting...-And then there's light and noise, as the fireworks go off. This high up, they're more brilliant than you could imagine; Starbursts of rocketing light, expanding into brief neon flowers of sparks. One after another, crackling as they light up the evening - Fanning forth in bursts of multicolored illumination, dazzlingly bright. All the lights below - Like countless gems, studding the black velvet of the city - come on at once, with a golden glow like the dawning of a new sun. You hear the soft scrape as Hecate's pale hand moves to cover yours; She leans towards you, just a little, her voice meltingly soft, honey-sweet."-I'll think...I'll take that kiss now, Joker-kun..."It's almost a whisper, as her eyes squeeze shut; You feel the slightest tremble to Hecate's fingers, her lissome form arched and poised for a single exquisite moment... [ ] Free.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20577768Give her the kiss we owe her.Embrace her, pull her close, give her a long, sweet kiss on the lips.
>>20577768> [X] Free.Hold her hand, bring your free hand up to cup her chin. Then wait for her eyes to open, and THEN kiss her.
You can feel the slow, pleasant shiver running up Hecate's spine, as you take her into your arms - The soft, breathless little sound she makes, her long, long lashes fluttering as her lips part just a little more...She weighs nearly *nothing*, as you pull her close ~ The warmth of Hecate's form pressing up against yours, her head tilting back as you cup her chin, the crisp surrusation of her midnight tresses grazing against her cheeks- ...And because you're facing her, you're the first to see the shockwave, as it sweeps across the world. A wave of distorted reality, that brings with it the red, red, *red* of the crimson world- All of this happens in a mere moment, an eyeblink. In a cohered flicker on an instant, you feel the cold weight of your armor settle upon you - Your fingers becoming crimson gauntlets, the heated *thrum* of your internal reactor cycling up to speed...You're not alone.Outside. Outside, floating impossibly in space - Visible through the window - There's a *shape*. A form, in black and brown and gold, the inky blackness broken by the brilliant flash of lone stars. You see its arm draw back, the light catching the razor-sharp edge of paired daggers, ready to drive *right through* the glass- > HP: 100%> METER: 5%> COBALT BOOSTER: 100%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 100%YOU HAVE CONTROL
>>20577856Goddamn it. The Red World is totally conspiring to cockblock us. On the bright side this counts as something going awry so she'll owe us a kiss afterwards.Survey our surroundings, what do they look like, what room do we have to move, all that useful stuff. How far away is the enemy?Activate the afterimages of the Shroud.Open fire with the Vulcans on the hostile, it doesn't look interested in parley.Prepare to dodge out of the way of the attack its about to preform.
>>20577856Use one hand to shoot at the image which is most likely a reflection, the other to shoot behind us where this dude is probably camping out at our backside waiting to shank us.
>>20577856TACKLE HIM.This is no place to fight. >>20577907>>20577897I agree with these two, but we need space. Activate the Scrander, and slam into him at full speed. Hecate's safe here, let's drive this bastard out of the window.
>>20577935holy shit, do this. Body-slam him, and grab onto him so he can't get away.
C-c-c-cockblocked?!FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
>>20577956I'm not sure we want to stick close to him. We're primarily ranged and this guy has sharp things attached to his hands.
You have a moment - Just a moment - to register you're *still* in the Dreamland Flyer...Or rather, a dark reflection of it, wrought of black iron. You can hear it *groan* as it moves, see the milling chaos beneath in the bright flash of your enemy's blade - He's driving forward, a stabbing thrust meant to piston his daggers right through the glass...-You feel the talons of your boots scratching the metal floor, pushing you upwards; Your arms pushing Hecate down and to the side, as she lets out a startled squeal - Her eyes opening, a half-formed protest on her lips as your Tempest Scrander swoons to life- There's a rush of boiling air, a dizzying acceleration as you leave the ground in a single violet surge of motion, your arms out and clawing, the static charge erupting in a powerful burst of thrust. It *kicks*, so hard you go right through the window, in an explosion of safety glass - The cold air wrenching at you as you cannon into the pitch-black killer...And out into empty crimson air.-And then you're falling. The Tempest Scrander spits lighting, the world a frantic, whirling blur of limbs and blades; His arms trail behind him, the two of you locked together as you begin to *fall*...It's not just you. Beneath, you can make out the milling forms of confused Players - The amusement park suddenly far more empty, as if the gothic stylings of Noctus have enveloped the entire area. Beneath, there's stabs of light and fire - The loping shapes of Correctors...But right now, all that matters is the killer you've slammed into, at impossible speeds - The ground rising up, up to meet you...[ ] Aim at something soft.[ ] Aim at something hard. [ ] Kick him away.[ ] Hang on to him. [ ] Free. YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578042> [X] Aim at something hard.> [X] Hang on to him.We're going on a ride, motherfucker. Hope you brought your ticket.
>>20578042>[x] Hang on to him. put him between us and the ground.
>>20578042[X] Aim at something hard. [X] Hang on to him. Use our new friend as cushioning. Also use Cobalt Booster and the Assault shroud to cushion us from the fall damage as much as possible so that we don't break our legs.
It's a long way down. Locked, you begin to tumble; Your opponent's - PUSH DAGGER, your HUD reads - struggles becoming increasingly frantic, as he realizes what you're doing. He flails at you - You hear the *screech* of his blades raking across your arms, as he tries to dislodge you, unable or unwilling to use his hands...Even as your Assault Shroud stiffens in anticipation of impact, the blue light of the Cobalt Booster igniting you from within."YOU'LL DIE TOO!" he shrills - And you can hear the panic in his voice. His legs end in anti-gravitic repulsors; You can hear them sputtering fitfully, struggling to recohere, the wind a thundering, buffering howl in his ears. "YOU BASTARD, *YOU'LL DIE TOO*!"You're not listening. You're *aiming* yourself, his body between you and the ground; Heading right towards one of the surreal attractions below, a carousel playing alien melodies as you plunge towards the obsidian streets...The impact is so total, so complete, it blots out all else.His body, your Booster, and the Shroud breaks your fall.Your fall breaks all the bones in his body.You hit the ground like a fugitive meteor, as you plough through the roof - Shattered fragments of sharpenel hurled out in all directions, as you come down hard enough to leave a crater, the entire merry-go-round collapsing inwards...(Continued.)
>>20578141Tch. that will teach you cockbolck people.give him a smug look
For a moment, you black out. Just for a moment. You awaken to screams. Panic, utter and complete and total - You're buried beneath a tangled cascade of fallen beams and painted horses, the rubble shifting and sliding as you stir...-And outside, all hell is breaking loose. There's a fight - A pitched battle of some kind - raging amid the various attractions, still ghoulishly playing as lightning splinters the sky - but mostly, there's panic and ruin. You hurt *everywhere*, but nothing's broken. You see prowling shapes, all fangs and carapace and morphing horror - You see confused Players fleeing, thrust suddenly into a nightmare they'd never expected. Something like a cobalt knight flies through the air over you, ten meters up, his legs missing. He hits the cobbles so hard his form splinters, sucked away in a haze of green light. But most of all - Amid the milling chaos, you see more Players, moving with intent. At first, you think they maybe be Argent Prominence's men...But the Correctors ignore them, brushing past as if they don't exist. It's easy to identify them - Each one *stalks*, turning to fire at the fleeing prey, flushed out by the monsters. Each one bears an odd symbol - Like a smiley-face, marked in rouge and greasepaint. In all the chaos, no-one seems to have noticed you; But you're still half-buried beneath rubble, as a short-lived inferno detonates somewhere close - Enough for you to hear cackling laughter, as another black-and-gold figure strides past, the crossbow on his arm racking with luridly-glowing bolts. The archer takes aim, and something in the distance explodes - His back to you, a crude, leering face spray-painted on his plate.> HP: 71%> METER: 21%> COBALT BOOSTER: 80%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 51%TIER ONE WEAPONRY UNLOCKED.YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578208(Forgot my pic.)
>>20578208These guys seem rather evil. And I think for things going this horribly awry Hecate is going to owe us at least two kisses.Very very quietly get up, sneak behind the archer and at very close range unleash a Cobalt Boosted Plasma Caster. Then we can easily finish off the crippled schmuck with Casters.
>>20578208...so, its our fan club?...we have to expect doujins?!
>>20578208FIRE THE MISSILESOn your feet, joker. This is no time to be lying about, we've got ass to kick.
The rubble shifts as you push with it - Your form's growing faintly with green light, motes of essence drawn to you as you shove a fallen beam away. At the very edge of your vision, you can make out Push Dagger's form crumbling to nothing; The iron spike of the carousel impaling him, a great wound that weeps emerald pixels.There's a clack, as the archer - PYRITE ARROW, the tag reads - takes careful aim, a bolt racking into his launcher with a snap of his wrist. He fires again, his shot spitting at a distant target; You don't see what he's aiming at, but you hear a scratchy, concussive clap of smoke and hard air, glass pieces and chips of stone rattling down like hail.You hear him say, distinctly: “Hey, check it out — did you guys see that? I think that was the *Red Joker*!”A tinny buzz, on a nearby channel.> "No fucking way."> "No, man, I think he's *right*-"> "Do we kill him?""*Kill* him? Before I get the first shot?"(Continued)
>>20578215>SaggitariusThis is not anything except for what bullshit is
Everyone, raise your hands if you think Pyrite Assbag just sniped Hecate.
>>20578281> "-think he got Push-" He's looking in the wrong direction entirely, as you level the Plasma Caster at his back - The barrel smoldering with blue light, trickles of superheated plasma making the air smolder. When you fire, the blast punches into him - Then *through* him, flechettes of flickering azure energy erupting from the front of his cuirass, with a nova-flare light. You hear Pyrite Arrow scream, foully, as he's punched off his feet - Ghostly flames writhing against his armor as he crumples, struggling to *turn*...-And then you launch two missiles at him."Oh f-" he begins, before another explosion hurls him aside like a ragdoll. Odd - Normally, your weapons shouldn't have *that* much of an effect. But then why...?Pyrite's on his back, one leg mangled as he glares up at you - The autoloader on his crossbow cycling. "It's - It's *really* him-" he gurgles, through a cracked visor - Still stunned from the blasts, his gauntleted fingers digging at the cracked ground. "He's *right here*..."> HP: 71%> METER: 8%> COBALT BOOSTER: 70%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 51%YOU HAVE CONTROL
>>20578333>>20578281How many of them are there? What the hell is going on? This is exactly like a terrorist attack.
>>20578333I was hoping for a bit more meter returned from blowing him in half but oh well.Level the Vulcans at him, blow him into smoldering chunks, first target his crossbow launcher and blow that arm to bits and then move on to his head/neck until he's dead. After he's down we need to find a vantage point.
>>20578308If Pyrite Sagittarius sniped Hecate there is no force in the world that can save him now. There are no gods that can save him, no correctors either.And if there was a Kamen Rider he'd be on our team.
>>20578353As much as I would love for Red Joker to have a scarf I think we already have sufficient clothing to flutter behind us in form of our duster. And I don't think he got Hecate, she knows how to keep herself safe, probably took out another Player.
>>20578333We should Vulcans him down and pepper hostiles with missiles.
>>20578333Finish him.The arm that houses the crossbow- aim for the shoulder and shoot it off with vulcan fire.Walk up to him pepper him to death with both vulcans.Pick up arm as trophy. Seek new target.
>>20578333TALK"Who are you bastards? what the fuck you want from me?!"
>>20578347I'd do what this guy suggests. Kill him to death with the vulcans, no real point in blowing more meter on him.Also see if we can carve the joker sigil into his body, though I don't think we can actually do that.
You can hear confused voices over the channel - Confused *and* excited at once, a babble of conflicting noises.They're *laughing*. "Wait-" Pyrite gurgles - Pushing himself upright, best as he can, one arm outstretched as you level both Vulcans at him. "Just *wait*, man-" Then he makes his last mistake; Or maybe he just realizes you're not going to stop. His arm comes up...But then death-heat blasts forth in blurts of fire, plasma munitions chewing into his arm in scorching bolts of energy. The complex arbalest visibly deforms under the fire - It explodes, with an explosive arrow readied, and his voice rises in a static-distorted scream as it blows his arm off. On the channel:> "-out of luck."> "-haha, guess Pyrite's dead, then.""You *bastards*-" he begins - Before you let rip with a long, staggered volley of fire, the scorching shots stitching across the ground to him - You shoot him so many times he literally *shreds* apart, a well-aimed round detonating his helmet. The gold facemask spins away, clattering across the ground as it glances off the toe of your boot. As he shudders apart, in an emerald-tinged wash, you're aware you're on the verge of your next advance...Just a bit more, and you'd be ready...(Continued.)
A Player - on fire from head to foot - stumbles past you and collapses on his face, already disintegrating. There's no rhythm, no reason; You stand in the middle of an odd circle of calm, the hunting calls of Corrector packs in the distance. Perhaps you're in an area that's already been cleared out, because there's no immediate resistance - It's strangely tranquil, as your Plasma Vulcans cycle down, the barrels slowing their spin.You can still hear vague voices crackling from the shard of Pyrite's mask:> "...still there?"> "...hell was that?"> HP: 71%> METER: 24%> COBALT BOOSTER: 70%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 51%YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578437I say we pick up the mask and let them know we're still here.
>>20578437Get the mask, and listen in. > "Who the fuck are you people?"
>>20578437Carve our symbol as quickly as possible. I want them to fear us.Keep the mask with us, I want to keep abreast of enemy communications.Get some altitude, find a good vantage point to identify more of these smiley faced fuckers and blow them into pieces with our Vulcans. I'd like to store Meter if possible, get up to the Railgun so we can just play sniper and pop heads from a distance.
>>20578437Pick up that shard of Pyrite's mask. Maintain radio silence, but use the chatter from the players on this frequency to track their movements. See if you can't intercept them reporting to a leader of some sort.
>>20578455I prefer "Hello, I'm the Red Joker, and then we maintain radio silence. Or crush the mask. Either or.I'd also accept "Pyrite can't come to the phone right now, can I take a message?"
>>20578472There's supposed to be an endquote after joker, whoops.
You retrieve the gold shard - It's cracked, but you can still hear the bleating voices over the channel. > "-xus, are those cars burning yet?"> "-coming towards you, Bellion. Let the Correctors do their work."> "...anything from Dagger yet?"> "-think Pyrite is dead-"> "-trying, but the Chrome bastard is still in the way-""Pyrite can't come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?"Silence. The channel goes dead, unnervingly silent in an instant. *Almost* quiet...Except for the faint screams in the background, the howls of the Correctors, the snap and crackle of weapons discharge...> "Who is this?"> "-kind of joke-"The beginnings of your symbol have already been carved, into the ground - The scorched forms of Push Dagger and Pyrite Arrow forming the 'eyes'. Whatever remains of them is combustible, apparently...Because a quick blurt of plasma fire is enough to touch them off.It begins with a slow-moving flame - A burning sigil that leaps to the ruins of the carousel, and takes light. It spreads, until it forms a familiar symbol - The flaming grin and harlequin face of the Red Joker's symbol, sketched wide onto the ground below. > "Are you seeing this?"> "-not a joke, it's really him..."The babble begins again, until-> ENOUGH. One word, heavy and leaden with the weight of meaning. > I WILL FIND HIM.> CONTINUE.The channel cuts off, in a ear-splitting *squeal* of feedback. Beneath your perch, your symbol - writ large - smolders into the crimson night. Your Tempest Scranders kicks, as you use the thrust to propel yourself to a high walkway...Possibly part of a roller-coaster, now twisted metal and bare girders. (Continued.)
>>20578558To the west, a ferocious point-blank war is going on; A ragged bastion of outmatched Players fighting back, furiously. To the east is the Dreamland Flyer - Some of the cars are burning, now, other missing like the stumpes of ragged teeth...But still it turns, lights flickering fitfully.And right before you, to your North...-Something is coming. > HP: 71%> METER: 30%> COBALT BOOSTER: 70%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 51%YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578564Okay, find a high up point which is difficult to attack and gives us the benefit of defensive positioning. Prepare for whatever is coming from the North, he sounds like the leader of this merry band and thus is our highest priority.
>>20578564I think trying to meet up with Cypher might be a good plan. On the one hand he's under fire too, on the other it sounds like the goonsquad'll back off for their boss and having Cypher with us couldn't hurt.
>>20578564Face the challenger head-on, fire one of your vulcans into the air- let him know just where we are. If the mask shard still works- "Come and get me." If not: Flare the cobalt booster when it gets in range and prepare to attack.
>>20578649I'd rather not, let him get close, unaware of our position and get the drop on him. Revealing our position means we don't have the element of surprise. We don't know his capabilities, he might just throw artillery at our position if we reveal ourself.
You wait a moment, for your Scrander to recharge - And then you leap again, emerging high on the curving upper face of an artificial edifice. You're not sure what it was, in the real world...A raised stage, perhaps, or the flat roof of a viewing terrace. But here, the surface is hard and polished like ice, the pearly flanks of the vast structure arching away to a ground far, far below. The curving metal tracks of the rollercoasters and rides - Some of them violently trunctuated, now - frame your perch...Silver around cold white stone. You wait for your enemy, at the top of the world. Other than the flames and the tinny sounds from below...It's almost tranquil. When he arrives - It's like the coming of night. You make out a cloak of tattered stormshroud, venting smoke and ashes. It *smokes* with coils of darkness, a thing of mingled screams and tortured echoes...Floor-length robes (A cassock?) draped around a form nearly skeletal in its starkness, crowned with the pagan horns of a jester's cap. Tiny spheres orbit the fell figure, seething with patient tics of lightning. It doesn't walk. It hovers.The name reads:PAZUZU.YOU'RE SMALLER THAN I EXPECTED. The words bypass sound - The meaning arriving fully formed in the centre of your brain. A faceless face crooks, a smoking talon aimed at the ruin below.ENJOYING THE SHOW?> HP: 71%> METER: 30%> COBALT BOOSTER: 70%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 51%YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578677Okay, expect wind based attacks, keep our distance and he's probably going to throw those balls out at us, when he does so we need to either intercept them with out own interceptors or blow them out of the air.Make sure the afterimages are active. Put all three Interceptors out with orders to defend us and intercept incoming attacks."You show is rather boring. It's completely unoriginal. Not a single element of it wasn't cribbed from somewhere else, no creativity at all. You even stole the jester image, that's just sad. I'm going to be honest Pazzy, you bore me."Open fire with the Vulcans, aim for the center of mass currently. Keep our distance.
>>20578677Holy shit. I think we've just met the last member of our little game.> "You're the Black Cardinal."
>>20578677"I assume you're the one responsible for all this?"
>>20578677[X] "Not nearly as much as I will enjoy witnessing your end. It is not my place to tell you to feel some iota of regret for your actions or the actions of your comrades. I am merely felt you should be informed, enlightened before your passing. Coming here was a mistake, your last."
> "I assume you're the one responsible for all this?"> "You're the Black Cardinal."He bows. Standing on solid air, as if on earth, he *bows* - A low and courtly gesture, the hem of his cassock untroubled by the boiling wind. GUILTY.> "I'm going to be honest Pazzy, you bore me."> "Coming here was a mistake, your last."Your Interceptors undock, whirring through the air in scything arcs - The forearm sheaths of your Vulcans ratcheting open, the still-smoking barrels spinning up to speed. Nanofibre fumes from your Assault Shroud, as you- ...A violet light, vaguely familar, issues from everywhere and nowhere at once. There's a substantial distance between both of you, as you take aim; A blizzard of scalding shots sizzling across the distance, as fast as you can fire-Pazuzu spreads his fingers, and rectangular sheets of azure fire - One after another - come at you, like playing cards or baffle curtains. They expand as they come at you, going from transparent to translucent, heading for opaque - Your gunfire seems to stop their approach, chewing through the middles, one after another...But each rectangle holds longer than the one before it-...Something's wrong. Your Interceptors tremble in the air, taking on a violet-tinged glow; You see them beginning to shudder, the ground shaking slightly beneath your feet, like a sound at the very edge of hearing...And then Pazuzu making a flicking gesture, and the tiny spheres orbiting him speed away on parabolic trajectories, tumbling towards you like tiny comets - Lazy and languid as if they have all day.> HP: 71%> METER: 34%> COBALT BOOSTER: 70%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 46%> INTERCEPTORS: 3/3YOU HAVE CONTROL
>>20578784Cobalt Boost the Interceptors, turn them into lean, mean, defensive machines. Keep on firing with the Vulcans, don't let up. Focus on the incoming balls and cards. Launch one missile in a parabolic arc above us towards him, see how he reacts.
>>20578784Use the Cobalt Booster's photonic burst, in the confusion charge up the fusion annihilator fully.
Damn, it's pretty obvious he's messing with the physics of the battlefield somehow.
>>20578822That seems a bit early, we don't know how he's fiddling with physics yet and I'd like to have more data before we invest a lot of Cobalt Booster and Meter into attacks.
>>20578837Yeah, we should fire one missile in a parabolic arc and one missile in a straight trajectory to see what happens.
You keep firing - Plasma bolts shearing through the air, the charging coils growing hot - as your fire spatters against the at-range shields; They move to intercept seemingly without any guidance, as bony fingers trace bizarre, alien sigils...-The first sphere slams into the ground, and bursts. You hear a rising *roar* in your ears, as a terrible force nearly wrenches you from your feet - The air churning in a violent, short-lived slicing vortex that slashes deep, infinitely thin furrows into the ground- And your Tyrant Burst system flares, in an eye-searingly bright flash. He clearly didn't expect that - You see the shrouded figure *flinch* back, right as a single missile launches from your Triskelion pack...An Interceptor slices through the air, and meets it head-on; The explosion gouting flame into the coming night.*Your* Interceptor. You have a moment to think - What? - as a second drone turns on you; It cannons into from the side, spinning fiercely, the energy field sparking against your Assault Shroud. The third one shears *past* your head, narrowly - It skips off the ground, wobbling, coming at you again...-And a second sphere explodes at your feet. It's a concussive blast, this time - You're bodily flung back, tumbling and skidding, but you get your legs under you; To see *your* Interceptors, now glowing with a sickly violet light, circling like predatory vultures...Pazuzu's recovering - He's apparently cancelled whatever he's doing, beginning again, lofting slightly higher, as if hoping to get out of missile range...> HP: 64%> METER: 40%> COBALT BOOSTER: 58%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 32%> INTERCEPTORS: ???YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20578871Holy fuck, he's hijacked our Funnels. LAUNCH MISSILES.LAUNCH A FUCKLOAD OF MISSILES. Backpedal, and start shooting our traitorous Funnels. down. Do NOT give this guy any more time to cast spells.Have any of our opponents used magic before? Because this guy is using magic.
>>20578871That motherfucker, he jacked our little buddies. I'm not that worried about heat from the plasma bolts, the level 3 upgrade we got for them is rather efficient at dispersing heat. Though give them a short break every once in a while. Don't use up any more meter for now, our best chance of penetrating his defenses is to get the Railgun ready. That should pierce right through them. He's trying to get away from the missiles and has our interceptors, missiles aren't the way to go right now.Try to shut down our interceptors, unpower them. Keep moving around, dodging our own interceptors, focus fire on the spheres and our own interceptors if we can't shut them off.
How is he *doing* this? You've never seen anything like this before, as you break into a sprint, firing double-helix chains of plasma bolts up at your hovering opponent - The barriers he's conjured rotate around him, like a panoply of mirrors, soaking up your shots. Fortunately, he's not quite as accurate with the spheres; They detach from his orbiting halo, speeding towards you at irregular intervals - Each time you burn them from the air, they implode in a swirling cascade of wind, the fires below writhing in tongues of leaping flame, the gusts buffeting by not harming you- ...Why aren't your Interceptors *listening*? Your shots glance off their cutting fields; They're perversely hard to hit, looping in crazed attacked runs - One speeds past your head before it can correct, and it hits the ground so hard it *detonates*, crumbling upon itself as the remaining two come from your left and right at once. They're just not obeying your mental commands, streaking down towards you in time to Pazuzu's gestures- He's holding something in his hand. Actual *cards* - But of a make you've never seen. They catch the light, glinting in the weird illumination of his barrier - Before he lets one fall from his hand, where it embeds itself point-first in the ground.LOCKE, your HUD informs you - Even your concentrated fire blows one, then the other Interceptor from the air. The smoldering metal wreckage *pings* on the ground, as a bandaged form takes shape...Just a sinister silhouette, a half-translucent hunched figure bleeding into reality...> HP: 60%> METER: 49%> COBALT BOOSTER: 58%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 32%> INTERCEPTORS: 1/3YOU HAVE CONTROL.
>>20579007(Apologies, that should be 0/3 Interceptors.)
>>20579007Keep moving, get as much distance from Locke as possible. Focus Vulcan fire on Locke, I'm not seeing him as having any ranged weapons so blow his legs out so he can't close the distance. I'm hoping that blowing Locke apart is going to get us some more Meter. If he launches any more sphere divert one Vulcan from Locke to take out the sphere.
As Locke takes form - The card going blank, depicting only an odd mural of criss-crossing chains - you're right there to meet him with plasma fire; The blurred roar of your guns spitting cohered flame, as they slam into the coalescing form, making it stagger and buck and *fall*- The new arrival falls straight down, without grace - Bandages smoldering in places, scorched by plasma flames. Before you can blast him to pieces, Pazuzu interposes himself; The last remaining shield now sporting rents and tears, tattered robes writhing in unseen winds...-And a bony hand traces one final sigil, and the world turns itself inside out. You're assaulted by a sudden and immense vertigo - The world *spinning* madly, field of vision warped and twisted; Until you can't tell if you're standing or falling, much less *where* you're aiming...Right as a weird yellow light *flares*.Somewhere amid the mad funhouse your world has become, you see Locke sway s-l-o-w-l-y to stumbling feet; A glittering...Key?...clasped in one hand...-Then there's a horrid, spreading *weakness*. You feel an awful malaise spread over you - Green motes rushing out from a rift in your chest, a rift that looks *exactly* like a tiny keyhole. It feels - It feels like it's slowly draining you dry, and the world is *still* spinning in distorted horror- Somewhere, somewhere close, you can hear Pazuzu laughing, as a long shadow falls over you.HOW DOES ITFEEL> HP: 51%> METER: 63%> COBALT BOOSTER: 58%> ASSAULT SHROUD: 32%TIER 3 WEAPONRY UNLOCKED.
>>20579137He's not remotely playing fair. It looks like locke is a DoT character, and our brains are scrambled. Time to launch as many missiles as possible, and hope for the best. Either that, or try to aim the cobalt booster lasers forward.
>>20579137Okay, this is very much not good. We can't aim currently but keep firing in their general direction with Vulcans.Lock ourself to the ground with the things we engage when we use the Longinus aimed at them.Tyrant Burst, photonic burst in their general direction. Try to disrupt whatever the both of them are doing. Once we no longer are suffering from Vertigo aim at Pazzy and introduce him to a cobalt boosted railgun shot.
>>20579137(Ah, crap - My apologies, gentlemen, but I really need to stop here for now. I'm really sorry to leave you mid-fight, but I'm afraid I quite lost track of time while running the Quest. Due to pressing work issues, I'll do my best to run the next instalment this coming Thursday - Or, failing that, this coming Sunday.Once again, thank you very much for your interest; Good night, and god bless. Any further action posts will be reflected in the opening of the next session.)
>>20579200See you when you next run it.
>>20579200Well, damn. Any guesses on who Pazuzu is?
>>20579137> Somewhere, somewhere close, you can hear Pazuzu laughing, as a long shadow falls over you.that means he's standing right over us. PLASMA CASTER TO THE FACE.
>>20579226Assyrian demon of storms, famine and locusts.This Pazuzu already admitted to being the Black Cardinal, or at the very least his successor. He's dangerous, has minions and has lots of tricks up his sleeve.
>>20579226My guess is that he's the coolest motherfucker that tried to kill us until now.
>>20579268Paz is around since the sumerian civilization actually.Also Abaddon's death locusts of killing are a pretty straight citation. the locust=ruin is a pretty common image for agriculture based populations living in arid and plain areas, I guess
>>20579312Biblical, too. This game is getting interesting, given that we appear to have met the main antagonist now.
>>20579137So he has...What, he has some players trapped in those cards?
Augh, I don't believe it, I even checked for this before I went to sleep.So, Pazuzu. Despite OP using Nyarlathotep for one of his post images, I really doubt we're facing anything like the SMT Pazuzu, so wind magic is unlikely to be his specialty. It does seem that he's got other Players in stock, so to speak, but I'm going to guess that they're some kind of doppleganger. Hmm... can we see Locke from where we are? Assuming yes, since Joker can see the key. Here's the plan: Make like Mazinger Z. Activate the Tempest Scrander to rocket tackle Locke (screaming BIG BANG PUNCH is suggested to complete the reference). Whether or not that does damage, get the key from him. I think he's level/experience draining us, so getting the key is a priority.While in transit, queue up all six Fusion Annihilator shots. If we manage to get the key from Locke, and if he's not dead, fire two of them to put him out of commission. UNLESS Pazuzu happens to be close. In that case use all six on him.After that I recommend growing sideburns, because we've obviously have gone into super robot territory if this works. For full disclosure, I was listening to Getter Robo as I wrote this, not MZZ. Still awesome.
>>20580901Whoops, I seem to have made a mistake in reading how the Fusion Annihilator works. I was under the impression that it was a beam you could fire multiple charges of simultaneously if you charged it, rather than a beam that got more powerful as you charged it. Since I was wrong, I'm going to suggest a six times charged Fusion Annihilator beam to PAZUZU's face at Tempest Scrander acquired point blank range. That should catch him off guard since no one who knows we have the Scrander is alive. Chase Locke down and end him if eliminating Pazuzu doesn't do it then and there. Make a point of getting that key, Kingdom Hearts tells me that inserting keys into glowing keyholes fixes broken things.Also, Locke? Stealing things? I'm shocked you didn't save that one for the Thief.
>>20581041I'm wondering if this is the first time we've actually seen evil players. Like, the other players just wanted to fight, but these guys are obviously evil bastards and are having the time of their life.
>>20581118Hard to say. I'm not even talking about how most of the players we meet seem to have an agenda. This is a game where people have to kill real people to get stronger in the game. We don't know how someone becomes a Player, what the winner gets, how the game started, and why the deaths are necessary. What we do know is that it's a game where the rule is kill or be killed, but there's no sign that there's any kind of enforcement of the PvP matches, and there is an alternative to player killing in the Correctors, meaning that everyone from the Thief to Black Joker to our player is killing people because it's the easy way.A lot of this could be explained, however, if the answers are unknown even in universe. If there's no tutorial fairy or whatever, and you wake up one day in the Red World in armor and then are on your own, of course you're going to have no idea what's going on.. Anon/Red Joker always needing to ask questions would make a lot of sense if most Players are lone wolves who don't get involved in groups and thus don't share information, thus leading to huge knowledge gaps like who major Players are and the existence of the Correctors. And, hell, why everyone wants to kill Red Joker.
>>20581211Pazuzu reminds me a little of Rakdos actually.
>>20581265He seems like a total dick, though he looks suitably ominous. Am I wrong, or does he seem to be using magic? Has any other player used magic?
>>20581376I don't think it's magic. Sufficiently advanced technology?I've been wondering for a while, but it seems like there's two kinds of Player. There's the guys like our character, who wear Kamen Rider armor and have an "Adjective Noun" naming scheme. Then there's the other guys, who are named after demons/monsters, have attacks that don't seem to involve guns or power weapons, and seem organic rather than technological. Could be that's the difference between this game and previous ones.
>>20581500I think you're close, but not entirely correct.1.) There's us, the Red Joker. We're unique.2.) There's robotic players like Argent Prominence and Chrome Cypher. Metal, then title. These seem to be the most common type. 3.) There's players named after demons, like Pazuzu, Derlug, Baphomet. 4.) There's lightly-armed skirmishers like the Thief (Totenaz) or Abyss. They have light armor and are great in melee combat. 5.) There's entirely human players like Hecate. 6.) There's the black joker.If we're going with the different card suites, six different types of players make sense.
>>20581500My guess is that he does have unique powers of some kind. We have guns, other Players have melee weapons and armor, and the two swordsmen we met have incredible combat skills. (If the thief is the same 'type' phantom edge was.)Otherwise, what does he have? Those stupid exploding orbs?
I sincerely think this is the coolest quest running at the moment. maybe its only tangently /tg/, and not deeply rooted in the neckbeards elemental plane, but fuck me sideways I enjoy everything in it, from the setting to the action, to the romance shenanigans.great work OP.
>>20581641I'm thinking about gravity, or density control.creating a separate dimension bubble is theoretically possible with a supermass that bends space and time around itself. also it could explain those electromagnetic charges.
>>20581588Abyss had a two part name as well, it's just he had a sword that ALSO had Abyss in its name.Red Joker is definitely of a kind with the metal units. The armor IS metal, but specializes in mobility rather than taking hits. Except for the world breaking super laser, there's nothing innately special about the Red Joker except that it can be passed on to another. I still wonder if Black Joker is cut from the same cloth. Really good point about the suits, but we don't have enough information to do more than guess. I think Hecate might be another unique existence, maybe even more so than RJ.
