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>>26403033
>devastating the area in the process
Knew I'd find a use for this picture eventually.

Hello OP. Week go well?

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>>26403308

(Fairly well. Was rather busy, getting back into the swing of things.)

The Class-A1 ward of the Metropolitan General Hospital is - all things considered - a fairly nice place. One bed per room: Air-conditioned with attached bathroom facilities - Television and telephone, and your own wireless connection. The climate-controlled air cycles in a gentle whisper, one that mingles with the patient drip-drip-drip of the IV, the walls a soothing pastel shade.

Far better than the brisk confusion of Accident & Emergency, with the buzz of overhead fluroscent lights, the stench of antiseptic and metal and copper-

The past few hours were a blur. You must've slept through some of it, or drifted off - But when the world snapped back into focus, you were here. In this (mostly) comfortable, but starchy bed, with the IV line spreading cool saline through your veins.

The room is on the right end of warm, a hot water bottle beneath the pillow, another warming your hands; The shallow cuts and scrapes and scratches you've taken wrapped in gauze, though your ribs still ache faintly when you move, which isn't often.

You're becoming very familiar with the hospital.

All the rooms look the same from the inside.

There's a soft *creak*, as the door swings open; Natsumi's footfalls squeaking lightly against the floor, the hinges creaking as it swings shut again. In the light, she looks wan and a little tired - But manages a smile, all the same, one concerned and relieved at once.

Plastic crinkles, as she sets a plastic bag down at the foot of the bed; Looking up at you at last, her expression faintly troubled.

"Hey," she says, softly - Slim fingers coming up to brush her red hair back from her eyes. "-How are you feeling?"

[ ] "-I've been better."
[ ] "What happened?"
[ ] "...It could've been much worse."
[ ] "I'm fine, actually. I'm glad you came by."
[ ] "Cold."
[ ] "How's Rook?"
[ ] "You look tired. How are you holding up?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26403394

Oh, Natsumi. You really are best girl.

> [X] "I'm fine, actually. I'm glad you came by."
> [X] "How's Rook?"

Do we have our stuff? What happened to it?

>>26403394
[X] "...It could've been much worse."

>>26403489
Dude we are already cheating on one girl.
Lets not start cheating on the girl we are cheating with as well

>>26403394
"Like someone stabbed me through the hand. Ultimately a good thing because it means I can still feel my hand. I bet Rook's in worse shape anyway. And what about you?"

>>26403713

> [X] "...It could've been much worse."

That's entirely true. Thinking back to those frantic moments in the dark tunnel - The burning, blinding pain in your hand as you flailed for the surface - it really could have been. The memory makes your left hand - Your palm bandaged, now - ache, a twinge of pain shooting through your fingers.

"Mmmn." Natsumi makes a soft sound of agreement; Seating herself by the side of the bed, in one of the chairs. She lifts the clipboard, on it's lanyard - Skimming through the report, before releasing it to let it hang. "...You really *were* very lucky. I've heard the doctors talking...They say you might be discharged tomorrow."

> [X] "I'm fine, actually. I'm glad you came by."

She nods, with that faint smile again.

"Fumito-san would've come in person, but...I talked him out of it. Besides, I think you could use a friendly face."

There's that strange note in her voice again, her expression faintly troubled - But then, Natsumi shakes her head, busying herself with the bag.

> [X] "How's Rook?"
> "I bet Rook's in worse shape anyway."

"-He's fine. He's..." A pause, as she searches for the words. "...really torn up. But, he's fine. In fact-" A small smile. "...He kept telling us how you rescued him, and...Well." Natsumi's smile becomes a sigh, not quite meeting your gaze.

>>26403713

> "And what about you?"

She blinks. For a moment, it seems like she's going to say something else - But then, Natsumi just rubs at her eyes.

"...I'm just - A little tired," she says, a catch to her voice. Then, more softly - "-I'm glad you're all right. I...wasn't sure *how* badly you were hurt - For a while, I was *really* worried..."

A slight shake of her head, her tone becoming brisk, more businesslike.

(Continued)

>>26403936

"-You're going to need new clothes, Anon-kun; But, I held on to your coat."

There's a faint *clink* as she sets out - On the tabletop - your gear; The Misericorde. The Carnifex, skeletal fingers enfolded, like an orphaned belt buckle. Your crucifix pendant, still on the chain. Your wallet - It looks blow-dried, though the notes (Utterly soaked through) have been removed. The tape recorder, oddly pristine...

And that's all.

Natsumi doesn't meet your eyes.

[ ] "...Is that everything?"
[ ] "-Where's the Nihl Sphere?"
[ ] "Something's missing."
[ ] "...Natsumi, what's wrong?"
[ ] Say nothing.
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26403951
>"...Natsumi, what's wrong?"
Bitch is stealing our stuff

>>26403951
"Spill."

>>26403951
[X] "...Natsumi, what's wrong?"

>>26403951
Look at her and raise an eyebrow. "Natsumi, we're both too smart and experienced to play these little games.

Where is it?"

>>26403984
>>26403992
>>26404098
>>26404088

For a long moment, she doesn't answer you.

Then - Slowly, very slowly - she reaches into a pocket...

-And draws forth the Nihl Sphere.

It's the size of a large marble, in the palm of her hand; But in an instant - Like an optical illusion - it's the size of an egg, seemingly growing moment by moment. Smoke seems to swirl within the violet sphere; A lustreless reflection that sheds no light.

"This...was Hecate's, wasn't it?"

It's not really a question. Natsumi cradles the Sphere gently, almost cautiously - As if handling a live scorpion, or something infinitely precious and fragile at once. Her eyes are ever-so-slightly red.

"That time at Nara...I wasn't sure at first, but when we met Enfer - I saw you holding it, a, and I just *knew*-"

She bites her lips, a slight tremble to her shoulders.

"I *should* have given it to Fumito-san, but...But *then*-" Natsumi exhales, sharply; The Sphere's anti-light flickering, as she sets it down on the table - It doesn't roll. She's looking anywhere but at you, her hands clenching into fists on her lap:

"Anon-kun...You still love her, don't you?" There's a raw note to her voice, now, something pained and hurt at once. "I don't-" A pause, and Natsumi goes on: "...Why did you - care for her so much?"

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26403514

Dude we friendzoned natsumi already

Rolled 4

>>26404239
she was a friend in the red world. she enjoyed our company despite us being the grim reaper of the battlefield. this was before we realised who the other was. that was really important to me, back then. do you understand?
>her response
i truly am grateful that you didnt give it to fumito, its a treasured artifact, and a reminder of her

>>26404239
"I didn't have to hide myself. Not me as Anon, not me as the Red Joker. She was a bridge between the two halves that make up who I am. Could you have accepted me Natsumi, if I had told you? Before you saw more of my red half? Completely, and without question or hesitation? You could have learned... no, you DID learn. But it hurt you, and I never wanted that."

>>26404332

Indeed we did. It's amazing how hard we tried to keep her out of the picture.

>>26404365
who each other were*
should stop drinking to enjoy the quest

>>26404239
"I'm not even so sure right now. But... it was probably because she was my first ally in both the Red World and the real one. Someone I could have been at least semi-honest with and have no need to hide the side of me that even I find ugly. Something like that, I guess."

>>26404332
Knowing the Joker quest anons It wouldnt take an awful lot for them to try and un-friendzone her.

Haha! Time for Joker Quest. Why does my group always want to game on the nights this runs. It's suffering.

Waiting for the next post to start commenting.

>>26404239
>"Anon-kun...You still love her, don't you?" There's a raw note to her voice, now, something pained and hurt at once. "I don't-" A pause, and Natsumi goes on: "...Why did you - care for her so much?"

".... I don't talk about it often. Or at all, really. Hecate... "
"when I was younger, REALLY young, I was trapped in the red world for a long time. A REALLY long time. Longer than you can stay in normally. Sometimes I... feel more at home there than I do here. "
"Even with everyone trying to take the red joker away. And she... she got that. "
"Please, can you give that back?"

>>26404371
>"I didn't have to hide myself. Not me as Anon, not me as the Red Joker. She was a bridge between the two halves that make up who I am. Could you have accepted me Natsumi, if I had told you? Before you saw more of my red half? Completely, and without question or hesitation? You could have learned... no, you DID learn. But it hurt you, and I never wanted that."

Didn't we think Chrome Cyber was -kazuya- for a while, also?

>>26404565

Yeah. People did. No one suspected Naito for the longest time until the Wham Line.

>>26404565
For some time, yes. Epic pratfall on my part when I found out how wrong I was.

Here I meant something like "If I told you one day that I was a technomagical mass murderer in a killing game, how do you think you would have reacted?" Her being a participant in the killing game would have only added to the pathos.

>>26404365

"But even so-!" She's raised her voice, without knowing it; Then, urgently - "But...That's not *who* you are. It's just something that happened *to* you...N, not *all* that, that..."

>>26404553

A silence falls, as infinite as the chasms of the Red World. It seems to linger, at the very corner of your vision: A touch of crimson, encroaching on the room.

Never too far away.

>>26404371
>>26404500

"If I had-" Natsumi begins - She swallows, starts again.

"Anon-kun, if...i-if I had-"

She cuts herself off, before she can finish; Head down, her hands gripping her knees. For a moment, you think she might be about to cry - Her throat going tight as she looks away.

>>26404365

She doesn't say anything - Composing herself, as you lift the Nihl Sphere. In your hand, you can feel the cold pulse; The faint throb, against your fingers. Responding to your presence.

"The last time..."

Natsumi's voice is soft, low with a kind of nameless dread and half-cohered horror. She's looking at you, strangely - As if on the cusp of a realization.

"Anon-kun...How *long* were you-" She seems to be fumbling with the question, unable to put it into words.

Then, faintly: "...How l-long was it - For you?"

[ ] "-Just one night, Natsumi."
[ ] "I don't know."
[ ] A while."
[ ] "After the first year? I stopped counting."
[ ] "A long time."
[ ] "Forever."
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26404780
>[ ] "Forever."

"I honestly cannot describe it in words."

>>26404780
"A day, a year, a hundred years, a thousand years, all these answers are correct in their own way.

I suppose the only accurate answer would be that it lasted a lifetime and then some."

>>26404780
[x] "Forever."
"Sometimes... Sometimes when I wake up... I forget that it ever ended."

>>26404780

"Well, you know how the end of a school day seems to drag and drag and draaaag? Now multiply that a hundredfold.. no, thousandfold? Hmm.. honestly, I really can't tell you. Let's just say i am subjectively much much older than I look. What I'm getting at is chicks dig older guys, Naito. Especially the smart ones."

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>>26404780
"How long was what?"

>>26404780

[x]Years.

" I.. .i lost track of time. A year? Years? "

"The red joker saved me. The old one." (this IS true, right? I don't recall exactly)

"... its funny, I ran into another player lately. They said they have seen the monster that ate my heart. I .... have to wonder if a corrector took something from me, then. Its all...fuzzy, hard to recall."

>>26404780
"I'm not even sure anymore. For the people that weren't involved? A mere night. For those that were and survived it? A human's lifespan at the very least."
"Natsumi. You've made a sad mistake... the real me is not "who" I am. The person who lived in the Red World for a hundred years and was saved by the Red Joker is."

>>26404967
>"... its funny, I ran into another player lately. They said they have seen the monster that ate my heart. I .... have to wonder if a corrector took something from me, then. Its all...fuzzy, hard to recall."

Ooh! who was that, again? Was that Kraken?

>>26404780

[x]Truth. Tell he what we DO remember

>>26405006
I think which ever option we pick becomes the truth.

>>26404780
[X] Free.
"There's no real way to keep track of time in the hive. Long enough to become confused about what certain food tasted like. To see another player in the same situation lose his mind and walk into an ocean of acid because he thought he was thirsty. Long enough to get older without actually aging.

>>26404998
I've been wondering if the Joker's Memory that Totenaz has isn't actually something to do with us rather than the Red Joker armor.

>>26404978
>"Natsumi. You've made a sad mistake... the real me is not "who" I am. The person who lived in the Red World for a hundred years and was saved by the Red Joker is."
This is kind of going a little too far, I think. We've already more or less proven, to Natsumi, no less, that even in spite of what we've been through, we're more than just the Red Joker.

But we're not NOT the Red Joker either; even when we're in the real world.

>>26405074

I'm more surprised our Joker turned out mostly sane and rational than he did. Considering. Several decades fighting off shit that would make Cthulhu pause? Joker needs more deadpan snarker lines like Garcher.

>>26405074
>>26404978


Not that you've brought it up, it IS a little harsh.

Is there a softer way we can word it?

maybe like. "I'm always the red joker. Even when i'm not -there-"

Also, we need to thank her for reminding us about mercy. Like, that it exists. At all.

>>26405112

its hard to pun in japanese

>>26405074
I wasn't really going for that angle. My message was while we are partly both, but our core is the guy who lived through that hell.
I guess I put it in a rather harsh way, though.

>>26405070

well he did say it had to do with the ORIGINAL red joker

>>26405113
>>26405074
>maybe like. "I'm always the red joker. Even when i'm not -there-"
"I'm not the Red Joker. But I'm not the innocent young high school student, either. I'm the person who was trapped in the Red World for a hundred years, and was rescued by a hero clad in red."

>>26405126
Doesn't stop Nisio for filling every page of his books with at least 10 puns.

>>26404832
>>26404848
>>26404888

> [X] Forever.

The word hangs in the air.

They say that Hell is the absence of God - And they're not wrong, not truly. When you know that no help is coming...When the world is Red, now and forever to kingdom come-

When you sand the edges of sanity away-

...That's when people get really fucking weird.

>>26405033

At the end of the first year, Zoauve looked up at the bruise-red skies, and screamed until all that remained was hate. Then he tried to kill you, and - for a lifetime - that was the last time you met another living soul.

So many went bad, or insane, or simply lay down and waited to die-

But not you.

You wanted to escape, and to keep your humanity.

You chose one.

>>26404967

You don't remember most of it.

Just...flashes. Whatever you were moved between moments - A montage of terrors and fleeting moments of calm. Mostly, you remember acid waves against the black surf...But there was so much of it, you may honestly have forgotten.

(Continued)

>>26405165

Maybe we should mention that ..... the original red joker is kind of a role model to us?

Everyone else seems to know, or have known him, and from what we keep hearing is he was a big damn hero. Polite, saves people, friendly with argent -despite- his position and power.

>>26405030
Oh, they're all true, from a certain point of view. One night is how much real time the character spent there. That's what Natsumi wants to hear, that Anon's transformation was a simple process not different from her own. The rest are varying degrees of relative time and the human reaction to it.

She's been coming to terms with the Red Joker being her childhood friend, mostly by humanizing the Joker and realizing that he's more of a normal player than she thought. But all the points where the Red Joker is normal just serve to emphasize how alien his situation is to her experience, again putting distance between the two of them.

>>26405126
Heh, not really. Just a different method to it. Usually it involves assonance like Western puns, or jokes on how kanji characters look.

>>26405165
The hundred years came AFTER the mercy kill. Who knows how long we spent on the surface. Long enough for Anon to nearly forget human life before dropping in to the Hive, despite holding on to it better than anyone else.

>>26405210
The question is, how well did we really know the old Joker? And did we know anything about him before we actually met him? Did we venture into the pit hunting for him cockily believing WE would be the one to take the armor or was it all an accident?

>>26405196
>Zoauve

Ooh! We have a name! is that another Player?

>>26405226
>Oh, they're all true, from a certain point of view. One night is how much real time the character spent there. That's what Natsumi wants to hear, that Anon's transformation was a simple process not different from her own.
She already sort of knows that isn't the case, though. From back in episode 40:

>"I just - I wanted to talk to you." There's something earnest in her voice - But then she laughs, with a little shake of her head. "-It's really strange, you know? I know who you are - Who you are *now* - but...I'm still having trouble reconciling it."
>She flashes you a crooked little smile - "...I keep asking myself - When did this happen to Anon-kun? Who is he, really? What has he..."
>Her voice trails off. "You don't have to tell me, you know. Not if you don't want to. I just...I'm curious. It feels like I'm going to have every conversation I've ever had with you all over again."
>Something seems to occur to her; "...You know," Natsumi says, more softly this time. "-I always thought...You were *different* from other boys. More mature, somehow - Quieter. But...It wasn't just my imagination, was it?"
>Her gaze rests squarely on you. "...You've been a Player for almost your entire life."

She just didn't quite understand just exactly how right she was... let alone that, if anything, "almost your entire life" was actually kind of an UNDERSTATEMENT.

>>26405226

>kanji puns

The same way Lio Shirazumi can be written as White Charcoal right? I didn't catch that until after the fanfic had him incinerated via a dome of thermite.

>>26405313
>Lio Shirazumi
And now i'm remembering that Prototype/KnK fanfic.

>>26405369

He's updating again after taking a two month hiatus. It's breached the 300k word mark and it's barely been fifteen hours in story.

>>26404967
>>26405165

...Yes.

The fire beneath the world, and the monster that ate your heart.

How did he know that?

>>26404940
>>26405165
>>26405006

Natsumi laughs. It's not a happy laugh - She has her hand to her lips, shocked at herself - Her eyes so very wide, as she tries to stifle the sound.

"You-" she says, a catch in her voice - Then she just shakes her head, seemingly at a loss for words. Instead, her free hand closes on yours; And she squeezes, hard, as if she never wants to let you go.

"-I'm sorry." Her voice utterly mortified - "W-when you say things like that...It's too big for me, Anon-kun. I don't...I can't...I can't *imagine* what it's like."

And, more softly - Her brown eyes meeting yours, with boundless sympathy.

"-I'm not sure I *want* to."

Natsumi's gaze searches yours, for a long moment.

"Anon...I hate this." There's a harsh edge to her words. "...I hate the Red World. I don't - I don't *want* to be a Player; I, if there was *any* other way..."

She stops. There's a bitter twist to her lips, now. "-I wanted...I just want to be *normal*. I wish...I wish I didn't know *any* of this."

Then, almost pleadingly - "Don't you?"

[ ] "I used to think that way. Once."
[ ] "I'm...Not sure."
[ ] "This is reality, Natsumi. It's just the way things are."
[ ] "...Yeah."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26405279
He was one of the other Players trapped with us in the Hive. Lizard esque, had flame powers, think there was some speculation that he became Rusty K.

ALso thread archived before Mr. Livevwithyourshame does.

>>26405433
[ ] "I'm...Not sure."
The red world is part of who i am. if i left it alone now, i would feel like i had wasted my millenia of walking through hell. it lasted... Forever. you cannot imagine what it was like. thats the memory that drives me on. i couldnt do that again. and so i trudge along, survive, live free in this world above. while it would be good if it never happened, it did happen, and so, i am forced to continue with it. to the bitter end, if need be

>>26405433

"Stuff that happens in the other world affects this world, Nat. We have a duty to insure the damage is negligible. While other times we haft to sever the leg to save the body. In the end, this world keeps on living by our intervention. You would not want to see the correctors let loose over here now would you? Seeing Kazuya's face would make it worth it, though."

>>26405433
>[ ] "I used to think that way. Once."

"I didn't have a choice. This armor I wear - it can be taken away. The price is just a life - mine, and I made up my mind to never give up. I didn't have a choice. I've been hunted for it like an animal for a pelt. "
"... thanks for reminding me it didn't have to be that way, in theatre class. I -owe- you for that, big time."
"... you may want to spend some time with kazuya, though. He has this thing.... i'm not sure if he knows or not, but its like being near him raises the walls to the red, instead of lowering it. I think that's why argent keeps him around. I can't help but wonder if its -meant- to be this way, though - some things are true across both worlds. " (it is kazuya with the anti-red world aura, right?)

>>26405433
"Maybe, once, a long time ago, after the first adrenaline rushes and near death experiences, before I became the Red Joker.

But now, I don't think I could live any other way. There's too much of me invested in the Red World, if I stopped somehow, which as far as I can tell is utterly impossible, the Red Joker is a title you keep for the rest of your life, I wouldn't be myself. And as messed up, sad, mysterious, sickening, and strange the Red World is there's a odd beauty to it that sings to me. I feel at home there, I feel alive in a way that you can't feel outside of there.

Besides, if I wasn't here the Red Joker would probably be some schmuck with no sense of panache. And we just can't have that."

>>26405481

That was another guy. I think that guy's name was Fuesil, which is a kind of firearm. Zoave is the name of a soldier.

>>26405433

Still. Take her hand in both of ours. Don't just talk, engage her. She's gonna break down crying soon, i think, and we're gonna want to give her a hug and a pat on the back until she feels better

>>26405506
>>26405588
these work

>>26405433
[X] "I'm...Not sure."
[X] Free
"If the Red didn't exist, if I was never a Player... Would I have been the person that so impressed you and Asuna? Hecate and Mio? It's hard for me to even imagine.

>>26405433
>[ ] "I'm...Not sure."
"It's hard, right? I don't really like it any more than you do.

It's not just going to go away if we close our eyes and hope real hard, y'know? Last time, it reached the point where it didn't matter who knew about the Red World. Everyone in the city was endangered, regardless of whether they were involved or not.

Now, I'm not a big hero or anything like that, but if I'm going to have things I care about, I want to be able to protect them with my own two hands.

We've both seen enough to know that it's not enough to just hope the rest of the maniacs inside decide to take it easy on the bystanders."

>>26405256
All an accident. Anon was a Player for a bit before "six years ago", but it wasn't until Hecate explained it to him that he knew anything about the finals, the finalists, or even why he was a target. He fell in to the Hive a complete innocent... which is why the Old Joker didn't waste him on sight, probably.

>>26405308
Right. She knew that he was different growing up, and then she found out that he was a very special Player. But even so she could convince herself that they weren't so different and that she could understand what he had been through. This, however, is something that she has no ability to relate to, and less desire to.

>>26405433
Ooh, start off with this. >>26405588

"Yeah. Most of the time. But... then I see something, like Argent building his relics, and I think how much smaller I'd be if not for the Red World. The killing, the violence spilling over to our world, I *hate* that. But we've finished the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. We can't close our eyes and cover our eyes and shut it out, but we can try to fix what's broken."

>>26405552
(it is kazuya with the anti-red world aura, right?)

We have no idea if that's true. It could have been the book.

>>26405604
not this, she is already near crying and we dont want to remind her of the fact shes only one of our female friends

>>26405433
"I've long since forgotten such thoughts. Right now, the Red World is part of me, meaning that throwing it away would effectively mean denying my own existance. I don't think that's something I want to or should do."
"After all, I'm at the point where I've already accepted it. While I lack the wisdom of age or experience of life, ever since that night 6 years ago... I've already been at the point where merely being considered "old" would be a understatement."

>>26405506
>>26405515

She looks down and away. It's a quiet, strangely awkward moment - Silent, except for the light beeps of machines in the background, the hissing of air hoses a room away.

>>26405640
>>26405588
>>26405636

"Maybe," Natsumi says - Her voice very soft, tremulous, as if trying to convince herself. Then, again: "Maybe."

"I just wish..."

A deep breath, a shaky smile: "-I just wish it wasn't..."

>>26405604
>>26405552
>>26405582

Her handphone rings, with a shrill wail - The sound sudden, almost shattering in the stillness; You actually feel Natsumi *start*, a little gasp of surprise teased from her throat at the buzzing...

-Before her hand slips away from yours, and to her phone.

"Yes?" Natsumi, with admirable poise, keeps her voice from wavering as she wipes at her eyes - Making a low sound of affirmation as she listens, the words on the other end dulled to inaudibility. Her expression changes - From the melancholy that'd gripped her, the lines of her features firming with resolve; "...I understand. I'll be there."

The phone clicks off, and Natsumi exhales, slowly - Her eyes squeezing shut for a moment, as she moves to stand.

"...I have to go," she says. "I'm - I'm sorry, but it's urgent."

[ ] "What happened?"
[ ] "Will you be all right?"
[ ] "Who was that?"
[ ] "-I understand."
[ ] "Can I help?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26405814
[X] What happened? Can I help?

>>26405814
[ ] "What happened?"
we're too injured to help, supposedly. if its something red-world related, like argent needing everyone to show up, ask her to tell him to ring us

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>>26405814

"Well, I told you my sob story, what's Kraken on your end?"

>>26405877
CARLOS!

>>26405877
CARLOS!

>>26405814
Hmm... she's going to tell us to stay in bed no matter what. So [x] "Will you be all right?"

And then we transform and go hunting for whatever it is about this hospital that brings people here.

>>26405877
i laughed, you bastard

>>26405829

"No!" Natsumi says, sharply - Too sharply, she realizes, because her expression softens a heartbeat later.

> [ ] "What happened?"

"Well..." she hesitates, clearly thinking her words over - And, in a surprisingly neutral tone of voice: "-Remember when you, ummmm, rescued Rook?"

You do.

"The, ah, they're calling it a 'sinkhole', you know that? The whole road just...It just *collapsed*, into the tunnels below, and..." Natsumi's voice trails off. "-B, but no-one was killed," she adds, hurriedly, to reassure you. "Some people got hurt, but...I'm sure they'll be all right."

She bites her lip, glancing at you sidelong.

"...I don't - I don't think they *really* needed their cars, anyway," she goes on, her expression rather pained. "Insurance covers that, right?"

(Continued)

>>26406018

Natsumi - Aware that this is probably a touchy topic - hurries to the matter at hand. "The thing is...There are a *lot* of Correctors spilling out, now. They're coming from all over - I think it's a hive, but...Just a *small* one."

She tries to smile. "See? It's nothing to worry about."

> [x] "Will you be all right?"

She nods. "...I'm used to it by now," she says - Her smile becoming more genuine, reassuring. "Don't worry, Anon-kun; I'll be all right."

"-I promise."

There's a quiet confidence to her eyes - Natsumi means it. She glances down at her watch, as she stands; Hesitating, at the door, apparently struck by a sudden thought.

"...Anon - I haven't told anyone else, yet. That you're here, I mean; I - I didn't want them to worry." Her breath catches; You're sure she's done plenty of worrying, on her part. But her expression is carefully composed, as she looks back at you; Though concern flickers across her face.

"-But if there's anything..."

[ ] "...I'll be fine, like this."
[ ] "-You did the right thing."
[ ] "I'll call Kazuya, later."
[ ] "I'll call Mio, after this."
[ ] "I'll call Asuna, later."
[ ] "Will you be back, later?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26406141
[X] "-You did the right thing."

"They already worry about me enough, no need to put anything on top of that.

Take care, don't die."

>>26406141
"...Thanks. It'll be hard enough explaining the bandages, much less the hospital stay. See you later? Assuming you're not admitted to the room next to me."

>>26406141

>shitload of correctors
>Nat says she'll be alright

Hello there death flag. Where have you been?

"Well, you've done the Corrector rodeo before. Go swat some bugs in my steed."

I sense another Cthulhu corrector on the horizon. We're the only ones, besides maybe Argent, who has the firepower to intervene if another big 'un comes through. I say we should be the spectator for this one for a change instead of being the center of attention. Follow the mob of Players that will most certainly be heading for the schism and sit back and watch the show.

>>26406141
[X] Free

"It's not a small hive. When I was pulling him out Rook told me the tunnels were connected, they went all the way down. Shit, I didn't even think of that when I decided to blast my way out."

>>26406141
"Thanks. Don't worry, I'm fine, I'll inform them myself... a bit later." Give a goodbye smile.
"See ya', Natsumi. Be sure to be careful and come back safe."

>>26406224
This is an important thing to say.

Remember to say this important thing.

>>26406216
We can follow them a bit later. Right now we need to investigate the hospotal.

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Uh-oh.

Thank you for remembering things that I can't.

>>26406199
>>26406208
>>26406216
>>26406224
We can't sit this out. WE need to be there, at least providing fire support. It the tunnels really reach all the way down we may need to Quantum Singularity the entire zone.

I wonder if the Tape recorder was part of the jamming or if it was some way of keeping the correctors pacified? Maybe it's the same thing? Thing needs to be examned anyway.

>>26406224
>>26406230

Natsumi's expression darkens - Her brow furrowing, as your words sink in.

"...*All* the way down..." she echoes, almost to herself - Her gaze going distant, as she considers this. She nods, at length; An abstracted note to her voice. "-I'll tell them, Anon-kun. If it's *that* deep..."

She shivers, then shakes her head.

"We'll be careful," Natsumi assures you; A wan little smile on her lips. "And...Thank you."

>>26406199
>>26406208
>>26406226

Some of the worry fades from her expression: She nods, but it's clear her focus is already a thousand miles away.

> "Well, you've done the Corrector rodeo before. Go swat some bugs in my steed."

"I wouldn't put it *that* way..." Natsumi says - But she nods, all the same, her hand already on the door. There's a faint electric *beep*, her fingers moving over the keypad; For a moment, she pauses, right at the entrance - "Get some rest, Anon-kun. And...I'll see you back at school."

It's a promise, as much as a statement; She shuts the door, quietly, and you hear her brisk footsteps, down and away.

And for a moment, all is still-

...Until with an audible click, the casette player changes tracks.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26406224
>"It's not a small hive. When I was pulling him out Rook told me the tunnels were connected, they went all the way down. Shit, I didn't even think of that when I decided to blast my way out."

uh oh. Holy shit.

Yeah. Tell her that

>>26406336
Play the casette player, see what's on it, we went through hell to get that thing.

>>26406336

2spooky4me

Check the tape. We can't dally too long, we haft to be a big damn hero and save everyone at the soon-to-be clusterfuck at the Hole.

Fuck this shit.
She just set of ALL THE DEATH FLAGS.
But fuck, we can't really help her. Our body would start to wander around, which would be a huge hassle.
There's also the coma ward.

>>26406441
Honestly, the only thing that has me concerned is what will happen to Kazuya if Natsumi dies.

>>26406360
>>26406380

You reach out - With your right hand, the other one's stiff with the IV drip, transparent tubing wound around flakboard held in place by bandages - to fumble the casette player into your lap. The slight motion makes red spots well up against your left palm, makes your ribs twinge.

> Check the tape.

You hit the EJECT button -

...Nothing. The tape deck's jammed shut - Or rather, welded shut. Whatever's inside is not coming out.

> Play the casette player.

It's already playing. Or rather, that's what you think - You can see the tape cycling, serenely, making no sound whatsoever. Who knows how long it's been doing that?

You press the PLAY/PAUSE button-

Nothing happens. The button depresses, and springs back into position; It's been tampered with. That's perversely frustrating, somehow - Why would anyone make something that *doesn't wor*-

Wait.

It feels oddly light in your hand, as you turn the cassette player over...

-There aren't any batteries inside. There's no batteries inside, and it's playing anyway.

What *is* this thing?

(Continued)

>>26406462
I guess we'll tell him everything. Because he deserves the truth.

>>26406473
Can we jump into the Red World without leaving our hospital bed, if we just stay on the spot?

>>26406490
And then we get yandere Kazuya, who's intent on destroying the Red World.
Best keep the Misericode close to us and far from him.

>>26406502

I'm actually curious about this situation as well. Our body goes on autopilot while our mind wonders the Red. Considering we're banged up, I wonder what the autopilot Anon would do. Would he stay put or go off on adventuring?

>>26406520
I don't know, but we shouldn't go out anyways.

Our condition in the Red World and our condition in the Real World are linked, we're feeling like shit, have broken bones, our hand has a hole in it.

We are not in fighting trim right now.

>>26406520
Last time our body did the Lemming and landed somewhere under water.
Then again, we got hit by a reality penetrating attack, with a needle that had one of these fucking crystals embedded.

>>26406541
It's not about fighting.
It's about the tape player and the coma ward.

>>26406502

(Yes, you can access the Red World at will. But you generally have very little control where your body ends up.)

>>26406473

Your watch is by your bedside. It's about 7:30 PM...Late, but not *too* late. The view through the windows, however, is already pitch-black. You're - Perversely - thirsty, despite the sheer amount of water you *must* have swallowed...Hungry, too. But aside from the soreness in your limbs, the pain in your left hand, the slight hitch to your breathing from your bruised ribs...

Well, you've been better. But you're in decent shape.

The question is - What do you do?

[ ] Sleep.
[ ] Watch television.
[ ] Call someone.
[ ] Head to the Cafe downstairs.
[ ] Explore.
[ ] Access the Red World.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26406572
[X] Head to the Cafe downstairs.

Food is important. Very important.

>>26406572

We need a new perspective as our Thief friend would say. Access the Red World and check the cassette player. The painting could only be interpreted in the other world, maybe the sound emanating from the player can only be heard in the Red?

>>26406473
We could try calling Bishamon? If he brought Tyrian (with that relic we got him) They might be able to tell us something?

>>26406572
We need to order a set of time-release handcuffs, so we can chain ourselves to a bed for an hour while we're in the Red World.

Rolled 36

>>26406572
cafe downstairs, and do what
>>26406607
said with the cassette player. see if it comes with us. we dont want to have to protect it if someone challenges us

>>26406572
Explore. Coma ward time!

Besides, we wouldn't want to run into Megumi. We'd have to make a decision about what to do about her now that we know she is/was allied with Pazuzu.

>>26406607
Or we could, you know, plug in headphones.

>>26406612
Bishamon and company are out by their own request. We shouldn't ask them to come back in.

>>26406607
I think it has something to do with keeping the correctors back. Kraken can't be everywhere and even if they weren't aggressive just having them wandering around near the surface could cause problems the Smilers probably wouldn't want to deal with.

>>26406637
We aren't asking them to go on another raid with us, we just need Tyrian to do his "science" thing. Should be harmless unless this thing is actually attracting correctors and they are in fact slowly gathering beneath the hospital right now.

(Gentlemen: I'll give it about five more minutes for a consensus, before taking the majority.)

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>>26406637

The thing has no batteries and is playing some swan song to appease mecha cthulhu and you want to plug in earbuds?

Let's plug the cassette player into our armor instead.

>>26406572
do the cafe downstairs, try the red world for the cassette. if wata's headphones dont do anything. i always thought we just kept on doing what we were doing subconsciously whilst our mind is in the red world, if we arnt in weird-timestop mode

>>26406656
But that sets a precedent where if we have a problem we go to them. The requests start small, but escalate as the problems do, they know that. If they volunteer that's one thing, but unless they approach us again, we don't go bringing them back in.

>>26406686
If the armor has an audio jack I'm all for it. Holy shit that gif I can't stop watching,

>>26406668
Majority of three wants to hit the cafe, with another three wanting to check out the casette player in the Red World before going to the cafe.

I vote for cassette.
Time for boombox armor.

>>26406668
>If the armor has an audio jack I'm all for it. Holy shit that gif I can't stop watching,

was it ever clear whether we rescued rook or killed him?

>>26406744

Being part of the group that had a beatboxing warforged with built in speakers was my groups' crowning achievement in roleplaying. God I loved that character to death.

>>26406698
>>26406581
>>26406634

The Cafe it is. Sure, the paper bills you were carrying have all disintegrated in the water, but one of your many cards *must* be able to purchase something.

The IV stand rattles, as you stand - A little unsteady, sore and stiff, but upright. The world sways before you, at the exertion, and you grip the metal railing to steady yourself.

So far, so good. The next step is disconnecting the shunt; You reach out and break the connection, the tubing drooling clear saline on the sheets for a moment, before the flow cuts off. At least you won't have to drag the thing along with you: It makes you feel like an invalid.

Your legs protest, as they take your weight: You're in a hospital gown - No pockets - but you fumble your coat on with fingers that feel like lead. The slightest motion jars the needle in your arm - You settle for just *draping* it over your shoulders.

It's still pretty damp.

Outside - No-one gives you a second glance. The duty nurse must be looking the other way, or you're simply low-priority, because it's not far to the elevator; You're walking normally, but you have to stop and catch your breath after a few steps.

The cassette player is in your pocket.

(Continued)

>>26406755

Rook is alive. Can't you read, Jim?

>>26406755

Natsumi said that he was all right.

>>26406637
>Explore. Coma ward time!

I think we should do what we've been meaning to do for entire threads now, and follow the hecate leads at the hospital. Trust the sphere to open doors and find the way.

>>26406797
Yeah, we are getting sidetracked.

>>26406808

We'll probably meet Megu or whats-his-name... Kou I think? They always seem to pop up in the hospital.

>>26406823
I totally forgot those two.

>>26406797
>Explore. Coma ward time!
>>26406808

At the elevator, you hesitate.

There's a door at the far end of the corridor - You limp over to it, try the handle...No joy, it's code-locked. You run your pass (Clipped to the front of your gown) through it, and get a flicker of red light, a quiet *beep* of disagreement.

It seems like they've beefed up the security since the last time...Or perhaps you just don't have the right access. If you recall correctly - The front desk handles registration and access...You remember that from your previous visit.

The elevator, fortunately, *does* take your pass. The lift groans as it begins to trundle downwards, and...

-And the Red World sweeps over you, like waves closing over your head.

Everything changes.

STAGE: NO DATA

STAGE:

LOADING....

(Continued)

>>26406879
This sounds evil.

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>>26406879

You're descending from a great height, the square tile underfoot humming with a serene blue light. Around you is blackness - Deep, impenetratable, dark tinged with red. But even so - It's a relief to have the niggling aches and pains dulled for the moment, the fingers of your left hand curling into a fist, relaxing, opening again.

You stand up a little straighter; No longer hunched over, ever-so-slightly, from the pain in your ribs - Even the scratchy soreness in your throat momentarily extinguished, filtered away in the cool green glow of your mono-optic vision.

STAGE: BIOSPH-

As the realm beneath you rises into view, it takes your breath away.

It's a sphere - A glassy dome that burns with pellucid flame. And it's in colours - *Colours* - you've never seen before, even through your sensors; A colour untouched by red. It's surging towards you...But no, that's just a trick of the light. Rather, you're falling towards it.

Your form meets the curvature of the field, for a moment - You hear a low *hum* that pulses through your bones - as your sensors crowd out with flickering static and bizarre symbols...

STAGE: TIR NA NÓG

...It's green. Green, and brown and russet - The colours of autumn, a cool wind gusting over your armour, as one instant melds seamlessly into another.

You're standing - You don't believe this. - You're standing on soft grass, in an autumn forest; The trees blazing with orange and brown and green, their leaves rustling in time to the breeze - Before you, a path winds its way forward, towards a clearing, the thrill of birdso...

...Wait. No, *that* was just your imagination. No birdsong; In fact, the only thing that spoils the illusion - That takes you out of the breathtaking forest, aside from your crimson armour, sleek and lethal and utterly out of place...

You don't see, or hear, a single animal or a single moving thing*, not on the ground or in the clear, cloudless blue sky.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26407015
well, look around. look up, definately. where did we come from?

>>26407015
Take a look around.

Poke and scratch the ground some, see if it's an actual field or just some dirt layered thinly on top of mechanical creepiness.

Start heading along the path, try whistling.

>>26407016

You're looking for players. That's a gamefinder thread. Totally not against the rules. Shitting up other threads is frowned upon the same as Naruto threads on /a/ and Twilight on /lit/.

>>26407015

Check the cassette player. Look around. Check the Nihl. EVERYTHING. See if gravity is up. Scrander around. EVERYTHING. We might have found a place to upgrade our Joker Cave with resources.

>>26407015
>Walk onto the path.

>>26407015
>STAGE: TIR NA NÓG
Well, damn. We just entered a paradise for lost souls.
Look around, take a walk.

>>26407015
Wait, aren't our relics in the hospital room?
Anyway, look around.

>>26407015
Oh great, we're literally off the map.

First check the casette player, if it came along. Then pull out the Sphere and do a quick 360 sweep with the Argus System. If we get nothing then we follow the yellow dirt road.

>>26407081

If we don't come across a talking scarecrow I'll be pissed.

>>26407078
Sounds like a place for Hecate.

>>26407081

>yellow dirt road

Click our red heels together three times and utter Theres no place like home?

>>26407079

(My apologies: I assumed that you retrieved them when you donned your coat. I'll strive to be clearer next time.)

>>26407031

You look up - All you see is sky. Just the infinite blue sky, with nary a hint of cloud. You can't see the sun, either, but you can tell it's a warm day...A *perfect* day, in fact, the light coming from...

-Somewhere.

Somewhere, but definently above.

>>26407070
>>26407081

The Helix Gauntlet irises open: The Nihl Sphere casting it's fitful violet light, ebbing and strengthening like the slow, sluggish beat of a heart. You're not sure what that means, to be honest.

When you reach for the cassette player...

-It's not on you. It didn't make the transition. Strange.

>>26407060

The ground, underfoot; The grass is soft beneath your metal boots. You can feel individual stalks bending beneath your tread, but as you dig your heels in...Hmmm. As you scrape your feet against the ground, it resolutely refuses to give; The sensation hard, unyielding, as solid as obsidian or metal tile.

The Scrander flares at your back, the turbines spinning up...

Static crackles, as you take flight; Lofting up, up, and into the air - It seems to take more effort, somehow; You're rising, but more slowly than before, towards robin's-blue skies...

The forest seems to stretch out infinitely - Or at least, all the way to the horizon - unbroken clusters of trees, in an eternal autumn, as far as the eye can see. Or rather, as far as you can see, *except* for the clearing up ahead. As your Scrander protests, you make out what looks like a miniature garden: The dirt road giving way to a marble path, the natural-but-unruly look of your surroundings giving way to something perfectly manicured - Complete with a tiny lake, a distant pavilion, and...

-And did the trees just *move*?

(Continued)

>>26407158
land again, in the clearing. "hello?"

>>26407158
>pavilion
Make sure not to attack the Gazebo.

Anyway, let's follow the path to the garden.

7 am. Bed. Don't get us murderglomped by some crazy crone wearing a pointed hat and has flying monkeys as familiars.

Oh shit, Kraken is the Wicked Witch of the West.

>>26407158
go towards the gazebo

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>>26407158

They're moving...No, they're *fading*. At the far end of the clearing, you can hear the low rustle as the impassable barrier of autumn trees blurs before your eyes, like an optical illusion; Receding, to reveal an flat plain of tall grass, identical to the place you've just left behind...

-There's a figure at the pavilion, staring over the edge. You make out glossy brown hair, almost black that falls to the small of her back, the intricate bow of a kimono - trimmed in white lace -

...But most of all, you make out the little start of surprise, as she turns; A hand to her mouth, her eyes going wide at your appearance. Your Scrander whines, from the effort of keeping you aloft - The path blurring beneath you as you control your descent, mantled in blue fire as you touch down, at the very entrance to the clearing.

The soft swish of long sleeves, and the *tack* of heeled clogs - She's coming towards you.

"Joker...kun?" There's something vaguely familiar about her voice - About those big brown eyes - and memory clicks. You recall - Club Naraka. A glimpse of the same girl, between the seething bolts of Helix Gygas's lightnings...

Then, again:

"Aaah, it's *really* the Red Joker~!" She sounds thrilled, a smile spreading across those classical features - Spots of colour blooming in her cheeks, as she bows, low and deep - Her hands folded demurely before her.

"This is - I can't believe that Joker-kun is *right in front of me*." Only then does her brow furrow ever-so-slightly, as if at a sudden, unpleasant thought: "...You *are* the Red Joker, right? I'm not...imagining you, am I?"

She hesitates, doubt flickering in her eyes:

"Because...Because that would be the *worst*."

[ ] "Who are you?"
[ ] "Where am I?"
[ ] "What's this place?"
[ ] "Do I know you?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26407249
[ ] "What's this place?"
Time for exposition on Hecate's origin.

>>26407249
Do i know you? i have the niggling feeling i have seen you somewhere before. (we are in the armour, not our body, right?) why am i here?
<Her response>
Why are you in a human body? i have been curious about this for a long time

What is this place? I've never been to somewhere that hasnt been 99% red rust, steel and crumbling buildings

>>26407249
"Do I...know you? What is this place?"

>>26407249

"You can't tell? Sheesh. My reputation must be slipping if even the ladies can't recognize my roguish red exterior. Yes, dear, I am the one and only Red Joker. Now.. if my fan would tell me her name...?"

>>26407249
[ ] "Will you try to murder me? I need to clear that up before we do anything else."

>>26407249
"Yes I'm the Red Joker, the real one. It's always nice to get a warm welcome, people always try to kill me, it's quite annoying.

And you seem to have me at a disadvantage, you know me but I have not a single clue as to who you are.

What is this place? Most places in the Red World are nowhere near as calm, serene, and nice as this place."

>>26407249
"Odd. If you were a Player your IFF would automatically confirm my identity. Looks like the Tin Man was right, again. If you're not a Player, then how do you know me?"

>>26407270
>>26407272

> "Do I...know you? What is this place?"

"Oh..." She's reaching - Rather tentatively - for the Sinistral (She seems fascinated by the fizzing field) before your words make her pull back. "You *are* real," she breathes, with something like awe - "...I didn't *make* you and forget about it..."

Her head cants to the side. "-Unless," she muses aloud - "Unless I *wanted* you to say that, to surprise myself..."

> [X] "What's this place?"

"...This place?" Momentarily wrong-footed by the question, she glances over her shoulder; Taking in the clearing, and all within it - As if seeing it for the first time.

"It's - It's mine. My Domain-"

Her voice catches. "-I'm sorry," she says, her smile faintly embarassed. "I'm just...I'm just really surprised, that's all. Please don't think that I'm, I'm..."

Her flush deepens, but she never finishes her sentence.

>>26407289

A soft laugh parts Cybele's lips, as she smoothens down the brief hem of her kimono - It's more like a skirt, really, leaving her long legs bare. There's an easy grace to her movements, but an odd reserve to it, too - You get the feeling she's not used to visitors.

"It's Sa-" she begins, and catches herself - "...I keep forgetting. It's 'Cybele'."

As if to reassure you:

"...I really *am* your fan, though. I..." she presses pale hands to the front of her kimono, that soft smile on her lips. "-I've been hoping to meet you for a long time." The gesture makes the slim bracelet on her wrist - Interlocking segments, each one of a different colour - chime, softly, the violet gems gleaming.

> "What is this place? Most places in the Red World are nowhere near as calm, serene, and nice as this place."

"You like it~?" she spreads her arms, her voice lilting now, relaxing in your presence; "-It's beautiful, isn't it? It took me ye-"

That pause again. More softly; "...Well, a long time - to make it like this."

(Continued)

>>26407290

"*Murder* you?" Cybele looks momentary appalled - Canting her head to the side, as if not quite comprehending; Then she giggles, the sound low, amused. "-Of course not. You're my guest, after all."

>>26407363

The faintest hesitation:

"We've...I mean, everyone has, but especially me - We've been watching you. When you fight, that is..." Her pale cheeks flush again, at her confession. "Oh, the others all have their favorites, but...I *especially* liked watching you."

"When you were with that Moratorium - I was *so excited* when you tried to kill Pazuzu. You...Really went all-out, you know?"

A thought seems to occur to her, and she bites her lip...Her gaze going down, to the russet leaves carpeting the ground.

"-I, I've been wanting to ask..." Even her ears are turning red, now.

"Joker-kun...You - You *are* a man, right?" Cybele hastens to correct herself - "...I mean, it's okay if you're...a girl...But, I was really *hoping* you were a *boy*...I - won't be disappointed, I just...I just want to know."

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

While he was flying in the air, I wonder if Anon had that feeling as if he's looking at the most beautiful painting of a forest area he's ever seen in his life?

It's a beautiful painting of a forest. But it's just a painting nonetheless.

(Unless Cybele can manage to replicate animal sounds...)

>>26407391

Wow. Just wow.

Guys, I can't be completely sure. But I think she might be crazy.

>>26407476
She's either crazy or a fountain of spaghetti.

>>26407476


Autocorrect wanted to make Yandere "teammate"... think it's onto something here..

>>26407460
> I was *so excited* when you tried to kill Pazuzu
"Why do almost all of the unarmored players love to see us murder each other?"

but /what/ is this place? and how do you know the red joker?
<her response>
show me this wondrous television you watch me on!

>>26407460
i dont suppose anyone wants to touch her with the nihl sphere?

>>26407460
"Yes I'm male Cybele, though I suppose if a girl wore this armor it might look the same.

How did you watch me? I think I would remember seeing someone like you standing to the side at one of my numerous fights? Do you always watch me risk my life? Because if so I apologize for the times I've forgotten to draw the symbol.

You know, an associate of mine thinks you should be impossible, yet obviously you seem to be doing just fine."

>>26407476
I'm thinking just lonely, shy, and somewhat infatuated with us.

>>26407513
Not right yet, I can see that going very wrong. However after a bit of chatting we should broach the subject of the purple stuff, and if she knows the name Hecate, and maybe ask her about the thing, but poking her with it seems unwise.

>>26407460
"I'm the Red Joker. Were you the one Hecate came to visit before Pazuzu's attack on Nara Dreamland?"

>>26407513
Only after we draw aggro. And let's be honest, if this goes hot we're at a much bigger disadvantage than we were with Alura. Cybele is a goddess of nature, and we're in an area covered in it and under her complete control.

>>26407518
>I'm thinking just lonely, shy, and somewhat infatuated with us.
oh for fuck's sake, I'm out.

>>26407530
>why cant i hold all this harem?

>>26407530
>oh for fuck's sake, I'm out.
Please don't go.
Only a few here are retarded.

Actually, Joker Quest shines quite a bit of light on the male psyche.

>>26407530
>oh for fuck's sake, I'm out.
Eh, she's acting like a hermit with a love of Tom Cruise movies has had the man himself walk into their house.

How long until she tries to break our legs to make us stay forever?

>>26407580
>when we first turn our back

>>26407460
"And here I thought my identity was common knowledge. I guess constantly running into smiler kill teams really is just a coincidence due to associating with certain people.

>>26407530
I'm not saying to go after her, really, don't try to seduce another girl. But she's been here for a fair while apparently making trees and the rest of the place, has been hoping to meet us for a long time, she idolizes us and watches us and our fights, her face is red as can be. It's a reasonably accurate assessment.

She may still be a bit crazy, but I not going to automatically assume that the ground is going to try and eat us at her command because this is a ruse and she actually wants to kill us.

>>26407530

"'Hecate'?" Cybele frowns, tasting the word - She seems to consider this, then shakes her head. "Oh~!" Her expression lights up; Almost proudly, like a girl who's remembered an especially obscure piece of trivia. "...That's the one who died, wasn't it?"

Her expression immediately becomes contrite. "-Ah, sorry, Joker-kun...It's just that there's so much happening - It's hard to remember. They come and go so fast..."

Cybele's words trail off, and she shakes her head.

"-But, no. I've never spoken with a Moratorium before...They're so boring, you know? They don't even put up a fight - They just...They just *run away*, all the time."

Then, more thoughtfully-

"...Are there even any *left*?"

>>26407518
>>26407290

"How did I..." Her brown tresses sway, as Cybele draws a slow breath. "...I think it'd be quicker to show you." Her eyes half-close, for a moment - One hand out, her fingers curled upwards.

"SYSTEM CALL: CYBELE."

The sky fractures. Or rather, it *segments*. The infinite blue flickers, and peels away - Hexagons flickering to life one after another, a blur of motion and colour and sound and static. It's like the view through an insect's compound eyes; With a start, you realize that those etched panels *are* the world.

Cybele's world.

And oh, the things you see. On every screen, Players fight and die.

It's a loop of fast-edit images, in real time; The screens winking into existence as quickly as they fade out, over and over and over until the assaulting repetition is one numbing adrenal rush, casting flickering shadows on the ground.

Each one is individually labelled - Numbers and tags from a thousand different feeds...Gauges, graphs, analyzing every battle, ever duel - It makes no sense to you, but the numbers are going up, up. There's no rhythm, no reason, to what you're seeing...But after the initial surprise dies away, it begins to make sense.

The screens only show Players killing each other.

(Continued)

>>26407683
Okay, we should probably ask what exactly a Moratorium is and what makes her different than one.

>>26407683
so she is some form of system overwatch. an AI? Though we did influence reality that one time. we dont know enough about the red world to know what she is

>>26407683
>Moratorium
"What is a Moratorium?"

>>26407683

There - Bishamon's sword sweeps across in a blurring arc, as he fends off Grand Lancer's spear; Gone so quickly you may almost have imagined it. A slate-grey figure draped in what looks like barbed wire (ID: DERLUG) pounds a mantled fist into the cracked torso of (ID: ONYX RAY), until a seething line of red sears into him - Through him...

>>26407604

"...It's strange, isn't it?" Cybele's voice is distant, her attention lingering on the screens, rapt - But then she lowers her hand, and the blue sky returns.

Slowly.

"-Normally, when a Player's processing Essence...It's really hard to find them. Despite that - You're fighting almost *all* the time..." She shakes her head, but smiles. "...But, that makes you *really* special, Joker-kun."

Then, shyly: "That's why...That's why you're my number one."

>>26407509

"-Well." Her brown eyes become thoughtful. "I thought..." She pauses, clearly searching for the words. "I thought...That's what you *do*, isn't it?" Cybele waves, vaguely, as if trying to illustrate her point.

"...You eat each other to become strong...Right?"

She looks at you, with an expectant air - As if waiting for you to agree with her.

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26407754
>>26407705

(My apologies: I'll cover that in the next post.)

>>26407763
>"...You eat each other to become strong...Right?"
"I only do so to survive. I don't decide to fight, but killing and becoming stronger means that less people want to antagonize me.

Then again, there's at least one player that I do want to kill.

Oh and, do you know what the Correctors are?"

>>26407763
if all i did was that, id be little more than an apex predator-killing for survival with no other room for life. this world may take my life, but i will enjoy it until it does so

>>26407763
"Well there's a bit more too it.

Some only hunt Correctors, some maintain some codes of honor or organization, some fight for good causes, some fight for bad causes, but overall that's an pretty accurate assessment.

Though in my case while I do eat the other players and get stronger from it, with the exceptions of the ones I have a vendetta against, it's the other Player who starts it, they attack me, I kill them, I get stronger, more people come after me.

I'm glad that someone notices all the times I draw out my symbol, I was worried no one would appreciate it.

>>26407763
"Maybe. Some do it for power, some for answers, some for the luck that Essence gives and...some just for the sake of survival."
"Huh, I guess, in my case its all of those and them some... though, most of the time I try to refrain from looking for enemies. Having dead bodies falling from the sky is a genuine pain in the ass."

> "What is a Moratorium?"

"It's..." Again that faint hesitation. Cybele speaks more slowly, now - As if explaining matters to a child; Her expression speaking volumes. "-I thought you knew. A Moratorium is...It's a Player who isn't attuned to any armour. Or, rather - A Player that isn't *supposed* to be one..."

It's clear that she's rather dismissive of the whole concept. "...I think there were a few, at first - But they didn't last very long. They couldn't really do anything, you know?" Her slim shoulders lift in a casual shrug. "...They're all gone now, anyway. I thought it'd happen faster..."

>>26407784
>>26407793
>>26407829

"Haaaaaaa~" she sighs, softly - Sounding disappointed, somehow. "Joker-kun...You're different from what I was expecting." Her displeasure doesn't linger long; It's like a cloud passing before the sun, gone as quickly as it comes.

"Still-" And her gaze is contemplative, now, weighing you. "...You're the one I was hoping to meet. Alura was so proud of the one *she* was waiting for..." The thought seems to bring her some secret amusement, and she giggles, softly.

> "Oh and, do you know what the Correctors are?"

"'Correctors'?" She doesn't sound familiar with the word...But then her face lights up. "...Ah, those filthy things - They're not very interesting. I don't see why anyone would waste time with them..."

Cybele's voice trails off, and she blinks.

"Joker-kun, I'm sorry - I'm...Not making sense, am I~?" There's an apologetic note to her voice, as her slim fingers close around your gauntlet - Holding your armoured hand in both of hers.

"I wanted - I wanted to ask..." Another slow, thready breath, as Cybele visibly steels herself.

(Continued)

>>26407917

"W, will you fight *for* me?"

Her words linger in the still air of the eternal autumn, as Cybele sneaks a glance up at you, her voice shy.

"I...know we've only just met, but - I hope...I hope you don't think I'm strange, or too forward. Because - I've always been watching you from a distance, and, and..."

A pause.

"-Joker-kun, I think you're the *one*."

[ ] "Fight for you?"
[ ] "The 'one'? The one what?"
[ ] "This *is* pretty sudden."
[ ] "-What are you talking about?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>26407923
[ ] "Fight for you?"
[ ] "The 'one'? The one what?"
who the hell is alura? do we know her yet? we need a codex of anon's women

>>26407935

Alura was the one we killed last episode, I think.

>>26407941
ah. i missed it, i'll go read it. ignore me

>>26407923

What IS it with these girls? I'm kind of creeped out, to be honest.

> [X] "The 'one'? The one what?"

>>26407917
>I don't see why anyone would waste time with them...
They give nice amounts of essence. Useful if you want to become stronger without murdering anyone.

>>26407923
What exactly does that entail? Am I supposed to defeat someone? Or should I just protect you?

>>26407923
"Who was Alura waiting for anyways, Kraken?

Cybele, I'm not saying no, but I'm going to need a lot more answers about everything before I can agree to that. I'd be putting my life at risk, and I don't really want to risk my life without even knowing what I'm fighting for.

Fight for you against what? Against who? Why me? Why are you fighting? What's the goal? Am I your champion in a fight?

How did you make this place?

If you aren't a Moratorium what are you? And what are the violet gems you wear?"

How about making a deal with her, depending on how the fighting thing turns out?
We help her if she supports us in finding Hecate.

I also wonder if she's even aware that another world exists.

>>26407935
>>26407981

> Fight for you against what? Against who? Why me? Why are you fighting? What's the goal? Am I your champion in a fight?

"Mmmm~!" Cybele makes a sound of affirmation - But then she pouts, drawing back a step; Her hands resting on her hips, lips curved in a little frown.

"...You *really* are a boy, after all ~ Asking all kinds of inconvenient questions."

> Cybele, I'm not saying no, but I'm going to need a lot more answers about everything before I can agree to that. I'd be putting my life at risk, and I don't really want to risk my life without even knowing what I'm fighting for.

"Haaaaa, you're slow~" she murmurs, almost to herself - "...But, maybe being honest suits Joker-kun better."

She turns a slow circle - Pacing along the edge of the artificial lake, glancing back at you...It's a long, slow look, contemplative and ever-so-faintly mischievous.

> [X] "The 'one'? The one what?"

She steps into the lake, her arms spread - Holding herself with a dancer's poise. The water ripples lightly...Perfect circles spreading from where her feet kisses the surface.

"-The only one who matters, silly," Cybele says - Her voice sweet, lilting, the long sleeves of her kimono spreading like a butterfly's wings.

"You're the one..." And her smile is guileless and infinitely innocent and trusting, her head canting back to meet your eyes.

"-who'll make me Chalice Queen."

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 54

TO BE CONTINUED

>>26408069

(Gentlemen - Apologies for stopping at this juncture, but it's extremely late for me, and I'm entirely exhausted.

I'd love to continue, but I might not be able to do the rest of the chapter justice: If all goes well, I'll be able to run the next episode soon enough.

As always - You've been a wonderful audience. Thank you for accompanying me.

Good night and God bless, and I hope to see you soon.)

>>26408069

Ohhhhhh, SHIT. She's a Chalice-type player? I fucking knew they were going to turn up at some point, god damn it.

Just...god damn it.

>>26408077
we all love you more than you will ever know

>>26408087
Actually, I thought about that multiple times during this thread.

Seems like Hecate can become the Chalice Queen, after all.

>>26408087

It makes perfect sense. Women are universally manipulative and untrustworthy. Obviously, the entirely female 'caste' of Players need to coerce someone into fighting for them.

>>26408117
But what about Natsumi?

>>26408123
Her body is male.

>>26408117
Bell Zephyr is a counter example.

As are some others that we've seen in crowds but never seen names of if I remember correctly.

>>26408123

Natsumi isn't of the same class. I'm talking about the class consisting entirely of gorgeous women. There are female PLAYERS, and then there are girls like Cybele and Alara.

>>26408112

There's something frighteningly shallow about cybele, to tell the truth. The way she's acting is startlingly airheaded and callous at once.

>>26408193

She's pretty obviously crazy, and might quite possibly be evil. But you fucks will waifu any woman, any time.

>>26408313

Well, she's cute, and she's into us. Not to mention that she's not immediately hostile, so that's a plus, too.

>>26408442
RJ's standards have really fallen after that eternity in the red.

>>26408469

To be fair, it's really only a choice between Mio and Hecate, and most people are leaning towards heacte. But there's no harm in flirting with the cute bitches we meet.

>>26407158
>-It's not on you. It didn't make the transition. Strange.

I think i figured out how to use the cassette player.
Its a recording device. Seperate, hidden.
We must enter the red world, but aim at IT instead of the red world in general.
New stage. A prison, or secret area, perhaps?

>>26408069
Reply to her.

"... Maybe. I could probably due that, but I'm also looking for a friend of mine. Tell me, can those screens of yours show fights that have ALREADY happened? I think that my #1 fan would want to save my best moments"

Ask this next thread, and if so we can see what happened after hecate was kidnapped when we weren't paying attention/fighting for our lives.

>>26408469

What 'standards'? By any method of measurement, Cybele is gorgeous. Like, she's incredibly hot. It's just that her personality is strange as hell, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker.

>>26408069

Lots of revelations in this chapter. I wonder how we accessed this special zone, in the first place? In fact...Where ARE we, at present? Wasn't the hospital this horrible black tower the last time?

>>26407550
I'm aware. Actually just had work.

>>26409042
Last time was worse, we fought Shark Man.

>>26409178

At this point, we've met pretty much every kind of player, haven't we? With the Chalice Queen girls turning up at last, we have a full house. I have to say, I'm wondering why there aren't more wizard-type Players. Is Pazuzu the only one?

>>26408655
Am I even supposed to explain how fucking much is wrong with your line of thinking?
No wonder most Quests are retarded harems.

>>26409233

Sounds like it. If you think of it this way, it makes logical sense that there are very few of his class, if he's Wands, and a lot of Coins and Swords running around.

Swords all have their namesake weapon, and Coins seem to be Accel World-style players. Pazuzu relies almost entirely on his magic for attack AND defense, which makes him extremely vulnerable. He's basically a squishy spellcaster class.

I'm not including Chalice, because we've only seen one chalice-type player. (Or two.)

>>26409358

You would think that the players with guns would rule the roost. Just, guns.

>>26409392

Not necessarily. We have really good guns, but guns seem to be very, very rare. Most people use rather more esoteric weapons.

>>26408655,
Do you know what Cybele is most famous for today? CASTRATING HER LOVER. Not touching this one with a ten foot pole.

>>26409338
Thank you for saying what I wasn't here to say.

>>26409615
I would say the esoteric weapon users are the wizards, but some are cybershamans instead of arcane spellcasters. Helix sure was squishy.

Two things just occurred to me. First, Cybele mentioned that other players need time to "digest" essence, with the suggestion that while this is happening they're not available for challenges. I don't know exactly how that's significant, but it's something to keep in mind.

Second, I was doing some reading and found a reference to the demon Baphomet leading the Black Mass. I have to wonder if Red Joker iced the original Black Cardinal in the very first thread.

>>26410743
She also seems to be constrained to her world.
She implied that she had worked for years to get the area designed and that we are fighting all the time - Meaning that she is there to see every fight.
But then I wonder how we could see her outside.

She said that Hecate died, but that doesn't have to mean anything. Especially considering that she knows our attachment to her.
But it's interesting that Hecate seem to have been the last Moratorium.
>"...They're all gone now, anyway. I thought it'd happen faster..."

I don't get why people are so interested in flirting with Cybele. It seems like she's only interested in our fighting ability, which is one of the shallowest reasons to like us.

>>26410920
>I don't get why people are so interested in flirting with Cybele.
It's the MSQ crowd. It's the same guys that go off like a nuke whenever a relationship with anything below the age of 25 is mentioned and made us romance Mio.

>>26410901
I wonder. She used a system call with her name as an identifier. Meaning she tapped right in to the Red World's OS. She could probably access the program anywhere, but she does seem to have spent enough time in a place where reality warps according to her wishes to completely lose her grip on reality.

She's capable of manipulating the Red World on a level that other Players just can't. I'm extraordinarily uninterested in making her one of the finalists given her instability and interests. Unfortunately, if she IS one of Alura's sisters, blowing her head off won't kill her.

>>26411180
Now I want to know if Meter works like in Accel World.
If it does, we can kick the shit out of trees to ramp it up.
And then we unleash full fuckforce on the girl. Too bad for the EXP.

And she's definitely not a girl, as she's not a Moratorium. She will be something alien.

By the way, upvotes might be a smart idea.
Also, mister jerkoff archiver archived a five posts thread about Joker Quest planning. I say we raid it with upvotes just to spite the asshole.

I upvote Live with your shame posts out of principle.

>>26410947
>and made us romance Mio.
Hecate is dead, dude. Best to move on.

Also, I say we just leave this Cybele bitch, I get an overwhelming sense of "do not want" from her. She's way too overt for this to be anything other than some kind of power play beyond the excruciatingly obvious (Chalice Queen, go!).

>>26413397
>Hecate is dead, dude. Best to move on.
Do you even understand what it feels like to lose someone?
Our character is far from early enough to move on. The only thing he can do is numb his feeling and become an asshole.
Moving on will take a while. We barely even tried to clear up Hecate's death and we definitely didn't try to murder Pazuzu yet despite of his responsibility for her death.
The time to move on is when all the one responsible are dead and shaped into nice upgrades for our armor.

>>26413502
>Do you even understand what it feels like to lose someone?
Yes.
>Our character is far from early enough to move on. The only thing he can do is numb his feeling and become an asshole.
Hardly. Shutting down and retreating into your own shell isn't the only way to respond to a situation like this.

>>26413684
>Hardly. Shutting down and retreating into your own shell isn't the only way to respond to a situation like this.
Yes, murdering the murders is a good start.
But going for Mio was basically about numbing not caring anymore. About following anything that might be even remotely similar to Hecate.
Mio is basically a replacement.

>>26413397
>Hecate is dead, dude. Best to move on.

Except we had the answer to that from the Red World itself

>>26414499
Yeah, the black stuff told us that she still lives.

Who do you believe, the insane seductress or the world itself?

>>26414529
The seductress that, most likely, stops watching when people stop dying.

>>26414568
She explicitly stated that she doesn't give a fuck about non-players, even if they are involved in combat.

>>26414626
Yeah, so why the hell are we taking her at her word about Hecate?

She probably doesn't know anything that we don't. She simply doesn't care enough to follow up.

>>26414499
What, the vague-ass yes no maybe so?

>>26414664
Let's not forget--she wants to be the Chalice Queen. Hecate was apparently the Chalice Queen, or at least Akira's choice of such. Cybele has reason to want the Red Joker not dealing with anyone else.

>>26414733
Wait a moment.
The hospital is our hint for Hecate.
This girl wants to be the Chalice Queen. Hecate was a competitor.
WE ARE IN THE HOSPITAL.

>>26414775
No shit.

>>26414733

We need to put up the Akira Symbol somewhere and tell him we've discovered a contender for the Queen title. See if he can dig up any info on her or if he knows anything. We sure as hell lack in investigating for the most part.