Ah fucking hell, I took some advice like half a year ago to switch to image hosting through a private discord channel after the imgur apocalypse, but I guess discord just did a purge of all old images or something, cause the imgur links are still live but all the discord channel links are dead. I have the pictures saved I'll have to find a different host. There goes my evening.
Ah fucking hell, I took some advice like half a year ago to switch to image hosting through a private discord channel after the imgur apocalypse, but I guess discord just did a purge of all old images or something, cause the imgur links are still live but all the discord channel links are dead. I have the pictures saved I'll have to find a different host. There goes my evening.
Okay it's like 99% fixed, all 400 goddamn image links. Here's hoping imgbb is a more stable image hosting platform. I thought the discord server solution was too good to be true and thus I was burned.
[X] Walking (and running) without Rhythm
-[X] Combat Maneveurs
--[X] [Escape and Evasion 1]
--[X] [Pistol Training 1]
-[X] Custom Order
--[X] Betelgeuse Op.Pistol
--[X] Nambu Type 97 -Cosmo Navy-
--[X] Maxim Gun (mitigate part of cost with 2 Mistcoin)
--[X] Colt Single Action Army -Cavalry-
--[X] Gravity Saber
SATURDAY - 206 CYCLES POST STARFALL
1600 Glocken Standard Time
The «Bullet of Bullets».
The highest stakes tournament of GGO— thirty contestants duking it out in a bloody battle royale until only one contestant stands. You studied up on the tournament rules in preparation for your infiltration, and you're already encountering your first problem.
Namely, the preliminaries.
You talked a big game to Kikuoka, but truth be told there's very little direct evidence that you will find anything of value in this tournament. This wasn't ALO where the goal was clear from the start— your only lead is this «Death Gun».
XeXeeD only told you second-hand information, and it was doubtful that «Death Gun» was even his actual username. An alias within an alias. A mysterious player who dueled both of the GGO victims, only to have the victims wind up dead IRL.
Kikuoka believes that the murderer was trying to send a message. Create mass panic, and trigger another SAO-style incident. So far Kikuoka has stymied his efforts by restricting the release of the information.
Presuming you were the culprit... what would you do next?
You'd strike again. In a manner so spectacular, so public, it'd be impossible to ignore. Something even the government can't sweep under the rug. The «Bullet of Bullets».
But there's one problem in the way of that plan, both for Death Gun and for you.
The preliminaries.
You stare up at the holographic countdown, ticking down the seconds until the round begins. A bit over 100 players signed up for the BoB this month and the preliminaries were to decrease that number down to 30 in two rounds of single elimination. You had half expected your ArFA status the glitch the system out so much you wouldn't even be able to sign up, but in a twist of fate, the bracket system assigned you a bye.
The glowing number decreases to 25 seconds.
But this meant that your first preliminary round would be against another player who was allowed to advance straight into the second round.
And unlike you, who got lucky?
You know exactly why your next opponent received a bye. After all, it was practically tradition...
For the champion to skip straight to the end.
10 seconds left.
It's just staring down at you, taunting you. The glowing sign that portends your doom. All the plans you set into motion are ruined by a random roll of the cosmic die.
<Kuro vs 『 』>
5 seconds.
Sinon was waiting for you. An entire investigation could be hinging on this one tournament. You had no desire to come into conflict with the champion. Could you perhaps come to an agreement? Or would the champion blow you off, literally?
But could you afford to bow out now? Before the opening bell is even rung?
No. Even if it is the champion. Even if it is the undefeated one.
『 』is in your way.
3...2...1
<FIGHT!>
The dull metal box you were loading in dissolves into a lush rainforest. With the sound of the wind rustling through the thick foliage and the babbling of a nearby stream, you almost feel like you're back in ALO.
Many of 『 』's fights were televised, and you kick yourself for never taking the time to hunt them down. All you know is that『 』went undefeated, and was widely considered the strongest player in GGO history. How does one go undefeated in a shooting game? By eliminating one's foes before they can even shoot a single bullet.
You duck down into the bushes, crouching behind cover as you slowly move through the forest. Itami spent your entire first session playing, of all things, hide and seek with you. He called it Escape and Evasion— a simple game where you were tasked with shooting 3 mannequins in the corners of the arena all while Itami hunted you.
You lost every single round.
Itami taught you some tricks. Ways to limit the noise you make or how you traverse terrain more carefully. Some practical advice mixed in with something more poetic— Listen to your, uh, instincts? Your subconscious is better at making those split-second decisions for you.
His advice was about as half-assed as his training was, but you remember it now as you sneak through the forest.
You don't feel like you're in danger. Does this mean your opponent isn't engaging you? Or did 『 』 have a more sinister plan?
Slightly nervous, you check your UI. You've been in combat for 55 seconds.
56...
57...
You wish you possessed a Persona that could scout ahead. Raw destruction was all well and good, but what use was it if you couldn't even find your opponent?
59...
A sharp, impossibly loud noise cracks through the forest. It's coming from above you, a pure wave of concussive force traveling down into the earth. You lurch forward, losing your balance from the sudden vibration in the ground and grass.
You freeze up, looking behind you up to the skies.
Nothing moves. The birds are silent.
And glowing blue letters flash bombastically in midair.
<WINNER: KURO!>
SATURDAY - 206 CYCLES POST STARFALL
1600 Glocken Standard Time
You feel the collective weight of thirty bloodthirsty players glaring down as you walk through the bar. You've managed to make it through the BoB preliminaries without firing a single bullet, having vanquished the undefeated champion of GGO through the awesome power of proper attendance.
It seems you were the final preliminary match— no doubt the organizers wanted to save the hype up until the last moment. You wonder what the spectators watching outside are feeling, seeing the undefeated champion ditch GGO's biggest tournament. You hear the BoB has a robust gambling scene— if any lunatic bet on you winning that particular match, well, they were about to become very, very, rich...
You scan the room, trying to locate your allies. Lugh is sitting at a booth, making small talk with a mustached man in a cowboy hat. You worked out a plan before the BoB— Lugh would walk around the players and try to scout out potential candidates for Death Gun without directly being seen by your side. The less people knew about your collaboration the better.
You feel two taps on your shoulder. You don't bother turning around— this was the predetermined signal Gwen told you to look out for. With her ability to hide in plain sight, she would be more than able to eavesdrop on private conversations. To Gwen's immense surprise, the active camo even worked while inside town— or in this case inside a bar. That feature couldn't have been intentional, but you're not above abusing that oversight for your own purpose.
It seems that Lugh and Gwen both passed the preliminaries without issue. It's an advantage to be sure, but ultimately this was a battle royale free for all. You would all be spawned in random locations and direct collaboration would be logistically challenging. The system would give you a «Satellite Scan Terminal» that would reveal all player locations every 15 minutes— but that wouldn't allow you to communicate with your allies across great distances.
Luckily for you, Lugh already figured out a solution. Yesterday he drilled both you and Gwen on a series of signal flares, allowing you all a measure of cooperation for the event. Lugh would be using a flaregun he purchased, where as you would could simply cast elemental spells into the sky. It would draw attention to you, but it's not as if you could hide with the Satellite Scan system.
Once again you're reminded of how oppressive your lack of information was. OBERON was overconfident, one could even say stupid. At no point did he even try to hide from you. He was a giant waiting in his lair, content to ignore the puny ants crawling along the floor until one of them burned his house down.
But this... Death Gun. Someone you're still not even sure is involved... you have nothing. No name, no ID, just a scratchy voice recording and some oblique second-hand witness accounts of red eyes.
...
Red eyes.
...
If... if you're dealing with a Coffin...
Then you're dealing with an enemy with two years of experience in hiding his identity. One who thrived and killed in the most PK-hostile video game in MMO history. Someone who... knows how you work.
Knows how you think.
No. Just a coincidence. Just speculation.
And even if it was a Coffin you're dealing with... it doesn't change what you need to do. You were here to stop the murders, no matter who was the culprit. Even if it was a Coffin. Even if it was...
She sees you. For a second you see a flash of red— But it's just a trick of the light.
A pair of ocean-blue eyes meets yours. The focus is akin to that of a laser, fully locked on. Unblinking. You feel in this moment, that if she had a gun in her hands, you would be dead. There is an intensity, a promise—
It's those same eyes. The ones that bore into you day and in day out. The red eyes of promised death, the eyes that demanded you remain LC's good little spy, lest those eyes turn their fury onto you.
You take one step back.
But no more.
Not anymore. You are not that person anymore.
You stare back at Sinon. She promised she would kill you once you entered this game— and you promised in return. That you would defeat her, wake her from her dream, and together go help Kyouji.
You will not cower.
And Sinon... lifts up her muffler and turns away from you, unable to meet your gaze.
...
You could go talk to her. You know it won't make a difference. You'll need to wake her the same way you did with Gwen. A glowing countdown materializes within the bar. The main BoB event was starting in less than 10 minutes. You've armed yourself to the teeth, a half dozen and more pistols in various holsters lining the inside of your raincoat— a small arsenal of antique weapons in hammer space and the thrum of your Gravity Saber making its presence felt by your side.
You are ready. As much as you can be. All you need now—
"Well if it isn't the new champion!"
—Is to avoid Itsuki for 10 more minutes.
"Good evening, Kuro. I must say, you look lovely today," Itsuki purrs, batting his eyelids at you in an attempt to appear suave. He's handsome, it's indisputable, but every hair on your body is standing on edge. Your mom warned you about playboys— and now you're starting to see why.
"Hello, Itsuki. Charmed I'm sure," you respond politely through pursed lips. Itsuki has taken over a booth on the second floor, placing himself with a commanding view over the entire bar.
"Please, I can see those weapons weighing you down. Must've broken the piggy bank recently, no? Why don't you order some refreshments? I'll cover, my treat, for the new champion." Itsuki winks at you, earning another grimace from you.
"Shutup, Itsuki. She's not the champion, 『 』just finally decided to do us all a favor and fuck off. Bet he jumped ship to Shangri-La like all the other losers," says Itsuki's drinking companion, reclining into the seat cushion with his combat boots propped up in the middle of the table. "Oh, and I'll have two shots of the 50-year malt."
XeXeeD, still in his stupid sunglasses, sips on his simulated alcoholic beverage while a sour-faced Itsuki frowns in his seat. "XeXeeD, one serving costs half a Megacredit, and you can't even get drunk—"
"Make that three shots. Kuro'll need one too just to tolerate your presence."
Well if he's offering to pay, who are you to refuse? Let's see... you flip open the bar's menu, and scroll down to the most ridiculously large fruit parfait you've ever seen. It's virtual so you can't get fat, and fruit is healthy!
The three of you sit around in the corner booth, drinking in silence.
Well— not completely silent. Itsuki sighs every now and then whenever XeXeeD orders another expensive drink on his dime. XeXeeD on the other hand is slowly accumulating a small pile of empty shot glasses.
"So..." you can't take the tension any longer. "Are you actually getting drunk?"
"Nah. It's all VR crap— but it tastes smooth going down. Even more so when it's Itsuki's money."
"I was only offering to pay for Kuro—"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll take another shot— make it a double this time."
Itsuki just shakes his head and laughs. "Liquid courage won't give you true strength, XeXeeD. It's not too late to turn back, your plan is insanity manifest—"
"Shut up. Now Kuro, have you made any more progress in your little investigation?" asks XeXeeD, glaring down at you from beneath his shades. "Your government contact manage to drag anything up?"
"Well..." you take a pause, giving a side-along glance at the unwanted interloper.
"Oh, don't worry about me! XeXeeD already told me everything!" Itsuki sings, swirling a drink in his hand. "A virtual murderer with red eyes able to kill you in the real world while you're logged into a VRMMO. This kind of concept sounds familiar, don't you think?"
...
You slam your fists on the table so hard it knocks a few empty glasses over.
"You told HIM!?" you hiss angrily, about five seconds away from strangling XeXeeD.
"That's very hurtful of you Kuro, I only wish to assist—"
"Shut up Itsuki! And you! This is a confidential investigation! Who the hell else have you told!?" you scream, shoving your finger in the face of your nominal ally.
<Attention all contestants! The BoB will begin in five minutes! Please take this time to make any final preparations before the carnage begins!>
The announcements ring through the bar like the opening bell for class. No one's speaking at the moment, the buzz of impending battle erasing all sense of conversation. Well, except for the three of you squabbling in the corner.
"Let me get one thing clear, Kuro. You. Do. Not. Belong. In. GGO! Feel me? I appreciate you informing me of this potential menace to this game, but you can take your cheating ass and go the fuck home because I got this handled."
You feel your veins popping in your neck. "You don't have shit handled! You couldn't even beat me!"
"『 』has finally fucked off to go ruin some other video game. So do you know what that means?" XeXeeD puffs. "I'm the #1 player now. Best of the best, champion of GGO. Our little spat don't count for nothin'— it was two on one and frankly?"
XeXeeD leans forward, a cocky sneer beneath his shades, and slams a polished black rifle onto the table— it's a humongous assault rifle with two barrels that looked like it was pulled out of a cyberpunk manga. It's not a gun model you recognize, but from its aesthetic alone you can feel the weight of pure lethality.
"You are so outmatched. See? You've got nothing to worry about, Kuro. Once Death Gun shows his face— I'mma blow it straight off." XeXeeD grabs his strange rifle by the handle, setting it to the side of his seat like a security blanket.
"That's the thing— Death Gun won't be showing his face! It's not his damn MO!"
"Oh, don't worry, I've got a plan."
"Oh, do tell because the way I see it your only plan is the wave your dumb ass around like a target!" you growl. "We don't even know who this Death Gun is!"
"Ah, if I may interrupt..." Itsuki says, raising his hand sheepishly. "Because from my perspective, it is you who is lacking in an actionable plan, Kuro."
You cross your arms, your scowl deepening in response.
"Tell me, Kuro. What exactly are you planning? Your investigative prospects here are, dare I say, less than minimal. Death Gun could be, as you say, anyone here. He could even not be here, or perhaps he didn't even get through the preliminaries." Itsuki pauses to finish the rest of his drink. "There are many powerful builds that excel in a PK environment that would be comparatively useless in a fair one-on-one fight."
You think of Sinon, still glaring at you from the other side of the bar. "I have a... person of interest I need to directly investigate. And no, I won't be telling you who it is."
"Person of interest?" Itsuki croons. "Is it perhaps the young lady who's been staring daggers at you for the past 5 minutes?"
Your body flinches, which is all the confirmation Itsuki needs. It finally clicks why he pisses you off so much— the smarmy, casual attitude paired with an annoyingly observant mind— reminds you of PoH.
"What Sinon? That stupid one trick pony?" XeXeeD laughs, "you suspect her? She doesn't have the balls, literally."
"I'm not exactly flush with options," you say. "So fine, since you've dragged Itsuki into this already, who do you think is this... Death Gun?"
"Glad you asked, my dear Watson!" Itsuki declares, waving his now refilled glass about with a dramatic flair, "Let us presume that this... Death Gun is a newcomer to the game. So you should investigate those with a new account history— and right on the top of that list is—"
"Kuro. And Lugh," drawls out XeXeeD.
"Well, the detective being the true culprit is a trite and tired trope," continues Itsuki, pulling up the list of BoB contestants. "But I was pointing to these names. First: Sterben. I believe that's a common German medical term to mean 'death'. Suspicious, no?"
A name associated with death? It's... flimsy material. "Hold on, if we're going by name, what about this guy? Pale Rider? That's very... death-ish."
"Look lower dumbass," XeXeeD clarifies. "See? There's a Red Rider here also competing. I knocked out some weird chick with a bow and arrow build in my prelims named White Rider, and if you look at the list of losers you'll note a Black Rider. They're probably just Tokusatsu fans playing to a theme."
You look down, following XeXeeD's finger. There's a man in an arctic camouflage uniform, likely Pale Rider, staring up at the countdown. Another man, in some kind of blazing red techno-futuristic cowboy uniform, is chatting animatedly with another participant. They were wearing masks, sure, but you don't get the sense that they were trying to hide their identity.
"Okay, so... Sterben is suspicious. Got it," you confirm. "So who's Sterben?" It's not as if GGO pasted your screenname over your head. You could only truly confirm another player's username if you were their friend or party member.
"It's not just Sterben," Itsuki continues. "There's... Musketeer X. A most striking name."
"Scratch off Musketeer X," says XeXeeD, rolling his eyes. "That's the e-girl in the back. You seriously think Death Gun is gonna prance around in a miniskirt and bra?"
"Hold up, how do you know her name—"
"Can it, Kuro. She's got admirers, and is fairly well known in certain circles~♪"
You resist the urge to vomit at XeXeeD's perverted giggle. Itsuki for his part just chuckles and moves on to the next name on his list. "How about this... Blackwood? And I hesitate to bring this up, but the name Kuro is quite ominous in this context, no? There are at least a few innocuous names that could just as easily be this Death Gun. I don't recognize this... Gwen for example. Or Jack Reacher. And though we are all familiar with Lugh he is quite a mysterious young man."
You can cross off Gwen, Lugh, and yourself... which leaves three complete unknowns. Blackwood, Sterben and Jack Reacher.
"Yeah? I think you're all barking up the wrong tree," says XeXeeD. "My money is on an old player, a veteran, who decided to escalate some old grudge. Usujio was a jackass— that Rambo wannabe pissed everyone off. If you throw on glasses and a cloak then— voila! You are now Death Gun, no matter who you were before."
So not even the veteran players were off the suspect list. It seems to be every goddamn GGO player.
"You got the «Devil of Run and Gun» himself, Yamikaze the Human Target," XeXeeD says, motioning down at a bored-looking man with a red mohawk. "He's the best AGI main in GGO, and he always butted heads with Usujio. Is he capable of murder? Well, who's to say?"
XeXeeD continues, "Ritchie the Camper is here, and considering he's a piece of shit, I'd say he should be at the top of the list. Shishigane the Bullet Sponge's been on a losing streak— maybe this whole Death Gun thing is just his way of gaining some rep back."
And so XeXeeD just rattles off name after name, all equally as suspicious as the last, leaving you no closer than when you started.
<Attention all contestants! The BoB will begin in 60 seconds!>
Your time's up. Currently, your main lead is with Sinon— something has changed her, turned her into a victim of VR Psychosis. But beyond that, she's your neighbor.
Your friend.
Maybe the first one you made since leaving SAO.
It's a more productive use of your time than picking a name out of a hat and stalking them. Even if you were to defeat the player controlling Death Gun, what would it matter? Precisely nothing. You just need to be present in the BoB when Death Gun makes his move, gather evidence that Kikuoka could use to make an arrest.
"So in summary, Kuro, you have no plan," concludes XeXeeD. "Why not just bow out now and leave the rest to us men? Cause if I see you out there on the battlefield, I will not be asking nicely."
"XeXeeD, I must say," Itsuki says, face visibly twisted in worry. "I don't think your plan is very wise either—"
XeXeeD jumps up from his seat. He takes the last shot of virtual alcohol and throws it back like it's nothing. The empty shot glass vanishes on the spot. "Don't worry about me. Cause now? I'm GGO's champion. This is my world, and I'm gonna protect it. You feel me? So you two sit back and relax— and witness how a champion takes care of business."
You try to warn him, to admonish him. But you can't even get a single word in. All you see is XeXeeD's back as he hurls himself off the balcony in a sudden burst of energy, smashing through a pane of glass like a bullet hole through a window.
"As I said..." sighs Itsuki, rising to his feet. "His plan isn't very wise."
There's commotion below. XeXeeD has landed on a nearby table, his humongous weapon brandished and pointed at the sky. In one single move, XeXeeD has drawn the attention of all the BoB contestants. He scans the room searching for something, for someone, and when he sees nothing he simply takes one deep breath...
And bellows out at the top of his lungs.
"LISTEN UP YOU WALKING TARGETS! 『 』AND HIS CHEATING ASS ARE GONE! FUCKED OFF TO SHANGRI-LA OR WHATEVER! YOU FEEL ME!? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?"
He's on a platform, towering over all the seated contestants, the BoB countdown timer directly floating over his head.
"GGO NEEDS A NEW CHAMPION! A NEW WARRIOR! A CHOSEN HERO— ME!"
Shut the fuck up XeXeed!
You lost to a newbie last week.
Washed up has been—
An explosion rocks the bar. The jumbotron in the middle of the room shatters into a million pieces, the counter for the start of the tournament the only thing unharmed by the sudden burst of violence. What starts as one turns into dozens as XeXeeD releases round after round of his semi-automatic grenade launcher into the sky, drowning out any protests in sheer, unbridled violence.
With every pull of the trigger, glasses shatter, tables flip, and explosion after explosion rocks the tiny instanced bar.
You instinctively duck, but Itsuki just rolls his eyes as the shrapnel bounces off his Safe-Zone shield. The tournament hasn't even started yet, all XeXeeD is accomplishing is wasting ammo. Right now, you were all invincible, Immortal Objects who couldn't take even a single sliver of damage. But XeXeeD doesn't care, he just wants the attention.
"LISTEN UP! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE— DEATH GUN! MY NAME IS XEXEED! YOU KNOW WHO I FUCKING AM!"
XeXeeD then hoists his double-barreled gun like a flag, raising it high into the sky.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT? YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY!? WELL, I KNOW YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED USUJIO— YOU FUCKING MURDERER!"
Slowly you stand, peering out above the balcony. Not a soul dares to move, the random accusation giving everyone pause— including yourself. This is XeXeeD's plan!? Shouting a challenge seconds before the BoB!? Usujio's death was still a secret. This... this was playing straight into Death Gun's hands!
"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!? A FAKE! A USELESS SCRUB! SO YOU AMBUSHED USUJIO— FUCKING WHOOPTY SHIT! I'M RIGHT HERE DEATH GUN, READY AND WAITING FOR YOUR DELIVERANCE! WELL? C'MON CAN'T YOU DO IT? KILL ME DEATH GUN! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?"
XeXeeD laughs, slamming his hand against his chest in raucous laughter. He swings his weapon out to his side, filling the bar with fire and smoke, all the carnage unable to deal even a single point of damage.
"Itsuki," you seethe," what the hell is he doing?"
"Drawing attention to himself, forcing a confrontation. That... and one more thing. See Kuro, we were talking about this Death Gun problem and we noticed something unusual."
"And that is?"
The final stage of the countdown timer flashes before your very eyes. 10 seconds left.
"30 participants in the BoB. However... we counted only 28 players."
...What?
Itsuki's eyes are wide open, scanning the environment. You stand up and join him, trying to make sense of the new revelation.
"YOU'RE A PATHETIC LITTLE BITCH DEATH GUN! OR YOU SCARED OF ME? HMMMMM? CHICKENSHIT LIMP DICKED MOTHERFUCKER!!"
5 seconds remaining. You see the hazy outline of Gwen ducking beneath a nearby table, the shrapnel and smoke outlining her... invisible form...
30 participants. But only 28 counted.
Gwen... was one of those Itsuki did not count. But he should've counted 29.
That means...
You look to your left, then to your right. You ignore all the flabbergasted participants, you even avoid Sinon's visible confusion. There's someone here unaccounted for. Not the veterans that XeXeeD could recognize, not the visible players...
"I WON'T HIDE FROM YOU! CAUSE I'M THE GENUINE ARTICLE! THE TRUE CHAMPION! STRONGEST IN ALL OF GGO!"
More explosions and the bar is now more fire than furniture. More shouting, more taunts and names. No one flinches because it's all just grandstanding. But you keep looking.
And you see it.
Hazy, in the corner of the room. The brief disruption of a malfunctioning Active Camo, struggling to compensate for the change in the room's environmental textures.
3 seconds left.
It's just a general shape. A tall, lanky build...
2 seconds left.
And the invisibility field breaks. Piercing red eyes stare forward at XeXeeD, the final participant uncloaked for all to witness...
"YOU CANNOT KILL ME! BECAUSE I AM CHOSEN! I AM XEXEED!"
1 second left.
He doesn't notice you. Or rather he sees but he doesn't recognize. The connection is not yet made, and the stranger only has eyes for the man in the center of the room. All the contestants are staring at XeXeeD, Itsuki himself is glancing at the complete opposite end of the room...
Only two people see the stranger.
Red eyes.
Skull mask.
It could be a coincidence. A simple misunderstanding. But you know it's not that simple. You've feared those eyes for so long, you would never mistake them for someone else.
He's here. One of your guildmates.
The right hand of PoH.
«Red Eyed XaXa».
But XaXa does not have eyes for you. He stares forward, locked onto the object of his attention, but the only thing in this room that XaXa truly sees at this second... is not you. You see it reflected upon XeXeeD's shades, the recognition, the anticipation of a challenge. And within XeXeeD's eyes, you see one more pair of blood red eyes, a matching pair with XaXa.
"AND I AM THE FUCKING «REAL DEAL»!"
<Prepare for teleportation. Good luck contestants, and may the strongest warrior win!>
THE BULLET OF BULLETS HAS COMMENCED
You have learned the following pieces of information:
>A stranger in Active Camo was exposed by Itsuki and XeXeeD in the final moments before BoB's commencement. Kuro strongly suspects this individual is both Death Gun and Red-Eyed XaXa.
>You have no idea what Red-Eyed XaXa's GGO username is.
>Contextually, from Itsuki and XeXeeD's conversation, you suspect that one of the three UNIDENTIFIED players is the true username of Death Gun.
>Sterben, Blackwood, Jack Reacher are your main suspects.
A QM note on metagaming. I am fine with it, and dislike forcing you all into mental gymnastics regarding metagaming. Obviously in canon, Sterben is the name of Death Gun, but Kuro has no way of diagetically knowing this. But she knows enough to suspect one of the three.
So these individuals are referred to in the quest as DG Candidate A, DG Candidate B, and DG Candidate C. You may take a risk and attempt to directly go to them, if you wish. You will have a 33% chance of directly encountering Sterben and potentially altering the trajectory of this arc in a significant way, provided you have a way to penetrate the invisibilty cloak.
And finally, the BoB mini-arc takes place in a single continuous encounter. That means you do not get any HP or SP refills between encounters, and travel time will be an issue. Now without further ado...
<SATELLITE SCAN HAS INITIATED!>
>You spawned in the RUINED CITY inside of a broken ArFa stasis pod at C3.
>Sinon spawned in the MOUNTAIN ZONE at B7.
>XeXeeD spawned in the FOREST ZONE at F5.
>These locations were placed by the QM. Sinon and XeXeeD have no intention of moving.
>All remaining relevant spawns are based on dice rolls.
LUGH spawned in B1 and is VERY FAR from everyone.
GWEN spawned in B5 and is CLOSE to you and Sinon.
DEATH GUN CANDIDATE 1 spawned in E7 and is equidistant to XeXeeD and Sinon.
DEATH GUN CANDIDATE 2 spawned in B3 and is adjacent to you.
DEATH GUN CANDIDATE 3 spawned in D3 and is adjacent to you.
ITSUKI spawned in B7 and is immediately killed by Sinon. Poor Itsuki! Maybe next time!
TACTICAL INFORMATION
Your AGI is 1. Assuming you equip your fastest Persona, your AGI is 5. You are NOT trained in the operation of any vehicle.
You can cover 1 tile in 2 TURNS.
Running full tilt will allow you to reach either Sinon or XeXeeD in 10 TURNS.
You may chain cast Masukukaja [1SP] twice to shorten travel time to 7 TURNS.
You may use Urmetazoan to shift into Frederica and shorten travel time to 5 TURNS. [This consumes your one use of Urmetazoan Enhance Armament]
You may use Urmetazoan to shift into a Cat of Ulthar while spending SP to summon decoy cats in order to scramble your location on the Satellite Scan. [This consumes 3SP and your one use of Urmetazoan Enhance Armament].
You may seek out either XeXeeD or Sinon. As you lack any abilities or skills to identify invisible targets, you cannot directly target one of the Death Gun candidates.
The QM is not going to simulate EVERY other BoB contestant. Simply put, as you move, I roll for an encounter. On a failure you will be forced into a fight with another BoB contestant, potentially wasting your time and resources (these fights will be abstracted).
You will notice the emphasis on TURNS. Events will happen as the TURN count progresses, and Death Gun is moving as well, with a goal he is seeking to accomplish.
You may choose to focus your effort on one of your potential allies or attempt to place a spoke in two wheels at the cost of losing them both.
Choose your DESTINATION
[ ] Sinon
>She's waiting for you in the mountain zone. You promised to fight her.
>Sinon is expecting you to duel her and will be upset at interlopers.
[ ] XeXeeD
>He's directly challenged Death Gun and is waiting in the forest zone.
>XeXeeD is NOT hostile towards you or your party, but will not follow orders.
[ ] Call Out to XaXa
>Climb the highest tower and start screaming the name of your guildmate. Perhaps the specter of his old name can draw him out to you...
Choose your TRAVEL STRATEGY
[ ] Conserve Resources
>Reach either XeXeeD or Sinon in 10 TURNS while conserving combat resources.
>A minimally visible action. Roll 1d6x1 time. On a 1 result, encounter a random contestant.
[ ] Run with Masukukaja. [2SP to cast twice]
>Reach either XeXeeD or Sinon in 7 TURNS.
>A minimally visible action. Roll 1d6x1 time. On a 1 result, encounter a random contestant.
[ ] Run with Frederica.
>Reach either XeXeeD or Sinon in 5 TURNS.
>You will be a lion in a maid costume. You will draw attention.
>A highly visible action. Roll 1d6x3 time. On a 1 result, encounter a random contestant.
[ ] Run with Cat of Ulthar while releasing Decoys. [3SP to create decoys].
>Reach either XeXeeD or Sinon in 10 TURNS.
>You will glitch out the Satellite Scan system.
>Roll no encounter dice (even if you take other actions that increase Encounter Dice).
Choose your instructions to your PARTY
[ ] Regroup >Your party will beeline to your current location based on the Satellite Scan.
>Gwen and Lugh both move 1 TILE every 2 TURNS
[ ] Hasty Regroup
>You will continuously fire spells into the air to signal your location to your allies. They will move significantly faster toward your location at a rate of 1 TILE every 1 TURN.
>Roll 1d6x2 times. On a 1 result, encounter a random contestant.
[ ] Assign to XeXeeD
>Your party will move towards XeXeeD's position and do what they can to guard XeXeeD.
[ ] Assign to Sinon >Your party will move toward Sinon's position and do what they can to engage Sinon.
Alternatively...
[ ] Write-In. Your QM needs to know WHERE you are going, HOW are you going to get there, and WHAT DO YOU ORDER YOUR PARTY TO DO?
If you want to move towards A1 to dig for gold here's the option to do it.
Feel free to move towards one of the DEATH GUN candidates. Remember they are invisible, and you have no way of finding them, so if you choose to move directly towards a DG candidate please specify what you plan on doing (ie, shouting XaXa's name as loudly as you can trying to draw attention).
And yes, you can still turn off the lights.
>Also, please vote in PLAN format or specify a Write-In option.
Also your method of approach will affect combat conditions. If you're say, approaching Sinon as a cat she is very unlikely to see you coming. If you approach Sinon as a lion in a maid uniform she will not recognize you but will probably shoot anyways.
And canon Sinon's range is 2km, so she can threaten squares adjacent to her.
XeXeeD you madman... Nice chapter, I will have to think a while on this. But using Urmetazoan Enhance Armament as cats here seems an interesting option for a surprise attack. But our objective is getting Death Gun's username right?
You decide the objectives. You could prioritize Sinon's VR Psychosis, you could prioritize gathering information on DG our you can prioritize trying to protect XeXeeD.
DG is trying to achieve something very specific in the BoB, but you do not know what his current goal is.
I assume loadouts will only be determined when we get into combat with either Sinon or Death Gun.
How badly can things potentially go if we split up? Because I have something in mind...
[X] Write-in: Inverse Two-pronged attack
-[X] Start moving towards Sinon while chain casting Masakukaja.
-[X] Have Gwen accompany you to fight Sinon, while Lugh moves to protect XeXeed.
-[X] Work out a contingency plan with Lugh: If XeXeed is about to be killed by Death Gun, have him fire two flares in quick succession. Upon seeing that, you will use Nephren-Ka's Lightless Crypt to blind everyone in the match.
I'm banking on a bird being both nondescript and fast, if QM will permit such a thing. Is this too micro-managey or otherwise needlessly risky?
Edit: Changed due to shapeshifting into a bird being vetoed by QM.
Personally, my priority is Sinon. I am not adverse to theguynamedwafer's general idea of sending Lugh over to XeXeeD... however...
Lugh is 6 tiles (12 turns) from Sinon and 8 tiles (16 turns) from XeXeeD, I'm not sure how much help he can be heading that way. Granted, it's not as though the Death Gun candidates start on his location either, but I'd be concerned that he may arrive too late depending on which one is Sterben.
A question I have is can we combine travel with Cats of Ulthar with the Chain Masukukaja to take advantage of the Cats scrambling the scan while getting to Sinon faster? Gwen can get there in 4 turns (2 tiles) and while I am absolutely not above turning this into a 2v1 (friends are strength! ) I am also not entirely against seeing if we can out-duel her and having Gwen step in if it looks to be going poorly for us. But either way she'd arrive at Sinon before us but it feels like less of a waste if we can get there faster. Another benefit is if we can wrap up the Sinon fight faster we'd be more free to react to a possible Lugh warning signal. I get that Lightless Crypt would blind everyone but that may well end the tournament in a no contest so ideally we conclude our mission with Sinon before that becomes necessary.
Edit: Of course, if the "disguise as bird" idea can pull that off that's good too!
A question I have is can we combine travel with Cats of Ulthar with the Chain Masukukaja to take advantage of the Cats scrambling the scan while getting to Sinon faster?
I did not consider combining masukukaja with cats or lion shifting. There's no reason it couldn't be done... will cost you 2 SP to cast, so it'll be expensive.
Lugh is 6 tiles (12 turns) from Sinon and 8 tiles (16 turns) from XeXeeD, I'm not sure how much help he can be heading that way. Granted, it's not as though the Death Gun candidates start on his location either, but I'd be concerned that he may arrive too late depending on which one is Sterben.
Changed my plan to chain-casting Masakukaja due to QM veto. Further opinions are welcome.
Also, is speed of travel determined by AGI? Because if we buff Lugh with Masakukaja, he might be able to get to XeXeed as fast as us, since he has less AGI than us with a fast Persona equipped.
Although now I realize that would still put him at Alcor's estimates...
If we chain-cast Masakukaja, will both Kuro and Gwen have the buff going into combat with Sinon?
I know it makes the SP cost a bit heavy but can I convince you to also add in using the Cats a decoy? Aside from negating the chance we get into fights along the way since it eliminates the encounter dice as we move tiles, Sinon is a sniper. We're told that if we approach as a cat she's unlikely to see us coming and it will glitch the system's satellite scan so we should be able to approach her without being detected. Gwen has her cloak to lean on but for us this combo should let us get the drop on Sinon completely.
I know it makes the SP cost a bit heavy but can I convince you to also add in using the Cats a decoy? Aside from negating the chance we get into fights along the way since it eliminates the encounter dice as we move tiles, Sinon is a sniper. We're told that if we approach as a cat she's unlikely to see us coming and it will glitch the system's satellite scan so we should be able to approach her without being detected. Gwen has her cloak to lean on but for us this combo should let us get the drop on Sinon completely.
Oh, she definitely has a Persona now. You're correct about the encounter odds of hitting 7/7 1s, though I will point out a few things:
We're basically told that each encounter will be abstracted but that they will cost us time and resources. We may well end up losing the SP anyway if we hit encounters. Possibly HP too. My goal is to get to Sinon as fast as we can (within reason) and hopefully wrap it up before anything might go wrong on XeXeeD's end (or I guess more accurately - before Lugh arrives and assesses the situation if it's not already too late.)
At 7d6, the chances of getting 1s are:
None: 27.9%
At least 1: 72.1%
At least 2: 33%
At least 3: 9.6%
At least 4: 1.7%
Above that is the <1% zone so I won't bother listing those out.
Essentially, we should expect one encounter and be reasonably prepared for two if we don't use the Cats of Ulthar. Even as cursed as our dice have been lately I was never worried about the extreme case of hitting all of them.
More than anything though, the reason I'm advocating for this is Sinon herself - we know she can threaten adjacent tiles so she's going to get at least one free shot on us, if not two and aside from sacrificing the initiate, we'll have surrendered the element of surprise. If we can close the range on Sinon without being detected we should be able to make this a lot easier for ourselves. We can get a few insights from Sinon's own comments about GGO and the BoB we've gotten throughtout our interactions with her:
Golden Week (Beginning of May, Sinon still sane):
Shino just shakes her head, "I won't have enough credits to refit my attachments in time for the tournament. And trap builds are the trap. No player worth their salt is going to actually die to a landmine, the best it can do is alert me that someone's closing in, and if they're already that close then I've already lost my competitive advantage."
"But it's just... such a shame to have an Anti-Material Rifle and not even use it!"
Shino raises her chopsticks, waving a piece of cabbage at Kyouji like a weapon. "You don't see people running around with optical rifles. There's a gun for every situation, and an Anti-Material Rifle may not be the most efficient option for a battle royale. I gotta think about these things if I want a serious shot at the silver medal."
5/22 (Shortly after Ragnarok, Hiyori hasn't logged into GGO yet, Sinon clearly starting to lose it - this is when we shoved her to get her back to her senses when talking about GGO started changing her personality):
She nods, her posture straightening at the mere mention of GGO. "I've bought a new rifle with the money you gave me, one better suited for an anti-personnel role. The «Bullet of Bullets» isn't a great environment for an anti-material rifle, at least not as a primary weapon. What it loses in overkill it more than makes up for in weight reduction, and thanks to that I've been able to finally fit some armor on my kit."
Sinon's Persona also evolves from Hecate - her anti-material rifle.
Putting all that together, I feel we can reasonably conclude that back when her head was still on straight, Sinon recognized that using Hecate in the BoB was a less than ideal strategy. Even as her mental state was deteriorating, she retained enough strategic awareness that she went and bought a different rifle for use in the BoB. However, I think the current Sinon has likely abandoned that mindset and has probably gone all-in on Hecate again. If nothing else, her Persona - as best we can tell through the glitched text - evolved/set itself to Hecate which implies to me that that is the most dangerous weapon in her arsenal and I'd like to minimize her ability to use it, and certainly not in the situations she excels at.
If we close range on her her backup weapons appear to be the Black Star and possibly a backup sniper rifle (I assume it's a sniper rifle because she seemed to be planning to use it in place of Hecate and it would seem weird for her to completely abandon her role.) Certainly she could have more on her, but Hecate appears to be close to maxing out her weight limit (but that's pre-Persona, I wouldn't count on that still being true, she can probably equip it and the armor now when she sounded like she couldn't before) but I feel like if we get her in a close-to-mid range fight we've got a pretty big advantage and I want to press it as aggressively as we can.
So, with that said...
[X]Write-In: She'll Never See It Coming
-[X]Hiyori's Destination: Sinon
--[X]Run with Cats of Ulthar while releasing Decoys AND cast Masukukaja twice [5 SP Cost]
-[X]Gwen: Assign to Sinon
--[X]If possible, Gwen will lie in wait and allow Hiyori to engage Sinon first. But if she's discovered and Sinon initiates hostilities fight back.
-[X]Lugh: Assign to XeXeeD
--[X]If possible, have the group discussed a signal method for Lugh to use if XeXeeD appears to be about to be killed by Death Gun. If sighted, Hiyori has told them she plans to use Lightless Crypt to plunge the battlefield into complete darkness.
I've more or less described the plan in the discussion above. Hiyori heads to Sinon at speed and with stealth. Gwen also heads to Sinon, ideally she remains undetected, but if things go wrong then whatever - battle royale. Lugh makes the long trek to XeXeeD, and hopefully it's okay for the group to have discussed a signal for "Death Gun likely going to kill XeXeeD." The Lightless Crypt bit is likely unnecessary at this juncture since Lugh shouldn't be able to get there in time for it to happen - I mention it only so that Lugh is told what he should expect the response to that signal be if it ever comes down to that.
So, I'm inclined to ask. Is there any particular reason we're not going after (or attempting to bait to our position) the two targets adjacent to us? The duel with Sinon is nice and all, and we did promise, but it's also just a side objective compared to Death Gun.
You know what, I'll go for this. Even if we run out of SP, we can just burn determination to cast spells and abilities, and this seems like a VERY justifiable occasion for that.
My only worry is Lugh not arriving in time to help XeXeed, but given his terrible spawn, we'll just have to hope for the best.
So, I'm inclined to ask. Is there any particular reason we're not going after (or attempting to bait to our position) the two targets adjacent to us? The duel with Sinon is nice and all, and we did promise, but it's also just a side objective compared to Death Gun.
So, I'm inclined to ask. Is there any particular reason we're not going after (or attempting to bait to our position) the two targets adjacent to us? The duel with Sinon is nice and all, and we did promise, but it's also just a side objective compared to Death Gun.
because promises are sacred, all the more so in a shonen battle arc
More seriously, because I don't want to roll the die on getting the right Death Gun.
I'm also not 100% sure Death Gun's target here is XeXeeD. My impression had been that XeXeeD had been invited to the cool kids Real Deal tournament that was the subject of the Seven Bullet Interlude. If that's the case, he shouldn't be the target unless Death Gun is changing the plan because of the taunt. OTOH, unlike some of the others like Blank - who explicitly dropped out of BoB because of that invite, XeXeeD never directly says he got invited to that tournament - merely that the NerveGear is an invitation. So it's still possible XeXeeD's role in all this is to be the sacrificial lamb to generate hype for the Real Deal tournament.
because promises are sacred, all the more so in a shonen battle arc
More seriously, because I don't want to roll the die on getting the right Death Gun.
I'm also not 100% sure Death Gun's target here is XeXeeD. My impression had been that XeXeeD had been invited to the cool kids Real Deal tournament that was the subject of the Seven Bullet Interlude. If that's the case, he shouldn't be the target unless Death Gun is changing the plan because of the taunt. OTOH, unlike some of the others like Blank - who explicitly dropped out of BoB because of that invite, XeXeeD never directly says he got invited to that tournament - merely that the NerveGear is an invitation. So it's still possible XeXeeD's role in all this is to be the sacrificial lamb to generate hype for the Real Deal tournament.
XeXeeD, still in his stupid sunglasses, sips on his simulated alcoholic beverage while a sour-faced Itsuki frowns in his seat. "XeXeeD, one serving costs half a Megacredit, and you can't even get drunk—"
"Make that three shots. Kuro'll need one too just to tolerate your presence."
Well if he's offering to pay, who are you to refuse? Let's see... you flip open the bar's menu, and scroll down to the most ridiculously large fruit parfait you've ever seen. It's virtual so you can't get fat, and fruit is healthy!
The three of you sit around in the corner booth, drinking in silence.
Well— not completely silent. Itsuki sighs every now and then whenever XeXeeD orders another expensive drink on his dime. XeXeeD on the other hand is slowly accumulating a small pile of empty shot glasses.
"So..." you can't take the tension any longer. "Are you actually getting drunk?"
"Nah. It's all VR crap— but it tastes smooth going down. Even more so when it's Itsuki's money."
"I was only offering to pay for Kuro—"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll take another shot— make it a double this time."
Hazy, in the corner of the room. The brief disruption of a malfunctioning Active Camo, struggling to compensate for the change in the room's environmental textures.
3 seconds left.
It's just a general shape. A tall, lanky build...
2 seconds left.
And the invisibility field breaks. Piercing red eyes stare forward at XeXeeD, the final participant uncloaked for all to witness...
"YOU CANNOT KILL ME! BECAUSE I AM CHOSEN! I AM XEXEED!"
1 second left.
He doesn't notice you. Or rather he sees but he doesn't recognize. The connection is not yet made, and the stranger only has eyes for the man in the center of the room. All the contestants are staring at XeXeeD, Itsuki himself is glancing at the complete opposite end of the room...
Only two people see the stranger.
Red eyes.
Skull mask.
It could be a coincidence. A simple misunderstanding. But you know it's not that simple. You've feared those eyes for so long, you would never mistake them for someone else.
Well. XeXeeD's plan was really bad but it has revealed Death Gun and that he uses a camo cloak. Now it looks to be up to us to make sure he doesn't become a sacrificial pawn.
But XaXa does not have eyes for you. He stares forward, locked onto the object of his attention, but the only thing in this room that XaXa truly sees at this second... is not you. You see it reflected upon XeXeeD's shades, the recognition, the anticipation of a challenge. And within XeXeeD's eyes, you see one more pair of blood red eyes, a matching pair with XaXa.
If possible, have the group discussed a signal method for Lugh to use if XeXeeD appears to be about to be killed by Death Gun. If sighted, Hiyori has told them she plans to use Lightless Crypt to plunge the battlefield into complete darkness.
I didn't want to write a pointless scene about signal flares. So assume that you have a premade signal flare pretty much any scenario. Telling Lugh to shoot an emergency flare if shit his the fan makes a ton of sense, as is warning him off your trump card.
So, I'm inclined to ask. Is there any particular reason we're not going after (or attempting to bait to our position) the two targets adjacent to us? The duel with Sinon is nice and all, and we did promise, but it's also just a side objective compared to Death Gun.
) I am also not entirely against seeing if we can out-duel her and having Gwen step in if it looks to be going poorly for us. But either way she'd arrive at Sinon before us but it feels like less of a waste if we can get there faster. Another benefit is if we can wrap up the Sinon fight faster we'd be more free to react to a possible Lugh warning signal. I get that Lightless Crypt would blind everyone but that may well end the tournament in a no contest so ideally we conclude our mission with Sinon before that becomes necessary.
