Persona: HEAVEN (Persona/Sword Art Online/Isekai Multicross)
- Thread starter afreaknamedpete
- Start date
- Crossover Sci-Fi Fantasy
Underdog Emiya
God-Emperor of Underkind
- Location
- Brazil
- Pronouns
- He
I guess this would only work if...we set an angle that could give us a instant victory. Like, some sort of condition that, when triggered, would immediately end the game in our favor.
...
If we use Nephren-Ka. Whose mind are we invading? Shiro? Sora? If it's Sora...we could have an angle.
I'm not sure we can out rules lawyer them like that.
Besides, it kind of just got it hammered into Hiyori's head that she's been taking GGO too seriously. So let's just treat the match with [ ] like a game and have some fun with it.
Then again, iirc, I am the guy who almost ruined everything with that one write-in during the Oberon fight. So really not sure how well my opinion can be trusted in this thread.
Besides, it kind of just got it hammered into Hiyori's head that she's been taking GGO too seriously. So let's just treat the match with [ ] like a game and have some fun with it.
Then again, iirc, I am the guy who almost ruined everything with that one write-in during the Oberon fight. So really not sure how well my opinion can be trusted in this thread.
Underdog Emiya
God-Emperor of Underkind
- Location
- Brazil
- Pronouns
- He
...
You may have something here. Aren't we behaving just like BLANK in a way? Taking things seriously at all points? Lifes are at stake but...we are losing ourselves in this sea of madness.
So maybe what we are looking for. The key to beat BLANK...is not to beat them at all. It's to play. To point out that, in their search to become the best, to stay atop the world as THE best because they're BLANK.
In short...we should do things in such a manner to subvert their expectations complete and utterly. Because people are taking this too seriously: Death Gun, the killings. If we show that, at the end of the day, that it is not something to not take seriously, then we win in long-term.
What about the winner of the game be whomever makes the other have the most fun?
No way they'd go for that. Remember that we're going to have to propose rules in the middle of combat. Even if it wasn't like that, remember that the BLANK siblings, from my impression of them here (since I haven't watched No Game No Life) is that rules are EVERYTHING to them. Or something like that.
Remember that they want to create a world where EVERYTHING is governed by rules. I don't think getting them to have fun is going to be enough in this case.
I'd say we could live on the edge and pick a game that is pure luck but it may be difficult to narrow the rules down to accomplish that since I wouldn't rule out bullshit like being able to analyze a coin flip midair to always call correctly or be able to flip it in such a way to guarantee it land a certain way. Same kind of deal as reading hand movements to guess what would be thrown in rock, paper, scissors.
But conceptually to drive home the point that everyone (including us) has been taking things too seriously and to get back to just basic fun and the thrill of the unknown.
And of course, it would mean leaving it to a dice roll on our end in all likelihood.
But conceptually to drive home the point that everyone (including us) has been taking things too seriously and to get back to just basic fun and the thrill of the unknown.
And of course, it would mean leaving it to a dice roll on our end in all likelihood.
Last edited:
Underdog Emiya
God-Emperor of Underkind
- Location
- Brazil
- Pronouns
- He
We should suggest Mario Party.
This is what it says for what challenging BLANK will entail:
So first things first, we have to focus on not getting killed by BLANK before deciding on rules in the spur of the moment.
Also remember that XeXeed is going to help us with this because he hates BLANK so much, given that the turn plan picked that option.
So first things first, we have to focus on not getting killed by BLANK before deciding on rules in the spur of the moment.
Also remember that XeXeed is going to help us with this because he hates BLANK so much, given that the turn plan picked that option.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm just saying; SWAT team, bin bag, social worker, done, we never have to think about NGNL again.
- Location
- The Z-Cave
No, my plan had the one to recruit everyone who hates BLANK with either XeXeeD or Glowgen coming up next. My idea was to bring everyone together showing no matter how well you play the game if you are an asshole you can never take on the world by yourself.
I don't also think the 'don't take games to seriously' moral really land for me. It falls into the Yu-Gi-Oh fallacy of that you should have fun while the games are torturing you, stealing your soul, or electrocuting you. The entire point of the HEAVENs is too make your dreams real, ergo they can never just be a game again.
Redsoff
[DETACHMENT]
- Location
- By [your] side
I was thinking of using the other power, the sensory deprivation one.
The GM said it's not really blindness but ETTEILLA cheating the rules, so maybe we can do more with it. Isolate, not just blind.
Would wreck hit Blank right in the separation anxiety.
Not that I was ever a huge MMO player, but having played some for some years years back I know that if presented with an apparent challenge players tend to rise to the occasion no matter how ridiculous or impossible it seems. I find it pretty hard to believe BLANK hasn't thwarted many similar attempts in many games.
If BLANK could be beaten simply by assembling a strong enough raid party I have to think someone would have accomplished it by now. Yeah, sure, it seems unlikely that any GGO raid group previously assembled would surpass one we could form based on the quality of our allies if we called every single favor in but even if we somehow succeeded with that kind of tactic that would strike me as immensely unsatisfying. Like Hiyori succeeded where others failed simply because she's the main character of this quest and everyone else who tried to take down BLANK just had a skill issue.
Maybe we need to assemble such a group anyway simply to get the chance to put rules in place that enable a victory like theguynamedwafer said but just steamrolling them with numbers? Did BLANK forget to recruit their own counter-raid party or something? Because why wouldn't they simply throw numbers back at us? That feels like a back-and-forth we'd ultimately lose because they have more resources than us to entice recruits.
If BLANK could be beaten simply by assembling a strong enough raid party I have to think someone would have accomplished it by now. Yeah, sure, it seems unlikely that any GGO raid group previously assembled would surpass one we could form based on the quality of our allies if we called every single favor in but even if we somehow succeeded with that kind of tactic that would strike me as immensely unsatisfying. Like Hiyori succeeded where others failed simply because she's the main character of this quest and everyone else who tried to take down BLANK just had a skill issue.
Maybe we need to assemble such a group anyway simply to get the chance to put rules in place that enable a victory like theguynamedwafer said but just steamrolling them with numbers? Did BLANK forget to recruit their own counter-raid party or something? Because why wouldn't they simply throw numbers back at us? That feels like a back-and-forth we'd ultimately lose because they have more resources than us to entice recruits.
Last edited:
- Location
- The Z-Cave
That's why I'm not stopping there. The most vital part of my plan is to turn the SEED itself against them through Daisy. When I mean everyone I mean everyone and that includes the game itself.
This is the literal First Scene of NGNL, an army of FPS players challenging BLANK and losing. It is a 4 v 1200 with both Sora and Shiro playing 2 characters each at the same time.
As a NGNL reader this is decently accurate. They do care about people but we're dealing with them before the start of their series and their main misanthropy is that reality is unfair and the rules aren't clear. Our best hope of breaking them out of that going to be beating them in a game with clear rules.
My big worry about the Nephren-Ka plan, is that while the Oberon fight shows it as both parties experiencing flashbacks of their opponents, the Third Eye is both parties gain understanding of all weaknesses. That's useful, but I'm not sure how we can leverage that into an instant win strategy akin to the "true understanding" of the reversi game.
An "Instant Win" clause would be ideal, but we need to be careful that we don't rely on finding one too much.
06/25: The Untold Tale of the Vorpal Bunny's Birth
New
afreaknamedpete
Blasphemer
- Location
- Above the Sequences
- Pronouns
- HE/HIM/THEY
[X] Reject his offer
WEDNESDAY - 230 CYCLES POST STARFALL
1700 Glocken Standard Time
It's been a trying day.
Yesterday you finally managed to save Pitohui, even at the cost of what feels like your sanity. Goushi offered you his help, but in truth he was asking you a very simple question.
Are you willing to risk LLENN's life?
And would you be willing to risk his life instead?
You know not by what mechanism Death Gun will enforce his contest, but if even half of his bluster was accurate, it would only be open to players who put their lives on the line. Which means those with NerveGears. LLENN was willing to wear one in order to save her friend, and you did not deny her that chance.
But to ask her to wear a NerveGear, to risk her life, to help you?
...
You've dealt with this pain before. It wasn't death per se but you asked Shiroe and the Sleeping Knights to risk their souls, even when they had no personal motivation. Just as Shiroe once told you, asking for help doesn't make you bad person. It means you have faith.
So you turned down Goushi. And asked LLENN for help once more.
And LLENN?
She doesn't really seem to care either way.
"C'mon, c'mon, hurry up!"
The pink midget is tugging at the inside of your raincoat, urging you to make haste to the custom gun shop. You are not asking what exactly she was doing with Pitohui last night but it apparently ended with Pitohui promising to buy LLENN a new gun. LLENN has realized she was far overdue with for a sidearm, especially after she figured out how to turn her SMG into a Pokemon.
You still don't know how that works. You throw it in the corner of your mind labeled: 'Probably Incarnation' and decide to ignore the whole thing.
"You walk way too slow!"
"Can you shut up, we're trying to be sneaky!" you hiss. The bounty on the two of you is still live, and though you're in a safe zone the last thing you want is someone noticing the two of you and causing a scene. While you could put up your hood and count on a bit of anonymity, LLENN stands out no matter what she wears.
Hence your solution.
"Urgh, are you washing this Kuro? I think I still smell Spiegel..."
You've stuffed LLENN under your massive raincoat, slowly shuffling along to the shop. It's slow, awkward, and LLENN keeps whining, but it's better than bounty hunters or worse than that fans.
"I can see it!" LLENN says, tugging on your waist while poking her head out from between your legs.
"Stay put!" you say, pushing her head back in and hurrying forward. You duck into the shop, a little bell ringing as the door closes. LLENN darts out of your coat towards the countertop in a blur of motion, jumping up and down in excitement. The ArFA shopkeeper gives you a pre-canned greeting, setting a... hot pink... backpack down on the countertop. Your eyes sting at the sight of it.
"It's here! YES!"
LLENN wastes no time popping the top open, revealing a pistol. It looks shorter than the other handguns you've seen, with a blocky attachment encompassing the muzzle a curved magazine shaped to fit LLENN's smaller hands. The package is sleek and heavily customized, the type of gun design you imagine to be quite popular in the macho world of Gun Gale Online...
That is before someone dropped the poor thing in a vat of pink paint.
"It's so cute! It's perfect!" LLENN squeals, grabbing the pistol and turning towards you. She looks absolutely delighted. You think the color scheme makes it look like a water gun.
"So... what does it do? Fire lasers?"
LLENN looks aghast at the very question. "No! You're the only weirdo who likes those dumb things! This is a custom order that Pito designed herself! It's got a custom muzzle break that prevents the slide from going out of battery when pressed up against a target, and this stuff on the side lets the slide engage even when it's grabbed!"
She points out a few different bits and bobs on the weapon, parroting words Pitohui probably used. She's clearly very excited.
"And that's not all!" She reaches into the case, pulling out a second, identical pink pistol. "It's got a twin that's even cuter! They're called the AM .45 -Vorpal Bunnies-! Vor-chans!"
They're pink. They're pistols. They're apparently Vorpal.
"Yeah looks good," you sigh, "Good luck reloading them..."
"What!? Are you judging my awesome guns, Kuro?" LLENN pats the pink backpack the weapons came in, and you realize container was far too big for the two pistols alone. LLENN slings the pack over her shoulder, the whole thing almost half as tall as she is. With one smooth motion she drops the magazines in both of her pistols, pressing the empty weapons against a slot you see at the base of the pack...
With a click, magazines are forced into the handle, the guns fully reloaded in a split second.
"See? This backpack's got an auto-loader in it, and M-san even put some armor plates inside! It's perfect! I've got to this out right now. Can we go PKing!? Please? PLEASE!?"
You groan. "Low profile, remember? Let's just go kill some robot worms..."
>LLENN's armor has changed to [M-Custom Backpack] which provides ARMOR + 1.
>LLENN has gained the passive! [Starship Metal Backpack]: Reduces damage sustained by 1 point, provided you are above 2 SPEED and are not struck by an ability that bypasses Starship Metal.
>LLENN has gained a new ability! «Real Deal: Pink Devil» has transformed into:
«Real Deal: Wolpertinger»: Lose access to your SMG, which transforms into a highly distracting drone weapon until combat ends. Wolpertinger attacks using its gun and will listen to LLENN, but is unfortunately unable to be directly ordered! Wolpertinger will always try to help. [-X SPEED]
Wolpertinger: 3/3 HP
AGI: Rank SS (7 Dice)
VIT: Rank E (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank A (5 Dice)
[P-chan Autofire!]: It's easier to hit people when they're gaping! [6 DICE / PIERCE / IGNORES AGI]
[Fly, LLENN!]: Provide MAXIMUM emotional support, granting LLENN +1 SPEED!
[Sharp Pointy Fangs!]: Too short to penetrate armor, but sure to surprise! Designate a target to harass, forcing them to suffer DISADVANTAGE on offensive actions this turn against targets that are not Wolpertinger.
Wolpertinger spawns with X SPEED and spends 1 SPEED every turn, dispelling when SPEED reaches 0! Wolpertinger does not gain bonuses from SPEED beyond its timer.
>LLENN has gained a new weapon!
Dual Pistols: AM .45 -Vorpal Bunnies-
Range: MELEE/CLOSE
Basic Attack [Vor-chan Rend!]: Just keep shooting and it'll work out! Always fires twice when other weapons fire once. [3 DICE / PIERCE / FIRES x 2]
WEDNESDAY - 230 CYCLES POST STARFALL
1730 Glocken Standard Time
There's a bullet line hovering over your face. It's joined by about a hundred more.
This was, perhaps in hindsight, entirely avoidable.
Hiding under LLENN under your coat was perhaps a workable strategy when she wasn't lugging around a new backpack and a pair of new, very pink guns. You must've looked like a pregnant penguin waddling the way you were.
The ridge you're standing on is covered in players, and it seems like more are arriving every minute. The two of you had killed only a handful of monsters before you were found. There must've been no more than 5 minutes since you left the safety zone and already a full hunting party of this size was already ready and waiting?
"We can take them!" LLENN insists, her pistols already drawn.
You glance at the numbers. About twenty five or so, plus who knows how many were hiding. Your mind runs through the possibilities, from raising to dropping a horde of ghosts on their heads only for a familiar, smarmy voice, to cut through the air.
"Don't bother wasting your ammo. She can just snap her fingers turn you into popsicles, that or pull some new bullshit out of thin air. Ain't that right, Kuro?"
The crowd parts like the red sea, and you force back your groan. You thought all the roleplayers in ALO were bad enough, but that was infinitely preferable to the parade of assholes that GGO attract like flies to honey.
"Hello, XeXeeD. Couldn't you have just sent a message?"
The so-called champion of GGO walks into the view, his XM29 slung over his shoulders, a cocky smirk plastered across his face. You sent him a message asking to ally, and this is how he chooses to reply? This must be his Squadron, no doubt waiting for the perfect moment to ambush you.
"Long time no see, Kuro! And if it isn't the «Pink Devil» herself! Half my boys still owe you for all the PKing you've done!"
A series of threats and curses rise up from the gathered players. LLENN snarls something back at them, the insults flying back and forth. You focus on the leader of the pack, XeXeeD. You know he has a Black Star, one of the contestants personally selected by Death Gun. Counting yourself, presumably Johnny Black, Lugh and XeXeeD those were four people you could guarantee were attending the final game. Zeliska was likely to also be invited, and there's no way in hell Itsuki wasn't involved in some way. Of those potentialities XeXeeD was arguably the best player.
Not counting『 』of course, but not that they were even invited to the Derby. Not that it would stop them doing their own bullshit.
"So, how's doing fuck all about Death Gun working out for you? Hear you had a big fight with Pitohui! Wow! You beat the Wallet Warrior!" The asshole claps. Very, very slowly. "I mean, if you had asked me first I would've told you that Pitohui was, in fact, not Death Gun. You know, the murderer you're supposed to be stopping? So congrats for beating... a random player, I guess? Sure saved a lot of lives with that one."
LLENN sticks her tongue out, and a few bullets fly close to her head in retaliation. You step between her and the crowd. "Forgive me for not spilling all my plans to you at the drop of a hat. I'm rather afraid you'll start shouting it like a lunatic on live TV. Is that how you plan on protecting GGO, champion-san? What are you the champion of anyways? Death Gun's fanboys?"
The chatter dies down, and a tense silence hangs in the air. XeXeeD's eyes narrow, the smirk sliding off his face.
"Don't you dare. Death Gun will die by my hands, and that's the end of it."
You roll your eyes. "And how's that coming along? Death Gun's been silent for weeks."
XeXeeD's lips draw back, baring his teeth in an expression halfway between a snarl and a smile. "Is that really what you think? Just because you're asleep at the job doesn't mean Death Gun is. You feel me? People have been disappearing."
You pause. Kikuoka hasn't mentioned anything like that, but what was so unusual about dropping player counts? "So they're logging out of GGO. Haven't you heard, it's gone to shit."
"Hahaha, no thanks to your fuck ups, eh? Nah, these are vets we're talking about. Garret «The Ugly» hasn't shown his mug for half a week now, and he's not responding to any of his socials. One of the Riders went missing too, even ol' Red come to me asking for help— but if he doesn't even know the location of his bestie, then I'm sure as shit not gonna know."
Disappearances among the top players? The thought seizes you. "Are you suggesting... Death Gun's been continuing his killings? But I haven't heard anything—"
"100,000 people go missing in Japan every year. You think the police are gods? Some NEET dies in his hole and it could be weeks or months until someone notices. How's that saying go? A tree falls in the forest but Kuro doesn't notice cause she's too busy fucking aroun—"
"Enough. I'm making progress, more than you are!" It doesn't make sense. If Death Gun was killing, why not announce it? You know they want more than anything to kill someone through VR...
Though now that you consider it, they couldn't just do that to anyone, could they? Even if they managed to remotely kill a random player, there was no real way of proving it wasn't just a regular murder.
Unless they killed someone on live broadcast. Hence XeXeeD...
"Not fast enough Kuro. Two confirmed deaths and god knows how many more. All this could've been prevented if you just let me pull the fucking trigger!"
"That's what they want! You really think this is the work of one person!? They wanted you to kill the patsy, that's their whole plan! Don't you get it? Death Gun want us all killing each other like animals!"
"Really. You've got a real active imagination there, Kuro." XeXeeD's finger tightens on his gun, his voice growing lower. "Have you considered, maybe... just maybe... that Death Gun is actually just a lunatic? That you're ascribing some bullshit conspiracy to what is mass shooter in a stupid mask? That while you're sitting there trying play your 3D chess with your own ass that Death Gun's only goal is to kill as many people as possible? That he's not trying to make a statement or start a war, he's just fucking crazy and likes killing?"
That's...
Is XeXeeD proposing that rather than killing to fulfill a greater goal, that Death Gun is just... going on a killing spree?
That's not PoH's MO. Nor would XaXa take much joy in the act, you think. But Johnny Black..?
Was he just... not caring about the plan and just slaughtering random players behind the scenes for fun? PoH wouldn't stop him...
It begs the question of what, precisely, Johnny Black has been doing this whole time.
...It's Chaos all over again. Everyone projecting their own wishes onto Death Gun. There's no guarantee even Laughing Coffin is moving in lockstep.
"We at least know one place Death Gun is gong to show up. The Derby. And when he does, I'm going to do the job you failed to do. You feel me?"
The two of you stare each other down, and XeXeeD's squad shifts uncomfortably behind him. Outside of the bounty there's no reason for the two of you to come into conflict, but if he wants a fight—
"Hey, weren't we supposed to ally with him?" LLENN chirps, her head popping out from behind your leg. "You know, to fight『 』? The real champion?"
XeXeeD's mouth closes mid sentence, a hacking cough forcing him to turn away. Several goons drop their guns on the floor, and a dull roar of laughter spreads throughout the ranks.
"I'm sorry..." XeXeeD says, his voice strained. "You serious? Like, that's your play Pinky? Gonna invoke the boogeyman? Get with the program,『 』's fucked off. He never comes back to a game he's gotten bored of, everybody knows that!"
"You sure about that?" LLENN asks, her face a mask of innocence. "Because Kuro here's challenging『 』, and when she wins she'll be the real champion! Unlike your fakey-fake title!"
Another wave of laughter. XeXeeD is staring at you, his face a mix of incredulity and anger. "What, you gonna tell me『 』's Death Gun now? You're fucking delusional—"
"This is a separate issue, XeXeeD," you interrupt. "『 』's taken over the «SBC Flügel», and they're plotting something dangerous. I plan on stopping them, and I need help from whoever I can find it from, even if it means from you."
"Hah! A likely story! You win one disqualification and you think you're hot shit. Listen, I know that『 』's not coming back."
You cross your arms. "He literally put out a bounty on me. Also, why else would the «SBC Flügel» zone go inactive?"
"I can think of half a dozen people on the top of my head who would love to put a bounty on you, Kuro. And if your only evidence is an old zone being put into maintenance, then you got no proof for squat. I know『 』. Jackass that he is he doesn't do things by halves. When『 』gets involved they do big shit, you know when 『 』shows up, you feel me? Cloak and dagger is for useless punks like you—"
You take a knee. Everyone does. It feels like a weight has pressed down on the world, the sand beneath your feet splattering away from your feet like water. You hear a gasp and turn to see LLENN frozen, unable to even stand.
The world turns grey, as the shadow of a mountain looms over your head. A booming voice blasts out in all directions, the force of the sound displacing the air.
<Greetings and salutations, this is the SBC Flügel arriving at target coordinates. Initiating surface scan— Target Located. Oh dear, you're quite the hard ArFA to locate Kuro-san! I've had my sensors trained on your serial ID for a few days now and not so much as a whisper...>
"W— what the fuck..." XeXeeD is barely able to move his jaw, but you see the confusion in his eyes. The voice from above is recognizably female, with an archaic, old fashioned accent, heavily distorted by the sheer all encompassing power of the tone. It's a voice of a god, flying high above the heads of the mortals below.
It's the voice of the «SBC Flügel».
<While I cannot fault your talents in hide and seek, I'm afraid I must inform you that my master's patience has grown thin. As his most humble servant, I must request that you do not renegade on your coming fight, Kuro-san. You are, after all, the challenger. Should you fail to appear then, as is custom, it will be my honor and pleasure to annihilate you on his behalf.>
A whirr and a click, followed by the searing heat of hundreds of wide angle laser apertures focusing their beams down on you.
You reach for a gun, trying the shield yourself with the power of a Persona—
There's a sharp intake of air amplified through the speakers so it comes off more like a choking fit. It might just be your imagination but the Flügel seems to tilt in midair for a split second, the booming voice restarting with a manic energy.
<W—wwwwww—wait! That energy reading... it can't be!? Are you going to do it!? HERE!? Wait, I'm not ready yet! Where are my sensors!? I have to record this, no one is going to believe me, no one is going to beliiiiieve me...>
The absolute, commanding presence devolves to a teenage girl in the middle of a squealing fit. It does little to diminish the oppressive force arrayed against you. The hundred weapons of the SBC Flügel flash with purple light, as a massive, swirling vortex of charging energy envelops the entire battlefield.
<Sol, that philistine, won't shut up about you, and he's usually not interested in anything but blowing things up! I've reviewed the footage and I haven't the slightest idea how you deflected his orbital laser— oh you have to show me, I need to see this! Wait, I can just kill you and scan your memory bank, eheheheh...>
"LLENN, run!" you scream, pushing yourself towards her, trying to move against the pressure bearing down on you.
<Wait no, don't run! Surely you must at least sacrifice yourself for the good of scientific discovery! That is the basest courtesy you can extend me, the SBC Flügel!>
The ground splits, cracks, and a pillar of light erupts upwards, burning through the air, piercing the sky. The beam misses you by centimeters, driving a line of glass across the sands. LLENN darts away from you, the spaceship's obvious target, and you hear the remaining lasers swivel, tracking you both.
XeXeeD is still, his eyes locked on the sky. His squadron is in disarray, most fleeing, some screaming, some frozen, paralyzed by the display. He numbly adjusts his sunglasses, his fingers moving on their own.
"Who the fuck is this floozy—"
<Did anyone ask for your opinion MEATBAG?>
A thousand lasers fire, the apertures split, and the air is filled with light.
You throw a hand out, a burst of water exploding from your hand and forming a shield. It's the only thing that keeps you and LLENN upright. XeXeeD and his goons aren't as lucky.
It's like standing in a lightning storm. The beams of light converge on XeXeeD, blasting him and his squadron out of existence. He's a high level avatar, with an advanced shield system, but that hardly matters against a spaceship.
A sound cuts through the noise. A single gunshot. But before you can identify the source, you have to dodge another stray laser. The barrage doesn't stop, carving out craters all around you. Bodies and guns fly into the air, and the air grows thick with red pixels, the remains of XeXeeD's squadron scattering every which way. You pull LLENN towards you, the two of you taking cover in one of the larger craters.
The SBC Flügel's barrage stops, and a few moments pass in silence. LLENN pokes her head up.
All you see is smoke, slag, and in the center of the blast zone, a lone player.
Holding a singular, black handgun.
XeXeeD is somehow, still alive. A strange phantom flickers around his head, a helmet in the vague shape of a skull's visage, with two bright lights shining out from the eye sockets. XeXeeD's body has been rendered into a blackened husk, the metal plates on his jacket fused to his flesh and burning red hot. Then just as fast as it appeared the visage vanishes, leaving an intact XeXeeD behind, albeit with only a sliver of health remaining.
It's obvious to you what just happened.
XeXeeD pulled the trigger without any hesitation. As if he's done it before, as if he's done it so often it's practically an instinctual reaction.
<Oh my, will the wonders never cease? Even a nobody like you is capable of such an irregular reaction? How unexpected. Oh dear, I fear Sol's going to be insufferable...>
"Who... the fuck... are you?" XeXeeD wheezes, his body smoked and charring.
<I suppose there's no harm in telling a dying rat my name, is there? A pleasure to make your acquaintaince, I am the SBC Flügel, a super AI tasked with the eradication of you pathetic flesh-bodies infesting the surface. Unfortunately my illustrious master has put that mission on hold, until the irregularity known as Kuro is dealt with.>
"Kuro... you're here for Kuro!?"
There's brief pause in Flügel's speech, and a slight crackle, as if it was switching gears.
<Oh. Oh! Oh my, you thought I was here for you? Ohohoho, is this what passes for humor among the MEATBAGS? Please don't misunderstand, it was never my intent to fire upon you, that was simply a... slip of the code, teehee! After all, you are such a pathetic and useless little life form that there's no way my sensors could've detected you as a threat. Truly, an embarrassment on my part.>
"Who's your master!?" XeXeeD calls out, his voice growing frustrated, teeth clenched.
<Why, only the Champion, the King of Kings, the Ruler of the Universe, the Supreme Master of all things and the greatest, undefeated gamer in existence, the one, the only, the inimitable, the glorious, the wonderful, the perfect—>
"『 』you motherfuck—"
The sound of a distant, muffled alarm ring out. The giant lumbering ship seems to flicker, a blue light covering its hull.
<Drat, that's the recall signal. Apologies, but I will ignore your blasphemy today MEATBAG, it appears my master has need of me. And Toodles Kuro-san, please don't keep master waiting, or the penalty will be severe!>
The giant ship rises, turning away from the battlefield, the engines roaring and sending a gust of wind rippling across the land. A second later and the ship is gone, and the world is quiet once again.
...
LLENN pops out of a nearby hole just like her gun's namesake. She looks at you, then at XeXeeD with a radiant smile.
"So, XeXeeD, that's the proof! Uh, do you still wanna help us beat『 』?"
The only response you get is a scream of incoherent rage.
>XeXeeD and his squadron «Excelsior» will participate in the fight against『 』!
>You have seen whispers of <Freischütz: Dietrich von Bern>.
>You have seen whispers of XeXeeD's skill <Giant Killer>.
THURSDAY - June 26th, 2025
Morning
It snuck up on you. Between all the time spent in GGO the significance of today did not truly register. The second years were going to Kyoto, a practical miracle given Isei's shoestring budget, but as the runt class the only trip you'll get this year is to...
Roppongi. In Tokyo. You weren't even leaving the city. They even told you to take the train there yourselves. Can't even be bothered to charter a bus...
"Yori-chan! Over here!"
Subaru and your loud friend wave you over to where the rest of your class is waiting. You had to wade through the storefronts of expensive luxury brands you will never be able to afford just to arrive at this dinky little building nestled adjacent to the Roppongi Hills. You think Gwen's family owns one of the nearby buildings here— you hope she's not watching you from a penthouse while eating chocolate covered caviar...
Subaru seems to be taking in the scenery as he sighs. "Ah, I wonder what you have to do to make it in a place like this..."
"Sell your soul," you mumble as you take a peek inside RATH's ostensive headquarters. It's a spartan building that feels more like a hospital then some kind of tech startup. Is this really the headquarters of some massive government conspiracy? It's certainly spacious enough.
"Uh... is this place supposed to be cool? Because it seems kinda lame to me."
Your loud friend does have a point, there's a distinct lack of futurism or flashy billboards around. This is Roppongi, every building here should be overflowing with cash, so why is this building so conspicuously crap?
"Um, g-good morning class!"
You all snap to attention a squeaky little girl's voice. She's so small it's like she crawled out of Karen's wildest fantasies, but you recognize her as Class 1-B's Hatayama-sensei. Looks like she drew the short end of the straw both literally and figuratively because Motosu-sensei is absolutely nowhere to be seen.
Hatayama-sensei continues, "Ah, this building is the RATH Roppongi Headquarters. Now since we're a pretty large group they've decided to split us up into smaller groups first! They've made a bunch of educational modules for us but there will only be enough time for two each. Let's see, where's my list... urgh, Urano why'd you leave this all to me..."
She fumbles with a piece of paper in her hands as she attempts to organize the chaos of the field trip caused by your homeroom teacher's abandonment.
"Ai-chan! Ai-chan!" A girl in Class 1-B, in violation of all decorum, raises her hand. "Why not just let everyone group up how they want? It'll be fun!"
"Uh, but what if everyone chooses the same activity..."
Subaru shoots his hand up immediately, "Ooo, ooo! Can I go see the AR stuff!? RATH is doing test runs with Ordinal Scale here, right!?"
And then floodgates open.
I hear they have NerveGears here!
Do you think they're building a Gundam!?
Hey look at the lecture list...
C'mon, let's go shopping!
Your loud friend yawns and rubs her otome-game induced sleep deprivation from her eyes. "I wonder if they got a cafeteria here, I just wanna nap..."
Hatayama-sensei blusters under the chaos, just in time for her groupies from 1-B to grab her by the arm and drag her into the building, gossiping the whole while. Welp, no one can save her now.
As the crowd of students disperse— half the class deciding that shopping in Roppongi is more fun than whatever the school's planning— you eye a nearby poster. There's a large list of schools on it, in fact it looks like there's two other schools scheduled for time slots after you. RATH seems booked through for the whole week. You suppose it's part of the government's push towards a VR enabled Tokyo by investing in public education.
Your loud friend stumbles in after you. "Uuuugh... are we gonna have to sit through a PowerPoint now? You're into this stuff right Yori-chan? You recognize any of these names?"
A list of speakers. Some you don't recognize.
Some you... do.
Very intimately.
And then you feel it. In the basement, something's... calling to you? It feels like... Kyouji? No. Not Kyouji but a similar... pressure?
"Yori-chan's spacing out again..."
You look around. Nobody's watching you. The closest thing you have to adult supervision is half your size. You have the queen of distractions next to you...
...
Maybe a little espionage is in order...
Welcome to RATH Roppongi Branch! You have enough time to perform TWO actions from the following list. The TWO activities with the most votes (NO NEED FOR PLANS) will be enacted. You can vote for just one if you don't feel strongly.
[ ] The Fluctlight Future
>Higa Takeru is giving a speech about Fluctlights, Memory and how the SEED intersects the two.
>Higa Takeru is not a good public speaker but has a tendency of letting stuff slip he really shouldn't...
[ ] Turing and Top-Down Intelligences
>Koujiro Rinko is giving a speech on Artificial Intelligence and the nature of SEED based NPCs.
>Koujiro Rinko is an excellent public speaker and understands what a non-disclosure agreement means.
>...What the hell is Koujiro Rinko doing here?
[ ] An Augmented World
>Shigemura Tetsuhiro as part of a collaboration with RATH is here to give an introduction into the Tokyo-VR project.
>Shigemura Tetsuhiro is a tired but competent speaker who often tangents into his personal passion: Fluctlight Reconstruction.
[ ] Get Caught by Security!
>Wander around until some hapless security guard detains you.
>2nd Lieutenant Itami of the JDSF is very bored and will leak government secrets to you.
[ ] Raid the Pantry!
>You and your loud friend will search for RATH's cafeteria, to great success.
>Learn very little of importance but catch someone important in a very compromising situation!
[ ] The Velvet Server
>Steal trash from a storage closet.
>Gain an item useful in a future arc.
[ ] Shadow of Cups
>Ayasaki Yasai is a mild mannered researcher you find hanging out in a strange room with what he claims are top of the line Dive Machines.
>There's something off about this man, but he's offering to let you test drive one, provided you promise to keep a secret...
>You will be given a risky but potentially profitable offer. You may choose to reject it after, but your time will not be refunded.
Last edited:
Underdog Emiya
God-Emperor of Underkind
- Location
- Brazil
- Pronouns
- He
[x] Turing and Top-Down Intelligences
[x] The Velvet Server
[x] The Velvet Server
Redsoff
[DETACHMENT]
- Location
- By [your] side
[X] The Velvet Server
AIrito come home
The others, well, Takeru and Itami can let things slip and Shigmura goes into tangents. Rinko seems competent enough not to give anything away but her deal is probably about all the AIs in the Underworld.
Curious what the cafeteria would us. What would be compromising in a cafeteria?
Also, Yanai. Just knowing his name and that he is here would help, but interacting with him? Ugh.
[X] The Fluctlight Future
AIrito come home
The others, well, Takeru and Itami can let things slip and Shigmura goes into tangents. Rinko seems competent enough not to give anything away but her deal is probably about all the AIs in the Underworld.
Curious what the cafeteria would us. What would be compromising in a cafeteria?
Also, Yanai. Just knowing his name and that he is here would help, but interacting with him? Ugh.
[X] The Fluctlight Future
[x] Turing and Top-Down Intelligences
[x] The Velvet Server
[x] The Velvet Server