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

[veekie]

Goes too far and gets smacked beyond her protections huh

 

[SeQuester]

[X] Persona pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā
[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Shakuntala: Agi on Vivian
-[X] Shakuntala: Agi on Silky

 

[theguynamedwafer]

[X] Persona Pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā
[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Pūtanā: Eiha on Vivian
-[X] Pūtanā: Poisma on Silky

Shakuntala is weak to ice, so I don't want to give the enemies an advantage. Also, if we pick Direct Commands, will Gwen just do whatever?

 

[SeQuester]

Shakuntala is weak to ice, so I don't want to give the enemies an advantage. Also, if we pick Direct Commands, will Gwen just do whatever?

Click to shrink...

Vivian is using lightning, which Shakuntala resists, and Silky isn't attacking this turn, so we're safe for now. SMT wiki suggests that Vivian and Silky might be weak to fire (Silky is more likely because she has a p5 incarnation that is and Vivian apparently wasn't in Persona since 2, but there she also is).
IDK about Gwen, but my plan assumes that she'll be attacking Nadja.

 

[theguynamedwafer]

I thought Vivian uses ice, am I remembering her SMT IV version?

 

[SeQuester]

I thought Vivian uses ice, am I remembering her SMT IV version?

Click to shrink...

This one appears to use lightning.

With a sneer of rage electricity gathers in the hands of the Alf in front of you as you brace for its attack.

Click to shrink...

 

[Alcor]

Yeah, I'd take narrative as having priority over their Persona/SMT affinities. It could be that Vivian has both Electric and Ice but Elec is the only one I'd be sure about given the narrative - so I agree with using Shakuntala for the Elec resist. Gwen even refers to the fact that our previous use of Havfrue would probably go poorly here due to the Elec weakness.

It's unfortunate that restricts our elemental attack to Agi and Zio though because Gwen has Agi and while it's not unheard of to be weak to the element you attack with it's pretty rare so Zio probably isn't a good option for Vivian. Not placing a vote yet because I don't know if we should sleep on maybe using Marin Karin on one of our opponents. Maybe steal Silky's apparent plan for our own.

Outside of the battle also looks like we have our outlines for the 4 paths up the tree. Law - Argo's plan to get an alliance, Chaos - Join the Salamanders and give them the momentum. True Demon - Laughing Coffin 2.0, Cheat - Either find another way to climb the tree exterior/leverage our mod connections to somehow get there/maybe stumble into some cognitive psience trick to bypass the dungeon by entering from RECT somehow. (Maybe as simple as literally logging in from inside HQ a la Persona 5 Palaces)

 

[Alcor]

Well, might as well put that idea in a vote then I guess and just hop over to another plan if we end up in another tie.

[X] Persona pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā

[X] Direct Commands
-[X]Shakuntala: Marin Karin on Silky
-[X]Shakuntala: Agi on Vivian

Basically as said above, the hope is that Marin Karin lands on Silky and that whatever it is planning ends up being on our side. Otherwise, engage Vivian since they're actively targeting us. The obvious downside is that if Marin Karin misses it's a "wasted" action but I think our effective MAG and CHT are equal here so really unless Silky turns out to be much better suited at resisting ailments I think it's more or less equal in terms of probability as just using Agi.

 

[The Zog]

[X] Persona pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā

[X] Direct Commands
-[X]Shakuntala: Marin Karin on Silky
-[X]Shakuntala: Agi on Vivian

 

[PurposefulZephyr]

[X] Persona pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā


[X] Direct Commands
-[X]Shakuntala: Marin Karin on Silky
-[X]Shakuntala: Agi on Vivian

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Persona pool
-[X] Shakuntala
-[X] Havfrue
-[X] Pūtanā

[X] Direct Commands
-[X]Shakuntala: Marin Karin on Silky
-[X]Shakuntala: Agi on Vivian

Gwen will be ACTING FREELY

System Call: Generate Fuliminant Element. Discharge.​

<NOW DIE!>

The fairy in front of you is translucent, but not entirely transparent— a shape akin to living water coalesced into a form of a woman. A living embodiment of the lake, holding an unadorned blade in her lap. Did she intend on drawing it? You've had plenty of experience facing swordsmen and something tells you the blade is more ornamental than functional. You don't have time to wonder what the sword is for, because the lightning strikes true.

It's too late to dodge: It shoots like a bolt to your head, a decapitating strike right at the start. You raise your arms in guard as your soul coalesces around you. Your body feels warm...

​

System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Shakuntala]. ReferenceID:02.Droit​

A fine silk dress, gifted by the king himself when he professed his love. Its fabric clings to every inch of your soul, so unlike the cloth robe you typically wore in the temple. As you are now, surrounded by love, not even the fury of Indra could hope to harm you.

And with that alien thought penetrating your mind you look up to behold your soul, your Persona. A woman of rags now laden in silk, radiating divine beauty. You smile. You feel invincible, beyond death itself. The fairy before you is no threat, her curses akin to casting stones at Lord Shiva. "Lady of the Lake, this one has brought disgrace to mine exalted father, for I have neglected to show you due hospitality. You have traveled so far, and the journey must have been tiring. Allow me to offer you due rest—"

The Vivian interrupts you with a wave of her hand and another crackle of lightning bolts. Her hair flies wildly about her face, eyes nothing more than reflections of clear water as another bolt of fury dissipates against your robes.

<WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?>

"—but I beg of thee patience, for it is my duty to welcome your companion. As you can no doubt see, I lack the sisters needed to care for a guest of your caliber. But worry, not, for I shall call in another assistant to service you in my stead."

System Call: Requesting External Override of Core Protection. Initiate Stage 1 Synthesis Ritual. Authorization: [ADMINISTRATOR][LUX]
System Call: Requesting External Override of Core Protection. Initiate Sleep Mode. Authorization: [ADMINISTRATOR][OBERON] ​

Your vision begins to darken. You meet the gaze of the silent fairy, far in the back. She's dressed as a simple housemaid, eyes clothed, cradling magic in her arms. The Silky meets your gaze, eye to closed eye. You focus your soul on her as she focuses on you.

You've augmented your body. You've created magic. But now? You're going to try something different.
Your vision is growing more and more black. A side effect of what you're attempting to do? No matter, even with your eyes closed this should work.

It's a form of self-hypnosis, no, world hypnosis. Remember your name, remember the shape of the soul.
You are Lux. You are Hiyori.

But in this instance in time you are Shakuntala. Mother of heroes, daughter of Asparas, wife of a King. A servant, daughter of a hermit, you were nobody and would become nobody.

But still, even still.
Even clad in barken robes.
Even with arms sore with the weight of the water jug.
Even with feet stewed in mud.

Your beauty ensnared kings.

You feel an overwhelming desire to rest, to lay down your arms and rest. Oh, it was soon time for your journey, you were so tired. You bore the King's son, a great hero in the making, within your body. You remember your promise to the King, he would recognize you as his legal wife and make you Queen of the realm. Oh... but that sage... no. No need to worry. So long as you have the ring he gave you, surely he would recognize you, surely...

"LUX WHAT THE FUCK, STOP DAYDREAMING!"

It's all you can do to dive out of the incoming path of your foe, the Vivian having surrendered her magic assault and now resorting to grappling. A burst of speed from your wings as you and your Persona escape the grasping liquid arms that were about to ensnare you. Shit, did that damn Shadow just try to put you to sleep!?

You turn to look at Gwen, who casually removes her blade from the belly of the screaming goblin child in a spray of shadow and red pixels as she glances at you in concern. While she contemptuously throws the remains down a look of worry crosses her face. "You alright Lux?"

"Fine..." you manage to whisper. Tch, your enemies could do tricks similar to you, it seems. Did it at least work?

<HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU ROB ME OF LORD OBERON!?> screams the Silky, her calm demeanor replaced with screams of hysteria. <I CANNOT REMEMBER HIS FACE! I CANNOT REMEMBER HIS GLORY! YOU HARLOT, WITCH! TO TRY AND REPLACE HIS PLACE IN MY HEART WITH YOUR LOWLY SELF! HAVE YOU NO SHAME, TO TEMPT ME SO!?>

Okay. Guess it didn't work after all.

"Oh chill out," snarks Gwen behind you. "You're like... sub-100 at best. If OBERON held a popularity poll you wouldn't even be included in the candidates. Like seriously, your ideal form is a fucking maid and not even the French kind!"

<SHUT UP SHUT UP!> Screams the Silky, but shaking off your attack has clearly left it dazed and unable to fight back.

Spoiler: Combat Results

Vivian uses ZIO > Lux. Attack with DISADVANTAGE.
5, 5, 3 = 0 Successes. Automatic Failure.

Nadja uses BITE > Gwen.
4, 2, 4 = 0 Successes. Automatic Failure.

Gwen uses MELEE > Nadja.
4, 3, 4, 5 = 1 Success.

Nadja defends.
1, 4 = 0 Success.

Lux uses MARIN KARIN > Silky. Attack with ADVANTAGE (attempting to brainwash someone already brainwashed)
Silky uses DORMINA > Lux.
Opposed CHT roll. Winner gets affected by turn = degree of success.
Lux: 1, 3, 3, 5, 3 = 1 Success.
Silky: 4, 5, 3 = 1 Success.

Tie. Both targets are HIT. Both targets will attempt to resist at DC1.

Lux Resist (no advantage on resist, beat DC 1) = 6, 3, 5, 2, 5 = 3 Success.
Silky Resist (beat DC1) = 4, 6, 6 = 2 Success.

RESULT: Nadja was damaged.
No other changes.

"Lux, look sharp." says Gwen. "At least we evened up the score. A strange feeling, usually I'm on the side that outnumbers instead of getting outnumbered. Gonna try that trick again?"

"It didn't work as planned."

"Eh, that isn't anything new. Just think of it like... hunting. Sometimes the first strike doesn't go as planned. 'Sides, desperation is the best spice. Now who's next...?" Gwen glances at the targets, licking her lips.

If tricks weren't working then time to resort to pure brute force. You know this feeling, no need to use strange runes or act within the confines of the ALO magic system when you can act directly on the system itself. You weren't casting fire, you were going to create it.

"Eeep! What, still alive you little shit stain?"

A spray of pixels and a grunt of annoyance accompany Gwen's interruption. While you were distracted casting, the little gremlin, the Nadja, managed to clamber up the hill and plant its teeth straight into Gwen's arm, drawing minimal blood as the teeth are stopped by her armband.

"Tch, persistent little one aren't you? Was gonna save you for dessert but since you're so eager!"

The creature squeaks as it fruitlessly tries to suck away at her life. Gwen grimaces, before throwing her arm up into the air, the Nadja still hanging on by its teeth.

What happens next is so gruesome even your enemies were too shocked to move. Gwen's Persona just starts... carving. Flesh is grabbed by the mouthful and torn free, dripping down onto the ground below them in wet, glistening chunks. Entrails and bones stick out of the Nadja, rather unlike the inky shadow you were expecting. It was such an odd scene, while in the hands of Gwen's persona it was meat, sinew and blood, but as soon as it dropped some global blur suddenly applied as the giblets turned into simple red pixels before dissolving into shadow. The whole thing was a heavily censored execution.

"What? Don't look at me like that, I can't eat pixels so my Persona just... made it into meat. Makes sense to me." says Gwen while she sticks her tongue out, catching drops blood on it before it fully dissolves. "Tastes sweet. Kinda weird but I like it."

Underneath the shower of blood the Nadja is rapidly dissolving to reveal a young girl, unconscious but HP meter still in the green as she rolls down the hill. She too rapidly dissolves - thankfully not the explosion of pixels that represents a player's death, but with the fade-out effect that accompanied a player log out. There were SAO players trapped in those shadows.

<YOU MONSTERS!> Sscreams the Vivian in hysteria. <LORD OBERON WILL HEAR OF YOUR PERVERSIO—ARGGGGHH!>

"If you could remain silent!" you snap, the soul of Shakuntala manifesting her annoyance. "She is trying to enjoy her meal. Now kindly burn!"

System Call: Generate Thermal Element. Discharge.​

A scream emanates from your foe alongside the sound of boiling water. The liquid flesh flash boils as the Lady of the Lake melts, her unadorned sword turning red hot before being flung aside. Her skin shrivels in a blaze of orange flame that you materialize inside her body, cooking her from the inside out. In one final roar of pain the Vivian explodes, the hilltop suddenly smeared with steam and shadow as the cloud blocks your view of your opponents.

Spoiler: Combat Results

Lux uses AGI > Vivian. Attack with ADVANTAGE (weakness)
6, 2, 2, 5 = 2 Success.

Vivian attempts to dodge.
1, 3 = 0 Success.

Gwen uses MELEE > Nadja.
2, 6, 5, 5 = 3 Success.

Nadja defends
5, 2 = 1 Success.

Nadja is deceased!
Vivian is on the verge of death!

"That was easy," mutters Gwen, looking over cloud. Then she pauses. "...you're sure she's dead?"

You step forward, guard raised. Tracking enemies was your forte, and you had the «Bloodhound» skill to show for it, grinded from the hours you spent stalking targets for Laughing Coffin. It was said that in SAO the only way to max out a stat, given the absurdly high EXP requirements, was to breathe it, live it, to use the skill every hour of every day starting from the launch itself.

«Bloodhound» wasn't maxed, but it was damn near close. Mechanically, outside of a sixth sense, it provided one very simple benefit. Once studied, you can track a target on your map even if they weren't on your friend list, provided they didn't teleport or you didn't lose track of them for longer than 10 minutes. You knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Vivian was still alive.

But there was one thing that was confusing you. The Vivian was alive, but the Silky? The one who shrugged off your charm attempt? Gone.

"Gwen, focus. That Vivian's up to something."

The steam dissipates off the hilltop. As expected the Silky was gone, a motionless SAO player avatar of an older woman in default starting town gear lying on the grass. She too fades away, some old SAO code likely recognizing her as a player and appropriately removing her from the world.

<hehehe... HAHAHAHA! DID YOU SEE THAT LORD OBERON!?>

You turn towards the voice, seeing the source of it. The Vivian was damaged and half dead, but was still managing an impressive cackle. Beyond her shredded body, a font of power gathers, pooling into her hands from the fading bodies of her companions. A whirlwind of shadow covered her, no... covered the sword she was holding. Standing tall, holding the red hot blade in both hands, steam still searing out of her palms the Vivian laughs and prays in equal measure.

<SHE BROKE YOUR WORD, YOUR LAW! DID YOU NOT HEAR HER? SHE, EVEN IF BRIEFLY, LOVED ANOTHER! SHE BETRAYED YOU, LORD OBERON, SHE NO LONGER DESERVES TO STAND IN YOUR RADIANCE!>

"Uh, so they killed each other? Okay then?" asks Gwen, looking as confused as you were.

The Vivian points her sword, now firmly grasped in her hand, straight at Gwen's head. And as she does so, a black circle forms around her, growing larger and darker as her words become louder.

<YOU WHO DARE INSULT AND CASTIGATE YOUR GOD! IN THE NAME OF MY LOVE I SHALL BRING YOU BEFORE MY LORD TO RECEIVE YOUR PUNISHMENT!>

The shadows coalesce around the blade as it points to you next.

<AND YOU! YOU FOUL TEMPTRESS! YOU HAVE ROBBED LORD OBERON NOT ONLY LADY GWENDOLYN BUT TWO MORE OF HIS FAIR CONSORTS! TO YOU I GRANT ONLY DEATH!>

Your gaze locks onto the dark mass hovering above the sword. It swirls faster and faster, forming into a vortex of darkness. What else would be born from this unholy ritual?

<I LOVE YOU LORD OBERON! I ADORE YOU!>

A small, glowing blue ball of light appears within the swirling shadow.

<GRANT ME YOUR BLESSING! THE LAW OF OBERON!>

System Call: Generate Object. ID: [Excalibur]
System Call: Show CharGen Menu.
System Call: Debug mode on. Adding NPC data to CharGen.
System Call: Set ID: Category:[NPC/Quest] Quest Chain:[Calibur] NPC ID:[Urðr]​

A massive explosion of magic occurs, shattering the hilltop. The earth splits and collapses inwards. Your vision goes white and you find yourself flying through space, wings catching the wind and arresting your momentum in the sky. Even through the dust and shadow, you can see it, clear as day, a sword of pure radiant gold adorned with emeralds. Its light was so blinding you could scarcely stand to look at it even through the cover of the dust explosion.

​

"What the- what happened? Are you okay, Gwen?"

"Yeah... guess so. But shit, I recognize that sword..." she says as she grasps her invisible flight controller, just barely managing to stay upright in the air. You have to be careful, Gwen never really got the hang of uncontrolled flight yet. "I... think I recognize the design. I saw it on a forum..."

"A forum!? Gwen you've been out of a coma for only like four days!"

"Eh, I get bored easily! 'Sides, I think every ALO player has heard of that weapon. It's even featured in the game ads. It's called—"

<By the light of Excalibur, I Urðr the «Queen of the Lake» shall smite you in the name of Lord Oberon.>
The commanding voice of your foe, firm and resolute, echoes across the shattered hill.

​

She's completely changed. The pale blue skin of the Vivian is nowhere to be seen, instead, a Fairy Queen with long blonde hair wearing an ornate dress rises from the dust of the hilltop, sword pointing in the direction of you and Gwen. You don't see any wings, her bare feet dangle from her robes while rings of magic encircle her neck. It appears your enemy floats via sheer magical levitation, the picture of a goddess who moves as she pleases instead of a fairy forced to use wings. What's stranger is her demeanor, gone were there screams and pleas of the foes you had just fought, her eyes are instead cold, distant, and judging.

You've fought Leafa enough to know how a skilled swordsman holds their weapon, her form didn't even deserve the name of a stance.

Instead «Excalibur» was held in her open palm, gripped to her hand not by fingers but by pure magic force. The only point of contact between her sword and her hand was the pommel, her pose more reminiscent of a caster readying a spell than a swordswoman about to strike.

"You think Oberon has a type? First, it was clones of «The Flash», then it was monster girls, and now it's just a generic elf queen."

"I was hoping she'd go back to «The Flash». I've always wanted to kick her ass."

Gwen and you ready your weapons as a smirk graces your face. Fancy glowing sword bullshit, so what? You were utterly unharmed and the enemy was already resorting to their trump card.

With an imperceptible shift in her arm, your enemy points her blade at Gwen.

<Now die.>

Spoiler: PLAN PHASE

TACTICAL INFORMATION:
Vivian has initiated Fusion with Silky! Vivian has transformed into Urðr.
You are in combat with ONE SHADOW. It has multiple actions per turn!
Affinities may or may not have changed.
For striking a critical blow Gwen is under the effects of SMIRK. (+1 Advantage for next attack)
For striking a weakness Lux is under the effects of SMIRK. (+1 Advantage for next attack)
Urðr plans on attacking Gwen first.

Lux:
HP : 6/6
SP : 8/10

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)

Gwen:
HP : 4/4
SP : 8/10

*For simplicity party member statistics include their Persona automatically instead of tracking them separately since they do not possess the wild card.
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weak: Slash, Elec
Resist: Wind, Fire

Skills: [Devour] : Blunt melee strike that heals based on damage done.
[Pulinpa] : Attempts to confuse target enemy.
[Agi] : Magic Fire attack

---

Next phase consists of 3 ACTIONS.

[ ] Rinse and Repeat
>Lux will attempt Marin Karin > Agi > Agi
>Gwen will attempt Devour > Devour > Devour; using normal Melee if at max health

[ ] Bronze Toaster
>Agi x 6

[ ] Affinity Screen
>Gwen Agi > Pulinpa > Devour
>Lux switches to Havfrue, Bufu > Garu > Exploit Weakness if capable otherwise default to Garu

[ ] Switch targets.
>You will take the first hit for Gwen and attempt to take all hits you can for Gwen.
>Lux Poisma > Collapse > Collapse
>Gwen will attempt Devour > Devour > Devour; using normal Melee if at max health

[ ] Direct Commands
Pick THREE Skills (or choose to attack without a Persona to save on SP)
Designate the target of each attack.
If you pick skills from Two different Personas you assume the weakness for the scene of both Personas (this is the cost of using multiple Persona in one turn)

[ ] Write-in (1D minimum, more if trying to cram too many actions into one turn)
For write-in plans if I can justify giving ADVANTAGE I will give it. More if you try to do something very cool or narratively interesting.
Be as detailed or vague as you want.
If you just want to specify targets of attacks pick DIRECT COMMANDS then. Consider this a beefed up version of DIRECT COMMANDS. This is for Gaia attacking Floatation Rings level of nonsense.

AN: Decided to give rolz a try and it's actually surprisingly feature-rich. Link is in character sheet.

 

[theguynamedwafer]

[X] Direct Commands
-Eiha > Bufu > Garu

Gwen already has Agi, so we can screen for weaknesses (hopefully)

 

[Alcor]

[X] Direct Commands
-Eiha > Bufu > Garu

Hmm, my first thought was to try Eiha too. I'm worried it may be a bit high-risk, high-reward just because Putana comes with a Bless weakness and that kind of falls under the umbrella of affinities I might expect from Holy Sword Excalibur but by the same token Curse feels like the most likely to hit a weakness just based on my gut feeling since they're kinda opposing elements and that's usually as good a start as any. Gwen is the target though so we can probably get away with it regardless.

The only thing I'd add is that while I'm fine with switching over to Havfrue to continue looking for weaknesses if Eiha is a miss, if it is a weakness would this plan still have us switch off it? Because that would probably be less than ideal.

 

[theguynamedwafer]

I mean, with the way that it's worded in how Direct Commands work, it'll happen in that order regardless, but we'll probably have the opportunity to stick with Putana in later turns if it turns out Eiha is the weakness.

 

[SeQuester]

[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

@afreaknamedpete , is something like this alright for Direct Commands?

 

[afreaknamedpete]

something like this alright for Direct Commands?

Click to shrink...

Perfectly fine for Direct Commands.

Write-ins are for out of box stuff like "I want to run away", "I want to try logging out in the middle of the fight" or really complicated plans.

 

[theguynamedwafer]

[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

 

[ThatGuyWithIdeas]

[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

 

[Alcor]

[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Closing vote early with
[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

Generally during combat I will try for shorter updates more frequently, with bigger gaps for the story heavy ones.

 

[afreaknamedpete]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Direct Commands
-[X] Lux: Eiha > Bufu > Garu
--[X] If one hits weakness, reuse it.
-[X] Gwen: Agi > Devour > Devour
--[X] If weak to fire: Agi > Devour > Agi

Holy Blade «Excalibur», the fabled sword of King Arthur, a fitting name for the greatest weapon in all of ALO. Do the terms original or replica even have any meaning in a VRMMO? Even if it was a unique object, there wasn't anything stopping a GM from simply generating another copy of it from some console.

It's fitting that a Shadow modeled after the Lady of the Lake would wield such a weapon, but what confused you was the elf queen in front of you. Her name was Urðr, a Norn from Norse Mythology, a fact you osmosed from a lifetime of fantasy video games. Was this some kind of quest NPC or something? She didn't look like a monster.

As a side effect of your high «Search» skill you had a sixth sense for value and threat detection. The cursor of your enemy in your user interface changed colors based on the game's prediction of its strength vs your avatar, in SAO anything deeper than a light red was an ominous warning that the monster needed to be avoided. Outside of the clearers, fighting in SAO was heavily discouraged unless you had a minimum of a 5-level advantage, preferably 10, so your only experience fighting monsters was with yellow-cursor mobs that vastly under levelled you.

This enemy, this Urðr was a deep crimson. It was simply ALO warning you that this enemy was beyond you.

"Hey Lux?" asks Gwen as she flounders in the air. "Think maybe we can take this fight to the ground? I'm, uh, a sitting duck up here."

Before you can respond «Excalibur» rockets forward, not to slash as you had expected, but to pierce. A flying blade that slices through the air with a whistle of wind, leaving a trail of light in its wake.

"Oh shit!" screams Gwen while her wings blink out in sheer panic. Your friend falls from the sky, going into a tailspin while gravity takes hold, but the drop causes the sword to miss. The sudden dodge aside, seeing Gwen fall sends you hurtling toward your friend, arms wide to catch her. If you'd done nothing but charge full speed ahead, the pair of you would have slammed together. Instead, you aim for a sweep, flying below Gwen to catch her falling body in your outstretched arms.

"Gwen!" you yell in relief. "You should really learn how to fly!"

"Hey, they didn't have this kind of stuff in SAO, cut me some slack! Now lemme go, I'm gonna get the last hit on this bitch!" Gwen struggles out your grip, wings outstretched and readying a charge.

"Gwen, wait, we can fight at range! No need to get close!"

"In case you couldn't tell the sword is flying right now! Getting close to the boss monster is the best option with it out of her hands, and it's not like Kunai will do enough damage to actually hurt a sword!"

"No, damn it, I don't mean throw a knife at it! Magic, you can do magic now!"

You look down at Urðr who is already charging some manner of spell in her hands. You see the strategy, a simple mage and warrior combination— only the mage was some kind of NPC god avatar and the warrior was a telekinetic sword being blasted around the arena.

"Magic!?" asks Gwen. "That bullshit where you have to scream mumbo jumbo while a giant curtain of words gives away your position? That magic?"

"No, not ALO's shitty in-game magic! Look, just follow my lead."

It's an extremely strange sensation. The influence of Shakuntala fades rapidly from your mind, when using the abilities of your Persona you feel the weight of their legend infusing your attacks, your very avatar. It wasn't anything like changing clothes, popping in a different game cartridge, or equipping a new item. It was... changing the paradigm, your perception... your cognition. Of yourself, of the world.

This shift would be easier than most, though the two couldn't be further apart in temperament they shared the same mythology. This was the basis of all Persona shifting, go back far enough, everything was connected. Figures melt into legends who in turn melt into archetypes. Your mind reaches within and without, to the sea of souls.

In the end, every myth, and every story came from but one source: from the human who looked at their shadow and began to wonder.

"Pūtanā!"

System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Pūtanā]. ReferenceID:12.Droit
​

Your soul reshapes, the cursed Rakshasa coalesces around the princess, engulfing and then replacing her. You feel the curse of her victims, the poison upon every inch of her body, and her overwhelming desire to bring misery upon the world.

Hmph. Older than your usual targets, but you've had slim pickings of late. The false goddess below you is gathering blinding light into her hands - but what had you to fear from such a pathetic light show? You who bore witness to the light of the supersoul?

You refuse to enter reincarnation head bowed down and begging for mercy. You will survive, you will live, you will preserve for you are Rakshasa! And a Rakshasa hungers eternal!

System Call: Generate Umbral Element. Discharge. ​

Urðr's shadow, cast long by the brilliant light of the goddess' spell, begins to ripple. It was spread against the backdrop of the «World Tree», so thin as to be invisible, but with your declaration, it thickens and deepens. Indeed all shadows, yours, Gwens, even the looming shadow of the «World Tree» thicken as primordial darkness blasts forward from your fingers, bearing a curse of eternal hunger.

"Huh. Alright, I think I get it..." says Gwen as she draws a Kunai from her holster. Her Persona cups its bloodstained hands around the weapon as the tip glows red hot.

System Call: Generate Thermal Element. Imbue Item. ​

The enemy, so concentrated on casting the spell, didn't even bother dodging. This was the model of some quest-NPC? You suppose it wasn't even programmed to dodge, likely it was just going to vaporize its foes with pure magic force.

Gwen's kunai strikes first, engulfing the Norn in a blaze of fire that is quickly augmented by your curse, blackening the fire and spreading to cover every millimeter of flesh, exposed or not.

As expected, there's no scream of pain, no visible sign of damage. The only indication you did any damage in the first place was the HP meter, and it was dropping hideously fast.

"Wow, this boss is kinda weak, don'tcha think?" Gwen whistles in appreciation. "If all the floor bosses in SAO were this easy, I would've tried Clearing!"

"It's a weak, false god. What more did you expect?"

"I dunno, another phase?"

You briefly shake off the influence of your Persona. "Don't give it any stupid ideas Gwen!"

"Sorry, sorry! Let's try that move again!"

Spoiler: Combat Results

Excalibur PIERCE > Gwen, 5d6e5 = 4 3 3 4 3 → 0 successes against 5 AUTOFAIL, no defense roll.
Urðr charges Makouga.

Gwen casts Agi > Urðr, 2d6e5 = 6⊕ 1 → 1 success against 4 (SMIRK)

Lux casts Eiha > Urðr, 3d6e3 = 2 6⊕ 3⊕ → 2 successes against 3 (SMIRK + WEAKNESS TO CURSE)

Urðr DEFENDS against Agi, 3d6e5 = 2 2 1 → 0 successes against 5
DEFENDS against Eiha, 3d6e5 = 1 3 2 → 0 successes against 5

3 DAMAGE to boss
No protag damage

Lux retains SMIRK!

She thrusts her fist upward, joining your outstretched hand. With each swing of your hands the dark flames grow stronger, until suddenly, in a blast of heat and light, your enemy dispels the flames with a sudden burst of shining radiance. Whatever she was casting just finished, though you took out a fair chunk of her health bar before she could finish the cast. The light was intensifying, a sphere of pure force radiating out of the goddess intent on striking both you and Gwen down in one single strike.

"Gwen! We're gonna—"

And then it bursts. There's a flash and a thunderclap. You feel your soul burn.

It's not pain, the light sears into your Persona and through the conduit of your soul it rends into your body. It felt like... the time mother scolded you for sleeping in and missing school. Just a feeling of simple shame... But unlike the gentle disciple of a parent, this shaming burns, it eats away at the core of your identity. Every bit of sinful knowledge, every unhappy memory, every strong emotion— all reduced to ash.

There's a moment of silence as you float in space, your thoughts scattered across eternity. For those brief few seconds there's no thought, no self. Only an empty shell drifting along, devoid of personality.

Then you remember you are «Lux» and the world comes roaring back. You're collapsed against a pool of rubble, knocked out of the sky by your enemy's magic attack. You're not in pain, the system was still dampening it, but you had the strange numb feeling that always accompanied massive damage. Your HP was about the enter the yellow zone, though you could deal significant damage to the shadow, she could do the same in reverse.

"...Oh crap, are you dead?!" yells Gwen frantically above you.

You blink the dust out of your eye as Gwen, herself injured in the blast but less so than you floats above you in worry.

"It'd be a lot easier if I was," you say.

"I'll take that as a no," repeats Gwen. She looks over her shoulder, eyes locked onto the glowing form of Urðr floating high in the sky. "She has some serious power. But not as much as us combined!" shouts Gwen defiantly.

You nod and stand, stretching your back and call forth your wings.

"Heh, never seen you so fired up Lux. But there's one thing you have to remember, Lux!"

"Yeah?"

"I call dibs on the sw-"

One second Gwen is there and the next she's gone. In a flash of gold and red pixels your friend is impaled on the tip of «Excalibur», the blade careening back in the direction of Urðr, charging another magic spell, this one much smaller than the first blast but certainly faster on the draw.

"GWEN! HOLD ON!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

You push your wings to full extension. They carry you higher and you reach out towards her flying figure, riding the flying sword impaled into her stomach. The maximum wing speed of fairies was capped and a reflection of your magic power, practice let you fly longer and make tighter turns, but sheer raw speed? That had nothing to do with technique, just pure power.

You were going to lose your friend again. The first time she was in danger, captured at the LC base, your fear prevented you from saving her. You stood by and watched her lose her freedom, all in the name of your cowardice.

This time you won't allow it. Even if it means sacrificing yourself.

"Lux!" cries Gwen desperately, struggling with the blade in her avatar. "THIS ISN'T SAO! I'LL BE FINE EVEN I DIE HERE!"

"I DON'T CARE! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" you shout in reply. Your wings flutter wildly, buffeted by the wind from behind. You hear her voice fading in and out as she fights against the air resistance.

You know it's irrational but you have to catch her. You can't watch her die in front of you. You can't watch another friend give their life for you. As much as your heart screams for you to run away now, to regroup and fight with a different tactic, you find yourself pushing harder and straining against the wind, trying to beat your way closer.

You've been here before. Your greatest regrets from SAO were all here, concentrated on this stage.

Gwen, who you betrayed.
Laughing Coffin, whose mark still stains you.
And «Rossa», the girl who saved you. The girl you let die, who took the hit for you. The final victim of «Lux».

Your wings shine with the light of the wind as your desire, your wish, your prayer reaches out to the world. You will catch her. You will not see another friend die.

A simple burst of speed. Your wings catch an updraft. A glitch in the system. A miracle.

Whatever the distance between you and Gwen empties in one headache-inducing flash of wind and magic. You break free of the gust, your hand gripping the hilt of Excalibur's shaft. A quick glance reveals the golden-haired Urðr, spell still unfinished, widen her eyes in surprise.

Gwen stares at you dumbfounded. Then she throws you a smile and gives a thumbs up.
"Fuck yeah!" she says. "Now pull the sword out, we're still flying towards it!"

Gwen grits her teeth as your arm pulls. You were gonna beat the shit out of this stupid boss with her own damn weapon!

You require a «One-Handed Sword» level of 700 or higher to equip this weapon.​

For crying out loud, who balances this shit game!? Equipment PREREQUISITES!?

"Gwen!? Did you try pulling it out yourself earlier?"
"Yeah. I mean, who wouldn't? You, uh, happen to have a high «One-Handed Sword» skill do you?"
"NO! You were a higher level than me!"

The sword shifts directions, aiming for a distant tree in a nearby forest, your foe no doubt trying to impale Gwen against it for a clean shot. Gwen was the one that insulted OBERON, it was likely the Shadow took that rather personally.

"LUX! If you can't grab it what about your Persona!?"

That... was a good idea! Your Persona was some kind of hack into the world of ALO, so it could likely bypass equipment rules! You will your soul into your hand, the dark cursed skin of the Rakshasa superimposed with your Sylph avatar. Now PULL!

Error: User possesses insufficient Object Control Authority to equip this weapon.​

"It's not working! Says I don't have enough Object Control Authority!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"

The sword pulls further and you strain mightily, your arms quivering under the weight. You look over at Gwen, her face contorted with effort, as she tries her hand at your feat, her Persona cupping the front of the sword sticking out of her stomach. Her lips curl into a grimace, shaking violently, but somehow she manages to grab hold.

"It doesn't matter if we can't equip it! Our Personas can touch it, which means we can move it! Drive it to the boss!"

"Gwen!" you cry, bending the blade towards the Norn. "You sure!? The sword's still in you!"

"DOESN'T MATTER! I CAN'T BITE IF I'M NOT CLOSE!"

The two of you strain against the object control of Urðr, the competing forces sending the weapon on a spiraling trajectory aiming toward your enemy. Flashes of discharging spells surround you, but the chaotic movement of the blade makes aiming nearly impossible, the spheres of light emitted by Urðr missing you by leagues.

With a snarl and roar, the first emotion your foe has truly shown since transforming, she gives up on resisting your control. Instead she leans into the maneuver pulling the blade closer on purpose. Was she planning something?

There's a dull thud followed by a jolt, sending you tumbling forwards off the flying sword. Its momentum is halted, the blazing fast sword is immediately arrested in the hands of Urðr by sheer telekinetic force. The sudden deceleration knocks you clear away from her, tumbling through the air behind her.

Gwen, however, was subject to the same forces as you. In a moment of sheer irony the deceleration knocks her forward, her avatar sliding off the tip of «Excalibur» as physics takes its due. Gwen's body rams into the boss with the force of a tiny meat cannonball, slamming headfirst into her foe.

"GOTCHA! Now you're just MEAT!"

System Call: Reactivating feature[Sword Skill]. Category:[Martial Art] ID:[Devour]
​

Gwen's hair goes undone, her twin tails unraveling in the midst of the roaring wind. There's a sharp crack of snapping bone when Gwen's mouth bites straight into the Norn's neck, her Persona shredding flesh alongside its master.

Urðr falls backwards, whatever words she had planned scuffed by the blood filling her throat. All it can do is scream.

The entire scene is too surreal for words. One second Urðr was standing there, towering over you both, ready to cast a deadly spell at any second, and then she drops like a stone right into the middle of the trees below, turned into nothing more than a sack of falling meat.

Her shriek of agony echoes throughout the forest before being cut short as her limp body crushes a large tree beneath her, splitting the trunk with a deafening snap. You see Gwen ricochet off the tree, her body being knocked deeper into the woods away from Urðr, while the Norn's remains slide down the shredded trunk in a river of sinew and blood. For a second it looks as though Urðr is attempting to rise from the wreckage. Blood gushes everywhere, pouring down the sides of the tree as the censors rapidly replace it with red pixels. It seems she isn't dead after all, despite the evidence.

You blink and all the evidence is gone. The system, suddenly realizing that Urðr still had HP left and shouldn't actually be a sack of flesh and meat, rapidly repairs your foe's body. The goddess rises from the crater and splintered bark, unharmed save for one detail.

Her HP bar. Flashing down to the last pixel.

<How dare you...> whispers Urðr quietly. <You are a curse upon this very world, demons one and all. In lieu of lord OBERON, and in defense of Alfheim I must slay you here. My friends, my kin! Hear my plea! From the depths of Jötunheimr, I call upon you to honor our pact and defend this world! «Hill Giants», come forth and recall your sacred purpo->

System Call: Generate Umbral Element. Discharge.​

The curse strikes Urðr in the chest, cutting off her speech. She staggers back, clutching her forehead, looking confused for a moment before she looks down at the burning hole in her torso. Whatever last words she tried to say died alongside the shatter of rainbow pixels.

Spoiler: Combat Results

Urðr uses Makouga > Party, 4d6 = 4 2 3 5 1 success vs Gwen, 2 successes vs Lux (WEAKNESS)
Gwen defends w/ VIT (sucks at flying), 2d6e5 = 2 2 → 0 successes against 5
Lux defends w/ AGI (flying savant) 4d6e5 = 3 4 6⊕ 2 → 1 success against 5

1 damage to Gwen. 1 damage to Lux.
Urðr SMIRKS for discovering your weakness.

Excalibur PIERCE > Gwen, 5d6e5 = 3 5⊕ 6⊕ 5⊕ 3 → 3 successes against 5
Gwen defends w/ VIT, 2d6e5 = 4 6⊕ → 1 success against 5

2 damage to Gwen.

Gwen Devour > Urðr, 4d6e5 = 2 6⊕ 1 5⊕ → 2 successes against 5
Urðr defends, 3d6e5 = 1 3 4 → 0 successes against 5

2 damage to boss.

Lux Eiha > Urðr, 4d6e3 = 1 6⊕ 2 3⊕ → 2 successes against 3 (SMIRK, WEAKNESS)
Urðr defends, 3d6e5 = 6⊕ 3 2 → 1 success against 5

1 damage to boss. Defeated.

And then there's silence. A young woman in the gear of a mid-level player of SAO flashes into being before fading away in a logout effect. You'll have to check in with Agil later to see if that meant there were three more SAO Survivors released from purgatory.

That... was harder than you thought it'd be. Your HP bar is surprisingly healthy, though last you saw of Gwen she was on the verge of death. If this was SAO you'd probably be leveling up right now. Your eyes glance towards your top right, Gwen's HP bar was still present— in fact it had recovered to the Yellow zone already. How far did she get knocked away?

With an instinct borne from two years in SAO you idly open up your menu. You had to have increased some skill points right?

«One-Handed Sword» was stuck at 550. You didn't actually hit it with your sword, not once in fact. You couldn't even hit Leafa. Magic was just much too convenient... and the type of 'magic' you were using wasn't actually recognized by the system. You had «Wind Magic» at a nice even 001, the default level for all Sylph players. If you were gonna get strong in this game it wasn't going to be through the in-game systems.

It's just desserts for beating a boss via hacks. No skills were grinded at all in this fight. But it's not a complete loss, you feel more in tune with your Persona— stronger even.

Oh. Something did change... you check the notifications.

«The Holy Sword of the Ice Palace» Quest FAILED!
«Holy Sword Excalibur»x1 rewarded for killing Urðr. Please claim your reward within the next 5 MINUTES.

«Beast God Slaughterer» Quest [ACCEPT]/[REJECT]?
Description: Oh heroes who have defeated the accursed Urðr! I, King Thrym of Niflheim beseech you to lend me your aid! There is only one more seal left before we may initiate Ragnarok! Slay the foul Beast Gods who roam Jötunheimr, their hideous visages are the last obstacle in our path! Do this and I will name you my champion, second only to me in the new world order, and together we shall conquer even Yggdrasil itself!

A quest? The avatar you just killed looked a lot like a quest NPC, even if the Fairy was simply assuming its form. You probably broke some random late-game quest line with that fight. Oh well, not really your problem.

"HEY LUX! YOU ALIVE!?" asks Gwen as she emerges from the nearby brush, «Excalibur» being dragged behind her, tracing a divot in the floor from its sheer weight.

"Oh, there you are. Did I get her?"

"Uh, kinda. She was trying to summon an add, so I had to finish her off." I mean, last thing you wanted to do was fight whatever the hell a Hill Giant was. Sounded tough.

"...Lux."
"Uh, yes?"
"Did you just steal my kill?"

---

"I can't believe this."

"Gwen..."

"Last hit rules!? Really? This game is just copied from SAO. I was totally MVP!"

You're having a conversation with Gwen overlooking the shining city of «Alne». You're admiring your new sword— or rather the inventory icon of your new sword. You couldn't equip it, you could barely hold it, but thanks to the «Last Hit» system the item drop was yours by right.

Gwen's been pretty upset ever since you took the final strike of the boss fight against Urðr.

"Gwen, I'd give it to you if you could actually equip it."
"I could sell it for loot!"
"And so can I. Tough luck Gwen, next time be faster on the draw!"

Your friend grumbles as you open the item box for Excalibur. The weapon falls into your lap - not truly any heavier than a normal sword but the moment you tried to lay your hands on it the weapon's weight multiplied in protest of your poor stats. Still, this was... an unexpected boon. A sword you couldn't use, couldn't HOPE to use, but you were holding onto what was probably the most expensive, rarest item in ALO history.

"Hey Lux?" asks Gwen, her bad mood changing into curiosity. "What's the description say? Any cool abilities?" She leans forward and swipes her hand against the blade in your lap.

«Holy Sword Excalibur»

Sharpness: 1800
Heaviness: 300
Durability: 9999
Enhancement: N/A [This weapon cannot be enhanced by a blacksmith]

Skill Requirement: One-Handed Sword 750

Description: The Sword that Cuts through Steel and Tree. The ultimate weapon of the gods, capable of cutting through the roots of Yggdrasil itself.

"Doesn't seem to have any special tricks. Flavor text says it cuts through the roots of Yggdrasil." Beyond an absurd stat spread. Your best weapon in SAO had a Sharpness of like... 300. Clearers tended to require a minimum of +600 Sharpness gear. And that Durability? Insanity, it was probably just a placeholder for an unbreakable weapon.

"No tricks? Well who needs a gimmick when you have a Sharpness of 1800! Wait, that kind of weapon should knock out my max health two times over in one hit," says Gwen as she pats her stomach. "Guess she was throwing it around cause she couldn't actually use it?"

"Who knows. NPCs work via different rules but I'm not sure if that counted as a PC or an NPC..."
"Well Lux, whatcha gonna do with the blade? Sell it for some quick cash?"
"I... don't know. But I think... this will be useful. I'm going to hang on to it for now."

Gwen frowns at you, thinking hard about where to put the blade. Her gaze lingers on the hilt for a moment longer, before returning to face you full on, an idea coming to her.

"Wait, this could be our in. The Lord of the Leprechauns «Granze»... she's probably the richest player in the game right now, and she pretty much never leaves her city. I have her scratched off my target list as being too much trouble to access... but if we go to her with this I'll bet we could arrange a face-to-face meeting."

"Huh?" You look quizzically at Gwen, "I thought you wanted public executions?"

"Yeah, and «Granze» won't really be any good for that, but the Leps are loaded. 30% of their assets? I'd wager it's more than the full treasury of most races. You could also just sell it to her legitimately for a king's ransom."

The Leprechauns were the obvious option for selling the weapon, at least as far as overall price went, but this thing could be your in to any of the Fairy Lords. The amount of players in the game who could actually equip this weapon were likely numbered in the dozens at best, but it was still hot property; who knows what kind of favors you'd be able to extract in exchange for this weapon. Alternatively, you could find a player capable of wielding it, but how did that advance your goal of reaching the top of the tree?

"Uh... you think that's the real weapon or just a copy?" asks Gwen. She made a good point, even as a copy it was no weaker than the original, but if anyone found where the real «Excalibur» was things would get very complicated. Maybe it was best to offload it to a black market dealer? You already knew one, and potentially you could even sell it for real-world money through them...

And that description... flavor text or... a real property of the weapon? Could you... cut down the World Tree? No, that's ridiculous, it'd take you like 300 years at best.

...

"Hey, Lux."

Gwen looks you in the eye, the sword momentarily forgotten.
"You know I won't die for real in this game, right? Amusphere, remember? Thing's safer than a flip phone."

You're too tired to talk about this now.
"Sorry, just... some shitty memories of SAO. You know how it is."

"Sure," Gwen says, averting her gaze. "But you doing okay?"

"Yeah," comes your reply, somewhat unconvincingly.

Gwen gives a nod, seemingly satisfied by your answer, then goes back to watching «Alne» below. "I'm just a bit worried. I didn't really notice but you're acting pretty different than usual. A lot more... happy, I guess? You seemed to be enjoying yourself there. You're even arguing with me about loot, you never used to do that... but then you're melancholy again. That last part I'm used to, but I've never actually seen you enjoy a game before."

"...enjoy?"

You try to remember why you felt particularly joyful. It wasn't anything big, but maybe... the thrill of taking a boss in ALO, after avoiding bosses in SAO the whole time? Or was it.... ugh...

Ugh... shit, what? Ah, Gwen, no! The boring one's in control again!
I never lost control. You just finally gave me some peace and quiet.

"See? Even your eyes seem different now. Was that the whole Shadow thing you were talking about?"

"I... I think that was just some strange influence from my Shadow messing up my personality." That was exactly it. You were still in control, but using your Persona allowed your Shadow to color your thoughts.

That's not what happened!
"I'm sorry for... not being me, Gwen."

"I don't mind," says Gwen, turning towards you. She puts holds her hand to you. "I do want you to be... happier, Lux. It's why I was trying so hard to get you to PK with me. I think that was you... just another version of you. I recognize it, it was that Lux that saved me from OBERON. We were going to start fresh, right Lux? As friends. This time around, I want to do it right. That means I'm going to befriend all of you!"

Ah you little gremlin, gonna make me cry.
You grab her hand back and squeeze it. "Thanks, it's... nice to have you back Gwen."

She laughs at your antics. "Lux, look that's not how you do it!" Her hand zips back before she re-offers it. "Time like this, after beating a big boss there's only one thing to do."

Of course. There's only thing to do.

Good game Gwen!
"Good game Gwen."

You high-five your best friend.

---

AN: A few combat details.
SMIRK works when you discover a new weakness, you can't chain them.
Hitting all weaknesses of mook tier enemies in one combat phase triggers an All Out Attack.
Knocking down bosses requires narrative solution instead of purely mechanical ones.
Bosses will often change weaknesses.
Allowing a party member to die, even in a consequence-free environment, builds STRESS.

Rolz Log can be viewed Character Sheet

---

Spoiler: PLAN PHASE

PLAN Phase

My agent, a reminder.
You have until the end of May.
Do not allow his dreams to pollute your world.

Discretionary Budget : 30500 Yen
Determination: 20 D
Stress: 2 POINTS

Select actions for the period of April 17-20. [4 DAYS. For the remainder of 4/16 you can perform 1 MINOR action]
Meimi will join you in any combat oriented mission unless specified otherwise.
You may select 4 MAJOR actions and 5 MINOR actions. (Mandatory event on 04/16 has eaten your Major action)
You may freely select MINOR actions in place of MAJOR actions (but not vice versa).
You may select as many FREE ACTIONS as you care for.
You may take an additional MAJOR action for 10 D.
You may take an additional MINOR action for 5 D.
The GRAND TOTAL for all actions this period cannot exceed 13.
DETERMINATION is also spent to select special choices so it may be beneficial to leave some banked!
Don't worry about specifying the exact date, that will be determined by QM for narrative convenience.

Shadow Tag: Several options are labeled as [Lux]. Generally you should choose 30% of MAJOR actions from this pool, failure to do so will cause your Shadow to take over your body randomly during routine actions to unpredictable effects. Voluntarily taking more [Lux] actions than is necessary remains at your discretion, but has no mechanical benefit.
Lux will frequently make decisions without player input. Large decisions when Lux is in control will usually only have skewed options, with normal options requiring high DETERMINATION costs.
Be aware taking multiple MAJOR actions using DETERMINATION is still subject to this rule.

HINT CORNER:
Further advancement in PRUDENCE requires higher EMPATHY.
Paths are not mutually exclusive, a cobbled together path to the World Tree if narratively justified is more than possible. The Paths simply represent the ones the QM has somewhat outlined.
EXILE is a Minor Action with FAR reaching implications. Take or ignore with care.
Lux is satisfied. You must take 1 ACTION with Lux this phase to keep her satisfied. You will need to take 2 ACTIONS next phase. Or 2 ACTIONS this phase.

---

Major Actions (REAL WORLD)

[ ] [Sincere Apologies]: The SAO servers are maintained by RECT Progress, and Meimi's family is demanding answers from their president about why their daughter took so long to emerge out of SAO. Alas, as the Tsurusaki family is old money, RECT Progress cannot afford to ignore their demands. Meimi is inviting you to join her along in an eventful meeting with RECT Progress' President, Sugou Nobuyuki.

[ ] [Hang Out//Gwen]: Gwen is bored. Outside of Rehab she has little to do, and her time with the Amusphere is being heavily rationed by her caretakers. Go spend an afternoon with her and just hang out.
Party Members do not advance via SL, but hangouts can provide stat bonuses or provide opportunities to meet other interesting people.

[ ] [FORTUNATE Son]: The loud boy keeps greeting you every morning. He's apparently doing the same thing to EVERYBODY at school. Honestly, it's rather creepy... Your intuition tells you this kid is best off being ignored. But you do sense a seed of power within... [Costs 10 D] [SL]
FORTUNE trains FITNESS.

[ ] [Rising SUN]: Hang out with your friend from school. There's a local restaurant that's all the rage she wants to take you to! [1d10*500Yen] [SL]
SUN unlocks more efficient DETERMINATION shops.

[ ] [Absolute JUSTICE]: The only people you hate more than Argo the Rat are literal murderers. Does that mean you also hate Hosaka Carina Tomo? Agil has recommended you talk to her... not about work, ALO or the current situation. He says you're more alike than you think, an opinion Agil can keep to himself. But maybe you can stand to be more civil. How about starting by asking Argo why she still insists on subjecting you to a witch hunt when SAO is long over? [SL]
JUSTICE usually builds STRESS when taken.
JUSTICE decreases the D penalty when taking actions that involve Argo.
You may meet some interesting people.

[ ] [Bunking around Bunkyo]: Explore the neighborhood. Find out what there is to do and where you can hang out. Maybe find a part-time job?
Unlocks more efficient ways to increase social stats and part-time jobs.

[ ] [Damage Control]: Meet with Endou and offer her an explanation. Alternatively, you could just wait her out and let her release the photos. You think you can deal with some stupid rumors.
Endou is UNLIKELY to act during this period if ignored. (1d6, DC 6 to release the pictures)

[ ] [The G-Man]: Argo is working with someone. Why not meet the man behind the curtain and find out what he knows? [Costs 10 D]



Major Actions (ALFHEIM)

[ ] [Consult//Sigurd]: Apparently... he's actually a Sylph Lord. That means he's a big deal in the internal politics of your race. He actually paid Argo's exorbitant fees and has been spamming your inbox with message and friend requests. You'll have to throw him a bone but asking his thoughts on the race to the world tree could prove to be illuminating.
Advances CHAOS.

[ ] [Consult//Argo]: Argo isn't stupid. If she's trying to climb the world tree she likely already has a plan hatched. She prefers you to go out and find your own leads, mumbling something about not letting an "amateur" like yourself get in her way, but if you INSIST you could probably help her with whatever her current plot is. Or at least find out exactly WHAT her current plot is. [Costs 10 D]
Advances LAW.

[ ] [Consult//Glitch Hunters]: A thought. How did the picture of Asuna get taken in the first place? It strikes you that SOMEONE had to have taken that picture... so how did they get up into the World Tree? Agil says he can introduce you...
Advances CHEAT.

[ ] [Beast Hunting]: Grab Gwen, grab your sword, and go on an adventure!
By adventure, you mean a long tedious grinding quest killing the Hello Kitty Cthulu monsters currently rampaging around the lower levels of Alfheim. What could possibly have them so riled up?
Advances CHEAT?

[ ] [Assassinate//Seven]: LIVE! ON STAGE! THIS WEEK ONLY! IT'S THE RAINBOW IDOL, SEVEN!
The Lord of Pookas is holding a concert on Alne plains. This won't be her only concert, another will be held next month, but why not strike while the iron's hot? The concert is expected to be heavily attended and guarded by not only Pooka leadership but Seven's personal guild, «Shamrock». Assassinating a target in such a large crowd could prove tricky... but maybe there's a way to use the crowd to your advantage?
Advances DEMON. May also advance other paths.
Remember, if you have yet to be exiled from the SYLPHS a successful assassination will enrich the SYLPH race instead. Perhaps this is something you desire?

[ ] [Assassinate//Granze]: Gwen has the whole op planned. Simply put, you're two weak ALO characters that can suddenly become frighteningly powerful at a moment's notice. As a sane and cautious individual, Lord Granze of the Leprechauns won't meet you unless under heavy guard. Sometimes the simplest plan is the best, show up bearing hot gear and slaughter her during the transaction. [Requires Excalibur]
Advances DEMON. May also advance other paths.
Remember, if you have yet to be exiled from the SYLPHS a successful assassination will enrich the SYLPH race instead. Perhaps this is something you desire?

[ ] [DEVIL in the details]: You have an inventory full of corrupt SAO items. The Gold Seller MistCoin is willing to take them off your personage for the cool price of 1 MistCoin! Meet the contact and learn about the vast Seed Nexus underground RMT market! [SL]
MistCoins are preserved between SEED games.
DEVIL unlocks the ability to manipulate MistCoin prices! Don't be rug pulled, be the puller!

[ ] [NATURE of a GM]: Satoru Mikami, your "contact" with RECT Progress. Do you trust him? Do you know him? Well you have his contact information and he's promised a gift for you in-game. Why don't you meet him and collect your prize? There may be some other things you want to talk about too... [SL]
Unlocks special social actions.
NATURE provides unique opportunities for bolstering ALO stats.

[ ] [Grand Tourney]: Leafa, impressed by your combat prowess, has invited you to the Grand Tourney hosted by the Salamanders. It proves to be an exciting arena in which to meet the greatest swordsman of ALO, maybe you could participate yourself?
Rewards for victory. Meet interesting people.

[ ] [Farm//Racing]: You've taken to flight quite naturally, now it's time to challenge yourself. Fly through hoops, participate in time trials and test yourself against the best fliers of the Sylph Race. [Advances AGI]

[ ] [Farm//Runes]: Magic as per the system of Alfheim involves calling forth runic words of power, stringing them together in order to create various exotic effects based on the words chosen. The problem is that runic words are unlocked using the skill system and you have absolutely no formal magic skill to speak of, your Persona abilities notwithstanding. You'll never be an archmage but with some dedicated grinding you could at least give yourself a baseline magic skill. [Advances MAG]

[ ] [Farm//Rocks]: Pick up rocks and then put them down. Over and over. For an entire goddamn afternoon. Cause you sure as hell don't know where else to train right now. [Advances VIT]


Major Actions (Lux)

[ ] [Bother Shino]: You know what? Endou, not cool. Ran away at the first sight of blood. You know who won't run away from blood? SHINO! She's even killed someone before! Knock on her door and pull her away from whatever dumb game she keeps spending on her time on. Maybe she can teach you how to shoot a gun? Sounds metal.

[ ] [Stalk//Sigurd]: Your character is preferentially spec'd for tracking targets and hiding... so why the hell aren't you abusing this for all it's worth!? You don't WANT to Stalk Sigurd but you don't really know anyone else to stalk...
Advances CHAOS?

[ ] [Torment//Thinker]: Writer of MMO Tomorrow, famed blogger on his SAO experiences. Apparently, the guy's married too. But you know what he sucks at? Running guilds. Like his SAO guild the Army? It literally ran a slumtown and a motherfucking PRISON! Go give him a piece of your mind and see how much he's fucking up the Undine race. For Gwen's sake if nothing else.
Advances DEMON? Advances LAW?

[ ] [Stalk//Argo]: What's the damn rat up to now? Probably something stupid, expensive and unnecessarily complicated. Why don't you spy on her operations and find out what exactly she has planned? Certainly beats ASKING the cretin.
Advances LAW?

[ ] [Torment//Mortimer]: Maybe you'll work with the Salamanders. Maybe you'll kill them all. But one thing's for sure, you need to meet with the leader of the Salamanders. No invitation? Phff, just bluff, assault and brazenly walk into the middle of Salamander territory demanding to meet their boss.
Will achieve EXILE from Sylphs. Complicates LAW? Advances DEMON? Advances CHAOS?

[ ] [Playing in Shibuya]: You live alone. ALONE! In Tokyo! Let's go play around in Shibuya cause who's gonna stop you?
Will drain 2d6 * 1000 Yen. Will gain a souvenir. If both dice match gain Yen instead.

[ ] [Shadow//<INSERT>]: Have your Shadow perform ANY of the other Major Actions! Will have rather unpredictable results, but she'll make her own fun. If you make your Shadow run a SOCIAL LINK event the events will be even more unpredictable and may lock that SL into a Shadow-exclusive route for better or worse (probably definitely worse). Your SHADOW greatly appreciates being involved in DEMON path actions.



Minor Actions Available this Period:
Unless specified otherwise you may take individual Minor actions multiple times.

[ ] [EXILE]: Walk up to the office of the Sylph Lord Sakuya with Gwen and kindly tell her to shove her fancy Sylph katana up her fancy Sylph butthole.
Once EXILED your options will change. A prerequisite for DEMON path, killing a Lord when still a member of the Sylphs will instead empower the Sylphs instead (and drop a political bomb on them). Does not lock you out of LAW but complicates things.

[ ] [Sleep-in]: You need to study. You need to train. You need to save the world. Instead, go to sleep EARLY and snuggle up with Kuma-kun.
Reduces STRESS x 1. Becomes less efficient the more it is used (applies across the lifetime of the quest).

[ ] [Medicinal Baths]: No, not the local one down the street by the old folk's home. The big one. By the IMPERIAL PALACE. That has private rooms. [Costs 10000yen]
Reduces STRESS x 1. Repeatable.

[ ] [Study]: It's a boring task but someone's got to do it. At your current CURRICULUM level, you are likely to do AVERAGE on your next exam.

[ ] [Exercise]: You can do about 10 pushups a day now! Provided you take a minute break between each pushup. Gotta grind that FITNESS.

[ ] [Meditate]: Sit underneath a cold shower and contemplate the world. Build up your GRIT.

[ ] [Socialize]: Only with purpose. Find out what counts as small talk in your school, start memorizing classmates' names, and bolster your MASK.

[ ] [Sightsee]: Bunkyo ward is blessed with many shrines and gardens not to mention the bustling Tokyo Dome City. Go people-watching, appreciate nature, simply enjoy existing in this world and bask in the collective's EMPATHY.

[ ] [Gunpla]: I mean, you already bought it... there's nothing sadder than a model kit that lies incomplete. Can be taken up to 3 times with a completion bonus. Builds up your GRIT.

[ ] [Rehab Cheer!]: Meimi needs moral support while she's learning what muscles are again. Keep her company and try not to laugh when she inevitably throws a tantrum. Bolsters your EMPATHY.

[ ] [Elf Lore]: There's a whole cottage industry of content creators hyperanalyzing the absurdly complicated lore of Alfheim Online, half of which involves trying to predict in what direction the lore AI will steer the world plot. Learning about the actual lore behind the World Tree... might help you? Or it might be a waste of time.

[ ] [Report//NORNIR]: A strange interaction with a strange NPC. The mystery of ALO grows deeper, and you're the only one who knows about it. Until now. Now your boss's boss knows about it too. [Gains 5000 Yen]

[ ] [Gopher-Change]: Not much you can do to make money right now - but chores remain universally unpopular. Ask to take care of some of the other classes' chores for them in exchange for chump change. Inefficiently trains GRIT. [Gain 1d4 * 1000 Yen].


Free Actions:
As the quest progresses the amount of "bang for your buck" will change as I try to balance the DETERMINATION/YEN economy.

[ ] [Sweets!] A famous french pastry chef has created a pop up restaurant in Shibuya! Macroons, Eclairs and enough Cream Puffs to stuff your cheeks to bursting. But the price tag...
Purchase 5 D for 5000 yen. One time per period.

[ ] [More Sweets!] It's not enough. I demand more cream puffs.
Purchase 3 D for 5000 yen. Repeatable.

[ ] [Argo RMT] Damn it, you're pretty sure Argo's Alfheim avatar is rich. Why isn't she funding you!? Go beg Argo for some in-game cash so you can actually buy something... [Costs 20 D]

[ ] [Amusphere] It's safe. They promised. SAO cannot happen again. But you remain unconvinced. Still... almost everything was being folded into VR now. Online lessons. Cram schools. Training. Even concerts. Possessing an Amusphere is rapidly turning from a luxury item to a necessity.
Purchase [Amusphere] for 20000 yen. Unlocks other options.

[ ] [Augma] You can't say you enjoy VR anymore but you've yet to try Augmented Reality. The AUGMA was just announced to massive hype and all SAO survivors were offered an opportunity to beta test the device... but as you aren't affiliated with the Survivor School you'll have to buy the hardware yourself and boy is it pricey...
Purchase [AUGMA] for 30000 yen. Unlocks other options.

[ ] [RMT] Buy power? Buy $MistCoin$!
Current exchange rate is 5000 yen = 1 MISTCOIN when purchasing. 4500 yen when selling.
Specify what you are buying. Specify if it's for LUX or GWEN.
[Mithril Camisole]: It looks like a sweater with an exposed back, but uh, apparently it's high-quality armor. Video games... [2 MistCoins][+1VIT]
[Living Potion]: A high-potency healing potion enchanted by an alchemist to automatically heal you when you are severely injured. The annoying voice that insults you cannot be removed from the enchantment. [1 MistCoin][Consumeable][Provides +2 Health in a pinch]
[Weizen]: Masterpiece Straight Sword specifically designed to maximize damage with low Skill Equip requirement. Shines a brilliant white. [3 MistCoins][+1STR]
[Fragment of Bifrost]: Pooka-manufactured magic wand containing the essence of a rainbow. Is most DEFINETELY not a rainbow glowstick. [3 MistCoins][+1MAG]
[Mistcoin]: You can also buy MistCoin now and not spend it. The price of MistCoin will fluctuate with time.

[ ] [Sell Excalibur]
Excalibur is a useful "token" that can be used in many situations, but you only have one of them. One use for it is to receive a sudden bolus of resources. Specify ONE suboption below.
[Sell to the Leprechauns]: Granze will bend over backwards, forwards and sideways to accommodate your sale. She will crack open her vault and give you literally the best equipment you can possibly equip. [+2 ANY STAT (specify)][+1 to any non CHT stat][Specify if you or Gwen is receiving it]
[Sell to $MistCoin$]: Gain 5 MISTCOIN.

Submit as a PLAN VOTE please
You have 4 MAJOR
5 MINOR

And the option to take an additional action per day for Determination of up to 13 Actions grand total.

 

[theguynamedwafer]

Well that went far better than I could have hoped. Now to come up with a plan...

For some reason I'm not in favor of assassination right now, too many ways it could go wrong.

Will post my plan later after I've thought it over.

 

[Alcor]

Hmm. Lots of tempting options here.

[X]Plan: The Heroine is Overly Cautious
-[X]Major Actions (-10 D)
--[X] [Sincere Apologies]
--[X] [Absolute JUSTICE]
--[X] [NATURE of a GM]
--[X] [Grand Tourney]
--[X] [Torment//Thinker]
-[X]Minor Actions (+5000 Yen)
--[X] [Socialize]
--[X] [Gunpla]
--[X] [Rehab Cheer!]
--[X] [Elf Lore]
--[X] [Report//NORNIR]
-[X]Free Actions (+5 D, -25000 Yen)
--[X] [Sweets!]
--[X] [Amusphere]

All right, I think this is what I've settled on. So many major actions, not enough time even with an extra one added in. So my idea here was largely getting an overview of the situation in ways that I think might give us additional options/info down the line. The two explicit social link options are the most compelling we have at the moment, IMO. We're getting a mystery reward from the GM and we might learn some things from him we wouldn't find elsewhere. Argo is an interesting character, mechanically speaking lowering the costs on her options going forward is appealing because she's so well-connected, and she knows a bunch of people who could be helpful to our objectives both now and later. The tourney, okay I'm just hoping we run into Yuuki to be honest. I know her thing was duels but maybe she turns up here. Even if she doesn't it gets us into contact with top players which we might need depending on how we tackle the World Tree. Meeting Sugou is the kind of plot hook I want to bite on because even if Hiyori doesn't know it yet, it'll give us more insight on our opponent. Which leaves Lux... and that that's already 4 options taken. I thought about having Lux take over one of the above but the social links is likely a bad idea, Lux meeting Sugou has the potential to be amazing but we may not want to get on Sugou's radar this early lol. The tournament is an idea and I wouldn't be opposed to such a change. But barring that bugging Thinker is both a demon path option which we're told Lux likes as well as checking another group off the investigation list.

Minor actions are a mix of social stat grinding (Empathy because we're told Prudence needs it, Grit because it's our weakest and starts towards the model completion bonus, and Mask because it feels fitting), getting yen, and more World Tree/ALO investigation. So, you know, normal Persona stuff. For the free actions I decided to use most of our money here to recoup some determination and pick up an Amusphere. It definitely feels like we'll need one eventually and if nothing else, as pointed out, the NerveGear is illegal and Hiyori has worried about what might happen to her with it even if it should be safe.

As for some of my speculation on the other options that caught my interest... Beast Hunting sounds like pursuing the quest we opened up here... which itself seems to be the "evil" path of the canon Calibur stuff where instead of defeating the frost giants to earn Excalibur we join them. Even before I got to the options here and was just reading the update it sounded like that's a hook for dealing with the World Tree - unleash Ragnarok and storm it with NPCs backed by Cardinal's quest generation and just flip over the board of the PvP-oriented chase and make it more PvE. I also heavily debated taking the Sleep Minor Action to reduce stress since it'll probably go up again with the Argo SL but I think I'm willing to gamble with the mechanic still. At 4+ Stress though I'd definitely start considering addressing it. Statistically I think we'd still be fairly safe but I'm a worrier.

And that description... flavor text or... a real property of the weapon? Could you... cut down the World Tree?

Click to shrink...

Glad Hiyori thought the exact same thing as me when reading that flavor text lol.

 

[SeQuester]

[X]Plan: The Heroine is Overly Cautious

 

[theguynamedwafer]

[X] Plan: Making Friends (?) and making things happen
-[X]Major Actions
--[X] [Sincere Apologies]
--[X] [Absolute JUSTICE]
--[X] [DEVIL in the details]
--[X] [NATURE of a GM]
--[X] [Shadow//Bunking around Bunkyo] (-10D)
-[X] Minor Actions
--[X] [Gunpla] x3
--[X] [Rehab Cheer!]
--[X] [Report//NORNIR]
-[X] Free Actions
--[X] [Sweets!]
--[X] [Amusphere]

Originally I wanted to do Fortunate Son, and (pardon the pun) Sun, but then I realized we have more urgent things to take care of. Putting Lux in something relatively harmless because we need to open up options for the future anyway, otherwise I was leaning toward Bother Shino.

Minor actions are centered around finishing the Gunpla so we get grit and the bonus, along with some minor empathy boosts and money.

Free actions are for basically the same reason as Alcor.