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>>27802896

HOLLOW SUN: 48.7%

http://pastebin.com/XQRPUVEt

(Gentlemen: I've revamped the guide to the Hollow Sun - Be aware of the new Foundry, which can be found at the end of the document.)

(In addition, you hold the following Essence Signatures:

[ ] PANZER GALIENT
[ ] MIRAGE SYLPHEED

which can be converted into Relics at the Grinder, at the cost of 20% per conversion.

While you also hold the joint Essence of multiple PRETAS, they can't be used with the GRINDER. In addition, ASURA was destroyed with EXEC_CONSUME and absorbed by the NIHL SPHERE, and is unavailable for conversion.)

>>27803087
>>27803164
Hah, I saw that.

Week go well?

>>27802896
Evening OP, ready to see players happen to the world today?

>>27803164
Kind of curious what relic Mirage would create.
Also curious whether we have free access to the relics in the vault.
Does the Void anchor take away from essence we use to level up?

>>27802896
Sorry to bother you but I was curious about the Lucifer bits and the new interceptor stuff- do the Lucifer bits replace our old interceptors or do they supplement them?

And in the case of replacement- do the upgrades we have/can get from the Hollow Sun apply to them?

>>27803164
Holy shit.

That's a WHOLE lot of goodies.

>>27803164

You here, OP?

>>27803277

(Well enough. Busier than usual, but that's to be expected.)

>>27803404

(The Void Anchor is meant to be deployed immediately after you destroy a Player, or an equivalent Corrector. Yes.)

>>27803437

(The upgrades/Lucifer bits are direct replacements.)

The skies are dark - A storm-tossed grey flickering with sullen jags of lightning, the bass rumble of thunder building the rotation that threatens a tornado. The harsh, brittle *clang* of steel echoes over the rows, a sound that rises over the crash of the waves, the groan of the black leviathan's hull.

They battle in silence, blades blurring even faster than before. Chop and slash and parry and block - The only light coming from the hell-glow of the red ocean beneath them, and from the Ship itself. One attacks, constantly - Slamming his blade down with strength that seems to flow from the sullen black behemoth beneath him.

The other gives ground, retreating along the narrow spire - His footwork desperate now, as he parries chop and chop, sparks crackling and spitting at each exchange.

The burning rain hails down around them.

> "This power, this freedom - Limitless. Beyond all imagination.
> Finally, all I desire is within my grasp...
> And all I want is *everything.*"

Silhouetted in a harsh shaft of light - An expanding circle of illumination, stabbing down from above as dust motes dance, the other levels his sword in a sure hand.

> "-Remember!
> Remember the man you were - The man you *should have been*!"

"Cut!"

(Continued)

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>>27803665

Yui's crisp voice rings out over the scene - The lights coming on all at once, wincingly bright. A round of scattered applause echoes, brief but heartfelt; Cheers, too, as Kazuya straightens, waving his prop sword with a flourish. His face glows with sweat, but he's grinning, even as the fur collar of his jacket wilts in the heat.

Facing off against him, Kouichi's slightly more reserved; He dips his head in a little bow, unfastening his cloak with clear relief as he stows his prop sword under his arm - It's done plenty of dramatic billowing, but he's complained about the wires inside the mantle, that keep it from tangling on things...But which must weigh a *ton*.

"I'm *dying* in this thing," you can hear him mutter - And really, you can sympathize. Your shark costume's folded beside you, but you *still* itch all over...Never mind the oversized headpiece, grinning cheerfully from the side.

Kazuya vaults down from the stage, with a swagger in his step - His eyebrows raised, his shoes clicking on the boards as he sinks into the seat next to yours. He's too jazzed to sit still, though: His grin almost splitting his sweaty face in two.

"How was *that*, Anon?" he asks - "That's real swashbuckling up there, you know. Took us *ages* to get it right."

[ ] "Very impressive."
[ ] "Well, I'd say Kouichi did most of the work..."
[ ] "It looks like you've been practising."
[ ] "I can honestly say that I didn't expect that."
[ ] "The girls like it, that's for sure."
[ ] "I'm amazed you could keep up with Kouichi."
[ ] "Did you think this up yourselves?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27803650

(My apologies, some formatting errors.)

>>27803164

Wow, some of the stuff there is fucking amazing. A mod which turns the shroud into a GRENADE LAUNCHER? Three different flavours of fin funnels?

A briefcase that gives us ANY WEAPON WE WANT? Holy shit, that's incredible.

>>27803767
"4 out of 10 from the Russian judge."
Crack a grin and punch him in the shoulder.
"Are you trying to impress Natsumi? It definitely looks like you've entertained the girls at least."

>>27803164
Question! Are the items created from the Foundry generated on the spot, or are they added to the Arsenal? I assume the former. Also, can we instruct the Hollow Sun to make a tether?

My thoughts: We want a Relic and a Hellion upgrade. I'd like to suggest the Emulator Module and the Essence Accumulators. The Accumulators have a deliciously evil secondary feature, which is that they prevent enemies fighting Hellions from earning experience from their kills while simultaneously empowering the Choirs.

In the future we could use a Void Anchor or three. It'd make for a good way of destroying Corrector Hives. Also for the future, I've recently become interested in what the Phase Blade and the Assault Shroud could do in tandem. Maybe pull the Apex Blade and ask Argent to make a copy?

Also I'd like to go ahead and swap out the Ion Pistol for a Friction Axe. The Sinistral is a better weapon than than the Phase Blade, so we're giving Bishamon the one we have right now. The axe will be useful later since fire+Kraken=takoballs.

>>27803767
"Very impressive. I'd forgotten how good you were with a sword."
"Did you think this up yourselves?"

>>27804055
Oh come on.
>"what the Apex Blade and the Assault Shroud could do in tandem".

>>27803840

Kazuya mock-scowls, but it doesn't last; He tugs at his collar, finally wresting his coat off entirely as he bundles it against his chest.

"I'll neither confirm nor deny that," he says, loftily - Before he shrugs, as if dismissing the whole thing. "No, really: It's not just that. Asuna's worked *really* hard on the play, right? Just like everyone else. So I thought...Why not go all-out, you know? Make it a show to remember."

He rakes his fingers through his sweaty hair, as two girls - Mermaid A and Courtier D, you vaguely remember - pass by. "Kazu-kun, you're so cool~!" one chirps; Both giggling, as they hustle past.

> "Are you trying to impress Natsumi? It definitely looks like you've entertained the girls at least."

"It's tough being popular..." Kazuya sighs, affecting a long-suffering air. "-Told you I'd shine in the role, shark-boy."

It's the last week of rehearsals - There's one more scheduled before the trip to Seisin High - and there's a tangible excitement in the air; A kind of nervous anticipation, the twitchiness that comes before the big event. Still...At this rate, you're fairly certain that things are going to work out just fine.

The script didn't actually call for a duel between the hero and his best friend - Admittedly, it's more dramatic this way...Which is probably why Yui (And, by extension, Asuna) approved it.

>>27804055

"Eh. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, you know? These things happen...And I *do* have good ideas, sometimes."

He goes on - His easy chatter a kind of white noise, one that's hard to focus on. And to be honest: You have a lot on your mind.

It was late, by the time you emerged in familiar streets. You had no idea where you were, or how long you'd been gone - At some point during the night, your watch had been ripped away. But from what you've pieced together...

(Continued)

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>>27804147

Tsukimi's condition hasn't changed. That much, you're sure of - You'd have been notified (via phone) otherwise. Beyond the charred corpse you left in your wake, last night was a quiet one: No upheaval in the real, no disaster awaiting your return.

When you slept, your dreams were vague, formless things, shapeless and murky with odd portent.

But stil-

"Good work~" Natsumi's voice is amused, and faintly admiring at once - A can clinking, as she soft-tosses it to Kazuya. She's already shed her costume; The rehearsal's winding down, and you'll be free to leave soon. You hear the hiss of escaping bubbles, as Kazuya drains half the soda in one long pull - Sighing in relief, as he wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

"Thanks, I needed that," he says - Slouching in his seat, entirely relaxed. "Hey, are yo-"

"Anon-kun, Kouichi wants to talk to you," Natsumi says, before Kazuya can cut in - Her face is carefully composed, but you can tell that there's real worry in her eyes, beneath the cheerful facade. "And Yui, too. Just going over parts of the revised script..."

[ ] "Yui? I'll be right there."
[ ] "I'll see Kouichi first, then."
[ ] "Is everything all right?"
[ ] "We were just talking about you."
[ ] "Did Asuna say anything?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27804055

(On the spot.)

>>27804302
"Aww, no drink for me? Did they say it was urgent?"

>If yes.
"Ah well, no rest for the wicked, where's Yui?"

>If not.
"They won't mind if I'm a little late. How're you holding up?"

>>27804315
Got it, thanks.

>>27804302
"They're changing my role? And I just got used to the costume. I'll check with Yui first, but is everything okay?"

Wow, I love those upgrades.
We can now install a Typhoon-like weapon and have the ability to outfit entire armies of allies with nifty stuff. As long as we never mention the Hollow Sun, Joker will become even more of an enigma. Especially when we add a few power cells.

And Muleta would make for kick-ass surprise attacks from unexpected angles.

We need to raid a corrector hive with the void anchor.


As for upgrades, Sotto Voca, Skypshaper and Emulator Module look nifty.

>>27804357
I think Sotto Voca is the cloaking device Mirage was using. Not too crazy about it, given it rendered him detectible to the Argus.

The Skyshaper has a slot for the Nihl Sphere. Since that takes the Sphere out of the Helix Gauntlet, I think we wouldn't use it much.

Just had another thought on the Void Anchor: We could use it to disable the Manifold Towers. If each Tower has a guardian, we kill the Guardian and use its essence to charge the Anchor, then spike the Tower.

>>27804302
>[X] "I'll see Kouichi first, then."

Damnit, this has to start just as I settle down to sleep.

Before I do that, though, I would like to suggest that we turn Hellion/Virtue production back on. Not all the way, just a bit. We have to be prepared if somebody tries to attack the Hollow Sun, and the defences aren't as strong as they could be right now.

>>27803164
I'd like to convert Mirage into a relic. Tad expensive though.

Maybe we should leave it and go for a Void Anchor. Long term investments, and all - We can stick it in a corrector hive or some such.

>>27804302

> [X] "I'll see Kouichi first, then."
> [X] "Is everything all right?"

Wonder what's up with him.

>>27804466
We may want to start a war if we go for the void anchor.
We would profit from both sides.

>>27804302

The class rep wants to see us? Guess we'll roll with that.

While we have enough on our plate, does anyone else think yui has a really nice body?

>>27804466

(I'll keep that in mind. I'd like two or more votes to confirm it first, though.)

>>27804344

"Ah-" Natsumi blinks, wrong-footed; She looks embarrassed, just for a moment. "Sorry, I didn't think...That is, for Kazuya..."

She shakes her head, as if brushing it off. "Not really - But, I just thought you should know." It's more than that - Natsumi's hiding it well, but you can tell that there's something bothering her.

> "They won't mind if I'm a little late. How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she says, shortly - But then her expression softens, slightly, her slender arms crossed over her chest. "-It's just a small thing." There's an edge to her voice, which says - 'I can't talk about it here.'

"...Are you *sure* you're all right?" Kazuya asks, his brow furrowing in honest confusion - He doesn't know *what's* wrong, but he's sharper than you thought.

"Of *course*~" Natsumi says, her smile returning - "...Right, Anon-kun?"

>>27804352

"And here I'd thought you'd found your true calling," Kazuya says - He takes a sip from his soda, in no hurry to get up. "Well, whatever-" he places a fond hand on the shark mask, waggling the head from side-to-side. "'Anon-kun, I'll wait for you~!'" he says, affecting a high-pitched voice - The shark's head bobbing up and down, solemnly.

"...All right, now that's just *wrong*."

(Continued)

>>27804505
>>27804352
>>27804344

(Slight majority in Yui's favour.)

You're still a little stiff - And *itchy* - when you stand; Fortunately, you're not in costume, which would've made things faintly ridiculous. Yui's retired to her 'office' backstage - You pass by people taking down the massive plywood backdrop, still smelling of paint and brittle wood.

You're almost there, when Natsumi catches up with you.

"What did you *do*?"

It sounds almost accusatory, and she knows it. Natsumi catches herself - She stops, then begins again, in a calmer tone of voice:

"Anon-kun, did...*something*...happen yesterday?"

[ ] "What do you mean?"
[ ] "...I'm not going to like this, am I?"
[ ] "I don't know what you're talking about."
[ ] "-I went to the hospital."
[ ] "Is this about the Manifold Tower?"
[ ] "I'd rather not say."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27804610
"I ended up going somewhere I shouldn't have been, and then did something I probably shouldn't have done.

Standard operational procedure. But! I didn't rip open a hole in the world, this time at least! I think I might have *stopped* a hole being ripped in the world, actually? Not sure. Just... If Argent is asking after me, tell him that I'll be along, and that I need to talk to him about some skeletons in his closet."

>>27804610

Fuck.

> [ ] "...I'm not going to like this, am I?"

[X] "...I'm not going to like this, am I?"
Because it's absolutely true.

Once Natsumi elaborates: "Argent's cyborg Correctors broke their brainwashing and remembered they hated me, and I'm still not sure if that was a bug or a feature."

>>27804656
>But! I didn't rip open a hole in the world, this time at least!
The rest is fine, this is not. We're keeping the fact that our presence activates the towers as secret as possible. Please veto.

>>27804610
>"Anon-kun, did...*something*...happen yesterday?"
It was self-defense!
And I didn't affect the real!
I even saved someone!

By the way, are you interested in nifty guns?

>>27804687
I don't think it was our presence that did it. It was the Vitruvian device, and there wasn't one at the other tower.

>>27804610
>"What did you *do*?"
That should be our catchphrase. "What did you do Joker."

[x] "No news like bad news. What happened?"

>>27804719
Our catchphrase would be "It was an accident!".

>>27804610

"You know how my days go, Nat. It swings from hilariously mundane to potentially killing someone close to Argent. And then having the party crashed by the REAL target I'm supposed to eliminate. Just my luck he was all bark with pointy blades. And stuff."

Actually caught this. Sweet.

>>27804687
Nah, it's fine.

I think we can trust Natsumi with that information, if nobody else. Plus, I get the feeling she's already harbouring suspicions about it anyway, in which case hiding it is just going to make things worse.

>>27804731

I have this mental image of the Doom Paul Tracker plastered in our Joker Cave. Whenever something catastrophically destructive occurs near Joker, it goes up a tick.

>>27804777
I like to think he has one of those counters with the number cards, and below it the words "DAYS SINCE WORLD THREATENED BY ACCIDENTAL FUCKUP BY RED JOKER"

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>>27804805
>>27804777

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>>27804714
There wasn't a Leonardo Device at either tower. It was probably Sylpheed who did it, if the Pretas don't automatically go berserk if they aren't controlled.

>>27804734
...Natsumi's one of the people who doesn't find the Red World at all awesome. That's not a good thing to say if you want to continue interacting with her.

>>27804763
I'm the person most in favor of disseminating information we have with allies and I think it's a poor idea.She won't appreciate the info, she'll just worry about what being the Red Joker did to her friend. If she confronts Anon outright we can explain it.

>>27804777
I've got you covered!

>>27804822

I'm still trying to figure out precisely why Silver Baller had those there at the tower.

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>>27804662
>>27804687

> [X] "...I'm not going to like this, am I?"
> [X] "No news like bad news. What happened?"

"Haaaaa..." Natsumi exhales, a long sigh. "Well, I don't know *all* of it, but...I do know that Ebara-san wants to talk to you. Only, I'm not sure it's a 'request'...If you know what I mean."

She hesitates - "Actually, he said: 'Tell the Red Joker to see me. As soon as possible.' He didn't sound happy about it, either."

>>27804734

"I don't even know what that mea-" Natsumi begins - She stops, mid-sentence, her lips twitching in a little smile. "...Incredible. It hasn't even been one day, and you're already in trouble."

Her expression turns thoughtful. "I know - There's a lot more going on than I've seen. But...I think, whatever it is - Ebara-san probably has a reason for it."

Her smile turns a little distant - "After all...He already has *everything*, right? I can't imagine - What else he'd want..." Her voice trails off; You're not sure how much she *does* know, but from the faintly glazed look to her eyes, she's still digesting everything you've just said.

"A-anyway, the important th-"

The door swings open.

"...I thought it was noisy." Yui sounds faintly troubled - Her gaze resting on you, just for a moment, before she glances away. "Natsumi, thank you for bringing Anon-kun here. If you could help the others...?"

Natsumi takes the hint. Just for a moment, her expression's somewhere between exasperation and concern, as Yui wanders back into the small, rather cramped room. There's a writing table, with moth-eaten drapes at the back of the room - A musty smell in the air, of paint and what's probably mold, the place cluttered with props from a dozen past productions.

(Continued)

>>27804884

Yui settles herself at the desk, and looks at you.

Just looks. It's a long, considering look - Impenetrable, but not unfriendly, as you can almost hear the gears turning in her head.

[ ] "...Is there something on my face?"
[ ] "What's this about?"
[ ] "-You're making me a little uncomfortable, you know."
[ ] "Uh...Class Rep?"
[ ] "Is it good news or bad news?"
[ ] Wait.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27804897
"Please don't tell me that you want to fight to the death."

>>27804897
[x] Narrate her, David Attenborough style.
"And the lioness creeps forward, eyes fixed on the prize, the last antelope on the savannah."

>>27804884

Awww, I like her. Deadpan girls are cute.

>>27804897

"Staring contest? I'm game. First one to blink buys drinks."

>>27804868
Organic(?) hacking. The Pretas are in part made of that silver thread Argent uses to do everything. Get enough of them on one of the Towers and you can use the thread to break into the Tower, and either shut it down or take control, without dealing with the interface (or associated defenses).

>>27804897
>[X] "Is it good news or bad news?"

We'll be letting her down gently, but fuck if >>27804938 didn't make me laugh.

>>27804983

Hm.. I wonder if we'll gain a hacking codeburst from Sylpheed if we make him into clothes. Sylpheed obviously had some hand in causing the Pretas to go berserk.

>>27804938

> "And the lioness creeps forward, eyes fixed on the prize, the last antelope on the savannah."

Startled, Yui stiffens - She blushes quickly, a little "Oh~!" teased from her throat - as if only just realizing she was staring. She looks away from you, shuffling a sheaf of papers in a sudden flurry of busywork...Going very, very red.

> "Please don't tell me that you want to fight to the death."
>>27804977

"W, what? No - I wasn't...I mean, I didn't-" Yui falters, wrong-footed by your words - Entirely flustered now, she comes perilously close to upending the jug of water on her desk, before she hunches down, taking shelter behind the questionable safety of the table. That seems to reassure her, somehow...Though she's looking everywhere *but* at you, possibly to avoid staring.

> [X] "Is it good news or bad news?"

"Oh, um - Right." Firmly back in the here-and-now, she shuffles her papers one last time - Possibly for moral support - her gaze centered somewhere in the comfortable zone between the 'IN' box and door behind you.

She clears her throat, 'ahem'-ing to catch her breath; Looking faintly dubious, now, before she sighs and takes the plunge.

"Anon-kun. I'm...not sure why, but - Asuna thinks we need an understudy for the play..." Her voice trails off, seemingly considering that unpleasant eventuality. There *are*, in fact, several replacements lined up for minor cast members (And one shark) in the event of any last-minute cases of cold feet. Of course, you get the feeling she's not talking abou that.

"-And...She thinks that if-" there's an unintentional stress on 'if' - "*If* Kouichi-kun can't make it - It should be you." Yui blinks, as if her words aren't making sense to her. "That is...She's recommended you as an understudy. For the Hero."

(Continued)

>>27805129

A pause, to let it sink in - Though the silence stretches longer than you'd expect, enough to become first embarrassing, then acutely uncomfortable.

Her eyes rove down to the cast list, again. "...That is, if you don't mind..."

[ ] "...Actually, I do."
[ ] "A replacement for the *main character*? That's a little sudden, isn't it?"
[ ] "I wouldn't know where to start. Even if it was 'just in case'."
[ ] "You saw the performance today, right? I couldn't begin to do that."
[ ] "Why me, of all people? Did she say anything else?"
[ ] "What do you think?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27805150
"I'm not sure I'd make all that good a Hero, but I'd be willing to try."

>>27805129

"But who's going to play the shark?"

>>27805150
[ ] "You saw the performance today, right? I couldn't begin to do that."
why me?

>>27805150
...Kouichi death flag raised.

[X] "I'm flattered Asuna trusts me so much, but why now? There's no way I could match Kouichi's performance today, or the energy he put in to practice. If there wasn't anyone else at all I'd consider it, but someone else from the Kendo Club would have to be better, for the new fight scene if nothing else. And what do you think of this? It's so disorganized, there should have been an understudy when rehearsals first started."

We're going to have to make it very clear to Kouichi that we have zero intentions of fighting him. Also, it might be time to get him the Apex Blade.

>>27805150

"A magnificent turn of events, I must say! It will have the entire school floored. The lowly shark, the hero? Brilliant!"

...

"Wait. Wait, you want me to play the actual Hero if our lead ends up sharkfood I mean incapable of showing? Give me a moment to think on it, alright?"

>>27805260

I was thinking the same thing. We've been meaning to get him that blade for ages. Let's have him come back to the Joker Cave after we see what he wants. Plus Tyrian might want to poke around in the place. He's the tech guru after all. Might even help them in their own jobs if they have access to the Google Maps equivalent in the Red.

>>27805260
Everything but "And what do you think of this? It's so disorganized, there should have been an understudy when rehearsals first started." please. Let's not antagonize Asuna.

> [X] "You saw the performance today, right? I couldn't begin to do that."
>>27805260

...That's right. While you have some experience in hitting people with weapons - You're fairly certain there's no way you could make it look *that* good. You wouldn't know where to *begin*.

> There's no way I could match Kouichi's performance today, or the energy he put in to practice. If there wasn't anyone else at all I'd consider it, but someone else from the Kendo Club would have to be better, for the new fight scene if nothing else.

Yui bites her lip. "That *is* a problem, but...The original script never called for *that*, anyway. Kazuya-kun may be disappointed, but - In that situation, we'll be in trouble, anyway."

She's right. The play relies - Rather heavily - on Kouichi's presence as leading man. The general assumption is that - If he wasn't around - things would be pretty bad. There really isn't anyone who could seriously replace him. (Not at this juncture, at least.)

> "And what do you think of this? It's so disorganized, there should have been an understudy when rehearsals first started."

"...I know," she admits. "Since the changeover...I've had trouble just keeping up with things..." Especially since the last girl in charge died, she doesn't say; But then again, she doesn't need to.

>>27805205

"The...shark~?" Yui pauses to contemplate this - "...That role doesn't have any lines - And the directions are simple enough. If there's a need, we can get one of the stagehands to do it. It shouldn't be too difficult to change things around..."

She actually smiles. Just for a moment.

"-But I know you're trying your best."

>>27805265
>>27805169

She nods. "Again - It's 'just in case'." Her hand presses up against her chest, as Yui looks momentarily pained - You can tell that she'd really, *really* prefer for things not to come to that. "...If everything goes well, it'd never happen."

> Why me?

Silence.

Yui goes red.

Redder.

(Continued)

>>27805438

Then: "I think," she begins, very softly - So softly you have to strain to hear it. "...I think, out of everyone else, you'd be the best at it."

She starts, her eyes widening - Then hastily adds:

"...B-because you're K-kazuya's friend, I mean. That's why."

[ ] "When you put it that way...I suppose it makes sense."
[ ] "You really should ask someone else."
[ ] "...That's not very reassuring, actually."
[ ] "-Is that the real reason?"
[ ] "I make no promises, but...I can give it a shot."
[ ] "I'll do it."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27805318
Tyrian shouldn't come, not because he isn't welcome, but because we need to minimize contact between ourselves and the Tri-Stars as much as possible.

>>27805382
Asuna's the scriptwriter, Yui is the director. I half have a theory about why this is so sudden. Look at Yui's reaction, she doesn't quite know why she's saying this. People with lots of essence become more of what they were before, right? Ebara becomes a better businessman, Mikogami a more persuasive priest, Kouichi a better swordsman, and Anon gets luckier. He's being pushed into a more prominent role in the play. How *lucky*.

Could also be Asuna doing more of that Red World seeing thing she does, but that doesn't preclude my first thought.

>>27805382

(My apologies, I missed that one.)

>>27805449
"I'm not opposed in principle; I want the play to go right for everyone's sake. But there has to be *someone* who can fill in for Kou on the swordsmanship front. Ask around, please. If no one else feels up to it then I will, but I shouldn't be the first choice."

And just for fun: [X] "-Is that the real reason?"

>>27805455

We've gotta be pushing close to B+ or even A luck at this point. Nat will always be stuck with E.

>>27805449

"That should have no bearing on whom gets the role. I would do it in a heartbeat if I knew there was no one else qualified. Have Kou ask the Kendo team for a replacement if he can't make it, alright? I'm not trying to SHIRK the role, I am saying there are people far more qualified than I am. If you can't get someone with the same passion as Kou, then I'll gladly play Hero."

>>27805449

"As long as I don't have to do any acrobatics, I'm down for it."

>>27805472
All good, don't sweat it.
>>27805455
Whatever it is I'd rather we not end up losing access to prophecy.
>>27805449
[x] "Is that all there is to it?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not sure I'm best suited for the role. If it really can't be helped, then I'll do it."

>>27805543
A-rank luck could be counted as an offensive curse; Joker's definitely there.

Natsumi's essence charge ability probably has more to do with leadership if I'm reading the situation right. Regardless her luck is pretty bad. It's because she's a Lancer, I bet.

>>27805543
>>27805542

> Have Kou ask the Kendo team for a replacement if he can't make it, alright?

"I have," she says, a little reluctantly - "I'll keep trying, but - So far...Well, it hasn't been *promising*. And there's less than a week left, so..."

Yui's voice trails off; She shrugs, a slight lift of her shoulders, pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes close - Just for a moment.

"...Again - I really, really hope it doesn't come to that." She manages a wan little smile. "Hopefully, everything will turn out fine, Anon-kun."

>>27805580
>>27805544

Yui nods.

"For now - Just rehearse the lines and the stage directions. You've sat through everything - I'll be surprised if you don't know the whole thing by heart." While that's not entirely true, you've seen the performance - In whole or in part - at least a few dozen times, now. It's hard to get something like *that* out of your head, simply by rote.

> [x] "Is that all there is to it?"

There's that blush again.

She hides it well - Or rather, she manages to keep her face perfectly serene - but it doesn't stop the red blooms in her cheeks, as Yui pretends not to notice. She clears her throat, as she looks down at the table-

"...Don't let me keep you, Anon-kun," she says - Deliberately looking away from you, as she pretends to be entirely engrossed in her work. "After all, you have plenty to do, now..."

You take the hint.

(Continued)

>>27805662

Why is she so cute.

Dammit. There is only Hecate for the joker.

>>27805662

JokerOP, there was talk of having our bits be fitted with Hellion AI. Is there a upgrade for that yet?

>>27805729
From the new Hollow Sun Guide:

>i) SWORD BITS - 30% COST

>Retaining the vernier thrusters and gravimetric technology that allows for sustained flights, Sword Bits are actually Hellion AIs, in a scaled-down drone shell. Instead of a compact particle gun, each Interceptor now sports a phase emitter - Generating an infinitely sharp force construct reminiscent of a Phase Sword, which cuts on a molecular level. While fragile - And prone to shorting out if the emitter filaments are damaged - Sword Bits are capable of deflecting attacks by bringing the phase field to bear, as well as severing limbs with a single strike.

>>27805747

Yea but thats replacing our current bits. What about upgrading the current rifle bits?

I was abit put off when we lost the slicing bits but now I've grown to lick our intercepting system.

>>27805729

(Yes - There's Sword Bits and Corsair Interceptors, at this link:

http://pastebin.com/XQRPUVEt

>>27805662

Outside, the stage has been mostly cleared - It seems that (As usual) most of the people involved have evaporated at the word 'Go', with the exception of the unlucky few who've drawn the short straws. You catch a glimpse of your costume being carted away, the shark-half grinning a merry, toothy smile at you-

...Natsumi's right. That *is* pretty creepy.

The lights overhead are dimming, even as you look around - With the light chatter of students cheered by the imminent end of their labours. There's only a few stagehands stil hanging around...

-And Kouichi.

He's standing - As usual - ramrod-straight, as if at parade rest...With the faintly damp look that comes from being freshly showered. His uniform should be rumpled after a full day of school, but it looks as if he's just taken an iron to it. By himself, Kouichi stands out almost painfully; It's not really his height, it's the way he carries himself.

There's an expectant expression on his face - From the looks of it, he's been waiting for you.

"Anon!" he says, closing the distance in four long strides. For a moment, he looks like he's about to say something - But then he cants his head to the side, glancing at the office's door. "...What was that about?"

[ ] "Apparently, I'm next in line for your job."
[ ] "Nothing important, don't worry about it."
[ ] "Yui's looking for an understudy."
[ ] "Were you waiting for me?"
[ ] "What's up? You're in a good mood, today."
[ ] "That was a *very* impressive performance, today. How long have you been rehearsing?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27805765

> What about upgrading the current rifle bits?

(Unfortunately, those are straight replacements. You can still upgrade your current Bits via Level Ups, of course - But due to the nature of the Hellion AIs, they need drones specifically tailored to fit their capabilities.)

>>27805783
>You can still upgrade your current Bits via Level Ups, of course - But due to the nature of the Hellion AIs, they need drones specifically tailored to fit their capabilities.)

What strange thing happens if you choose drone level up upgrades after selection a hellion drone?

Will it reject and superseed the hellion drones or upgrade them?

>>27805775
"I actually have no idea if I'm being rewarded for good behavior, or punished for my sins. You look happy though; finally talk to your moon girl?"

All right, I'm heading off. You lot ought to get Kouichi the Apex Blade, and pick up the Emulator Module for Red Joker. We'll be doing a full round of Hellion upgrades when we have the energy for it.

>>27805795

(It upgrades the Hellion drones, which are now your Interceptors.)

>>27805775

"I'm being shanghaied. Again. It happens to the best of us, Kou. What did you want to talk about?"

Now would be the time to tell him we have his relic for him. I want to watch the spaghetti leak from his pockets when we give it to him.

>>27805806

fascinating. Thanks.

Btw, how much will it cost to set Virtue production to LOW?

>>27805838

(It doesn't cost anything - However, it reduces the amount of energy the Hollow Sun gains each chapter.)

>>27805825
>>27805799

(To confirm: You're purchasing the Apex Blade from the Relic Vault?

Also, if you'd like to make any further modifications, feel free to confirm at any time.)

>>27805775
"Remember the man you should have beeeeeeen."

"Yeah, Yui wants me to be your understudy now for whatever reason."

>>27805855

I question giving it to him though.

Don't we have to kill him at some point of time?

>>27805855

Yeppers. Blade goes to Kou (finally).

>>27805866
That's why he's pressing "Moon girl". If it turns out he doesn't serve a Hyades, we can toss it at him.

>>27805877

But he does serve one of the girls. The poor sucker made the contract as soon as he met her. He actually told us this.

When the next thread rolls around, we should turn our Interceptors into true BITS. We should have enough for it. Our tiny companions have been incredibly useful to us, but they're starting to fall behind what with us hunting bigger game.

>>27805877

Didn't he start very badly when we mentioned 'hyades' to him previously? And after we told him who else was contracted?

And he told us he immediately said yes due to Love at First Sight.

Hes contracted, we have to kill him.

>>27805877
Toss it at him anyway. This contest is rotten; we're not killing him.

>>27805903

If it brings back hecate, I'd do him in.

Whats one more at this point.

>>27805903
I'd rather not give a very pointy object to someone who is likely going to end up trying to impale us with it.

It's just not good for long term survival.

(My apologies, lost the connection. APEX BLADE confirmed, then: Writing now.)

>>27805912

He doesn't want to fight us. We don't want to fight him. Give him an edge when he eventually does fight someone. He'll kill them so we don't haft to lift a finger. If we haft to fight him down the road, then we'll deal with it when it comes to it and all of it's consequences. Right now, we're giving one of our few allies an upgrade.

>>27805942

HOLD ON BLADE PLS.

WE HAVE DISSENTION IN THE RANKS

>>27805912
Christ. I can guarantee it won't. Getting the other Nihl Sphere might, but playing the Hyades' game won't.

>>27805939
It's a sign of good faith. With or without the blade, he's toast if we fight. Besides, he never got anything from the raid except mostly dead; we owe him something from it.

Wata, I know you said you did not want the Tri-Stars getting to close to us. Well, if we can get each of them an Anchor..... think of the possibilities (and the painful deaths).

>>27805947

(Fair enough. I'll wait for confirmation, either way.)

>>27805799

> "Yeah, Yui wants me to be your understudy now for whatever reason."

"Hmmmmmn." Kouichi makes a non-commital sound. He has his bag held over one shoulder, in a rather casual manner - It's clear that the play isn't foremost in his mind, right now. "-That's an unusual choice," he allows. "Still...They could do far worse."

> "Remember the man you should have beeeeeeen."

He winces. "...Don't remind me," he says - "At least - I'll only have to hear twice more, before we're done."

> "You look happy though; finally talk to your moon girl?"

Kouichi's gaze flicks to the side - An instinctive response, to check that no-one's watching. He can't help the slight smile that flits across his face, however; Or the rather sheepish look that immediately follows.

"Yes," he says. He's silent long enough that you think he's done, but he goes on: "-Your advice was...It was *very* helpful. I appreciate it - Without your urging, I don't think I'd have ever..."

He catches himself, shrugs.

"-spoken with her," he says, at last. "At least - I know where things stand, now."

> "What did you want to talk about?"

Kouichi looks away, his brow furrowing slightly - You get the impression of an immense mental effort, as he struggles to pick the right words.

"You know...I've realized that - There's a *very* tumultous time ahead. An uncertain period; One where - To be completely honest - I can't be sure of the outcome." It's more words than you've heard him say at any one time; He clears his throat, as if unused to saying all that.

"So, I was thinking...There's some things I need to resolve, before I can be prepared. Loose ends. Debts I owe, at the very least." He coughs, lightly, into the ball of his fist.

"With that in mind - Would you care to see a movie?"

A glance at his watch - "...The week's ending, and this might the only day I'm free."

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27805942
I kind of want to give it to him, just so that at the end of it all, when we stand alone in the field of battle with the black tri-stars at our feet, there will be on thing left to let us know what we've lost.

>>27806046
"I don't have any plans, it sounds fun. What movie do you have in mind?

5 bucks says that someone will try to kill at least one of us partway through."

>>27806046
[x] "Why Kouichi, are you asking me out on a data?."
>Laugh.
"Just kidding, c'mon, what did you wanna watch?"

>>27806046

"Sure thing. If we have time, I've got something for you that I've been saving. On the other-side, of course. It can wait after the movie, if you want."

Either go to the Joker Cave now and get the blade or after the movie.

>>27806086
hopefully not each other

>>27802896

Holy shit, JOP.

I just got here and the new hollow sun guide is looking ~amazing~

The only thing it seems to be missing is a blurb or description of the Dominion

Iiiiiiiiiiii think we make a Void Anchor (if we haven't already) and an Arsenal Beacon.

Its time to get RESOURCES up in dis house!

>>27803164
>[ ] PANZER GALIENT
>[ ] MIRAGE SYLPHEED

Didn't we have a lot more essence than that? I seem to recall we haven't leveled up in at least 10+ threads, and had a handful of essence signatures the last time we used a Grinder, but only ground one of them into the helix gauntlet.

Seems like our xp total might be off?

>>27804466
>>27804481

Regarding the Void Anchor ideas

One word

The Culture Festival coming up.

Its very -clearly- going to be another Nara Dreamland like event, since Big Events have people interfering, trying to claim their energy, and -this one- only happens every ten years.

There's BOUND to be smilers or other factions fucking things up.

The best way for us to cockblock their plans is to killsteal the essence charge from the event.
Just period.

If we get a Void Anchor and an Arsenal beacon, we don't have to carry the things around, we can just summon them up on demand.

And we have two targets for this already:
The smiler assault
and recovering the purple crystal from the the thief's corrector hive trap. (use tongs to get the crystal so we don't touch it, transform, blow the hive for essence, then throw an anchor down)

>>27806129

(That isn't your total Essence - Just the Essence signatures that can be converted by activating the Grinder.)

>>27806089

He has absolutely no poker face at all - But it's still pretty funny to watch it crumble. Still, it occurs to him - Just in time - that you're joking.

>>27806089
>>27806086

Kouichi seems to relax, visibly relieved that you're going along with it - "They're showing 'The Sword of Doom' at the cinema; I've never watched *that* one, yet. A true classic, I've heard."

...To absolutely no-one's surprise, he likes samurai films.

>>27806094

He nods. "I have something for you, too," Kouichi admits - He seems a little nervous at that, like a man steeling himself to take a plunge. "But you're right - It can wait until later."

Kouichi takes one last cursory look around the rapidly-emptying auditorium: "No time like the present - Perhaps we could leave now?"

[ ] "Sure."
[ ] "Actually - There's something else I needed to do today. Maybe another time?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27806159

>[ ] "Sure."

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>>27806157
>someone pops redside to start shit
>joker standing there with a void anchor and arsenal beacon already set up

>>27806159

"Aren't you going to invite your girl~friend~?"

I had to get another rib in. Poor spaghetti.

>>27805947

Going to agree here. I have some stuff i wanna bring up before burning a bunch of opportunity cost on a gift we don't get to use

We still need to do "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" routine whenever we get to the Red. Gotta check out his emblem.

Plus, this has to be the oddest site to the ones in the know. Here is two champions just strolling down the street casually chatting amongst each other. This close in proximity to each other is probably turning off any other prospective Hyades' champions. They're probably trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.

>>27806159

> [X] Sure.

Let's go for it.

>>27806215

I'd veto this. I'd say that we should give him the sword, at the very least. It's not like it'd help him against us, and we have plenty of stuff.

>>27805903
>Toss it at him anyway. This contest is rotten; we're not killing him.

Alright.

This comes up every thread, because a few select group of players want to give away things to someone who may not have been our friend, and is now potentially an enemy of convenience(for the hyades).

Questions regarding this plan:
Why do you guys want to do it in the first place?
Isn't saving his life gift enough, despite his buddies getting gifts?
He cut us off from red world contact, and you still want to help him out?
Why the apex blade? We have better options now: What about a Phase Blade with a Light Fusion Cell attached?

I'm not necesarilly against bribing/being nice to people - but this seems like a case of manwaifuing to do things that don't necessarily make sense.
Convince me WHY its a sound course of action.

>>27806179
>>27806157

Because this is hilarious, and a beacon+ anchor is 45% essence, which we can easily afford and sets us up very nicely for future battles.

just making sure everyone knows that theres at least a fifty-fifty chance we'll get fucked over by him, acting suspicious and having a moon girlfriend. the other fifty percent chance will probably be an alliance to wipe out takoyaki

>>27806159
>[ ] "Actually - There's something else I needed to do today. Maybe another time?"

Lets not.

We need to speak to argent about what went down recently.

>>27806241
>Because this is hilarious, and a beacon+ anchor is 45% essence, which we can easily afford and sets us up very nicely for future battles.

It is and giving away the sword makes it impossible to afford that.

>>27806159
>[ ] "Actually - There's something else I needed to do today. Maybe another time?"

>>27806237
>I'd veto this. I'd say that we should give him the sword, at the very least. It's not like it'd help him against us, and we have plenty of stuff.

Could you elaborate on why?

If anything, we have ~more~ things we need to spend hollow sun charges on now.

While we have plenty of toys, we still have some shortcomings.

Our rifle bits kinda suck, and don't hold the punch they used to.
We need more charging panels for weapon-compatability hilarity, though fusion cells seem to cut this down.
There's been a good case for the Emulator Module made recently, given our increasing reliance on code bursts.
Plus all the new hellion research
also void anchors since there's SO MUCH stuff we want from the sun.

>>27806046
Hey, Op - what happens if we slap a light fusion cell onto the sinistral? Seems like a match made in heaven

>>27806273

We're getting to the point where we're wanting to do too many things at once with too few resources. What it comes down to is we need more resources. Void Anchor will provide that. Wonder if the Joker Cave has any Hives on it's maps.

>>27806241
>Because this is hilarious, and a beacon+ anchor is 45% essence, which we can easily afford and sets us up very nicely for future battles.
>Why the apex blade? We have better options now: What about a Phase Blade with a Light Fusion Cell attached?

This seems like a solid play.
Beacon for us, an anchor to deploy later.
10% is cheaper than 25% for a permanent phase sword gift.

>>27806296

rather, i meant giving him the LFE+Phasesword later as a gift, since we can more easily afford a phase blade at a later date in addition to other options.

>>27806159
>He nods. "I have something for you, too," Kouichi admits - He seems a little nervous at that, like a man steeling himself to take a plunge. "But you're right - It can wait until later."

This changes things. Hmmnnnng.
Its totally impolite to not return the favor.

>>27806286

Yeah. I'd like to see Totenaz turn up out of the blue after we've gotten our Void Anchor. Surprise surprise, he's discovered the last piece to his pig sticker and he needs backup to retrieve it. It's deep in the guts of a corrector hive. Give a good excuse for the OP to run the dungeon crawl session we've been talking about.

>>27806312

Well I guess if we're really getting him the apex blade.

We can get the Apex blade + Void Anchor.

Thats 45% which we can afford.

We don't make too much use of the heavy weapons due to the priming cost, after all.

>episode 65
holy shit op. do you plan to compile everything once finished the third season and try to sell it to Sunrise?

>>27806329
sounds decent

hopefully HS will recharge enough to use other stuff before the festival.

>>27806329

We do make use of the Gravity Gun. The session with the C'hauliflower and the last one with the Pretas. We've used it when we've needed it, but so far it's been a nice trophy.

>>27806336

The Urobutcher better be on board or it won't be complete.

>>27806336

(Actually, that's all thanks to Watashiwa - He's the one who's been compiling the episodes, something which I'm grateful for.)

HOLLOW SUN: 3.7%

APEX BLADE UNLOCKED

> A superlative melee weapon, the APEX BLADE is host to a fast-assembler application - Capable of instantly manufacturing a blade of variable length - But with ferocious cutting power and perfect balance - upon activation. In addition to the razor edge, the APEX BLADE is sheathed in a cohered phase field, rendering the sword effectively indestructible as long as the power is active. By relying on a solid core, instead of the emitter filaments of a standard Phase Sword, the APEX BLADE is significantly more reliable than the mass-produced analogue.

VOID ANCHOR OBTAINED

>>27806281

(Unfortunately, the Light Fusion Cell only works with Hollow Sun weapons.)

>>27806202

He stops, as a pink flush crawls its way up his neck.

"I don't think...I don't think that's likely," Kouichi admits, his jaw clenching as if he's chewing rocks. "I mean - I'd welcome the chance, but...It's not *possible* at present..." He's actually sweating, now, his starched collar beginning to wilt beneath the strain.

Fortunately, the brief stroll gives him a chance to relax; He breathes a little easier, as the cool breeze of the day - It's a cool day, grey clouds scudding across a greyer sky. This close to the end of the week, after school, you're only mildly surprised that the place seems to be fairly crowded: Trailers playing over a series of screens, the sounds blurring into a constant clamor of white noise.

(Continued)

>>27806336
What's the longest running quest purely by number of threads?
65 isnt all that huge by comparison I think.

>>27806348
>> A superlative melee weapon, the APEX BLADE is host to a fast-assembler application - Capable of instantly manufacturing a blade of variable length - But with ferocious cutting power and perfect balance - upon activation. In addition to the razor edge, the APEX BLADE is sheathed in a cohered phase field, rendering the sword effectively indestructible as long as the power is active. By relying on a solid core, instead of the emitter filaments of a standard Phase Sword, the APEX BLADE is significantly more reliable than the mass-produced analogue.

I think we should, at least, use this sucker in a test run before giving it away.

>>27806350

Well, there was Zeon Quest with over a hundred. MGN topped a 130 I think. MSQ was over a 150 last I looked...

>>27806368

Test it on the scenery before we hand it over to Mr Bushido.

>>27806376

Better yet. Test it on Spaghetti himself! What could possibly go wrong?

>>27806386

Everything.


JokerOP, is it possible to connect to the grinder remotely or do we need to specially make a trip?

Still want to see what kind of cloth flashy speeder can become.

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>>27806375
I just checked, MSQ broke 200.
Jesus rollerblading christ.

>>27806348

The wait's a relatively brief one - For this movie, anyway. It inches forward at an acceptable rate, and it's not long before Kouichi's brandishing two tickets, holding out one to...

"Anon-kunnnnnn~!" There's a lilting, female voice - The feel of a paired, rounded *softness* (A very *full* softness) pushing up against your back, as your vision goes dark; A low giggle coming from *right* behind you, shifting to keep her hands covering your eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss - That's my fr..." Kouichi begins, sounding scandalized - With that odd catch in his voice that comes whenever he's talking to girls.

"Shhh~! You'll ruin the surprise~!" The voice is familiar, and you can hear the playful pout in it - When you try to turn, she presses against you *harder*, refusing to relinquish the advantage.

"Guess who~?" she laughs - You're pretty sure you're attracting attention, now.

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

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27806411
>[ ] Hecate?

....god damn it...

>>27806411

"Kou. Help! I can't see! Who turned out the Sun?!"

>>27806411
[ ] Mio

>>27806411

Hmmm, who is it? Bishamon's met Mio, hasn't he? he wouldn't call her 'miss'. Not to mention, most of the other girls we know won't do this. My guess is Megumi.

>>27806411
>[ ] Hecate?

The only right answer

>>27806411
[x]Resigned hopefulness: "Hecate?"
>It's Megumi.

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>>27806434

"Can I tell h-"

"Shhh~!"

Chastised, Kouichi falls silent.

>>27806421
>>27806443

You hear a low sigh, from somewhere behind you - Then the hands pull away, as her grip relaxes. "Aaaaah, Anon-kun...That's mean," Megumi says; Her russet hair catching the dim light - Lips curled in a little pout. She looks down, her heel scuffing against the linoleum.

"-Don't tell me...You've already forgotten who I am~?" she sniffs - Mock-annoyed with you, though there's an odd, almost worried gleam in her eyes. "Or...Maybe it's hard to remember *one* person when you're so busy...Anon-kun."

At your side, Kouichi coughs, lightly - His expression dubious, as he gives her the once-over; "...A friend of yours?" he asks, his voice deceptively mild - He looks put-off, somehow, almost a little appalled.

Megumi's gaze settles on him - Her head canting back, her expression challenging; "-And who's this~?" she asks - Glancing back at you, again. Her eyes widen, with affected surprise. "Anon-kun, don't tell me he's your...?"

If anything, Megumi seems a little...off, today. She's smiling, playful, but you detect an undercurrent of unease - Though she doesn't seem too clean to let go of you, her slender arms draped familiarly around your waist.

[ ] "Kouichi, this is Megumi. Megumi, Kouichi."
[ ] "-It's not like that. Kouichi's a classmate of mine."
[ ] "Megumi - I didn't expect to see you here."
[ ] "My bad. I'll make it up to you."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27806538

> ...A friend of yours?" he asks, his voice deceptively mild - He looks put-off, somehow, almost a little appalled.

It's pretty obvious why. Spaghetti-san likes classy girls, and megumi has no class. Mio has class in SPADES.

Am I the only one who finds her a little sleazy?

>>27806538
>[ ] "Kouichi, this is Megumi. Megumi, Kouichi."
>[ ] "Megumi - I didn't expect to see you here."

>>27806538
>Put on a grin.
[x] "I'm sorry, I've always been terrible at voices, but I could never forget a pretty face, Megumi."
[x] "Kouichi, this is Megumi. Megumi, Kouichi."

>>27806538
>You hear a low sigh

Poor megs. Shes knows about hecate, anon's hunt for her and about him dating mio.

This is tripping all sorts of red flags for her, as a friend of mio.


[ ] "Kouichi, this is Megumi. Megumi, Kouichi."
[ ] "Megumi - I didn't expect to see you here."
[ ] "My bad. I'll make it up to you."

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>>27806589
>as a friend of mio.

>Mio
>Friends.

>>27806538

"Oh~? You would like to see that wouldn't you, eh? You naughty girl. That's lewd~. Nah, we're not *quite* like that. We're friends from school about to see a movie...."

That's it for me. Seven AM. Bed.

>>27806608

....wait..

Dammit. Thats all me.

Pardon me, I suck cocks. I got the names mixed up.

> [x] "I'm sorry, I've always been terrible at voices, but I could never forget a pretty face, Megumi."

"See~? You *do* remember~!" Megumi laughs, her words carrying - When she looks aside, just for a moment, you follow her gaze; Enough to make out a small group of similarly-attired schoolgirls. Some of them are looking in your direction.

>>27806615

"Ohhhhhhh, so that's how it is..." Her eyes go wide, as if you've imparted a secret to her. For his part, Kouichi almost - but not quite - scowls. He doesn't seem too pleased; Something that's painfully obvious from the stiff way he stands, his arms at his side.

"Getting my hopes up for nothing...That's cruel, Anon-kun."

>>27806559
>>27806577

> [x] "Kouichi, this is Megumi. Megumi, Kouichi."

"Ah ~ Your name's Kou-chan too." Megumi tilts her head, regarding Kouichi for a moment - You feel her draw herself up, about to offer a handshake. "It's nice to me-"

Kouichi glances away. He doesn't quite sigh, but - For a moment - he looks like he's about to. "-I'll see you in the theatre, Anon," he says; He turns on his heel, and walks away briskly - The crowd closing up behind him, as he forges a path through.

"Haaaaaa~" she exhales, slowly - For a moment, a cloud passes over Megumi's features, before her usual smile's restored. "...Wow, he's kind of a cold fish, isn't he?" she muses aloud. "Is he *always* like that?"

> [X] "My bad. I'll make it up to you."

"Really~?" Megumi echoes, her head canted to the side; A little smile on her lips. "Tell you what ~ If you go out with me, I'll forgive you."

(Continued)

>>27806666

For a moment, you think she's joking - But then she gives your sides a slight squeeze, her voice growing *slightly* more serious. "-Never mind about that friend of yours ~ Let's go have some fun. It's been *too* long, after all~"

Her eyes are big, blue and entirely guileless, as she looks up at you.

[ ] "Maybe another time."
[ ] "It *has* been a while, hasn't it?"
[ ] "Well, since you asked so nicely..."
[ ] "Aren't you here with your friends, too?"
[ ] "-I thought Naoya was your boyfriend."
[ ] "...You know that I'm spoken for, right?"
[ ] "Is something wrong?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27806411
>lilting, female voice - The feel of a paired, rounded *softness* (A very *full* softness)

Mio?

>>27806677

That actually made me think megumi, because megumi is the only girl who's been actively described as busty.

edit: beaten to it.

>>27806674

>[ ] "Is something wrong?"

>>27806674
One of these days, the Red Joker will remember to turn off his swag before he leaves the premises.

Not that the tits aren't nice and all, but we're busy damn it.

[x] "I'm sorry, we've put this off for a while already, Kouichi'll be miffed if we miss this again."
[x] "Is something wrong though? Where's Naoya?"

>>27806674
] "-I thought Naoya was your boyfriend."
[ ] "...You know that I'm spoken for, right?"
[ ] "Is something wrong?"

>>27806674

> [X] "...You know that I'm spoken for, right?"
> [X] "Is something wrong?"

>>27806707
>>27806711

> [X] "-I thought Naoya was your boyfriend."

"And~?" Megumi inquires, leaning against you - Her slender arms slipping slightly lower, making your coat rustle, entirely oblivious to the looks you're getting.

> [X] "...You know that I'm spoken for, right?"

She giggles ~ A low, husky sound. "And~?" she echoes, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "It doesn't bother me at all~" There's a playful lilt to her voice, as she favours you with a fetching smile; The tight buns of her hair accentuating the fullness of Megumi's features.

"So...How about it~?" she asks, again.

> [x] "I'm sorry, we've put this off for a while already, Kouichi'll be miffed if we miss this again."

Megumi releases you, at last - Taking a slow step back.

"Geez...You're really stubborn," she sighs, looking faintly exasperated - Her gaze momentarily shadowed, before her smile returns. "But...I suppose that kind of person isn't bad, too," Megumi muses aloud, almost to herself, her fingers stroking through her hair. "Anon-kun, if..."

"Megumi-chan ~ Hurry up!"

Her head turns; One of the girls is waving her over, laden down with a large tumbler of popcorn. "Me~gumi, hurry up~"

"I'll be right there~" Megumi calls back, a little too loud - Her slim shoulders lifting in a little shrug. "...Aaah, too bad," she says - Her expression slightly regretful. "I'm sorry, Anon-kun."

She's turning away, when-

> [X] "Is something wrong?"

She hesitates. Glances back over her shoulder.

"Ah, you're silly ~ Why would anything be wrong?" Megumi's smile is back, in full force; She laughs, the sound low and husky. "...Everything's the way it should be. So - Good-bye, Anon-kun. Maybe - I'll see you soon."

This time, when she walks away - Towards her knot of friends - she doesn't look back.

(Continued)

>>27806782

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

It's dark, inside the theatre. The flickering light plays across the screen, as your eyes adjust to the gloom: Your distorted silhouette vast and blurry, lingering for a scant second as you duck out of the projector ray.

The trailers are just beginning to play, as you fumble your way to the seat. The place is quite full, but you have an aisle seat; Kouichi's already ensconed, his hands resting rigidly on his knees, sitting stock-still and ramrod-straight...It's almost as if he's mediating, his unblinking gaze settling on the screen.

[ ] "...You didn't get any snacks?"
[ ] "Wow, you must be really excited for the movie."
[ ] "-That was kind of rude, you know. Just leaving like that."
[ ] "We're not here for the movie, are we?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27806782
>This time, when she walks away - Towards her knot of friends - she doesn't look back.

See if its anyone we know calling her away from us.

Knowing our luck, its one of HER clique that also wants us and is being catty about it.

>>27806813
>.It's almost as if he's mediating, his unblinking gaze settling on the screen.

... did he seriously red world on us?

>>27806813
>[ ] "We're not here for the movie, are we?"

>>27806813

> [ ] "...You didn't get any snacks?"
> [ ] "We're not here for the movie, are we?"

Man, Kouichi. you're a dick. But not really.

>>27806782
>Sword of Doom.
>Loose ends.
>It's almost as if he's mediating, his unblinking gaze settling on the screen.

Well Watashiwa, I'm sorry, but it looks like things aren't going to happen just that way.

[x] "That's a strange way of mixing business with please."

>>27806873
Pleasure*. Sorry.

> [X] "...You didn't get any snacks?"

Apparently not. Kouichi merely grunts, in answer - A sound that could mean anything. Onscreen, the titles unfold; Black and white, a mournful orchestra playing as the scene sketches itself into existence. A winding road, the wind whistling through the long grass: A scene of bleak serenity, the many shades of grey lapping into you.

You have some cash on you. Enough for a popcorn combo, at the very least. That thought makes you reach into your pocket for your wallet...

-It's gone.

There's a moment of blank surprise, as you pat yourself down, looking for it-

...It really *is* gone. And so is your casette player, the one you liberated from the locker. A rather more frenzied self-examination - To your relief - turns up the Nihl Sphere, then the bone-embossed silver surface of the Carnifex...

-But your wallet's gone.

(Continued)

>>27806922

Question for you sir - deathmarks are persistent between red world encounters, right?
We learned that when the black joker's mark was on us.
What I'd like to know is whether we can joker deathmark things - like our rifle bits - and have it persist until the next fight.

>>27806922
>-But your wallet's gone.
Megumi....
Or we lost it at the hospital and didn't notice.

>>27806922
In b4
>STAGE:
>PLAYER: BISHAMON, TYRIAN EDGE, VOLT REGIOS

>>27806943

(EXEC_HARROW only lasts for a single fight, unfortunately.)

>>27806828
>>27806849
>>27806873

> [X] "We're not here for the movie, are we?"

Kouichi turns his head - The slow swivel of a targeting sensor, like a turret locking on.

"No," he says, reluctantly. "...No, we're really not."

The world blurs, and the Red comes flooding in. It washes over your field of vision, like a wave; Fluid, twisting, smoke and water at once. The darkness folds up and slides away into another shade of gloom; A momentary dizziness sweeping over you, as your sensors adjust to the shift in perception.

STAGE: HOLOPHUSIKON

Marble columns, veined with jade. A series of framed arches, like the great hall of some museum; An endless carpet underfoot, three meters wide and red as clay, running down the center of this vast space. On either side, pillars hold up panels of black glass thirty meters overhead; Suits of armor standing between them, mounted in glass cabinets.

Your armoured boots clank against the tiles, your HUD lighting up with familiar profiles - TYRIAN EDGE, VOLT REGIOS...

And, of course, BISHAMON. His arms folded over his chest, high-crested kabuto helm impassive, a warlord in scarlet and black.

They're waiting for you on this side.

(Done)

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>>27807002

"So? What's this about?" Volt Regios's voice is distorted by a crackling snap of electricity - His cobalt-blue figure standing tall, imperiously, with an attitude of impatience. One plated fist is curled around the hilt of his thorn-blade.

"Yeah, that was pretty sudden...I had *plans* tonight." Tyrian Edge sounds slightly nasal - Like always - his form oddly lanky, eyes glowing amber behind his metal faceplate. "What's up, leader? Calling the two of us here like this..."

His eyeslits flicker.

"...And what's the Red Joker doing here? I thought you said he 'had better things to do, than hang around us.'" Tyrian mimicks Bishamon's voice fairly well - Or rather, as well as he can, given the fundamental flatness of his voxponder.

[ ] "Yeah, what's this about?"
[ ] "You mean...This isn't an ambush?"
[ ] "-Now I'm confused."
[ ] "You just got here, too?"
[ ] "Uh...Bishamon? A word, please?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27807009
>[ ] "You mean...This isn't an ambush?"
forgive me if i dont trust you, but you've been acting weird, and i was two-thirds resigned to having to shoot you a few hundred times... depressing, it was

>>27807009
>"...And what's the Red Joker doing here? I thought you said he 'had better things to do, than hang around us.'"

[ ] "You mean...This isn't an ambush?"
[ free] "I thought you guys didn't want to see -me-. Because, you know, I'm the joker."

>>27807009
[X] "Huh. I was fully expecting an ambush."

[X] "You have no idea how much of a relief it is to not go into the red world and not have to kill someone."

>>27807009
"Hey, Bishi... I think we may have had a sort of miscommunication, don't you think?"

>>27807009
Glance at Bishamon
"You certantly have it in you. No wonder you're the lead star."

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> [X] "Huh. I was fully expecting an ambush."
> [X] "You mean...This isn't an ambush?"

"An ambush?" Volt Regios's voice is startlingly deadpan, despite the electronic snap and crackle. "-First I've heard about it," he grunts, blue light flickering with the slit of his visor.

> [X] "I thought you guys didn't want to see -me-. Because, you know, I'm the joker."

Tyrian Edge pauses, mid-sentence. "-But Ko...Bishamon, that's not what you said. You said - I mean, *he* said, tha-"

> [X] "You have no idea how much of a relief it is to not go into the red world and not have to kill someone."

"Yes, it's a special occasion. It's a holiday." Volt Regios half-turns, his cape sweeping a half-circle against the ground. "...Get to the point already, leader."

>>27807053
>>27807063

Bishamon hasn't said a word, during all this time - The initial wash of confusion. But now, he straightens; Clearing his throat, with a *clunk* like the autoloader cycling.

"-I'm resigning," he says. It's not very loud, but it doesn't have to be: His voice carries well, echoes in the chamber.

A vox-blurt sounds from Regios's corner - It sounds like a smothered curse. Tyrian Edge just *stares*, in surprise - The metal crusher of his Cortex Regulator snickering back, then forth, as Bishamon holds up his hands.

"I know what I said, then. And now, what I'm saying is: I'm resigning." He hesitates, choosing his words carefully. "Right now, the current situation I'm in...It'd be selfish, and *wrong*, for me to drag the two of you along."

Bishamon coughs, again.

"So...That's it. That's what I wanted to say. I'm no longer the leader - I'm stepping down from the position. I can't be part of the Black Tri-Stars."

[ ] "...Say what?"
[ ] "Are you serious?"
[ ] "Well...All right, then. But - I don't see what this has to do with me."
[ ] "So - Who's in charge, now? Or are you breaking up the band?"
[ ] "But why am I here?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27807110
>[x] "...Say what?"
And while making sure that only he can hear
"Bishamon.. don't tell me that you actually accepted..."

>>27807110
>"So...That's it. That's what I wanted to say. I'm no longer the leader - I'm stepping down from the position. I can't be part of the Black Tri-Stars."

[Free] "You shouldn't listen to your hyades-gal so much, Bishamon."
Relax a bit.
"I can see you've made up your mind, but why don't you tell us what's -really- going on?"

>>27807110
... you better not ask me to take over, you bastard

>>27807110
[x] Open mouth.
[x] Close mouth.

[x] "You accepted, didn't you."
[x] "So what will you two do?"

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>>27807138
>>27807139

Tyrian Edge and Volt Regios are talking at once, at cross-purposes:

"...going to happen to us-"
"-believe you'd do this-"

> [x] "You accepted, didn't you."

Bishamon's helmet swivels in your direction.

"I...can't leave her alone, Joker. I cannot...*not*. It sounds crazy, but believe me - If you were me, you'd *know*."

>>27807149

He hesitates. Stiffens.

Stares.

...He's totally going to ask you to take over.

Even in full armour, Kouichi doesn't have much of a poker face.

"The hell is this?" Volt Regios growls - In his rasping, static crackle. "Bishamon, what the actual *fu-"

> [x] "So what will you two do?"

"Me? I don't even know what *he's* going to do next!" There's a distinctly shrill edge to Tyrian's words, that sounds suspiciously close to panic - "...I don't know what he's *thinking*!"

Bishamon makes that placating gesture again.

"Now. NOW. I'll explain everything, but not *here*." He looks away, down the hall. "-Look, we'll talk this over in the main chamber, all right? This isn't the right place."

His boots clank against the ground, as he walks away. After a moment, the other two follow. It's not far - Even by the measure of the hallway's distorted dimensions - but the charged silence makes it feel infinitely longer. Regios broods; Tyrian mutters under his breath, inaudible.

Bishamon reaches the great double-doors, first - Now secured with a wheel-lock. He puts his gauntleted hands on it, moves to push them open.

"...I've thought about it, and it's the only way," he says - "I know this is sudden, but...I've given it a *lot* of thought. You'll see what I mean."

The doors don't open. Bishamon pushes at them, again, then looks back.

"Tyrian? Can you-"

(Continued)

>>27807223

Tyrian has a hand against the side of his helm. "Goddamn thing..." he says. If you could see his face, he'd be frowning. "The door's on the main line, it should pop when I send the command - But nothing's happening."

He fiddles with his forearm guard - Actually a miniature keyboard, with odd, alien symbols where letters and numbers should be. "...Hang on a minute."

[ ] "Do you have a Plan B?"
[ ] "Well, we'll wait."
[ ] "Stand back. I'll handle it - If you don't mind some property damage, of course."
[ ] "How did you find this place, anyway?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27807223
>Bishamon reaches the great double-doors, first - Now secured with a wheel-lock.

Point out the lock

Then argus scan. SOMETHING is fishy here. Really fishy.

>>27807223

> [ ] Free

"You're going to give up everything for some girl you barely know? That's batshit, even by my standards."

>>27807229
[x] Activate Argus system.

[x] "Gentlemen. Prepare to defend yourself."

[x] "Just once I'd like something to go without a fight happening."

>>27807229
Check the damn things
"You know that players have the Devil's Luck, right?"
"I may be paranoid for understandable reasons, but right now I have a feeling that we really shouldn't be taking that fortune for granted now."

>>27807246

> Point out the lock

"Oh, that? Yeah, we installed it after the last round," Tyrian says, absently. "One of the proximity keys inside my gear should trigger it..."

Steam hisses from the lock's vents, as it begins to turn.

"...There we go. I guess one of the pickups must've rusted out or something..."

>>27807248

Bishamon's spined shoulders lift in a shrug. "...When you put it like that, maybe," he allows. "Again - I can't quite explain it. If you were in my shoes, you'd *know* the difference."

He pauses. "It's like...She's perfect. Perfect, and so very, very alone. I - I want to help someone like that."

The walls and floors are a barrier to the Argus System - But you activate it anyway, as the sensor wave sweeps across the hall. It's tightly packed; You can't pick out anything past the sensor-blocking, in-your-face presence of the other three Players...

But something in your tone gets their hackles up.

Bishamon is the first to respond - He reaches back, and draws an inch - two - of black steel from the lacquered scabbard that shimmers into existence in his gauntlets. The raised horns of his kabuto helm begin to glow red, the cells within charging up, reflexively.

"Tyrian, *wait*," Volt Regios growls; He steps forward, one hand out - The sparks crackling across his form oscillating faster, the air growing thick with ozone as the charge gathers at his spined shoulders...

Tyrian has taken a knee, but he reaches for the hilt of a beam saber, anyway - More by instinct than by thought.

"Huh?" he says. "Wha-"

The Argus System *pings*.

(Continued)

>>27807253
>>27807268

It's dark, beyond the half-open doors; But already, your HUD chimes with contacts.

Multiple contacts.

You make out - The first thing you see - a glimpse of red and black, an ivory mask. The rattle of chains, as the great hulk of Phantom Edge's mutilated form sways in place. It all happens between moments: The Black Tri-Stars have been alerted.

But sheer, dysfunctioning shock slows them, anyway.

There are shapes, in the darkness. At least one of them is ominously familiar.

BELL ZEPHYR is already turning towards the door - You hear the snap-crackle as the barbed lines of her charged whips hiss to hateful life. Venomous green flame smolders at JADE SLASHER's curved sabers-

But HAIL BUSTER, BLITZ CALIBER and GREY SHROUD are the first ones to bring their guns to bear. The first of many.

Lightning crackles, as Volt Regios seizes the edges of one swinging door - Wrenching it back towards him, the hinges groaning as the metal *crimps* - hauling it out of position, like a great phanlax shield-

"GET ARMED-" Bishamon shouts, his sword - fruitlessly, uselessly - already drawn-

"Oh fu-" Tyrian is saying, his acutators hissing as he wrenches himself to his feet, so fast he staggers a step back, off-balance...

HP: 200.0%
COBALT BOOSTER: 150%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 150%
METER: 12%

TIER ONE WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>27807367
I forget, who's Bell Zephyr again?

Also we started the fight at full health and everything!

Yay paranoia!

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>>27807407

(My apologies, should've included the image.)

>>27807407
>who's Bell Zephyr
Megumi

>>27807410
I know, I don't remember fighting her or fighting alongside her though.

>>27807410

It can't be Megumi, she was explicitly trying to leave the place with us. If we'd gone with her and she was bell zephyr, it'd have scuppered the plan.

>>27807367
Grab the Sinistral and have the Carnifex ready. This is going to a close-to-mid-range fight and we damn better be ready to rip and tear.

>>27807435
Wouldn't it make the plan more likely to succed if she managed to get the Red Worlds №1 evil plan crusher out of the way, even if she had to leave with him?

>>27807367
>"GET ARMED-" Bishamon shouts, his sword - fruitlessly, uselessly - already drawn-

As much as I don't necessarily agree with the resource cost of this present....
its thematically appropriate.

"Bishamon! Use this"
Present him with Apex Blade.

"Everyone, behind me!"

Cobalt boost sinistral to 3, reflective shield to cover most of the group against the gunfire.
Give us a moment to regroup and get our thoughts straight from the ambush.

Deploy all 5 rifle bits, cobalt boost them for continous cutting beams (10% booster cost, which is acceptably low) - and rake the positions of everyone attacking.

>>27807489

I support this.

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>>27807367
>Enemy composition: 2x melee, 3x ranged.
Tactical recommendation: Pic related, catch them with the Triskelion while they're clustered.

Engage all bits and EXEC_HARROW on Bell Zephy

Priority targets Bell Zephyr, Jade Slasher, harass while Tyrian, Bishamon and Volt engage Hail Buster, Blitz Caliber and Grey Shroud in close range.

>>27807489
>"Bishamon! Use this"
Alright. Part TWO of combat tactics.

Second action:
Return fire with rightarm vulcan.
Jetpack jump forward to close the distance
Unleash a few missiles to support/distract from the Rifle Bits, since it doesn't take hands..
... and power down into one of them for a groundslam.

In short sequence: Jetpack diveslam with crisis powerfist (INTO the ground, not an uppercut) as part of a Tempest Crash. Followup downswipe(aim at the head) with the sinistral level 3.
Overload sinistral after the strike to knockdown close targets as the missiles arrive.
Focus all remaining bits on one target instead of general attack patterns, 5-beam lance whomever's still standing.

Tell allies to: Engage sotto vocca, hit and run tactics, get to melee range.

>>27807532
>Engage sotto vocc

Clarification: Or whichever device they were using for widespread cloaking effects

>>27807505
>EXEC_HARROW
I like your targeting plans, but we should save booster juice for ohshit situations, like saving our friends.

>>27807441

You trigger the Sinistral's energy field, bringing the shield up -

Just as they begin to fire. At short range, the fusillade is murderous in it's intensity; Hissing beams of azure light lance across the distance, from PULSE DIVIDER's ray-projectors - Rebounding off the Sinistral, filling the corridor with wild riochets, as you brace yourself to take the impact...

Volt Regios grunts, as he pulls the door *entirely* off - Sparks hailing off his armour, in a spectacular shower. Between the two of you, you have the hallway mostly blocked off; Bishamon's fist closes around Tyrian's collar, hauling him to safety as gatling cannon hammers high-impact rounds into Regios's crude shield. You hear the snap-hiss, the *spang* of shots smashing against the Sinistral's barrier, incinerated by the prism of furious light-

>>27807489

And you fire back. Quicker than thought, your Rifle Bits deploy - Glowing with cold blue strength, blasting over your shoulders, flitting like daggers of sunlight across the distance. The howling wail of their discharge - Ice-white particle beams - sizzle across the distance in a shearing arc, firing into the mass of Players in the gloom as everything begins to happen very, very fast...

> "Bishamon! Use this!"

You hurl the Apex Blade. He catches it, without looking - Only registering the weapon's perfect balance, after the fact. Primed, the blade flickers into existence, the drone of the phase field engaging an instant later-

...Even as Bishamon's head Vulcans spit chains of cohered fire into the gloom, his twin swords forming a blazing cross-

(Continued)

>>27807580

as an addendum to that, i believe the booster naturally recharges 10% or so a round, so sinistral and rifle bit charges are acceptably low we can keep it up while retaining enough booster juice for FUCK YOU moments, like disrupt or rend

>>27807505

Your Triskelion launchers rotate, spewing a backblast of smoke and flame - You launch three...*four* missiles in rapid succession. They barely have the chance to arm themselves; One skips off the floor, a dud - Two more erupting in massive plumes of bulging illumination, the third slamming HAIL BUSTER off his feet as his chaingun spits heedless fire-

Your right arm comes up, hammering a long burst of Vulcan fire at them. A tachyon ray slashes across your left knee, coring through your armour as your gauntlet smokes with the fires of EXEC_HARROW...

And suddenly, Volt Regios lurches off his feet, with an odd grunt. His jury-rigged shield pulls him forward, so quickly it nearly takes his fingers with it; You make out the blazing flash of BELL ZEPHYR's whips, wrenching the multi-tonne metal slab forward and away, pulling Regios into your line of fire as the Tempest Scrander roars to life at your back.

For a moment - Just a moment - your vision's obscured; Two Rifle Bits shifting, with a flare of vernier thrusters, to avoid slicing into him. Tyrian Edge is on his feet, shouting wordlessly; Bishamon surging forward, a sword in each hand...

In the darkness, something vast and brutal moves. Just a moment.

Just long enough.

There's a terrible impact, and Regios is *slammed* back into you - Like a runaway freight train, before he can even let go, a raw physical force that hammers into him, through him. Metal groans as it gives, tearing like paper; Bloody threads of rust spidering across the surface, as a fist punches right through-

"Oh shit we're all *fucke-*"

(Continued)

>>27807594
Well, it's been almost 10 hours kids, have fun and try not to get RJ killed, I'm going to go-
>>27807686
Fuuuuuuck. What now.

>>27807686
>Bloody threads of rust spidering across the surface, as a fist punches right through-

Rust Kaiser.

Not this time.

Today, he gets CONSUMED or fed to the singularity cannon.

Shoot to permakill, people.

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You get the Sinistral up in time.

A heartbeat before you're crushed, a heartbeat before the next blow flattens you entirely; The Sinistral's field *cracks*, the concussive blast rippling outward in a visible wave as the hard-light construct shorts out-

Microfractures skitter across your armour. Your left arm bends the wrong way, the metal shrieking as it warps. Goes dead.

Your armour holds. The floor does not.

Everything goes downwards, all of a sudden - Tumbling downwards, in a single violent motion, a hail of tiles shattering against your crimson plate, fist-sized chunks hammering against you...

Then the onyx slabs of the floor below smash into your spine, so hard it nearly breaks you in two. Static shoots across your HUD, as - Above you - pitted, mismatched eyes glow with sickening light. Blue, and bloody red.

Rust red.

Your HUD tags:

RUST KAISER

HP: 172.5%
COBALT BOOSTER: 95%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 136%
METER: 11%

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 65

TO BE CONTINUED

>>27807732

I knew we should have started carrying around a maser

(Gentlemen - I'd love to continue, but it's extremely late on my end. Time flies when you're having fun, but I'm rather exhausted: This looks like a natural break-point, and a good place to stop.

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

>>27807728
You called it right, friend.
Unfortunately.

But this time, we get to go all MonHun on his tough rusty hide, and we'll come out of it with his soul to make clothes, maybe.

>>27807732
Too bad I didn't catch the start, but at least I got to see the end of the thread today. Good show, OP.

>>27807759
Got any tactics for the fight? We can pass it on if you can't make the start of the next thread.

Current status: Outnumbered 7:4. Enemy has mild ranged focus.

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>>27807759

>rust kaiser based relics

YESSSSS.

>>27807774

I think we need to get out of here. We're the BIGGEST gun on our side, and Kaiser is the biggest one on theirs. ONE PUNCH took away nearly 30% HP, and that was with the Sinistral to block with.

We're also outnumbered, and quite possibly outgunned. We need to bug out, and fast.

>>27807786
Well, I guess that's what Tyrian's here for.

>>27807759
>But this time, we get to go all MonHun on his tough rusty hide, and we'll come out of it with his soul to make clothes, maybe.

We should plant a void anchor on his face. Fuck him coming back, fuel his death to feed THE SUN - and if he has a hyades connection, keep it open long enough with the hollow sun for the anchor to latch onto that connection too. Fuck resurrection.

>>27807786
The problem with bugging out is that we surrender our base, and we don't want to do that.
However, we do want to beat these people up and get our MP3 player back, since megumi is undoubtedly one of them

>>27807803

I might be wrong, but megumi has always had a soft spot for us. I think she was trying to lure us away, so we wouldn't be there when the shit went down.

>>27807774
I was never good for stuff regarding tactics, but I'll at least point out that we'll probably need to hit Rust Kaiser hard and very often in order to get him into low enough HP for a proper CONSUME.


As in, gravity cannon spam, missile spam, railgun barrage, and probably a Crisis Punch if we're feeling extra lucky.
Problem is, all those attacks require some windup time, but we have extra allies to draw any fire... if they survive through the crossfire.

iirc, Kaiser's rust storm wrecked our targeting the last time, right? Hopefully that won't be the case since we now have the Argus System.

Then we drop a Void Anchor when it's all over for extra Essence. I'm willing to bet we're facing an entire party of high level Smilers so they'll drop good amounts of Essence.


One last note.

I really, really hope that Rust Kaiser doesn't have a Rage Mode like most MonHun wyverns.
>shitton of HP
>debilitating breath attack
>hits like a fucking truck
>comes in a trendy dark color
>would glow red (rust) when mad

Yes, Rust Kaiser is channeling Deviljho's strength.

>>27807809

That explains a lot. Thought she was just being especially slutty.

>>27807774
>Got any tactics for the fight? We can pass it on if you can't make the start of the next thread.

We need to build Meter as fast as possible, which means....
using AOE attacks so they hit more than one target at once, picking on the weakest link.
Teamwork is a must, don't forget to direct our allies - and because its a character defining moment, stepping up to be a leader.

The hardest part is going to be building meter without spending more than we use.

While rust kaiser is a problem, the best thing we can do is stalling tactics. Delay him as much as possible. Drop a full Fortress Mode around him and drop the others as fast as possible, maybe

We should DEFINITELY crisis arm/cross counter him at some point though. I don't think he's fought us with a Carnifex yet, but hahahh fuck no we don't want to drop our armor for this fight.

Anyway, conservation of cobalt booster is in order: No flashy codebursts. Our survival here is going to be down to the Cybele's Emblem: finding moments to use it between shots and being targeted because its fragile while interrupted, and keeping our HP up with Consume. Consume is especially going to be important, as it gives us HP and Meter, both of which we're going to be frantically trading off and rebuying, hopefully coming out ahead.
I think this means we pull out the Tau Gun, boost it for the cycle time, and start double-tapping headshots out.

Frankly, we should call for backup. These are smilers, right? Enfer has a bone to pick with these guys, and the thief would probably help out - both now, and going to kick ass for the final piece of phantom edge.

>>27807809
>I might be wrong,
>>27807839
She pretty clearly snagged our wallet and casette player when she hugged us. We thought she was being cute, but they knew -exactly- where to find us and when due to the player. Which means they're here in the theatre to hear it.

>>27807839

She's actually not. Megumi was clearly going out of her way to keep up appearances. The few times we've spoken to her, she's been flighty and a little sad, not boy-hungry.

I still think she did it deliberately.

>>27807878
>She's actually not. Megumi was clearly going out of her way to keep up appearances. The few times we've spoken to her, she's been flighty and a little sad, not boy-hungry.
>I still think she did it deliberately.
>>27807878
>She pretty clearly snagged our wallet and casette player when she hugged us. We thought she was being cute, but they knew -exactly- where to find us and when due to the player. Which means they're here in the theatre to hear it.

Fuuuuck

>>27807909

Yeah, but what are they af

WAIT, GUYS.

I THINK THEY'RE AFTER PHANTOM EDGE'S BODY.

>>27806782

> "And~?" Megumi inquires, leaning against you - Her slender arms slipping slightly lower, making your coat rustle, entirely oblivious to the looks you're getting.

This is the EXACT MOMENT she made the grab. I cannot believe it. What an awful bitch.

>>27807928

Don't we already have 3/4 parts?

and know that ixion drive(or the guy who cybele said has it) has the last piece

This is our turf. we can't just let it go.

It DOES mean that operation: Stomp On The Smilers is a go, though

>>27807973

The thief is holding all of the parts. Ixion apparently has the last one.

So.... did we let Palladium Rook know we were bailing on him?

>>27806003
That could be something to consider. You know, if any of them actually survive this. The only problem is that multiple Void Anchors get in the way of each other, and the Tri-Stars work best as a team.

>>27806873
I SAID that his death flag had been raised.

>>27807732
FUCKING Rust Kaiser. Whelp, time to off Kou.

>>27807835
Just a heads up, dropping a Void Anchor actually reduces earned Essence, since it uses the energy you get off of a kill to activate.

>>27807928
They're after the Manifold Tower under Holophusikon, probably. They need to clear out the current tenants so that they can activate it in peace.

>>27808041

> So.... did we let Palladium Rook know we were bailing on him?

Oh fuck, I forgot about that entirely.

>>27808041

So, wouldn't be best to consume Rust Kaiser first, and activating the Void Anchor later?

>>27808064

I think any attempt to take on Rust Kaiser in hand-to-hand combat is a recipe for suicide. The guy is BUILT for close combat, and he has skills to take out ranged fighters.

Effectively, he has a perfect build.

>>27808079

Theoratically, he's not suited for big areas where people have a lot of range to move around. If we fought him out in the open, we could just fly away.

>>27808064
Problem is that we don't know if the Void Anchor works by siphoning your first kill, or the one you choose to feed it. That's why I was hesitant to make one right off the bat; we needed to use it in more controlled circumstances.

>>27808079
Exec_Disrupt. Suddenly we can fight Rust Kaiser at range.

>>27808079

What really hurts is that we always fight him in enclosed areas.

>>27807835
>really hope that Rust Kaiser doesn't have a Rage Mode like most MonHun wyverns
Just hope that he doesn't have something like Prevail and isn't fucking Spartacus. I don't want to see Rust Kaiser getting Carnifex-tier boost after being brought down to a certain amount of HP.

>>27808196

Very quick question. I'm new to this and still going through all the archives, and I'm up to XX now. Does this quest have the Incarnate System from Accel World?

I'm absolutely loving the coolness of it.

>>27808413

No, because you can't define the IS with rules. There are CODEBURSTS, which is Player magic, but they have tightly defined effect.

>>27808196

PLEASE DON'T GIVE THE OP IDEAS.

Yo, I just wanted to share this possible Pazuzu FC before readin' another episode of the few quest s worth something in tg.

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Test 2

>>27808955

What does 'FC' mean?

>>27808979
Faceclaim-

>>27808975

That looks pretty awesome. It's actually quite similar to the pic we had of him, which was some kind of hideous mutant housefly skeleton clown.

>>27809055
the original image is of a "3rd Generation Player" from the manga "Zetman". Minor character that showed up for a few chapters to blow people up and later self-implode.

>>27807878
>I think this means we pull out the Tau Gun, boost it for the cycle time, and start double-tapping headshots out.
You are reminding me of all the shitty FPS that scale difficulty levels by giving enemies shittons of HP and require you to do hundreds of headshots.

>>27808079
Hey, think about this:
The dude is armored to fuck and can keep going after any hit.
But essence drain is something he's NOT resistant against. His physical form may be invincible, but his core isn't.
Then again, the armor exists explicitly to protect the essence...

>>27808137
>Problem is that we don't know if the Void Anchor works by siphoning your first kill, or the one you choose to feed it. That's why I was hesitant to make one right off the bat; we needed to use it in more controlled circumstances.
My guess is actually that it's an AoE harvester.
Once it's set up, it collects all the essence that enters the area.

>>27807966
That bitch getting killed. I mean seriously being killed dead. No mercy.

>>27808413
Nope, we don't.
IS is awesome because it's basically an exploit. And the best multiplayer games are the ones that get BETTER when you find an exploit.
This story is less tech-based, which makes exploits kind of a wonky thing. To break rules, you have to first know them - And this world runs on "everything is nightmares and imagination", with universal plug and play of the really fucking insane kind. You can infinitely upgrade your player armor, transform other players into hats, find random devices that give you lateral upgrade progression, etc.

The closest we have to IS is EXEC_REND. Because it allows us to shoot missiles at the real world if someone pisses us off.

>>27809417
Good. We can use it on the bitch. Stealing our wallet? shitty, deserves a verbal beat down but no killing, that cassete player? That some seriously shit. As well Setting us up. That full on killed bitch rating.

>>27809453
Remember that Megumi is not an evil person.
She doesn't have much of a choice in that regard.

>>27809460
Even if she did try to get us away from this ambush, she clearly still intended to take part in the killing of the Tri-Stars.

It's sad, but I think her fate is as good as sealed.

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>>27808955
This is Pazuzu's current image, a black harlequin.

>>27806241
I'll answer these in order.

It's a good idea because Red Joker has a terrible reputation. By demonstrating we can make and keep deals and are capable of generosity, we can start rehabilitating it for if we need to make a power play later.
It is not. As a member of the raiding team, we have a responsibility to the rest of the group to keep the individual members alive. As the strongest person on the raid, our ability to ensure this is correspondingly higher. Saving lives should be a given, not a bonus.
Of course; he wasn't wrong to cut off contact, nor were his reasons untrue or unfair. Red Joker is a very high level combatant and has always been on that level. He doesn't see anything unusual with the threats he gets involved with, which is dangerous for anyone who associates with him. Bishamon stumbled by not telling the other Tri-Stars the truth; he should have accepted responsibility for the decision.
The Apex Blade is a Relic, a Phase Blade a cheap, fragile copy. It's a real dick move to give him a weapon that could break in its first battle.

(tl;dr: It's a good idea for reasons of social capital)

>>27809356
Save the Booster for codebursts. Disrupt could shut down Rust Kaiser almost entirely.

>>27809373
Oh god I hope not.

>>27809356

>But essence drain is something he's NOT resistant against. His physical form may be invincible, but his core isn't.

Yeah, but how are we going to hold him still to drain him? We might be able to stab him, but that's not going to stop him from ripping off our arms and beating us to death with them.

It's kind of weird that a FIGHTER is causing us so much trouble. HE'S JUST A GUY WHO HITS PEOPLE, HOLY SHIT.

>>27809538
>It's sad, but I think her fate is as good as sealed.
Wait, we basically have two death flags here.
We decide who dies - Megumi or Kou?
I'd say everyone lives. Because fuck you, we're the Joker.

>>27809552
>HE'S JUST A GUY WHO HITS PEOPLE, HOLY SHIT.
Now I wonder what we would look like if we went a 100% Force route or 100% Interceptors.
The former might look like the Red King in AC. The latter might be a self-aware swarm of killy flying stabby and shooty things.
Vampires transform into bats. The Joker transforms into far more horrible stuff.

>>27809558

The problem is that quite a few of the enemy players are really, really evil. Kraken is a sadist and quite possibly a psychopath. Rust Kaiser is (if AP was right) like phantom edge, in that he's a monster in human skin. Then you have enfer, who was stunningly callous about killing people.

Bardiel was simply petty and crazy with revenge-hate, and he was still a total bastard. He tried to break into tsukimi's ward to murder or rape her, and he would have succeeded if we didn't kill him

I only realized this recently, because I was wondering exactly what he was trying to do that night. He was going after hecate, as a kind of special 'fuck you'.

>>27809552

It's like super-strength and toughness. In comics, they hand out the flying brick powers left and right. Everyone gets them.

But if you're enough of a flying brick, if you're strong enough and tough enough, you don't NEED any other power. Ever.