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Deep inside Ouroboros Crossroads, two figures stand on the marble platform. One is young girl, a dragon as old as time itself. The other is an adolescent boy who the young girl has made her container, a leader of a group of world-saving heroes who is strong in the heart, body and mind.

“Good morning, afternoon or night to you.” The Infinity Dragon Ophis begins, directing her voice to the inky abyss surrounding the interior of the Reality Marble. “Welcome to a very special episode of our quest.”

Now it’s Tatsuya’s turn to speak. “This was kinda early, but hey. Two character arcs and one of Syoko’s acts have ended. Now’s a good as time as ever to have an intermission.”

“Indeed. Although in a perfect world, which of course does not exist, more time would have passed.” Ophis continues. “Nevertheless, the intermission has been prepared for quite some time. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it was planned from the very beginning.”

“Damn, that long? Sheesh, the anticipation must’ve been terrible.” Tatsuya replies. “So Ophis, uh, what is this intermission is going to be about?”

“Little slices of life of the world.” Ophis responds. “Fragments of time cut from the cloth of reality. Both the past and the future will be demonstrated today.”

“With a couple of exceptions, though. Kazuya won’t take the stage in these intermissions. Neither will Syoko’s past self. Other than that, who knows what fate will hurl our way?” Tatsuya remarks.

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“Hopefully this will be an entertaining and interesting experience for all involved.” Ophis mutters, crossing her arms across her bare chest. “If not…well, a revision will be necessary.”

“So buckle up and enjoy this special intermission.” Tatsuya smiles, spreading his arms out. “Things might be a little rocky, but the intended purpose is for all of you to have fun.”

“And, of course, at the end a chance for a special reward will be given. Two, in fact. You will be given a choice between two different but equally useful rewards.”

“That’s pretty generous.” Tatsuya states.

“Not truly. Only one will be given out. The other one will be lost until the next intermission.”

“Oh. Never mind then!”

“Now then, enough for this lollygagging and dawdling. Let the curtains rise and the show begin.”

“We hope that you all enjoy it!” Tatsuya grins, waving to the distance.

He proceeds to do that for a few more moments. Then he lets his hand down and stares into the darkness. Finally, he turns to his partner.

“Okay Ophis, we’re done. Now you said you would answer my questions.”

“I did.” Ophis replies. “Although I am confused as to what answers you seek. This exercise was straightforward.”

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“Who, exactly, are we talking to?”

“Them.” Ophis says, pointing in front of her.

“I can’t see anybody.”

“Surely, you jest.”

“No Ophis. I’m not kidding. I really can’t see anybody. And how could I? There’s no-one in Ouroboros Crossroads than the two of us!”

Ophis studies the boy she has raised for the sixteen years very carefully. “You are serious.”

“Yes!”

Ophis clicks her tongue and frowns. “You disappoint me, Tatsuya. I thought a man of your talent would be capable of this. It seems I need to train you further.”

“I still don’t understand what the hell you’re trying to do.” Tatsuya moans. “And give me a break, Ophis! I mastered your power. I beat the Dark Lord and saved the world. I became the strongest guy in Japan. What else do I need to do?”

Ophis eyes her container harshly. “No excuses. The moment this ends, you and I are having a talk. It shall be an educational one. I expect you to listen carefully.”

“Wait, what?”

“Now, let us be off. It’s best not to interrupt while this is taking place.” With that, she turns around and walks towards the nearest gate. As expected for a being with a nearly endless wealth of information, her footsteps are graceful and poised. She disappears from sight.

Tatsuya turns to stare at the abyss once more, and sighs.

“Seriously. Come on…”

aww shit

it begins

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…

A number of words float in front of you. Please choose one.

>Intoxication
>Bonfire
>Tension
>Questions
>Lonesome

>>40666702
>Lonesome

>>40666702
>Bonfire
With that name, it's either going to be the party relaxing in a campfire scene, or horrific levels of death and destruction. Either way, should be entertaining to watch.

haha

not like i need sleep right

>>40666702
>Bonfire

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>>40666702
>Bonfire

>>40666626
Ophis, no! Tatsuya isn't ready to pierce the 4th wall. You can handle the knowledge that Kazuya's decisions are being influenced by neckbeards from another world, but Tatsuya will be freaked out by it. We need him to trust the things his bro tells him, not second-guess them all the time.

>>40666702
>>Bonfire

>>40666702
>Questions

You should probably post this on twitter

>>40666702
>Bonfire

>>40666702
>Intoxication

>>40666702
>Intoxication

>>40666702

> Bonfire

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[4:30pm, 15 Sept, 2015]

But this is not accurate. Rather, it should be...

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[Afternoon, Day 7 of the Month of the Reaping, Year 15066]

You are now Hatoko Kushikawa the Elemental Mage. You are a member of a party of eleven. Said party has just recently finished clearing one of the Underworld’s many dungeons and is now currently relaxing around a campfire. It had been a challenging journey; the dungeon had been filled with vicious beasts, deadly traps and cryptic puzzles.

However, it was worth it. Not only did the party manage to heavily cut down the amount of time needed to reach your next destination, you also managed to acquire a sizeable amount of loot.

What will you do?

>Talk to Tatsuya and Kazuya.
>See how the adults are doing.
>Find out what the other girls are up to.
>Inspect gathered treasure.
>Custom option.

>>40667156
>See how the adults are doing.

>>40667156
>>Talk to Tatsuya and Kazuya.

>>40667156
>Find out what the other girls are up to.

>>40667156
>Find out what the other girls are up to.

>>40667156
>See how the adults are doing.

>>40667156
>Inspect gathered treasure.
Always Id the loot.

>>40667156
>Find out what the other girls are up to.

>>40667156
>See how the adults are doing.

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You decide to check on the four adults: Souji, Myde, Law and STREUM. They are sheltered in the cave your party found at the exit of the dungeon. Its cold, gaping maw shall become your hotel for the night. At least the group won’t be pressed for food. You remember Laura and Kurumi striding into its depths and returning dragging a number of hell-hound corpses.

“Hello, Hatoko.” Souji says in that girlish voice of his. The battle has ended, but he still refuses to change back into a male. “What’s up?”

“How’s Myde doing?” You ask, crouching down next to him. You see several bandages plastered on his face and neck. A hell-bear had nearly bitten his entire head off. Good thing you fried it with your lightning in time.

Souji jabs a thumb to your unconscious bard. “Still unconscious. I think Law is tending to him right now.”

“I do hope he’ll be alright.”

Souji shrugs. “Myde’s a lot tougher than we think. He’ll be fine.” Then he squints his eyes. “Actually, I take back what I said. Myde’s going to freak out.”

“Why?”

“Because Law just did CPR on him.”

Sure enough, you see Myde’s eyelids flutter open. The sits up, rubbing his undoubtedly aching head. “Ow…geez, what happened?”

“You conked out.” You hear Law, the party doctor, reply. A water bottle is handed over. “Never knew you were that susceptible to volcanic fumes.”

“Hey, I don’t like really hot places, alright?” Myde grumbles. “So, uh, did we win?”

“Yeah.” Law says. “Dungeon cleared, everything is peachy as hell. You had to be revived with CPR though.”

“Oh, okay then. So, who revived me?” Myde turns to look at you. “Was it Hatoko?”

“Hatoko’s lips are reserved for one man only, you know that.” STREUM rumbles. “Law revived you.”

“…what.”

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You see Law smirk. It is the kind of smirk that could send small children crying and little puppies running for their kennels. It is a smile that terrifies demons. He wears it every time he dissects someone, friend or foe. “Got a problem with that?”

“He kissed me?” Myde cries, horrified.

“He gave you CPR. It’s different.” Souji sighs. “Calm down, man.”

“I want to go back to sleep.” Myde groans, not listening a single word. “Can someone please knock me out?”

“Now that’s just ungrateful.” Law leers. “I provide medical aid for you and all I get is insults in return. Where the hell did you learn your manners? ”

“None of your damn business, Trafalgar!”

You feel like you shouldn’t bother them any longer…

>Talk to Tatsuya.
>Review loot.
>See what the other girls are up to.
>Prepare the evening meal.
>Custom option.

>>40667761
>See what the other girls are up to.

>>40667761
>Review loot.
Anything particularly useful?

>>40667761
>>Talk to Tatsuya.
>Review loot.

>>40667761
>See what the other girls are up to.

>>40667761

The last vote was tied, I don't really see the point in voting again

>>40667167
>>40667188
>>40667270


>>40667185
>>40667187
>>40667205

>>40667761
>See what the other girls are up to.

>>40667907
Maybe he just flipped a coin, then?

>>40667945
Still, the options now are the same so why not just write both back to back?

>>40667961
In case you guys changed your mind and wanted to do something else.

Writing now...

>>40668032
Out of curiosity, how did you decide on what to write for the tie?

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You decide to your rivals in love—er, female friends are up to. It’s kind of strange how no women older than fifteen have joined the party, but oh well. Laura and Sachiko are arguing again, which is definitely not something you want to get into. You catch Kurumi sitting on a rock, rummaging through her loot sack.

“Potion, gold, another potion…ooh, this amulet looks nice. I wonder how much it’ll fetch for at the next market. More potions…”

“Hello, Kurumi.”

She looks up. “Hatoko.” The former lieutenant of Azazel says. “What brings you here?”

“Umm, nothing important really. I just wanted to see how everyone is doing.” Is what you reply. “Carry on.”

“I was just checking the treasure I picked up. Most of it is standard, but a few things have caught my eye.” She continues to move her hand around in her rucksuck, like a rat tumbling around a washing machine. “Ara? What’s this?”

You watch as she retrieves a cloth-bound book from within. She flips through the pages, then slams it shut. “How dreadfully boring.” She says. “Here, Hatoko. Maybe you can find some use out of it.”

The object is flung at you. You catch it out of the air, puzzled. On closer inspection, it appears to be a diary belonging to a long deceased fellow of the Underworld. Why it appeared in the dungeon is a mystery to you. The name has been erased, the spine is weathered and half the pages are missing.

Out of curiosity, you flip to a random entry and read it. The words are written in magic script and thus need to be deciphered. Luckily, it seems that whoever wrote it was a complete amateur. The encryption is easy for you to break. You press your index finger on the pages and the words reveal themselves to you.

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PAGE 45

[Day 34 of the Month of the Ashen, Year 15051]

>Lady Lillian was reported deceased today. The demons guards found her corpse in the old ruins to the west, covered in wounds. They blame her death on a sudden suicide via her blood magic, but all everyone knows that is so far from the truth. Lady Lillian was a kind and forgiving matriarch. She never discriminated against humans and treated her servants fairly. Without her, who will fill this sudden power vacuum? Will my family be punished for the crime of not being born as demons? And what of to become of her young daughter…

>Flip to page 3, the beginning
>Flip to page 34, before this entry
>Flip to page 66, some time after this entry
>Flip to page 101, near the end.
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40668512
>>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40668512
>Flip to page 66, some time after this entry

>>40668512
>>Flip to page 34, before this entry

>>40668512
>Flip to page 3, the beginning

>>40668512
>Flip to page 34, before this entry
Look for some context. Sounds like this person was more than passingly familiar with Lady Lillian. There might be something explaining that.

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[Day 32 of the Month of the Rain, Year 15050]

You flip to PAGE 34.

>My older sister visited me today. She is the same as ever, dressed in those soothsayer rags and bone charms embedded in her skin. I had to sneak her into Lady Lillian’s palace, otherwise the guards would have made a ruckus. We had tea together. Just to humor her, I let myself listen to one of her foolish prophecies. She gibbered on and on about how the Underworld will be shaken up by Thirteen Heroes, eleven from the outside world and two from within. The two worlds will collide and they will rise up to stop it. Infinity Dragon, Mad Dog, Elemental Childe, Fallen Seraphim…the list of names went on and on. They will one day defeat Azazel and send our home plummeting into chaos. But apparently that won’t be the end of it? Something about the Mad Dog reuniting with one of the demon nobility and cleansing the land of filth and corruption? I wasn’t really listening by the end. I need to serve Lady Lillian as best as I can, and my sister needs to learn how to keep her trap shut.

>Flip to page 3, the beginning
>Flip to page 22, before this entry
>Flip to page 50, some time after this entry
>Flip to page 101, near the end.
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40668841
OOOOOhhhhh this will be fun, the story aint over yet kiddy's

>>40668841
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40668841
>Flip to page 3, the beginning
>>40668841

>>40668841
>Flip to page 3, the beginning

>>40668841
>Flip to page 101, near the end.

>>40668841
>Something about the Mad Dog reuniting with one of the demon nobility and cleansing the land of filth and corruption?
This'll be good

You flip to PAGE 3.

[Day 1 of the Month of the Forest, Year 15049]

>I have great news! Yesterday, I was selected to become a servant in Lady Lillian’s palace. It’s such a difficult position to obtain, even for a demon. Imagine by surprise when a human like me was chosen. As you might imagine, my family was ecstatic. Father slaughtered one of our few rabbits to preparea feast. They even bought me this diary. It cost them thrice as much because of our human status, so I’ll be sure to treasure it. As I write, I think about my new employer. She is beautiful, fair and just, much like the Silver Queen in that regard. But she is also one of the more compassionate wives of Azazel. A month ago, a demon child accidentally bumped into her on the streets. Everyone was prepared for a flogging, but Lady Lillian did nothing of the sort. To everyone’s astonishment, she even apologized to the child and sent him off with a smile. Truly, she deserves to be beloved by all.

“What are you doing?”

You look up from the diary to see Kazuya standing over you. His shirt is partially drenched in animal blood. His arms are crossed. “

“Reading, Kazuya-kun.”

“Okay. Bro and I have cooked dinner. It’s going to be ready in a few minutes, so get over here.”

“Just a moment…” You mutter. Looks like you have time for one more entry…

>Flip to page 22, after this entry
>Flip to page 66, some time after this entry
>Flip to page 101, near the end.
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40669165
>>Flip to page 125, the last entry.
Let's find out why it was among the loot we found in a dungeon.

>>40669165
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.

>>40669165
>Flip to page 125, the last entry.
Hopefully they're still alive. I doubt it, though. Either way, would be nice to learn how this got in a dungeon.

>>40669165
>Flip to page 66, some time after this entry

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You flip to PAGE 125. It is the last page in the diary. Or rather, the last page that is actually legible. The others are partially burned, torn out or blank. The scent of roasted bear is making its way towards your nostrils. It smells delicious! But you want to see how the diary ended up in the dungeon in the first place, so you decide to read swiftly.

[Day 27 of the Month of the Ashen, Year 15065]
>Times are hard. Food is running low. Even since Lady Lillian passed away, my family has suffered. The noble who took her place is greedy and cruel. He demands so much from the peasants and gives very little. Father is dead. Mother can no longer work. My older sister has disappeared. She left a note behind saying that she is going travelling to find the Infinity Dragon and his group. ‘With the Mad Dog by his side, the Infinity Dragon will slay the great beast. Then, the Silver Queen and the Crimson Princess of Ruin will rise up and begin to bring salvation to the Underworld’. So, she has essentially abandoned us. It falls to me to win bread for our family. The demons have taken all the jobs and I have no other choice. I must explore dungeons. They are filled with monsters, traps, narrow passageways and nightmares. But the rewards are great, and if I can just secure one piece of gold we’ll be fine. I am so nervous my hand can’t stop shaking. I want to cry. Please, gods above, let me return safely to my family.

There are no more entries. So that is how the writer died? You can't help but feel sad for him. This impact would be much greater, if you actually knew him beforehand.

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The Bonfire scene has ended. There actually was a fire, it was just hidden in the background. But that doesn’t matter anymore. More words appear in front of you. Wow, what a selection! Which one will you choose?

>Consumption
>Confusion
>Intoxication
>Reunion
>Loudness

>>40669605
Now the question that remains: Is the sister someone the party met?
We know at least one human girl from the underworld, but if it was her she'd probably react when she found her brother's diary.

>>40669725
>Confusion

>>40669725
>Intoxication

>>40669725
>Reunion

>>40669725
>Intoxication
Let's see what this is, I'm hoping it's something funny.

>>40669731
Yeah, it's definitely not Kurumi. Story doesn't fit at all. But we might have met the sister at some point during the adventure.

>>40669725
>Intoxication

Intoxication it is...

Writing now...

>>40669932
>Intoxication it is...
What did you expect?

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You are now Laura Bodewig, the most skilled Infinite Stratos pilot on the planet. You have a male friend named Ichika Orimura who is also an Infinite Stratos pilot, despite the machines being female-only. In that regard, he is rather unique.

“I will never accept you!” Is what you had shouted upon meeting him. Then you slapped him on the cheek in front of his entire class. That even is little more than a memory now, and boy is it embarrassing. You were such an imbecile back then! What were you thinking?

The obvious answer was that you were too proud. You believed yourself to be superior to all boys and girls your age. You were a fool. During the course of the year-long journey, you became enlightened. You began to understand concepts such as teamwork, family, humility and cooperation along with the power of friendship. You emerged a much better person for it.

So when Ichika and his friends came to Megiddo City for a visit, you were more than happy to show him around.

“Ichika! Come with me. I know this really good ramen place in the city centre. It’ll be fun!”

That’s what you did. It was supposed to be a simple meal shared between the two of you. You prepared yourself to chat leisurely with him, maybe catch up on all of the stuff that happened in the IS academy after the war.

“Laura-san…”

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Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. You currently find yourself in a bit of a predicament. Ichika, even more so. It’s not related to the quality of the noodles. In a sense, you wish it was.

“*hic* You’re the only girl I can really talk to, Laura-san…”

Then he slumps on the table top and begins crying.

“Waaaah….”

“I-Ichika! Are you alright?”

You friend, for lack of a better word, is drunk. Inebriated. Intoxicated. You’ve seen it happen before. Whenever Law, Myde and the rest of the crew drank alcohol, they would lose control over their speech and bodily functions. Now, it is happening to Ichika. You are bewildered as to how this is possible. This ramen store doesn’t even sell alcohol! The drink the two of you ordered is ginger beer! There possibility of anybody becoming drunk is next to zero. What is going on?

“…and zat’s how I feel!” Ichika growls, his face now completely red. “G-got it?”

>“I don’t understand.”
>“Could you repeat that, please?”
>“I think you need to go back to the hotel. Here, I'll help you.”
>“Stop drinking that ginger beer!”
>Custom option.

>>40670262
>“Could you repeat that, please?”
Oh no, he fell apart without our guidance. Poor Ichika.

>>40670262
>There's no alcohol in that beverage, stop pretending to be drunk this instant.

>>40670262
>>“Could you repeat that, please?”

>>40670262
>>“Could you repeat that, please?”

>>40670262
>“Could you repeat that, please?”

Bad news, guys. Right now, I feel sick. I just came back from the bathroom after vomiting. My head is pounding. I don't think I can write any more.

This thread will have to end here today. I apologize to every one who was looking forward to this Intermission. This will continue some time, but it won't be today.

I'm not sure when the next thread will be. I'll keep you all notified on Twitter.

I'm so, so sorry.

>>40670755
Well thanks for running TT Have a good one.

>>40670755
You should be. How dare you get sick? How selfish can you be? Ugh.
Just kidding. Lie down, get some liquids in you, rest.

>>40670755
Thanks for running, was fun while it lasted.
Get well soon!

>>40670755
Hope you feel better.

>>40670755
It's alright, TT. It was fun while you were running, and I hope you get better soon.

>>40670755
No problem, Thorn. Go get some rest and some medicine and hopefully feel better. That's more important. Thanks for running, though. Good night.

Everything in this thread is still canon.
I will archive it here, although I don't see much point.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/40666570/

Now I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, everyone.