Persona: HEAVEN (Persona/Sword Art Online/Isekai Multicross)

[Fantasy explorer]

[X] A little bit of everything

 

[Emanyzal]

[X] A little bit of everything

I finally caught up!

A shame our avatar and name don't match. I guess it could be ironic?

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] A little bit of everything
-[X] Procyon SL Op.Pistol (800 Yen)
-[X] Bahauser GMA 571 Armor Magnum (4800 Yen)
-[X] Level 1 Inline Body Armor (4000 Yen)
-[X] Akasha Optical Defense Shield (2400 Yen)
-[X] M1 Garand with Bayonet (4000 yen)

"Yo. Just wanted to let you know that it didn't have to end this way."

You're in the middle of a large warehouse hidden in the heart of the city, the nondescript gunmetal backdrop possessing all the majesty of a futuristic shipping crate. Piles of scrap metal and waist-high industrial shelves provide the barest semblance of cover, the arena having little to no connection with actual functional space.

This was a corridor in an FPS game, no more and no less.

"You could've ran. Buncha noobs like you, and I might've even forgotten about it. But not now. Now, you've stepped in it."

The warehouse was dimly lit. A handful of bare bulbs flicker from the ceiling, illuminating XeXeeD in a vague, unflattering haze. He's reclined on an aluminum folding chair, a long, polymer rifle cradled in his hands.

The confidence is back. You can feel it in the way he speaks, the way he carries himself. In the store, he was a braggart at best and a coward at worst. Hardly the type of man you'd expect to claim the spot as the greatest GGO player.

But you only met half of XeXeeD. You were now on his home turf. No guardrails, no anti-crime ordinance, no immortality. And unlike last time...

XeXeeD had his gun with him.

As if it's a token granting him power, XeXeeD's grip tightens on the polymer. The rifle rises slowly, barrel gliding from the concrete floor to level at you.

"Let me make one thing clear here, newbies. This ain't about your stupid accounts. This isn't even about you guys running your mouth off. Nah man, this is about something more fundamental. It's about respect. You feel me?"

You watch the barrel of the rifle. It's shaped like some sci-fi laser rifle, but possesses that same jet-black finish as real-world firearms. It wobbles and weaves as XeXeeD rants, before eventually settling on your forehead.

"You think you scrubs can just waltz in here and act like you're hot shit!? Been a bumper crop of you guys lately. New faces popping up around here, picking fights with the first vet they can find. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You're just like that skull mask freak, flying in with some pricey gear, ambushing whoever you can find like you've got something to prove. Well, that ends tonight. Tonight, I'm making an example of you."

"Out with the old, in with the new. Just the way of the world," you respond, keeping an eye on the movement of his barrel. "But it's not too late to apologize. It'll save your ass from the beating it's about to get."

"Hah, you'd like that, wouldn't you darling? Not how it works around here. See, now? Now we gotta establish a pecking order. So c'mon newbie! Think you're the real deal!?"

His rifle whines, its mechanisms arming with a crack that fills the air. "Then prove it!" XeXeeD jumps from his chair, finger curling around the trigger.

And that's when Lugh strikes.

His knife is an arc, the boy seemingly materializing out of thin air as he lunges at his target's throat. But XeXeeD doesn't hesitate. In an instant, the barrel whips to meet his charge, the click-clack of automatic fire erupting throughout the room.

Lugh ducks low, skidding under the gunfire. A clang sounds as he lunges at XeXeeD's torso, the rifle deflecting his strike. You can feel your partner grit his teeth at the missed blow, the pair quickly engaging in a melee exchange.

You know Lugh is better than XeXeeD in close quarters. You saw him drag XeXeeD to his knees in the store.

But that was then.

And this time? XeXeeD has a gun in his hands and that makes all the difference in the world.

Lugh's foot slams into XeXeeD's throat, but the man doesn't even recoil.
Lugh's knife flashes at XeXeeD's side but it bounces off the thick armor.
Lugh's hand seizes the barrel of XeXeeD's rifle, but it's all he can do to barely nudge the hail of fire away from his own body.

"There you are, you turd! Glad to see you ain't having your girlfriend fight your battles for you!" XeXeeD snarls at Lugh, locking eyes with the boy as the two wrestle for control over XeXeeD's gun.

Lugh doesn't talk, but something in XeXeeD's gaze seems to cause him to reach a decision. With a final jab toward XeXeeD's eyes, the boy backflips away from his target, the barrel of the gun chasing his escape with a line of steel. Lugh ducks behind a shelf, the impact jostling the piles of scrap metal and supplies on the floor.

XeXeeD snorts, lowering his rifle, "Ha, you think you're the first jackass who decided to rip off «Sublitzer»'s schtick? I'll have you know I kick his ass every time he pulls that on me. Do you think you're some kinda soldier or shit? Maybe you were hot stuff IRL!? This is GGO!"

You get what he's saying. What works on vulnerable humans with pain centers, vitals, and self-preservation goes out of the window with avatars. Missing limbs, broken bones, and head wounds won't do a thing to stop them from fighting. The only way to win a battle in GGO was to knock that magic number down to zero.

You poke out of your cover, Keyboard rifle in hand. Your finger brushes against the trigger, the oscillating «Bullet Circle» hovering in your eyesight. The interface seems to respond to your thoughts as the circle immediately snaps towards XeXeeD's position.

Just in time to see the barrel of his rifle explode in a flash of light and smoke, his finger squeezing off three rapid shots toward your hiding spot.

Fuck!

You skid back into cover, barely avoiding the burst as the bullets whiz by overhead. You lower your profile, holding your breath. There's another shelf off in the distance. If you could reposition, maybe you could catch him unaware. Without the time to hesitate, you dart towards the new cover.

It takes two steps before XeXeeD opens up on you, his rifle tracking you across the floor as you run. The metal floor jars with the impact of his gunfire, but you make it to safety. It's all you can do to just move in this game, how the hell were you supposed to even counterattack?

"Tch. Something's messed up with your model. You fucking hacking?"

"Maybe I'm just better than you." You say, voice flat.

You stick your arm around the corner, blind firing a few pulses at XeXeeD's last position. But you're not aiming, just spraying randomly to no avail.

"Says the newbie firing piss lasers. What the fuck is up with your NPC model anyways? Bullet Circle won't snapshot onto you, it's treating you like some kind of neutral NPC."

So the Bullet Circle aim assist didn't work on you? Small consolation, given XeXeeD's aim seemed to be just fine on its own. "It's just your own gun telling you to give up before you embarrass yourself!"

"Whatever. A small trick for a small fry." Any time you try to step out XeXeeD's there to answer you with a spray of bullets. He's a patient hunter, content with letting his prey come to him. And his combat sense is near prescient, the moment you even think of moving he's there to fire, and the moment you pause to catch your breath he's already reloading.

"Lugh, do you have any ideas!? I'm pinned down!" You take a brief moment from firing ineffectual pulse rounds to address your ally. Without a functional minimap and the sheer noise pollution of a gunfight it was almost impossible to keep track of him. This wasn't like ALO with clear sightlines and flashy magic. Guns were loud and visible, but between the smoke, noise and explosions you could hide a hundred Lughs here and still not see a single one.

"He's got a Tactical Tuna!" Lugh warns you from your left. "He's been firing it semi-auto but it can do a full auto burst as well! Just keep him from moving!"

"A what!?"

"FN F2000! Don't mind the details, it's an assault rifle and watch out for the grenade launcher!"

"A grenade launch—"

A loud explosion, followed by a concussive blast sends you ducking beneath your cover, debris clanging on the metal floor all around. You distantly realize XeXeeD fired it at Lugh's position, the explosion not even aimed at you. But your ears are ringing from the sound, your body shaken. You know this is virtual, you know there's nothing realistic about this fight.

But one half of your mind is screaming at you to run away. And the other half is whispering in the corner, huddling under the covers and hoping that everything will go away if you just make yourself small enough.

H-how the hell do you even advance in this game? Pinned down, unable to even counterattack, surrounded by bullets and explosions, it's all you can do to huddle down like a cornered rat. You hear the once distant sounds of gunfire now mere millimeters away from your head, you're reminded of a single crucial fact.

You have never played through a single encounter in GGO.
You have never shot a gun before in your life.
You have never even seen a gun before!

In short?

You have no idea what to do.

There's a brief moment where the sounds of fighting stop, likely XeXeeD taking time to summon more magazines from his inventory, before the rattle of gunfire returns in full force. You try to move, to reposition to the side or another row, but you find your body unwilling to act, frozen in the same pose that you sat down in, rifle clutched against your body as if it holding the damn thing would make it fire all on its own.

Lugh was engaging XeXeeD as best as he could, but the boy was in no position to take a risk. Even now, the sound of battle seemed to be moving closer toward your hiding spot. Your partner was on the backfoot, trying to keep himself alive, and he needed you to do something.

You have almost a half dozen guns on your person. Pistols of all shapes and sizes are hidden within the holsters sewn into your coat. A high-quality laser rifle you dredged from ALO's data, and even a live ammo rifle in your quick access inventory. You had a hundred ways to shoot. A hundred different things you could do. And yet...

You don't.

It's like you know. XeXeeD is better than you. His belief in himself, in his gun, supersedes your belief in Kuro, one you can't help but compare to the god-slaying strength you once held as Lux.

You do feel like Lux in one sense, however. The Lux of SAO. Powerless, cowering, unable to even muster the will.

...

No. You have something else you can use. An equalizer, a weapon you do believe in.

But it doesn't answer.

Your Shadow isn't speaking to you right now. You were of one mind and body. There was no disagreement, no discussion. Your Shadow decided on this fight, you decided on this fight. One mind, one decision, that was the pre-requisite for the Persona, a condition you know you have met.

Undine answers your call, the spirit of water settling into your mind. You feel your soul melding within, the force of a flood beckoning for release. Yet as you try to manifest that power the sheer logic of the world of GGO fights you tooth and nail. It's like trying to manipulate something that can't be moved. Like trying to swim in concrete.

"Kuro! You have to move!"

Lugh's voice startles you out of your fugue, your attention snapping up as a grenade flies overhead. There's no timed detonation, no dramatic half-second for you to hurl the thing back at XeXeeD. Just a passing streak of black, the sound of fire shearing through metal, and the bright flash of light and pain.

It feels like being thrown off a cliff. Your body bounces across the room, rolling across the cold metal floor. It was a glancing blow, a grenade fired from his strange rifle aimed at the pillar behind you rather than your person. But it was enough to decrease over 10% of your HP. It was enough to throw you straight out of cover.

XeXeeD laughs as he lines up a second shot at your fallen form.

Lugh screams out an ineffectual warning.

Your rifle lies discarded on the side of the arena.

That single line of steel flashes through the air.

It was inevitable. You know what happens now.

Your mind flashes back to the sands of the arena. That day you had many goals. Recruit allies, scout out the Sleeping Knights, learn how ALO's PvP truly worked... all except one thing.

You didn't want to win. You didn't care about winning.

It's what you told yourself as you refused to change Personas against Yuuki. It's what you told yourself as you fought with your own Shadow.

But this time there's no ulterior goal. No grand plan.

Not even survival.

No...

You're sick of being a victim. You're sick of losing. You're sick of always chasing after the messes of everything.
You just want to win!
You just want to be...
STRONG.

System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Sokushinbutsu]. ReferenceID:11.Droit​

Your mind opens to the collective unconsciousness.

Nobody taught you how to conjure fire. You never truly got the hang of Sword Skills. No one could learn how to entrap minds as easily as you could with but a single thought. But you didn't need to know. You simply had to call on the Persona— on the experience of the collective unconsciousness.

Somebody in the world knows. And so long as you can tap into the world you can tap into that wisdom.

You roll along the ground from your prone position, XeXeeD's bullets missing as you move just beyond their arc. You quick draw the first pistol you lay your hands on, the Black Star of Itsuki's gift passing through the edge of your vision. A phantom thought that is not entirely your own tells you to cock the hammer back and rack the slide.

A bullet slides into the chamber.

And all of a sudden you understand.

Life is suffering.
Life is impermanent. Inconsequential.
Life is but a transitory passage through the impure world.

The cold steel in your hand is a symbol of suffering, impermanence, and the transitory nature of life. It is a tool to accelerate the judgment of souls, so the cycle of samsara can move ever forward, to free the suffering souls trapped in this world of fire.

Your Persona seeps into the essence of your gun, the anchor point of this world's fantasy. In your hands, the small, seemingly flimsy pistol becomes something else. A conduit to the collective unconsciousness, bolstered by the wishes of thousands of players.

This is a world of guns. Where one's gun becomes one's soul, a symbol of one's will to fight and dominate one's foes.

So you must do the same.

Your soul is impure. A materialistic construct made out of pure selfish desires and self-delusions.
A gun is impure. A construct of death, hatred, and fear, designed to do nothing but inflict suffering.

Your soul is an empty vessel. It is nothing but a receptacle for the wishes of mankind.
A gun is an empty vessel. It is a tool, without sin, without judgment.

Your soul is nothing.
Your gun is nothing.

But you can fill your soul with something beyond yourself. And you can fill your gun with your soul.

Channel your soul into your gun.

And with your bullet cast your soul into your target.

System Call: Search Target FluctlightID. Transfer Fluctlight Durability from Unit to Self. AUTHORIZATION: [ADMINISTRATOR] [KURO]​

Your gun discharges.

It does not hit XeXeeD. Your bullet seems to fly nowhere at all, as if it were just a meaningless release of a blank. But your bullet doesn't aim for the avatar of your opponent. Instead, it flies past XeXeeD, past the veneer of strength and bravado.

Into the chest of a greasy-haired, stubbled young man wearing a stained black shirt.

There's no dodging, no armor that protects the true form of XeXeeD from the fragment of your soul, sent hurtling not through the virtual air but the collective unconscious itself.

...

The world resumes its motion. XeXeeD clutches his chest, his face contorting into an expression of shock and pain. He tries to hack out some response, some dismissive retort, but all he manages to produce is a wretched, gurgling noise. He rolls on the floor, squirming like a worm, like the pitiful creature he was.

He's weak. A pathetic, mewling being with the power he didn't earn, nothing more than worthless scum. Your strength comes from within, from your conquests, from the corpses you leave in your wake.

Your gun rises once more. This world isn't meant for weaklings like him. Your finger tightens around the trigger.

It's meant for you.

The strong.

The «Real Deal»—

"Snap out of it!"

The Black Star discharges a round straight into the floor, Lugh standing over your shoulder with his hand wrapped around your wrist. He gives you a simple shake of the head, your mind struggling to catch up to what is happening.

"Kuro. You were trying to kill him."

You blink, glancing back towards XeXeeD, and then your handgun. Y-you... what were you...

This wasn't your Shadow, distorting your thoughts. You no longer could grasp that convenient excuse. This was... you. Your Persona. "I-I wasn't, I..."

"I don't know what that was, but I can see what you were trying to do. Are you certain you want to do this? If that was your intention, then I won't stop you," Lugh's words trail off, and he glances back to XeXeeD, the player rising against the far wall, still clutching his chest as he gazes at the two of you. "But if you must kill do it with intentionality. There is nothing more wasteful than a life ended for no reason at all. If man should kill man, let it be because of a decision. It is the minimum amount of dignity those who are about to die deserve. Do you understand, Kuro?"

Lugh's grip slackens, releasing your hand. You stand there for a moment, staring at the gun in your hand. This was the most powerful Persona you possess, gathered from the dreams of a simple salaryman you accosted on a train station. From such a humble origin, the strength it gives you is near absolute. The power to purge life, and a bullet you could fire at the soul itself, impossible to dodge and impossible to block.

"Y-you, what the f-fuck are you!?"

Your attention snaps to the figure at the back of the room, XeXeeD's avatar slowly standing as the man finally regains his bearings. There's that hint of hesitation you saw on XeXeeD back in the store that's returned to his face. The apprehension, the fear is back in full force, only this time it's no longer directed at Lugh.

"No. N-no. Your fucking trick, first that stupid NPC avatar, and now this. Fuck it hurts.... how the hell are you fucking hacking!?"

You take a step forward towards XeXeeD's form as his fear grows, and his gun comes up to face you. You ignore his rifle, the barrel wavering back and forth in the air between you and the wall.

"No. Nononononono.... NO! This is not how it fucking ends! I get it now... this some kind of conspiracy!? The fucking hax... that same fucking gun!"

Your gun? The Black Star pistol in your hand thrums within your hands, the power of your Persona infusing it with a strange energy. Even from a distance, XeXeeD can see it, sense something cruel and powerful within the pistol you fired at him.

"What are you talking about!? This is just a random gun!"

Lugh seems even more confused. "A Norinco Type 54, just a Chinese-manufactured Tokarev. A workhorse but hardly uncommon..."

"Oh drop the act! I see it now, the same crap that skull fucker used. First, you lot ambush Usujio and now you're targeting me?"

You stop. That name, Usujio... one of the recent murder victims. XeXeeD knew him? No, don't be stupid. XeXeeD's one of the top players, of course, he would know Usujio. "W-wait, you know Usujio? Stop, I have questions, what—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I am XeXeeD! I've been here from day fucking one. I worked for this, I earned this, you hear me you fucking bitch!? Whatever the hell you did, it isn't gonna matter! I'm gonna paint the walls with your fucking guts!"

"No, shut off your stupid gamer rage for one goddamn second this is important—"

Lugh tackles you to the ground, just enough to dodge the full burst of bullets XeXeeD unloads in your direction. XeXeeD doesn't seem to be in the mood for any conversation, not anymore.

"Is this... normal VRMMO behavior?" Lugh asks, dumbfounded. The only thing you do in response is shrug your shoulders.

You've broken through for now. You can feel your roster of Personas, the power they grant you has always been there, always within reach. You just needed the right tool to utilize that power. They were beings of fantasy, and you just needed to find a nexus of fantasy within GGO for them to take advantage of.

XeXeeD wanted this fight, Lugh wanted this fight, you wanted this fight.

Take a deep breath.
That's right. You weren't weak. You have options. You have strength.

So long as you held a gun in your hands...

You'll be able to see this through.

Spoiler: PLAN PHASE

ARMORY

Your carry capacity is 5 POINTS.
Your Optical Shield requires 1 POINT to equip.
Your Armor requires 1 POINT to equip.

Bahauser GMA [Maneki-Neko]: 0 WEIGHT. PERSONA-LOCKED.
Type 54 [Shokushinbutsu]: 1 WEIGHT. PERSONA-LOCKED.
X-CALIBUR [Mithras Liturgy [0STR]/Helena [1STR]/Magdelena [0STR]]: 3 WEIGHT
Varmit Hunter [ANY]: 1 WEIGHT
Garand [ANY]: 3 WEIGHT
Procyon [ANY]: 1 WEIGHT

Please specify your LOADOUT!

[ ] Keyboard Warrior Default
-Akasha Shield [1 Weight]
-Level 1 Armor [1 Weight]
-X-CALIBUR [Mithras Liturgy 3 Weight]
-Bahauser GMA [Maneki-Neko 0 Weight]
-Varmit Hunter [Helena 0 Weight]
-Procyon [Urvashi 0 Weight]
-M1 Garand [Urashimo Taro 0 Weight]

[ ] Customize Loadout

---

​

XeXeeD appears mildly damaged from Shokushinbutsu's attack.
XeXeeD is not using his main PvP loadout, but arrived with his secondary loadout of an FN F2000 Assault Rifle with a GL01 under rail grenade launcher.
The GL01 Grenade Launcher detonates on impact and is considered a WIDESPREAD BLUNT type weapon.
You expect it is capable of OVERWATCH fire and WIDESPREAD explosive attacks.
He appears to be wearing an ornate coat with multiple armor plates throughout.
XeXeeD is wearing a pair of gaudy shades.
XeXeeD likely possess other guns.

Estimated Effective Range:
[-][ ][X][X][X][X][ ][ ][-][-] FN2000
[ ][ ][X][X][ ][ ][ ][-][-][-] GL01 Grenade Launcher

---

ARENA: [1][2][ ][ ][ ][X][ ][ ][ ][ ]
1 = KURO's position [16/16]
2 = LUGH's position [14/14]

Order of Operations:
1d6 + AGI to roll initiative.
First on initiative MOVES and FIRES. Then everyone takes turns.
Then the turn repeat.

TWO TURNS WILL BE SIMULATED.

What does KURO do?

[ ] Act Freely
Turn 1: Maneki Neko in the Bahauser, advance to Pistol range and fire Zio bullet.
Turn 2: Maneki Neko in the Bahauser, advance to Pistol range and fire Zio bullet.

[ ] Trade Shots
Turn 1: Mithras Liturgy in the X-Calibur, stay within effective range and cast Masukukaja.
Turn 2: Mithras Liturgy in the X-Calibur, stay within effective range and fire Garu bullet.

[ ] Heal/Support
Turn 1: Helena in the Varmit Hunter, advance to range and fire Dormina bullet.
Turn 2: Helena in the Varmit Hunter, advance to range and bless Lugh with ENHANCE ARMAMENT.

[ ] Full Assault
Turn 1: Urashima in the M1 Garand, advance to range and fire ReBufu bullet.
Turn 2: Urashima in the M1 Garand, advance to range and fire Vorpal Strike.

[ ] Free Command
-Write in what you want to do for the next two turns!

Write-in an APPROACH

[ ] CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPROACH

This is the new write-in option. You can tell LUGH what to do, taunt the enemy, attempt to communicate with them mid battle or do something cool! An APPROACH will be narrative and possess bonuses as the QM sees fit for the circumstance.
This is how you control your party members. Examples for what I'm looking for would be something like:
>Lugh use a pincer attack! (Lugh will delay his initiative to match yours and attack simultaneously, giving a circumstantial bonus)
>Lugh, back off and only attack when you see an opening!
>Lugh, just duck and cover!
Otherwise your party members will act as they see fit.

This is also your free action to give a speech.

Basically don't worry too much about the details and write in what you want Kuro to do or what you want her to say!

[ ] STUNT [5 DETERMINATION+]

Do something outside the rules and perform a *COMPLEX* write-in option. This is say... throwing your guns on the floor and surrendering. Channeling electricity into a metal shelf and then throwing it at XeXeeD. Hypnotizing yourself to see what will happen. Do something unexpected that's BEYOND just talking to your opponent or directing your party members!

---

SUBMIT IN PLAN FORMAT FOR THE LOADOUT AND KURO's ACTIONS!
HOWEVER, CUSTOMIZING YOUR APPROACH IS OUTSIDE OF THE PLAN!
STUNT SUPERCEDES EVERYTHING! IF A STUNT WINS DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MECHANICAL DETAILS!

So in essence the CUSTOMIZE option is there for narrative beats and you can vote for an option outside the actual combat mechanics. Give your GM an excuse to make interesting stuff happen.

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Gwen
World of Origin: Aincrad
Current World: Post Starfall
Race: Human
Persona: Daji (DEVIL Arcana)

Spoiler: Daji

[

Derived Statistics (how the quest calculates success and failure)
HP: 14/14
SP: 10/10

STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C + 2 (5 Dice)
Weak: Slash, Ice
Resist: Wind, Fire, Elec

ARMOR: Metamaterial Optical Camouflage Mantle [ARMOR + 2]
OPTICAL BARRIER: Kaleidoscope Optical Defense Shield [SHIELD + 3]
[Refraction 1]: Reduces damage from OPTICAL weapons and MAGIC by 1.

PISTOL: Beretta M9A1
Range: MELEE/CLOSE
MELEE: Ballistic Knife
Range: MELEE/CLOSE

Passives:
[Optical Camo]: Renders the wearer permanently invisible, with all the advantages that entails. Raises your CHT by +2 when active.
[Fragile]: If your weakness is struck or you take 5 or more damage in one scene, your Mantle breaks and you must spend 1 TURN repairing it.

Actions:

Agilao: Generate a THERMAL element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/FIRE]
Zionga: Generate a FULMINANT element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/ELEC]
Devour: A standard Sword Skill where you carve out a chunk of their flesh with claws or teeth, healing a small amount when you consume their life force. [STR/BLUNT]
Pulinpa: Connects enemy Fluctlight ID to the Taboo Index, causing afflicted opponents to act unpredictably. [CHT/MADNESS]

Distract!: As an invisible troll, you can taunt and disorient foes in order to help out your allies!
Throw Something!: You can throw any small object with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

Basic Attack [Semi-Auto Fire]: Empty your magazine into the enemy. [5 DICE / PIERCE / +1 DMG]
Basic Attack [Stabby-Stab]: Shank them with the sharp end! [4 DICE / PIERCE]


ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Thus being stripped and chained fully against a burning pillar, a single
deathly scream rang against the royal halls as Mei Bo's flesh and bones were
turned to ashes.

Bronze Toaster: Incarnate a burning censer in your hands, tinged with the smell of burning human flesh. The censer may be used as a melee weapon or thrown at enemies with the chain, imparting one-time BLUNT weaknesses into the enemies you manage to wrap around the chains. This weapon demanifests after Gwen has thrown it, or after 2 Scenes. Gwen is highly visible during its usage. [FIRE/BLUNT] [6 SP]​

---

​

Sinon
World of Origin: Post Starfall
Current World: Post Starfall
Race: Human
Persona: Hecate Chrysosandalos (JUSTICE Arcana)

Spoiler: Hecate Chrysosandalos

Derived Statistics (how the quest calculates success and failure)
HP: 10/10
SP: 7/7

STR: Rank A (5 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weak: Wind, Elec
Resist: Bless, Nuclear

ARMOR: Sniper Coat [ARMOR + 0]
OPTICAL BARRIER: Akasha Optical Defense Shield [SHIELD + 3]

SNIPER RIFLE: PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II
Range: FAR/EXTREME
PISTOL: Glock 18C
Range: MELEE/CLOSE

SPARE RIFLE: PGM Mini-Hecate .338 (will only be used if you lose your main weapon)
Range: FAR/EXTREME
PISTOL: Type 54 Black Star
Range: MELEE/CLOSE

Passives:
[Hawkeye]: Your BASIC ATTACKS gain +2 DICE per turn you maintain a clear line of vision to your target. Resets upon hitting your target or losing line of sight.
[Golden Sandals]: Narratively fly at a speed equivalent to your running speed. You can pick up and carry allies, provided you sacrifice your ability to attack. Costs [1 SP] per turn you fly.
«Real Deal: Aspirant»: You understand life is nothing more than meat, blood and bone. +1 DICE on all rolls in combat against opponents who do not possess any variation of the «Real Deal» trait.

Actions:

Freila: Generate a NUCLEAR element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [1 SP] [MAG/NUC]
Kouga: Generate a LUMINOUS element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [1 SP] [MAG/BLESS]
Stun Needle: Fires a cluster of flechettes over a wide area to entangle opponents in golden ropes. [2 SP] [CHT/BIND]
Première Guerre Mondiale: Bless your rifle, temporarily turning it into a semi-automatic bombardment weapon. Fire continuously, for every SP remaining, until your SP hits 0. You may focus fire or try to hit multiple opponents. Every time an opponent is damaged by one instance of this attack, they get a stacking +2 DICE to resist the damage of this attack for the rest of the scene. [X SP] [STR/PIERCE]

Phantom Bullet: Use your Bullet Line to spook an enemy combatant, typically causing them to reposition. [FREE]
Reload: Recover [7 SP] but can only be used if it's the only thing you do all scene.

Basic Attack [Payen, Gonnet and Morier]: Deliver 50 Caliber Justice at 2000 meters. [1 SP] [6 DICE / IGNORE VIT / PIERCE / +3 DMG]
Basic Attack [Semi-Auto Fire]: Empty your sidearm into the enemy. [5 DICE / PIERCE]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
I exorcise in the name of Hecate Trimorphous, scourgebearer, slavebearer, torchbearer, blood-drinking goddess of the lower world adorned in golden sandals.

Chrysosandalaimopotichthonia: Change epitaphs and call upon another facet of Hecate.

---

​

Lugh
World of Origin: Post Starfall
Current World: Post Starfall
Race: Human

HP: 14/14
SP: 10/10

STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)
Resist: Slash, Curse
Weak: Bless

ARMOR: Stylish Longcoat [ARMOR + 0]
OPTICAL BARRIER: Aether Optical Defense Shield [SHIELD + 2]

PISTOL: AMT Hardballer
Range: MELEE/CLOSE/FAR
MELEE: KA-BAR Combat Knife
Range: MELEE

Passives:
[Rapid Recovery]: You are experienced in making the most of what is already broken. Survive a fatal blow with 1HP once per combat, and healing is more efficient on you.
[Combat Weaver]: You are narratively always equipped with a suite of gadgets, such as: smoke grenades, tripwires, grappling hooks, binoculars, flares, noisemakers or any other such non-fantastical item that can reasonably fit into a utility belt.
[Limitless Growth]: You have achieved the peak of human performance, and gain +2 DICE when firing and dodging modern firearms.
[Martial Arts: Assassin]: Grants ADVANTAGE on melee contests, provided your opponent does not possess an equivalent skill.

«Real Deal: Assassin»: A man who kills one is a murderer. A man who kills dozens is a lunatic. A man who kills hundreds is a professional. Gain +3 DICE on all combat rolls against opponents who do not possess any variation of the «Real Deal» trait.

Actions:

Disarm: When in Melee Range make a contested STR check against your foe— if successful divest them of their weapon.
Release Intent: Attempt to inflict FEAR against a target foe. An enemy that is in FEAR status must move away from the source of their fear, and have DISADVANTAGE when firing upon the source of their fear. Otherwise their actions are unrestrained. [CHT/FEAR]
Enshroud: Take evasive actions and attempt to stay out of enemy sightlines. Enemies will not target you but you are still vulnerable to widespread attacks.

Combat Weaver: Cosplay as Batman and use something from your utility belt!
Killing Sense: Avoid combat for a scene and spend it studying the enemy. You may learn an enemy's weakness.

Basic Attack [Mozambique Drill]: Two in the body and one to the head. As usual. [5 DICE / PIERCE / IGNORE ARMOR]
Basic Attack [Backstab]: Surprise. [4 DICE / SLASH / +3 DMG if HIDDEN]

---

​

LLENN
World of Origin: Post Starfall
Current World: Post Starfall
Race: Chibi-Human

HP: 08/08
SP: 10/10

STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank A (5 Dice)
VIT: Rank E (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Resist: Variable
Weak: Blunt, Variable

ARMOR: Pure Pink Fatigues [ARMOR + 0]
OPTICAL BARRIER: Aether Optical Defense Shield [SHIELD + 2] LLENN's Elemental Resist is set by her Shield, and can be freely changed to any non-BLESS/CURSE element. Its Weakness is automatically the elemental opposite (FIRE/ICE, WIND/ELEC, PSY/NUC). LLENN automatically changes it based on what the opponent's last attack was, but it can be changed in PLAN as well.

SMG: FN P90 SMG -P-Chan II-
Range: MELEE/CLOSE

MELEE: SOG SEAL Pup Tactical Knife -Na-Chan-
Range: MELEE

Passives:
[Chibi]: Provided you are not immobilized, any non-automatic weapon and non-explosive weapon that targets you does so with DISADVANTAGE.
[Lucky Girl]: Things always seem to go your way! You can use your CHT stat to defend against all type of attacks, even when bound, paralyzed or utterly helpless.
[Hyperspeed]: Gain +1 HYPERSPEED per scene and +1 HYPERSPEED every 4HP you lose. All stacks of HYPERSPEED are depleted when you stop moving or are narratively immobilized. Bonus HYPERSPEED is granted if narratively justified. HYPERSPEED is added to all offensive rolls and all AGI rolls. HYPERSPEED can be spent to perform special attacks (calcs are made based on banked HYPERSPEED AFTER you spend it, not before).

[Incarnate: P-chan]: Don't worry, P-chan's got your back! This gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever— unless you consider a fountain of positive reinforcement an advantage!

«Real Deal: Pink Devil»

Actions:

Distract!: LLENN runs circles around an enemy, deliberately triggering REACTION attacks and setting off traps. Gain [+1 HYPERSPEED].
Snap: This scene LLENN is always in optimal range when firing and always in suboptimal range when defending. [-1 HYPERSPEED]
Shooting Spree: This scene LLENN attempts to kill the weakest and most vulnerable enemy combatant, if successful she moves on to the next weakest combatant in the same scene, continuing to attack until she fails to land a killing blow. [-2 HYPERSPEED]
Triple Down: Slow down just enough to empty your gun into everything. Fire P-chan 3 times whenever you would normally fire once. Will always target different opponents if able, if not will focus fire. [-3 HYPERSPEED]
Trust P-Chan!: For the truly desperate! [-ALL HYPERSPEED]

Basic Attack [P-chan Fire!]: At this range you can't miss! [5 DICE / PIERCE / IGNORES AGI]
Basic Attack [Na-chan Stab!]: Aim between the legs. [4 DICE / SLASH]
Basic Attack [Na-chan Vengeance!]: Unlocks if P-Chan or a party member is defeated. [4 DICE / SLASH / ADDS AGI DICE TO ROLL]

 

[veekie]

Does he appear to be using a laser shield or is the visible armor all there is?

 

[Winged One]

"Let me make one thing clear here, newbies. This ain't about your stupid accounts. This isn't even about you guys running your mouth off. Nah man, this is about something more fundamental. It's about respect. You feel me?"

Click to shrink...

If you want respect, maybe don't be a total douchecanoe and act like success in this pay-to-win trash fire of a game means anything? Especially when you got it by gaslighting noobs?

"Kuro. You were trying to kill him."

You blink, glancing back towards XeXeeD, and then your handgun. Y-you... what were you...

This wasn't your Shadow, distorting your thoughts. You no longer could grasp that convenient excuse. This was... you. Your Persona. "I-I wasn't, I..."

"I don't know what that was, but I can see what you were trying to do. Are you certain you want to do this? If that was your intention, then I won't stop you," Lugh's words trail off, and he glances back to XeXeeD, the player rising against the far wall, still clutching his chest as he gazes at the two of you. "But if you must kill do it with intentionality. There is nothing more wasteful than a life ended for no reason at all. If man should kill man, let it be because of a decision. It is the minimum amount of dignity those who are about to die deserve. Do you understand, Kuro?"

Click to shrink...

This man is a fucking sage of murder by comparison to our dumb ass. And yeah, we don't want this asshole dead. Not only does it go against the ideal self we're trying to become, but...

"No. Nononononono.... NO! This is not how it fucking ends! I get it now... this some kind of conspiracy!? The fucking hax... that same fucking gun!"

Your gun? The Black Star pistol in your hand thrums within your hands, the power of your Persona infusing it with a strange energy. Even from a distance, XeXeeD can see it, sense something cruel and powerful within the pistol you fired at him.

"What are you talking about!? This is just a random gun!"

Lugh seems even more confused. "A Norinco Type 54, just a Chinese-manufactured Tokarev. A workhorse but hardly uncommon..."

"Oh drop the act! I see it now, the same crap that skull fucker used. First, you lot ambush Usujio and now you're targeting me?"

You stop. That name, Usujio... one of the recent murder victims. XeXeeD knew him? No, don't be stupid. XeXeeD's one of the top players, of course, he would know Usujio. "W-wait, you know Usujio? Stop, I have questions, what—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I am XeXeeD! I've been here from day fucking one. I worked for this, I earned this, you hear me you fucking bitch!? Whatever the hell you did, it isn't gonna matter! I'm gonna paint the walls with your fucking guts!"

"No, shut off your stupid gamer rage for one goddamn second this is important—"

Click to shrink...

He has a lead on the plot.

 

[Ferb_Ancos]

[X] Keyboard Warrior Default

 

[Ferb_Ancos]

[X] Trade Shots

 

[BoundaryPhantasm]

[X] Keyboard Warrior Default
[X] Heal/Support

 

[theguynamedwafer]

[X] This isn't f*cking Borderlands!
-[X] Keyboard Warrior Default
-[X] Customize Your Approach
--[X] 'Lugh! Try to keep him off-balance!'
--[X] Use Masakujaja before laying down suppressive fire with Garu rounds
--[X] At the first opportunity, rush XeXeed while dual-wielding the Bahauser and Procyon and try to take him off guard

Does this plan qualify for Write-in, or does it count more as a Stunt?

 

[Alcor]

Hmm, at a glance I think our best shot is to go with Lugh's original plan for this fight - we're the decoy who grabs XeXeeD's attention and let him get the drop on him. Lugh has abilities to conceal himself and passives that let him deal bonus damage if he attacks while concealed - if we can get him to Melee range he can also bypass VIT or even make a disarm attempt. By contrast, all his weapons are basically close range so I feel it naturally tends towards us providing cover fire from a distance with the keyboard or Garand - XeXeeD seems more focused on us right now anyway.

[X] Plan: Last Surprise
-[X] Keyboard Warrior Default
-[X] Customize Your Approach
--[X] "Lugh, if I can keep him distracted can you get close again and finish this?"
--[X] Turn 1: Buff Lugh with Tarukaja (X-CALIBUR/Mithras Liturgy)
---[X] If not in the effective range for the X-CALIBUR vs. XeXeeD, move to do so
--[X] Turn 2: Stay in effective range and use Zio on XeXeeD (Same)

QM can correct me if I'm messed up here on any of this - but I think that provided XeXeeD doesn't retreat back (and I'm not sure he would right now) we're in effective range for the Keyboard already. The idea is to throw the buff on Lugh now - the first turn of it will be wasted but it should last 3 total and narratively I think it's better if we're attacking XeXeeD at the same time he's trying to execute the ambush. Lugh should get to XeXeeD on the second turn I think (again pending XeXeeD not going full retreat.)

 

[veekie]

[X] Plan: Last Surprise

 

[RolePatrol]

[x] Plan: Last Surprise

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Does this plan qualify for Write-in, or does it count more as a Stunt?

Click to shrink...

That's fine. A stunt is for very crazy stuff, not positional jostling like so.

 

[Winged One]

What the hell is Keyboard Warrior Default?

 

[theguynamedwafer]

The loadout specified as a 'default' option by the QM.

 

[The Zog]

You get what he's saying. What works on vulnerable humans with pain centers, vitals, and self-preservation goes out of the window with avatars. Missing limbs, broken bones, and head wounds won't do a thing to stop them from fighting. The only way to win a battle in GGO was to knock that magic number down to zero.

Click to shrink...

I've never actually seen this used before. Normally in a anime power fantasy being good at martial arts makes you a combat god in a videogame for no reason. Here, things like hitboxes, lack of vital organs, and no pain effectively stop realistic skills from working.

At the same time this is a HEAVEN so I doubt this will stay true forever.

You have never even seen a gun before!

Click to shrink...

By the time we're at the end you're going to be seeing a lot of RL guns, Hiyori.

No. You have something else you can use. An equalizer, a weapon you do believe in.

Click to shrink...

Time to start cheating!

And all of a sudden you understand.

Life is suffering.
Life is impermanent. Inconsequential.
Life is but a transitory passage through the impure world.

The cold steel in your hand is a symbol of suffering, impermanence, and the transitory nature of life. It is a tool to accelerate the judgment of souls, so the cycle of samsara can move ever forward, to free the suffering souls trapped in this world of fire.

Your Persona seeps into the essence of your gun, the anchor point of this world's fantasy. In your hands, the small, seemingly flimsy pistol becomes something else. A conduit to the collective unconsciousness, bolstered by the wishes of thousands of players.

This is a world of guns. Where one's gun becomes one's soul, a symbol of one's will to fight and dominate one's foes.

So you must do the same.

Your soul is impure. A materialistic construct made out of pure selfish desires and self-delusions.
A gun is impure. A construct of death, hatred, and fear, designed to do nothing but inflict suffering.

Your soul is an empty vessel. It is nothing but a receptacle for the wishes of mankind.
A gun is an empty vessel. It is a tool, without sin, without judgment.

Your soul is nothing.
Your gun is nothing.

But you can fill your soul with something beyond yourself. And you can fill your gun with your soul.

Channel your soul into your gun.

And with your bullet cast your soul into your target.

Click to shrink...

This mindset really makes me glad we chose the buddha. A twisyed, hinhilistic Buddhist philosophy does a lot to make our Real Deal mode stand out from the pack.

The world resumes its motion. XeXeeD clutches his chest, his face contorting into an expression of shock and pain. He tries to hack out some response, some dismissive retort, but all he manages to produce is a wretched, gurgling noise. He rolls on the floor, squirming like a worm, like the pitiful creature he was.

Click to shrink...

So even if we can't get the full Death gun Incarnate we still somehow made the pain real here? It's pretty interesting how Laughing Coffins real deal philosophy is actually a pretty good anti-HEAVEN weapon. Because it's not a desire for escape but instead to do something of real consequence it destroys peoples power fantasies and affirms reality through pain.

"No. Nononononono.... NO! This is not how it fucking ends! I get it now... this some kind of conspiracy!? The fucking hax... that same fucking gun!"

Click to shrink...

XeXeeD met Sterbern and lived? That's making me lean towards that Kyoji isn't a part of DEATH GUN here since the main reason they killed him was because Kyoji was a petty bitch.

[X] Plan: Last Surprise

I know nothing about combat so I'll just follow everyone's lead.

Now let's beat up XeXeeD and force him to be our friend. You'll continue my quest to make the most outthere team ups in SAO's history.

 

[Alcor]

XeXeeD met Sterbern and lived? That's making me lean towards that Kyoji isn't a part of DEATH GUN here since the main reason they killed him was because Kyoji was a petty bitch.

Click to shrink...

Could be that XeXeeD simply caught one of Death Gun's speeches where he declares the death of the victim - or that a player recorded it and he saw it second-hand. Basically, imagine his declaration of XeXeeD's death in canon but swap the players around.

 

[The Zog]

Could be that XeXeeD simply caught one of Death Gun's speeches where he declares the death of the victim - or that a player recorded it and he saw it second-hand. Basically, imagine his declaration of XeXeeD's death in canon but swap the players around.

Click to shrink...

I've checked with canon and I don't think Death Gun has done that yet. Then I went back to our meeting with Kikouka and he's revealed that two people have been murdered already matching Death Gun's MO when XeXeeD was the second victim in canon but is alive here and said second kill in this AU has not been publicly announced by him yet.

Wait, I actually think there's no way for XeXeeD to be a Death Gun target in this universe because he's most likely not using a NerveGear. Death Gun's MO is completey different here. They're not targeting random people whose personal data XaXa aqquired or Kyoji didn't like they're targeting players who use Nervgears and doctor the bodies to make it look like the Nervgear killed them instead of the drug overdose they used.

This is completely different. They're not going on a short-sighted murder spree. They're playing the long game and have somehow figured out the Incarnate system and are using it to build a legend that if grown enough, could hypothetically let them kill anyone in GGO if there's enough belief.

 

[Alcor]

I looked back too, but I felt the situation was a bit more inconclusive.

I agree with you that Death Gun's MO differs from canon in that they are targeting NerveGear users because it's the easiest way to induce panic in the general public and strengthen the collective belief that GGO is a death game.

However I feel like that actually makes it more likely that Death Gun would want to make a spectacle of declaring the deaths than they were in canon. I actually had initially typed something to that effect in the previous post but took it out because it led directly into a tangent of "but then shouldn't Kikuoka know there's a player claiming responsibility? Why wouldn't he tell us?" that I could go either way on. (ZASKAR stonewalling him/lack of jurisdiction/literally so understaffed he's hiring high schoolers vs. ...but wouldn't it be simpler to assume Death Gun just hasn't been making a show of this in GGO yet?)

So ultimately I couldn't reach a conclusion on if Death Gun is announcing these in GGO yet. I feel like it'd further his goals to do so... but at the same time I can't rule out that they're playing it more subtle this time and are less concerned here with being able to personally bring death like in canon as opposed to causing a generalized belief that GGO is a death game where rather than focus the belief on themselves they're deliberately aiming for this "power" to be bestowed upon every GGO player to make it a real death game where anyone can kill anyone - thematically I feel like that's fitting the portrayal here a bit more. And that we'd need to have Hiyori investigate more to determine the situation.

As for the second victim - I took Kikuoka saying he's suppressing the information to be more that he's doing that on the real world side of things and particularly the NerveGear element. Not necessarily that the death couldn't have been announced by Death Gun on the GGO side.

Occam's Razor probably holds that your interpretation is the correct one and I - as usual - am overthinking and adding complexity where there is none but yeah.

 

[Winged One]

This is completely different. They're not going on a short-sighted murder spree. They're playing the long game and have somehow figured out the Incarnate system and are using it to build a legend that if grown enough, could hypothetically let them kill anyone in GGO if there's enough belief.

Click to shrink...

My bet's on "they got a copy of our report."

 

[The Zog]

My bet's on "they got a copy of our report."

Click to shrink...

But how would they have gotten it? Death Gun at their peak were three rich kids with some hospital access. Is PoH using his old guild as a cats paw for his deicide plans for Sublitzer?

 

[Winged One]

But how would they have gotten it? Death Gun at their peak were three rich kids with some hospital access. Is PoH using his old guild as a cats paw for his deicide plans for Sublitzer?

Click to shrink...

Huh, if the Death Gun conspiracy is that lacking normally, then I guess someone with legitimate access would have had to leak it to them intentionally? I don't know any details about the government fuckery behind that AR gizmo that's going to end up fucking the physical world hard enough to use Personas in it, though.

 

[The Zog]

Huh, if the Death Gun conspiracy is that lacking normally, then I guess someone with legitimate access would have had to leak it to them intentionally? I don't know any details about the government fuckery behind that AR gizmo that's going to end up fucking the physical world hard enough to use Personas in it, though.

Click to shrink...

The only real thing Death Gun had in canon was that Red-Eyed XaXa was a good enough player to fight as well as Kirito with no strings attached and even use sword arts in GGO. Beyond that, well, there's a reason why SAO's writing is commonly mocked online.

Without them having backing to my knowledge them figuring it out probably lies on XaXa. He's a VR savant on par with Kirito and Yuuki and he did nothing but train his swordskills in prison after being arrested in Aincraid. Maybe he had some kind of epiphany while training?

For the AR stuff that was all Shigemura's plan in canon as part of a mad plan to revive his daughter as an AI clone. He's actually far more likable and sympathetic here because he's trying to bring all of SAO's victims back with his HEAVEN instead of being willing to kill every SAO survivor to bring his daughter back.

For the government and Kikouka they really are just that clueless and incompetent in canon and only swooped in afterwards to give Shigemura a job in his Aliciazation Project and he never appeared again because he was a movie filler villain.

 

[NMS]

But how would they have gotten it? Death Gun at their peak were three rich kids with some hospital access. Is PoH using his old guild as a cats paw for his deicide plans for Sublitzer?

Click to shrink...

I assume so. IRRC, one of the early votes of the quest was whether we'd start in Alfheim or GGO, with the GGO option being framed as Laughing Coffin getting the band back together and Lux being included in that.