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>>36871376

HOLLOW SUN: 63.6%

http://pastebin.com/15RrMFAN

RESEARCH:

[X] POSITRON LANCE
[X] DISTORTION CANNON
[X] FIRMWARE UPGRADE
[X] RESEARCH: SUPERHEAVY CHASSIS
[X] ARC CHARGER
[X] CHOIR BEACON
[X] VECTOR TRAP

VOID ANCHORS:

ORIGINAL HIVE
THE TRIBUNAL
NARAKA
THE VAULT
TUSITA

HOLDING: 0 (VECTOR GEIST: 1)

RED COMET GUIDE:

http://pastebin.com/hmcAYhRE

RESEARCH COMPLETE:

> [X] GRAVIMETRIC NEXUS
> [X] REACTIVE PLATING

UPDATES:

- NIHL SPHERE and [KURA] status updated.
- GRAVIMETRIC NEXUS and REACTIVE PLATING research completed.

>>36871427

God damn it we really to stop getting our shit damaged.

>>36871427
>63.6%
RUBICANTE & CAGNAZZO

>>36871427
"Only break when the wielder does" my ass. I'd ask for a refund but the thing was free.

All right Wata, what was that plan you had for Volt?

>>36871427
Okay, so we get Rubicante and Cagnazzo for ourselves.

We're seriously lacking in upgrades for our specialized Hellions. I think we should get the Microcompact Fusion Reactor and Dual Phase Microstructure for our Thrones and Chayots respectively.

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INTERLUDE:

Nothing tastes right. Everything - Everything - turns to ashes and dust in his mouth.

The edges of everything are blurry and indistinct, saliva stringing between his aching teeth. At one point - lost in a haze of pain - he'd sliced his palm, seeking to release the burning from his blood. What dripped from the wound was like boiling oil, bubbling and popping, and it *hissed* as it escaped in tarry rivulets.

He can't think clearly, as he shambles on - Turning watering eyes to his watch, seeing the numbers count up. He has forgotten something, he knows - Some...event. Some impetus, some urge; Lost in his flight from the terror of his own laughter, from the voice at the base of his skull - New like shining steel, yet ancient as a dagger, that smirking hiss that makes the things he longs to do feel like their own reward.

He ran from it-

But he thought he knew its name.

The cold wind whips at him, mingles with the sound of the Festival - Yet he knows he's left it far behind, already. Every fibre of his being aches, a trembling fever of motion that courses through his veins like poison, that brings a ragged, rasping cough from beneath the hood of his coat.

On either side, the crowd shies away from him, instinctively - Without ever knowing wide. Perhaps it is the coughing that continue to wrack him, trails of foul, syrupy matter spattered down his chest...

Or perhaps it is the sharp black shadow on the ground beneath him, the shadow silhouette that does not belong to a man.

It belongs to a monstrous bird-of-prey.

(Continued)

Evening OP, hope your week's been well. FYI, the Distortion Cannon is still on the ongoing research list.

>>36871491
Unless you mean sticking Volt in the Comet I'm not sure what you mean.

>>36871558
Would prefer debuffing for the Virtues, and we also might look into Cherub weapons. The gun pair are going to landslide so there's absolutely no point in debating that, though I'd really prefer putting it off even one cycle.

>>36871648
Virtues already have the Audito Array and the Choir Beacon is being researched. By comparison, Thrones, Chayots, Helios, and Cherubim have nothing.

>>36871669
Ah crap, I keep doing this. Meant the Thrones. Debuff when hitting enemies is with your main attack is a giant plus. Well, minus for the people getting hit, but you get the idea. The jammers for the Virtues are also an excellent idea, but I agree that upgrading the other models will have bigger benefits.

That reminds me, OP: Would unlocking the Cherub-specific weapons add more to the weapon research list, or unlock the generalized Hellion weapons directly?

>>36871628

How much longer?

Not long now. Not very much longer at all.

------------------------------------

The Sterling Industries carrier is bleak, gunmetal-grey; All sharp lines and bulky machinery, despite the great silver foxhead that gleams in the fading sunlight. Overhead, the sky darkens - the day's light fades early, this close to the end of the year, but today there is a pall across everything; An oppressive atmosphere, almost a presence, an unease that steals the color from the bright banners and streamers fluttering bravely in the rising wind.

Aoba loathes this place.

Everything about his task makes him uneasy - It makes his palms prickle, brings a metallic taste to his mouth, one that refuses to fade. Perhaps it is their isolation that erodes his calm, that draws his lips into a thin line; Perhaps it's the knowledge that Rook is somewhere *out there*, somewhere *close*-

Or perhaps it is just the presence of the Red Joker.

Static fuzzes, over his earpiece - the growing darkness of the day sweeping across the grounds like a pall, like the terminator of an event horizon. From where he stands, the looming clouds over Seisin High look especially black and menacing, like smoke.

"Counterweight Leader, we have signal. Repeat, we have signal."

"Confirm signal, over."

A series of dull, metallic clicks. A deep background hiss.

"Signal confirm, stop."

A pause. Aoba hesitates - Just for a moment, as his eyes narrow, at the first pulse of migraine at his temples. For an instant, he wonders-

"Counterweight Three, this is Counterweight Leader."

An order is a damned order.

"-Go active."

He isn't sure what to expect, though he anticipates something impressive. From behind him, there is a click - then a silence - then a low groan that gathers force, until it becomes a lingering murmur that hangs in the air.

(Continued)

>>36871724
Actually, upgrading Virtues is the best idea, because we already have a high number of them.

We should focus on the chassis that we already got.

>>36871945
>The Apex Blade is buried - Point-first - in the ground, the crosspiece of the hilt casting a slanted shadow against the cracked cobblestones underfoot. Placed beneath it, in the shadow of the valley, as red light lifts like lava from the horizon-
>...are two fragments of an emblem, cracked cleanly in two.

Welp, looks like Bishamon is still butthurt over us killing his waifu.

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>>36871724

(It's a bit of both, really.)

Heat radiates from the trailer; The lights dimming for a second, ever-so-slightly. Then there comes another sound, a seismic hum so deep he feels rather than hears it - A slow, blinking blue light flickering at the edges of his vision.

He draws a deep breath. Another.

Not long now. Not long at all.

------------------------------------

SOON.

------------------------------------

Seisin High's zone of exclusion - the boundaries of the alien city of Arcadia - are not set in stone. There is no clear delineation between the real world and the next, only blurry discomfort, only the dull shock of transition that departs as quickly as it comes.

Volt Regios' regal cloak flaps in the rushing wind, the bruised sky of the Red churning overhead. Here, reality is worn and tattered, like the fabric of an old cloth; there is a sense of impermanence to the world around him, like the haze of a half-remembered dream. Destabilized, cast adrift - Barren except for the faintest signal, the pulse of the icon Regios wears.

Not the Joker's icon, but an older one. That, alone, is reason enough for Regios to risk the treacherous passage; striding onwards, despite the unease that spreads cold fingers of doubt through his mind. He is close, now - Close to wherever Bishamon is. The streets of the barren city, before the iron towers of Dis, are empty; the skies dark with the coming maelstrom, Regios' boots crunching against gravel.

What he sees stops him in his tracks.

The Apex Blade is buried - Point-first - in the ground, the crosspiece of the hilt casting a slanted shadow against the cracked cobblestones underfoot. Placed beneath it, in the shadow of the valley, as red light lifts like lava from the horizon-

...are the fragments of an emblem, cracked cleanly in two.

(Continued)

>>36871923
Ah right, the other side of the force multiplier equation. Of course, if we're thinking like that, we should really get the Shrike Blades going, since the basic upgrades affect ALL Hellion types. Supposedly.

>>36871960
Did you really expect anything different?

>>36872033
Should've used the Athame

>>36872037
How would that have changed anything anyway? She would still be effectively dead to him and he would still see us stabbing her with a big stake/.

Maybe we should ramp up Hellion production overall?

I feel like our grand army is going to be something of a disappointment right when we need it.

>>36872056
Might've undone the brainwashing, maybe.

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>36871945

Place side-by-side, it is possible - just possible - to make out how, once, they formed the mark of three black stars against a field of white.

And at last, Regios begins to understand.

"Joker," he whispers. "Joker-"

"...what did you do?"

------------------------------------

STAGE: TIR NA NÓG

The surface of the black moon.

Before - When glimpsed from an infinite distance away - it had the perfect, serene visage of ebony, a vast onyx pearl suspended against the fabric of umbral space. But now, up close...

The words vast, huge...All seem achingly inadequate. Tiny, scattered specks of light - dozens of them - illuminate small parts of the face of some impossible structure, showing small parts of a vast and impossibly complex design etched onto the face of the errant planet. Hints of spirals, lines and swirling runes - Against a plain of lightless stone, each one a deep chasm extending all the way to the heart of infinity. Geometric shapes fashioned from neither stone nor metal nor even bone, but - it seems - all of those things at once.

Dormant, but filled with the slumbering power of a million stars. Wound with carved spirals, with dark onyx and green jade, alien light flickering with dim, ghostly illumination.

Cybele's demense has gone dark. Even the illusion of life has faded - It is a grey plain, the glass dome open to the stars; A jewel in an immense setting, line-straight jags of neon light playing outwards from the base.

And before you - Bisecting the chamber - a great adamantium door, a towering portal sealed by impossibly complex equations, part of a great circle upon which is wrought code sequences and inscribed algorithms.

The gate to the Quantum Vault.

The time of Convergence.

Only...

(Continued)

>>36872077
But it wasn't really brainwashing.
She was a genuinely good person.

>>36872077
Considering how she died, I'm pretty sure that he would remain in love with her even if the brainwashing was removed.
>>36872093
I don't think that's accurate. It more felt like she was originally a manipulative bitch but at some point developed actual affection for Bish.

>>36872103
>It more felt like she was originally a manipulative bitch but at some point developed actual affection for Bish.
Just like Cybele.

The Hyades go crazy from their confinement, but human interaction can help them regain some sanity.
Only freedom will make them normal people, though.

>>36872037
Maybe. He's breaking with the Tri-Stars and using the Apex Blade to do it. The message is that he wants nothing to do with them and rejects Joker's largesse. Somewhat hypocritical given that he was trying to do the same, but he knew that losing Cybele wouldn't actually hurt Joker, as such.

>>36872077
It would have made the breaking less painful. A gentle parting rather than a severing. I still think he would have left, but he wouldn't have been so dramatic about it. I doubt what happens when/if he comes back will be nice.

It's interesting how different Utopia reacted to his Hyades dying. Then again, he invested very little of himself in her and wanted to be away from her.

>>36872134
>It's interesting how different Utopia reacted to his Hyades dying. Then again, he invested very little of himself in her and wanted to be away from her.
That's why I theorize that he's a sociopath.
He literally can't feel affection and the Hyades bond really fucked with that aspect of his being.

Turns out that you can't teach a CEO or politician love, even with invasive brainwashing.

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>>36872077

"...Why won't it open?"

Cybele's voice is hushed, almost a whisper. Awe has stolen the strength from her words-

...That, or reverence.

Or dread.

She is the only thing remaining in the demense, the bright colors of the autumn day dimmed to nothing; Her features lit only by the faint glow of your Emblem, bleeding motes of emerald light. The light kindles in the great mechanisms, glowing the same steady, pulsing green...

And yet nothing happens.

The thought of bringing weaponry to bear against the gate - Against something that vast - seems almost ludricious; The Nihl Sphere's violet light evoking only dull reflections, the faintest trace of violet light against the bare metal of the floor.

Her questing fingers reach out - Fingertips brushing the cool surface, tracing the intricate inscriptions, her face upturned; Almost imploring, as her gaze goes to you - Hoping, against all odds, for a solution.

[ ] "...I don't know."
[ ] "-It's waiting for something."
[ ] "Perhaps something's gone wrong?"
[ ] Listen.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36872173
>[ ] "-It's waiting for something."
>[ ] Listen.

>>36872173
>"-It's waiting for something."

>>36872103
>>36872124
The Hyades are all desperate. They want back what they've lost and they know they'll die if they choose the wrong champion. Loss and existential terror tend to bring out the worst in a person, no matter how sunny or kind. We've seen them all at their lowest, Cybele excepted, and even she was desperate and thus not pretty.

>>36872150
Oh no, he definitely loved her, he said so himself. But I'm reminded of the old story about the amphibian, and the viper that wanted to cross the river. The snake bites its ride midway through, dooming them both. Why? Because it's his nature to be poisonous.

>>36872173
I'm actually not sure if I called this.
>[X] "-It's waiting for something."
>[X] Listen.
"Isn't it only supposed to open when all the Hyades but one are dead? Alura's not."

>>36872173
>"Alura...?"

Should we try to brute force it via NIHL?

>>36872266
This is one of the few doors that it won't unlock. See
>The Nihl Sphere's violet light evoking only dull reflections, the faintest trace of violet light against the bare metal of the floor.

>>36872188
>>36872196

> "Isn't it only supposed to open when all the Hyades but one are dead? Alura's not."
> "Alura...?"

"Do you think..." Cybele begins, her brow furrowing - Then slowly, she shakes her head. Tentatively at first, but with growing confidence - Biting her lip, eyes narrowed in thought. "No - No, it couldn't be. If that was true...She wouldn't be *here*. Not yet."

> [X] "-It's waiting for something."

"-Waiting?" Cybele tilts her head, frowning at your words. Her slim fingers grip the hem of her kimono, trembling slightly with the effort of not wringing the fabric; She seems so small, so fragile, in this landscape of metal - Silhouetted against the dense and complex architecture of pipes and towers, vents and arches, blocks and pylons.

"Waiting for-"

> [X] Listen.

Hush.

Past the engraved patterns. Past the low, distant, subliminal hum of machinery, the slow, throbbing murmur of systems. There is the sound - the very beginnings of a sound. A pulse, like a thready heartbeat, beating in time with Cybele's Emblem...

Adapting, slowly but surely-

Cybele flinches back, as the first light pulses - Luminous traceries uncoiling across the portal's surface. Gears spin, pins unlock, and interleaved discs of gleaming metal separate, as the first layer of defenses disengage; A sound you feel rather than hear, deep in the core of your armored being.

Old systems, coming to life at last-

...Not quite synchronized, not yet. But close.

A sigh, almost a sob, of relief parts Cybele's lips - Her form relaxing, some of the tension draining from her.

(Continued)

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>>36872377

"Time," she murmurs, almost to herself - A half-smile flitting across her features, disarmed somehow. "...I forget - Things don't happen all at once. How could they...?" Her expression is intent, as her gaze settles on the grand portal; Slowly, yet surely, disengaging itself...

-As the grand lunar surface begins to respond.

The moon - The entire moon - is coming to life. All for this moment; All for her, as its hum begins to match the pulse of her Emblem. The relief in her eyes is unguarded and honest, as she turns to face you - A silvery little laugh coaxed forth from within, her hands clasped behind her back.

"That's all it is~!" she says, with a kind of innocent joy - "I just had to wait - Just a little longer - Just a bit more, to be..."

"-Well." Her cheeks flush - Cybele ducks her head, self-conscious, clearing her throat as if only now aware of her surroundings, the gravity of the moment. "Joker-kun...It looks like there's still time. Until the doors open - Until I can finally...*finally*...be free-"

Then, softly - Almost shyly -

"...Do you want to go back?"

Perhaps she senses the question that's coming, because she goes on - "I...know you don't like this place. After...After everything that happened - Joker-kun...No, Anon-kun, I - I think I see why. So-"

A deep breath.

"...So, you don't have to wait with me, if you - If you don't want to. Only - Only when it's *time*..."

[ ] "...You're right."
[ ] "-Are you sure?"
[ ] "Cybele...There's something I need to tell you."
[ ] "Do you want to come with me?"
[ ] "Actually...I don't mind."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36872439
>"Actually...I don't mind."
Please don't tell her we're going to fuck her over.

>>36872439

We need to get back to earth. Shit is going DOWN over there. At the very least we need to talk to Volt.

>>36872439
"How much longer?"
"Will you be all right?"
>[X] "-Are you sure?"

>>36872461
There's a time delay between now and when the vault opens. We're choosing if we want to spend that time with Cybele or back in the real. If we go back we can figure out how much time has passed.

>>36872439
OP, you are nasty.

>[ ] "Actually...I don't mind."
"However, there are currently things happening in the other world. It might be smarter to go back and help out."

>>36872439
>[ ] "...You're right."
>"Even without the Convergence, various factions are going to move today. I need to keep an eye on things in the Real for as long as possible."

>>36872484
Oh, right. I was watching something so I skimmed a bit towards the end. Didn't notice "Only when it's *time*".

(Gentlemen, my apologies: Half of my post was cut off.)

>>36872472
>>36872484
>>36872489
>>36872498
>>36872461

> "How much longer?"

"I...I don't know," Cybele says - A fragile note to her voice, now, gone as quickly as it comes. She smiles, faintly - "But...I should get used to that, too. Used to - waiting for things..."

> "Will you be all right?"

She casts her gaze around the empty Demense. For a long moment, she's silent.

Then-

"...I'll be all right," she says. That slight smile lingers - For a moment, it threatens to slip, but then...

"Joker-kun...I don't - I don't want to be a burden. Even after this - I don't want to...to have to rely on you all the time, so...Like this - It's fine." Her expression is forlorn, as she takes in the bare metal of the space around her - "...Something like this - I can bear it. Really."

"After all...It's only for a while longer." She stresses the word 'while' - As if reminding herself, to bring herself some relief.

(Continued)

>>36871467
>>36871558
>>36871467

Fyi i'm voting against this gun

WE DO NOT NEED MORE WEAPONS

we have billions of weapons

we keep getting more weapons and never using them.

Its cool, but its not what we actually need.

>>36872609

> [X] "Actually...I don't mind."
> "However, there are currently things happening in the other world. It might be smarter to go back and help out."
> "Even without the Convergence, various factions are going to move today. I need to keep an eye on things in the Real for as long as possible."

A flicker of interest - Diminishing as quickly at it comes. For a moment, Cybele seems like she's about to say something; A sense of an internal struggle...

Then she just looks down, at her feet.

"All right," she says. "-I trust you."

> [X] "-Are you sure?"

A nod - Just a slight incline of her head, brief, wordless. You step back, your armored boots clanking against the deck plating; For the briefest moment, Cybele leans towards you - Her lips shaping a soundless word, making a gesture with her free hand...

-The air shimmers. The glow of your Emblem begins to fade. Motes rise in a haze from your armor, as your very form begins to dissolve, drawing away...

"Joker-kun!" Cybele raises her voice - There's something she's forgotten, something she's just remembered.

"Joker-kun, when I'm - when I'm free...You'll let me meet them, won't you?" A trace of anxiety lingers in her words - Anxiety, and a kind of innocent eagerness. "All those people you know...All your friends - I'll get to speak to them too, right?"

Then, quietly-

"Do you...do you think - Just maybe - they might...like me?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36872613
We can never have too many guns.
Plus there's no way it won't have some hidden effect.

>>36872613
They aren't weapons. They're not even Red-tech, just well-crafted guns that you could see a master craftsman making in the Real. We want them because they have a high system priority, meaning that they likely have some secret benefits.

>>36872613
But it's a mystery weapon, we have to unlock the prize!

>>36872617
>"It'll probably be awkward at first, but I think you'll be fine. They're better people than I am at least, that's for sure"

>>36872634
>high system priority

uh, what? no they don't.

>>36872632

How bout a secret benefit of 'all our friends don't die and the smilers don't convert the rest into black joker-corrector-slaves'?

>>36872617
"Of course"
Fuck, betraying Cybele like this shouldn't be so fun.

>>36872613
There's a convincing reason to do it. They are perfectly normal guns in a setting where that isn't a thing, placed on the same level as weapons of exceptional power. The game notes explicitly point out that there's something odd about that, which is about as blatant a sign as you can get that there's more to it than that.

For what it's worth I want to get them NEXT time, since there's some things that need time in the oven.

>>36872617
"Some of them will. Some of them won't. People are... so very complicated. You'll understand soon enough."

>>36872651
>uh, what? no they don't.
>Given the distinct lack of conventional firearms in the Red World, their existence - Let alone their status as high-priority Relics - is a curious one.

>>36872658
>"Some of them will. Some of them won't. People are... so very complicated. You'll understand soon enough."
You actually feel bad about this. I'm surprised, I thought you hated Cybele.

>>36872632
>>36872634
>>36872637
Really? Lets look at this shit

Plasma caster: hardly ever.
Vulcans: Nearly never.
Fusion annihilator: Its been over 50 threads, even once we upgraded it. NEVER USED UPRADED MODE.
railgun? 50 + threads
But that's metered shit. What about freebies?

Hailfire: Never used.

Revolve bazooka: Took once, never used. Same for Line Launcher. Scatter laser: never. Line laucher: never. gatling laser? never. Impaler? never. Induction blasteR? Never. Autocannon, machine cannon? All melee weapons aside the friction axe? never. Even the ultra-neat Pile Bunker.

Lucifer bits? Used once and thrown away for slake.

Which was also not used, or rarely used last fight.

We've actually used the most of our sidearms from teh hollow sun, and that's kinda pathetic.

>>36872690
>Hailfire: Never used.
We've used it three times already.

>>36872690
Yeah but they're cool.

>>36871427
>- GRAVIMETRIC NEXUS and REACTIVE PLATING research completed.

JQOp, did the reactive plating unlock any sort of additions, by the way?
muh shroud options.

>>36872659
That's poor phrasing, I think. For one thing ordinary firearms DO exist in the Red World. Vector Geist's squad was equipped with them almost exclusively before we outfitted him. What it means is that these "perfectly normal handguns" are treated like they're on the same level as a sci-fi flamethrower, jetpack, etc.

>>36872690
>Hailfire: Never used.
Er, what? It's used constantly. The (upgraded) Fusion Annihilator was used frequently during the raid. Hollow Sun weapons, by contrast, are routinely passed over in favor of less restricted weapons, but we wanted them mostly to pay mercenaries in the first place.

I'm glad that I won't be online during the day, you fucks.

I can't stand this Cybele betrayal business.

>>36872690
Plasma Caster constantly saves our asses.
Our Vulcans barely do anything, but we will never get the upgrade vote through.
Fusion Annihilator is very situational, just like Plasma Caster.
Railgun is a high meter weapon and fills an INSANELY specific niche. It's literally useless at our common engagement range.

>>36872749
But it's exhilarating, Anonymous. She genuinely cannot comprehend the idea that we'll pick another armour.

>>36872769
I know that you are getting off on this. And I know the mechanics of why you do.
This is basically a form of guro.

I hope you never get to be alone with a vulnerable person.

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>>36872649
>>36872656
>>36872658
>>36872656

She smiles. It's startling, in it's honesty - the spontaneous, unfeigned joy in it, a low sound of wordless affirmation teased from her lips; the sound of a girl who is this close to having all her dreams come true.

Then the Red rolls over you like a wave, and the world dissolves.

-----------------------------

A distant murmur of voices; Somewhere, there are cheers, a general adulation. Everything is dark, before your eyes - it is the sound that washes over you first, laughter and applause and a few groans. The air is cool against your skin, the faintest ache to your limbs - You've been lifting, carrying things...

Where are you? Wait - *When* are you?

You almost stumble, checked a step as someone collides with you from behind - Not hard, just enough to get your attention, a hand clapping against your shoulder.

"Anon-"

You turn-

Natsumi's behind you. In full costume, her cap held lightly in one hand, the plume brushing against her thigh. Her expression is faintly quizzical - "...Where have you been?" she says, puzzled relief in her voice; "We're going up there in less than an hour...Do you know where Kouichi is? *Everyone's* been looking for him."

Something clicks into place. You're in the cavernous backstage of the Seisin High auditorium; You don't remember *exactly* when you got here, but it can't have been long-

Perhaps there's an unspoken question on your face, because Natsumi frowns -

"...Are you all right?" she asks, concern in her voice. "You seem - A little out of-"

(Continued)

Things i think I'd like to see the most:

Positron Designator. (combos with argus, harrow, and solaris matrix)

Cascade resonator, for orbital striking from inside the tank. Also a nitro booster because if its good on joker, its good on a tank.

Neutronium Refinery: 'its cool'. ALso likely based on further relic upgrades/alterations/repairs for facilities.
and/or Integration Protocols for repairing relics/improving relics - or at least making inroads there. Since that's how argent does it; combining essence from various other sources to make, patch, or improve artifacts.

Modular Frame for hellion or virtue: why spend meter replacing lost limbs when we can pirate the angel-swarm?

Of all the artifacts I'd like to see, though, I think recovering the old joker's Beam Magnum would make my heart beam the most.

It was hinted at that the joker's function was to make new weapons - being an embodyment of destruction - and we had forgotten how.

>>36872780
I'm not sociopathic enough to do anything like this to a real person, Anonymous.

>>36872805
>It was hinted at that the joker's function was to make new weapons - being an embodyment of destruction - and we had forgotten how.
That was disproven months ago. Watashi asked the question and OP explained that ALL players form their weapons on command. RJ is not a weapon factory.

Hey guys. I'm one of those guys who skip over most discussion.

Why are we betraying Cybele exactly? What are our other plans?

>>36872780
Oh please, anon. Just because a guy enjoys schadenfreude in fiction doesn't mean he would enjoy it in the reality.
I've spent most of my life around emotionally unstable and vulnerable people and making them sad or giving them false hopes was never pleasant, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the ice cream suffering sundae here.

>>36872805
>It was hinted at that the joker's function was to make new weapons - being an embodyment of destruction - and we had forgotten how.
That was a flawed theory. What Joker is supposed to be is a weapon vault. The armor is meant to store the equipment of all the previous Jokers and yet we have only access to part of what the last one had.

>>36872830
Do you skip over the story posts, too? We're making Mio the Chalice Queen so she can not kill all the students of the school.

>>36872830
Making Cybele the Chalice Queen will kill all of the simulation players (which is a majority of the Seisin High girls).

>>36872829
...Did I?

>>36872830
Do you also skip over OP's posts? I'm not asking to be a dick, but I thought it was pretty well laid out. Making one of the Hyades Chalice Queen kills all the schoolgirls barring Mio and Volt and possibly the president. We're choosing to make Mio Queen instead. Which is going to have its own issues, but mass murder isn't one unless we want it to be.

>>36872791

"Natsumi-chan, we need to get your makeup-"

"Coming!" Natsumi calls, over her shoulder - She comes *this* close to rolling her eyes, absently smoothening down the hem of her brief skirt; There's a stage rapier in her belt, the sheath knocking against her hip. There's a kind of ordered chaos to the last minutes before a play - A nervous excitement in the air, students bustling back and forth; And in the background, there's the muffled sound of the performance before you, incomprehensible echoes coming across the distance like the voice of a fairly impressive deity...

Natsumi spares you a glance - She looks like she's about to say something more, but then just shakes her head and hurries off, with a quick "Good luck." Nerves have gotten to her too, it seems; She's nervous, tense, enough that she doesn't seem to notice that anything's amiss...

And she hasn't taken three steps out of view, before two of your classmates bustle past, apparently engrossed in an argument over the sound system. One of them had headphones, and the other is conversing in a hushed, strained tone of bowel-clenching terror; The vast openness of the lighted stage is somehow intimidating, combined with the thought that you're *actually going to be going out there*-

Your phone begins to buzz, to vibrate. You find an alcove to duck into, to give yourself a moment of privacy-

-It's Shion.

"-Anon." There's an exhaustion to Shion's voice, and a kind of unfocused sadness - It's a tone you'd never expect from her, a tone that sounds almost resigned.

"Anon, he's gone."

[ ] "What?"
[ ] "Kouichi? You mean Kouichi?"
[ ] "Where are you now?"
[ ] "-What's going on?"
[ ] "What did he do?"
[ ] "Gone? Gone *where*?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36872857
>>36872866
>>36872869
>kill all the students of the school.

Okay. I guess I forgot this part because its been a while. Thanks guys.

>>36872885
>"Kouichi? You mean Kouichi?"
>"What did he do?"

>>36872885
>[ ] "Kouichi? You mean Kouichi?"
>[ ] "-What's going on?"

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>>36872885
>[X] "Kouichi? You mean Kouichi?"
>[X] "Gone? Gone *where*?"
"We didn't win. We never win."

"Wait fuck, I'm going to have to read lines. I'm going to KILL him."

>>36872939
I'll support this.

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>>36872909
>>36872919
>>36872939

> "Kouichi? You mean Kouichi?"

"Who do you *think*-?"

Shion's voice is acerbic - There's a *snap* to her words, a raw frustration...And then she exhales, a deep breath that comes out in a sound that merges a creak and a sigh.

> [X] "-What's going on?"
> [X] "What did he do?"

"-I should be the one asking that." The spectre of exhaustion lurks in Shion's voice - Worry, too. Regret, and a kind of helplessness. Or perhaps it is merely another shade of puzzled hurt.

"...He left his sword behind," she says - Almost to herself, as if unravelling an enigma. "Why - why would he do that? I didn't think - I can't imagine..."

Her words trail off, unfinished.

> [X] "Gone? Gone *where*?"

"I..."

Her voice is soft, now, almost a whisper.

"-I don't know. Only-"

"...Only - I don't think he's coming back."

> "We didn't win. We never win."
> "Wait fuck, I'm going to have to read lines. I'm going to KILL him."

A deep, slow sigh.

"Jok - Anon. Whichever...Whoever you are. What-"

"...What do we do now?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36872885
Shit, he might do something stupid.
I'm okay with him trying to kill me. I would be a hypocrite if I wasn't.
But he might yet something much worse in his current state of mind.

>>36873010
Nothing, I suppose.
It's not like we can track him down in the Red or real.

>>36873010
>"I saved his life, but he'll probably never forgive me for that. And I doubt we can find him as along as he is trying to hide from us."

>>36873010
"I told you, it's Anon. Joker wears red."

"Try his phone. Call his caretakers. Check the booths by the gates, someone will have seen him. Let Tyrian know. Hold on to his sword and use it. You have to give it back if--when--he comes back."

"I hurt him. I don't think we're friends anymore."

Poor Joker. There really is no way out.

>>36873010
"The same thing we've done every night, Pinky. Try to keep the Smilers from taking over the world."

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>>36873080
Dammit Shirley, this is serious! I actually laughed out loud. Here's hoping we get to talk to Kazuya/Mio/someone before going on stage.

>>36873069
>>36873076

"I'll-"

A pause.

"...I'll *try*." There is a bitterness to Shion's voice, not quite sullen - As if she doesn't believe it'd do any good...But feels driven to make the attempt, anyway. You hear the swish of her black dress; she's walking, now, perhaps already taking those steps.

>>36873044
>>36873069

"Maybe-"

"-Maybe, he doesn't *want* to be found."

>>36873080

A curt, scratchy bark of laughter, welling up from within - Something that doesn't sound like a laugh at all...

The line goes dead.

The phone is heavy in your hand. On all sides, the bustle of last-minute activity continues; Perhaps it's not a cast of thousands, but everyone has a role to play - And in these last frantic minutes, everyone seems to have forgotten what, exactly, that role is.

[ ] Look for Yui. Someone has to tell her the bad news.
[ ] Look for Natsumi.
[ ] Look for Kazuya.
[ ] Look for Mio.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36873149
>Look for Yui. Someone has to tell her the bad news.

>>36873149
>[ ] Look for Yui. Someone has to tell her the bad news.

>>36873149
>[X] Look for Mio.
Joker told her he'd be back soon.

Text Kazuya though. "Kouichi pulled a runner. I'm free of the shark, but if I have to job against you I want to do it properly. Find me an axe."

>>36873149
>A curt, scratchy bark of laughter, welling up from within - Something that doesn't sound like a laugh at all..
>>36873105
Just as planned.

>>36873169
Supporting. I trust Wata to remember things we said better than I do.

>>36873149
>[ ] Look for Yui. Someone has to tell her the bad news.
>

>[ ] Look for Mio.

>>36873169
>Find me an axe.
Oh fuck ahahahaha. I don't really care who we look for, but I want this line involved.

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Hey did you guys forgot to play with our resident Dragon-Gorilla-Slug-Man thing?

You monsters.

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>>36873169
>>36873188

He doesn't answer - Not right away, but you're fairly confident that he got it.

>>36873185
>>36873158
>>36873168

You pick your way through the bustle; It's chaos, in every direction at once. Over tangles of wiring, the sound and lighting crew hurrying this way and that, with spontaneous bouts of swearing over *why* doesn't Speaker 3 work, it was working perfectly fine yesterday, and what do you *mean* they don't have replacements...?

It's all a blur - Until you catch a straggler from another play (Who has the harried, shell-shocked expression of someone who's been in the wars, never mind the rings of artificial age beneath his eyes) and ask him *exactly* where Yui might be-

His instructions are garbled, but they're clear enough to lead you to the small backstage room reserved for your class; The others have already been vacated, but it's been turned into an impromptu office, to deal with the last-minute crises of cast members vanishing, props gone missing, acts of God...

-The usual.

A hubbub of noise greets you, as the door swings open; For a moment, you pause at the surreal sight of Yui - In a witch's costume, pointy hat perched at a jaunty angle atop her head - seated at the desk, frowning as she makes last-minute notes.

"-anyone found him, yet?" Yui is saying - A trace of worry in her voice, her calm quietly fraying. "-Has anyone seen him at all?"

Mio shakes her head - She looks like she's been here for a while, with the kind of anxious, worn look that comes from a slow slide into disaster. Her crisp school uniform looks distinctly out of place in the small room, strewn with odd bits of scenery and discarded costume parts; There's the plywood mock-up of the ship silhouette *there*, banners crossed overhead, the symbols illegible-

(Continued)

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>>36873298

"...reason why he'll just - leave?" Mio says, her expression distinctly troubled - Her gaze darting to her watch. "There's less than half an hour left - Everyone *else* is already in place-"

When the door closes behind you, she looks up - A flicker of relief flitting across her face, echoed (A heartbeat later) - by Yui.

"Anon-kun!"
"...Anon-kun?"

...It's startling how they're perfectly in synch.

"-you're back-"
"-in costume yet?"

A pause. They exchange glances - for one quizzical moment - before Mio glances away, but not before favoring you with a brief, heartfelt smile; As if no matter how frantic things are getting, your arrival has made things demonstrably better for her. Yui's less expressive, but there's a flicker of relief to her eyes; A moment that lingers, before she says-

"...Have you seen Kouichi?" Only the tap of her fingers against the desk betray her anxiety - Even as Mio takes an instinctive step forward...Checking herself, at the last moment, despite the stark relief playing across her face. Her faintly-embarassed glance at Yui - over her shoulder - tells you why...But that's probably quite far from Yui's mind, now, given the way things are going.

Perhaps your expression gives away the answer - Because Mio stiffens in place, concern in her eyes.

"Anon-kun...What's wrong?" Then - "...He's not coming, is he?"

[ ] "...I don't know."
[ ] "No. No, I don't think he is."
[ ] "There's always a chance-"
[ ] "It's nice to see the two of you working together."
[ ] "I think - I think it might be my fault."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36873335
>"No. No, I don't think he is."

Just imagining Jokernon telling them the truth is hilarious.

>"He's not coming, I killed his waifu with a sword and he's pretty sore about it."

>>36873335
>[ ] "No. No, I don't think he is."
>"We'll just have to follow Asuna's orders and go with plan B"

>>36873335
"I'm back."

>[X] "No. No, I don't think he is."
"I think I've been promoted from monster to hero."
>[X] "It's nice to see the two of you working together."

"Who plays the shark now? Can we make Kazu do it anyway?"

>>36873353
>Also, I might murder like 99% of the students of the school, or not. It depends on what the voices in my head vote for.

>>36873335
> "No. No, I don't think he is."
"A mutual friend is out looking, but I don't think he's coming back for a while. Let's hope I can remember more lines than 'Grar grar gonna eat you'."

>>36873287
Shit I forgot about that.

Any chance we might start operating on our corrector this thread?

>>36873424
Not if we want to do anything else. Plus, I'm really wary of putting Caliban through anything less than the 150 option, based on what we've seen and had implied about other Corrector conversions. Containment breaches don't happen in a vacuum.

I really hate to interrupt thread time for outside-thread stuff, but OP did you receive my email with the Corrector questions? It was a while ago, but I've just discovered that other emails I sent around that time never reached their destination.

>>36873424

(You don't actually have enough Hollow Sun Charge, if you're purchasing the Relics.)

>>36873345
>>36873368
>>36873370
>>36873386

> "No. No, I don't think he is."
> "A mutual friend is out looking, but I don't think he's coming back for a while. Let's hope I can remember more lines than 'Grar grar gonna eat you'."

"Oh..." Mio looks stricken - Her gaze going to Yui. "Yui-chan, I'm so-"

> "I think I've been promoted from monster to hero."

She stops, mid-sentence. Then, in low, hushed tones of surprise - As her hand goes to her mouth:

"But that means-" Mio's eyes widen, ever-so-slightly; A kind of disbelief, then realization, then excitement dawning. "Anon-kun...*You're* going to be...?"

Yui looks...pained. Her eyes close, just for a moment - Her fingertips massaging her temples. But only for a moment - The glance she gives Mio is unreadable, but you can sense a kind of envy to it; For a fleeting instant, you can tell that she wishes she could be so easy with you.

"-I suppose you are," she says, softly. Then: "Shouldn't you be in costume already?"

Her brisk words are belied by the slight - rather conflicted - smile that flits across her composed features, and is gone. Her gaze goes to Mio, then to you; That brief, aching smile becoming just a shade more resigned, before she says-

"Mio-chan."

"?"

"Make sure Anon is ready, will you?" There's a faint scrape of her chair's legs, as Yui stands - The costume crew has done a sterling job tailoring Asuna's costume to fit her, but the heavy cloth creaks as she moves with a kind of stately grace. Then:

"Anon-kun..."

For a moment, you're sure that Yui is going to say something more - But she just shakes her head, settling for a:

"...I'll see you on stage." As she brushes part. Her eyes go to Mio - Something profound, something unspoken, seems to pass between the girls for a moment, as Yui adds-

(Continued)

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>>36873483

"-I know Anon-kun looks untrustworthy, but..." Her gaze meets yours, for a moment, and her heart is in her eyes. "...He's actually really reliable."

"Please - Take care of him."

And then she walks away, without ever looking back.

------------------------------------

"So *you're* the hero...Haaa ~ Anon-kun, why didn't you tell me?"

Getting to the dressing room - The one where your costume is stored - is quite a complex process; Even with Mio walking alongside you, her long legs eating up the distance. It's hard for her *not* to be excited about this - Her pent-up exuberance lights her up from within, her smile a little shy as she sneaks sidelong glances at you.

"I can't believe - I can't believe you're actually going to be *acting* in it...As, as the *hero*~!" She sounds absolutely thrilled by this - Even as she lowers her voice, as another contingent of would-be actors pass by. It's hard for her; You can tell she's worried about Kouichi, but - At the same time, she's happy...Not for herself, but for you.

> "Who plays the shark now? Can we make Kazu do it anyway?"

"Anon-kun, that's *terrible*~!" It doesn't stop the giggle that she has to smother, doing her level best to keep a straight face; "Ah...I think Yui-chan's going to get one of the stagehands to do it - It's a non-speaking role, after all~" Mio dismisses your concern with a casual wave - It's a little surprising how well she knows the script.

"But-" she says, almost contemplatively - "...I think - I think it might be better like this."

"I mean...I know you're friends with Kouichi - But you've known Kazuya-kun for a long time, right? That's why - If it's the two of you...It'd feel-" Mio's brow furrows, lightly - searching for the word. "More *real*, somehow." Her gaze goes to yours, searching.

"...Does that sound strange?"

[ ] "-You sound awfully confident."
[ ] "You really love the story, don't you?"
[ ] "...You know they end up enemies, right?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36873522
"After the day I've had, your energy is...

Root for me, why don't you?"

>>36873522
>[ ] "...You know they end up enemies, right?"

>>36873522
"There's three of us in the play. Me, Kazu, Na-chan."

"You know, if you'd asked, I'm pretty sure Yui would have let you be the witch."

>[X] "You really love the story, don't you?"
"Did Asuna ever tell you about her other story?"
>[X] "...You know they end up enemies, right?"

>>36873565

> "There's three of us in the play. Me, Kazu, Na-chan."
> "You know, if you'd asked, I'm pretty sure Yui would have let you be the witch."

"M-me?" Mio looks surprised - Then she shakes her head. "N, no - I couldn't possibly...I couldn't do *that*." She glances to the side; "It...It wouldn't be fair. Yui-chan...She doesn't show it - not much - but...It matters to her, too - A *lot*. She's put so much effort into it - Replacing her would be..."

She trails off, her voice a little more heated than she'd initially expected...Her gaze going down to her feet. Rather more softly now, so softly you have to strain to hear it:

"-Besides...I - I don't want to take anything else from her."

> [X] "You really love the story, don't you?"

"...Is that strange? It's the best kind - It's tragic, and romantic, and, and..." Words fail her, apparently. Mio's smile is just a little embarassed, now; "...It's - I've always thought...It was really sweet, somehow. To do your best, to go so far for someone else..."

> [X] "...You know they end up enemies, right?"

That quietens her, for a moment. Then, rather contemplatively...

"Well...I wouldn't say that," Mio says. "Kazu-k...I mean, Montaigne - He's still your...Auguste's friend, isn't he? In spite of everything that's happened...In spite of everything he's done - He still cares for him. He just..."

"-He just wants to put things right, that's all. If...you were doing something wrong - You'd want your friend to stop you, right? Before you hurt yourself, or anyone else...That, I think, is what people do for each other..."

Mio blinks, shaking her head - "Ah - Was that a bit too much? Sorry, Anon-kun."

> "Did Asuna ever tell you about her other story?"

"Not yet. But...Maybe one of these days."

>>36873537

"-Mmmmnn!"

Her smile is downright sunny, now - As Mio says, quietly; "Anon-kun...I'll be cheering for you all the way - Oh."

(Continued)

>>36873709

She stops. You're at the dressing rooms, now - The initial flood of actors has diminished to nothing; As a late arrival, you should have the place to yourself, but...

The bright crimson of Natsumi's hair, her costume, seem subdued in the poor light; Her trembling fingers circling her handphone, her eyes brimming with tears. Her hand is at her mouth, stifling the sobs that racks her form - She's shaking, on the verge of collapse, leaning against the wall for support as if her legs can no longer hold her up.

"N, Nat - Natsumi-chan..." Mio takes a tentative step forward. "Are you - Do you need-"

Natsumi raises her head. Her eyes are raw, and red, and her face is swollen.

"-Go away," she says, her voice trembling with unfocused anguish - Her eyes wide, raw circles of hurt.

Mio glances back at you, her expression uncertain - "I don't..."

"GET AWAY!" When Natsumi's handphone smashes against the ground, it snaps in half - For a moment, she teeters, perilously on the verge of collapsing into tears; Her gaze turned to yours, each sob deep, racking, kept on her feet only by force of will.

There's something that Natsumi *cannot say*, to anyone except you - Not even in this moment of extremity. But then-

"He's dead." she whispers, her voice a small, embryonic thing. "What...what do we do now? What am I - what am I supposed to..."

Stricken, Mio looks back at you - then at Natsumi. "-Anon-kun, what is...?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36873729
Hot damn. Hot DAMN!
I didn't think Kouichi would actually do it.

>>36873729

"Who's dead? Kouchi?... or Ebara?"

>>36873729
"Fumito-san."

"Mio-chan, could you get some water? We might need a make up kit as well."

"Chrome Cypher, report."

>>36873737
Do what?

>>36873729
I forget Platinum Argent's real name.

"It's what's-his-name, isn't it?"

If she responds in the positive then-

"I'm sorry, he didn't deserve to die before he saw the culmination of his work. What's going to happen?"

>>36873772
I read it as Kouichi killing himself, but apparently it could also be Argent.
Mostly because she said "Get away", and to me that pointed more to Kouichi.
Will have to wait and see, I guess.

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Oh boy.
Is this how it starts.

>>36873760
>>36873761
>>36873772

> "Mio-chan, could you get some water? We might need a make up kit as well."

"I-" Clearly torn, Mio's gaze darts between the two of you - Then she nods.

A step back, then another - And then she's running.

> "It's Fumito-san, isn't it?"

She holds it together for a moment longer - Just an instant longer, long enough to manage a nod, too choked-up to speak...

-And then Natsumi's face crumples, and she begins to weep. Deep, racking sobs, her eyes blood-raw, the tears spilling from her eyes; It is sorrow at the utter collapse of her world, the dawn of utter despair.

> "Chrome Cypher, report."

Her head snaps up, at the sound of your name. For a heartbeat, the look she gives you - It might almost be hatred. Her throat works, as she wipes her tears away with the back of her hand; Smearing her makeup, leaving discolored streaks. "I..." Natsumi begins, faintly - Drawing a hitching breath, then another.

There's a kind of frustrated, futile anger on her face - She's shaking, her arms hugging herself as she sags against the wall, a bitter laugh pulsing from her lips. "Why did it - How could he - Why *now*...?" She shakes her head, helplessly - The sobs still racking her, her tear-streaked face at odds with her elaborate costume -

Even before she says it, you glimpse the shape of the emerging truth.

The shards in his flesh - the legacy of the last war - have found their target, the murder failed all those years ago finally finished.

(Continued)

>>36873850

> "I'm sorry, he didn't deserve to die before he saw the culmination of his work. What's going to happen?"

"I don't know - I *don't know*-" she says, blankly - Her lips trembling. "...I can't - I..."

She inhales, sharply. Her eyes close; Her expression settling in a mask of hurt, like great storm-shield rising into place. "...I have to go," Natsumi says, faintly - Her fingers hooked into claws, clutching at the wall as she pulls at it, trying to find the strength to rise to her feet.

"I have to - I have to...I have to do-" Her gaze casts around, as if for succor - "...I have to do *something*-"

[ ] "-You're not going anywhere like this."
[ ] "I'll go with you."
[ ] "You mean...Right now?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

ooooh shit, I missed Jokerquest. Fucking grandmother's birthday.

>>36873867
Dammit, forgot comforting again.

"Natsumi, I'm sorry. I'm so *sorry*. He was a good man."

>[X] "-You're not going anywhere like this."
"Asuna and Kouichi have already left. We need you here. Kazuya and I need you here."

"I promise, the minute this is done I'll go with you wherever you feel you have to. But you can't leave now. It's the beginning of the end, but the show must go on."

>>36873867
[ ] "I'll go with you."

>>36873910

Watashiwa, it's just a play. She's dealing with the death of a political leader, she's not going to stay there for that.

>>36873928
It's never been /just/ a play, Anon.

>>36873910
Supporting, btw.

>>36873928
It's so much more than a play. And it's not an accident who's been meant to play the leading roles.

Small compromise: We could take her to the Bastion on the motorcycle and get back before the play starts. We'd have to make absolute certain that Mio is with Kazuya or someone else we trust explicitly. No chances whatsoever on that account.

>>36873992
>>[X] "-You're not going anywhere like this."

Wata, any chance we could tell her we think the play might have... red world implications, which is why it's important for her to be in it, or are we going FULL CLOAK AND DAGGERS?

>>36874020
Just showing her the back of Anon's costume could do it if she recognized the implications.

>>36873992

(You have less than half an hour left. There's nowhere near enough time.)

>>36873910
>>36873921
>>36873985

> [X] "I'll go with you."

"No-!" the fierceness to her words seems to surprise her - Natsumi's voice rising in a gasp, as if startled by her own intensity. For a moment, she can't meet your eyes. "I...I need - I have to..."

"-I don't...want you to see me like this," she says, at last - An almost plainitive note to her voice. "If - If you're there, I can't be..."

Her gaze is imploring - "Anon-kun...I - I have to do this by myself. I - I have to be *strong* for this-"

> "Natsumi, I'm sorry. I'm so *sorry*. He was a good man."

For a moment, she seems close - Perilously close - to breaking down into tears again. But she holds herself back, dipping her head in the slightest nod:

"...He was," she says, a catch to her voice. "-He *was*-"

> "Asuna and Kouichi have already left. We need you here. Kazuya and I need you here."
> "I promise, the minute this is done I'll go with you wherever you feel you have to. But you can't leave now. It's the beginning of the end, but the show must go on."

"I..." Her expression contorts; there's an inner conflict, an urgency to her, her fingers laced so tightly together they tremble. Natsumi manages a smile - It looks awful, shaky.

"I can't - I don't think I...I could go out there," she says, faintly. "Not...not like this."

Then, shakily - "I - I must look *awful*-" She wipes at her eyes again, smearing her makeup further; "...Even now, I still..."

She swallows, hard - Biting back the tears, forcing down her sobs.

It's clear that every fibre of her being longs to be there, to be away from here - This very instant. But...

"But - but if...If you *really think* - If you think I should stay..."

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>36874076
"...All right. I'll cover for you. Yui's going to be *pissed*, but we stick Mio in cosplay and only a few people will know the heroine isn't supposed to be tall and blonde. You don't actually need the sword, do you?"

"Natsumi, listen: The Chalice Queen is going to be brought into play today. It's going to be big, so stay alive no matter what. And keep your phone--or the emblem--close, I might have a surprise for you and yours later."

>>36874168

Wait, you want to make MIO act in the play? How about Cybele?

>>36874046

That works. Say it outright if it doesn't work?

>>36874168
Mio seems to know the play by heart, so I'll support this.

Good lord, Wata, I hope you know what you're doing.

>>36874174

This. Let's have an ACTUAL Hyades fill the role. Mio is probably the most thematic one, though.

>>36874174
Mio knows the play, loves dress up, has an excellent fashion sense, and has proven she can act by hiding quite a lot of her true feelings from Joker. Cybele, bless her forlorn soul, knows nothing of acting, has never read the play, and most importantly has been left in her demense to wait for the gate to open. Honestly though she'd probably do an okay job since she has been manufactured to handle large amounts of data I/O, but.... unless my reading is completely off, this is the big moment we've all been dreading: Joker Quest's routelock. The heroine of the play is the final heroine of our story.

>>36874184
>Good lord, Wata, I hope you know what you're doing.
What a coincidence, so do I.

I am amused that people jump at me suggesting Mio for a lead role in another school's play and ignoring the implication Joker's going to hijack the Bastion and all of Argent's faction with Daegal.

>>36874261

I don't think the person we put in the play will be the final heroine, since we have no way of doing that to Cybele right now. If it was, I think we'd be able to put any of the girls we've met in the heroine role.

>>36874174
Cybele knows jack shit about the play. She won't be able to act.

>>36874283
>since we have no way of doing that to Cybele right now
She actually has the crystal bracelet which should give her some time in the Real.

>>36871427
OP, how the hell do we fix damaged gear?

>>36874261

(I'm going to have to think about this. This is taking a *very* different direction than I initially expected.)

>>36874283

(Technically, you could put Cybele in the play. I honestly cannot say that I saw this coming, but given the relative weakness of the Shroud and the charge you have available, it is an option.)

>>36873480

I've received it, but I've yet to set time aside for a proper answer.

>>36874305

Via ded person.

The guy that does our gear just died :(

By the way. Also votin for rubicante and cagnazzo.

>>36874313

Oh my.

>>36874283
That's kind of my point. Accepting that this isn't a visual novel with anything as limiting as routes, the routelock isn't so much a final choice as it is a final confirmation: Who has the qualifications to act in the heroines role?

If Natsumi were closer to Joker, even this wouldn't be enough to drive her off. If Asuna were, she wouldn't have fled and could step into the role, or Yui, or Cybele if Joker loved her and we'd chosen to bring her to the real with the Nihl.

>>36874313
Ooooooor I could be completely wrong and I've just derailed the quest. Again. Come to think of it, it's almost a habit when it comes to me and this play. Facedesking pretty hard right now.

And thanks, I've been worried. No rush.

>>36874305
Find a Relic expert.

>>36874313
Looks like a good place to pause then, huh?

>>36874353

>Who has the qualifications to act in the heroines role?

Too bad we'd have hell of a time convincing Kouichi to crossdress even if we didn't kill his Hyade.

Who's a filthy fujoshit? I'm a filthy fujoshit

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>>36874353
>Find a Relic expert.

Why was this the first thing that came to my mind?

>>36874378
Kouichi pulling a kabuki would amuse me to no end, I must admit.

BISHAMON IN A KIMONO.

>>36874379
>Why was this the first thing that came to my mind?
Because you like bad games

>>36874379
>>36874378
>>36874353
e.g. Fucking nothing.

God damn it OP.

Also, you idiots CAN'T let Cybele become Chalice Queen. She's fucking psychotic and has shown she's extremely yandere. She'll eat Mio alive.

>>36874353
>my last hope for Kotone route is crushed
Fucking hell.

>>36874417
>Also, you idiots CAN'T let Cybele become Chalice Queen. She's fucking psychotic and has shown she's extremely yandere. She'll eat Mio alive.
We don't intend to. It'd just be interesting to put her into the play.

>>36874378
He's like 180 cm. While I do know girls about about that tall, none of them wear their hair in a virtual army cut or are obviously swole. You need an actual pretty boy to do it convincingly, and Akira's impossible to find when you want to humiliate him. So Anon plays the girl and Kouichi stays the hero. Problem solved..

>>36874396
Hey, I liked Daggerfall. Putting your horse in your pocket to climb a fence never quite lost its appeal. I'll admit to being a hipster by saying that Morrowind is one of my favorite games ever.

>>36874426
Lets just kill her ASAP. Leaving her linger is cruel and makes me nervous SOMETHING is going to happen.

>>36874426

Put her in the play, then stab her for real with the Athame? jk

>>36874432

Problem solved indeed! If there are any kisses we can surprise him by making them... actual kisses.

I feel like such a filthy fujoshit

>>36874454
It's too early. We have top release Mio's armor first.

>>36874432
While OP is recovering from you rocking his plot, what do you think are the best games of all time?

>>36874454
Can't. She's our access to Arcadia. She dies and we're locked out of the Vault and Chalice Queen. We have to wait until Hellebore is sprung, then we can have a last talk, and won't that be a delight.

>>36874481
There's a mental image I could do without. Chrono Trigger and Ultima VII on top. Others off the top of my head? Duke 3D, Half Life 2, Baldur's Gate 2, PS:T, Ocarina of Time, Freespace 2, Shining Force 3, Monkey Island. Don't ask for them in order or more recs, we'd be here all night.

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>>36874481
Name. A single Dragon or boss better than Grigori.

Guess what you can't

>>36874184
>>36874168

> "Natsumi, listen: The Chalice Queen is going to be brought into play today. It's going to be big, so stay alive no matter what. And keep your phone--or the emblem--close, I might have a surprise for you and yours later."

"I-" Natsumi looks lost - Lost, in a world whose parameters she does not understand. But - Only for a moment. The color returns to her face, slowly - as she draws a deep breath, then another, composing herself. At last, she manages a small smile; A pained smile, a smile little more than the slightest upturn of her lips...

-But she manages it. Even in this moment of extremity, you see the strength that's carried her this far - The inner force at the heart of Chrome Cypher.

"...So we *are* needed here," she murmurs, almost to herself - And somehow, somehow, she pulls herself upright, the last few sobs dwindling to nothing. There is pain in her expression, pain and loss...But despite that - in spite of everything else - the grim not-smile she gives you is an achingly honest one.

"-All right," Natsumi says, softly. "Anon-kun...I'll trust you."

> "...All right. I'll cover for you. Yui's going to be *pissed*, but we stick Mio in cosplay and only a few people will know the heroine isn't supposed to be tall and blonde. You don't actually need the sword, do you?"

"You're - you're going to get *Mio* to..."

From behind you - There's a noisy clatter, as the bottle falls to the ground; Water glugging out serenely, in an expanding pool...Mio's frozen in place, her hand at her mouth - Utter surprise writ across her features, her startled gasp still echoing in your ears.

And she says - In a small voice, her words hushed:

"...*Me?*"

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 115

TO BE CONTINUED

>>36874481

Wata x OP OTP?

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>>36874517
>Can't. She's our access to Arcadia. She dies and we're locked out of the Vault and Chalice Queen. We have to wait until Hellebore is sprung, then we can have a last talk, and won't that be a delight.

Are you sure?

We have a second hyades emblem, don't we?

We may have missed a chance to let cybele get murdered by bishamon and still stay in the game.

MGR. Pic related

RUBICANTE AND CAGNAZZO TIME

>>36874534

(Gentlemen; My apologies for the abrupt ending, because I'm really, really going to need to think about this. I'll admit that I'm rather surprised by this outcome - And also, that I'm finding it a little harder to sustain the same momentum as before. I suppose that work commitments are the main obstacle in running a Quest.

At any rate - Good night and god bless, and I hope to see you again soon.

I assume that you intend to purchase Rubicante and Caganazzo from the Hollow Sun - But I'll be also be taking any another research you might like to make at this point in time.)

>>36874547

The superior option, and more fiting one, is to take bodyguards and extra actors for the play we're derailing.

Get hellion-summoning tech.

>>36874556
What, you want to have Hellions in frilly costumes, trying to act?
That's a fucking hilarious mental image.

>>36874568

Well, the veil is as low as its ever been so......

>>36874546
We don't. Hellebore merely modified our emblem.
I'm going to miss our healing abilities.

>>36874568

True Golden End: Joker Waifus the Hollow Sun.

And the Hollow Sun becomes some kuudere AI player.

>>36874551
What's our hard shells and essence core counts ATM?

>>36874590
I am actually okay with this.

>>36874534
And here we go. maniacallaughter.webm

>>36874537
My girlfriend would kill me.

>>36874546
It's not a true emblem, Hellebore's is tagging along on Cybele's. That's why we don't have essence devouring powers along with illusion healing. Should Cybele's power break, Hellebore's won't be enough to sustain the crest.

>>36874551
Can you answer one meta question: Will we have another charge cycle next session? If yes, we're going to need a minute.

>>36874568
Do you remember the original plan for the Hellions?

Don't fire the sun and use the Hellions for the world's largest synchronized dance routine.

>>36874556

> HOLLOW SUN: 63.6%

we could get basic-hellion teir summons and if JQOP lets us start manufacturing rubicante and cagnazzo, it would be -extra- amusing/fitting to have it delivered in the middle of the next fight via arsenal beacon when that extra sliver of 1.4 essence trickle-charges it's way in to complete the process....

>>36874601

But what if the AI is a loli

>>36874603

I actually thought you were a girl. Watashi IS rather feminine.

>>36874603
And if we're not getting more charge...?

>>36874534
It might be a bit cruel of me, but I always feel so happy whenever we manage to derail a QM's plans like this.

You're good people, JQOP, I hope we aren't stressing you out too much.

>>36874616
>But what if the AI is a loli
I don't think Joker would care as long as likes guns.
>>36874616
>Watashi IS rather feminine.
Watashi is gender-neutral. Atashi is the feminine one.

>>36874616
>I actually thought you were a girl. Watashi IS rather feminine.
>>36874603
>My girlfriend would kill me.

F-f-f-orbidden love!!!!

>>36874635
>You're good people, JQOP, I hope we aren't stressing you out too much.

Truth. JQOP, you rule.

>>36874603

(I'd say no: The span of time involved is simply too short.)

>>36874635

(That's the main appeal of a Quest, really.)

(Gentlemen: It is extremely late on my end, and I have to turn in soon. In any event, I'll be sure to include the relevant purchases on my Twitter. At the very least, I'll put up the details for the Relics in a day or two.)

>>36874662
Well, some people seem to think JQOP is actually a grill.

>>36874616
Atashi is female, watashi is neutral polite. Technically it's not correct anyway, the proper romanization is watashiha even though the は particle is pronounced -wa.

>>36874620
>>36874669
Well, in this case we start the Dirac System upgrade.

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>>36874685

I-i-i'm the only male namefag here.

>>36874693
Ah.


I think I'll work on drawing Red Joker or something for next week. Meanwhile, have my OC.

>>36874685

JQOP is a girl in the same way the Hyades are the perfect waifu. I'll leave you to figure that one out.

M-Muh Cherubim pgrades

>>36874685
I was implying they're both girls actually, and was being catty.

watashiwa's femininity comes not from the way, but how they get people.

>>36874669
>(Gentlemen: It is extremely late on my end, and I have to turn in soon. In any event, I'll be sure to include the relevant purchases on my Twitter. At the very least, I'll put up the details for the Relics in a day or two.)
Will reactive plating unlock things we should know about?
And would you be willing to round the charge to 65% just for easy math and consideration's sake at the finale? in exchange for what this anon said about it being completed in the middle of the thread instead of the beginning? >>36874614

>>36874693
Wait what why the Dirac system? You've usually got a decent reason but the Hellions need upgrading.

>>36874740
>>36874693

Dirac 1 is checked off already though. Did you mean something else?

>>36874708
>OC

God I would love to design my own player in this game. The only problem is someone already took half his name.

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>>36874773

What name did you want anyway?

>>36874740
>>36874753
Sorry, the upgrade. Level 2. Three reasons: First because we're about to start coordinating groups on a large scale again. Some of these groups don't like each other--or Joker. Best not to leave them an opening to mistake who's an ally and who's an enemy.

Second, a tribute. Argent never did manage to get a large scale communication network up that we know.

Lastly, Bishamon broke his Tri-Star emblem. So far as we know he still has the Joker Emblem.

>>36874785

I support getting the Dirac, then.

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>>36874708
That you, Nameless NPC OP?

>>36874858

S-shit.

Come on! Other than the pixelly lines, it doesn't even look that similar!

>>36874783
Atlas Striker.

Inspiration obvious. Melee, heavy armor.

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>>36874943
>Atlas Striker
I first read that as Atlantis Striker and imagined a player that utilizes boot versions of the Crisis Arm to perform time-and-space shifting kicks.

>>36874943

I... Huh? Sorry, I don't really get it.

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>>36874996
Sorry, let me elaborate. This guy here is the Atlas, a 100-ton Battlemech from BattleTech.

>>36874991

Kamen Rider Red World?

>>36875030


Oh shit DAMN that's bulky.

>>36874785

Alright, while we're still crying over spilt milk:

What are the possibilities that we could have upgraded the Emulator Module - which can mimic relics at later tiers - and used it to clone the athame for all our valid targets that need a shanking with it?

>>36875079

I think JQOP would disallow that by GM Fiat.

Besides I think the module can't copy everything.

>>36875079
All but nil. The weapon seems like a channel for the gem in its hilt. We could copy the weapon, but not its power, for the same reason we can copy the Helix Gauntlet but not the Nihl Sphere. If the tech that goes into basic Red World gear is beyond our understanding, the Athame('s power) is yet another stage beyond that.

But yeah it's basically >>36875108. We're supposed to make difficult choices, not cheese around them. There's a time and place for that.

Speaking of, who's up for charging the hairpin Mio got from her mother-the-Hyades with Nihl power?

>>36874943

I was going to guess pacific rim TBH

>>36875147
>Speaking of, who's up for charging the hairpin Mio got from her mother-the-Hyades with Nihl power?

If it lets her survive the initial smiler-rush.....??

Probably a price worth paying.

>>36875147
>Speaking of, who's up for charging the hairpin Mio got from her mother-the-Hyades with Nihl power?
I'm not. Using the Nihl's power carelessly seems dangerous right now.I'm sure we'll need it at full power for whatever is going to come.
Need to find someone/something to CONSUME.

>>36875207
For that we tell her a magic word: Megaera.

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>>36875057
Bulky? Damn straight. But ideally equipped with dumbfire rockets, a pair of lasers for harassment, a relic I'd like to call the Amber Eye; an advanced targeter that inhibits the movement of anyone it locks onto.

And if I can get /that/ far, then I'd team up with my brother as Hellion Inferno. Or just Hellion. A pyrotechnic player based on the Salamander battlesuit. Combine his immunity to fire, my incredibly dense and heavy armor, and we'd light everything up and disassemble anyone who can't run fast enough.

Ah. Dreams.

>>36875372

Hah. Got a drawing of your OC? Maybe I can give you my skype, if you want it.

>>36874529
Dragon God

>>36875525
A drawing? Uh, no. I would have posted it by now otherwise.

...but if you're offering and that picture up there was your work, I would be totally interested. Toss me your info at khellendros2c@gmail. Or here, if you trust /tg/ enough.

>>36871968

What does the Apex Blade look like, anyway? Like George's sword from Terraformars?