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>>32032325

HOLLOW SUN: 30.3%

http://pastebin.com/SPt2b30r

RESEARCH:

[X] SIEGEBREAKER CHASSIS
[X] PHOTON SHIELD GENERATOR
[X] TELEPORT HOMER
[X] SAMAEL CIRCUIT
[X] GOSPEL RELAY
[X] SOLARIS GENERATOR
[X] COBALT LASER

VOID ANCHORS:

ORIGINAL HIVE
THE TRIBUNAL

HOLDING: 1

RED COMET GUIDE:

http://pastebin.com/7vzY4Zp2

>>32032389
Aww. I'd hoped the tank summoner would have finished by now. Comet v. Armaros v. Kaiser sounded so good in my head

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>>32032551

(Gentlemen, my sincerest apologies: Due to work commitments, I haven't had the opportunity to implement the planned upgrades to the Hollow Sun. However, due to the nature of the current situation - And the need for certain items, currently being researched, to utilize them properly - they should be available once research is completed.)

STAGE: ANATOMETA

The stage is a glittering carousel of glass, of gold; A hall of priceless mirrors, the tiles underfoot burnished to a sparkling finish. A grand, multi-tiered stage ringed by raised platforms and delicate columns, a thousand orbs of numinous light hang overhead, like gemstones against a sky of black marble.

The portal rips itself open in writhe of twitching lightnings, gaussfire crackling through the stale air - Casting flickering shadows across the blank-faced automatons on each tier, their oddly jointed fingers gripping long-necked instruments; The plangent, surreal music lending a maniac cast to the battle below.

Rust Kaiser lands on the chamber floor with the blunt concussion of a bomb going off. A column smashes aside, chunks of stonework raining down - Braced like a great ape, his huge armour-plated shoulders bulging; Sick light burning in his mismatched eyes, spined fists clenched around the grip of his oil-black broadsword.

He howls. The sound makes everything shake - The dreadful volume blitzing the air, as tiles crack underfoot; There is a tremendous force to him, a physicality that strains against the confines of his armour, as if fighting the corroded iron plates that hold him in check - Rusted, scuffed, scabby and worn...Bulging and warping from within, as they contort from hideous internal pressures.

(Continued)

>>32032702
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp5ekMlQvi4

IT HAS BEGUN!

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>>32032702

With a cackling werewolf growl, ossified joints ratched into motion. Rust Kaiser's head turns, with the shriek of warping metal; Vapour coiling from the edges of his scarred plate, as that burning gaze takes in the tableau - The six juggernauts, one articulating with the nightmare slow-motion of recohering systems, another dragging a twisted and sparking leg...

-The four surrounding Bell Zephyr.

He takes a single step forward. The tiles underfoot grind to powder, fractures spiderwebbing across the mirrored surface. Myomer musculature - Hypertrophied, to the point of gigantism - contorts, in preparation for the acceleration to come.

"Oh shit."

Armaros is caught in the act of turning - The gravimetric field that crushes and pins you fading, as his distortion halo spits sullen sparks between his wing binders - unalloyed dread in his voice. Pistons ratchet, servoes whirring as the spinal segments of his matte-grey armour reconfigure, a second reactor humming to life at the base of his spine - Coropsant crackling across his fists, an instinct response to Rust Kaiser's manifestation...

The moment extends outwards to infinity; As if the actors are committed, but inexplicably reluctant to begin. Equipoised between life and death, the first move will collapse the wave function into history.

HP: 207.6%
COBALT BOOSTER: 30%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 88%
METER: 37%

TIER TWO WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

Rolled 13

>>32032900

"Armaros. Fall Back. Get your people out of here.

I'll hold him off as long as I can but I can't defeat him."

>>32032900

(Gentlemen; Be aware that you haven't activated the Carnifex yet, though you've deployed it.

The situation is as follows - Bell Zephyr is surrounded by four juggernauts, on the first floor. Rust Kaiser has appeared at approximately the far end; You're on the second floor with Armaros, next to a destroyed section of railing.

The area extends upwards about six storeys.)

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>>32032702
So it was work and not classes this month? Sorry to hear it's been hectic. Hope the work is satisfying, and good evening.

I think I figured out the Joker's Memory: it's the Red Joker's stage, the way the Hollow Sun belongs to Daegal/Midas. The bit where the Nihl Sphere interacted with the planted Memory suggested that.

Also, last thread I suggested using Armaros's armor to plant a Void Anchor, but I think it could be interesting if we salvaged it. It'd mean another research path to spend energy on, but it would also mean power armor. The modified Photon Beamers the snipers are using also seem promising if only to speed up the Laser research.

>>32032900
We do nothing. Kaiser won't one-shot Armaros, and Armaros won't let Kaiser pass immediately.

So stand up, straighten Joker out and dust off, and mosey over to the four surrounding Bell Zephyr. "I think you'll want to come with me."

Physically grab the downed one, and herd them to another space away from her.

Wish for popcorn.

After about three rounds, we'll intervene to force a tie.

>>32032900
"Just to be clear, don't expect me to help you out here."
Move the fuck away. No need to stop the immortal berserker from fighting to save his waifu.
Look for an opportunity to snatch Megumi without engaging Aoba's forces. Activate Argus if it's not on yet.

>>32032943
Oh, we're on the second floor with Armaros? Put a foot on his back and shove.

He interrupted our parley, he gets to provide entertainment and distractions.

Speaking of, can we see the last sniper?

Rolled 7

>>32032963

There will be a loss of war materiale but its in our best interest for us to let Armaros and his players retreat. They'll be fighting against the smilers and if we can limit the damage they'll suffer, it'll be better in the long run.

>>32032973

(It would seem that the last 'sniper' was actually Armaros. The two - disarmed - snipers are directly opposite you, and on the third floor respectively.)

>>32032949
>>32032973
Oh come on, wata. Don't be so vindictive.

>>32032900

"So much for that plan. You'll run away now, if you know what's good for you."

>>32032900
"Armaros, I don't think either of us want a three way fight with Rust Kaiser. I suggest we both fall back and we settle this some other time."

>>32032982
Good point. I'll change it up a bit: We get Megumi to safety while Armaros is holding off Kaiser, then we do something to end the battle without directly supporting either side. Though making Aoba owe us a favor is nice, fighting Kaiser is really not something we want to do.
The snark stays, though.

>>32033033

I dunno man, with the bulk of Armaros' armour, it might not be easy for him to disengage and once hes in combat, he might be unwilling to fall back.

Us holding off Rust Kaiser might be easier.

>>32032992
We got the second one? Nice.

>>32033000
Vindictive would be killing him while his back was turned. This is practicality mixed with petty vengeance.

We do have a method to stop Kaiser in his tracks. Fortress mode shut him down at Holophusikon. If we can convince Armaros and Bell Zephyr to clear the field the battle stops as soon as it goes up, provided OP doesn't rule Kaiser's Hulked out enough to break it this time.

Should that fail, we can try the spooky option and try to command Rust Kaiser in Black Joker's voice.

>>32033074
Easy answer: Blow up the stage and make haste.
Either way, I'm not sure how would we even hold him back when he can tank pretty much anything aside from a fully charged FA or CA.
He would just charge straight to Bell and while ignoring everything we throw at him.

>>32032915
>>32033007
>>32033015
>>32033033

Armaros spares you a glance, a curt nod - He raises his left wrist, speaking urgently into the glass-and-wire mechanism welded there.

> "Counterweight leader to all units - Fall ba-"

Rust Kaiser charges. He surges forward in an inhuman burst of physical acceleration, hurling his great ironbound mass onwards in a gallop that quakes the ground and shivers the lights above, six or eight or ten steps at a time. There is something ponderous and unstoppable to it, a primal ravager let off the beast, a bull ape entering a rage.

One of the juggernaughts - The one with a twisted leg held together by an endosteel skeleton and shreds of spalling - is in the way. It is unclear if the act is a deliberate one - To buy time for the others, perhaps - or if he is simply too slow. In many ways, it poses an important question; Whether artificial augmentations and grafted myomer musculature - in a reinforced frame - has the capacity to withstand, even momentarily, the assault of a Smiler as grotesquely enhanced as Rust Kaiser.

In a word: No.

His distortion halo discharges, in a roiling thunderclap of force. The blast is a significant one, perhaps enough to match (Or even exceed) the point-blank firepower of your Plasma Caster - A brief, brilliant sphere of charged energies erupting in a brilliant blue flare.

Rust Kaiser's whirring blade splits him in half.

Without apparent effort, the jagged edge of the blade hacks down through the juggernaught's shoulder and dismantles him. Black oil, thick and viscous, fountains into the air - Enough for a momentary glimpse of the juggernaught in cross-section, before he falls in two directions at once. The halves vanish underfoot beneath Rust Kaiser's bulk, and are trampled to nothing.

(Continued)

>>32033198
Whelp, I doubt there's any way we can stop him.

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>>32033198

"NO-"

Armaros leaps. Gravimetric energies hold him aloft, cushion his descent. You lurch to your feet, your Tempest Scrander shedding sparks - You're in the air a heartbeat later, your HUD locking onto the sullen mass of Rust Kaiser's form, red particles fuming in the air-

To their credit, the four Players around Bell Zephyr - Arrayed in poses of slow-moving surprise - react with relative speed. You heard the four-part hum as their engines engage; The first tensing to spring away, another momentarily engulfed in the translucent sphere of a gravity shield-

...As Bell Zephyr sparking whip blurs through the air - With the *crack* of a lightning strike - and slashes the third's arm off. It's a clean cut, a cut that sends the severed limb spiralling upwards and away, the edges burning molten; The juggernaught lurching back, as the secondary mouth on Bell Zephyr's back wrenches open further, a boiling, churning mass of bodies gathering-

The fourth one - The last - blasts her, with a vindictive crackle. The *snap* of the explosion makes the ground heave beneath her, before it erupts outwards in a vertical geyser of churning blue energy and debris; Bell Zephyr's lithe form is flung upwards, as she turns a flip - A shard of bone-yellow ivory splintered from her mask, three blades of boiling crimson force shearing out from her-

All of this happens in a heartbeat.

Rust Kaiser has cleared a quarter of the distance, and it still accelerating - Right past the crippled juggernaught, still futilely struggling to engage his motive systems. Armaros is frozen mid-leap, descending; Your sensors lighting up with high-energy warnings from *every* direction at once - Your Argus System noting that the two snipers above are finally withdrawing from the zone, either disarmed or unwilling to risk another shot-

HP: 207.6%
COBALT BOOSTER: 40%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 88%
METER: 37%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32033302

Holy shit. They're really trying to kill the fuck out of each other.

>>32033302

Are the juggs actually players and not use drones?

Use fortress mode on Rust Kaiser.

To Armaros: "Get out! NOW!"

>>32033337

(Quick question; A wall in front of him, or a barrier around him?)

>>32033302
"Rust Kaiser. Exec_Dictum: Pratfall." Use Andvaranut to transfer the needed meter to Booster.

Deploy Fortress Mode just around Rust Kaiser. Lacking his momentum he'll have a harder time of breaking through. Summon the Annihilator.

Megumi should get the message. Armaros will be harder.

>>32033337

If we can do this, we fly down to Megumi "I believe we should withdraw." Before flying away with her.

>>32033347
Not "pratfall", he might misunderstand. Say trip instead, at least.

>>32033347
Considering how damn mad Kaiser is, trying to hold him for longer than five seconds is a waste of time. The Annihilator won't have enough time to charge up enough and if we waste time, he will Rust Storm the whole place and nullify our ability to fly.
Getting Megumi away immediately after shutting locking down Kaiser has a better chance of success.

>>32033394
That's why the trip and a full barrier around him. No rust so long as the barrier's up. If it's particularly small he won't be able to bring his entire strength to bear, preserving the Fortress.

And Zephyr saw what the Annihilator does. Last time Joker vaporized the entire field, and it's visibly been modified since. Having it out is a threat.

Come to think of it, Armaros saw Joker one shot a door that would take fusion weapons a week to breach according to him. Point it at everyone and announce that you're firing at the next person who takes a shot.

>>32033444
>Point it at everyone and announce that you're firing at the next person who takes a shot.
Now that would be interesting.

>>32033444

Rust Kaiser still won't understand and charge regardless though. We need amaros to organise that withdrawal while RK is distracted.

>>32033347

> "Rust Kaiser. Exec_Dictum: Pratfall."

The thorns of the black iron ring sink deep - Micro-lasers puncturing into your armour, before a sickly green illumination blazes to life, neon against green hematite. It's uncertain if Rust Kaiser can hear you, over the plosive blasts of the ferocious point-blank combat - Or if he even has the capacity to understand you.

It makes no difference.

Your command is absolute.

Great limbs lock up. Rust Kaiser hits the ground like a meteor, his momentum driving him forward in an earth-shaking parody of a baseball slide; Sparks screeching and scraping from the harsh edges of his armour, his shoulder shields gouging deep scars into the splintered ground - A moment before your Assault Shroud separates, hexagonal shapes sketching themselves into existence around his sprawled form.

They converge, interlocking like the teeth of a fractal dragon - closing around him in dull polygons of superdense material - allowing you a split-second glimpse of spiked-tipped fingers digging into the ground, crushing new handholds through sheer force; Great mechanisms whirring as Rust Kaiser levers himself to his feet, with utterly no grace, but with immense force.

Armaros, descending, is forced to overshoot. A blurt of confusion crackles from the speakers sent in the center of his breastplate; Gravimetric thrusters flare, releasing columns of blue force - He lands hard, his heels digging in, a hideous grinding sound echoing as he bleeds off his momentum, meters from the dome of off-red, pitted material locking Rust Kaiser in place...

(Continued)

>>32033481
"And lo, the Red Joker's plan was so ridiculous that even the monster in the form of man was made to facefault in his presence."

I'm delighted that worked, but Kaiser's about to go Terminator on it and punch through isn't he?

>>32033513

Probably but at least we bought abit of time.

Now if Amaros took the hint. We cant do this shit again.

>>32033481

A swarm of milling, gnawing bodies - A plague cloud - boils forth from Bell Zephyr. It's a hurricane, a black damnation storm, disgorging itself in a hail of infernal buzzing; Too densely packed for you to get a good look at any single one, but their shape is instantly intuited:

-They're flies.

You plunge into the storm. Tiny bodies strike the surface of your Sinistral, and boil away in a blaze of energies; The sound is like the rattle of bullets against armour, as they swarm across you - Your Tempest Scrander electrocutes them by the dozen, by the hundreds, your ghost-steel shield as burning wedge...

Three blades of blood-red force, clutched between Bell Zephyr's fingers like a crude claw, lash out at you. Your Sinistral is out of position, but you raise your right arm instead - They connect, each one striking where the vulnerable joints should be, in a blow that would sever any player's limb-

...But when they meet the Hand of Midas, they shatter like glass. Chips of energy fly into the air, as Bell Zephyr reels back from the point of impact - Her head turns, in complete and utter surprise...Before she stiffens, apparently recognizing you at last.

"-What *is* that?" Even filtered through her mouthless deathmask, her words are tinged with disbelief; The faintest tendrils of smoke coiling up from the peerless oriachulcum of your gauntlet, her head canting to regard you. Around you, the infernal tempest of parasites continues to rage - The swarming bodies boiling forth, undammed, from her secondary mouth.

(Continued)

>>32033549
Goddammit, our first fight and its out of the bag.

>>32033549
I know it's a between post write-in but I can't resist: "You'll find out when everyone else does: When it's too late."

>>32033589
Oh, that's just not nice. Wasn't she planning on telling us before Armaros interrupted? Laughed out loud though.

>>32033585

(In all fairness, you no longer have your Assault Shroud to cover it.)

>>32033394
>>32033364
>>32033444

You make a fist. Burning lines sketch themselves into existence, schematics lining the air; Caught in the backwash, parasites crisp up and burn away, as your right arm becomes the Fusion Annihilator. Bell Zephyr's stance is wary, her head turning to either side - You can dimly make out forms circling beyond the biting, gnawing cloud of her defensive swarm, your sensors finally isolating the name of the Relic-

CICATRIX.

> "You'll find out when everyone else does: When it's too late."

You hear a sound that might be grinding teeth, as Bell Zephyr faces off against you - Her attention in every direction at once, the coils of her lash shedding sparks against the battered floor. You can't help but notice, dimly, how similar she seems to Rust Kaiser in that moment - Hell-light pulsing from beneath her damaged mask.

> "I believe we should withdraw."

She shakes her head, violently -

"-Not without Kaiser. I won't - I *won't* leave him."

There's the faint hesitation to her words - A calculating edge to her, her legs tensing beneath her; "-I won't leave him to *them*, whoever they are."

The awful buzzing is in her voice, now - The flies on your armour quiver as they alight and pull away, alight and pull away, again and again. "I won't leave him, you hear me?"

"Tell me why we shouldn't *kill them all*-!"

HP: 192.1%
COBALT BOOSTER: 0%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 0%
METER: 41%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32033658

"I can get them to leave. They want to withdraw in any case."

>>32033658
"Kaiser is here because he wants to protect you. If we leave, he will follow. Staying here just increases the chances of reinforcements coming, meaning that the longer we stay, the more both of you are in danger of being captured."
"Use the storm to cover him and I'll release him. I'll stop them from following and meanwhile you two escape."
Argus the place, locate Armaros and ready the Fusion Annihilator in case we need it.

>>32033658
"Because all who chafe against the dictums of the city are mine. Keep the barrier up, watch this."

Jump out, landing on the back and slide a bit. Make the Midas arm hang uselessly, like it's a negative status effect. Spring up, waving the left arm. "Armaros! She's called in a bombardment, get your people and run!"

Run to the nearest Sterling, grab them with the one arm and try to drag them away like we're really starting to freak out.

>>32033733

That's a bit too dramatic, but the gist of it is that they need to get out of here.

>>32033732
Kaiser's the biggest threat. He'll kill us given half a chance. He stays in until we're out.

>>32033733
Guile hero Joker? That's a change. Let's try this.

>>32033783
>He'll kill us given half a chance. He stays in until we're out.
Right now, he seems to care only about Bell and anyone who gets in his way. We can just move out of his field of vision.

>>32033801
On the other hand we stuck him in a box, blew him up and are wearing his prize for a hand. Do we really gamble against hate?

Say, OP: Could we activate a Void Anchor using the Essence released from a stage? Say Anometa were blasted by an annihilation wave, would the props and trappings and property destruction be enough for the kickstart?

Inquiring minds want to know!

>>32033697
>>32033732
>>32033733

For a moment, Bell Zephyr is silent - Her horned mask tilting towards the ground, her form held achingly still - But then the infernal swarm disperses, gaps of reality showing through like the sky through ragged fingers of parting cloud...

The hovering forms of the juggernaughts cast dark, slanting shadows across the ground. The span of a few minutes have wreaked absurd levels of destruction; Support columns have collapsed, part of the level above sloping downwards in a cascade of rubble like a broken jaw. The dull, matte-grey shapes hang in the air, their distortion halos droning - Two of them hold their limp companion suspended, his inactive form grasped by either arm as they hover at a safe distance.

And Armaros.

He's standing equidistance between the vertical column of Bell Zephyr's swarm, the dome of your Assault Shroud's barrier; There's a grim set to his shoulders, the air around him so charged, it hums with painful intensity. At the sight of you, he seems to start - A quick, alert shift of his attention-

...That, and the hatred.

>>32033733

You can feel his loathing, as lethal as a weapon, levelled squarely at Bell Zephyr. And the cold calculation that comes with it, his thoughts machine-precise; He's calculating if he can kill her at the distance. But then the servoes in his neck articulate, and when your words cut through the fog...

-His wing binders spread. There's the quiet crackle of unspoken communication. Gravimetric distortion cuts a perfect circle around him, as he begins to levitate, too - The faintest hum echoing in the air, warring with the drone of the devouring swarm. Armaros's form ascends vertically, to join the rest of the hovering shapes - Gathering speed, until they recede into distant black dots.

(Continued)

Yesterday I decided on something:
This whole waifu bullshit is making me miserable. I'm actually half averse to joining new threads because of how much it depresses me to have no progress due to the in-fighting factions.
My own life is already lacking progress. I don't need that in my favourite quest.

That's why I won't participate in the relationship stuff anymore and just do input for the techy stuff.

I hope your hesitation and pointless antagonism leads to the worst possible end.

>>32033927

(I would say, in this instance, no. There simply isn't enough released - But when there's a massive amount of Essence being utilized, like in the Original Hive, the option will be available.)

Bell Zephyr watches him go, silently. She exhales, a shuddering breath - The tiny, shrivelled forms of flies carpet the ground, like black snow, crunching underfoot with each motion she makes.

...And close by, you hear a dull impact - A CRUMP, as the dome of your Assault Shroud shudders from within. It buckles, under the great weight being thrown against it; Then again, hard enough to leave a fist-sized dent that bulges outwards, cracks skittering from the point of impact.

"-It won't hold him for much longer." She speaks from both mouths at once - The Cicatrix's mandibles warping in a vague approximation of speech, overlapping in a distorted buzz. Her head turns; Tiny shapes caking her armour, crawling into the gaps, like a hive.

"Joker...You shouldn't be here when he breaks out."

There is something terribly calm, and terrible resigned, to Bell Zephyr's voice.

HP: 185.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 0%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 0%
METER: 44%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32033998

Get your fingers into those gaps and try to pull out the bugs.

>>32033998

"I'm not going to just abandon you... or him like that. If theres a way to save him, I'll find it."

>>32034026

What.

>>32033998

"Will you be alright?"

>>32033998
"I'll look into the Black Joker some more. Hope dies last, as they say. And I'm not good at dying."
You know, I really want to ask her about whether Naoya is really Pazuzu.

>>32034052

> Her head turns; Tiny shapes caking her armour, crawling into the gaps, like a hive.

>>32034068

Oh. Those bugs are hers though. Should we be doing that?

>>32034077

Oh wait, shit. They're hers? Nevermind then.

Somehow I read it as the bugs being from Rust Kaiser and trying to infect her with Black Joker bullshit.

>>32033998
"Haa... I thought you weren't that kind of girl. You'll have to finish what you were telling me next time.

"I have a curse for you, and a blessing. The curse: Nothing will go as you hope, and all you hold dear will crumble as you hold it. The blessing: Years from now, if you survive, you will be able to smile again for real."

And then for old time's sake... "I suggest you run." Burn the mark into the wall with Harrow, we should have the booster for it. Raise the Annihilator. Six charges. Aim down range--not at Kaiser, but if he catches the backwash I won't cry.

Start laughing. Even if Armaros is going to run to Argent, this is a win.

>>32034100

Not a good idea. If we do this, we're going to trigger a fight against both of them.

>>32034082
Kaiser can already make debilitating rust storms. Having bugs would be scary.

>>32034100
Which thread was that from? I know we were fighting Megaera but I can't remember the number.

>>32034115

Bell Zephyr seems to be a female version of Beezlbub. You know, the Lord of the Flies.

>>32034123
Queen of Flies? Now that's a scary though. At least hers don't spew acid like the guy from the first thread.

>>32034100

What are you doing wata.

I have absolutely no idea.

>>32034100

Dude. What the fuck

>>32034100
There is a point where we need to stop, and we've clearly past it.
But I love this suggestion, so why not keep going anyway and see what it brings us?

>>32034100
what are you doing wata. wtf.

>>32034160
no, we are not past any point yet.

>>32034100

No, this is an enormously bad idea. Vetoing this, because we need to get out of dodge.

>>32034160
>>32034157
>>32034143
I think he mans this as a follow-up to the whole "They called in a bombardment" claim. Putting fake clues to make sure Armaros and Argent don't get suspicious.

>>32034120
34. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/22688397/

>>32034143
>>32034157
Referencing the first time we met Bell. Megaera trying to kill her and we intervened. At the end we vaporized this entire field with a fully charged annihilator. Check 22691576.

That's why I was so convinced last thread that Mio was around, kept expecting history to repeat.

>>32034171
There's that too, but it's less necessary since Armaros and co. flew out. He thinks we're working with the Smilers now, I think.

>>32034171
That actually makes sense.
Amaros won't die from that. Do it.

>>32034178

If she's around, call Mio, or Megaera then?

>>32034178
Oh, that makes a LOT more sense.
I guess it could work.

>>32034181

But they might be able to tell that its our weaponary.

We've used before in the presence of Argent's forces before.

>>32034197
We can say we used it on Kaiser/Bell. It'll even be true, kinda.

Really, what matters most here is that Armaros attacked, lost a man, and was driven off without being able to kill his target. Anything he thinks or more importantly reports is going to be by those circumstances, as well as his increasing jealousy of Joker.

> "Will you be alright?"

Bell Zephyr looks at you - For a long, silent moment - the turns away, without a word. Her second mouth laughs, an ugly, chittering sound; The mandibles clattering together, yellow light frothing in the monstrous compound eyes, staring at you. It's a clotted laughter, clogged with insect parts and still-wriggling, shorn-off legs.

> "I'm not going to just abandon you... or him like that. If theres a way to save him, I'll find it."

"You'll try," the Cicatrix hisses, a mocking, gloating note to that buzzing voice - Even as Bell Zephyr merely sighs.

>>32034063

"-Why?" For a moment, despite the surreal scene of destruction around you, she's never sounded more like herself; There's something infinitely fragile to her voice, as Bell Zephyr begins to walk away, her metal-shod heels clicking lightly on the floor - She moves like an acrobat, like a dance, her steps poised and delicate.

Rust Kaiser's sword finds a seam of weakness in your barrier, and stabs through. The blade grinds against the unyielding surface, like a man trying to carve his way through a wall - You hear the machine-press growl, the shriek of superdense material giving way; Already curling and losing cohesion at the edges, as entropy takes a toll.

"Joker-kun...I don't need saving."

"-Everything I need...Everything I could ever want...Is already *here*."

The world begins to fade out.

(Continued)

>>32034257
Man, she is leaving herself open to these. "I wish you believed that."

And aww, no mark? No stage destruction? Laaaaaame.

>>32034257

It is the cold that returns, first - A chill bite beneath your fingers, soaking through your coat and into your bones. Your breath smokes in the air, as you take stock; You're in a quiet street, some distance from Verde. Close by, you hear the wail of sirens, as an ambulance - All flashing lights - peels around the corner, urgent klaxons splitting the serene night.

The buildings around you are dark. Overhead, the lights of radio towers glow redly, like crimson stars.

Your phone buzzes once. Again, before you key the button - Aoba's voice coming across the line, scratchy and half-heard.

> "Anon."

He says, without preamble.

> "-This never happened."

On the other side, you can hear dueling sirens. He sounds wan, exhausted - A kind of self-directed anger in his voice, a frustration made worse by the knowledge that it was deserved.

> "My decision. My fault."

A pause, as if he's conceding a point, at last.

> "Joker - You were never here."

[ ] "Is your man dead?"
[ ] "How are the others?"
[ ] "How long have you been planning this?"
[ ] "You've screwed up, haven't you?"
[ ] "Were you really going to fight Rust Kaiser? Alone?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32034332
>[ ] "Were you really going to fight Rust Kaiser? Alone?"
"Not even I am that reckless."

>>32034332
>[ ] "How are the others?"

>[ ] "Don't get yourself killed so easily. When it comes, you'll be needed at the front."
That he screwed up doesnt need to be said.

>>32034332
"What was the point of this farce? Weren't you the one who believed the Smilers to be just a group of pests?"

>>32034332
>[X] "How are the others?"

I hope nothing comes up after this so that we can go and finally unseal the Joker Memory today.

>>32034332
>[X] "How are the others?"
>[X] "How long have you been planning this?"
>[X] "You've screwed up, haven't you?"

Later: "Do you want to hurt the Smilers, or *break* them? Come to the Rift in two days' time. Bring that armor of yours, I have a proposition you'll want to see for yourself."

>>32034337
Bullshit, we were willing to rip his throat out with our teeth at the Spire. Akira had to hold us back, Mr. "I have no ability to imagine possible consequences" himself.

>>32034361
This looks like day's end. I'll certainly be happy if we can open it up today. Time is running in that hourglass.

>>32034402
>Come to the Rift in two days' time. Bring that armor of yours, I have a proposition you'll want to see for yourself.

?

>>32034337
We could probably take him, honestly.

>>32034332
"If you've finally realized the threat the Smilers pose, come to the festival. Be prepared for a war."

>>32034402
>Later: "Do you want to hurt the Smilers, or *break* them? Come to the Rift in two days' time. Bring that armor of yours, I have a proposition you'll want to see for yourself."

What are you talking about?

>>32034420
Hellion Juggernaughts.

>>32034402
Inviting Armaros to the Hollow Sun has BAD IDEA written all over it.

>>32034408
>>32034441
I want to have the Sun reverse engineer it. It's idiotically powerful, and if we can get it analyzed by the Sun we could find ways to tune it up or integrate its tech into Red Comet/the Hellions.

There's a huge resource gap between us and the Smilers. We have the tech, but where they've been building up for this for a long time we've had, what, two weeks?

Besides, Armaros is Argent's liaison to us. He's the one we need to talk to about arming the Sterlings. Every advantage counts, and Argent's people with Hollow Sun weapons and the Hollow Sun with Argent's tech is beneficial to both our long term goals.

Speaking of long term goals, I want to turn the Red Comet into a superweapon. Could I please see some support for covering its major vulnerability and getting the Panoptic Array? And Jet Scranders for Hellions.

>>32034441
That doesn't tell me anything

>>32034468
Armaros is retarded, I don't want him anywhere near our stuff lest he starts getting any funny ideas.

> "What was the point of this farce? Weren't you the one who believed the Smilers to be just a group of pests?"

"Pests are to be tolerated," Aoba says, sharply - "The 'Smilers' are petty malcontents, undesirables. Their leaders, however - They are to be culled."

He catches himself. Lowers his voice.

"-This is not, as you may be aware, our official stance. It's something that should be no concern of yours-" He stops, as if he's said too much. But then, grudgingly, he admits - "...Except we had no idea you were there."

> [X] "How are the others?"

"They'll live. All except one."

> [X] "You've screwed up, haven't you?"

There's a long, damned silence.

"-Yes."

He sounds like he's saying it through clenched teeth.

> [X] "How long have you been planning this?"

"Not long." Aoba gives vent to a rasping sigh. "-We weren't expecting Bell Zephyr to appear, so abruptly. I weighed the risks. I made the call."

A pause.

"-I stand by that."

(Continued)

>>32034492
"Wait, if you didn't expect either me or Bell Zephyr then why the fuck did you attack?"

>>32034468

I would have though the AI or Teleport Homer would be more important to start researching

>>32034511

Stop. Veto. Nyet.

No input when Joker OP is inbetween updates.

>>32034402

Fuck that guy. No way we're letting any of the silver dudes near the hollow sun. According to >>32034492 they have DEATH SQUADS dedicated to making hits.

What has Argent Prominence NOT been telling us? We didn't know he was making superpowered mooks, or correctors in S&M armour. What is that guy up to?

>>32034526
But it is a legitimate question. WHO did they expect to ambush here?

>>32034543

Then ask it after.

Don't make it a habit to continue to input in between updates.

>>32034468
Whoops, forgot the other reason to reverse engineer it: Mass production of Player power armor. We'd need to fix the weight problem because one short and the entire thing falls over is a hell of a disadvantage.

>>32034486
Indeed, and his boss is no longer interested in managing him, so he's going out of control. Either we take him in hand or kill him, because if we don't he's going to keep making retarded moves and get good people killed.

And we're not killing him because it would go horribly wrong and you know it.

>>32034514
Teleport Homer is already in progress. AI I think we should consider leaving for last because fucking Pazuzu has already demonstrated the ability to hijack systems when we don't directly control them (Nara Dreamland). He also has a Nihl Sphere, which is what we used to turn on the Comet in the first place.

>>32034537
Argent doesn't have death squads. Armaros took it upon himself to form one. I said several threads ago that he'd betray Argent if he thought it would help Argent, and he's continuing to prove it.

>>32034563
>Argent doesn't have death squads. Armaros took it upon himself to form one
That's a really naive way of thinking.

I'm getting the vibe Armaros has a creepy crush on Argent.

>>32034526

(I'll allow it, in this instance. It's a valid question, and it fits with the present conversation; My main issue with mid-update inputs are that I usually miss them, or they change the direction of the conversation enough to require substantial rewrites, leading to a longer delay between updates.)

>>32034511

A pause. You can almost hear the gears in his head turning, considering how much to tell you. But - What tips the balance - is that he *owes* you.

"-You misunderstand," Aoba says, carefully. "We detected a priority target, alone and isolated. I approved the deployment of assets." Another pause, his words low, measured - "What we failed to account for, however, is you."

Then: "-It seems that, for some reason, we are now unable to perceive your presence...By conventional methods, at least. To be blunt; Despite extensive measures, we *could not see you*."

"...I wonder why that is?"

> [X] "Were you really going to fight Rust Kaiser? Alone?"

"Anon." There's steel in his voice. "-My men are my family, now. And there is nothing - *Nothing* - that I will not do for my family."

> [X] "Don't get yourself killed so easily. When it comes, you'll be needed at the front."
> "If you've finally realized the threat the Smilers pose, come to the festival. Be prepared for a war."

On the other line, silence - Then, warily:

"...How do you know that?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32034620

(A minor addition - He appears to be referring to sensors of some kind. Armaros had no trouble physically perceiving you.)

>>32034620
>"...How do you know that?"
"I'm genre savvy. I was on Nara Dreamland and I just know that the festival is going to be ND 2.0. The million yen question is how YOU know it."

>>32034620

>[ ] "Because I was this close to finding out what they were planning before you rudely interrupted our little chat."

>>32034620
> To be blunt; Despite extensive measures, we *could not see you*.

Oh, holy crap. He's talking about Daegal. Since we picked up Daegal, we're radar-invisible. He thought Megumi was alone, that's why he called in the strike.

>>32034653
>"Because I was this close to finding out what they were planning before you rudely interrupted our little chat."
Yeah I like this, we were talking to a smiler after all.

...Goddammit.

Does this mean we could have avoided this entire fight if we had just taken the time to say hi to that dick when we first saw him?

>>32034675
>Does this mean we could have avoided this entire fight if we had just taken the time to say hi to that dick when we first saw him?
You don't just go and randomly talk to a man when you have a girl waiting you.

>>32034688
Especially when the man looks like HE also has a girl waiting for him.

>>32034645

> "I'm genre savvy. I was on Nara Dreamland and I just know that the festival is going to be ND 2.0. The million yen question is how YOU know it."

"There have been...irregular readings, from the area." Aoba says, carefully. "...Enough to warrant further investigation."

"-It seems that, somehow, a new zone has come into existence: One that wasn't there before."

>>32034653
>>32034661

On the other line; You hear muffled noise - He's talking to someone else, covering the phone's speaker as he does. It fades, a moment later: Aoba's voice returns.

"And?" he says. You can almost hear the instinctive sneer in his voice. "-What did the terrorist have to say?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32034712

[] Full disclosure

>>32034596
I was all aboard the Argent paranoia train for a long time. Everything we've seen demonstrates that he's on the level, but not a moron. Does he have secrets? Yes, because he's powerful and smart, and was betrayed by the person he had hoped would succeed him.

Frankly, Argent doesn't need death squads. If he wanted a Player dead he'd do it himself.

>>32034675
Perhaps not, we still wouldn't have shown up on their sensors, they would have needed visual confirmation to see Joker was there.

At best Armaros wouldn't have hit us. Or he'd hit twice as hard for ignoring the inevitable warning.

>>32034712
"Nothing useful. Except how they're making an army using the Black Joker's corrupted Essence. Say hi to Bardiel when you see the ten-thousand copies they've made. I only wish I were joking about that."

"Aoba... I'm sorry for your loss. Have you taken time to mourn?"

New stage? This should be entertaining.

>>32034712
"They've used the Black Joker's blood to create an army of monsters. Monsters that can manifest in the real. They've got monstrous versions of dead players; hundreds of Bardiels, amalgamations of dead souls. And this is just the beginning. They plan to drown the red in it. You've seen what it did to Rook. Unless we stop them, everyone is going to die."

>>32034712

"Like I said. You interrupted me before I could get the full story. Something like this takes time and a deft touch and I don't expect to get something like that again, soon."

>>32034738

I wonder. Would Argent's base have facilities to potentially save RK. I dont think telling him that would be a good idea at this time, though."

>>32034756
Probably not. He's got a worse case of what's hurting Rook, and Argent's response has been to apply leeches.

I think we might be able to help Rook with the Nihl Sphere. It'll probably cost the entire charge, but pouring energy in rather than draining it might burn out the parasite. Kaiser has the blood directly instead of through the creepers, and he's had it for a long time. Who knows if it can be removed, or if Kou can survive without it.

> Say hi to Bardiel when you see the ten-thousand copies they've made.

"I know."

Aoba's voice crackles over the line. "-I've killed a few, myself." There's a grim edge to his words; "The Smilers seem to enjoy making broken things."

> "They've used the Black Joker's blood to create an army of monsters."
> "-Except how they're making an army using the Black Joker's corrupted Essence."

You hear him exhale, sharply, at your words.

"The Black Joker's...blood?" Now he simply sounds confused. "What is that?" On the other side, you hear his footsteps, pacing away - Giving himself some distance. "This is the first I've heard of it."

You're not sure if he believes you - He's weighing the implications, clearly; Your information, against his own sources.

Caution wins out.

"-An army, you say?" His voice is serious, but wary - "Do you have an estimation? A location?" A faint buzz of sound comes from somewhere close by; A car door slamming, if you had to guess.

"It's not that I don't believe you. But it's *surety* we need."

It's the same problem as before - On some level, he does not *want* to believe you. That you've got him to even contemplate it...It may be a victory in itself. Or simply speaks volumes of how shaken he may be.

> "Aoba... I'm sorry for your loss. Have you taken time to mourn?"

"Not yet."

He sounds as if he's chewing glass.

"They're bringing him out, now." Aoba says, quietly. "We'll talk, later. But now is not the time." A pause - He's conferring with someone, a hushed murmur of voice forming white noise in the background.

"-Is there anything else?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32034928
Tell him the location of the cradles that we burned down.
Maybe he can find some clues there. They did contain inhuman monsters, after all.

Rolled 8

>>32034928

I guess we're at this point.

Do we want to show armaros our inner sactum? I think it'll do good.

>>32034928
Tell him that Rook's tentacle paracite was made by the black joker's ooze too and that's his best lead for whatever the monsters might be capable off.

>>32034971

I say no to Hollow Sun, but yes to the Cradles. I can't stress how little I trust Argent at this point. He has no reason to keep secrets, but he's doing so anyway.

>>32034971
NO.

>>32034969
>>32034976
Those two seem good.

>>32034928
"I have an address. I think it's expired, but I'm checking myself to be sure.

>>32034969
Nice one. Give him this.

>>32034971
Yes, for reasons previously stated.

>>32034986
Argent has let us in on his secrets. We KNOW his plans and his means. The only secrets he has left are who his Players are. We want as many of his people killing Correctors as we can manage.

>>32034971
I'd say yes.

>>32034971

My main issue is that if we tell them about the Hollow Sun, we're going to lose the Hellion army. That is our ace-in-the-hole.

>>32034976
>>32034969
Yes. He might be able to find something out.
No hollow Sun though.

>>32035042
>if we tell them about the Hollow Sun, we're going to lose the Hellion army. That is our ace-in-the-hole.
This. Stop telling everyone our secrets Wata

>>32034971
I'd prefer to keep that hidden. It's our main trump card and is best played when neither of the questionable powers are aware of it.

>>32035042
Why would we? We control the Sun entirely now. They can't take it from Joker without killing him.

And the Smilers already know. We seized it right in front of Kraken.

>>32035060
>>32035065
The people we hate know and the people we nominally like don't. Does anyone else see the problem?

>>32035031
>The only secrets he has left are who his Players are.
HAHAHAHA, do you seriously believe that?!

>>32035042

We'll still keep the secret of our orbital cannon.

>>32035072
I agree with Watashi, because I want combined R&D.

>>32035081

It's mostly that Argent Prominence is a mechanical genius. This would make him the greatest power in the entire game, and render him unstoppable.

Sure, that's good if he's on the level. But let's make sure he's on the level, first.

>>32035072
>The people we hate know and the people we nominally like don't.
I hope you didn't put Argent and Armaros into "people we like". Cause even Joker is getting tired of their shit by now.

>>32035065
...But wait, Kraken was RIGHT THERE when we stepped out of the Sun. With a fucking army to siege the place to boot.

>>32035098

I'd say folks we have to work together with to stop this apocalypse.

That means getting to understand what each is capable of.

>>32035097
>Sure, that's good if he's on the level. But let's make sure he's on the level, first.

I cannot agree more on this. The problem is that Argent/Armoros will be TOO powerful if we gave them access to the Hollow Sun.

>>32035103
Everyone knows about the Hellions. No one knows that Joker can let them loose into the Red whenever he wishes.

>>32035103

But he couldn't get in. Even Pazuzu failed to assault the place, because he was driven back.

>>32035131

Who said anything about full access. He just needs to know what we might be able to do and we can work from there to share what we can work on.

>>32035122
Don't be naive. Argent won't reveal all of his cards just because we do ours. This is not a perfectly mutually beneficial relationship.

>>32035153

Thats not all the cards. Just that we have a base for r&d and have an army. If we're fighting the smilers with a combined front, which is what we seem to be heading towards, we need to share information on capabilities.

>>32035072
>The people we hate know and the people we nominally like don't.
The people we hate know of the place, not about what it is actually capable of. Also, since when do we like Argent?
I'm not saying that the guy is bad, but his ideals obviously don't line up with Joker's. There may come an instance when he will actually see us as a threat if we actually go on with creating a new faction.

>>32035145
What you just posted is exactly what "access" means anon. We aren't talking about letting Argent mess around with the Hollow Sun systems no one is that stupid, they are talking about showing argent our dull hand.

>>32035182
>his ideals obviously don't line up with Joker's
I'm not even sure if joker has ideals beyond not turn the world red.

He hasn't seemed to really show that he cares if access to the red is cut off.

File: jokercity (2).jpg (189 KB, 1280x720)

189 KB JPG

> "I have an address. I think it's expired, but I'm checking myself to be sure.
>>32034976

"-I'll keep that in mind."

The line clicks off - Aoba's voice abruptly cutting out. You get the feeling that he may be occupied, on the other end; The sound of the sirens have long since faded to nothing on your side, but they've only waxed on his end of the line.

The evening has long since shaded into true night. Fatigue, distant but scratchy, blurs the corners of your vision: It's been a long day. The longest, perhaps - In the Red World, time is a fluid thing.

There may yet be time for one more thing.

You should...

[ ] Call someone.
- [ ] Call Isao/Distortion Haze.
- [ ] Call Mio.
- [ ] Call Natsumi.

[ ] Go somewhere.
- [ ] Visit the Salvation Children's Home.
- [ ] Visit the Metropolitan General Hospital.
- [ ] Visit the Red Joker's gravesite, once again.
- [ ] Go home.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32035205
>- [ ] Visit the Red Joker's gravesite, once again.

>- [ ] Call Isao/Distortion Haze.

On the way there

>>32035205
CALL NO ONE
>[ ] Visit the Red Joker's gravesite, once again.
GO TO THE OG JOKER CAVE

>>32035205
Gravesite, hoooooooo~

>>32035205
>- [x] Visit the Red Joker's gravesite, once again.

>>32035098
Argent yes, because he's the one person trying to make a real positive change. Armaros is a dick even if he has reason. And Armaros is why I said "nominally".

>>32035097
It was a potential problem before we became Midas. But we were looking for the person it belonged to, since it was only "ours" until someone claimed Daegal. Now I think there's more a danger that we'll take the Bastion since we've become his successor.

>>32035131
I don't think either of those last points are true. The Hollow Sun is supremely obscure, so anyone who knows about it independently probably knows what controlling it represents just because it's such specialized knowledge.

>>32035153
He's been much more open than we have. And we're much more aware of his capabilities than he is of ours.

>>32035182
I don't think so. They're working on a much fuller knowledge base than we are, as evinced by the fact that Rust Kaiser had the sepulcher in the first place.

We've liked Argent since we found out he knew and was friends with our predecessor, offered to upgrade our gear and since he made us the shields. Oh, and since it turns out he's one of the few people who isn't bugfuck crazy in the Red.

As for ideals, "Fuck this red planet" lines up pretty well, even if Joker is somewhat more empathetic in his statements to that effect.

>>32035205
FFFFFFFFF-- Gravesite.

Can we text Mio in transit? Just to arrange a meeting for tomorrow. I think I know how to handle the reveals. Ask her to meet us at the same park where we ended the last date, at about 6:30.

>>32035218
Can we tell him that something is probably going to go down at the festival? He can come if he wants.

>>32035244
AM or PM.

And what are you planning Wata.

>>32035253

I'd almost rather the one who can launch weapons of mass destruction stay away unless we csn fit him with other weapons.

>>32035203
Joker's feelings towards the Red as a whole seem rather vague and complicated. He seemingly despises the thing due to what it made him go through and yet also feels most at home in it.
It's kinda ironic how it seems like he finds it a lot easier to deal with the life-or-death nature of the Read compared to proper human socializing in the Real.

>>32035218
This.

We're still expecting his reply.

>>32035273

Well yea its just live or die in there. Simple.

Also there was that caveat that sttonger players would be not barred from the red due to their individual strength so its not like he might surely loose access.

>>32035244
>I think I know how to handle the reveals.
I'm okay with it if you actually finally pull off the reveal.
If the session ends and then next sessions we DON'T reveal anything because the quest loses its collective short-term memory yet again, I'll go apeshit.

>>32035254
In the evening, damn.

An Anon asked a while back how I'd talk to Mio about the Red World. I said we'd use the sphere. Start by copying the form of her reveal, same place and roughly the same time. Demonstrate that we're not normal by doing something with it like suspending it in midair. Explain that it can do stranger and wonderful things at our direction.

Then ask her whether she wants to know the rest. This is important, we've ignored the desires of others in this regard and it's bitten us. Emphasize that it's bad. If she says no, that's it, we're done. Probably won't have the relationship, but it will have been right.

If she says yes, we ask how she recognizes the name Red Joker and what her red dreams are about. That will provide the in. Build up to the Red World and Hellebore. Megaera can stay out.

>>32035273
Kill or be killed is simple. Human relationships are not. And Anon has to live in the real world, which means consequences persist.

>>32035361
Note:
Destroying the Red can end badly for Cybele and Hecate.
We need to evacuate them somehow before that.

Oh shit research. I like the idea of a super tank, but the first step is the Multicore Converter. For the Hellions, let's get Reactive Plating. Longetivity upgrades all around.

>>32035421
No. Wait.
First the memory.
Also, we have two guests.

>>32035205
We need the memory, now more then ever. Only as a true Joker will we have the ego to integrate fully with Daegal

>>32035421
I'll split the difference: Converter and the Scranders. That should unlock a new model.

>>32035476
Not in a fight anymore, should be able to handwave it. We can also try one of the real longshots and see if we have a System Call resource now.

>>32035480
>the ego to integrate fully with Daegal
You want to turn full Sephiroth?

(Gentlemen, my apologies: I lost the connection for a moment. Writing now.)

>>32035505
It's not our mum, it can't make us do anything we don't want to!

>>32035504
>Not in a fight anymore, should be able to handwave it.
What do you mean?
Giving away two relics requires 50% charge.

Anyway, if you insist:
Converter is good, even if I prefer AI.
I like Scranders more than plating.

Also, why are we STILL producing Virtues instead of Basics?

>>32035205
We need the memory, now more then ever. Only as a true Joker will we have the ego to integrate fully with Daegal

>>32035531

Beacaue the ratio of virtues to basics is still kind of low.

Also when you take into account that they passively boost the surround hellions by taking command and are the conduit for passing orders from the base, having more is better.

Is there any player we cannot reliably 1v1? We can 1v2 most guys unless it's some sort of devil combination like RK/Kraken

>>32035581
Rust Kaiser is still pretty much Joker's Nemesis.

>>32035505
Yes. If we add the power of the Joker to the ultimate armour, we will be able to crush all. Even the Black Joker.

Using the essence from the original hive to advance Daegal's creation would also aid this process.

I have reason to believe also that a fully manifested Daegal can use Hellions at will. This would simultaneously end the Amagalm problem and the Collector issue.

>>32035540
Shit, sorry about the repost. I'm on mobile

I wonder if we are the only player with a pimp hand.

File: jokermio.jpg (36 KB, 560x420)

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> [X] Visit the Red Joker's gravesite, once again.

Once again, then. You retrace your path; The minutes blurring into a haze of fatigue, that comes with the vague awareness of transit - And the empty moments that come with them. The low hum of the tram, from one station to the next; The creak and sway of the almost-empty bus, winding down cracked roads...

-All the same.

It seems to take less time, somehow. As if the place exerts an irresistible attraction on you, like iron filings to a magnet. Soon - And it happens so smoothly, you can't begin to say when it began - you find yourself pacing through the cold alleys, frost blistering the walls as a chill wind gusts and ebbs around you.

Almost there.

>>32035244

> Can we text Mio in transit? Just to arrange a meeting for tomorrow.

Your phone's neon screen sheds a tiny radiance of it's own - Just enough light to see the dark by.

> I think I know how to handle the reveals. Ask her to meet us at the same park where we ended the last date, at about 6:30.

Your message wings it's way through the ether - In space of a few minutes, you receive your response, the faint vibration of your phone sending a pulse through your numb fingers.

> Anon-kun...We ll be at the same place 2morrow~
> We can go around the school together...
> I'll see anon-kun there -
> Just call me when you're free - I want to meet you again.

Even in the brief message, Mio's enthusiasm is infectious.

> [X] Call Isao/Distortion Haze.

The phone rings for a long time - For a moment, you're not sure if he's going to pick up at all. Just when you're about to hang up - Just as your destination nears - there's the faint click on the other line, as Isao answers.

(Continued)

>>32035625

No.

Especially since its not a golden hand and a golden gauntlet.

>>32035531
Sorry, was responding to the memory thing, going to the Sun could be handwaved as happening "off screen".

Were we planning on giving away Relics? I thought we split hard on that. Besides, there's one thing that all Players love more than Relics, and we can give out the equivalent with one item in the Vault. It'll be the biggest betrayal I've made to date in the quest: Lucifer Bits unlock Interceptor system on anyone we give them to. That's the equivalent of a level in Evol. We get those and whore them out to everyone we know.

>>32035625
Akira's got a bony one. Heh.

>>32035650

Didnt joker op say the same for coasair bits as well?

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36 KB JPG

>>32035645

"H-hey, Anon." There's a tension to his voice, as if he's steeling himself to do something truly drastic - But hoping it won't come to that, all the same. He draws a slow breath, one that rasps in his throat; Isao sounds nervous, or at least more so than before.

"-What's..." An exhalation. "...What's going on?"

Fabric rustles - His scarf, brushing lightly against the mouthpiece. Wherever he is, it's cold, too.

[ ] "I'd like to know your answer."
[ ] "-I need you to contact the others."
[ ] "How are you holding up?"
[ ] "Has anything unusual happened, recently?"
[ ] "You sound nervous."
[ ] "Will you be at Seisin High tomorrow?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32035650
>Were we planning on giving away Relics? I thought we split hard on that. Besides, there's one thing that all Players love more than Relics, and we can give out the equivalent with one item in the Vault. It'll be the biggest betrayal I've made to date in the quest: Lucifer Bits unlock Interceptor system on anyone we give them to. That's the equivalent of a level in Evol. We get those and whore them out to everyone we know.
But the bits are still relics.

My stance was that we invite the two and JQOP can decide if they go for any of the relics or something else.

>>32035581
The only players known to be on RJ's level/above him are Rust Kaiser, Ixion and Argent. Kraken is close, but still can't defeat even a severely weakened Joker.

>>32035678
>[ ] "You sound nervous."

Please don't press him.
...Did we already set a date for meeting him or is it only Natsumi right now?

>>32035678
>[ ] "How are you holding up?"
>[ ] "Has anything unusual happened, recently?"
>[ ] "Will you be at Seisin High tomorrow?"

Talk about the relatively normal things.

We've made the first step. Now its time for him to decide if hes willing to meet us.

>>32035678
>[ ] "You sound nervous."

>>32035682
>Kraken is close, but still can't defeat even a severely weakened Joker.
Kraken is so weak that his attacks grant us powerups.

Also, Hisao will profit the most from interceptors, due to his nature.

>>32035698

Not really, he'll benefit more from a powerful direct fire weapon rather than a weapon that takes meter.

He probably doesnt have the meter upgrades that we have.

>>32035698
>Kraken is so weak that his attacks grant us powerups.
To be fair, we eat souls to get stronger. The better the opponent, the nicer the powerups.

>>32035665
OP responded to Cosgrove's tweet about the Lucifer Bits, specifically. We'll have to ask I suppose.

>>32035678
>[X] "How are you holding up?"
>[X] "I'd like to know your answer."
"Have they told you anything about Shuya? I haven't asked, I'm afraid."

Hmm. I think... yes, we should. [X] "-I need you to contact the others."

>>32035689
Only Natsumi, and that's more intention than actual agreement.

>>32035735
>>[X] "I'd like to know your answer."

Lets not push him first. We've made contact, now its on him to man up.

>>32035698
>>32035722
I think you both forget that we agreed that Joker never gives up guns.

>>32035748
>guns
We also agreed that everyone hates interceptors.
Removing temptation is good.

>>32035748

Guns that we cant use.

No sense hogging all of them if we can make use of them.

Otherwise we've actually already gone against that.

Since we armed the raiding party with GUNS.

>>32035757
>We also agreed that everyone hates interceptors.
What? When? They've proved to be useful a number of times, they just desperately need an upgrade.

>>32035757
Hah. I'm looking forward to unlocking the lucifers myself.

And a number of anons are in agreement and one has previously made a good argument as to why they're the next significant increase in our firepower.

>>32035678
I want your answer and contact the others.

Also, blah u ok? Blah

>>32035735
Wata, lets not pressure isao for an answer immediately off the bat. Give him some time.

I expect he'll say it at the very end.

>>32035757
Even the interceptors have their defenders, whereas when I suggested giving Haze the Immolator during the raid I was shouted down unanimously.

Funny how that would have removed temptation as you put it, but there you go.

>>32035813
Well thats likely because the immolators a good gun that we make use of regularly.

Kill it with fire usually works wonders.

Except when we apply it to an ally being used as a shield... orz

>>32035830
We've used it all of once successfully. The other instances were the team kill and Daegal (no sell).

The Launcher would have been the superior investment, I have to say.

>>32035735
>>32035681

(I would say, in this instance - Lucifer Bits can be handed out, Corsair Bits can't. The former's a Relic that 'comes with' the capacity to use it; The latter is more of a modification to the existing system.

It's the same way that the Assault Shroud upgrades can only be applied to you. There's only that single Relic, after all.)

> [X] "How are you holding up?"
> [X] "Will you be at Seisin High tomorrow?"

"...Okay, I guess." There's a subdued note to his voice; "I've been packing for tomorrow - It's going to be a big day." Isao tries to laugh, but only manages a bleak chuckle; "-Sorry," he says, and subsides.

> [X] "You sound nervous."
> [X] "Have they told you anything about Shuya? I haven't asked, I'm afraid."

"-Yeah." Monosyllabic, again. He swallows - "...I can't stop thinking about - About what happened to Shuya. I always thought that...As long as you don't *die*, you're fine, right? It made things feel less - Less dire, somehow. Like there always was a way out..."

His voice trails off.

"That - What *happened* - it scares me. I haven't heard anything, but..."

"...Anon, what if he doesn't come back?"

A silence looms. "-What if he doesn't get better?"

"If it happened to him - Could it happen to *us*, too?"

> [X] "-I need you to contact the others."

"Right, right." Isao sounds relieved, somehow. "That - That I can do. Just tell me when's a good time, and I'll...I'll leave a message for them." Subdued, once more; "...Shuya - He left instructions on how to do it. Just in case."

>>32035735
>>32035747

> [X] "I'd like to know your answer."

(Continued)

>>32035873
>"...Shuya - He left instructions on how to do it. Just in case."
I now imagine a mailing list where Shuya forgot to delete any possible traitors.

>>32035873
Can others utilize unlocked modules if they have the appropriate system?

>>32035889
What, himself?

>>32035902
>Can others utilize unlocked modules if they have the appropriate system?
To elaborate:
Can we get other people scanned to grant upgrades specific to them? Like a better head-mounted Vulcan for Bishamon?

>What, himself?
I was mostly joking about computer illiterates. Maybe the group had traitors in the past or something.
...Or maybe an ex-girlfriend.

>>32035918
Not what I meant. If someone else had an Shroud relic, could they apply the mods we've unlocked for it?

Also that'd be an out of date mailing list, and there probably are some names left on it that shouldn't be, like all the dead people.

>>32035873

Silence. For a long moment, the only sound is Isao's breathing, shallow and uncertain.

Then -

"...There isn't a way out, is there." His voice crackles over the line.

"I thought - There might be *some way* that...I don't know...I could wait for all of it to be over. Some way to be safe, some way to stay out of trouble...But it's never going to be that simple, is it?"

"I'm...going to have to fight, no matter what."

"So - Anon...No, Joker - Please show me how to fight."

[ ] "Tell the others to...
- [ ] "...Be near Seisin High for the next few days."
- [ ] "-Keep an eye out. Something big is going to happen."
- [ ] "Lie low, and wait for further instructions. Do nothing to draw attention."
- [ ] "Gather at the first opportunity."
- [ ] "Target any Smilers they can find."

[ ] "-I know a place. Meet me there..."
- [ ] Tonight.
- [ ] Tomorrow.
- [ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32035963
>Not what I meant.
Yeah, I know.
Maybe "to elaborate" was wrong to say. "To add" might have been the better choice of words.

I just thought that both are thematically similar. Though the Bishamon Vulcans were likely a bad example, because I'd think that they aren't actually relics.

>>32035963

(By all means, if they're sufficiently close. You might have pay an energy cost to adapt them accordingly, and the effects might be altered.)

>>32035981
Invite him to the same meeting as Natsumi.

"I'm glad about your choice. I might have a present waiting for you."
Don't say this if the other players think that we shouldn't give him a relic.

>>32035981
>[ ] "Tell the others to...
other
- [ ] Gather tomorrow night

Time to raise the flag of the Red Army.

>-[ ] "-I know a place. Meet me there..."
- [ ] Tomorrow.

>>32036008
>"I'm glad about your choice. I might have a present waiting for you."

How about we surprise him. (I honestly want to pass him a suitable weapon after we see how he fights)

>>32036000
I love procedural generation.

>>32036009
>Red Army.
You want to arm the working class and eradicate the ruling class?
Do you also intend to change our logo into a hammer and a sickle?

>>32035981
Tell the others to go near the high school.
Meet him tonight, after Joker memory. Show him the Jokercave

>>32036020
You know what is hilarious about our combat style?
http://www.sirlin.net/articles/playing-to-win-part-1.html
This is exactly how we fight. It's the "playing to win" mentality applied to survival.

>>32036025

Nah, chaingun and Wrecking Ball.

>>32035981
"For us... for all of us... the only way out is through. I doubt it's any consolation, but you're handling it better than I did.

[ ] "Tell the others to...
- [X] "-Keep an eye out. Something big is going to happen."

[ ] "-I know a place. Meet me there..."
- [X] Tomorrow.

>>32035985
I imagine they're his Evol option.

>>32036033
We're doing ONE thing tonight. It's Isao or the memory.

>>32036033
>Meet him tonight, after Joker memory. Show him the Jokercave
I would expect that Anon still requires sleep.

I do wonder, though: Does sleep deprivation affect our player form?

>>32035981
Tell our disciple to raise the flag tomorrow. We can meet him then for training.

Make the hollow sun the meeting point. It is time to for our forces to see what they've shackled themselves to.

>>32035981
- [ ] "-Keep an eye out. Something big is going to happen."

Because it is, and we want back up.

>>32036008
Eesh. No.

>>32036020
He has no style. His Red World career is fire missile. That's why he's so unsettled now.

>>32036074
No. Don't do this. Why do people always want to show off the Hollow Sun?

>>32036079
>He has no style. His Red World career is fire missile. That's why he's so unsettled now.
Exactly.
That's why we teach him to play to win.
First thing will be lessons in melee combat.

>>32036079
Well we've handed him some hellion weaponary and he has that needle gun.

So we need to get him more weapons, light cells and show him how to fight properly instead of learning in actual combat where he might die.

>>32036055
Yes, to some extent. You feel physical injuries and other physical effects but muted.

>>32036087
>>32036093
Not to put too fine a point on it, but we don't have time to teach anything combat related with any degree of correctness. It's going to have to be confidence/psychology/morale if we want to get anything across.

Also training arcs are awful in every genre and I refuse to be party to one.

Training regime for Hisao melee combat:
- Tell the Sun to produce health counters. Remember the spheres that originally displayed health during early parts of the quest?
This is to avoid death out of carelessness.
- Store our relics in the Sun.
- Power down all passive effects and equipment, like our stasis field
- Cast EXEC_Disrupt + Verbatim on Hisao
- FIGHT!
...I wish the Sun had a VR setting.

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>>32036124
RIGHT after my post. Good lord no.

>>32036115
>Not to put too fine a point on it, but we don't have time to teach anything combat related with any degree of correctness. It's going to have to be confidence/psychology/morale if we want to get anything across.
That's why my point was "play to win", not "weapon training".

See >>32036124. We want to fist fight him until he understands the right mindset.

Plus, I would imagine that this would go on in the background as a recurring event, similar to Hollow Sun control for queuing upgrades.

>>32036136
>We want to fist fight him until he understands the right mindset
There's a certain kind of person for whom that would be effective. I do not believe Isao is that kind of person. Joker could beat him bloody in both worlds and by the end of training Isao would know that Joker is very good at beating him up.

I don't know what this is going to consist of, but I'm reasonably certain that's not it. And why would it be automatic, we're going to be spending time doing this.

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> [X] "Tell the others to...
- [X] Gather tomorrow night
- [X] "-Keep an eye out. Something big is going to happen."
- [X] "...Be near Seisin High for the next few days."

"What, all that?" Isao laughs, but it's a sickly sound - One that quickly subsides.

"I'll tell them," he says, more serious now - "...They've been hoping to hear from you again, I think. Have you seen the marks they've been putting up?"

> "I'm glad about your choice. I might have a present waiting for you."

"...Yeah, well - I'll look forward to it."

Isao sounds like someone who's secretly wondering what he's got himself into - But then he draws a deep breath. He's decided, after all.

"-Tomorrow, then."

The line cuts out, and you walk deeper into the dark.

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

The alley, once more. Your breath smokes, as the Joker's Memory sheds it's dim light; A light that resonates with the deeper glow of the symbol on the scarred walls. Tiny mechanisms move within - The wavering light makes the shadows braid and twist and curl, as the source of illumination shifts.

Or perhaps the Joker's Memory is the only solid thing in a shifting world.

It turns in your hands. A hush descends, as segments slide and fragment; Folding and spindling in ways you can't begin to describe, in ways that defy any sense of perception. The emerald radiance shifts, slowly but subtly, to red - Some trick of perception makes the cracks, the flaws in the scarred wall seem deeper still, as if Essence is bleeding through the cracks.

It's not too late to stop.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32036192
Then just link him the Sirlin article.
(Fuck, that's meta)
He should get the idea, at least.

>>32036195

NO BRAKES LETS DO THIS.

FUCKING FINALLY

>>32036195
GO BALLS DEEP
AT LEAST IT'S NOT NTR THIS TIME
SO NO REGRETS

>>32036195
Gooooooooooooooooooooo

>>32036195
Open the damn thing already!

>Joker opens memory
>BAD END

>>32036195
Fuck that, open it.

>>32036195
At the bottom of Pandora's Box there was hope. But was that a gift from the gods who pitied their worshipers at the end, or a cruel trick to deepen their suffering? Perhaps even they don't know.

All I know is this hole was made for us.

>>32036195
NO BRAKES, OPEN IT

>>32036243

Fuck you, wata. I was drinking.

I need to clean this mess up.

>>32036243
drr

>>32036195
MAXIMUM JOKER

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>>32036263
I'm not apologizing.

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>>32036206
>>32036216
>>32036224
>>32036228

Another turn, then another. Unfurling, and opening, like the petals of a metal flower. The interior surfaces are brilliantly polished, each side of a different material; Your reflection - Distorted, fragmented - skates across something that might be lacquer, might be black marble, might be obsidian.

It turns on mechanisms that you cannot begin to understand. You're reaching *into* it, now - Through it - the imperceptible seams giving way beneath your patient assault, revealing overlapping layers of black enamel; It barely resembles a cube, any longer - It's a fractal bloom, an expanding shape that...

-Abruptly, you realize that the Red Joker's mark is changing, too. The change is no longer a subtle one - Flaws thread through your vision, as time begins to run out of joint - an oppressive gloom gathering, as your hands form a shape they were never designed to make-

The last seal is *within*. You're uncertain how the Joker's Memory is still holding itself together - The separated pieces seeming to revolve around an invisible axis, refusing to reveal the innermost secret...But not to you. To you, it is the easiest thing in the world.

Somewhere, distantly, a bell tolls. The *clack* that comes is the sound of a trap slamming shut, the screech of unoiled hinges.

The world splinters.

(Continued)

>>32036308
>The world splinters.
Time for Old Joker to be really pissed off about our behavior.

So, guys remember how RJ is missing his heart? and Gets called anon-kun. If we ever fix that I think we might get a name. We've been reading Anon-kun because RJ is an empty existence on the world.

>>32036375
We might also need a true love to get a positive result out of the memory thing. Due to our indecisiveness we might get fucked over.

>>32036375
I actually though about that. It's a fun idea.
Though, I also thought that the Hyades were originally representations of a Player's future (ala "C"), which is why their powers always seemed to cover their Champion's weakness. Basically, I though that Cybele was RJ's essence-based hypothetical daughter.

>>32036375
That's going to be a fun plot thread to run with. Still haven't decided when to use it, though I'm thinking it won't be long now.

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>>32036308

The wind howls, with the surrusation of acid waves against a beach of black sand. The sound cuts into you like a knife, achingly familiar, with the freezing grasp of a long-forgotten nightmare; Then comes the low, damned groan of the ground shifting beneath your feet. The world has grown dark, around you - A pall of unnatural blackness that descends like a shroud, as palpable as pressurized oil.

Like black storm water, blinding and choking and drowning everything - It gathers, void-hard and eternal, as the ground, the ground...

-The ground is giving way beneath your feet. Black oil streams down the walls of the alley, like tears; It exerts a inexorable pull as it gathers around you, your limbs moving with the sluggishness of nightmare - The Joker's Memory clutched in numb fingers as the terrible red light comes from everywhere and nowhere at once-

The Black Joker's symbol burns before you, a light that blisters and burns through the film of reality. You cannot see it, but you have a sense of something uncoiling, something vast, something black, unwrapping and expanding, moving out of a pit older than all the eons, moving up through the primordial darkness, moving towards the blood-red light that burns between your hands-

Moving towards you.

The Joker's Memory burns with the Black Joker's mark - You can feel the bitter throb through your fingers, as the walls begin to pulse with the beat of an undying heart-

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>32036375
>RJ actually has a human name
>ever since losing his heart he couldn't hear his own name
>after all the time in the Hive he forgot the name he had and thus never realized that he doesn't know his own name
>every time someone calls his name, it's actually just bleeped out to him so he mentally replaces it with Anon/Nanashi

>>32036308
Black joker in the puzzle box. Heh, makes sense why the girl was only a memory we could see.

The Smilers are fucked.

>>32036452
Eeeeeeh, pull the nigil sphere out?

>>32036452

TURN IT BACK

FOR FUCK'S SAKE, TURN IT BACK

>>32036452

..Are we suppose to accept this thing into us?

We're still free of its corrupting influence right?

I guess approach it?

>>32036411
Now there's an awful thought. All that incest going around. Not interested, thank you very much.

Isn't it more like the Hyades become perfect partners? In other words, they're a representation of the Player's ideal spouse. Which says interesting things about Joker since his Cybele is like Mio but in the Red World instead of the real world.

>>32036452
So the Joker's Memory was a trap. Wonder who set it. Of course, we know where Akira got most of his stuff...

Oh well. Knife it with the Misericorde.

>>32036452
>The Black Joker's symbol burns before you, a light that blisters and burns through the film of reality. You cannot see it, but you have a sense of something uncoiling, something vast, something black, unwrapping and expanding, moving out of a pit older than all the eons, moving up through the primordial darkness, moving towards the blood-red light that burns between your hands-

So the Black Joker is coming towards the Memory? Or did the Black Joker came FROM the memory? I don't understand.

>>32036452
...That explains why we were immune to the black goo.

>>32036479

Seconding this, close the box.

>>32036519
No.

>>32036506
Stab it.

>>32036452

Can we undo this somehow? We've done something very, very bad.

>>32036482
So now we take in the Black Joker? Our color theme keeps changing.

>>32036452
Use the Talon on it and grab it with Daegal's fist; the Hand of Midas is of a higher system access and the opposite of the Black Joker.

And if the talon can put down Daegal, it can put down this fuck.

>>32036545

Dark Red Joker?

>>32036308
>>32036452
>The separated pieces seeming to revolve around an invisible axis, refusing to reveal the innermost secret...But not to you. To you, it is the easiest thing in the world.
So did we open the last seal or not? Is the Joker Memory empty inside and all it did was draw the Black Joker? I don't get it

>>32036507
Seems like part of the Black Joker regalia. A part of the Black Joker separated from the whole, either by the Red Joker or to entrap him.

So it's the main part of the Black Joker coming for the part we have in hand.

>>32036482
>>32036545
It doesn't like us, and we don't like it, so whatever it wants we ice.

>>32036545
- Red Joker
- Midas Gauntlet
- Cobalt Booster
...We were Iron Man.
- Nihl Sphere/Black Cardinal
- Black Joker
- Silver filament upgrades

>>32036552
But won't we turn gold from having the Daegal brand Deagle armor as well?

>>32036506

Considering that the Joker memory only seems to response to and give up its secrets to the Joker, I dont think it might be a trap.

I'd like to see what happens. And we're not in combat yet, after all.

>>32036552
>>32036566
Hot Rod Red. With gold accent color. And a blue reactor in the chest.

>>32036506
>In other words, they're a representation of the Player's ideal spouse.
And yet she's the one girl he least cared about. Oh the irony. Also, I'm not sure if the spouse thing fits in, considering how childish Cybele was.

>>32036570
It's the JOKER'S Memory.

Not the RED JOKER'S Memory.

>>32036575
But wouldn't that make us...Rodimus Prime?

>>32036560
>A part of the Black Joker separated from the whole

Where did you get this from? I don't see OP describing what's inside the memory, only that its pulsating.

>>32036552
>>32036545
>>32036570
>>32036564
This. Lets not kill it yet; see if we can absorb it. In a deck of cards a Joker is neither black or red; it is merely a Joker.

What we're looking at is the other side of the coin. We can beat this thing and I think trying to take it in might be ideal as Daegal and it can war for control of us while we exploit and use both.

>>32036579

Perhaps then it responses to any joker class that is able to unlock it?

Thing with the placement of the unlocking mechanism and the wording that Joker OP uses to describe us understanding it, I can only see that this was meant for us alone.

>>32036473

You fumble the Nihl Sphere from your pocket - It burns so fiercely your fingers begin to blister, as shafts of violet light carve through the impenetrable darkness-

And for one moment, you see everything. Everything.

Beneath you, the void awaits. Great, twisting spires of stone bridge a vast gulf, filled with the blemish of forgotten suns. An ochone moaning crackles in your ears, decaying into oblivion - A terrible pressure pushing your eyes back into their sockets, as you hear the distant, gigantic grinding sound, like cliffs scraping against cliffs...

You know this.

You know what this is.

This has happened before.

(Continued)