>>26852323
Post the link to last thread's pastebin epilogue?

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>>26852323

Waking up is the hardest part.

The fuzzing snow fades from your HUD, little by little - Sensors coming back to life. A spiderweb fissure bisects your field of vision, the two fragments subtly out of synch; Illumination is fitful, sensor-ghosts and doppler images chasing themselves before your eyes.

You're in a vast space. That's the first impression your sensors give you - You're sprawled on the circular floor of a chamber; Deep lines etched into white marble, forming concentric rings. A crack skitters across your ocular sensor, as you look up-

In the dark, the device looms.

A shape, like a pillar - Rising from the innermost ring, tall and straight, coming to a spiked point. The surface looks smooth and unmarred, in the uneven light that fills the chamber; Amber lights blinking weakly on its flanks, cowlings near the floor buckled and twisted from the impact of your landing. Processes move and turn and murmur-

There's another noise, too. A shuffling.

Far, far above, you can make out the ragged hole that must've been the street above...

You try to push yourself to your feet -

Your left arm's missing. There's a ragged stump where it ends, sparks flickering weakly from the exposed myomer fibre. You feel oddly unbalanced - From the knee down, your right leg has been stripped clean of armour, sparks spitting from the twisted ruin of the joint. You're not sure how it can still take your weight.

Your Assault Shroud hangs in tatters from your shoulders, and your Tempest Scrander flickers with random pulses of thrust - The forearm sheath of your remaining Plasma Vulcan is buckled, the charging element glowing redly in the dim chamber.

(Continued)

>>26852369
http://pastebin.com/7eiz7AE3

>>26852419

The Tempest Scrander's connection ports glow with sullen heat - the crackle of the electric field fizzing around you. The vanes move of their own accord, a turbine chugging weakly, locked in place by a shard of debris. It feels like the jagged, buckled plates of your own armour are sawing into you, with each motion.

If you were human, right now, you'd be in agony.

You're not sure you aren't.

In the dark, something stirs.

In the dark, something moves.

Close by, you hear the *clunk* of pistons, the grind of servoes -

"Aaagk." Enfer's voice is a low rasp. He's just a dark silhouette somewhere in front of you - The orb in his chest cracked, pawing at the ground with his remaining arm. He seems hunched over, as he gets to an elbow - He's turning his head, as if there's something wrong with his vision.

"Gkkkkk-" There must be something wrong with his voxponder, too, because he's only making those hideous, crackling noises. Somehow, somehow, aching exhaustion written in every motion, he hauls himself up.

Enfer's remaining arm goes to his pauldron - Clawing at the jagged, toothed grin of the Smiler symbol he wears. He pulls, and it comes free; Trailing wires as it does, hurling it aside, leaving it to clatter and bounce across the unyielding ground.

"Hhhhhhnnnnch-"

His eyes light up, with a sulphurous hellfire light.

HP: 14.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 20%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 17%
METER: 37%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26852426

(Thanks for that: I've made some slight alterations to the post, however - I really appreciate it, though.)

>>26852474

EXEC_CONSUME. We still have the Gauntlet, right? Stab him right through the heart with it.

>>26852474
"I'm hungry, Enfer"

Exec_Consume

>>26852474

"Fuck. FUCK. We're still alive? Where the.. Hell are we? I knew you were too damn stubborn to just fucking die."

>>26852558
>EXEC_CONSUME. We still have the Gauntlet, right? Stab him right through the heart with it.

We need hp, or to finish this fast

>>26852474
Hello OP, Anonymous. Looks like we've a moral dilemma before us. Do we spare Enfer, who seems to have forsworn his allegiance to the Smilers? Or do we destroy him to continue our crusade against his faction? We can't make out what he's saying, so there's even more ambiguity to the situation.

I'm actually inclined to spare him. He's always been a mercenary, and what we really want is Kraken and Pazuzu's location.

OP, we're going to need some time on this one I think.

>>26852558
Missing our left arm. The Helix is a southpaw equip.

>>26852619

No, it's on our RIGHT arm, isn't it? The Sinistral was on our LEFT arm. That's why it was called the Sinistral.

>>26852619
Yeah, let's spare Enfer until we find out what he knows. I mean, sure he's a dick, but he's a dick who serves the highest bidder, and the joker is currently offering him his life.

>>26852474

Laugh. A choking pained laugh. Laugh right in Enfer's face.

"Jesus. When you bring the house down, you bring the house down. Let's put our scuffle on hold and figure out if there's something even bigger down here that requires me leaving you as bait as I hobble away."

>>26852474
"Still alive, then? I'd clap for you, but...

So, how do you want this to go down? I could just eat you, I suppose? But I'm guessing you aren't all that big on your smiling friends any more.

So here's the deal. If you agree to lead me to Pazazu, I won't devour your soul like I did to Asura. Just, I don't know, nod if you agree."

For the people saying to kill him, keep in mind he just pulled his Smiler token off. He's basically said "fuck this". Let's see if he has any useful dialogue BEFORE we nom him with the Nihl.

I'm thinking we kill him, or consume him if thats an option. we don't talk to this rabid dog, he's shown he's a treachourous bitch, and unless friendship is magic is a thing, he'll just come back with three or four friends next time

>>26852723
>For the people saying to kill him, keep in mind he just pulled his Smiler token off. He's basically said "fuck this". Let's see if he has any useful dialogue BEFORE we nom him with the Nihl.

Probably best delivered with a tau gun trained on his face.

>>26852636
Whoops, you're absolutely right. Somehow I thought they were all on the same arm. That makes consume a much more compelling suggestion.

On the other hand, Natsumi would be pretty pissed if she ever found out we killed someone who'd surrendered to us. Given that her moral compass functions much better than our own I'm going to stick with the sparing.

"Your luck is almost as good as mine; you made the one move that could convince me not to feed you to oblivion. I suggest not moving."

Let's check the obelisk...not without an eye trained on Enfer.

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>>26852619
>>26852636

(My apologies: He's right. Unless I'm recalling wrongly - sup/tg/ is down - the Helix Gauntlet/Crisis Arm are indeed on your right arm. You've lost the Sinistral.)

>>26852558
>>26852587

Enfer's left lens is shattered - There's a shard, some fragment of debris, driven straight through, his scarred eye blinded anew. That has to fuck with his targeting, gears grinding as he sinks to one knee. The Helix Gauntlet sends a electric pulse crackling down your remaining arm - Talons of violet light sizzling into being.

You bring your claws together into a single stabbing point-

His head turns.

"...Going to have to *earn* that, Joker." Enfer's voice - That thousand-year-old smoker's growl - is weary and rasping and oddly amused.

Be advised: Half-blind Players can still hear.

>>26852670
>>26852605

"-That makes two of us. Two ornery sons of - *ssshkkkkkk* - bitches."

His head cants back, his speakers crackling with white noise.

> "Fuck. FUCK. We're still alive? Where the.. Hell are we? I knew you were too damn stubborn to just fucking die."

"Damned if I know." Another blurt of staticky sound. Servoes whirr, as something clunks deep in his chest. "...My Tether isn't working, so I guess that means me and my employers-"

Glowing eye again.

"-Have had a falling out."

It sounds like he's trying to spit, to clear the bitter taste in his mouth.

"You look like deep-fried shit, neighbour. And I'm guessing you're not feeling too good, either..." The low, mordant chuckle is broken by bursts of static. His remaining fist clenches and unclenches, pistons ratcheting in his arm.

>>26852718

"Can't do that," he rasps. "...When I'm bought, I *stay* bought."

> "So, how do you want this to go down?"

Enfer pauses. Deep in thought, or plotting? It's hard to tell.

(Continued)

>>26852729
We'll kill him when we're done, but if he can provide any useful information then that's just gravy.

But yeah, he has to die. Escape the Joker once, it's skill, twice, it's luck, three times, it's impossible.

>>26852723
even so, he's proven himself to be a psychotic arsonist. im with >>26852729 as i doubt red joker believes in friendship is magic, and this guy is pretty crazy

>>26852755
Natsumi isn't here right now.

And it's hard to retrain a century old psychopath.

>>26852756

A grinding clunk-clunk-clunk comes from deep in his chest - The sound utterly alarming, until you realize; He's laughing. Enfer's laughing.

He shakes his head, the tiniest possible motion of his visor.

"Everyone dies. Eventually. But it doesn't have to be today, not for either of us."

A pause.

"...And I don't see a way out," Enfer crackles, "-That doesn't involve trying to trust one another." There's that awful, humorless laugh again.

"What *are* we going to do?" The twangy drawl is back in his voice again.

HP: 14.5%
COBALT BOOSTER: 20%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 16%
METER: 37%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26852825
supposing we did accept each others help, as reprehensible as it seems to me, how DO we get out of here? a cavern, with a obelisk, and a hole in the roof?

You know what's funny? Red Joker won this fight because his choice of allies helped equip him. Argent's shield stopped Enfer's fire, the Crisis Arm, Zenith Protocol and Gnosis Engine came from the Hollow Sun, we got the Carnifex from Totenaz and Hecate's Nihl Sphere is what put us back in the fight after Asura did his damage.

And then Enfer's employer betrayed him. Outstanding!

>>26852825
Check out the obelisk. Humming the Beatles optional.

>>26852825

Bite out another laugh.

'What are we going to do?' Damn man. You *are* slow. We're deep in a pit that leads to God only knows where and you ask 'What are we going to do?' 'We' are going to get out of this shithole and kick some ass if we don't die down here to some horrible C'hauliflower plant horror."

"Let's find a way out. The most obvious course of action would be to check out the humming stone. What say you?"

>>26852825
"Funniest damn thing, actually. Friend of mine has been trying to get me to trust people - Even those who try to kill me.

Still, every bone - Or servo - in my body is screaming at me to eat you. You've already said that you're still my enemy, working for the Smilers who have left you all alone with the reaper. I respect the sense of loyalty, but, really? What could Pazazu have given you that you'd willingly leap into oblivion for him?"

>>26852825
"In all honesty, i would rather kill you right here. You're almost as much of a bitch to kill as Rust Kaiser."
"Cooperating right now is probably the best choice, seeing as we're both sitting on Death's doorstep. I still have my doubts about trusting a bomberman, though."

>>26852926
seconding this one

>>26852871

Enfer's voice - harsh and raw as ever - belies the dark humour in his words. "-You'd be the only one that's leaving. Me, I have bad legs; I don't think I could outrun you." Something like a cough crackles over the speakers.

He nods at you. "You're going to walk out of here - *kkkssshhhhh* - and trust me not to shoot you in the back."

He shakes his head, again. "-You first."

There's a long silence, as the light in his eye dims, momentarily.

>>26852892

Bizarre details pile in on you. The chamber - It reminds you, faintly, of the Armoury. Of the Hollow Sun. The same alien architecture, stark and white - The same circuit-patterns, the central column of immense, eye-twisting complexity informing itself upon you.

The main thing you can make out, however, is that it's dormant. Slumbering, perhaps - Waiting for a charge to jump-start it back to life. But...To your semi-trained eye, you have no idea what something like this is meant to do.

>>26852926

A long silence. Enfer seems to be thinking this over.

"-Are you *happy* with the way things are, Joker?" he asks, finally - Curiosity writ large in his voice. "...Down there, in the long dark - It's a lifetime." The emberous glow in his eye brightens, like a torch. "You spend so long trying to find your way back...Because you forget."

"And when you get what you want...You find you don't want it any longer."

> "What could Pazazu have given you that you'd willingly leap into oblivion for him?"

"-The only thing that means a damn, Joker."

"...A way out."

>>26852994

"Nor I," Enfer says, "you."

He pauses. "It's funny," he says. "...I think I would have pulled the trigger by now. But this close to the Departure - I'm not so sure."

(Continued)

>>26853061

His limbs groan, as he pushes himself to his feet.

>>26852925

He chuckles, in that hoarse smoker's rasp. "-No wonder Kraken likes you. You've given him plenty of amusement."

Enfer's remaining eye settles on you, with a considering look. "...Can you still fly? That might be your best bet. If not..."

Details are beginning to emerge, through the gloom. Corridors - Equidistance from each other, fanning out like the points of a triangle. North, southeast, southwest...Nothing to distinguish them from each other, identical gloom-shrouded passages. The way north seems a shade darker, while there seems to be...Noises...coming from the southwest passage.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26853067
Yeah, let's not go into the southwest passage. We've already got enough problems without having to worry about Correctors.

>>26853067

Check to see if we get reception from the Joker Cave and try to call in an escape portal for evac. If we can get a portal, smugly say, "Looks like our rides here."

If not...

"Damn, I figure it would not be that easy... I can probably still fly in short jonts. The Scrander does not have much left in it after our brawl.... lemme find something for you to use as a crutch, with all of the shit that fell there's gotta be something..."

"I'm going to scout around a bit see if I can find anything useful.. a rope... chain... THAT'S IT! FLUFFY! I'll be right back."

See if Fluffy is still spitting fire up top and try and play out the chain down into the hole so we can haul out Enfer.

>>26853173

The last we saw of fluffy, Enfer had blown it's ENTIRE JAW OFF. It neither likes us nor follows our orders.

Frankly, our best solution is to try and fly out, or just back away from Enfer into one of the passages.

>>26853191

Fluffy is on a really long chain. Player controlling Fluffy does not want to see us dead-er-ish. Player will control Fluffy and probably catch on that we're playing out spare chain links down into the hole and have Fluffy sit like a good boy.

I'd rather risk a known quantity instead of going down into an unknown while beat to shit.

>>26853061
"Enfer, the truth is that I don't even really know what I want. If somebody offered me a way out, would I take it? What would I even do without this world to remind me that I'm alive?

-Sigh-

Pondering this is useless, though. I live in the here and now because the past is too long to remember, and weapons don't have a future. I'm going to go check out the pillar. If you feel like trying to shoot me in the back, by all means try it, but you'll be dead before you hit the ground."

>>26853061
>>26853067
"Tell me Enfer, if time distortion worsens the further down you go, and memories degrade the longer you stay, what do you think it's like at the very bottom?

"Escaping doesn't end it; I'm living proof. You want to stay out, you need to edit the registry. And if you have the ability to edit the registry, why stop there? What do I want? I want admin."

With that, head to the North junction. We need to do some quick repairs (Shroud over the worst armor rents, yank the piece out of the scrander's turbine), best that Enfer not see how bad off we are. Grab his Tether, if he's not using it it'll be free meter if nothing else.

Also, let's try something off-beat: "System call: Red Joker."

>>26853173

There's no response from above. Can it hear you? Is it even still alive?

You have no idea, either way.

>>26853243

"Fair enough." It's an oddly magnanimous statement - Coming from that hulking figure in battered brass armour. Sparks flicker weakly at the joints of his damaged limbs; As Enfer begins to back away, one slow step at a time.

He seems to pick a passage at random - Heading for the southeast path. At the entrance, he pauses...Just for a moment, as if he's about to say something-

...But instead, he just shakes his head.

The steady stomp of his heavy footfalls trail after him.

The rising column reaches about half of the way through the darkness - Towards the fractured light shining down from above. A second glance tells you that the chamber is in the rough shape of a dome; Your own footfalls dragging, slow, gyroscopes whirring as you struggle to keep your balance.

The gleam wasn't just your imagination - Rather, it's caused by *motion*.

You can hear the low purr and whisper of shifting systems; Patterns reconfiguring, like sunlight on moving water across that smooth casing. There are deep ridges and lines in the surface, a faint drone coming from deep within...

The only thing that resembles a control mechanism - There's a raised pedestal of metal, steps leading up to smaller columns topped with green circles, placed together an arm's-length apart. The square forms an odd podium, slightly raised up and away.

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26853336

(My apologies, I missed that one - Posted immediately afterward. I'll consider it at the next juncture.)

>>26853353
Well, when confronted with eldritch control mechanisms, we've always stepped right on up before. Why stop now?

Let's take control.

>>26853367
Leave it. Keep the forward momentum going.

>>26853353
A pedestal, huh? Check it out.

>>26853353

"Wonderful. Yet another shady device.."

See if our SysAdmin privilege is high enough to access the console without horribly maiming us further. If it won't horribly murder us, access the console. We've been lucky thus far....

>>26853353
Well, the last two times we used devices like this, our mind got shredded and then we got epic loot.

Let's make it three for three.

There 3 questions no one asking.

Who made the red world?

Why this person or group made the red world?

And how?

>>26853480
The problem is that we haven't run into anybody who actually KNOWS those answers.

>>26853480
Actually we've asked those questions a lot, but nobody seems to know.

>>26853373
>>26853403
>>26853413

What *is* this thing? It looks like a Vitruvian Device - On some level - but...The proportions are all wrong. You can't begin to guess at the purpose behind it, though something presents itself easily enough: The raised control rods.

Your footfalls clank on the steps, as you ascend them one at a time. The podium's unyielding beneath you...And, for a moment, you pause to better position yourself...

-Green light. Before you, lines of radiance sketch an odd symbol in the unquiet air; A circle surrounded by concentric rings of a certain design, lines coming in from various sides to intersect with the outer circles - Rings and systems of lines drawn in a rectilinear web.

You place both hands on the metal columns. You're not really surprised when the green glow filters through you, become radiant, becoming incandescent-

Neon tracers skitter up to meet your touch. For a moment, alien symbols flicker across your field of vision; An electronic handshake, matching, linking...Red coruscation reaching down, emitting *from* you-

...The ground quivers, slightly.

You look up - And you hear the *rumbling*, as the pillar begins to rotate. Slowly at first, that *hum* growing louder and louder - Crimson light shining out of the grilled slits in its sides-

(Roll a 1d100 + 24.)

Rolled 9 + 24

>>26853528

Rolled 14 + 24

>>26853528

Rolled 44 + 24

I swear to god if Cosgrove jinxes this I will light him on fire.

Rolled 92 + 24

>>26853545
>>26853559
Son of a submariner...!

Rolled 4 + 24

>>26853545
>>26853559
Off to a good start

>>26853528

Rolled 16 + 24

>>26853528

Rolled 35 + 24

>>26853528
using dice in joker quest, suddenly people posting rapidly. not sure if want...

>>26853545
>>26853559
>>26853562
>>26853569
>>26853591
Oh dear

Rolled 42 + 24

>>26853545
>>26853559
>>26853591
>>26853569
Based dice gods hate us.

Rolled 18 + 24

>>26853579


Damn tablet

I suppose I should have asked whether high or low numbers were desired.

>>26853528
>You place both hands on the metal columns.

Uh

I hate to be That Guy, but didn't we lose our left arm?

(Gentlemen, thank you for rolling. I'll take a moment to collate the results.)

>>26853614
Maybe we found the other one?

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Yes......

>>26853614

(My apologies: I missed that. You're right - I'll correct it in the next post.)

Rolled 11 + 24

>>26853602


Cosgrove's taint is in full kubo tonight

>>26853614
Maybe we found it and OP forgot to mention?

>>26853626
Saved, thank you kindly.

>>26853629
And he's not even on. Cos, when you read this archive, I want you to know that I blame you. For everything, even the stuff that happened before you started following.

Rolled 77 + 24

>>26853651

I want off Cosgrove's wild ride

Reading through the old threads, I found that number nine is missing, which is a shame. Any one have it?/a link to it?

>>26853693
Try Foolz

>>26853693
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/20068677/

Rolled 94 + 24

The suspense is killing me. Need to get to sleep..

>>26853693
It's not missing, that's why we started tagging the archive with "joker" in addition to "Joker Quest"

>>26853720
>>26853715

(That is...An *uncanny* coincidence.)

You have a moment to wonder what's happening - To take a cautious step back - when you realize...The Red Joker doesn't *let* you. Joints lock in your forearm; The magnetic clamps of your armoured boots deploying, fixing you in place, as motionless as a statue. Through the streamers of code sizzling across your vision, you can only see through the fracture in your sensors - Giving you a fly's-eye view of the world changing, shifting gears around you...

Your armour opens up. Something - A dark, blurred shape, vaguely spherical, the proportions uncertain - lifts from your chest. Twisting lines of data reach up from the machine, snaking around it like kudzu.

...You've seen this once before. The Quantum Singularity Cannon-

But only a glimpse.

A crackling field surrounds you - A barrier of cohered violet light, a hemisphere that fumes and sizzles, made out of tiny interlocking geometric shapes; A shape that replicates, each one linked to the other like the teeth of a fractal dragon-

The great machine trembles, for a moment longer; Crimson light creeping up the surface, the sounds of charging building to a matter-annhilating howl...

It *fires*.

(Continued)

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>>26853720
Thanks mate, have a picture of an odd looking moth in return.

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>>26853756
Welp, nice knowing our organs.

Rolled 35 + 24

>>26853782


Oh its cool we have a donor right behind us if things go as pear shaped as I expect them to

>>26853756
OH GOD

IT'S A CANNON

IT'S NOT A PILLAR

IT'S A GUN

WE LAUNCHED A FUCKING NUKE

>>26853801
>mfw we destroy the Moon.

>>26853801
Oh dear. Time to update the 'List of atrocities Red Joker has not-entirely-accidently commited'

[X] Murdered hundreds of player
[X] Turned player souls into clothes
[X] Devoured player souls
[X] Took control of the death star
[X] Launched a nuke

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>>26853822
On that note I think we have to start figuring out a way to draw the Joker logo on the Moon.

>>26853825


We should start keeping a running list like /a/ does with Daiz.

>>26853825
We need more warcrimes, that's not enough.

>>26853835
That would be beautiful. All the players look into the sky and our fucking symbol is there, staring at them.

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>>26853825
>hearts broken

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>>26853849

>>26853825
Needs more genocide and puppy kicking.

I always wondered if the Quantum Singularity Cannon was really one of our weapons. WE got it right after our first trip through a vitruvian device. The one that removed the curse of the Black Joker from us by processing it's substance before it began upgrading us.

>>26853835
>>26853848
Oh my god yes

Everyone will know, forever, that the Red Joker is stylin' on them.

>>26853835
>>26853848


We have a big fucking gun that would even make Hitler weep, what's stopping us?

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The shriek is a thousand times louder than your Fusion Annhilator - It is, you realize, a massively oversized, modified version of your own weapon: The first, tracer beam stabbing skywards like an accusing finger...Before it expands, discharging that reality-rending blast into the churning skies of the red world, leaving the air wounded and suppurating light.

It's like a rod of molten glass - There and gone again in a nano-second. Black cored with red; The strike accompanied by a vicious atmospheric decompression, a thunderclap so loud your audio sensors all cut off at once.

The sky becomes tall and lofty, illuminated by inner fire - The cyclopean towers of the red world reduced to mere silhouettes. The ray is so brilliant, it's impossible to look directly upon - The echo of that tremendous shot ringing forever...

But through the blast, you see - Just for the fraction of a second - Another landscape entirely.

*Your* world.

And then the Red Joker's armour seals shut around the black heart, locking back into place. Your armour unclamps, without warning, the release nearly enough to send you staggering...But the barrier remains, swirling around you until dismissed.

> EXEC_BARRIER UNLOCKED

A countermeasure to reality-rending effects and signal disruptions, EXEC_BARRIER creates a personal shield that changes frequencies to intercept incoming Codebursts. When activated, the disruption field suspending code-based attacks directed at the user, capturing it in a null state.

(tl;dr - When EXEC_BARRIER is active, it draws on your COBALT BOOSTER to nullify incoming codebursts. There's an upkeep cost, with one caveat - The barrier takes on the properties of the last codeburst it intercepts, rendering you immune to that specify codeburst as long as the field remains up. (e.g. Being hit by EXEC_DISRUPT renders you immune to successive EXEC_DISRUPTS.))

(Continued)

>>26853900
Now that's the sort of thinking I can get behind

Red Joker: One minute, being all deep and introspective and shit, and the next laughing madly while he carves his name into the chuclefucking moon

>>26853907
Whelp.

There's no way *anybody* missed that. We totally need to brag about it later.

>>26853907
This did not end like how I thought it would. The blast is probably going to get us in a deep load of shit though.

>>26853907
I have to wonder what Enfer is thinking right now.

>"FIVE MINUTES. I LEAVE HIM ALONE FOR *FIVE* *MINUTES* AND HE BLOWS THE WORLD UP"

>>26853907
>inb4 that blast destroyed half of the Hyades

>>26853924


Joker pulled the same stunt a few days ago when he rescued Rook. By now the other players are immune to Joker's pyrotechnic shows that make Hiroshima and Krakatoa look like sparklers.

>>26853907
Well, it seems like EXEC_BARRIER will be mighty useful against Kraken if we ever run into him again.

>>26853907
If we could see IT, people there could see THIS world. When we get home we're so checking the internet.

Also wow, everything went better than expected. Might want to back up a bit, I think we sent up a signal for a new field to replace the Armory.

>>26853944
As long as it didn't do anything to Papillon I don't rightly care.

>>26853965
Or we just blew up the moon

>>26853944
Less competition.

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>>26853907

-And abruptly, it releases you. The connection breaks, the data-lines dying away: You look down at your remaining, your Fusion Annhilator sketching itself into existence - The chambers whirring, systems reconfiguring...

FUSION ANNHILATOR UPGRADED.

The world fades out.

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

"Anon-kun...*Anon-kun~!*"

The light returns to your eyes - Your *real* eyes, wincingly bright. For a moment, a sense of complete and utter disorientation sweeps across you - And then you remember you're in the Papillon's back room, the couch soft beneath you, your shirt soaked in sweat...

Someone's shaking you. Mio's face swims into view - A shuddering sigh of relief teased from her throat.

"...Thank goodness..." you hear her breathe, concern, confusion and not a little fear warring in her eyes - "...You're *okay*." A tremulous smile touches her lips - You notice that your headphones have been pulled out, the cassette player tossed to the side.

Her fingers are cool, as they touch your face - There's a stale taste in your mouth, and you think you may have bitten your tongue. Your limbs feel...*sore*, somehow, a burning in your muscles.

"-How do you feel?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26853950
They keep time by them. Seriously, how many times have we utterly destroyed places and then just left. There's the time we used the Quantum Singularity Canon, the time we blew up the building with Rust Kaiser in it, half the times we use the Fusion Annihilator, that time with Rook, this time, and a number of others I can't remember right now.

They don't even notice any more, it's just part of life in the Red World, everywhere we go is destroyed, and we kill so many people that get in our way.

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>>26853950
>god fucking dammit joker, not again

>>26853985
"I'm okay, what happened?"

"Is the Moon still there?

>>26853985
"I'm alright Mio. What did I miss?"

>>26853985
W-what happened? my head...

>>26853991
>They don't even notice any more, it's just part of life in the Red World, everywhere we go is destroyed, and we kill so many people that get in our way.
"Hey guys, I'm new he--WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT GIANT EXPLOSION!?"
"Oh, yeah. That happens now and then. That's the Red Joker doing his thing. Any time something gets blown up, or a catastrophic light show pops up, it's probably the Red Joker."
"What the fuck."
"It's not bad, honestly."

>>26853978
Vash the Stampede ain't shit. Kinda want his gun though.

>>26853985
>FUSION ANNHILATOR UPGRADED.
On second thought he can keep it.

"Did I pass out? So uncool. But hey, what did I tell you about being brave? It still applies even if I'm asleep."

Are the lights back on? If no, then: "It'll be over soon."

>>26853907

.... we SERIOUSLY need the Emulation Chip next time we hit up the hollow sun.

>>26853985
"Like the moon fell out of the sky.

Better now, though. What happened while I was out?"

>>26854019
"Also, don't go near him unless you want to be turned into a hat. That's a thing he does sometimes. Also sometimes eats people."
"What the fuck!?"

>>26853991


If Joker and Enfer teamed up, the red world is completely and utterly fucked. One is a nutcase who loves blowing shit up while the other simply leaves so much death and destruction in his wake that he has achieved boogeyman status. It would be glorious.

>>26854019
"You kinda get used to it, you know. And if you can find a good place to watch, from a distance, it's really quite beautiful. Once you get the hang of the local quirks the Red World is a great place.

I know it's tempting to try to kill the Red Joker, you get to be the Red Joker if you do. But it's a bad idea, lots of people have tried, nobody has succeeded yet. You'll die."

>>26854058
>while the other simply leaves so much death and destruction in his wake that he has achieved boogeyman status

And also is constantly inadvertently(?) blowing shit up.

>>26854058

He did mention he's hired for things. We could try.

Also, uh, we need to get the sinistral again :(

>>26854131
I don't think it was actually destroyed, and it was attached to our arm, so it should return with that arm. Hopefully.

>>26854002
>>26854008
>>26854018

"Y-you..." For a moment, you think she's about to hug you - But somehow, Mio holds back. She exhales, a slow sigh of relief - enough that she nearly goes limp.

"You had...a *fit* of some kind - I was so *scared*~!" The words tumble out all at once, her hand to her mouth; Her eyes glistening with tears. "...I didn't know *what* to do, and then..."

Mio's voice trails off, as she calms herself. There's a soft clink, as liquid gurgles into a glass.

"-Are you thirsty?" she asks, with the delicacy that comes with someone who's injured. "I thought you were going to hurt yourself...If you hadn't woken up, I'd have-"

She bites her lip.

>>26854030

The lights - The lights are back on. Even the soft glow feels like needles stabbing into your skull. But when you breathe out, the pain eases - Slowly.

Better.

You must really be seeing things, because there seems to be a red tinge to your vision; As if everything is ever-so-slightly askew, or your eyes are still burning.

Outside - Very dimly - you can hear commotion. It's hard to be clear, through the thick, soundproof walls. Your legs feel rubbery, as if they don't really belong to you.

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26854174

(Gentlemen: I'm sorry for the delay. My connection cut out for a moment.)

>>26854089
Oh, it's rarely inadvertent. He just uses crowd control on individuals, anti-fortification weapons on crowds, and can scale almost the entire arsenal into a WMD.

Okay, if anyone asks, we were investigating the Salvation Children's home when the super weapon fired. And speaking of said weapon, we're coming back after closing time to ID lock the area. I don't want to have to fight our way to it if we ever need to use it.

>>26854174
"Mio, Don't worry. I had things under control. Mostly.

But I think something might have happened. We should check outside, uh, just as soon as my head stops spinning."

>>26854174

Oh, mio. You really are the best girl.

> "Did something happen outside?"

>>26854180
If anyone asks, I say we tell them.

The Joker is already the Red World Grim Reaper. If anything, it will cause fewer people to attack us.

>>26854174
"It's kind of funny, usually Natsumi is the one who freaks out when ten years ago comes up... I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

>>26854216
Oh sure, but then we can't surprise them with the Annihilation Cannon.

>>26854057
Oh and be aware that challenging other players might lead to you being matched up against the Joker.
And he hates it when people interrupt his daily life.

>>26854174
"I might have destroyed the moon.

Let's see if anyone noticed."

>>26854180

This. So much fucking this.That's a super good idea - and we may find the sinistral, if it's fallen off and been destroyed in the meantime

>>26854174
"I might have accidentily done something bad.

We should probably go check that out just as soon as I am able to stand up."

>>26854207
>>26854211
>>26854260

"'Under contr...'?" Mio echoes - Then, "The *Moo-*"

Her brow furrows, but she doesn't pursue the issue any further.

>>26854236

> "It's kind of funny, usually Natsumi is the one who freaks out when ten years ago comes up... I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"A little," Mio allows. She manages a weak smile, her blonde hair shimmering in the soft light. Her hand reaches up to cup your cheek - But something makes her hold off. "...I was scared *for* you," she admits, wanly. "...I thought - I didn't know *what* to think."

> "We should check outside, uh, just as soon as my head stops spinning."
> "Did something happen outside?"

"N-no, why would-" she stops, mid-sentence; Her eyes widening with slow-burning realization. Something's not *right* - She can feel it, too. There's something in the air...

You pull yourself to your feet.

It's a short sentence, but a very complicated one. It feels like your legs are cramping, pins-and-needles shooting through your limbs...Somehow, however, supporting yourself against the wall, you manage.

When the door swings open -

You're not *sure* what you were expecting, at first. For a moment, it's hard to tell exactly where you are, as shafts of red light stab through the windows: At tables, heads turn, looking out - Out, and up.

They can see it too.

(Continued)

>>26854280
>"'Under contr...'?" Mio echoes - Then, "The *Moo-*"

"Its... kind of hard to explain. ... but also kind of like your butterflies, I think

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Awwwww shite.

So, how hard did we goof?

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>>26854280
Oh fuck

We really did it this time, didn't we?

I mean, we *really* did it.

>>26854290
Seconded so hard.

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>>26854280
Oh dear

We went too far

>>26854280

Don't forget to grab our tape recorder. Or more accurately, make handey-motions to Mio to hand it over - listen in on what *May* be going on in the red world portion of this area.

>>26854324
Good idea.

>>26854324
Good idea. I'm sure players are going to be all over that area after the light show.

>>26854337
In before we have to refight the Smiler Ambush Battle.

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The sky-

The sky has turned a deep, bloody red - An utterly unnatural, ominous colour. Not the shade that comes with the descent of evening, but the vivid shade of the red world-

But - Manifestly impossible, instead of just startling - is the *rift*. Like the lips of an open wound, there's a ragged gash that splits the sky; Winter's-grey outside, blood-red within.

Inside-

Inside, you can see *shapes*. It's a landscape achingly familiar to you, yet inverted: You can make out the cyclopean towers looming from where the clouds should be - The great, alien metropolis of obsidian and iron and ebony - the milling swarms of black birds...

-No. Not birds.

They're too misshapen, dark specks that whirl and flock in clouds - Too *large*, too ill-made. There's a kind of terror in it; You're looking up, up into the place where one world ends, and the other begins.

"Oh my go-" You hear Mio gasp - Her voice a small, embryonic thing. There's lightning in the air...The smell of ozone, and sulphur, and brimstone - It feels like the sweltering light is *spreading*, the edges of the tear expanding even as you gaze up through the looking glass...

-You hear a plate shatter, as one slips from Rena's nerveless hand-

-You can hear the screech of cars, the wail of horns-

-And, most of all, you can hear the low hubbub; The rising murmur of confusion and panic.

(Continued)

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>>26854375
Oh.
Oh shit we're so fucked.
Help.

>>26854375
Hahaha. Oh, everything has just gone to hell. I need popcorn.

>>26854387
>>26854392

If things are going to hell, then it may just be time for the light of the Hollow Sun to shine through.

>>26854280
>But something makes her hold off
I know we should be panicking over the imminent Red-->Real incursion, but this is interesting. Does Mio have problems with initiating signs of affection? She held back on telling Anon how she feels about him, and now this. Maybe afraid of inflicting her bad luck on people? Or worried that the weird dislike people have for her will kick in if she gets too close?

>>26854375
Bwahahaha.

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>>26854375
Yep. We tore open a rift to the red world. And the correctors are about to come through.

I think we should get Mio somewhere safe and then transform to help deal with this.

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>>26854375
Welp.

>>26854404
>transform
>jump through the rift from the other side
>have to defend our own body and mio from correctors

>>26854404

Actually, we may want to, uh, run over to argent's and snag that purple crystal back.

Or do something ballsy like using the violet nihl sphere to force a real-world transformation like we did in the arcade.

>>26854375
Well, now we can add "Tearing open a dimensional wormhole that will doom the real world." to the list.

>>26854375
If anybody asks, it was Enfer's fault.

>>26854417
>Well, now we can add "Tearing open a dimensional wormhole that will doom the real world." to the list.

Keep in mind that these things take LOTS of power, as we saw from dragging Cybele here...

If there were some way to redirect the aperture..... we could snag ourselves a trip to save hecate.

>>26854400
Actually, that might be a good idea.

Let's send the Hellions into the real and have them defend civilians from the incoming corrector swarm.

Oh wait, you're serious. Anon, we saw the rift close. It's just the good kind of time distortion working against us for once.

>>26854400
Wait, does that mean that we can send Hellions into the real world?

>>26854417
Yeah, that's a thing.

>>26854426
>>26854431
>Red Joker sends an army to invade the real world

>>26854426
Wait a moment.
Hollow Sun is powered by essence.
Correctors give off essence.
I think we should build t1 engineers and send them on reclaim duty.
We'll also have fun levelling up. And we might become a super hero, by transforming our actual body.

>>26854426

Actually.

Hrmn. Depending on how many of them there are...

>>26854431
No. We don't have any direct control over the hellions. Our only options dealing with it are Fire And Forget or Don't Pull The Trigger - and we only get one shot.

However.
This might be a time to tell it to make the Dominion, and go on a killing spree to feed it essence until we get the hovertank.
OR
Check on the Golden Coffin Mecha Robot assembly its making. It was almost done last we checked...

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>>26854375

But even as you watch - Even as you look on - it's fading. Uneven lightning stitches the sky, static distortion blurring at the corners: Like a vast optical illusion, a mirage, that smears over itself.

The rift doesn't *shrink* so much as it distances itself.

Red is receding. Grey is in ascendance.

With a sickening slowness - The way a smile slowly fades - the crimson colour fades. Perhaps that's the most terrifying thing of all: There's nothing *natural* about the way a city-sized landmass - Impossibly poised, impossibly inverted - could vanish like that-

The slice of stolen sky restores itself, folding over - The beginnings of a buzzing, buzzing sound, one that sets your teeth on edge. "Nnnnn-" Mio gasps - Putting her hands over her ears. "-It *hurts*-"

For an instant, your vision blurs. Everything - *Doubles*, two worlds pulling apart...Drawing back together, snapping back into place.

There's a great, hushed silence. The collective sound of a whole city holding it's breath, trying to comprehend - Trying to make some *sense* - of what's just happened.

And then, at last - Like sirens in the dark - you hear the first screams.

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 58

TO BE CONTINUED

>>26854444
>>26854445

This depends a LOT on how healed up we are. Carnifex has real-world carryover itself.

>>26854448

(Gentlemen: I apologize for the abrupt ending. This is sort of a 'half-session', to tie up the previous episode - I'm afraid that work commitments are calling me away from continuing.

However, I really appreciate your input - I was temporarily and abruptly banned due to the word filter. I realize that the Hollow Sun is an asset waiting to be explored, and I hope to write a more extensive guide to it - To streamline the process - as soon as I have the opportunity.

As always, you've been a wonderful audience, and I appreciate that you've stuck with me. Good night, and god bless: I hope to see you again soon.

As a side note - This was another session that took a very surprising turn.)

>>26854448
>And then, at last - Like sirens in the dark - you hear the first screams.

And we can also add "Citywide SAN loss." as well.

>>26854478
you are excellent, and we love you and your quest. any idea when you'll have enough time off work to run another session?

>>26854481

(Hopefully by the end of the week.)

>>26854478
No kidding.

I can't wait to see how Mio reacts. We were spouting nonsense before that happened, and I think she's smart enough to join the dots.

I guess it's time to talk openly to a few people.

>>26854478
Massive dice failures tend to do that.

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>>26854448
Phew.

>>26854478
So was this a direct result of our horrible horrible rolls?

>>26854490

It's a massive jump, don't you think? Your crush babbling nonsense, then going OH SHIT, HE BLEW UP THE MOON.

Remember, she didn't see us do anything. Same for Asuna. Some of the girls we know seem to be 'half-Players' of a certain kind. Mio and Asuna have these not-quite-human abilities and no player forms.

>>26854504

(My apologies: To clarify, I actually meant the choices/strategies/decisions made, rather than die-rolling.)

>>26854516
I'm guessing that they are potential Hyades.

>>26854527

All the hyades are incredibly hot, however. Literally every one is waifu material.

In fact, if you think about it, given how they're not entirely real...They're 2D girls! Oh god, /a/ was right.

>>26854551
>/a/ was right.
They wouldn't approve of us turning the 2D waifus to the 3D side of the Force.

>>26854551

It's not that different, to be honest. The one girl we have our heart set on, the most charming and attractive one, is the girl who isn't completely real.

There's a lesson in that somewhere.

>>26853061

Great, we let Enfer go. No way that's going to come back to haunt us at all.

Does anyone else think that they set him up to die? He had a tether, but he said that it didn't work.

>>26854604
We forgive too quickly.
We lost EXP and NIHL charge and might have lead to the deaths of plenty people.

>>26854604

I'm not sure we could have beaten him. He's a pretty goddamn tough bastard, and it would have been an even fight.

He was able to match almost all our firepower, and if we hadn't hit him with DISRUPT from the start, he'd be throwing out a lot more stuff at us.

>>26854655

They're all pretty deadly. Pazuzu's no slouch, Rust Kaiser is basically invincible, and Kraken wrecked us with an axe. Enfer seems to be the most amiable of the group, tho.

>>26852323
I just discovered Joker Quest a while ago, and I've been working my way to get caught up.

Are you planning to make an ebook anthology, at some point? Would you mind if someone else did so in your stead?

>>26856426
IIRC Watashiwa is working on a summary or something.

>>26854478
>As a side note - This was another session that took a very surprising turn.)

By the way, now that the old session is out of the way, what were you surprised about with the Cybele session?

>>26854604
We were almost dead, he was almost dead. It would have been rocket tag.

It wasn't mercy so much as pragmatism.

>>26858599
The gauntlet would've stunned him and sapped his strength.

>>26854527
Mio maybe, Asuna I think is plugged into the Red World's event viewer.

>>26856542
Right. It's most of the way done, but it also needs to be cut down to summary length instead of novel length.

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>>26853562
>>26853629
>>26853651
>>26853665

Have I become a being that has infested and tainted /tg/'s dice or something?

Because I like the sound of that.

Anyway, I loved this session, and cannot wait to see what happens next.