File: 1354252616670.jpg-(89 KB, 500x500, hall2.jpg)

The past few days have been troubled ones. The city has been plagued with a rash of odd weather: Unseasonal squalls of rain, the sun obscured by sullen grey cloud - It's been hot, humid and cold in rapid succession, the muttering sky flickering with ticks of sullen lightning.

You have a sinking feeling that it may be your fault.

It's a genuine relief, at least, to be within the climate-controlled confines of the school's concert hall: Rehearsals have begun in earnest, for the upcoming Cultural Festival at Seisin High...Given the time you spent in hospital, you've already missed quite a bit.

...At times like this, you're glad you're just a stagehand.

Your school doesn't *really* have a Drama Club - There just wasn't enough demand. Rather, the rare annual productions tend to cast interested volunteers...And given that it features a rare trip to a (rather exclusive) all-girl's school, there hasn't been a shortage of male volunteers. Volunteers who can *act*, though...Now *that's* a different story entirely.

"All right, all together now..." There's a scratchy fingernails-on-blackboard sound, as you - With the help of three other stagehands - push the last of the backdrop upright, the heavy wooden prop still smelling faintly of paint; A vague cheer comes up as it stays in place, the splintery 'back' quite at odds with the brightly-colored facade.

(Continued.)

As the trio wanders off, you finally have a chance to catch your breath; The initial frenzy of setting-up, you have to admit, has quite taken the wind out of you...Enough that the new skin on your arms, beneath your bandages, is itching furiously - The edges of your vision blurring.

Up front, you can hear the murmur of the would-be viewers and hanger-ons, who've gathered to watch the rehearsal...However, there's quite a bit to see, backstage: Somewhere close, you can hear the discreet whirr-click of a camera, a distant flash of light - Akira's wandering around somewhere, taking photos.

Nearby, a harried-looking Yui (Reiko's replacement, since that unfortunate incident) is making sure *everyone's* in the right position...Though from the looks of it, it's like herding chickens.

Come to think of it...Where's Natsumi and Asuna? Weren't they in the play, too? You can *definently* see Kazuya fumbling with his - Faintly ludricious - shark costume, hear the labored tones of the leading man rehearsing a handful of lines...But they're nowhere nearby.

[ ] Help Kazuya.
[ ] Check with Yui.
[ ] Look for Akira.
[ ] Look for Asuna.
[ ] Look for Natsumi.
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21816405

Wow, there's Joker Quest today?

What did I miss? When did we fight iron kaiser already?

>>21816553

That was last chapter, and the fight was a serious clusterfuck. We came this close to killing ourselves with our own weapon.

> [ ] Check with Yui.

Better do our job.

It's that time of the week again!

[x]Poke fun at Kazuya's costume.

"You look real cute in that getup... chum. I bet you get all of the minnows."

Make as many fish puns as possible.

Then do our jobs that we agreed to do by checking up with Yui.

> You can *definently* see Kazuya fumbling with his - Faintly ludricious - shark costume, hear the labored tones of the leading man rehearsing a handful of lines...But they're nowhere nearby.

Oh jesus, that poor bastard.

> [X] Help Kazuya.

File: 1354254075841.jpg-(152 KB, 800x565, 1353288765570.jpg)

>>21816553

>Iron Kaiser

Are you OP in disguise?

> [x] Poke fun at Kazuya's costume.
> [X] Help Kazuya.

"Aw, shaddup," he growls; His voice distinctly muffled, coming from somewhere within the shark's snout. You have to admit - The costume department did a pretty good job on it, all things considered...Though it falls into the valley somewhere between 'cute' and 'uncanny'.

Even though you can't see him, you just *know* he's giving you a Look - The effect rendered faintly ridiculous by the shark's smiley maw and beady black eyes. "-You know how many times I've heard that today? I swear, one more fish pun and I'll-"

...You grab him just in time, to stop him from wandering off in the right direction - From the way he's swinging his head back and forth, you're *pretty* sure he can't see directly in front of him. There's a *zipppp* as he wrenches the head off - His face red and sweaty and *thoroughly* annoyed.

"I'm going to *suffocate* in this thing," Kazuya mutters; Then his eyes go wide, as he looks behind you, and he hastily fumbles the head on again. "Don't look now - Trouble's coming."

(Continued.)

>>21816553
We fought old Rusty Kais last time.

We filled him full of more holes than swiss cheese, the Thief pretty much sliced him open, and then exploded where we were fighting and everything in it in a massive conflagration.

I'm still not sure he's dead.

>>21816756
>one more fish pun
"Come now, don't be koi, I'm sure you're enjoying the attention."

>>21816825

He REELY needs to cool down or he's going to be herring it from Yui.

File: 1354254765892.png-(159 KB, 300x450, jokeryui.png)

There's a soft, but somehow *definite* 'A-hem' from behind you; Then the purposeful *click* of Yui's shoes against the stage, as she comes to a stop.

"If you're *quite* finished..." she says, a clipboard tucked under one arm, her hands on her hips. Yui's usually not *quite* so frazzled...But given how she's recently replaced the late, lamented President, you can just *tell* that her patience has been running thin.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Kazuya says - Shambling off in the right direction, *this* time, waving a flipper in salute. Yui watches him go, and sighs, slightly - Pinching the bridge of her nose, in a faintly exasperated gesture.

"Anon-kun, can you go to the changing rooms, please?" she asks; "-We're already starting late, and we'll *still* missing most of the cast...At this rate, we'll *never* be ready."

[ ] "Yes, Ma'am."
[ ] "...Are you all right?"
[ ] "-Have you seen Asuna anywhere?"
[ ] "Wasn't Natsumi supposed to be here today?"
[ ] "Is Akira supposed to be here?"
[ ] "How are we doing, so far?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21816863
[X] "...Are you all right?"
Followed by
[X] "How are we doing, so far?"
and
[X] "Yes, Ma'am."

File: 1354254959395.jpg-(18 KB, 234x500, sharkcostume.jpg)

>>21816863

(Unfortunately, I've failed to include a good image of Kazuya's shark costume: Rest assured, googling it turned up quite a few that were horrifying.)

>>21816863

Give a ludicrously over the top salute.

"Aye, Cap'n!"

Perform an about-face.

"Don't mullet over too much, Yui. People will show up. In Cod We Trust, as the Americans would say! If you will excuse me now... I have barnacles to catch."

Head to the changing room.

>>21816919

What the actual fuck.

>>21816919

That's quite the gillty pleasure. It's simply brill-iantly designed. You can see the care and craftsmanship that went into it's design.

> [X] "...Are you all right?"

A tiny flash of surprise crosses her face, as if it's never occured to anyone to ask her that. "Yes," Yui says, shortly - Her expression softens, slightly. "-There's just...It's a lot to keep track of."

> [X] "How are we doing, so far?"

"So far?"

She half-turns, glancing over her shoulder; "...Not bad, actually," she admits, at last - "We *are* a bit behind, but...I suppose that's to be expected." A brief shake of her head, as if to rouse herself - "But the sooner we can get started, the sooner we'll be done."

>>21816942

She doesn't *quite* smile, but she's clearly stifling a chuckle, as you head off; You distinctly hear her giggle, once you're almost safely out of earshot.

It takes you a moment to negotiate the confusion of props and clutter, as you make your way to the dressing room - The small door is set in the wings of the stage, though rather well-furnished. When you try the knob, though, it's - unaccountably - locked.

The door rattles, slightly, and you hear a feminine squeak from the other side: "-Don't come in!" you hear Asuna gasp, her voice sounding utterly, mortifyingly embarassed - "T-tell them to, to just go on...I'm not - I'm not going out like this!"

(Continued.)

File: 1354256241186.jpg-(356 KB, 1147x1185, jokernatsumioutfit.jpg)

Well, that's rather more words than you've heard out of Asuna - It goes quiet, on the other side, and you're just about to knock again, when...

"Anon-kun?"

You hear the faint rustle of skirts, and the soft *clink* of a scabbard. Behind you, in full costume, Natsumi cants her head to regard you, sidelong - Brushing her red fringe back from her eyes. Cast in the role of the play's heroine, there's clearly been a *lot* of effort put into her outfit...You've heard that she sewed it herself, and it certainly fits her like a glove.

-Except for one minor detail; She carries the sword like it was a real one, with the same casual, lethal grace you've seen in Chrome Cypher. Her eyes narrow slightly, but her voice is playful - "...You're not peeping at Asuna, are you?"

[ ] "Of course not."
[ ] "...Do I look like I'd do that?"
[ ] "That costume looks really good on you."
[ ] "-I think Asuna might need some help."
[ ] "She's not coming out; Can you help me?"
[ ] "She's not coming out; Give me a moment to convince her."
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21817218

Wow, Natsumi is really hot. Like REALLY hot. Especially in that costume.

>>21817144

Awww, I can't wait to see what Librarian-chan looks like.

> [ ] "She's not coming out; Can you help me?"

>>21817218
"You caught me, that's exactly what I was doing.

I figure that if she isn't going to come out in her costume I have absolutely no choice but to peep as there is no way that I am going to let myself not see her as she is right now. You understand, right? I don't have a choice, if she's not coming out then I'm going to have to go in there."

Say it loud enough that Azuna can hear.

>>21817250
She's drawn by Tony Taka, everything he draws is hot.

>>21817218

"Ack! You caught the scoundrel in his nefarious act! What will you do now, brave hero?"

Eye the sword.

"Your stance is perfect. You carry yourself well. A spear would suite you far better, however. Make you... graceful. Magnificent."

Cross your arms.

"No, I am hear on request of Yui. I'm not bothering Kazuya or making fish puns at his expense or anything."

Raise your hands defensively.

"Honest!"

>>21817301

Seconding this.

File: 1354257733426.jpg-(182 KB, 742x999, jokerasunawitch.jpg)

>>21817364

As if only *just* aware of that, Natsumi shifts her stance, instinctively - Before she starts, catching herself. "-I heard," she says, that teasing note still in her voice; Arching a slim eyebrow, her attention going to the door instead.

>>21817301

"...Oh, I see - *That's* all right, then," Natsumi says, lightly - Her voice loud enough to carry. You hear a *gasp*, then a frantic rustling on fabric from the other side of the door...

-Which, very, very slowly, begins to swing open. A wide-brimmed hat pokes around the corner, anxiously - "N, Nat-chan..." Asuna says, softly - Sounding on the verge of tears. "A, and...Anon-kun..."

It takes a little bit longer for Asuna to be coaxed out from hiding - But she emerges rather reluctantly, shuffling out from the room...Holding her leaf-green skirts together, prop broomstick clutched in a white-knuckled grip. She's gone absolutely *red*, from the ears down - She can't quite look up at you, her expression utterly mortified.

"S-somehow...Somehow, it ended up like this..." Asuna stammers - She looks like she's about to burst into tears, or start laughing - And hasn't quite decided on *which* one!

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21817555
"You look lovely Asuna. The costume suits you.

I have no idea how you could be embarrassed about being seen when you look exactly like a fairy tale witch who just happens to at school with us.

If you weren't blushing so hard I'd be afraid that you were planning on turning me into a newt. Though if it was you doing that I wouldn't really mind."

>>21817555

Pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't sweat it. You'll do fine. Follow your lines and try not to stumble over them when Kazuya makes his entrance."

Put a hand on Natsumi's shoulder.

"Now, it's time for the Heroine and the Mage to go onto stage! C'mon you two! The crowd is waiting."

Give one last past on each of their shoulders.

"Now, if you two ladies will excuse me. I haft to take up my position as well."

>>21817555

"I think it's really, really cute. Cheer up, you look great!"

Put an arm around her, escort her out.

>>21817694

No no! if we must put an arm around a shoulder, it will be both of our arms around *each* of their shoulders! You are thinking far too small, Anon!

It seems really dead tonight, surprisingly. Even That Guy isn't here.

(My apologies: Connection problems.)

>>21817614

> "If you weren't blushing so hard I'd be afraid that you were planning on turning me into a newt. Though if it was you doing that I wouldn't really mind."

"You mean...Really~?" Asuna begins - Still a little hesitantly, though she relaxes slightly; To be fair, her costume *is* rather revealing, though she manages a faint smile, drawing herself upright as she draws a deep breath.

"Something lower than Anon-kun already is~?" Natsumi chimes in, though the smirk takes the sting from her words; "...Ah, I think that'd be hard..."

Asuna giggles, and - with that - the mood lightens. She looks slightly less self-conscious, as she polishes her glasses on her sleeve.

>>21817682

> "Don't sweat it. You'll do fine. Follow your lines and try not to stumble over them when Kazuya makes his entrance."

"...If it's for the play..." she says, faintly - Starting, visibly coloring, as you pat her on her shoulder.

>>21817694
>>21817719

You don't *quite* manage to do that - You drape your arm around Asuna's shoulder, before Natsumi shoots you a quick look...She bustles the other girl away, though Asuna manages a wave, a quick smile, as she's urged out onto the stage.

There's a general clatter, as the rehearsal begins in earnest, at last - Yui glancing over in your direction, with a brief nod of thanks, as she signals for the curtains to be parted.

(Continued.)

You have to admit: It's a pretty involving tale. The leading man - Kouichi Kishida, kendo team captain and something of a heartthrob - is so earnest it *hurts*, putting real passion into his lines...His close-cropped hair lending him a surprisingly severe appearance, as the hero (anti-hero?) of the play.

Under cunning lighting, the shadowy backdrops lend an air of actual menace to the play - Even Kazuya's shark-costume looks vaguely sinister, drawing faint, reedy shrieks from below as he slouches into view...In silhouette, of course. You've pretty sure that someone - Probably Yui - has gone over the script and direction with a fine-toothed comb...But Asuna's writing is still *very* evident.

> "A ship that sails the sea of stars..."
> "What a wonderous power!"
> "With this, I am no longer who I once was - The man that I am will rule over everything!"

Watching from the wings, you can't help but wince, as Kouichi's strident voice - amplified by strategically-placed mics - booms across the stages; He casts a heroic figure, on foot on the ship's prow, backlit by a hellish red glow - An effect rather spoilt by his wild gesticulations.

Somewhere above, there's the faint sound of footsteps as Asuna moves to step out; It's close to the final confrontation, and...

"-It's really something, isn't it?"

Oddly enough - As the play's heroine - Natsumi doesn't actually get much screen time; Just a few scenes at the beginning, and one at the denouncement. Her voice is hushed, as she looks out at the stage - Adjusting her feathered cap, as she glances over at you.

"...Asuna seems to be doing well," she says, tentatively. "-You've put her at ease."

(Continued.)

Things are still...Slightly uneasy, to be it mildly...between the two of you. Ever since that night, you've shied around the issue of your true identities - It's something that should be resolved, but has never quite been discussed.

...And sometimes, you're not sure where to start.

"I wanted to thank you," Natsumi goes on - Her voice is very soft. "For...helping me." There's an odd, fragile edge to her words - As if she's feeling her way forward, slowly, through the dark. "...I know why you had to go, and - And I think I understand. I...don't approve, but I understand."

[ ] "...I couldn't let Bardiel get away."
[ ] "I should've stayed."
[ ] "It had to be done."
[ ] "...Let's not talk about it."
[ ] "This isn't the best time, Natsumi."
[ ] "You don't approve?"

[ ] "I'll tell you everything, if you want."
[ ] "Why didn't you tell me you were Chrome Cypher?"
[ ] "Are you going to tell Kazuya?"
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21818012
[X] "...I couldn't let Bardiel get away."
"I couldn't have ever forgiven myself if he got away. For what it's worth I'm sorry."


"I know that it probably hurts to keep this secret from Kaz, but you shouldn't tell him. Honestly stops being the best policy when you spend your evenings hunting monsters, he couldn't understand. It wouldn't be fair to expect him to really know what you go through.

So Natsumi, do you have any questions for the one, the only, the Red Joker?"

>>21818012

Oh, shit, it's time to have The Talk.

> [ ] "It had to be done."
> [ ] "Why didn't you tell me you were Chrome Cypher?"

>>21818012
>[X] "It had to be done."
>[X] "...Let's not talk about it."

Then change the subject, I imagine anon is feeling pretty damn ashamed that he went full on psychotic vengeance crazy and basically flipped off his friends to kill Bardiel even if he died in the process. It was verging on being a martyr complex.

>"Are you going to tell Kazuya?"

>>21817963

>a ship that sails the sea of stars...

You. I like you.

>>21818012

"I've been an awful friend, haven't I? Always looking back.. never seeing you for well.. you."

Scratch your head.

"It's.. complicated.. I'll give you that. I did.. things I'm still appalled to even think about.. almost losing you was one of them.. hurting you.. making you.. you.."

Make a sweeping gesture with your hand.

"...doubt. I'm better than that. You're better than that. I'm... still getting used to this whole.. thing. You, a Player?"

Give a snort.

"It's still hard to imagine, really. One of my closest friends caught up in this barbaric game of death."

Give a tired sigh.

"It's good to know I have someone I can trust. I've.. been.. doing.. things that I must do. Things that will draw your ire. Things that appall even me. But they must be done."

Glance at her from the corner of your eye.

"I.. I could use a second opinion to keep me sane.. to keep me.. honest. To keep me from doing something that I'll regret later."

Raise an eyebrow..

"Even if you're a girl."

> [X] "It had to be done."
> [X] "...I couldn't let Bardiel get away."
> [X] "I couldn't have ever forgiven myself if he got away. For what it's worth I'm sorry."

Natsumi's face is unreadable, as she exhales, slowly.

"-You used to scare me, you know," she says, not quite meeting your eyes. "Not *you* - The Red Joker."

"They said you were the perfect killer; Relentless, unstoppable, merciless. I imagined them turning out Red Jokers by the thousands, on some production line. After all that's happened - I thought you could look at anything, and not let it affect you."

Her gaze settles on you, squarely.

"-I was wrong."

> [X] "Why didn't you tell me you were Chrome Cypher?"

"...I didn't think you'd believe me," Natsumi answers, frankly. "How could I? It sounds insane, even to me; A red world you can't see or hear or *touch*? I thought...For a long time, I thought I was going crazy."

She makes a small sound, a sound that could almost be a laugh. "Even now...I'm not entirely sure this isn't some kind of, of - I don't know. A dream, maybe. Or a nightmare."

> [X] "Are you going to tell Kazuya?"

Silence.

"...I don't know." she says, at last, sounding troubled. "-If I had the choice...I wouldn't *want* to know. Something like this - I don't want to give him more problems that he already has."

"Besides..." She cracks a small, but troubled smile; "...I don't think it'd help."

(Continued.)

> "I.. I could use a second opinion to keep me sane.. to keep me.. honest. To keep me from doing something that I'll regret later."
> "Even if you're a girl."

Natsumi snorts, a distinctly unladylike sound - "...You're such a...A...You're so *you*, sometimes," she says, sounding miffed, pouting in an achingly familiar way. It only lasts for a moment, as her gaze darts down, to the floor, as she goes on in a softer voice...

"And then...

"-Then I remember *who* you are, and I just...It's been hard for me, too. You're still *you*, but...I'm not sure *how* you really are like."

Her words are halting - She's struggling to explain herself, not *quite* certain as to phrase it. She bites her lip, her brow furrowing in momentary thought:

> "So Natsumi, do you have any questions for the one, the only, the Red Joker?"

"...Just one."

Something about the way she says it, though, makes you uneasy.

"Anon-kun, did you..." Natsumi begins, a little unsteadily. "-Have you ever...?"

Abruptly, her head comes up. Her eyes go wide.

...And everything changes.

(Continued.)

>>21818352
Things just got complicated. Metaphorically and physically.

>Abruptly, her head comes up. Her eyes go wide.

>...And everything changes.

PANIC MODE: ENGAGED

File: 1354262478810.jpg-(181 KB, 363x321, 1352029040653.jpg)

>>21818352
Oh boy, here we go

File: 1354262524186.jpg-(90 KB, 728x711, jokersam.jpg)

The world unfurls around you - The crimson of old blood.

Then fresh blood.

Then open flame.

Chains surge up from the ground, with a shuddering rattle; Spiked links stretched taut in complex structures as you whirl around, great, blocky structures rising from the featureless white ground - They form an angular arena, darkening to the gleam of brass and the brown of varnished wood.

You can see - Through mono-optic lens - the onlooking Players in the gallery above; Seated, or standing, in bleachers, looking down into the great hall. The auditorium you're in...It's changing, the not-quite-wood etched with stern symbols of judgement - Somewhere, you can make out Chrome Cypher's gleaming form, trying to push her way to the front...

-And another one, too. A shape, in black and red - Perched on a raised podium, arms folded impassively - staring down on you. For a moment, you wonder if it's Rust Kaiser...But no, other than the color, the similarities end abruptly - Except for the blades sheathed at the Player's hips, shrouded in red cloth.

STAGE: THE TRIBUNAL

RED JOKER

V.

INOX FANG.

Not now, you think. Not *now*.

(Continued.)

File: 1354262595979.jpg-(67 KB, 550x550, TBASTAB.jpg)

>>21818352

Oh dear.

>>21818443
We just wanted to watch a god damn play in peace, but noooo, someone has to start a fight. And then they're going to die and ruin it for everyone. What a total jerk.

I am so torn between playing Hat Simulator 2 and watching this thread.

Thank god for Steam's browser.

File: 1354262847832.jpg-(86 KB, 577x451, inoxfang.jpg)

You hear muffled footsteps, your sensors whirring as they hunt and lock-on; At the far end of the court - For that's what this place resembles, a magistrate's court with the jury looking on - you make out a gleaming shape...

It's predatory, tigerish - With a helmet like a predator's forward-thrusting scowl, eyes flaring with ruby light. Twin blades - Single-edged, curved like sabers - shear through the air in a liquid kali flurry, so *sharp* they make the air shiver.

Inox Fang's war-mask swivels in your direction; Both swords brandished - And it *snarls*, the threat-sound of an apex predator.

> HP: 100%
> METER: 5%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 100%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 150%

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>21818443
Ten arbitrary units of currency says it is Kouichi.

Which means this school play is about to become a lot more terrifying. Will he burst into flames like Bardiel, or have a lightning unit dropped onto his head like that rockstar guy?

>>21818443

Holy shit.

He looks like such a fucking badass.

>>21818454
technically, do we have to kill an opponent? We can just beat him into submission and then offer him to forfeit.

but who am i kidding?

>>21818488

Wait to see what fuckface's first move is.

If he charges or throws or shots us, open up with Vulcans and quick-boost to kite him around with the Scrander.

If he stands there, just keep the staring contest going.

Irregardless, get two Interceptors out and have them orbit us.

>>21818488
"I was trying to watch the play, jerk. But you just had to start a fight, you're going to ruin the production."

Make sure the Scrander is spun up and ready to boost upward when he charges. He might not be as maneuverable in the air as he is on the ground. It might give us a better way of keeping our distance. Turn on the Assault Shroud afterimages, those things are really helpful against a melee combatant.

Spin up the Vulcans and let him have it, focus on his legs, take out his mobility.

No need for Interceptors at this juncture, it burns through Meter and he isn't doing any missile or projectile spam so they won't really help on defense.

>>21818488
"Are you fucking kidding me!? You couldn't have done this yesterday, when I was alone? What problem do you people have with my social life?"

>>21818488
"You know, one day, I'd like to just go a week without one of you butting into my life. I don't suppose you're here to talk instead."
>Prepare to scrander into the sky while firing vulcans the moment Inox tries anything.

>>21818573

Let's not waste the Shroud until he makes his move. Those afterimages are handy, but let's wait and see what he does first before shooting him up.

Plus, we have Natsumi and maybe Asuna watching. Gotta set an example afterall.

>>21818561
I really don't think it's a good idea to waste meter like that.

>>21818656

Two Interceptors, for the most part, do not put too much of a hamper on our meter gain. It's when there's three, four.. five out that they bring it to a crawl. Plus, having a force multiplier out on the field never hurts.

"Do you people know how to think? Has anyone whose name isn't Argent Prominence given thought to how Pazuzu, aka Smiler-in-Chief, aka Mr. Nara Dreamland terrorist mastermind, is a slightly bigger deal than seeing if your guns outcock mine? Because they don't, and I am sick and tired of killing people who probably don't deserve it more than I do.

"And you, Carnifex Tooth or whatever, what in the name of your fictional sky person of choice convinced you to do this here of all places and now of all times? There's only one way this can end, and it involves a lot of screaming and ruining the work these idiot kids put in."

Also hi OP, how you doing? Done with tests for the immediate future?

>>21818656
>>21818683
Wait, do our options build meter?

>>21818726
Dealing damage gives meter, taking damage gives some meter, the Interceptors cost I think 2% to launch each and cost some amount to keep active.

(My apologies, internet problems.)

>>21818561

It's a stare-down; A circling mono-optic sensor versus two red-glowing eyes...The Scrander's turbines whirring at your back, fuming with crimson particles - Distortion gathering at the thrusters, ready to fling you into the air.

Two Rifle Bits detach from your shoulders, homing in on your target - The stand-off holding for *one frozen moment* more...

>>21818573
>>21818578

-Until you bring both arms up, in one smooth, articulating motion, and begin to *fire*.

The tigerish helmet cants, slightly, as a blaze of plasma erupts at the churning barrels of your Vulcans - Unleashing a hail of searing fire, muzzleflash gouting at your wrists. A flicker of alarm tugs at your mind; The way he stands, the way he *moves* - It reminds you of the Thief, of Abyss Carcharis, of the impassive figure watching you from above-

...And Inox Fang whips both arms forward, and *hurls* both sabers at you. They slice the air, whirring and chopping, blurring into twin shearing circles that come towards you with prenatural accuracy - Your shots explode against Fang's ruby-embossed cuirass, making him stagger...But then you hear two explosions, a *shriek* of steel as both your Rifle Bits explode at once.

He was aiming for them. A heartbeat later, you realize that there's smoke gouting from a gash along your left shoulder - A shallow cut, but you didn't even *feel* it. The hairs rise on the back of your neck; The blades went through the Assault Shroud like paper...

(Continued.)

>>21818714
>There's only one way this can end, and it involves a lot of screaming and ruining the work these idiot kids put in.

that's not very nice.

>>21818749

>The tigerish helmet cants, slightly,

..that's what I was afraid of. People jumping the gun. He probably wanted to *talk* for Gods sake. I know that's a foreign concept in this world.... but still..

>>21818749
Man, we could really use the Stupidity Shield right now.

>>21818750
"Idiot" should be said affectionately to demonstrate that while we have no stake and not much interest in the performance we at least admire their passion. If by some chance you're referring to how I suggested one of us was going to end up in a body bag in the real world, well, he doesn't seem very nice.

>>21818769
>He probably wanted to *talk* for Gods sake.
As much as I'd love to exercise diplomacy that's somewhat unlikely, given that this one's growling at the sight of us. It's why I'm rolling Intimidate rather than Persuade right now.

File: 1354264617345.jpg-(25 KB, 590x345, inoxfang2.jpg)

Another eye-scorching burst of fire pulses at Inox, as you let rip; But his form is diminishing, blurring...

-And caught on the crux of a premonition, you trigger the Tempest Scrander, a burst of thrust hurling you forward as both mono-edged blades slice through where you'd been standing. They'd come down reversed, like assassin's daggers: You see that both sabers have snapped upright, chromed fists closing on their grips-

Like a holographic image, schematics sketch themselves into being as Inox Fang shimmers into existence, holding them at the ready.

In mid-air, you can feel a faint - But definite - force pulling you downwards, as if the gravitational pull has redoubled; Some strange property of this place prevents you from simply hovering - Damned inconvenient, that. It's drawing you down like iron fillings to a magnet.

On those oddly-hinged legs - Backward-jointed, like a four-legged creature - Inox snarls as he begins to sprint towards you, with a rapid clatter of boots against the floor...Both blades crossed in a seething 'X', the air whipping across them as he begins to accelerate.

> HP: 93%
> METER: 10%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 100%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 131%
> RIFLE BITS: 3/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21818769
>>21818774
Nah. I think OP wants us to get on with the fighting. 3 of us were waiting for a response, 2 wanted to attack.

>>21818714

(For the foreseeable future, yes. My internet is a bit spotty, unfortunately: My apologies if I missed any posts on my first run.)

>>21818810
Get those afterimages up, if his swords are that sharp the best defense is to not get hit.

Unload the vulcans into him, focus on his legs, take out his mobility.

If we can't hover or fly well use the Scrander for lateral movement and hops more than anything else. Keep our distance as much as possible and remember that wherever his blades are he can be there too.

If we get a good chance and he too close unload a Cobalt Boosted Plasma Caster shot right at his center of mass.

>>21818810

Two more Interceptors out to draw his attention. They'll be nothing but a nuisance, but still.

He has Presence Concealment, which is going to royally fuck us over if we lose track of him. Activate those afterimages pronto to fuck with his targeting.

Then, we stand firm and keep blasting him with the Vulcans. When he is about to strike, activate the booster to give us a boost to our agility to sidestep his attack, hit him in the flank, and Scrander the fuck away while blasting him with the Vulcans.

He will not expect a ranged fighter to stand firm (maybe).

>>21818869
Don't pull out any more Interceptors, burning 4 Meter just to grab his attention seems like a waste at this point. There may come a point later when they're going to be useful, don't just throw them away.

>>21818810
We don't have the meter for anything else, fire the vulcans. If we can't hover then that's just how it is. Use the scrander for quick bursts of movement, in thins case, be ready to dodge left and make sure to do it at least a second before we'd normally think we have to since this guy can apparently teleport.

>>21818810
Interesting field effect. Scrander lets us move horizontally as well as vertically, correct? We've got a maneuverability advantage then, at least in sharp bursts. This guy's probably an Agility build like Red Joker, but specializing in movement rather than ALL OF THE SHOOTING. Our key to victory is to keep shooting him while preventing him from closing to gut us. Mid-range combat is our suit's specialty though, so we should be able to do this.

Given his pin-point accuracy, I'm going to recommend against using Rifle Bits and missiles since he can take them out with little effort (and ha, told you they weren't worth it). Energy weapons all the way, unless he's blinded. Speaking of which, Tyrant Burst+Vulcans. In fact, if we've stopped shooting at any time since the first pass we've done something wrong.

>>21818861
Afterimages don't last, and if he's really good he'll be attacking where we're going to be.

>>21818822
Oh, good, we might see you around then. Now if only we could find Princely /tg/'s quest scene would be golden...

>>21818810
Deploy remaining bits to shoot his sabers out of the sky if he tries that throw again.
Scrander onto the ceiling and prepare to tyrant burst flash into his face while boosted scrander-ing out of the way so he smashes into the ceiling or leaves himself open for vulcans + remaining rifle bits.

>>21818898
Given how the blades went through the shroud like paper the bit of extra evasion the afterimages give is worth more than keeping it unused.

>>21818810
Tyrant burst, then roll to the side.
Let's play corrida with the guy.

File: 1354265469420.jpg-(54 KB, 547x308, inoxfang4.jpg)

>>21818869

You trigger another pair of Interceptors - Both Rifle Bits come out blasting, their photonic rays stabbing out at him in lines of scorching illumination. One of them refracts off Inox's sabers with a prickly flare of sparks - But another slices into his chromed armor, drawing a *snarl*, leaving a molten scar.

As you stand firm, the rip-roaring blurt of your twin Vulcans blasting plasma bolts at him, he's sprinting even *faster* - Reminding you, momentarily, of Neon Striker - until he's nearly within striking range...

>>21818898
>>21818861

And you *boost* hard, afterimages trailing behind you - One of your Interceptors pulses out another shrieking beam of light, scorching across his armored brow; It sliced one of the fins of his helmet off - His swing comes a moment too slow, cleaving through an afterimage instead of you, both blades crossing in a scissoring stroke as you jet away.

(Continued.)

>>21818931
Not necessarily. It's still got that fortress mode, which could really fuck him up if we have enough meter for the really fun stuff.

>>21818957
True, once we get a pile of meter we could Fortress, Cobalt Boost the Annihilator and then dismiss the Fortress and turn everything around us into slag.

I love the Annihilator.

>>21818954

Fuck. He has a Cobalt Booster too. That was a real lucky play.

>>21818965
i'd rather keep collateral damage to the minimum.

He snarls, as he draws up short - The cohered half-feral growl of a frustrated predator. Charged particles gather at your Cobalt Booster, your feet skidding as you half-roll, half-boost out of reach...

-And then you're hit from behind.

You're hit from behind *very* hard. Your Tempest Scrander takes the impact, though you hear a *fizz* as sparks shoot out - The whine of the turbines momentarily slowing, your boost cutting out for an instant.

The Tyrant Burst erupts forth in a brilliant flash of blinding illumination - Bright enough that you hear shouts from above, the onlookers flinching back from the light as Chrome Cypher pushes her way to the front - but you're delayed *just* long enough for Inox's eyes to slam shut...

He leaps. The ground cracks as he launches himself skyward, curled into a ball; Tumbling head-over-heels, twisting as he somersaults over you - He's avoided the full effect of the blast, but you've checked him in his step - He's still mid-leap when you gather yourself, turning to track him for a clear shot.

> HP: 87%
> METER: 18%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 84%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 118%
> RIFLE BITS: 3/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

TIER ONE WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21818965
Are the bleachers protected though? Cause there's an audience, Natsumi among them, who could get caught in that blast.

>>21819043
Cobalt Boosted Plasma Caster right to the center of mass. That ought to make him think twice about getting close.

>>21819043
Missiles. 3 I think. And add cobalt boosted vulcan shots to harass him while he evades, or tries to.

>>21818982
No, he's just that fucking fast. What we can do through our integrated equipment, he does with his stats.

>>21819043
Fuck me sideways there's two of him. That or he's got a hologram projector. Fuck it, he's in the air right? Tumbling? Cobalt Boost the Plasma Caster and simultaneously deploy remaining rifle bits.

>>21819043

He's in the air, right? Let's drop a Scrander Crash on him. We've never once used it before. He can't go anywhere. He's effected by the laws of this world's law of gravity now. He's made himself a target.

Once we've done that, use the Booster to recharge our Scrander. Keep hitting him with Vulcans.

>>21819061
He's too far away for the Caster to be effective. And let's not waste the Booster too much.

>>21819061
>>21819076
>>21819043
Wait, how close to us is he? If he's close enough for the caster to have full effect then do the caster. If he's far enough away that the spread from the caster would be diminished then go for missiles and vulcans.

>>21819043
huh, he has some kind of afterimage following his movements?
Plasma caster his ass, then leap to the side. If we aren't getting hit after that i am right. If we DO get hit, fuck.

Why are you people so adamant on using the Caster when he's moving AWAY from us? It will have a diminished effect. Only use it if we're closing or the target is closing.

>>21819087
The scrander just took a hit for us though, we don't know how damaged it might be. Not sure if we should risk it.

>>21819093
>>21819076
WE could boost the triskalion and see how that light armor of his reacts to being doused with napalm, maybe?

Also, make sure the interceptors keep harassing him.

>>21819112

I just want to see what it DOES. We've had it for all this time and no one has even thought to use it. Hell, it probably would have made the fight with Bardiel easier if we had the Scrander with us at the time.

>>21819111
actually, this.
>>21819100

(Quick correction: In the previous post, you have 2 Bits active.)

As he comes out of the hideously agile somersault, you're ready; You snap the Plasma Caster in line, as he turns the final flip - His shape's already wavering, becoming translucent as he touches down - But you're faster on the trigger.

He's half-turning, fading out as you *fire*; The predatory *scowl* on his mask glaring back as you, knees slightly bent to take the impact as the blue-hot flechettes blast out at his unprotected back...

-And you realize, momentarily, that he's unarmed.

*That* realization comes at the exact same moment you hear the metallic shriek of your Rifle Bits being sheared through - Right as twin rockets spiral out towards him - as the paired blades thrust out at you from behind. The sweep of your Assault Shroud takes *some* of the impact - The blades plough right through it, though - the force launching you forward, slamming you off your feet...

Suddenly, Inox Fang is in front of you again, smoke rising from his armor, ugly scorch-marks seared into it as your blue-hot flechettes finally burn-out. He kicks you in the torso, *hard*, before you hit the ground - Already fading out, as you're slammed back, the impact punching the breath from your lungs. You hit the ground *hard*, your chest on fire...

-And then he's behind you, spinning both blades professionally to catch them full grip...His unmarred armor gleaming bright as he advances, closing the distance - Ready to impale you on both mono-edged sabers.

He's fast. Ridiculously fast. *Blindingly* fast - Dimly, you realize that he just hurled you to *himself*, to be clubbed down.

> HP: 65%
> METER: 26%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 84%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 96%
> RIFLE BITS: 1/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21819180

(Apologies:

> COBALT BOOSTER: 74%.)

>>21819180

Wait, something's not quite right.

Wasn't he unarmed just a moment ago? Did he teleport to his swords, then back? Can't he only teleport to where his blades?

Something's fishy about this.

>>21819180

Fuck me, what a bastard. Roll over onto our back to face him, and use the lightning bolt ability of the scrander to zap him as he comes towards us.

Then shoot the shit out of him, when he's stunned.

>>21819180
Motherfuck. There's two of them. He's fast, but not quite that fast, and we kinda turned his armor into a scorched mess so there's no way that it's unmarred.

Get to our feet, use the Scrander to get distance, keep blasting away at him with the Vulcans, turn his legs into swiss cheese. Keep the afterimages up.

>>21819180
>fuck, son, you crazy
>shit, son
>calm down

Full power boost up and away with scrambler while shooting him. Even with increased gravity, we're significantly better in the air.

>>21819216
>>21819235
hmm.
From what we see, he CAN teleport to his swords.

>>21819180

You sly fucker. He is Gotta go Fast to the extreme.

I HAVE AN IDEA.

it's what I call the Mouse Trap. See, we use ourselves as bait to lure fuckface into the trap. What we do is we Boost our Agility again to be faster than he is, it has to be to work.

What we do is we *grab* him launch our Napalm Missiles and THEN deploy the Fortress Mode AROUND him and the Missiles. And then leap out with our boosted speed; while simultaneously encasing Sanic inside with the Missiles.

Crazy enough to work?

>>21819180
Use the shroud to make a solid barrier. We need to slow him down/break his momentum before we can make a dent in his armor. Generate a wall between us and him, jet to the side while shooting him.

We need to prioritize damaging his legs. He's taking Joker to town because he is that freaking fast on his feet. Can we deploy the last bit in secret? I want to have it ready to bite him when he's not looking. If we can turn it into a proximity mine and blow off his foot, so much the better.

>>21819216
No, he's that fucking fast.

>>21819262
Being really fucking fast doesn't explain his armor going from a pitted scorch mess after taking a Cobalted Caster to being gleaming bright and unarmed.

There's more going on.

>>21819180
>smoke rising from his armor, ugly scorch-marks seared into
>His unmarred armor gleaming bright as he advances

He has a partner?

>>21819282

He has a Body-Switching ability. Can be in two places at once, but cannot be active at the same time.

How I'm seeing this.

Remember, when the match started, there was only one other person besides us.

>>21819282
Oh hey you're right. I'd wondered about that. I'll guess that there's two of these asshats.

Maybe we should announce this fact and ask Chrome in for a 2v2 match?

>>21819310
I wouldn't mind bringing Chrome in on this. It'd make our life easier.

Your chest is on fire, as you roll over; But you bring your guns up, your Vulcans spitting cohered bolts of plasma - Inox's arms blur, in a complex and terrifyingly fast whirl of steel, intercepting your shots in a silver flash of wheel-lightning...

-But that gives you the chance to trigger your Scrander. You roar away, at an oblique angle - Wrenching yourself upright and into the air, sparks and crimson particles fuming in your wake. It's barely-controlled; You slam into the far wall and begin to slide down, your hurried fire chopping furious arcs around Inox - His defensive velocities become all the more frantic, but he can't stop the chain-linked bursts of fire.

A muffled snarl wrenches from his throat, as two well-aimed (And inordinately lucky) shots explode against his hip, his leg - He's forced down on one knee, a molten scar glowing red-hot where plasma flames have kissed him. He's fading out, as you launch a trio of Boosted missiles at him-

...But that's just a feint.

You fling your arms up, and trigger the Tempest Crash.

(Continued.)

>>21819299
>>21819282
Okay, so where's the other one hiding then? It says the name of who we're fighting on our targeting reticule right? So target him and see if the name has changed, and if not then next time we see the damaged one see if that name has changed in ant way. Should help us tell if there's two players who look alike or 1 with a doppelganger ability/relic.

>>21819256

Better denounce this post before OP takes ideas from it folks or forever rest your peace.

I'm going to stick with crazy.

>>21819344

SWEET MARY ON A POGOSTICK. FINALLY.

>>21819348
Maybe it's a tag-team thing, maybe it's two people with the same name. Like a pair of twins who joined the game together or something like that.

I don't know the exact mechanism, but everything points there being two of them, or to be more accurate at least two of them.

Immediately, your Scrander goes dead. The charge winks out, and you fall the last few meters to the ground, the impact hard enough to make you *grunt*. But you're glowing brightly from within - A red glare that stars in the Cobalt Booster, spreading through your circuits like a tracery of red veins-

...And with a sudden flash, lightning boils over and lances a jagged crimson bolt out ahead of you, a whiplash discharge of immense energies. The lash flies out sideways, wild and frenzied, untamed an unaimed - The arc of lightning coiling madly outwards, striking a deep, charred scar across the white walls of the Tribunal, only *then* whipping back towards a target...Like a lightning strike jumping as it hunts for something to earth itself against.

The jagged, blinding discharging strikes where Inox Fang *had* been - Or so you think. A snap shockwave of heat and debris ripples out from the impact, sizzling sparks outlining a riling figure, fading back into view; A cloak of collapsing energies juddering around the convulsing form, before the *shock* plucks him from his feet and hurls him away, burnt and electrocuted.

He's utterly and completely unprepared for it. You hear the *clang* as both sabers fall to the ground - Before you hear a snarl of:

"NO!"

(Continued.)

>>21819377

I am so fucking happy I wanted the Scrander Crash. That is badass.

We Tesla Trooper now.

File: 1354268264419.jpg-(29 KB, 298x322, Thing1-and-thing2.jpg)

>>21819377
Here it comes...

>>21819377
"Two versus one? That's a little unfair, don't you think?

You'd need at least three more if you want to face me and win."

File: 1354268484145.jpg-(64 KB, 683x385, inoxfang3.jpg)

Even as one Inox Fang thrashes, shuddering in the aftereffect of the massive electric discharge, the swords snap up - Just like before, snatched from the ground...

-They come down towards you, as you hear frantic racing footsteps coming in your direction. You have the presence of mind to throw yourself aside, as both blades scythe down, in a wild blow - If it'd hit, it'd have sheared your skull in half. Instead, it slashes against your flank, biting deep into your hip - Before wrenching through the nanomaterial of your Assault Shroud, slashing it to ribbons, chips of substance flying into the air.

As you scramble to your feet, your vision flaring with pain, you see *another* Inox Fang shimmer into being - Standing guard over its charred, convulsing doppleganger, both blades crossed over it's chest. You hear a ripple of surprise from above, as your optics flick back and forth...

-There's *two* of them.

Your muscles sting - You can see that the tips of your gauntlets are blackened. Several panels have blown out, from the lightning bolt you unleashed - Your sensors fizzing with sparks. Argent Prominence *did* mention it was a last-ditch...But he wasn't clear on *quite* how much it would *hurt*.

> HP: 53%
> METER: 26%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 76%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 73%
> RIFLE BITS: 1/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21819420
"So that was your trick? Not bad. And you actually know how to work together. Seven points, out of ten. You could have killed me if you'd been willing to let your partner die, but I imagine that would rather defeat the point. I'll tell you what--call this off so that I don't have to leave two corpses at the show; I've hurt enough people from this school. Call this off or I invite MY partner to tango, and he's fresh."

>>21819420

Particle Beam them. Tier 3 tyrant burst the downed ones ass. Turn fuckface into slag.

The Inox standing guard over his fallen comrade will have two options. Attack us and lose his partner or stand firm and take the full brunt of the beam.

If he attacks us Deploy the Fortress Mode around him to buy us time to finish off his comrade. If he doesn't, keep it in reserve.

>>21819420

(Bizarrely, the Tempest Crash spiked your meter up *just enough* for your missiles to bring it down. Huh.)

>>21819446

I can work with that.

If it doesn't, then go for Plan B and slag them with the Particle Beam.

>>21819460
I was wondering why it hadn't changed.
>>21819420
"Did you remember to bring two coffins chump? Don't worry, I'll even bury you together, aren't I sentimental?"

He's not going to give up, especially after we slagged his bud.

Throw a 25% focused Particle Beam down at the charred one, his bud might try to save him which'll be just perfect.

Open up with Vulcans on the standing one, we can't use the Scrander for mobility anymore but keep the Afterimages ready and waiting in case he charges us, we need every last bit of evasion we can get.

Is it possible to trap someone under the Fortress Mode of the Shroud and not place it on ourself?

Rolled 64

(One moment.)

>>21819501

Holy crap. If that's for Joker, then that is the first time we've ever rolled over a 50.

If that's for those two.. We're boned.

>>21819420

Look, honestly? The rifle bit should go and pick on the downed one.

Keep your attentions on the feller still running around, and start firing chainguns at him.

>>21819512
uhm.
Lower rolls are better in this quest, iirc?
Anyway, it's a d100 and it's close enough to 50 to be either way.
FUCK YOU, TG DICE

>>21819501
Are we after a high number or a low number?

Damned if I can remember.

>>21819527
>>21819531

It varies.

>>21819527
No, high rolls are. It's just that sometimes OP rolls publicly AGAINST us. In the most notable cases it was the chance of a fire extinguisher and a rock hitting us. If this is our success roll it's good, if it's their chance to resist, it's not.

>>21819531
That depends if he's rolling for us doing something or our enemy doing something. High is good, just not necessarily for us.

>>21819500
>>21819456
>>21819484

(The Fortress mode is meant to be a protective barrier: You can make simple geometric shapes with it, instead of deploying it around you, but it's difficult to form an effective prison with it. You can certainly try, though.)

>>21819446

There's a fractional hesitation as Inox Fang's mask tilts to the side...Clearly concerned for his partner. Given the damage that's been done to the two of them - Perversely - they're more alike than *ever*. Smoke rising from scorched armor - Jags of discharging electricity leaping across spined knuckles - you see the prone Player push himself up to one elbow...Before crumpling again, with a muffled growl of frustration and pain.

For a moment, everything balances on a knife-edge; It could go either way. You don't know if he's communicating with the other one, or what thoughts are passing through his head...

-But then with a snarl, he surges forward anyway, faster than ever before. It's an unalloyed blur; So fast that he actually leaves ghostly afterimages, legs churning like some pitiless engine as he races towards you-

...The tattered remnants of your Assault Shroud deploy. The duster breaks down, in a swirl of nanomaterial dust - Slamming itself into place, a tesselated wall of interlocking hexagons: Landing with a solid *thump*, sealing itself as it converts into hyperdense material. Inox clears the wall, in one leaping *bound*...Just clipping the top, turning his spring into a fumbling shoulder-roll...

-And clearing your line of fire.

(Continued.)

>>21819543

And the time when he rolled for us to evade Bardiel when we were at Nara. Hecate and Anon both combined rolls didn't even equal 30.

Bardiel's was a 98.

And if we successfully diplomance him, let's say to audience that we may or may not be so kind next time.
And that we're goddamn tired of this shit.

>>21819563
If a few anons hadn't pushed to snap off a final shot at Pazuzu who knows how bad that could have gone. On the other hand if a few anons had just left with Hecate when she asked this whole revenge arc would never have happened.

>>21819573
Looks like the roll was their opposed roll. Oh well, one out of two isn't bad.

>>21819563
And due to that 98 we swore vengeance upon him and killed him in a rather painful manner. It was too low a price for what he did.

>>21819561

This is going to hurt both of us.

I wonder if the two of them are psychically linked. That backlash is going to be massive.

>>21819581
If we'd used the missiles instead of the device that needed to be targeted we'd have been the one to pull Hecate through the door rather than be the one pushed through. YesI'mbitter.jpg

Actually that implies that OP wasn't going to have that happen no matter what. I'm unconvinced that OP lets random chance decide the direction of the game, but mostly because of how well the story fits together.

>>21819500

The Tyrant Burst system spits forth a single, shearing beam of ice-white light; In contrast to the spread lasers you've fired before, this blast is *significantly* thicker, blue-hot like the heart of a star - It sears forth in a crackling blast, the ravening energies shearing towards the fallen Inox Fang, even as you swivel to bring both Vulcans to bear on the other one...

A wordless *roar* wrenches forth from your opponent - He hurls one saber at you, whipping it forward as it spins, accelerating itself into a scything wheel; You flinch to the side, but it catches you anyway - Your instinctive turn prevents it from taking you in the chest, but it slices *through* your left hand.

The lightning-quick blade shears through the stirrup-grip of your Vulcan, taking your fingers with it - You've had worse, but the sudden flare of agony brings you to your knees, as the armored digits flop to the ground, still twitching weakly...

-And your ray stabs into the helpless Inox Fang. For a moment, his colors reverse themselves - From silver to black, writhing spots, as if struggling to cling fast, to survive...Before he breaks apart, giving up the ghost, green particles drawn to you with such *force*, with a fierce vitality, that it nearly knocks you flat.

For a moment - Caught between pain and a surge of power - you're unguarded...But then you hear a *clang*, as Inox Fang - the *remaining* one - slams to the ground, gracelessly. It's convulsing, that tigerish helm battering against the ground again and again, as if in the throes of a grand mal seizure; Agony writ large in the stark lines of its form.

You can see steely fingers clutching at its skull, as it judders in pained motion - As if fighting to rip the helmet free, every inch drawn taut with raw, unalloyed pain.

> HP: 40%
> METER: 39%
> COBALT BOOSTER: 48%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 0%
> RIFLE BITS: 1/5 (0 ACTIVE.)

TIER TWO WEAPONS UNLOCKED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21819649
Looks like he and his clone share pain, so killing one really screwed up the other.

Hit him with the plasma caster while he's distracted.

>>21819649
FINISH HIM! Don't give him half a chance to get his act together. The Fusion Annihilator might take too long.

A full flight of Cobalt Boosted Missiles, a Cobalt Boosted Plasma Caster. Use the remaining Vulcan and shoot him.

>>21819649

Called it.

We just brutally murderglomped his bond-mate in front of Natsumi. This is going to go over so well.

Might as well up the murderstreak and put this guy out of his misery, too.

Oh, and let's not forget to carve our trademark into the ground this time. We have been neglecting too

>>21819649
Coup de grace with the plasma caster.

>>21819679
To be fair, the ARE trying to slice and dice us, so we didn't really have much choice in the matter.

At least she didn't see the time we murderstomped all those mooks that tried to assassinate Argent.

>>21819649
"You should have taken your counterpart and left when I gave you the chance."

Fusion annihilator will work, don't need full charge for wide beam since he's not going anywhere.

>>21819679
Like this man says, don't forget the trademark.

>>21819649
Walk up to the remaining one, take his weapons. Summon the Plasma Caster, start boosting it. Look at the crowd. "I gave them a CHANCE. I told them to back down!" Fire. "This game is going to be the death of us all. Just leave me alone!" Burn the mark, log out.

Cry.

We Harry Dresden now.

>>21819679
We haven't really had a chance for a couple fights.

Everything kinda blew up when we fought Rusty the Steel Man. We passed out after taking down Bardiel, and we didn't have that much of a chance with the giant worm we took down with Chrome.

>>21819709
I wouldn't get that close, he might be in severe pain, but if he lashes out with a blade he might seriously hurt us.


Also OP, if we can we should try to loot the swords after blowing apart the other guy and carving our symbol.

>>21819726
Oh right. I keep forgetting to search defeated enemies for relics.

>>21819726
Something tells me he's got another Fatal Abyss piece. It seems to be a common feature of piece holders to be crazy and animalistic as fuck, as well as goddamn scary in close quarters.

>>21819731

Kinda hard to find 'em when you suck one up into a gaping maw of death and destruction and set off a fusion reaction within a confined space.

Just a hunch.

>>21819726
Pretty sure he dropped the knives, he's making like he's Shinji Ikari in EoE.

>>21819731
>relics
GET THAT CLOAKING DEVICE.

>>21819744

Yeah, it's been a while since we looted the dead.

Bitches love loot.

Your *hand* - You've been hurt before, beaten to within an inch of your life, but you've never actually...*lost*...anything. The pain's only nominal, but you have to wonder - What happens when you *go back*?

You don't give that thought time to form, as you bring your remaining arm up - It *hurts* - the missile racks on your back whirring open, the Plasma Caster taking form around your fist...

"-WAIT!"

The sound comes from *above* - Something that you've thought impossible. The figures in the gallery, the audience - They've always been obscured from vision, mostly...Or blurred into indecipherability. The few times you've found yourself there, you've felt an invisible wall that prevents you from intervening - A hard limit, like the boundaries of some pre-programmed system, except...

"DON'T KILL HIM!"

The words are delivered in a frantic, vox-choked blurt - Chrome Cypher's staticky voice-changer, though the urgency is undiminished by the monotone, distorted growl. It checks you for a moment...But you can see that Inox Fang is struggling to stand, mask twitching and jerking from side-to-side, legs scraping against the ground.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>21819755
deploy fortress around him.
DIPLOMANCE.

>>21819755

(My apologies, gentlemen - But an emergency has come up, and I really, really need to step away. Sorry for the abrupt conclusion - I'd love to continue soon.

Good night, and god bless - Once again, my apologies.)

>>21819755
Goddamnit Natsumi, you're gonna be the death of us someday.

>>21819771
YOU FUCKING TEASE. I HAVE NO GODDAMN WORDS.

>>21819755
"I can't not kill him. I don't take him down he'll come after me, I don't take him down I won't be stronger for the next fight, I don't take him down right now he'll try to kill me as soon as he can stand up straight. Do you really think he'll just agree to be friends and go our separate ways?"

After about the first sentence unleash our wave of death on Inox.

>>21819755

Keep the Caster aimed at his center of mass. Be ready to boost our agility ASAP. We're hurt, badly. If he gets ahold of us we're toast.

"I will give you *one* chance to stand *down.* My friend has deemed you worthy to live. I however, find you nothing but a cockroach who deserves nothing but to be crushed under my heel for interfering with my life."

Charge the Caster to give it that menacing, plasma-y glow. Gotta go for the effect. Rack our Missiles, but don't launch them.

"Do you feel lucky, Punk? Do you? Think you can take me when I have you dead to rights? The only reason you are not but a *smear* on the ground right this instant is because I have a *conscious* in the stands."

File: 1354271783079.png-(219 KB, 566x549, 1354144463617.png)

>>21819771

WHY. Right when the DRAMA hits. I'll be here until 8ish in the morning. Hurry back!

Gotta catch Magical Girl Noir after all.

>>21819755
Alright fine, give me a reason. Anyone in the audience not want me to kill him? GIVE ME A GODS DAMNED REASON!

I gave him a chance to surrender, I said in the beginning that I didn't want to fight, I then gave him another chance when his partner was down to withdraw. Now that I have him at my mercy AGAIN why shouldn't I finish him off? So far not a single one of you bastards have backed down when I've given you the chance. So please tell me why I should let you go after you've been laid low?

>>21819785
We can't let him live.

People start thinking they can go after the Red Joker and then live to tell the tale then the amount of fights we already run into will seem like a pleasant afternoon compared to the fucking swarms of people coming after us.

You come after the Joker you either win or you die, we can't let them think they'll live. We don't have the luxury of letting them live, we're not like Natsumi, we have a giant neon target on us, she can go hunt Correctors if she wants and be left pretty much alone, we can't.

We gave them a chance, they decided to go after us, we can't let a single member of the audience think that they might be granted mercy if they try to kill us.

>>21819814
This.

Though we just killed his partner, i'll doubt he will listen.

That's one thing we need to have Argent develop beyond anything else. A fucking Radar or Sonar set. Being able to pinpoint invisibro would've been infinitely handy.

Although, i still think my suggestion to hit 'em with the Scrander Crash was a lucky shot, honestly.

>>21819784
>>21819785
>>21819814

Calm down just a bit. Geeze. We're not some sort of bloodthirsty maniac. We are the calm, collected sniper.

"I am never the one who initiates or engages these fights. These two came here, with the express purpose of murdering me in an arena of their choosing-and have likely done so in the past and will probably do so again in the future."

"Why should I spare them, to let them start more fights, commit more murder? For that is what they have done: And likely each and every one of you in the balconies have done."

"You are ending lives; people with family, friends, and perhaps even children; those who love and are love back, who hate, who breathe, and whom may even have been your friend upon another life."

"Into this thought I look into in every fight, but... what else can I do to stop you?"

"I never choose to start the fight, but I do not desire my death."

>>21819844
we need to ask argent to develp some shit that lets us escape from battles/be invisible to random assholes with murderboner for us.

>>21819755
Say nothing in response. Fire everything.

If Natsumi wants to slap us afterwards that's her prerogative, but him living isn't an option.

>>21819857
>Calm and collected
>Bardiel
You just keep thinking that.

>>21819857
dis nigga.

although we are not THAT calm.
>Bardiel
>mooks
>Rusty?

>>21819904
>>21819894
Well, as far as we know, this guy isn't involved with Hecate's death, just some random asshole, so that gives us SOME leeway.

I say we shrug and don't kill him. I also say we use the booster to enhance our reaction time, hammerfist him in the face as he's getting up and say "someone in the audience just saved your life. Don't go throwing it away this second chance, because you won't get a third." and be ready for him to attack anyway as we walk away so we can quickly turn and gun him down if he tries.

File: 1354272936207.png-(34 KB, 199x200, 1330837084707.png)

>>21819857

>We are the calm, collected sniper.

Is dis nigga serious? Oh man, I'm actually laughing at you right now.

>>21819911
This one >>21819814
and this one >>21819857

Suggest we won't kill him the thing that we're pointing out is that we aren't some incredibly calm and collected sort who can just shrug off the fact people are trying to kill us ALL THE TIME. We've got a giant target painted on us and we're getting tierd of that fact.

>>21819928
>>21819904
>>21819894

Okay, maybe not. But these guys are just some random assholes, not someone who violently murdered(?) our loved ones.

besides, a friend asked.

>>21819960
So? Natsumi is hopelessly idealistic and listening to her will get us killed. I'd rather not die.

Besides, the play is already ruined, what's one more corpse.

>>21819960
So you're just going to ignore the fact they tried to kill us and that by letting them live we set a precedent that we'll allow those who fail to kill us a get out of jail free card? Because that won't end badly.

>>21819982
Just say to audience that this is the first and last time.

>>21819982

No, I'm trying to set the stage for influencing the minds and thoughts of the audience members watching us.

Actually killing him is just a temporary suspension.

>>21819982

We can let this one live. Can't piss off the childhood friend after mending fences. The next one is toast if Nat isn't watching.

This one very well might be as well if he does something stupid.

We totally gotta do something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynKoZD-sFi4

Yeah, Red Joker is anything but calm and collected.

A swarm of mooks attacked and we slaughtered them while shouting taunts and monologuing.

Bardiel? Charged him with a shield knowing full well it was a dumb thing to do, on the offchance that it would kill him along with us.

Rust Kaiser? Theif was yelling at us not to shoot, telling us it would kill all three of us. What do we do? We take the shot.

Red Joker clearly cares more about "winning" than his own life at this point, even if he doesn't want to believe it, and even if people in the real world are dying.

Look at Chrome for a moment. Just long enough that she understands that we don't want to do it, but it must be done.

Then look away and fire.

Then throw our arms out wide and shout "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? IS THIS NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?"

>>21819995
See this is why I posted the give me a reason thing. We need to get everyone in the audience to actually take a moment and think "Shit that could've been me."

Once people start thinking that and realise this then we can let these two go, but we need people to understand that while we don't like killing people we are perfectly capable of ending them if required.

>>21820005

Then maybe it's time to think about that, eh?

>>21820016
We want them to really think "that could've been me" we don't leave them alive. You don't show weakness in front of a pack of wolves, or in this case players, if you show a shred of weakness they'll be on you in seconds flat.

>>21819870
The fuck it isn't. Killing is easy, we do it all the time. Choosing not to kill is harder. So what if this idiot comes after us again? What's he going to do, team up with someone else? Fat fucking chance. He's proven he can't take us out even with a trick that no one could have anticipated.

No, here's what we do and say. I'm posting this now instead of next thread because chances are good I'll miss it in favor of delicious bed-sleep over the next week. OP, pay attention.

"Mercy. You ask that I show mercy to one who would show none. You ask that I who have never before shown mercy extend it to one who will want my death as long as I live. Do you know what you ask of me? To spend the rest of my life knowing an enemy stalks me and will do whatever he can to hurt me, to destroy that which I treasure and to make me know the pain I inflicted on him. Would you make me shoulder the burden of being hated for myself in addition to the hate every Player has for the armor I wear? Have you imagined for a moment that I might have reasons to eliminate those I defeat? I thought not."

Walk up to Inox like we don't care what the little pissant tries to pull on us, slap his knives out of his hands, do a cursory relic check and push him to the ground with the Plasma Caster on his forehead.

"Very well. I grant you mercy. Know that you owe your life to someone who better remembers what it means to be human than either of us." Turn to look at the audience. "This game is stupid. We fight and die and kill for no good cause that I can divine while actual threats are left unchecked. If you choose this idiot's path and attack me I'll do worse than kill you: I'll expose your identity to the other Players. You may be willing to bet your life in contest against me, but are you so certain of yourselves as to risk your family and friends? That is the mercy I will offer." Then pull off Inox's mask.

>>21820035

I'm actually surprised the fact we're working with Argent hasn't gotten more out and around by now. What with us sporting FUCKING SILVER IN OUR GEAR.

Argent and Red Joker working together has got to make some people shit themselves. Or make them gun for us harder to separate and then kill two of the most powerful Players.

>>21820040
RE: Waah waah other Players are scary. Bitch please, we've schooled everyone who fought us who wasn't a finalist. (Yes that's actually not exactly true but fuck it it's a reputation we can use). We can take everything these people throw at us, and if we actually go through with letting Players know the real identities of those who challenge us and lose we've got a deterrent stronger than the fear of death.

>>21820035
These aren't wolves, they're people. Infinitely more dangerous, but also possessed of imagination, which is a two-edged sword sharpest on the edge pointed at their throat. Make them fear for the things they love and they'll never cross you.

>>21820004
>Alright Fang, you called down the thunder, well now you've got it! *shoot Red Joker insignia into the wall* you see that? I'm the Red Joker! *point to what's left of his buddy* Take a good look at him, Fang, because that's how you're going to end up!

>So run, asshole, and you tell all the other assholes that when I see a weapon raised at me, I kill the man holding it!

I know that it sounds heroic to let him live, but it's just completely impractical.

People already know we're scary, they already know that we kill anyone who comes against us, if that doesn't stop them than letting someone live afterwards certainly won't stop them from coming.

Inox Fang isn't special, he doesn't deserve mercy. Are you planning on sparing any others who come after us? Because that will certainly make them come after us more, they'll try to play defeated and stab us in the back, and if we aren't going to spare them than this gesture is meaningless. We let anyone live the target on our back becomes larger. We let anyone live they'll try to get revenge, if not directly they'll try to get it through the people we care about. Inox won't forget this, he'll never forgive us and he'll go after Chrome Cypher and if he gets and inkling of who we are he'll go after Asuna, Mio, Kazuya, Akira, anyone he can. And truth be told it's not the hardest thing in the world to work out who we are.

All that not killing him accomplishes is it gives us someone with a severe grudge against us a chance to try again, it robs us of valuable XP so we're not as strong as we should be next fight, and it makes us seem weaker.

Just because Natsumi doesn't want us to kill people doesn't make it the right option. She has the luxury of choosing her targets, we don't. Sparing him just seems like a gesture we're making to make Natsumi like us more, and that won't last long as we won't spare the next one, we aren't going to stop hunting down the people who have wronged us, it's a hollow gesture that accomplishes nothing good for us and is made of downsides.

Not killing him would be setting a bad precedent.

"I'm sorry Cypher. I cannot let him live. Would you let one of those correctors you hunt so much survive to kill another day? I know that those like him aren't Correctors... They are worse.

They aren't mindless beasts, they know what happens if they destroy someone in the Red World. Yet they still come... All of them are demons, thirsting for my blood, for my armor, coming after me, hunting me...

I have no desire to get swamped by a wave of monsters, so i have to put them down like the mad dogs they are. Once i've killed them all maybe i'll finally have my peace."

Turn to the audience: "Let this be yet another lesson for you. FIGHTING THE JOKER MEANS DEATH!"

Shoot Inox, make our mark, go enjoy the drama.

>>21820323

Holy shit, what a chapter.

I say we blow his brains out. Every fight, so far, has been to the death. EVERY FIGHT, except the ones where they got away.

Let's not break a winning streak.

>>21820323

Hm, i just noticed, that Inox Dude is silver. He might be one of Argents crowd. Especially because Inox is a sort of stainless steel, he would fit in with the Corrector hunters...

Maybe we should really ask Cypher why he wants us to let him live. We don't want to loose Providence's support because we killed one of his army....

>>21820521
If he was one of Argent's guys he would know better than to go after us. They know about us turning Cthulhu into a crater, they would probably know that we're on good terms with their boss. It doesn't seem likely.

>>21820580
He was trying to remove his helmet during the battle. Maybe he is being mindcontrolled by Pazuzu. I are pretty sure Pazzy can do something like that, remember that guy he summoned when we fought him at the amusement park?

Would break the Joker-Argent alliance.

Though maybe i am just being paranoid here.

(Gentlemen:

First up, my apologies for my sudden absence - A crisis arose, which I've just managed to handle. Thank you for your patience so far; I'd now be able to resume for a few hours, tops.

Give me a moment to collate the results, and I'll pick up from where we left off.)

>>21820908

(All right: By my count, it's 8 in favour of killing him, 9 in favor of holding off. I'm going with the latter, then.)

Your finger tightens on the trigger - The blunt ingot of the Plasma Caster levelled squarely between Inox Fang's eyes. Heat rises from the charging coils; It's blistering hot, enough for you to feel the actinic buzz of ozone, the acrid tang of coalescing energy.

Inox makes a choked-off, strangled sound. The Player's helm is dented, light bleeding from the rents in his armor - The tips of his clawed gauntlets struggle to close around the twin sabers...Until you kick them aside, out of reach, the blades turning like the spinners in a child's game as they come to a stop.

There's a silence. It's total, and complete. You can feel the eyes watching you: Chrome Cypher, pressed almost flat against the barrier - The black, sharply scrawled figure, like a photo-negative, watching through the slits in his kabuto helm. His posture doesn't change, but there's an unwholesome twist to the atmosphere...As if everything is balanced on this moment.

You reach down, and grip the corner of Inox's war-mask; Setting your feet, you *pull*. You hear metal groan - It feels like it's fixed there, riveted into place - Inox struggles weakly, with soundless fury as your fingers dig in...Setting your feet as the metal begins to crumple, the myomer muscles in your arms bunching. With one last effort, you *wrench*...

-And his face comes off.

His *face* comes off. It happens so suddenly, you stumble a step back, momentarily unbalanced - You hear an audible surrusation, the shadowy figures breathing out as one in a sharp exhalation of breath...

Beneath, Inox has *no face*.

(Continued.)

You're holding a chromed warmask in your hand - A scream of ultimate agony wrenched forth from Inox's throat - The sound raw, unfiltered, clawed fingers clutched to his face as he doubles over; Through the gaps, you can make out-

...You've always wondered - What's beneath your armor? You don't bleed, as the Red Joker; You hemorrhage light, not blood. You don't feel the exhaustion that would come with flesh - Even the pain-response is dulled. You can be shot, you can be slashed, and the pain is merely agony, suffering that you can endure.

There's...A light. A *kind* of light, the fiery red of Inox's eyes - Still holding the shape, somehow, as if the armor was just a shell holding his boiling essence in. With a lurch, you realize - This *is* what you look like, within. The fluctuating illumination, the azoic spark...

-That is the shape of his soul.

The light that bleeds away from him *shatters*, into a swirl of green particles - sucked into the vents of your armor, which greedily inhales the swirling pixels.

"I'll *find* you-" Inox seethes...And it's a *girl's* voice, distorted with hate, yet still recognizable, tormented beyond all belief. "I'll *find* you, and I'll *kill* you! I'll kill you, Joker!"

His - *Her* - body is beginning to lose cohesion, to disintegrate; Breaking down into competent particles, fuming away like fine sand, eroding little by little. The warmask in your hand melts away, unmade in one breath as you take a slow step back - On her knees, head down, Inox's voice is choked off into a fitful buzzing, buzzing, like the rasp of insect wings...

-Though she has no eyes, she's glaring hate at you.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

Huh, You know guys considering how she reacted to the double getting killed and how much she seems to hate us for no reason. I think that the other Fang wasn't a doppleganger. I think we just fought a pair of identical twins. And we killed one. Yikes.

>>21821145

My thought exactly. Maybe that's why they were taking such pains to hide their identity: They were cheating, with the invisibility-that's-actually-a-teleport.

So their opponent thinks he's fighting one superfast player, when he's actually being double-teamed by two at once.

>>21821203

Not only that but it would explain why their forms were identical as well. Plus even in real life some identical twins seem to sometimes know each others thoughts, sense when the other is in danger, and most importantly feel each others pain. So in a supernatural sci-fi setting I would imagine that last one gets amped up quite a bit. Cause the red world can be kind of a dick like that.

>>21821265

I'm surprised that it didn't end up like the Executioner Simourgh/Dragon Knight Ornestein fight in Dark Souls. (i.e. You kill one, the other one regains all his health and gets put on crack and steroids.)

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>>21821047
wait a fucking moment. During nara dreamland massacre there was player who got torn by collector. I'm pretty sure she was not a colorful energy swirlie.

>>21821630

She was eaten alive. Like, literally torn limb-from-limb and eaten alive. All players seem to break down into XP orbs when they're killed. Rusty Kaiser also had light inside him, when we blasted his chest open.

I kind of want to see Mio again. She's like a breath of fresh air, compared to the misery and murder our life has become.

>>21821653

Yeah, from that part...

> You look around - Your helmet turning on rusted gears. It's pandemonium, all around; And oh, the sights you see. You see a pack of Correctors wrenching and tearing at a fallen player, to get at the meat within - Something like an arm clenched in vising jaws, before it's wrenched off. A thing with a face full of needle teeth trying to eat a slender, lime-green doll - Which screams and screams in a girl's voice as her head comes off...

>>21821630

Welp, good thing I wasn't sleeping tonight.

So we let her live, and why?

So she gets another chance? So she can do it right this time?

We'll regret this later, I tell you.

>>21821047
>Look at Natsumi, keeping the caster charged.
"Will the angel on my shoulder please speak up?"

>>21821756

I think OP's gone.

>>21821743

Yeah. She just vowed to kill us. We should blast her as she's fading out.

>>21821856
Yes, yes he has. Still keeping it there for posterity.

>>21821856
We really should.

Of course, that would be the *smart* thing to do. And we all know how players in this quest will always take an alternate path if that one is available.

>>21821856
Well, she can try.
>ofw this escalates into Kill Bill scenario

Also fuck this. We were attacked, we told SEVERAL TIMES that they can just fuck off and everything will be fine, it was 2v1 fight, not to mention that we somehow keep being attacked as if someone marked us. I'm pretty sure that if we even get to the middle of a desert someone will find and attempt to kill us.

Tough tits, Natsumi. Not everyone can get along. At least those 5 guys you offed were sligtly more assholish than others.


Also, for our action i vote for "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" - speech.

>>21821915

Yeahhhh. I don't like shooting women, though. It doesn't feel like the right thing to do.

>>21821927
How about shooting women who have the means and motivation to end your life in extremely painful ways?

>>21821927

We just killed her sister/clone in an exceedingly painful way. That option is off the table.

I have to admit that I keep coming back to this quest. The sheer cruelty of the decisions we've made are actually quite alarmingly.

>>21821977
Yeah, about that
>Okay, i obviously don't want to kill your sister, so please, can you forfeit?
>hmm, let me think about it...
>NO, I WILL CHARGE IN LIKE A RETARD

Don't kill her. Get it through her head that her sisters death was their fault, we defended ourselves.

>>21822014

It seems that most of the players are driven by sheer greed. They're willing to die, if it means they have a chance to kill.

Don't forget, anyone who makes it this far is supremely overconfident, because nearly every battle ends in death. You win and win and win, until you lose and die horribly.

This doesn't look like a sustainable system. I have to wonder how some people like Okami Kurosu and Bardiel made it as far as they did, though.

>>21822064
They were the craziest.
kinda like us.
but we had several YEARS of level grind in the pit

We need allies desperately. Give this a chance.
There will be lots of opportunities to kill other players.

>>21822086

A HUNDRED years, if Asuna's story is right.

>>21822101
>Allies
>The sister of the guy you just killed.
Really now.

>>21822101
>Electrocute her sister to death
>She swears an oath of vengeance
>Allies

What?

>>21822119
>>21822130
I think he meant that if we kill this one we're on Natsumi's "worse than hitler" list.

>>21822130
We don't like a real challenge ? Killing her is the lazy way, talking her out of it is will challenging.
And what do we lose by trying ?
Also, we really, really don't want to lose Natsumi as an ally.
So roll diplomacy. And simply roll high

>>21822169
Which is why we should ask Natsumi about what we should do. We said we could use a second opinion to keep us sane and honest, and we want to show that we trust her.
Best case, she has us kill the chick.
Worst case, we let her go and have to deal with the girl later on.

So, is OP going to keep coming back or something? When he said there was an emergency I thought that meant he'd pick up from there next session. Well

>>21821047
"I wasn't looking for for a fight, you decided to attack me. I told you you could take your friend and go, you chose to attack. You're only going to get one second chance to live. If you want to throw your life away like you threw your counterparts life away, well, you clearly know how to find me."

>>21822259
We know what Natsumi wants, she wants hope that there can be a better way. She's had her say and we shouldn't draw more attention to the relationship between Chrome Cypher and the Red Joker than necessary. It would be bad for her health to be too associated with us. So yeah, we'll let this one go. But not twice.

>>21822064
Don't forget about the armory, there seems to be a kind of dungeon delving element to the game allowing people to acquire powerups they couldn't get through normal leveling.

>>21822352
Say, can't we just go into dungeon? To get a feel of red world OUTSIDE endless battles with other dudes, acid-barfing monstrosities or huge fucking robots?

>>21822507

We should ask Argent Prominence about it. Remember, he said that he spent the entire time inside dungeons, and survived to the end simply by outlasting everyone else.

He says, anyway.

Oh, one of these is alive while I'm up. Let's see what you idiots fucked up this time.

>>21822625
... Pretty much nothing, surprisingly. Good job.

The remaining twin is pretty obviously hostile, so we probably should get more info on why Natsumi doesn't want her to be killed, preferably fast as our chance to shoot her is running out.

Also, loot grabbin'. Check to see if they have anything useful. Only thing I can think of that seems like a relic is the swords, but there might have been some other stuff. Again, part of the loot is fading out, so that should be first priority. Hopefully, even if Natsumi doesn't want to kill this player because they're cousins or something, she'll at least accept that she currently is vowed to kill us and let us disarm her as much as possible.

If there's an evil thing, destroy it, don't save it. Don't even wait for an okay from natsumi, just fling it away from the lady we're not supposed to kill and shoot it. Bonus points for tossing it into the defendant's box. Though that's probably trying too hard unless we're already near there

>>21823075
Oh shit, I just realized.

Fang might be Yui...

This is still here? Damn. In the case... whenever OP comes back.. or not..

bump.