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>>27359770

(Gentlemen: My apologies for delaying the session till today. I've been mostly incapacitated by a bout of flu, but I'm back on my feet again.)

HOLLOW SUN: 13.4%

IN PROGRESS -

[X] HELLION UPGRADE: PHASE RESONATOR

(Hellions have a longer operation time.)

[X] RESEARCH: SERAPHIM COMMAND MODULE

(Unlocks Virtue-class Command Units.)

>>27359794
Seems like you get sick more often than I do. Hope you feel better soon.

Quick note about the episode guide: It's completely up-to-date, but still a work in progress. If anyone sees a spelling or grammar or content mistake, or has a suggestion to improve it, let me know.

>>27359770
>>27359794
Welcome back OP, hope you feel better soon.

STAGE: DIS

To your mono-optic sensors, PANZER GALIENT'S gunmetal-grey and blue form is imposing, blocky - A looming sensor shadow. You hear him more than see him; The deep, grinding rumble of his engines, the clatter of his treads, the dry *clunk* of autoloaders cycling, grinding the ebon tiles of the service lane to powder.

His left fist clenches down around the firing grip of a gatling blaster: The quad barrels cycling up, spitting chattering lines of tracers at an insane rate. You can hear rounds whine and skip as they smash off walls and deflect from the ground at acute angles - Finding his range.

His right arm -

His right arm bristles with cooling cables and heat sinks, the muted flare of a high-energy reaction building in a sunflare corona of filthy yellow light. An energy weapon of some kind - You're willing to bet it has a hell of a kick.

Overhead, Pythia hovers, serenely. A blank ivory mask - The floating sacrophagus's 'face' - is cool, serene and unchanging, except for the wisps of crimson hell-light bleeding from beneath. Sensor tines taste the ozone-tinted air...

Your sensors chime with a target lock; Even through the dust and smoke, it's hard to miss Panzer Galient - There's so much metal in him, he pings loud and clear on even the most cursory scans. He seems content to open up with hand-held weapons for this first exchange - The machine cannon in his chest silent, for now, the three missile launchers on either side of his frame still smoking from the last discharge.

(Continued)

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>>27359908
>>27359944

(Thank you, I appreciate it.)


"Come *on*, Joker." Panzer Galient growls - "Come on in - Show me what you *got*."

The whoosh of rockets launching - Six at once, lofting high on a parabolic arc - drowns out the rest of his words.

HP: 147.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 150%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 145.6%
METER: 14%

TIER ONE WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

QUANTUM LINK:

Following initial missile bombardment (Fragmentation payload), GALIENT continues firing GATLING BLASTER until target lock is achieved. GALIENT rapidly advances towards RED JOKER, and discharges FUSION DEVASTATOR at optimum range.

SIGNAL STRENGTH: 83.2%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27360031
Two things: galient has fusion weapon like us? Maybe we could initiate a misfire by gumming up the barrel with EXEC_SWARM?

Our quantum link signal strength, could we enhance that by flying up closer to the source?

>>27360031
Excellent.

Bring out 3 Rifle Bits. Have them take out the missiles.

Turn on the Argus System, along with the Quantum Link we'll be really hard to hit and know exactly where to aim.

Turn on the Afterimages on the Assault shroud and start dodging the gatling blaster and moving back. Shoot him in one of his treads with the Tau Gun.

If he still charges us pull out the Plasma Caster and Cobalt Boost it and shoot him with it as he approaches.

>>27360031
No point in turning on the Argus System for this fight, we've got Pythia doing the sighting.

Wonder how similar the Fusion Devastator is to RJ's Fusion Annihilator. The old model with the chance of violently exploding whenever it was damaged. We shall test this: Launch five Rifle Bits targeting the right arm. Use the Assault Shroud's afterimages to delay target lock, use the Vulcans to shoot down the missiles that are likely to hit nearby. We want to move at a 45 degree angle to him, if he's accelerating on tank treads he's not going to be turning well, though he can probably rotate his torso freely.

If there's still time in the round, switch to the Nova Cannon and target the right arm.

>>27360125

Your Rifle Bits uncouple from your shoulder binders, taking flight on humming gravimetric suspensors - Particle guns opening fire with a scything *hiss* of discharge, the pencil-thin rays stabbing forth in momentary counterfire. Each shot leaves a blurred afterimage on your field of vision; But then three warheads erupt into fireballs, the chain detonations rattling the air. One missile explodes against the iron facade of a building, sharpnel *pinging* off your crimson plate in a scattering rain - The last one falls short, the implosive *BANG* a thunderclap concussion to your ears.

Galient's blaster fires a constant hail of shot - Large-calibre rounds wasping across the cracked street, clumps of powdered rock spraying up into the air. The twisted shaft of a streetlamp shivers apart, splintering into metal fragments as you break into a sprint-

He rotates to track you, torso traversing on the turret-style waist: For a moment, he's found the range, as riochets whine and skip around you - The sledgehammer impact catching you with a long burst, scarring craters in your plate, nearly punching you off your feet...But then your Assault Shroud deploys in swirling contrails of nanofiber, and the line of fire whips past to shred the ghostly afterimages trailing in your wake.

>>27360106

The Tempest Scrander flares - Jets roaring, as it kicks you in the air; The Tau Gun's schematics sketching itself into existence, your fist closing around the grip. You level the weapon as you descend-

Panzer Galient fires his main gun.

The sound of his machine cannon firing is painfully loud - Like a sledgehammer striking an anvil. There's no space to hear the whistle of the shell; You actual *feel* it whip past you - Thirty meters behind, the ground disintegrates in a cone of smoke and flame, the blast shaking the ground violent, almost throwing you off...But you're already in the air, and now it's *your* turn.

(Continued)

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>>27360249

You hear him snarl - Or it might just be his actuators grinding - the brute thunder of his engine drowning out the squeal of the turret clamp, as Panzer Galient rolls towards you: Hard rounds whip and chop, as he sweeps his autocannon in your direction-

...Right before all five Rifle Bits spear towards him, lines of energy slashing across the distance-

FOOOOOOOMMMM.

He fires. His Fusion Devastator is - From the sound - a giant energy shotgun. The sound is thunderous, the light blinding; Feedback stabs into you, as three of your rifle bits disintegrate at once, their signals fizzing out on your HUD. Blaster fire claws the fourth from the air...

And then your Nova Cannon's antimatter round takes his weapon apart.

Already discharged, the explosion isn't as big as you expected - But it's *still* satisfyingly loud, the containment unit erupting in a sooty plasma fireball that hurls tongues of pellucid flame in every direction, Galient's form pulls away violently; Smoke wisps from his grey armour, now scorched black with soot. Abruptly, he slews around, one set of tracks braking as the other races on - From the way his wedge-shaped head wrenches back and forth, you can tell he's momentarily blinded by the flash.

His tracks whirr, finding purchase on the ground - The engines exerting himself as that great gunmetal mass churns forward. Dazed, Galient's rumbling forward anyway, on a course perpendicular to you - Driving sidelong, rotating to present his left flank; Shielding his right side.

HP: 143.1%
COBALT BOOSTER: 150%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 138.7%
METER: 18%

QUANTUM LINK:

GALIENT continues on present course until sensors recohere - Target pops IR smoke and chaff, until MASER CANNON is equipped. Missile payload: Anti-armour warheads. Counter-battery fire with GATLING BLASTER and sponson-side flamers.

SIGNAL STRENGTH: 88.2%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

Oh my god, I got up just in time.

>>27360385
>QUANTUM LINK:
Try sending a message back? It should be two-way, right?

Ask what the hell we're doing here!

Also....
Man. We're fighting a tank version of ourselves!

>>27360425

Also, putting forth this theory: Panzier Galient is actually inside a dominion-type tank chassis, which is why the red world drew us into this fight - its secretly a 2 vs 2. Pythia + joker vs Galient + Tank.

Don't go hogwild wasting resources on the first stage. Just in case.

>>27360425
I wonder if that's intentional, and we're fighting our inner demons or something. Churches ARE supposed to be a place of introspection, and predicting our own moves would explain the quantum link gimmic

>>27360385
NOW! While he's blinded, prime the phase blade and CHARGE! Cobalt boost the scrander and take his right arm off at the shoulder.

>>27360385
Turn on the Argus system to deal with the IR Smoke and Chaff.

Get that last Bit in the air to deal with missiles.

Keep on firing at him with the Tau Gun.

Hit him with Exec_Swarm.

Find cover to hide behind to deal with the Maser Cannon.

>>27360461
>>27360481

(Gentlemen, these two appear to be mutually exclusive. I'll give it a bit more time for a tiebreaker.)

>>27360385
Such a lovely opportunity he's presenting us for more Nova Cannon fire. Fly parallel to him and target the body of the tank, using the Cobalt Booster to get extra shots off. The tracer beam should score the tank, then hit the torso. The remaining Bit should orient itself in front of his face and burn out his eyes.

>>27360442
Unlikely. He's probably a player with tank treads for legs, or maybe has an alternate mode like Bardiel. The Red World doesn't give two shits for fairness; this is pretty clearly Pythia's modus operendi.

>>27360461
What. No.

>>27360461

Are we still carring the phase blade?
I thought we changed our equipment out to the masers and the rocket launcher a few threads ago, when OP gave us a chance to quickly refill our arsenal without taking tons of posts poking at the hollow sun - after we gave gear to argent

>>27360512

If we did get the hollow sun rocket launcher, man, this is the time to use it - against a tank

>>27360512

(You rearmed and re-equipped with the same loadout, according to

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/26122431/#p26126313

That is: Phase Blade, Graviton Cannon, Ion Blaster.)

>>27360481
>>27360497
voting for caution, and to keep things moving

>>27360551

I could have sworn there was a post about the Calamari guns(masers) last time it came up, but I guess it got outvoted or changed later.
I bow before your search-fu, sir

Right on schedule, he pops smoke; Thick, billowing clouds fuming around Galient's blocky form. You hear the dry *clunk* as launchers spit chaff canisters into the air-

...Their detonation is muted, tinny, a low *thump* that kicks fizzing metal particles into the air. Electronic distortion buzzsaws across your sensors; Your target lock buzzing out with a shrill whine, error warnings flickering in your ears-

High-calibre rounds chew into you - A lucky shot. Galient's firing blind, but his aim's impeccable; The impacts kick you backwards, rattle you like a die in a cup until you drop out of range-

And his missile launchers erupt in a flash of fire, as another six warheads spiral out towards you. Dumbfire, this time - They slam into the ground, into walls at random, blasting great chunks out of the surrounding buildings; He follows up with *another* six, the random devastation giving rise to the dry, gritty *thump* of debris scatter, nowhere close to hitting you...

-You, however, don't have the same problem. You can track his hulking silhouette through vision alone: While the Argus System is mostly blinded, the sonar sweep picks out his form through a dozen ghost readings.

You drop the sights on center mass, and pull the trigger.

Panzer Galient's side explodes, a horizontal plume of armour shards and raw energy - As soon as the gun fires, you wrench both triggers again, the tracing beam stabbing deep into his side, before the second blast claws chunks of internal structure free. You must have hit something important, because flames lick up his side, his torso juddering madly as his treads grind-

(Continued)

>>27360508
>The Red World doesn't give two shits for fairness; this is pretty clearly Pythia's modus operendi.

Hmn.

Hmmmmmmn.

Having played prince of persia: sands of time, I am incredibly suspicious of any sorts of Future-Info-Hacking not lying to us.

If there's anything we've learned about the red world, its that PVP isn't fair, and neither is the red world.

Your comment just inspired/reminded me to point this out: Her modus operandi isn't to get an ally to fight her battles for her.
Her MO is to do that, but also and control the battle's outcome to the point where she can score dat sweet essence twice. Remember, killstealing is a thing.

Beware the trap. beware the pythia doublecross.

Also, -talk- to these poeple. Sure, its in the heat of battle, but figure out what the fuck we're doing here.
Prophecies need to be unraveled and interpreted, after all

>>27360425

You're not sure if Pythia hears you. Or if it even can.

Galient's still shielding his right side from you - That's some *really* good armour - grimly soaking up the punishment; Braking hard, Panzer Galient's hull rocks noise-to-tail on his suspension. His gatling blaster chugs, the barrels whirring as your remaining Bit orbits him - Little gusts of black vapor dribbling out from the rents in his form...

Sparks fly, as the particle gun discharges again his armour - Like an arc-welder's flare, as you hit the ground in a perfect three-point landing. EXEC_SWARM's commands form, and your Assault Shroud denudes - Nanomaterial boiling away into a ravenous swarm of wasps, a black damnation cloud that surges towards Panzer Galient with an infernal buzzing, buzzing, all chewing mandibles and rasping wings; They churn around him in a half-sphere, crowding inwards in their mindless hunger.

You duck down a solid concrete barricade, your Nova Cannon bleeding heat as it cycles for the next shot-

And suddenly, the air is filled with *fire*. Galient's sponson flamethrowers roar to furious life - Erupting from his sides, superheated vapour incinerating the incoming swarm in a cleansing holocaust. Drone-body disintegrate mid-flight, bathed in liquid fire - His torso rotating towards you, the wide barrel of the Maser Cannon deploying in an 'X' of sickly green light...

Suddenly, everything is pain. Your audio receptors fill with a shrill wail, as you're blasted with hard radiation - Your sensors shading to a violent white. It feels as if your muscles have spontaneously caught fire; And you're only on the *fringes* of the blast. There's a hiss-spit of myomer fibre boiling inside your crimson plate - The edges beginning to smoke, as a fist of agony clamps down on the very core of your being.

(Continued)

It's sudden, all-consuming - Your gauntlets almost spasm open on the Nova Cannon, and you *can't see anything*; Except for the harsh squeal of feedback as your remaining Rifle Bit detonates, swatted from the air.

"Your turn to *fry*, Joker." Galient growls, as he turns the gun on you - You can hear the laborious screech of unoiled joints, like a stone slab being dragged off a tomb...

HP: 128.4%
COBALT BOOSTER: 105%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 96.2%
METER: 28%

SIGNAL LOST

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27360700
Grab the Adjucator and absorb the attacks.
While he's dumbfounded, use the Scrander to burst to the side while giving him another shot and a few Cobalt-boosted missiles so that tries to shoot them down and end up blocking his own sight and concentration.

>>27360700
Swarm has been nothing but disappointment. First Alura and now this; I'm thinking never again.

Dismiss the Cannon, activate Sinistral 2. He's pulling something nasty out, so Red Joker has to get away from there. Use Tyrant Burst 1 to scramble him, then move and launch a Chain Mine tracking with the Argus System. Fill the rest of the round with Vulcan fire.

>>27360776
No missiles. We'll need the meter and Cobalt Booster for other things.

>>27360700

Take a look at his gun turret - does it look like it has an inclination limit? Ie, if we get airborne, can we get above his field of fire?

"Before we kill each other, Panzerman, why -were- you fighting Pythia. "

>>27360776
Not a bad plan, but i'd rather save our booster for other things. A better use of resources in such an evasive plan is to use our ECM afterimages.

We will need to boost he adjudicator anyway to enter reflection mode, which, considering the nature of Maser weapons(hellions use these!), we really want to bake his armor off with is own gun.

>>27360789
>Dismiss the Cannon, activate Sinistral 2

Is the tau cannon compatable with a charging-element linked adjudicator?

I don't recall. Seems kind of like a downgrade to the adjudicator if we cant have it out with guns

Op was going to do something about weapon handedness/exclusiveness at some point.

For what its worth, i found Panzer Galient's theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmISCeqtJvw

>>27360796
His rockets shoot in an arc. Also, he was fighting Pythia because Players fight Players; having a reason to fight someone is the exception.

>>27360822
No, the Nova Cannon(Tau Gun) and Graviton Cannon require two charging elements to shoot. More than basic Sinistral functionality requires a charging element, which disables the Tau Gun or the Graviton Cannon (and the Vulcan in the left hand). So we CAN have the Sinistral active, but not use its stronger forms while using a charged weapon in the left hand.

>>27360869

So.... what i'm hearing is we need better one-handed and solo-element weapons, right?

>>27360776
>>27360789

The Scrander's serene hum rises to a *roar* - Red particles scattering in the wake of blue flame, propelling you forward on wings of jetair and seething electricity. As your Tau Gun erases itself from reality, you bring the Sinistral up, triggering the emitters - The hard-light barrier expanding before you, field lattice spitting and fizzing against the directed-energy barrage.

The shield doesn't seem to be able to convert the energy - But it's a potent defense regardless, the feedback buzzing through your vision, clawing at your mind, dying away to a sullen background hiss. Panzer Gallient tracks you, but you keep the shield interposed, hunching down behind it as you boost away - Agony jags through your limbs where the scorching line sweeps across you, the Sinistral's field bubbling and wavering unsteadily as it fights to adjust...

-But it holds. It holds, beneath the radiation storm.

>>27360796

> "Before we kill each other, Panzerman, why -were- you fighting Pythia."

"Don't get philosophical on me, you son of a bitch! Go *home*, Joker bastard - How the hell are you here, anyway?"

Galient swings his Gatling Blaster in line with your chest - But your right-arm Plasma Vulcan pummels him, superheated explosions peppering his torso in overlapping detonations, throwing his aim off. His bulky form rocks back, tank barrel elevating as the engine blitzes to life, pumping out a torrent of black exhaust -

He fires his main gun again, the shell shredding a wall line into a rain of rotating metal shards, demolishing a pair of barricades, blasting a raw scab of black stone from the obsidian street. His tracks chatter like fast percussion as he drives parallel to you, hammering away with his Gatling Blaster, as fast as he can cycle.

(Continued)

>>27360896
Or extra charging elements in the arms. But we do have a neat arsenal of guns that don't need charging elements; the Plasma Caster, Fusion Annihilator and the other meter weapons. But fighting with Panzer is demonstrating that we need more guns; I think he's got us beat.

>>27360912
"Didn't you hear, Panzer? The Red Joker IS home. And you're wrecking my city."


Hang on, is Pythia even a Player? Or did activating the Manifold Tower set off a whole bunch of random events in the game world? Don't answer OP, specula is most of the fun.

>>27360980
i'd say it'd be a player who specialised in buffs, probably got an eye seeing forward fifteen seconds type deal. after this is over, we're gonna have to wave it down and interrogate it, as we dont want it to go over to the other side. if we can recruit it semi-permanently, it could be useful against pazuzu

>>27360912

But you're too fast for him, darting just out of reach - You block the stray shots with your Sinistral, your counterfire hammering back into him; You hear him curse, his armour entirely blackened, now - But aside from some spalling on his right side, he's not taking serious damage.

The main gun in his chest - It can't elevate more than twenty degrees, at your guess. It's a direct-fire weapon, not an anti-air one: But it doesn't stop him from blitzing the air with his Maser Cannon, alternating the barrage with both guns-

Why isn't he using his-

Your only warning are the dancing motes at the barrels of his shoulder-mounted cannons - Cannons? He had rocket pods before! - The rising hum of charging energy...

Your Tyrant Burst system flares, in a brilliant flash of light. The effect is immediate; Galient actually *recoils*, blinded - But he fires anyway. The plasma cannons - The ones he's exchanged his missile launchers for - erupt in emerald rays of stark annhilation, a beam fusillade that lashes skywards; Forewarned, you bank sharply, his entire left-side barrage scorching past you.

Your Sinistral takes a beam head-on, and the shield splinters beneath the cohered blast - The second ray splashing across you, red alarms flashing across your sensors as they report an armour breach. The Tempest Scrander chugs, alarmingly, the output dropping; But that's the least of your worries, as the Maser Cannon finds you again.

Somehow, you manage to land - Skidding and tumbling, as a storm of chasing shot batters you; Panzer Galient swinging around, chewing the ground as he drags his dark tonnage about, staring headlights pulsing with yellow light...

-The chaff cloud has mostly dissipated now, as you find your footing; The golden chime of a target lock in your ears.

HP: 106.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 94%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 81.5%
METER: 40%

TIER TWO WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

CONNECTING...

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27361004
both vulcans at his maser, while flying by at a low altitude at max speed to his off-side. that things dangerous, take it out ASAP

>>27361004
Oh whoops, we didn't have the necessary meter. NOW fire the Chain Mine. Twice, just to get the point (or munitions, same difference) across.

Use what I said before as a farewell.

>>27360994
Could be. Players get forms somehow, so it's not impossible that someone could be assigned the overwatch suite and decide to advance it further, but in the long run that doesn't seem like a good way to build power. Extraordinarily useful though.

>>27361051
maybe part of a group that worked together, like our kabuto buddy. then the rest of the group got wiped by something OP as hell, like rust kaiser

>>27361065
Hm...Since they're hyper-specialized in a support role, Pythia would be expected to stay away from combat which would keep them from wiping with the rest of the party. The only thing that doesn't make sense is how Pythia would get stronger without fighting....unless the game is set up so that allied party members share experience. Or maybe Pythia has an Essence Accumulator.

>>27361041

Your boots skid against the ground; The dizzying surge of the Tempest Scrander kicking you skyward, the momentum punching the breath from your lungs - Columns of superheated air and crimson particles fume beneath you, as you take to the skies in a bounding leap.

"*There* you are-"

Panzer Galient's voice is hoarse, as he swings around: The Maser Cannon's wail filling the air, a fusillade of plasma beams scorching through the space-

Where you've *been*. To his credit, he recovers quickly: You hear the close whip and slice of his Gatling Blaster, chewing the wall to dust - But the angle is wrong, his weapons still recharging...

And, of course, you're faster on the draw.

You wrench your arms up, fists clenching on the stirrup grips; A hailstorm of plasma bolts chewing into his right arm, scorching into the Maser Cannon's complex mechanisms at it swings to engage you. The charge detonates, and you hear the weapon shrill as it powers down - The agonizing caress dimming, as you *blur* past him with all the thrust you can muster...

(Continued)

>>27361168

He triggers his flamethrowers, belatedly - The scorching vapours swirling around him in a personal firestorm - but you plough through, liquid fire bathing your limbs as you hit the ground *behind* him...

-It's not a smooth landing. Your jets cut out, and you hit knees-first - Then your shoulder ploughs into the ground, sparks squealing as your armour grinding against the rough black stone with a wail that sets your teeth on edge.

Panzer Galient's engines rev, as he reverses - The turret traversing, chasing the source of the sudden sound. He knows you're *behind* him; Black smoke squirting out of his exhaust pipes, treads clattering madly - A wall folding over as it's sideswiped beneath his track guard: He's rotating, smoke roiling from his right arm, thrusting the Gatling Blaster in your direction-

He fires, a chain of gunfire chewing up the ground in a deep furrow, spitting plumes of dust and hailing stones up towards you in parallel lines...

But you're already on your feet. The single-shot launcher of your Chain Mine sketches itself into existence - You're almost punched off your feet, by the successive impacts, but you wait for the all-important moment as the target lock *pings*...

-You fire.

(Continued)

>>27361206

Danger close.

> "Didn't you hear, Panzer? The Red Joker IS home. And you're wrecking my city."

The Phanlax Chain Mine warhead streaks across the narrow distance, multi-stage projectile already disengaging: The hexagonal sections splitting off, one after another, dispersing into proximity-fused magnetic scattershot. For one moment, the air is filled with countless rotating black micro-mines; Mines that home in on Panzer Galient, telltales winking red, drawn inexorably to his form-

...You hear his chaff/smoke launchers *clank*, trying to fire - But he just doesn't have the meter, his plasma cannons smoking in mute protest.

You fire the second one, mere heartbeats after the first.

"-Balls."

Galient has time to gesture tragically, before he vanishes in a boiling swarm of explosions. The overlapping detonations actually merge into one, orange blossoms of tart yellow flame overlapping and churning, as the blast wave picks you up and *hurls* you back - You can see the racing, expanding fireball, bulging upon itself, rotating shards of metal spinning madly through the air.

The rasping fiery heart of the blast turns to thready black vapour that wafts away into thin air; A strange, mewling, sobbing sound coming up from Panzer Galient's engines, flames rippling and flickering off his bodywork. His chassis seems to *judder*, as it racked from within by convulsions-

Something sizable goes flying over your head; A tank-tread section, one that hits the ground so hard it *dents* it. Your chain mines were only the catalyst for the rising column of smoke and fire before you - You must've touched off something volatile; Galient's reactor, the ammunition waiting in his autoloaders, his fuel cells...

Steam and white smoke pumps out across Galient's burning wreck, flames spitting off hot metal. The sound of the internal detonations are dull, hollow - Like a hammer on brass. Green motes of essence boil out from the ruined shell as it slumps...

(Continued)

>>27361311

Not all of it is towards you. The boiling wave splits, circling you like a swarm of tame fireflies...But most of it surges skyward, Pythia's dagger-sharp form hovering serenely, silhouetted against the black shape of the moon as armour segments open up - The red fading to emerald, drawing in its bounty.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27361320
hail pythia.

-Do we talk, or do i shoot you?-

>>27360912
>"Don't get philosophical on me, you son of a bitch! Go *home*, Joker bastard - How the hell are you here, anyway?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, numbnuts. I shouldn't -be- here, but here you are, dragging me into your mess ANYway. I'm hoping you weren't dumb enough to do it on purpose"

>>27361136

I think Pythia may be an artifact or firewall of the Red Worlds automated defenses. We know from cybele that we're kind of a... system administrator, now, with System Access.
I think pythia may be a sort of automated construct/sentry that's defending something important - and just grabs the nearest sysadmin as emergency defense.

>>27361335

Check ally indicator/status.

Check out our System Access panel/codeburst menu - see if its got anything new in this area

>>27361320
"I figured that was how you built your essence charge. Now explain how you managed to pick up my signature when I was nowhere near Dis."

At a later point in the conversation (if a conversation happens): "I'm willing to call it even. Tell me where I can boost System Access Authority. Vitruvian Devices?"

>>27361320
>>27361335
>Hail Pythia.

Yeah, more or less that.

"Y'know, I getting dragged into my OWN battles with power-hungry crazies was a pain, but now I've got to worry about getting conscripted by people I've never met before?

I bet this'd be enough to make a lesser man irate."

"Anyway, now that old ironsides over there is out of the way, you mind filling me in on what exactly this whole thing was about?"

>>27361335

> "Do we talk, or do I shoot you?"

The ivory mask - Mono-eyed, you see now, with deep striations carved into the surface - is serene, silent. But you can feel that Pythia's full attention is on you, as if examining a specimen beneath a microscope.

>>27361394
>>27361409
>>27361411

For long moments, there's no response - Not in words, at least. You can hear the blurt of binary code, alien symbols dancing at the corner of your vision...

QUANTUM LINK ESTABLISHED

A wave of dizziness ripples across you, your HUD momentarily blurring. A filter dyes your world blue; Events playing out from the same distant, detached view. It's an instant recording, one that you strain to make sense of - Until your perspective shifts, and you blink in acknowledgment.

It's from Pythia's perspective - An eye in the sky, surveying the iron streets below; Then the warping shimmer as you materalize, reality bending and distorting like rays of light through a lens, hoarfrost rolling off your armour like vapour-

TETHER DISENGAGED

Wha-

...You're beginning to fade out. The rising, warping hum is in your sensors, as concentric rings of light rise and fall in pulsating rhythm - The very substance of your form dispersing, becoming less real by the moment.

You're ghosting out.

There's just enough time for one more thing.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27361456
there better be an explanation waiting, or next time i see you, i'll crack that mask and rip your innards out till i get an explanation

>>27361478
Whoa, belay that.

>>27361456
"All right then, where did you come from?"

>>27361488
we got disconnected. we have a reason to be angry. maybe it was a bit over the top, but i doubt the red joker appreciates being called up as a mercenary and only taking a paltry amount of essence

>>27361456
>There's just enough time for one more thing.

use a Codeburst to mark the area/pythia with our Joker Mark so we can find it again?

Or

Throw up a Barrier, synch it to Tether?

Or

Use the Nihl Sphere to bridge the gap long enough to stay in and get the rest of the recording?
Or use our own willpower to accomplish the same thing. We got stuck in the red world for many years while we went through hell - and yet, the red world kicks us out from time to time. These two events seem to be at odds with each other - flex our muscle and Stay In.

We could also trick the system by Challenging pythia here, now, and continuing the fight.

>>27361513
>We could also trick the system by Challenging pythia here, now, and continuing the fight.

And then it calls in the next best Joker it can find. That would make for some awesome plot but lets not.

>>27361478
kinda over the top, but basically that. ask for an explanation, and say we want one when we next run into you

>>27361513
marking it could be interesting, but can we track it from the real world? i dont want to use the nihl sphere, i dont trust that thing. and challenging something which sees the future and is currently non-hostile may not be smart

>>27361456
>There's just enough time for one more thing.
Maybe a little self-indulgent, but I don't recall us having left our mark in quite some time.

I considered marking Pythia like >>27361513 suggested, but I'm not entirely sure whether that would be interpreted as hostile action, potentially leading to getting no answers at all and maybe even having Pythia drag another champion in to fight US this time.

Either way, it seems our usefulness has come to an end, and we're getting shipped back without so much as a word.

Unless the Quantum Link and the Tether aren't necessarily connected. It could be that the Tether is being released now that we're not needed in the same physical zone as Pythia, but the Quantum Link that connected our senses is still going to be maintained.

The perspective shift didn't exactly explain all that much, though. Thanks for nothing, you weird floating mute.

>>27361456
>...You're beginning to fade out. The rising, warping hum is in your sensors, as concentric rings of light rise and fall in pulsating rhythm - The very substance of your form dispersing, becoming less real by the moment.

Using a Disrupt may also disrupt the ADMIN KICK command being used at the moment.

Pythia is kind of a dick.
>summon ally to fight
>boot ally out with no reward
>be alien entity

Fuck that! This may be our last chance to talk to this thing before it goes off to be a mysterious oracle. if it can indeed see the future, we WANT it on our side to help defeat pazuzu.

I think our best course of action is this:
"You called me here to help YOU out. I expect the favor to be returned."

>>27361456
"Hey, I just met you- and this is crazy. But EXEC_HARROW, so let's fight maybe?"

>>27361548
>"You called me here to help YOU out. I expect the favor to be returned."
I like this way of handling things as well, actually.

Worth saying no matter what we end up doing, as long as talking is still a free action.

>>27361531
>marking it could be interesting, but can we track it from the real world? i dont want to use the nihl sphere, i dont trust that thing. and challenging something which sees the future and is currently non-hostile may not be smart

We haven't tried, honestly.

>>27361539
>The perspective shift didn't exactly explain all that much, though. Thanks for nothing, you weird floating mute.
Yeah. I kind of get the feeling OP left something off there, depending on what we do next though. Explains - explains what, exactly?

>>27361539
>Either way, it seems our usefulness has come to an end, and we're getting shipped back without so much as a word.
This, though, is what we should take issue with.

>>27361528
>>We could also trick the system by Challenging pythia here, now, and continuing the fight.
Well, we know that fights aren't always to the death. Parties can disengage and give up - it isn't forced.
It would just let us continue the dialogue.


We should also consider that, sticking our head in the red world in the church, we OPENED the door to pythia - and basically asked to make contact. Which would explain its attitude a lot. again with the wierd shifty nonsensical red world

>>27361539
>Unless the Quantum Link and the Tether aren't necessarily connected. It could be that the Tether is being released now that we're not needed in the same physical zone as Pythia, but the Quantum Link that connected our senses is still going to be maintained.

Actually, if pythia can summon players across zones, we HELLA want her help for rescuing hecate. That kind of thing has massive, massive strategic implications for in-combat extractions and tactical maneuvering.
Hell, not to mention airdrops.

>>27361557

hahahaha
given the theme of the song, wouldn't it be 'tether me again, maybe?"

>>27361503
Red Joker hasn't made death threats against persons not trying to kill him or involved with the Smilers.

>>27361513
I don't think we can issue challenges; just catch them. Tethers are a kind of Relic, which really doesn't make sense considering we don't have one.

Marking Pythia is pretty great though, problem is we can't target it.

>>27361548
>Using a Disrupt may also disrupt the ADMIN KICK command being used at the moment.
Oh, that reminds me of something Cybele said, that the Red Joker processes essence faster than is typical. Players get logged out so that their systems can process the new data, and the Red Joker armor does it nigh-instantly. While a Player is digesting, they can't be pulled into another duel, I think.

>>27361574
>Actually, if pythia can summon players across zones, we HELLA want her help for rescuing hecate. That kind of thing has massive, massive strategic implications for in-combat extractions and tactical maneuvering.
>Hell, not to mention airdrops.

Holy shit.
Holy shiiiit.

If it can quantumlink to players, we can open a line of communication to hecate! Figure out where she is, what's happening!

THAT IS OUT FAVOR RIGHT THERE (if cybele comes through for us, too, then operation: rescue is a go also)

>>27361585
>I don't think we can issue challenges; just catch them. Tethers are a kind of Relic, which really doesn't make sense considering we don't have one.

no, we definitely can issue challenges. We've transformed voluntarily to try to catch other players(the most recent one was in the papillion) - we usually just let people come to us, though.

We COULD force-target pythia with the argus. We have energy for it.
Some combination of marking and saying that it owes us might be good - just intentionally leave off the deathblast component so its not percieved as a hostile act.

Regarding Tethers, though - I get the feeling that its more a Class Ability for pythia, and an effect that people have figured out how to duplicate via artifacts.
It just doesn't make sense that pythia's Support Hero gimmick requires artifact expenditure every time it fights.

>>27361600
Assuming Pythia is inclined to grant favors or understands what they are. I'm back to thinking she represents a new interloper faction of some kind.

>>27361629
Going to the Red World and fighting who/what you encounter in free roam is one thing. Issuing a challenge and getting an arena with spectator Players is another entirely. We can do the first, but the second has just happened.

(Gentlemen: My sincerest apologies. I lost the connection for a moment, and I've been struggling to get it back.)

>>27361456
>It's from Pythia's perspective - An eye in the sky, surveying the iron streets below; Then the warping shimmer as you materalize, reality bending and distorting like rays of light through a lens, hoarfrost rolling off your armour like vapour-

I think at this point, we need to struggle to say in long enough to get the entire message, plus some combination of other things.

>>27361644
>Assuming Pythia is inclined to grant favors or understands what they are. I'm back to thinking she represents a new interloper faction of some kind.

Ugh. Possibly. Fucking manifold tower!
Did we ever actaully go back and ID-lock that area? Its been a few threads and I don't rightly recall, other than we REALLY wanted to prevent further abuse.

There seems to be lots of other factions trying to butt in - the hyades, the correctors, they all want a piece of the real world.

>>27361644

Given the alien symbols, I'm more inclined to believe she's tied into System Access than a new faction.

>>27361657
Can you confirm/deny this when you're back? I figure we've seen/used/been exposed to enough codebursts to recognize its coding language/theme.

It would fit the Sysadmin Backup idea, at least

>>27361488

> "All right then, where did you come from?"

Where did you *come* from?

No answer. Not in words:

>>27361680

The alien symbols that skitter across your field of vision - The same intricate lines and curves that make up Codebursts. But you can't understand them, not truly; Only in the sense that *this* and *this* is EXEC_SWARM, and this jumbled combination is for EXEC_BARRIER...

It's speaking to your system. Not to you - But to the Red Joker's armour.

>>27361539

Your right hand smokes with violet flame: The light of the Nihl Sphere bleeding through your fingers. You raise your hand, and bring it down - Smouldering flame leaping up in answer, sketching your symbol onto the world. Backlit by the guttering light, you strain to make sense of what you're seeing-

What *is* that thing?

>>27361548

> "You called me here to help YOU out. I expect the favor to be returned."

Silence.

It's hard, to stay focused - The world ghosts in and out, the sounds doppling as they come towards you. But...Briefly, so briefly you may have imagined it, the crimson light flooding from beneath Pythia's mask seems to *shift*, shaping words-

It's trying to saying something.

Someth-

Ano...un-

Then, for a time, there is oblivion.

(Continued)

>>27361657

Its ok! it gives us plenty of time to speculate!

and man, i kinda wish you did post-session meta-time like some of the other quests do, because this shit is FASCINATING from a worldbuilding standpoint.

I seriously want a meta-spidey-sense power that gives us Hot/Cold feelings about how right we are discussing this stuff.

>>27361703
>Ano...un-

Anon-kun!
Hecate?

Who else calls us that? Shit, watashiwa, you remeber shit like this!

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>>27361703
Welp.

>>27361715
Pretty much everyone?

>>27361669
Nope. Presumably playing with the tower is the Red World side to going back to Papillon.

The Hyades are an interesting case. It looks like they're fighting each other to become the Chalice Queen--presumably because the Queen is a Player and can leave the Red World.

>>27361703
> I expect the favor to be returned.
>Ano...un-
That'd do it.

>>27361715
this is the annie-may quest, everything calls us anon-kun. but the last supprt character who knew us well and went missing, could conceivably be locked into a metaphysical iron maiden. food for thought

>>27361738
>could conceivably be locked into a metaphysical iron maiden. food for thought

The problem here is we don't know WHAT has been done to hecate since she got kidnapped, only that pazuzu seriously hates her for stealing her eye.

We SERIOUSLY need to follow up with cybele, and see what she knows after she agreed to help track hecate down for us.

If we can make contact with her, no matter how briefly, though - can could get Hecate's emblem. Even as a underpowered Moratorium, she should have that basic class feature.

>>27361736
>> I expect the favor to be returned.
>>Ano...un-
>That'd do it.

Well, its someone who knows who we are in the REAL.

That limits it pretty significantly

>>27361765
I'm currently hedging my bet on Asuna. But I really don't have any proof for that aside from it feeling right.

>>27361750
that is merely one of a ridiculous multitude of people who call us anon-kun though. it could just as easily be cybeles avatar, or something to that effect. we just dont have enough of the red world explained to us

>>27361801

Fuck!

FUCK!

The girl who future-hacks in her dreams!

And we TOLD her to think about us the next time she prophecied!

Nailed it! Good memory

>>27361703

The rooftop, at recess. A grey day, the sunlight muted and wan; It's cold, but the low thrum of the vanes shed a constant, low-quality heat - Oppressive, if you're too close, but just enough as you settle yourself against the concrete wall.

The wind picks up, scudding your sandwich wrapper across the roof tiles with a *hiss* - Making the fence rattle, clattering lightly in time to the odd gust.

Last night, when Pythia released you - You were already at home. At home, going about your nightly routine in a desultory fashion; A night like any other, your coat on the hook, your books arranged in neat rows on the table, your computer shedding white noise and occasional music.

Something, circling without taking hold.

You're losing time again. You're wondering if Bishamon feels this way, sometimes - A stranger, sleepwalking through his own life. And the hell of the thing is...

-The frightening thing is...

You're not sure if you'd have done anything different.

Now, though...

Today - A day like any other. The usual place, the usual time - Just at the very beginning of recess. Normally, it flies by...But today, it crawls. You feel...Jet-lagged, somehow. Out of focus. As if...

You hear footsteps coming up the stairwell. Brisk, lightly paced - A *creak* echoing in your ears, as the door swings open on unoiled hinges.

"-Found you," Natsumi says - Her voice soft, as she pads over to you; Her footfalls slow, measured - Almost reluctant to draw closer. There's a momentary flash of concern in her brown eyes - She seems troubled, somehow.

(Continued)

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>>27361850

She seats herself; Drawing her legs to her chest, her arms circled around her knees. Her red hair's a vivid splash of colour amid all the concrete -

"...I don't see why you like this place." she murmurs, almost to herself - With a sidelong glance at you; A slow sigh teased from her lips. Natsumi smiles, a little wanly; "...It's - kind of lonely, don't you think?"

[ ] "It's quiet."
[ ] "It gives me a chance to think."
[ ] "I like the solitude."
[ ] "Are you all right?"
[ ] "What's wrong?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27361850
>Today - A day like any other. The usual place, the usual time - Just at the very beginning of recess. Normally, it flies by...But today, it crawls. You feel...Jet-lagged, somehow. Out of focus. As if...

Weren't we feeling pretty shitty the day before, post-CARNIFEX fight?
Does this feel like recovering from that, still, or something new?

>>27361862
"...I like looking at the city. And the breeze is nice, usually. Is something wrong?"

>>27361862
>"...It's - kind of lonely, don't you think?"

"A little bit, but its nice to see the sun, feel the wind, think about class and things... but. You look like you have something on your mind. Come in, take a seat, there's room for both of us.

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>>27361825
Goddamn, this is really going places.

>>27361825
>>27361941

Welp! next time we see her, ask "hey, was that you the other night in Dis?"

>>27361866

You're feeling surprisingly good, for someone who was in hospital a week ago. You've shucked the bandages, mostly because they itch - It's not like you really need them at this point; Your cuts have scabbed over, your bruises fading to faint, blotchy marks. On occasion, you can still taste quinine - But you suppose you've mostly recovered, now.

>>27361903
>>27361918

"Mmmmn." It's a non-committal sound - A contemplative note to her voice, as Natsumi draws a slow breath, clearly thinking it over...

Her eyes squeeze shut for a moment, and she exhales.

"-Rook wants to talk to you," Natsumi says, at last. "I didn't pry, but...I think it's important." From her expression, you can tell she's a little reluctant to disclose this - In fact, you get the feeling she'd have preferred *not* to.

[ ] "And?"
[ ] "...Well, I *did* save his life."
[ ] "-Is that bad?"
[ ] "You don't look too happy about it."
[ ] "I'd prefer not to, actually."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27361862
"It's peaceful here. Gives me a chance to think, reminiscence and question."

>>27361962
"Does Rook want to meet on this side or something? If it's important then I should hear it out, but you don't look happy about it."

>>27361962
"Don't mind. There also a few things I'd like to ask him, actually."
"Is there a reason why you'd prefer if I didn't?"

>>27361962
>[ ] Free

She's our childhood friend, right? Just checking before making references to things she doesn't like.

"Well, I did save him, but you're making this face like you've just eaten one the wrong sour-candy flavor by accident..."
"There's something else, isn't there?"

>>27361989
this guys the most diplomatic, go with that

>>27361946
Probably a better idea to ask her if she recognizes our Mark instead, much like we sketched out the Black Joker's mark for Father Yasuda at the childrens' home. A little more plausible deniability in case she doesn't seem to recognize it, seeing as we could just pass it off as some weird new graffiti we noticed or something.

Odds are good that if that was her, though, she probably wouldn't be able to keep a lid on her surprise if we proved capable of what would appear from her perspective to be the ability to peek into her dreams.

>[ ] "...Well, I *did* save his life."

>[ ] "You don't look too happy about it."
"...But something tells me it's not about that. No reason for you to be sulking like this if it was just about wanting to show his gratitude."

>>27361989
>"There's something else, isn't there?"

>>27361982

Welp, guys, here's what's happened.
Our essence-fueled joker magnetism aura has finally reached critical mass and mutated to cross the gender barrier.
Now guys are starting to get boners for the red joker, starting with rook.
no wonder natsumi is pissed about it!

>>27362020
>Probably a better idea to ask her if she recognizes our Mark instead, much like we sketched out the Black Joker's mark for Father Yasuda at the childrens' home

Man, I've been thinking we should get a custom t-shirt printed with the red joker's mark on it, wear it under our jacket or something.

Kind of like superman, instead of the big S, we have the OH FUCK ITS YOU symbol.

Or, like, getting it on a hoodie or something, and pretending to be a red joker fanboy (oh, he's SO cool and mysterious), and just seeing who reacts to KNOWING what it is.

>>27361972

(Apologies: I missed that one.)

>>27361982
>>27361987
>>27361989

(Yes.)

> "Well, I did save him, but you're making this face like you've just eaten one the wrong sour-candy flavor by accident..."
> "There's something else, isn't there?"

She really *is* making that exact face. Natsumi starts - Sitting up a little straighter, a self-conscious flush in her cheeks. "Well," she begins, her voice tentative...A long, long pause lingering, as she considers this - Seemingly searching for the words.

>>27361982

"That's...*exactly* it," Natsumi admits, her brow ever-so-slightly furrowed, giving vent to another sigh. "I'm glad you could help him, and I'm sure he *really* wants to thank you, but..."

She bites her lip, in momentary agitation-

...Then a deep breath.

"Anon-kun, how much do you know about...Well, us?" She makes a desultory wave...Catching herself at the last moment, aware how it could be understood. Natsumi clears her throat, then tries again:

"-About Argent Prominence, I meant. By 'us' - The Players who work with him."

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27362069
I'm guessing we should fake ignorance and only give the general outline of what we know while keeping some things secret (omstly about Argent).

>>27362069
AHA! BACKGROUND INFO! YUUUSSSSSS!

Ahem.
Not much, to be honest, i know Argent's position as head of XXXXXCorp, but as far as anyone else, very little

>>27362069
"Hardly anything. I know Argent's position an the general ideology that you guys follow... but nothing more, really."

>>27362069
>"-About Argent Prominence, I meant. By 'us' - The Players who work with him."

"Not as much as I'd like. I have some good guesses, though, but I always thought there was more going on than.... than his public image would have us believe."
"I know he hires players, and has everyone hunting correctors. I have to respect that sense of.... teamwork, community, and shared bounty."

"But at the same time, there's just no way he needs all that essence for himself. "
"I've also wondered how it's shared and split up. Can you.... donate it, without someone being hurt?"

>>27362069

"he seems to be a.... bit of a collector of otherworldly oddities, frankly. I was at the offices to see him recently, and its just -wierd- seeing so many people running on autopilot"

>>27362069
"Not much actually. You joined with him for your own reasons--wanting to fight the Correctors or not wanting to fight other Players, or for the Relics he offered, or because you met him personally. I'm guessing that there's more to it than submitting a resume and signing an NDA, since I doubt you all wore the pretty whites and silvers before you joined him.

"This is going to have to do with that, isn't it?"

I gotta run. Anonymous, if Rook wants to throw in with us the answer is "No"; he's not on our level and will get killed. He can do more good with Argent anyway. There's also no real world meeting, enough people know Anon=RJ already.

>>27362069
"Not too much about the man himself, despite running into him every now and again. He's a little eccentric, but not in a bad way. Just kind of odd and affable like that one uncle everybody seems to have for some reason."

"I really don't know quite so much about the boots on the ground, though, or the way the organization is structured."

>>27362175
>There's also no real world meeting, enough people know Anon=RJ already.

I dunno, it might be important enough he doesn't want to risk anyone(especially the spectators!) overhearing during the red world.

if he wants to thank us for saving his life, it would be impolite to refuse.

>>27362099
>>27362108

> "Hardly anything. I know Argent's position and the general ideology that you guys follow... but nothing more, really."

She nods - "...It's meant to be that way, you see? Small teams, seven players at most, working together. We get instructions through letters, through emails-" Natsumi smiles, just a little. "...Sometimes, in person."

"You could call it...Compartmentalization. A need-to-know basis; Don't worry about the big picture. In case someone goes *bad*...There's only so much harm he can do."

"Outside of - work - we don't meet much. We don't meet *here*, either...There's really no need to." Natsumi smiles, just for a moment - As if to knowledge that strange statement. "...I've never actually *met* the people I've lead. Isn't that strange. But...Maybe that's for the better."

She exhales, slowly - Her gaze distant.

>>27362162

> "I've also wondered how it's shared and split up. Can you.... donate it, without someone being hurt?"

"Ah, well-" Natsumi presses slim fingers to her breastbone. "...It doesn't work like that, not really. You see - The silver connects us. Each time...When we're working *together*, when one of us kills something...It's *shared*. Everyone gets a bit."

>>27362174

"-Right." She looks down. "The thing is, you don't *know* which one are Players. You can't tell - It might be *any* of them. Anonymity in numbers - *Safety* in numbers. And that's what it's all for: Order. Unity. Purpose."

Natsumi looks faintly embarrassed, at her own words. "-I know it sounds silly, but...It really is for the best. I know it is."

(Continued)

>>27362223
>(Continued)

Listen intently, understandingly. She's about to drop a shoe on us and/or open up some stuff she's maybe not supposed to share.
The least we can do is be considerate about it.

>>27362181

"It's a little more complicated than that, but...When it's necessary - We're told where to gather. *When* to meet - The general area, that is."

>>27362175

> "This is going to have to do with that, isn't it?"

"Well..." There's a pause. "-Kind of. The thing is...Not *everyone* wants the same thing. Sometimes, just keeping things the way they are isn't enough." Natsumi seems to be getting to the heart of the matter now.

"Rook's always wanted to do *more*. Before, he's talked about-" she avoids your gaze, as she draws a slow breath. "In his words: 'We're already an army.' And - 'The Smilers should be punished.' 'Scum like that - They don't deserve to live'."

Natsumi meets your gaze, gauging your reaction carefully.

[ ] "-I agree."
[ ] "...He has a point."
[ ] "And what did Argent Prominence do?"
[ ] "I guess he must've been unpopular."
[ ] "What do you think?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27362316

>[ ] "-I agree."

Smilers DIE.

Thats been what we're been doing for awhile already.

>>27362316

Remind me - the smilers were behind nara dreamland, right?

>>27362316
>[ ] Free

"... oh my. I think I see where this is going. Something like that is...big enough there's no right answer."
A grin.
"I wouldn't mind the smilers being taken down a notch. I owe them a bloody nose or three. "
>>27362387
If that's true, then add "especially after the stunt they pulled at nara."

".... argent didn't send him to die on that "scouting" mission, did he? He was in a really bad spot when i found him, and he's the only one who made it. If he found out about Rook's views..... he's not that cold hearted, is he?"

Rolled 18

>>27362387

They were.

Anon kun also executed a fair number of helpless smilers that were teleporting out of an area.

After nara I say hes out for blood and lots of it.

>>27362447

Yeah.
We're letting this hecate thing hang, though, and we need not to be

>>27362316
>[X] "...He has a point."
"You've seen what they've done, Nat. It'd be easy to blame it all on their leaders, but even the little guys... some of them just want to do bad things and get away with it. Ok, maybe some of them just got into something bad that was over their heads -- wrong place, wrong time kind of deal -- but big picture? Given a choice between more Smilers and less Smilers, I know what I'd pick every time.

>[ ] "And what did Argent Prominence do?"

>>27362419
>argent didn't send him to die on that "scouting" mission, did he?
I thought that this could even be the case, but I'm not sure he would've sent us to go make contact if that were the case, especially since he seems relatively content with the temperament of the current Red Joker.

>"-But. Be careful, Joker. You're a most agreeable young man: I shudder to think what your replacement, at this late juncture, might be like."

If he wanted the guy gone, he'd have sent him to be gone and left it at that, rather than sending us in after him.

>>27362512
>I thought that this could even be the case, but I'm not sure he would've sent us to go make contact if that were the case, especially since he seems relatively content with the temperament of the current Red Joker.

The one thing I want to do is get the old red joker's memory, and then swag into ebara's office and greet him like the Old Red Joker did.
Old RJ was the only one who treated ebara better than he had to, at any rate. There must have been some camaraderie and understanding/tradition between friends there.

>>27362419
>>27362380

> "I wouldn't mind the smilers being taken down a notch. I owe them a bloody nose or three. "

"...I thought you'd say that," Natsumi says - She looks downcast, a little sad...But there's a note of understanding to her words, regardless.

> "...Argent didn't send him to die on that "scouting" mission, did he? He was in a really bad spot when i found him, and he's the only one who made it. If he found out about Rook's views... He's not that cold hearted, is he?"

Her eyes widen - She starts, as if you've slapped her. "Send him t...No!" Natsumi says - Almost snaps, colouring as she realizes that she's raised her voice.

Still - Her expression's troubled, despite the surety in her voice: "...He'll never do something like that," she says, with a slight shake of her head - As if reassuring herself, banishing an unpleasant thought.

"Anyway-" From the brisk edge to her words, you get a feeling you've struck a nerve. "...Anyway, the thing is: Palladium's *changed*. Even before - He was already like that. Now...Well, you can guess."

Natsumi looks down, at the scuffed tiles of the floor.

"I...don't think he's in his right mind. He's *really* been asking about you - I get the feeling that, that..."

"-That he's going to do something stupid." Her lips press together, in a thin line.

"...And he wants you to help."

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

Rolled 8

>>27362554

"I might be out for blood but im in no way suicidal.

If he wants to speak to me so badly then I'll meet with him. I can hear him out at the very least and i can dissuade him if it IS that suicidal.

My word should at least have greater weight with him, now."

>>27362619
>>27362619

This is a way better approach than what I had written.

"...and if there's a chance I'm going to get hecate back in one piece, you know what I'm going to say."
"I get the feeling you're rather disappointed in me, natsumi."
A sigh.
"Since what happened in theatre class the other week, I've been trying to be .... better. About.... things. Its really made a difference." (the inox fang incident)

>>27362619

(Gentlemen: My apologies, but I'm utterly exhausted. I'm afraid I won't be able to do the game justice if we continue - Fortunately, I have a slot of free time coming up soon, so I should be able to continue in a day or two.

As always, good night and God bless - You've been a wonderful audience, and I hope to see you again soon.

The next session should pick up right where this one left off, as Chapter 61.5.)

Rolled 2

>>27362720

Thanks for running OP.

Did you watch the F1? :D

>>27362720
>As always, good night and God bless - You've been a wonderful audience, and I hope to see you again soon.

Thank you, JQOP! its been a blast as usual!

how do you think we're doing so far? I'm getting the feeling that some things are about to come to a head

>>27362554
>I get the feeling that, that he's going to do something stupid... And he wants you to help."
"...are you worried about what he'll do if I say no, or more worried that I might say yes?"

"Look, it's all well and good that he doesn't like what the Smilers are doing. I can't think of anyone reasonable who would. And I've got my own grudge to bear with Kraken and Pazuzu and the rest of them.

But from how it sounds, if Rook had his way, it wouldn't stop with the Smilers. Everybody leading a crusade thinks they're the one on the right side of things, after all."

>>27362720
G'night.

>>27362804

Shit is probably going to go down on the field trip.

>>27363563

What 'field trip' are you talking about? I don't remember anything like that coming up.

>>27363641

He's talking about the visit to Seisin High. Where we're going to put on the play. The one with the giant shark.

>>27363563

The culture festial thing?