File: 1350797975667.jpg-(58 KB, 623x336, buildingexplosion2.jpg)

The turrets in Bardiel's - Or rather, the thing that Bardiel has *become* - blunt wingtips open fire, hosing down the obsidian platform with autocannon shells. Flagstones disintegrate; The warped gargoyles and blocks shiver apart beneath the hailstorm of rounds, as you fall back into the dust and debris...

-Even as the hovering gunship's missile racks slide open, and hurl explosive death at you.

He's become a thing entirely without grace; A predator-winged shape that idles on gravimetric suspensors, blue fire burning from thickly clustered thrusters studding the matte-black surface. It bristles with weapons - A turret in each wingtip and one in the chin, missiles growing outwards on contrails of smoke and flame from launcher racks along the upper body.

Two great, crushing claws - Like an eagle's talons - whirr as they're brought to bear, the ruddy particulate glow of beam emitters burning to crimson life, tracer beams jagging through the dust and debris, searching for a target...

Hunkered behind your shield, buffeted by overlapping detonations, you cross the ground on your back. You're fighting on top of an obsidian tower, like a half-dozen mismatched buildings violently fused into a single form - Across a surface half the size of a football field, weird growths of stone and spires reaching skyward like grasping fingers.

Bardiel's laughter booms through external speakers, cackling and deranged. If he'd been thinking straight, he'd have strafed you to death from above - But some unknowable instinct keeps him from true flight, the great bulk of his altered form hovering in place...Sensors clusters whirring as they hunt for your crimson form.

(Continued.)

“Come out come out come out come out, little piggy…” he giggles - When he laughs, he sounds like a child, brittle and shrill.

As if on some silent signal, a bell *tolls*, close by...Again and again, the ground trembling as the tower begins to *move*. Platforms rise and fall in random, morphic pandemonium...The ground beneath your feet begins to descend, a momentary visual barrier between you and your opponent.

You're winded, shot, burnt in a dozen places - Your breath cycling harshly through your searing lungs, as you stagger to your feet. You have a moment to gather yourself...

> HP: 92%
> METER: 26%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 74%
> INTERCEPTORS: 4/5 (2 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21217603

Don't give away our position, just yet. We know where he is, but he doesn't know where we are. Use that against him.

>>21217603
Oh look, if we had a meter upgrade we'd be able to do something!

/belaboring the point

Well, we've got cover, he's got flight. Our best chance is to play hide and seek with him, our laser drones, and our Vulcans. Can we deactivate the drones? Put them on top of some of the rock formations and turn them on when he's not looking at them, fire, move and turn off. That way we can build meter and keep him from concentrating fire on us.

Also, evening OP. Hope your week went better than mine.

>>21217530

Shitshitshit.

Get a targeting lock on him. Move away from this area to a better firing position. Are there any obvious weaknesses to his jet form?

>>21217603

Oh man, if only we had the Shroud right about now....

Stick to cover for now. Outflank and feed the fucker plasma. He has the high ground and is far too big to fit inside the building (unless he decides to blow a hole in the side.

So let us play the rat in the maze. Hit and run.

>>21217703

>yfw the drones last hit the murder-gunship and steal the xp.

We should repaint our drones blue. They need the luck.

>>21217809
>Red Joker
>paint gear blue

I'm just going to let you think about that one.

Odd question, what music do you listen to when reading/responding to the quest? I'm using the Persona 2 soundtrack, since it has a theme for every occasion.

If he isnt moving that sounds like a perfect opportunity to use the tyrant blast on second highest setting.

"You can't hide from me, Joker - Come out and play~"

There's a buzzing hiss, a staticky *snap* to the air - Then the bitter *crack* of beam discharge, splinters of ruby-red light blasting indiscriminately.

"Bastards. Bastard. *Eat* you - Eat your city - Eat your *life*-"

If you listen, you can distinguish the white noise of his gravimetric engines - As you stagger to your feet, the overlapping towers rising and falling in irregular rhythm, like the crash of waves against the surf. You move, as smoothly as your aching body can manage - stealing from one platform to the next. Your Interceptors zip away from you, towards better firing positions, until...

"I *seeeeeeee* you-"

The ripsawing growl of Bardiel's weapons slash out; You hear a squeal of feedback as one of your Rifle Bits explode - Deranged on hatred and drugs, he's firing indiscriminately, using everything his new form has...And that's a *lot*.

Except he's firing the wrong way. You're flanking him, behind and to his right: On a roof with slanting granite walls, like rocky safety barriers. A deep, mournful grinding of gears comes from below, and then a slow *rumble* as your new perch begins to rise...In a few moments, it'd be elevated to his altitude.

Behind the bladed front of Bardiel's form, the angular hull thickens into muscular buttresses of matte-black plating, looped and riveted with ribs of silver. The twin claws stab forth from the hull in tusks, the rear portion splaying into six heat-blackened cones, each one fuming with thrust.

(Continued.)

>>21217890

We're already go fast. Our little fellas need the luck. You're not thinking Orky enough.

I typically have SomaFM playing for everything. Currently listening to Journey's OST at the moment, however.[/spoiler

Your Vulcans cycle up into place - The right-arm gatling whirring slightly, as sparks flicker along the mounting, barrels slightly warped from the superheated bite of the cable - and you let rip. Green light flares, plasma bolts snap-hissing through the crimson night; The blasts stitch across Bardiel from behind, erupting in juddering gouts of fire...

-And then the Cobalt Booster in your chest pulses, a powerful linear stroke of light stabbing forth. It's like a lightning bolt, a single horizontal slash of power that smells of ozone and molten metal - Slashing out from your Tyrant Burst system, slicing into Bardiel's drive systems.

Whatever his grossly oversized form is made of - It's actually *less* resistant to your gunfire. A fireball erupts, as one of his thrusters detonates - The hovering shape bucking forward, shuddering in sudden agony.

"THERE YOU ARE," Bardiel booms - One four-pronged claw thrusts in your direction, sizzling beams of ruby-red light stabbing at you. The Adjudicator takes one head-on; You can hear the metal hissing as it slags - before another ruby pulse stabs into your torso, a blast that punches the breath from your chest, that *kicks* you beneath the ribs.

You stagger back, a step - But Bardiel banks on his vernier thrusts, that huge shape moving with surprising agility - He's coming round to bring his front weapons to bear.

> HP: 85%
> METER: 34%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 48%
> INTERCEPTORS: 3/5 (1 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21218056
Exit stage GTFO. Tyrant Blind him, bring the active interceptor back and reposition it five to six meters to the right and go left. Once we're behind him do what we just did again.

>>21218056

Blind him with the booster, hit him with more vulcan fire, then retreat. We cannot tank the murder-gunship no matter how good we think we are. Have our singular drone go for the damaged thruster while he's blinded.

>>21218056
Keep on moving, move in the direction of his turning. Buy us as much time as possible of his weapons not facing us. Keep on firing those Vulcans, aim primarily at the thrusters for precision and turning.

I'm thinking Cobalt Boost on the Vulcans might be worth while.

>>21218130

>go for an undamaged thruster

I misread the post. Derp.

Then reposition and go for another thruster.

The more thrusters we damage or destroy the better.

>>21218116
>>21218144
>>21218161

Can we direct our drone to fly up a thrusters exhaust nozzle? Or is it too small to cause any damage when it explodes?

Since he's actually using mechanical propulsion now maybe we could cause his engines to overheat if we blanketed them with napalm from a few boosted rockets?

>>21218056
I say we launch the remaining 2 interceptors, Cboost them, and have them take out the turrets on his wings to reduce his field of fire.

Searing light stabs at you, scorching your armor, gears whirring as Bardiel sideslips - Coming around with the ponderous grace of a glacier, his roaring thrusters bearing him aloft. You blast away, your shots slashing deep furrows into the pitch-black hull of his gunship...

"*DIE*," Bardiel seethes - Heedless of the gundrone manuvering behind him, every weapon locking on at once...

-And facing *right* as you as the Tyrant Burst system flares forth with blinding light. You hear him *howl*, a long, drawn-out voxponder scream; He fires anyway, the muzzle of his turrets vanishing behind a curtain of fire.

You sprint for your life, springing through a cloud of fire and rotating fragments of stone, plucked from the floors and barricades wherever the rapidfire barrage follows you - Hitting the ground rolling, as angry detonations stitch all round, slicing at your arms and legs.

Every streaking ballistic shot contains a small explosive charge, ripping long ribbons of impact craters into every surface; But then your Rifle Bit fires a sizzling particle beam, stabbing at Bardiel's thrusters again, right as cobalt fire blasts into him from your Vulcans. Your right-arm weapon is chugging and spitting almost at random, now, in uneven bursts - The barrels cycling almost at random, retarding the fire rate.

Blind, he responds with indiscriminate destruction. The ray cannons studding the circumference of his form all blaze to life at once - The world going from crimson to an eye-searing red, as rapid-fire bolts raze the earth with random fury. A lucky bolt slashes across your back, another into your leg as you dive into cover - Right before Bardiel's claws smash into the ground, sending cracks skittering across the surface.

(Continued.)

File: 1350801277238.png-(366 KB, 547x308, jokerinterceptors.png)

"WHERE ARE YOU?" he howls, the grasping arms swatting the air - One of them clips your Interceptor, sends it spinning...The fusillade he sends in it's direction misses high, as it continues to fire at him, stitching his thrusters with particle beams.

"WHERE ARE YOU, JOKERRRRRR?"

The air seethes with charge, shimmering around Bardiel's form...Like a barrier, or the breathless hush that comes become a massive energy discharge. You see the top segment of the hull rotate and reconfigure - Sliding apart to reveal blackness within, as something rises to replace it...

> HP: 73%
> METER: 40%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 38%
> INTERCEPTORS: 3/5 (1 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21218201
>>21218190

(The gunship's flight utilizes a three-part system. There's what appears to be gravimetric repulsors, allowing him to freely hover; Vernier thrusters, for minor course corrections - And the big thrusters on the back, for (presumably) moving at high speeds.)

>>21218410
NOPE.jpg Full missile barrage. Macross ain't got shit on Joker.

>>21218410
Now I know this is probably a stupid question but, why don't we just bug the fuck out? He's blind and about to unleash something nasty and unlike him we haven't suffered a debilitating injury that we carry into the real world.

>>21218410
Fire boosted rockets into that gap while there are still gaps for the napalm to seep through.

>>21218456

Yeah, maybe we should take the chance and get the fuck out of here while we still can. We're hurting him, but this goddamn thing is a beast.

File: 1350801623034.gif-(773 KB, 550x400, pocketsand.gif)

>>21218410

Keep our laser bit on his thruster. Either the thruster or the bit has got to give.

I'd say drop one of our reserve drones to draw his fire away from us. Then while he's targeting it, blast him with more plasma fire before retreating once again.

If the drone is not destroyed direct it in assisting the other drone targeting the gunships thrusters.

>>21218430

Ah. Okay

>>21218456
Well, unfortunately we're fighting on top of hundred story high pillars and our jetpack is currently not with us.

>>21218410
How wide is the hatch? Any chance we could direct the interceptor through it and have it shooting inside of him?

>>21218488
Right then all of the misslees sounds like a good plan. Turning our interceptors into makeshift missles also works.

Need to finish before his backup arrives. And by back up I mean the dick who is using Bardiel to weaken us before they swoop in for the kill and the glory.

>>21218487
I'm going to second launching another drone to draw his fire. We should try and jump to another pillar and find cover from this next attack.

>>21218487

Changing my vote to missile barrage before retreating, but drop a second drone as a decoy.

>>21218508
Actually, I'm kind of wondering if maybe Argent Prominence really was at that hospital and, not knowing just how closely the Joker was working with AP, the smilers decided to use Bardiel as a distraction to ensure we'd be out of there way while they made a second attempt on his life.

>>21218556
>there
Crap I'm tired.

>>21218410
Bring the other rifle bits online and spread them out. Have them take pot-shots at him from cover. Try to work our way close unseen. Use a fully charged plasma blast to try and do some damage.

You launch missiles.

You launch A LOT of missiles. Like the chambers of an old-model revolver, your Triskelion launchers whirr as they rotate; Two, six, eight missiles roaring through the air on their first and final journey.

Blind-firing, crimson rays storm through the air - Instinct, or some kind of point-defense system? They fire at motion, one of Bardiel's grasping arms interposing itself - Intercepting no less than half of the barrage, as pellucid blue chemical flame swirls around the armored limb, eating into the delicate mechanisms. Two of your missiles fall short of the target, but land solid hits along the hull - Pyroclasmic flame flaring in lurid infernos, leaping along the jet-black surface.

The last two are *dead-on*...But they explode before they can connect, the tenacious fires clinging to an invisible furrow in the air - A forcefield? The gunship lists to the side, as your Rifle Bit detonates another thruster; Before a splayed column of superheated air roars forth from a rounded muzzle, slagging it in a cohered blast.

Even as your second drone zips away from you, to replace the one that's vanished, Bardiel rises up from within the ship; Countless cables uncoiling from his back, studding his form, linking him to the vessel - The field distorting the air around him, a weapon clenched in his right arm as the left hangs loose and empty at his side.

He's decided to compensate for his blinded sensors, by exposing himself at last.

(Continued.)

>>21218508

>yfw Bardiel has a close caption video feed straight to Hecate's prison where she gets a front row seat to watch us get wasted

Yeah, better finish this up quick. Rust is obviously around, Birdy thought we were him, initially.

>>21218596
Oh great. We've seen this episode before. And no Thief to bail us out. I bet s/he's watching anyway, the dick.

>>21218596
Tear him out of that thing. Leap, and rip him out of it. Cut the wires with the Adjudicator or whatever our sword shield is.

Launch missiles to cover the ascent.

"Just fucking *die*-" he snarls, arm muscles bunching to support his growling, churning weapon - Heedless of the fires gnawing away at his hovering ship, he blasts at you; A devastating horizontal column of rust-colored heat swirling towards you, melting the stone underfoot like ash in a gale.

Your cover shivers apart, slewing away like snow. You get the Adjudicator in the way, but it begins to melt beneath the fusion stream, liquid metal drizzling as the shape begins to warp and distort...

And below, as the prow of the ship follows Bardiel's motions, the articulated 'face' at the very front slides away in segments; You can see a charging element below, pinpoints of particulate light gathering - Fiercely brilliant, so bright that mere glimpses sends dark spots flickering across your sensors...

> HP: 66%
> METER: 23%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 38%
> INTERCEPTORS: 2/5 (1 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21218617
On the up side, the Fusion Annihilator is unlocked.

>>21218636
Well most of him anyway. Cut him out above his legs that way he won't be able to run away again.

>>21218645

Shit. We hit 30% a bit ago, so can we charge up the Fusion Annhilator?

>>21218662

No... unless we want to get flash fried.

>>21218636
>>21218658

Cobalt Boost BOTH ourselves and the Adjudicator, then LEAP at him and swing.

>>21218671

(Yes, Tier 2 weaponry was unlocked - My apologies, I neglected to include in the above post.)

>>21218056

>>21218645
Cobalt jump. I would make a Mazinger reference but I don't think the Tempest Scrander works like the Jet Scrander. I think >>21218676 has the right idea. Jump at him and stab.

>>21218662
Yes, yes we can. It remains unlocked. But we're currently on fire so it's a bad idea.

We have to stop being in this area, Cobalt Jump, get on top of him, cut him open with the Adjudicator and point blank Cobalt Boosted Plasma Caster him.

>>21218645
Cobolt boost the adjudicator, and leap. Then cut him out of that device and throw him back to the tower.

He doesn't get to die in battle. It's too quick and painless. That is a privelige reserved for those who do not incur such a seething wrath that we abandon friends when they need us.

>>21218645
Aw, come on! What happened to the retreating we were supposed to be doing?

Platforms are moving at randomish, right? We need to put something between us and him. Get to the edge og the pillar we're on and jump to a lower platform or ledge. Get out of the beam. He'll pursue so as soon as we're out of the beam Boost the Fusion Annihilator and prepare hit him the moment he shows his face.

Attach final two interceptors to our shield coat all three i booster and fire it at Bardiel.

>Crazy enough to work

>>21218645

Launch our remaining interceptors and direct them interceptor in harassing the newly exposed Wingless Bird.

Keep our shield between the stream of death and our fleshy meat-bits. Then retreat around a pillar or something.

Pop around the other side then feed him a fusion annihilator shot.

>>21218690
>>21218676
>>21218698
What? No! his guns track movement, we'll be shot to pieces on approach.

>>21218733
So we use the Interceptors as ablative armor.

>>21218741

>wanting to attack an elephant that flies with a pop gun

The amount of stupid boggles my mind.

>>21218741
Won't work, they're hella fragile.

You stagger upright, and force your battered body into a run - Then a headlong sprint, as the air shimmers with gathering pixels of light, as Bardiel swings his weapon in line with your chest. Your right-arm Vulcan fires a quick blurt of shots, green plasma exploding against his barrier field; He flinches back, for that crucial moment, as you bunch your legs...

-And *leap*. Your ribs crackle at the unpleasant contortions - A *roar* wrenched from your throat as you come down at him from above, limned in electric blue flame. Your remaining Interceptor zips into the way, as the point-defense system kicks in; The fusillade blasts them from the air, a beam slashing into your shoulder, your side, a direct hit snapping your head back...

Beneath you, the coalescing light drawn to the gunship's main gun explodes outwards in a line of brilliant white fire. You miss it by inches, feeling the heat against you - The armor plates on your right leg melt away, enough that you can smell burning hair.

(Continued.)

>>21218788

>YOU HAVE DIED

>WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A NEW CHARACTER? Y/N

>>21218788
Told you his turrets tracked motion.

>>21218812
Y
>Let's try a close combat class this time!

>>21218828
We knew that; problem is that we're hurting worse than he is and he's not spec'd to deal with melee. That cannon would have roasted us but good if we weren't within the area he can track WELL.

>>21218788

If the OP throws YET another bone for the stupidity of his players, then I'm probably out. That right there is a deserved death unless we rolled exceptionally high.

>>21218862
Not really. He's built more like a bomber; his weapons are on the underside so targets on the ground are easy to hit but it's not so great at AA--or melee. Get above those weapons and he's an easier target.

>>21218853
Like I suggested, we could have dropped down the opposite side of the pillar we're fighting on, taking us out of the beam and giving us cover. Did you even take into account that our health was only at 66% when you planned this?

Missiles roar out from your Triskelion launchers - Poorly aimed, dumbfired, too short to be properly armed - But that doesn't matter. His point-defense system swats them out of the air, all the same...And then you're past it, and *on* the ship itself.

Bardiel lets out a startled grunt - Metal rakes into place at the join where his wings *should* be, the gunship juddering as his convulsive motion wrenches it skyward. Single-edged blades - Like steel feathers - slash out at you, stabbing into your denuded armor, glancing off, gashing and slicing at you...

-But the Adjudicator's seething blade comes down anyway, colliding with the swirling sphere of his personal force field. Something like a blue supernova erupts; The point of contact becoming infinitely bright, infinitely *hot*.

As plates of crimson are wrenched away from your armor, you put all your weight into your swing - The Cobalt Booster like a hot ember in your chest, your left arm feeling like it's about to be wrenched out of the socket...

...And then the Adjudicator's blades punch *through*. The field is slowing it, but not stopping it - Your body arched in effort, held in place by the warring energies; Bardiel rills in his force bubble, frantic, as the blade comes closer and closer to him, dragging collapsing energies with it - The noise is deafening, all-consuming, as he brings his weapon up in seeming slow motion, taking aim...

Effort is writ taut in every inch of his form, as he struggles to keep his barrier from collapsing - Even as you fight to bring your weapon down.

> HP: 20%
> METER: 11%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 03%
> INTERCEPTORS: 0/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

(Holy shit.)

>>21218891
Wrong. Turrets are on the undersid and on the wingtips. He has near full coverage.

>>21218912

(Dice Roll results:

Gravitic Emitter: Miss

Anti-Missile System: Three out of eight hits.

Shrike blades: Hits, low damage.

Fusion Emitter: Lower initiative than you.

I cannot believe that worked.)

>>21218891

The sheer thought of jumping straight into the mouth of the lion just doesn't sit well with me.

Let the cybered up troll take the lion. At least if he's injured the lion won't eat 'em. Would taste of stale booze and soyburgers.

>>21218912
Not good. Keep on pushing with the Adjudicator. Put everything into it and shoot him point blank with the Plasma Caster.

>>21218912
Fucking hell, I knew it! [sarcasm]Great plan guys![/sarcasm]

>>21218912
There's no getting out of this without pressing forwards. If we retreat we'll be cut down by point defense.

Keep forcing the adjudicator, also, consider upgrading melee capabilities while we are there.

>>21218926

That is a lot of fucking weapons.

>>21218907
Out of 100? Pretty damn good. Stop thinking that this is warhammer, anime logic rules.

On the other hand... >>21218912. We're fucked. Last Cobalt boost into punching him with the Adjudicator, then plasma cast him with the other hand while he's distracted.

Also, pray.

>>21218919
Do they have full coverage? I assumed that they were on the wingTIPS, meaning they had horizontal and not vertical coverage.

>>21218907
How would we stopp our fall? By using the adjudicator to slice into the bloody thing? oh great now we are hanging against the side of a hundred meter him tower with no way to move. I sure hope there isn't a great big flying beasty that now has a perfect shot at us...Oh wait!

Of course this'd probably help if there were a picture or two of the battle firld but it just seems everyone thinks the layout is different and that skews our ideas of what is and isn't possible. I mean you could very well be right that it is a great plan.

>>21218912
Touch him with the Nihl Sphere?

>>21218912

Nihl Sphere. Keep the pressure up with the blade. Eek out whatevers left in the booster to give us that extra edge.

Rolled 52, 23 = 75

(One moment, rolling.)

>>21218955
Also a good idea!

A thought: A Nihl Sphere is the black sphere at the center of the Quantum Singularity Cannon.

>>21218945
Actually out of 125%
>>21218912
>>21218955
Nihl to drain his shield as we cut with Adjudicator.

>>21218977
That second number had better be him.

>>21218982
Ah, right, health boost. I thought it was 130?

>>21218912

Holy fuck. PLASMA CASTER HIM.

PLASMA CASTER HIM IN THE FUCKING FACE

I snickered.

Rolled higher than a 20 for once.

>>21218980
I figure the QSC was something we got from the Black Joker's curse which was processed by the vitruvian device during our upgrade. That's why it's cobbled together from pieces of our other weapons.

>>21218990
Low was good in this quest. If that's him we're fucked.

>>21219010
Pretty sure that's not the case. Remember Hecate?

>>21219017
Pretty sure that it is. Remember the fire extinguisher from last session?

>>21219029
That was his attack roll on us.

>>21219033
No, it was our dodge roll.

>You hear a CLANG, then the heavy distortion that comes with something hurtling through the air-

>...You duck, just in time, as a fire extinguisher tumbles right past your head, bouncing and clattering down the steps.

You're nearly faceplate-to-faceplate, now - Separated only by the sizzling, fizzing surface of the collapsing shield. Your armor is charred, smoking, from countless impacts...But nothing matters more than this last clash, as the Adjudicator bears down, down, *down*...

Bardiel's brought the blocky shape of his Fusion Gun halfway up - Fighting the shrinking surface of his force shield as it constricts around him; A crack skitters along his predatory helm as the muzzle of your Plasma Caster punches against his shield...

-Arcs of lightning crackle up your arm, down your spine. You think you may have bitten your tongue, as your finger convulses on the trigger. The point-blank shot doesn't even have time to expand, beyond the choke; It makes a monstrous sound, like the triumphant *crash* of a cannon, and-

...Bardiel's shield explodes. Energy fragments splinter out from the compromised field, shredded and in tatters - The Adjudicator slicing out in a hacking downstroke, a deep, crushing blow that *cleaves* into Bardiel, right across, the phase blades ripping through force and armor and flesh...

(Continued.)

Less bitching.

More gun porn.

All of our weapons are my raifu.

>>21219049

AND?

AND?

Don't leave us hanging....

>>21219044
...Do you even READ?! Top of that post:
>(Don't worry, that was his attack roll.)

>>21219049
"That one's for Hecate."

>>21219049
How the fuck does the Adjudicator even function after being slagged by that fusion beam?

>>21219049

How fitting.

http://youtu.be/Oj4NAXO0Xic

Just started playing in Winamp.

>>21219049
Dat tension.

This is quite well written, really.

>>21219081
Argent Prominence does good work?

You hear him scream. It's muffled by his cocooning sphere, rendered tinny and raw by his armor's systems - Blood-smoke cooks off the powered blade as your massive demolishing stroke carves across him, slicing through writhing cables, and into the hull at your feet...

The world goes white.

There's an immense pressure, like a very hot, very hard *push* that hurls you away. You hear a concussive roar, the Adjudicator ripped away from your arm - Driven into the gunship's systems like a stake through a vampire's heart.

You land with a bone-jarring crunch, and tumble for thirty or forty metres in a flurry of motion. A stabilizer vane and part of the gunship's tail assembly clatters and cartwheels past you, shedding debris, thee cut edges glowing and molten.

On your back, you slide in circles, and slowly, slowly come to a halt.

There's a bright flash, as the smoking remnants of the gunship topples away, thrusters firing indiscriminately, off the platform. The noise and the shockwave hit the building, a clamor so loud it nearly bursts your eardrums.

(Continued.)

>>21219115
Don't forget the symbol of the Red Joker. I don't care that we're at 5% hp by now, we need our symbol.

>>21219121
We're going to end up hospitalized after this. We can spraypaint it over his corpse tomorrow.

>>21219115
Aww. I hate to say it but I'm disappointed. I had this whole melodramatic speech I wanted to use as we beat the last few HP out of him.

>>21219115

Argent is going to be pissed.

>"You lost my master piece?!"

"It broke-

-off in the side of a gunship."

>>21219143
Oh, fack that's right! We're actually here in the Red right in person right now.

>>21219143
This is just one more reason I'm pissed at you lot for going all last charge of the light brigade.

>>21219171
Weren't here last thread were you? I voted against every decision to go on the attack. And there were one or two other Anons on the "left the idiot rot" team, but there is a bit of smug bastardry to be had in ending him, but I still would have preferred helping Natsumi get better.

>>21219171
Well, it is kind of in character.

Bardiel made Anon go full on, raging, hate filled psychopath. He even walked out when it was clear a friend was in a terrible state, all to fight Bardiel again.

You struggle to get up. Flickers of energy, dark and unhealthy, flare like trouble synapses - Writhing and firing like tics of unruly lightning. Odd harmonics, like the moaning of a thousand voices on a old-model radio, echo in your ears.

You're not alone. Sprawled flat, a hideous gash carved across his armor - The edges still smoking - Bardiel tries to rise, falls flat again. You think his spine may have been severed, from the way his armor limbs twitch.

"Ah. Ah, *God*."

It's a low, pained sound - He retches, slumps again, clawed fingers digging into the surface. "You think. You. Think. You've *won*."

His voice is thick, clotted; "Bastard...*stay* there, you...bastard," he gasps. "Just...stay there...Just - I just...fuck. You *fucker*."

He says it like it's the worst word he knows.

"Before - before I do it...all I want - I want is - I want to watch *you* die. I hope you...uh. Uh. I hope it hurts."

You're hurt all over, but you can still move. There's a great, aching agony to your form, as Bardiel finally meets your eye - And you have never seen such naked loathing on a face, ever. "This was *mine*, you fucker. It was mine. My *shot*. Working - waiting...you *fucker*."

You think you might be able to move, though you'd rather sleep forever. You can feel the Nihl Sphere's impatient *throb* at the back of your mind - Tugging you *towards* him, relentless and insistent.

> HP: 7%
> METER: 4%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 03%
> INTERCEPTORS: 0/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21219218
Stand up. Walk towards him, the Nihl Sphere wishes to feed.

"Where's Hecate? WHERE IS HECATE? WHERE IS SHE!?"

>>21219218
Hold up the Nihl Sphere.
"This belonged to Hecate. I think it's only fitting I feed you to it."

>>21219218

"Hecate was mine!"

the sphere wants to finish the job for her, so let it happen.

>>21219233
>>21219239
Now hold on a sec. If we feed him to it will we lose out on the XP? Cause thanks to that wasted upgrade from last time I'm in a bit of a rush to get the next one.

>>21219218
"Catch." Then toss him the Nihl Sphere.

>>21219218

Just rest a little, Joker. It'll be all over shortly. Sleep. You want to sleep.

Because I hunger. Now close your eyes and sleeeeep.

>>21219264
Do not throw the Nihl sphere. Just don't.

>>21219218
Try to let out a sputtered laugh.

"You flew too close to the sun, and you got *burnt*."

Move towards him slowly. Smile, and keep moving the sphere closer to him.

File: 1350806166149.jpg-(148 KB, 960x606, AfroSamurai.jpg)

>>21219218
I half suspect giving him to the sphere will prevent us from leveling. Just shoot him and wake away. "Nothing personal. It's just revenge."

>>21219233
>>21219239
>>21219239
I'd rather not go full Spirit Eater; I played Mask of the Betrayer, I know where that ends. The Amulet of Betrayal Incarnate so clashes with the armor.

>>21219274
WALK, walk away, damnit all!

>>21219218

You.

>get hands under us

Are

>push self up

All

>brush self off

Alone

Any last words?

You stand.

It's like climbing Everest.

You sink to one knee, and wait for the agony to go away, before you stagger to your feet again. It feels like your ribs have been cracked.

"It was *mine*!" His shriek sprays black froth, thick and bloody in the ruddy light, onto the black stone between you. "Mine, you fucker! And then you...*you*...now it's all about *you*...!"

His voice breaks down into harsh hollow gasps, and-

Is he crying?

"Who are *you*, anyway? Huh? Who the fuck are you? You're *fucking nobody!* What gives you the right to...the right..."

He's sobbing openly now.

"What gives you the *right*..."

> "Where's Hecate? WHERE IS HECATE? WHERE IS SHE!?"

His sobs hiccup to a sudden stop. He blinks once, and again.

He says, quietly, as the Nihl Sphere begins to glow with an awful, baleful light: "You'll never find her. Never."

The stare of his cracked faceplate is colder than the moon.

(Continued.)

>>21219218
Inspect the Nihil Sphere. If it looks in good sorts, feed this fool to it. If it takes us elsewhere, so much the better.

>>21219233
>>21219239
>>21219246
>>21219259
Regardless of how w kill him.

"You're no-one? Wrong. You're everyone? Wrong. You're a choice. Wrong. Explorers on the human adventure? So very wrong. You're a murderer. You're garbage."

Bardiel dies.

"And you're dead."

>>21219218

What was yours, Shindo? I'm not following you here.

>>21219218

Use the sphere, but first try to question him.
Make sure he cant hit you with an attack from his hands though.

>>21219304
Blasted hell why am I always late!

>>21219297
Just sit. We're fine if exhausted, he's not. I think we ought to have a talk. "You wanted the armor, didn't you? You and the rest of the world. Except Hecate, I think. How paranoid of me; first girl to know me as both Joker and myself and not try and kill me and I still can't bring myself to trust her. But I owe her, you see? She deserves better than to be kept by Pazuzu, and if I have to burn the other world to match this one I'll get her away from him."

>>21219297

"Perhaps. You may not want to talk. That does not stop me from killing you outright here, either."

I propose a trade. I spare your life in exchange for the location of Hecate."

THen kill him anyway. It's the only way to be sure.

The Nihl Sphere is in your grasp. You don't even know how it got there, but you can feel that sick hunger within the pulsing void; Blood - your blood - drips down onto the surface, as you lift it towards him.

> "You're no-one? Wrong. You're everyone? Wrong. You're a choice. Wrong. Explorers on the human adventure? So very wrong. You're a murderer. You're garbage."

His form begins to *shred*, to warp. His voice rises in a distorted, strangled howl - A shriek of absolute suffering, as winding cords of his very substance are *wrenched* away from him, towards the gravitational draw of a black hole. Bardiel fights it, with every inch of his being - But it's as inevitable as the fall of night.

He's pulled *into* it, impossibly - As if the sphere has swollen to fill his world. It rips his armor from his flesh, his flesh from his bones, and the bones from his soul. A cold line of ice bites into your fingers as everything that he was is erased - Just fuel for a limitless and unending hunger.

His last shriek twists in the air, as he diminishes to dust, then less than dust.

(Continued.)

>>21219326
>>21219336
Does OP take suggestions mid cutscene?

>>21219336

I like your style.

>>21219350
He just did, though it seems I was three minutes late.

Also note: No experience. [sarcasm] Well done gentlemen.[/sarcasm]

We're never doing that again. That was a full level right there.

>>21219349

So sweet the taste of vengeance...

now lets get back home and get ourselves treated

>>21219365
Eh, that one quotes stuff before he started posting and it's completely general as long as Bardiel gets killed.

>>21219349
YES!

>>21219365

Unlikely. Although, we probably found the fuel to rekindle the Sphere now.


And fuck the captcha. That was six tries to get through.

>>21219393
I know, right? I swear half the time the thing doesn't even use english letters. It's all a plot by moot to entice people to buy 4chan passes to bypass captcha.

File: 1350807209421.png-(436 KB, 1200x857, blackjokermark.png)

And then, at long last, he's nothing at all.

You stand alone on a crumbling rooftop. Your vision is swimming, fraying at the edges - Suddenly, it's so hard to *move*, to think. You look around for the Adjudicator...No, it's gone. The plasma Vulcan on your left wrist cycles up, your hands shaking as the shots chew into the rooftop...You're trying to carve your symbol, but you can *literally* feel your body shutting down, as the effort of standing becomes too much for you.

You feel faint, made of paper. You've been cut and burnt and blasted, and it's coming back to you all at once.

The world is coming back. Just a little long, and...

BLACK

***************

You wake, briefly, to the sound of duelling sirens. You're half-buried in the ruins of a building, gravel strewn around you, the sharp edges slicing your flesh like countless papercuts. Something terrible and dark is looking down at you, but it speaks in a girl's voice.

"Joker-kun...You're hurt so badly."

You want to scream, but the burning eyes of the Black Joker follow you down, down, *down* into the dark.

***************

You wake again, to the sensation of motion - Being lifted, carried. "Get him moving!" someone says - And you feel crisp white sheets against your skin, hear the chugging of an engine and the cold metal bite of a wheeled stretcher.

BLACK.

(Continued.)

>>21219416
>Black Joker
WELL SHIT.

Hi Kotone! When'd you figure out it was us?

>>21219416
Sorry for shooting at you Kotone. Didn't realize the thing that had you on the run was you're Red world alter ego.

>>21219428

Split personality guaranteed.

One persona for the real world and another for the red.

She's compartmentalized the awful things that happen on the other side to nothing but dreams. Rationalizing the killing she does as a twisted nightmare.

I haft to dream man. That's yandere waifu material there.

And finally, you wake again. You open your eyes to bright light - Three hard, white suns shining into your face, dimming slowly to nothing. Your head hurts - You can feel a burning in your limbs, your muscles aching - flat on your back, the starchy surface of a blanket scratching at you.

Everything hurts. There's an overwhelming smell of counterseptic wash.

You can hear the patient beep-beep-beep of a monitor - Feel the cold trickle of a saline drip into your arm. And there's something else, something close by...

-You can feel a soft weight pillowed against your stomach, the faint caress of softer hair...Warm breath tickling your skin, as a head rests against pillowed arms. That has to be...

[ ] Mio?
[ ] Asuna?
[ ] Natsumi?
[ ] Kotone?
[ ] Hecate?

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

(Very, very sorry for the delay - The long scene transition was unfortunately necessary.)

>>21219416
Really hope >>21218556 wasn't right.

>>21219468

>[ ] Hecate?

>>21219468
>[x] Natsumi?

Better to be wrong on this one, then calling another girls name and it actually being Natsumi.

>>21219468

[x]All of the above.

>>21219468
Take a sniff, if it smells like brimstone say Hecate, otherwise stay quiet.

>>21219468
>guess the wrong girl
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

>>21219459
It's okay, hero/villainness>>21219468
is my fetish too.

As much as Kotone or Hecate would make me smile, it's probably Mio. Though >>21219492 made me laugh.

>>21219468

> [X] H-hecate?

This is clearly a joke option. Wonder who's going to turn up?

>>21219468
Is that you dhajsdgfhasjfahfgasfgas?

>>21219504
It probably isn't her but Bardiel said we'll never find her, that keeps the possibility of her being alive open. We just have to find her.

>>21219468

This reminds me of another quest where we got stabbed in the liver by an assassination 'bot....

It's probably Natsumi.

>>21219468
[X] Natsumi?

Pretty sure the others wouldn't be called if we were in an accident.

Although depending on how long we were out Asuna might be there visiting. And Kotone could have been the one to find us.

Crap this is harder than I thought.

>>21219515

Oh shit, I forgot! Guys, this is excellent news. Hecate is alive somewhere. Even the guy who tried to kill her thinks that she's alive, which means that there's an excellent chance that she is.

>>21219500
Where did that extra tag come from? This computer I swear to god...

>>21219509
Feign a headwound preventing clear speech! BRILLIANT! /guinness

>>21219515
Pazuzu has her. At this point I've little doubt she's alive, but will Hecate still be Hecate? Remember Locke...

>>21219468

> [ ] Hecate?

After Hecate, Mio is my favorite girl, OP.

>>21219468
Hecate?

Mumble something about vengeance being fulfilled

>>21219524
Softer hair sounds like Mio. But why would she be here?

Rolled 53

(One moment.)

>>21219468
Ok, which girl would be most likely to be comfortable laying her head on our stomach?

Guys. The only person who was with us was Kotone...

Yandere route go.

>>21219555
Oh god, what is he rolling for. If it was a 100 would it have been Hecate.

>>21219556
Probably Mio. Also the hair fits. But it could still be any of the others.

>>21219559
More like best route...Wait no that's what you said carry on.

>>21219555

>average roll
>Natsumi is in the middle

And then Natsumi was happy that she was able to care for her Anon-kun.

She saw that he was stirring from his slumber of three days.

He said something that she did not quite catch.

She leaned in to here it again.

"Hecate's was nicer."

And then Anon's monitor flatlined....


>YOU HAVE DIED

>WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A NEW CHARACTER? Y/N

>>21219617

HEAR YOU PIECE OF SHIT TABLET. YOU BLEW IT, JIM.

File: 1350808824661.jpg-(28 KB, 512x350, miosmile.jpg)

> [X] Hecate?

The words come out as a dry croak - Nearly indecipherable, even to you. You want it to be her *so strongly*, as you try to sit up; As if sensing the slight motion, your cot elevates into a half-recline. You're not in pain - Except for a soreness in your limbs - but the *absence* of hurting feels oddly alien.

You push through your mind, and try to remember; Your thoughts are a jumble of fire and death, of ruin and plasma and fury - It hurts to think, and you decide to let it go for now, with a wince.

As your eyes focus, slowly, you make out the blurred shape curled up against you; A shaft of sunlight caressing honey-blonde hair...

Mio?

For a moment, you almost thought she was...

"Mmmm...?" You hear a drowsy murmur, as the slight shift to your bed rouses her - Mio's head resting in your lap, briefly, as she sits up, rubbing her eyes; "Is...Is it time to leave already~?" she mumbles, plainitively - The brown-and-white fabric of her school uniform rustling faintly, as her gaze focuses on you...

-Her jaw drops, and she starts; Too surprised to speak, one hand still raised - Going stock-still, as she just *looks* at you, disbelief, joy and utter surprise chasing each other across her face, in rapid succession.

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21219650

(Amusingly, 'Hecate' was the option for a flat percentage roll, modified by current affection - Any of the named choices would've had a modifier in the girl's favor/order of the roll.)

>>21219650
Oh, crap how long were we out? The very fact that Mio is here indicates that enough time has passed for news of our accident to have passed outside our normal circle of friends and reach another school.

>>21219650
Called it.

For dialogue: "Mio...? How...? Wait. The hospital fell on me didn't it?"

>>21219665
So it COULD have been Kotone? DAMN IT ALL!

>>21219650
"Morning. Good to see you.

How long have I been out? How'd I get here? Where is here? Is there something on my face?"

>>21219665
Then I must say one thing. FUCK YOU DICE! We are going to get her back if we have to set Japan on fire to do so.

>>21219650

Awww, that's so sweet. I think Mio is really in love with us, like Natsumi. Kotone seems to be more grateful than anything, and Asuna...Okay, Asuna likes us too.

>>21219650

"Fancy meeting you here. Do you always sleep on an injured guy's stomach? That's harsh, Mio. Real harsh.

Feign being in pain. When she does the 'hand-to-mouth' "Oh no!" gently pat her on the head.

"I'm fine, Mio. Just playing. So, how long have I been out? Hope I didn't bore you. I'm not much of a conversationalist when I'm zonked out like that."

Then try to get caught up on events that transpired to put us here.

>>21219650
Mio? What happened? Where am I?

>>21219722

(It wouldn't have. As I said, 'Hecate' is a flat roll - With each of the girls having a percentage according to their affection stat. Any of the other choices would've given the appropriate girl a bonus in turning up.)

>>21219650
"Now this seems familiar...It's good to see you Mio."

>>21219722
It can't have. It was a random roll out of 100, with 1-25 being one girl, 26-50 being another, etc. Choosing a name to call adjusts the distribution so that one girl is more likely to come up; Hecate's name is the flat answer.

>>21219727
>>21219734
Yeah, I figured out that I was figuring wrong and deleted my post.

I'm always too late. I just can't understand it.

>>21219727
Oh, guess it was slanted after all. So JQ is a points based system? Odd, I was thinking it was flag based earlier, given how the players managed to swindle their way into a date.

>>21219686
>>21219687
>>21219701

"-" is about all you get out, before Mio's upon you; Her slender arms draped around your neck, as she hugs you fiercely - "Anon-kun; *Anon-kun*!" she sobs, through happy tears - Her body pressing up against you, squeezing you hard enough to make your ribs creak. "It's *really* you - I was so *scared* - I didn't think you'd *ever* wake up again..."

It all comes out in a jumble of words, almost incoherent in their sheer, urgent relief; She seems *thoroughly* reluctant to let go of you, burying her head against your chest. It's pretty much all you can do to pat her back, and murmur comforting 'there, there''s until she subsides - Drawing back to arm's-length at last, her cheeks flushed with heat as she rubs at her eyes.

> Feign being in pain. When she does the 'hand-to-mouth' "Oh no!" gently pat her on the head.

She starts, an embarassed little squeak teased from her throat - Until you pat her on the head, drawing a relieved pout from her lips. "Aah, don't scare me like that, Anon-kun; After I waited for so long, too..."

> "How long have I been out? How'd I get here? Where is here? Is there something on my face?"

"You're in the *hospital* - It's been *four days*!" For a moment, she looks like she's about to cry again, but she rallies magnificently. "...Akira-kun told me you've been hurt - There was a gas main explosion, and, and..."

Mio's voice trails off, anxiety writ large on her face.

"...How are you feeling?"

[ ] "That depends. What did the doctors say?"
[ ] "I'm fine - A little stiff, but fine."
[ ] "My head *really* hurts, and I'm sore all over."
[ ] "How about you?"
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

File: 1350810050547.jpg-(35 KB, 768x400, miohappy2.jpg)

>>21219792

(Forgot my pic.)

>>21219792

"Like a gas main exploded under me."

>>21219792
Heh, gas line explosions, so convenient.

"I'm actually feeling just fine. Don't really feel like running about, tiny bit sore, but fine.

You honestly seem to be in worse shape than I am. Sorry about worrying you so much."

>>21219792
>[x] "That depends. What did the doctors say?"

>>21219792
"Remind me, when's that play at your school? If it's tomorrow I'm fine, otherwise I'll have to stay in bed for at least a week. And what are you doing here? I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be so tired that you fall asleep on top of me. Is something wrong?"

>>21219792
[X] Free.

Pretty good. Maybe a bit bruised. What did the Doctors have to say?

>>21219792
"I feel fine, but I suspect that is probably from the drugs. Have I missed anything since I was out?"

>>21219792

"Did you go home any of those four days? You need to take care of yourself, too, Mio."

Take on a scolding, older brother tone for that.

Then add, "Thanks for looking out for me..."

File: 1350810592435.jpg-(80 KB, 1280x720, [Mazui]_Hyouka_-_18_[008C(...).jpg)

>>21219817

I'm curious as to HOW they keep chalking it up to 'gas lines' and such.

Too many coincidences makes a damn fine thing to investigate.

> "Like a gas main exploded under me."
> "I'm actually feeling just fine. Don't really feel like running about, tiny bit sore, but fine. You honestly seem to be in worse shape than I am. Sorry about worrying you so much."

She giggles at that - Then blushes, mortified, as she presses a hand to her lips. "S, sorry...I'm just, just so *glad* you're all right..."

> [X] "That depends. What did the doctors say?"

"They say...They said that you were *really* lucky - It wasn't that far from the hospital, too, but quite a lot of people were hurt. Tentatively, Mio's fingers brush against your arms - Which, you realize, are swathed in bandages. The same for your chest and legs.

"-Part of the place collapsed on you...It happened so suddenly, they had to *dig* you out."

>>21219830

"The play...?" Mio echoes - She shakes her head, smiling. "-Don't worry about it, it's a few weeks from now..." And, unaccountably, she goes red again. "-I didn't mean...That is, I was *waiting*, and I just closed my eyes for a moment, so..."

The pause lingers, as she averts her eyes.

> "Did you go home any of those four days? You need to take care of yourself, too, Mio."
> "Thanks for looking out for me..."

Mio starts at that, a little guilty - Before she adds, "It's fine, it's fine. We've been taking turns - Kazu-kun has been really nice about it, and Asuna-chan comes in on the afternoons, when I can't...They're all really worried about you."

She smiles, slightly - "I've talked with Fumito-san, and he's insisted on paying for everything; I don't know why, but he said something like...'Any friend of Kazuya is a friend of mine, young lady.'"

(Continued.)

...Yeah, that does sound like something he'd say.

[ ] "Wait...You said Akira told you about me?"
[ ] "That's generous of him."
[ ] "Did Natsumi visit, too?"
[ ] "Did anyone...How *bad* was the explosion?"
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21219876

Well, how else are they going to explain it? It's suspicious, but if things work the way I think they do, it appears to be a genuine accident.

>>21219915
Don't bring up Natsumi.

[X] "That's generous of him."

"Did anyone else get hurt?"

Resist the urge to smile if we hear that Bardiel/Hiroshi Shindo died. It wouldn't be proper to grin.

>>21219915
>[x] "That's generous of him."
>[x] "Wait...You said Akira told you about me?"
>[x] "Did anyone...How *bad* was the explosion?"

>>21219915

"Yeah, he's a nice man. Don't get on his bad side. He packs a nasty punch."

Clap your fist into your open palm *gently to emphasize.

"So, I've been out for four days, you said?" Give her a sly smile. "Did you bring lunch in one of those cute, little lunch boxes that girls always seem to carry and make extra food "just in case?"

"I'm famished."

>>21219915
"Not Natsumi? I hope she didn't vanish again... She's probably mad at me, or worse upset. Now that I know, I wish I could help her, but she's as different now as she was before and knows it.

"Ugh, never mind. I wanted to ask... Right before the explosion there was a guy talking about crazy things, like how the world was red and how he hated me. He called me Joker and then... boom. Is he...?"

>>21219915
[X] Free.
Nihl Sphere exists physically in both worlds. Take a little look around and see if we still have it.

>>21219947
I don't think we need to go into *that* much detail about Bardiel.

>>21219957

Let's do that after she leaves, never know what that thing might do.

>>21219915
[X] "Wait...You said Akira told you about me?"

>5am
>been up since noon Saturday
>work in 2 hours

Oh man... today is going to suck ass. I haft to spray on insulation for one job and then replace some old dude's gutters.

>>21219965
Trying to get a rise out of her. She's tangentially connected to the game, like all the characters, and I'm curious as to how. Probably had family participate.

File: 1350811703166.gif-(893 KB, 500x490, 1348892343790.gif)

>>21219990

Forgot your image.

>>21220000
Not the one I was contemplating, but you're right, I should have posted Chitanda.

>>21219940

"W, well..." Mio scratches her cheek, not quite meeting your eyes. "I, ummm, I'm actually not *that* good at cooking, so..." She recovers, quickly, and adds - "...B-but that's not a problem, I'm sure that they'd send something once I call them!"

> [x] "Wait...You said Akira told you about me?"

"Mmmm." she nods, affirmatively. "-He called me, and said; 'Anon's been hurt - I thought you'd like to know'." Her eyes cloud over, for a moment. "...When he said it *like that*...I was so shocked, at first. I didn't even know *who* was calling, until he told me he was your friend."

> [X] Nihl Sphere exists physically in both worlds. Take a little look around and see if we still have it.

You look around, and something in your gaze must've been communicated to Mio - "Ah, you're looking for your coat, right?" she asks; Reaching down to a paper bag at her side, which crinkles as she opens it. "...Kazu-kun asked me to hold it for you, just in case - All your stuff is inside."

Indeed. Your coat's somewhere in there...It's battered, burned, has seen better days - But it's still in one piece. They don't make them the way they used to, any more.

> "Ugh, never mind. I wanted to ask... Right before the explosion there was a guy talking about crazy things, like how the world was red and how he hated me. He called me Joker and then... boom. Is he...?"

Her brow furrows, slightly, as Mio looks slightly quizzical - "That sounds scary, but...N, no, I don't think there was anyone like that. About...Four people were hurt, I think? Most of them were just pedestrians - I think they've already been discharged, though there's this woman who's been badly burnt..." She shakes her head, slightly.

"...I'm sorry, I don't know too much about them.

(Continued.)

> "Not Natsumi? I hope she didn't vanish again... She's probably mad at me, or worse upset. Now that I know, I wish I could help her, but she's as different now as she was before and knows it."

"Natsumi?" Mio echoes, softly - Her eyes momentarily hooded. "...No, I'm sorry; I don't remember anyone like that visiting."

There's another brief silence, as she just looks at you; Her hands resting lightly on your shoulders, as she draws a deep breath - Blonde hair framing her lovely features, biting her lip lightly. "A, actually, Anon-kun, I..." Mio begins...

-And there's a soft *click* as the door opens. Mio starts back, with a little gasp - But your attention is drawn to Natsumi, as she looks in at you; She looks better than when you last saw her, the lines of worry smoothened away, her eyes no longer red-rimmed and weepy...But there's a new distance in her gaze.

She looks sad, for a moment, before she turns away - And says, in a neutral voice - "He's awake."

Outside, you hear the electronic whirr of a powered wheelchair; A bulky shape half-visible through the blinds, as it comes to a stop before your room. It rotates, slightly, to face you...And you nearly start out of your bed, when you see who's there.

"Good evening, Anon." Mr. Ebara Fumito says, courteously, one hand resting lightly on the control box of his wheelchair - His pale eyes settling on you, as Natsumi steps aside to let him roll into the room; One leg slightly elevated in a brace that hums and flexes to keep it in place.

"I'm glad you're feeling much better." His smile, as always, makes the flesh around his eyes crinkle, slightly - Though there's a weight to his voice. "...After all, we have so much to talk about."

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 25

TO BE CONTINUED.

>>21220070

(Apologies for the delay, gentlemen - Unfortunately, it's pretty late for me, once more, and this looks like a natural breakpoint. It's been a great - And tense - episode this round, and you've been a wonderful audience.

Once again, good night and God bless; I'd be looking forward to our next instalment.)

>>21220079
See you next time.

Bardiel is dead, too bad we lost the Adjudicator, I liked that baby.

>>21220070

DUNDUNDUNNNNNN

Dammit, got here just in time for quest end.

>>21220085

UPGRADES BABY.

Who needs it when we have Assault DUSTER 2.0 and Tempest Scare-the-shit-out-of-your-neighbor's-cat 2.5.

No man, we lost DEAD WEIGHT.

Fumito is going to be pissed.

>>21220070
>But there's a new distance in her gaze.
Good going, guys.

Oh crap, I just realized feeding Bardiel to the sphere might have also cost us his Relic.

>>21220070

>She looks sad, for a moment, before she turns away - And says, in a neutral voice - "He's awake."

Awww, poor Natsumi. At least she's back on the job.

>>21220098

...and the experience to level.

...and knowledge of Hecate's location.

I can go on. Shall I go on?

>>21220070

KISS HER, YOU FOOL.

>>21220085
We didn't necessarily lose it permanently. It could be like when we used the Scrander as a missile vs Abyss Carcharis.

File: 1350812977936.jpg-(80 KB, 561x972, Kiss Me You Fool.jpg)

>>21220113

>>21220113

I'm just glad we weren't getting frisky with Mio. It'd have been really awkward if they walked in just when things were getting steamy.

>>21220109
He wasn't going to tell us anything about Hecate's location whether we killed him or not. And honestly I doubt we were going to get his wings.

The XP thing you have a point.

>>21220095
It served rather faithfully. Remember when we Pile Bunkered Sepid right in his face as he was trying to phase out. Good times.

>>21220141

Awkward you say? Why, that's just a means to increase our swag. We woke up with one bitch sleeping on us. Why not have two more? Kazuya will be jelly as hell.

>>21220165

I wanted the attunement just to see if we could get a 'shield/sword-and-chain' combo package. Like you see with the Gendum swinging around.

>>21220096

Yeah, we screwed the pooch on that one. But...Damn, Mio is quite possibly the best girl after Hecate. I mean, daaaaammmmnnn.

My comments may be colored by the fact that there's actual hentai of her.

>>21220187

Screwed the pooch? Buddy, we didn't screw it. We kicked it until it's ribs shattered. Punted it over the fence to be hit by a speeding van. And then to add insult to injury, we had it neutered the day before.

>>21220187
I like Mio, she's great. She likes Anon but I'm hesitant as all fuck to involve her in any way, shape, or form with the Red World. She's great, but she isn't Hecate. Hecate was special, she was our lady and we are going to do everything possible to get her back. We are going to tear Pazzy apart and rip his eyes from their sockets.

Though I must admit a fondness for Asuna that may exceed that of Mio.

>>21220219

Yeah, Asuna's a great girl. Hell, even Natsumi is pure waifu material. What gets me is that no matter what we do, we're going to leave a lot of girls unhappy.

>>21220230

Harem end.

Search your heart. You know it to be the true path.

>>21220237
Because knowing our luck that'll work out sooo well.

We can totally handle juggling two lives, constant battle, and multiple important romantic relationships. What could possibly go wrong?

All going for a Harem will do is expose more people we care about to the line of fire and split our time enough ways to ensure none of them get as much attention as they should.

Honestly I just dislike Harem ends, they're a fun thought but in the end they don't feel as fulfilling to me.

>>21220309

Yeah, it's a cop-out. And I don't think it'd work here, too.

God damn, I take one day off and I miss the best fight ever. Good lord, that was one hell of a brawl.

>>21220606
You call it a brawl, I call it attempted suicide.

>>21221336

But for who?

Seriously, that was a goddamn close fight.

>>21221429

Don't forget Bardiel was possibly the weakest of the lot. Rust Kaiser is going to be a nightmare to fight.

>>21221468
...will he transform into a tank?

>>21221491

No, he just beats people to death. I think.

Wow

I see the retard patrol was out in full force today again too

No XP, nearly died and it looks like we have alienated Natsumi like I said last thread

Upside? Very little aside from fumito hopefully having finished upgrading one or both of our relics

>>21221468
He had Vernier thrusters and a dispersion field. You guy are lucky he didn't have a cobalt booster.

>>21221602

He even had a Fusion Annhilator! I'm just glad he didn't have friggin' Interceptors. He was like a combination of Metal Gear and Metal Wolf.

>>21221587
...and that's what I call fun. you wan optimize? you wan logicar dissectionu of wat in game be sprittu secondu cliticar situatiah? too bad! hele's irrationalu for you!

>>21221611
>Metal Wolf
...eh?

File: 1350827309968.jpg-(1000 KB, 1024x768, metalwolf.jpg)

>>21221665

Metal Wolf, from the game Metal Wolf Chaos, has the same telescoping weapon array Bardiel used in the previous chapter.

>>21221648
I want to not act like a retard every time we get an option that is between full retard and uncertain future

>>21221648
I had at least 20 different plans to deal him without jumping on him. I've got a good idea of the thief's identity, know how to fight Pazuzu, and realize Mr. Fumito has dark side to him.
Don't act like you know what you're talking.

>>21221793

Well, point it out, then! Don't keep it to yourself, man. Tell us!

>>21221876
The thief most likely Asuna because who else knows we went to the library?
In order to beat Pazuzu we either need to be stealthy and tactical or bring with us someone who can do melee.
And Mr. Fumito was most likely performing experiments on Alecto.
Have fun with that.

Hey guys I've been here since the beginning and really liked Hecate as well (Mio is my second favorite) but don't you guys think your glorifying her just a little bit?

I mean yeah Hecate was special, but so are the other girls I mean Natsumi knows about and interacts with Anon in the real world and Red world as well and people aren't calling her the only for for us.

I know her death hurt but you guys are starting to take it too far. I hope I don't sound too extreme, but you guys are starting to make us is to a more charming Naruto & Sasuke mix.

We are trying to find and bring back someone who is just not coming back and maybe that is something he need to learn to accept before it destroys us (Naurto). We are also hell bent on getting revenge. I doesn't matter what to have to do as long as we get it, even if it means breaking the close bonds that we already have instead of one that has been broken by death.

I imagine that a lot people might not like the comparison, but I at least feel this needs to be said. Hopefully someone sees it.

>>21222030

It's fairly obvious that we will, at some point, have to hunt down Pazuzu's group. They're clearly the final villains of this story, and are driving the main plot.

I do think we kind of fucked things up with Natsumi, however. Mio seems to be pretty much in love with us, given how the sexual tension with her in every scene is DAMN NEAR PALPABLE.

File: 1350829963834.jpg-(16 KB, 298x387, shyamalan4.jpg)

>yfw Asuna is Pazuzu
>yfw Hecate is Pazuzu
>yfw we are Pazuzu from the future

>>21222133

That's a little far out. Pazuzu doesn't use guns, for a start.

>>21222030
First off there is a lot suggesting that she is not dead ...
Yet
Secondly you should get the death sentence for mentioning that anime.
And finally THIS IS A NOIR STORY bad things can and will happen, we will have to face the consequences of our actions regardless of what we do.

>>21222030
I agree that people went way too far with it

We knew her for all of what? Two weeks in game and people act like she is anon's tru rabu for life

Further than that we don't actually know just what her angle was, she seemed very eager to he,p out but she kept a lot of secrets and we don't know what her long term plan actually was

>>21222338
Remember who saved our ass in the fight Pazuzu.

>>21222030

Gah, I loathe Naruto.

Seriously, though - It's been less than two in-game weeks. We're still feelin' it. We also have a very good reason to kill off the Smilers, who are working on something dark and terrible.

Really, this is just a generally dark phase for everyone involved. What else CAN we do?

>>21222860

Holy fuck, are you people still talking about this quest?

>>21222886
Seems like that...
I think this quest is possibly the biggest win /tg/ 2012 gave us until now, objectively speaking.

>>21222886

This quest is pretty much an anime series happening on a weekly basis. Every time I read it, I alternate between raging, hitting on the girls, and swearing aloud at the retardation some people pull off.

>>21223030
Their idiot alright. I'm just wondering why they haven't been awarded darwin's yet

>>21222860

IT JUST KEEPS TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOWN

File: 1350839976216.jpg-(57 KB, 320x480, hwang.jpg)

>>21220219

I'm just saying: Asuna looks something like this. Which is to say, HOT.

>>21223030
Yeah. Decisions lately haven't been made with any thought behind them other than KILL BADGUYS THEY KILLED HECATE VENEGANCE RAGE.

You lot are just making things worse. Natsumi's distant now, the Black Joker is gonna do god knows what, we lost the Adjudicator, the evil pearl could be anywhere by now, and we're in the hospital.

Horrible things are happening in this story, but you shouldn't help them along.

>>21224220

Mistakes were made. It was worth losing the Adjudicator, I have to say. I don't think we could have killed Bardiel in any other way, unless we did something crazy.

Natsumi seems to have pulled herself together, though. I say we handled that very, very badly, though.

>>21222447
21222030 poster here

Remember who that Chrome Cypher saved our ass in the fight with the first Correcter. So Hecate and Natsumi are one for one on the save Anon's ass scorecard. Something tells me scores are going to build up a lot for other people

>>21224375
We could have used the fusion annihilator instead. You know that thing we normally use to finish off our enemies.

>>21220098
So what did we learn today. NEVER ever ever use the Nihl again to soul-suck.

And of course, ask Fumito about the Nihl sphere. Better yet, give it to him so we won't be tempted to use it again.

by the way, OP, do you also read our discussions after the end of each episode ?