(Apologies for the late start, folks - Something unexpected came up.)

The sun hangs high and bright in the sky, the wind whistling mournfully through the windows. A familiar, oft-repeated image; The steady drone of the teacher's voice, the dry *scrape* of desks and discreet coughs forming a background mutter...

Just another day in class.

It's been a week since 'that incident'. At first, it was impossible *not* to hear about the freak accident - The death of Okami Kurosu made the headlines, then a TV spot, then a smaller column in the local news...But three days after, whatever remained of Kerebos Guard disbanded in quiet ignomy, to vanish as quickly as they'd come.

And life, as they say, goes on.

The day's been a long one. Fighting back a yawn, you slouch at your desk, resisting the urge to doze off - This peaceful everyday scene hasn't changed, for as long as you can recall.

But *then* you feel the cold caress of ice - The eerie, phantom sensation enough to make you straighten in your seat, bringing you back to full wakefulness. Somewhere *close*, in the red otherworld, a battle is raging...And you're close enough to spectate.

You...

[ ] Ignore it. It's better to keep a low profile.
[ ] Spectate. It's the first time you've felt something *this* close, after all.
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

Previous Thread:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/19296758/

>>19333550
[X] Spectate. It's the first time you've felt something *this* close, after all.

This might get us more information on who we're going to have to fight later, and knowledge is power. Knowing what tricks they have up their sleeves is really damn useful.

>>19333553

Since the library girl isn't around, go with this for a start.

> [X] Spectate. It's the first time you've felt something *this* close, after all.

(Bah, sorry - Connection problems.)

INITIALIZING...

STAGE: DIS

TIME/DATE: REDACTED

The subliminal mutter of the class fades out, as the world *shifts* around you - It's as if a pall has been drawn over your vision, the shadows growing hard-edged and deep...As one reality is superimposed over another, your classmates turning to half-glimpsed silhouettes of grey smoke, the classroom vanishing entirely...

In the other world, the school doesn't exist.

You're standing on a dense, complex structure of pipes and towers, vents and arches, blocks and pylons, your crimson armor gleaming in the hard-edged light. With a start, you realize, distantly, that this is the first time you're actually *here*, as the Red Joker: Before, you were always fighting. Now, you're on the outside, looking in.

And you're not alone.

There are *others* clustered around the free-floating screens, around the shimmering squares of holographic light that hover without support, as you materalize. Faceless masks, baroque helmets, glowing faceplates all turn toward you, just for a moment, as the armored figures stand in little knots - Enough for you to catch muted snatches of conversation.

"...really *him*..."

"...didn't think he'd make it this far..."

"...that he's a rare-type?"

But then, on the screen before you:

COBALT BLUE

V

DEATH CALIBRE

(Continued.)

File: 1338629337882.jpg-(140 KB, 555x1024, jokerhecate3.jpg)

>>19333702

You've arrived at the tail-end of a battle; Onscreen, a blued-steel figure staggers across a series of rickety walkways, armor scorched and fractured - Cracks skitter across the glossy finish, as Cobalt Blue limps on, one leg sparking and non-functional. Exhaustion radiates from every inch of the straggling shape, his grunts of effort rendered into a voice-choked staticky growl. Above him, the inverted spires of the upside-down city shed plumes of heat, casting a hellish glow as he stumbles on...

"...for three weeks already..."

"...not going to make it..."

The wretched figure comes to a stop, battered arms raised - You can see coolant leaking from the deep, gouging holes in it's chest, exposing the faint cyan light within.

> "COWARD! FACE ME! FACE ME!"

Then his torso erupts in a ball of flame, expanding sharpnel, and globules of blood. The impact convulses him, and sends him tumbling backwards, end over end - The spinning corpse tumbling off the bridge, and into the fathomless dark. A second shot takes him in the head as he falls - exploding his head in a spray of flame and sparks, fragments of his ruined skull trailing behind him as he falls.

"Quite a show, isn't it?"

The voice is soft, lilting, and entirely feminine...As is the hand that slips into your gauntlet. You can feel the warmth even through your crimson plating - Hear the faint rustle of fabric, as you look into deep green eyes...

-And feel a jolt of familiarity.

[ ] "Who are you?"
[ ] "You...I know you. I've seen you before."
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19333754
So Death Calibre is a sniper, he'll be fun to fight.


I have seen you at least once before, I never caught your name or your intentions.

[x] "You...I know you. I've seen you before."

>>19333754

OP, I can't see your images. You might want to reupload.

>>19333772

(Huh, really? It's working fine for me.)

> [x] "You...I know you. I've seen you before."

...Yes, that's right. After the fight with Cerberus - She was part of the audience. You remember that lithe figure, in the stands overhead, looking down; Out-of-place, amid the helmed and armored hulks of the other players. And you remember what she said that time, too...

> "Soon."

She smiles, a mischievous gleam to her eyes: "Ah, so you *do* remember me...That's good. After all..."

And then, softer: "-I've been waiting a long time to see you, Red Joker-san."

She touches her free hand to her chest, dipping her head in a little bow - "My name is...Well, you can call me 'Hecate'." Her skirts rustle, as she straightens ~ Her slim fingers clasping your wrist lightly, supporting herself on you.

"So...What do you think~?" Hecate asks, lightly ~ Canting her head to look you in the eye.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19333754
>[x] "You...I know you. I've seen you before."

>>19333772
they are working for me, perhaps the problem is on your end?

>>19333823
>[ ] Free

"What did you want to see me for?"

>"So...What do you think~?"
"Think about what? The fight? I barely caught the glimpse of it."

>>19333823

> [ ] Free

"I think you're the loveliest (insert-term-for-armor-guys) I've ever met."

This chick is literally all over us.

>>19333823
About you, well taking the name of a goddess of witches isn't the best way to get anyone's trust.

You also seem remarkably out of place here.

About the battle, I really didn't catch much of it but it seemed rather one-sided.

>>19333846
We can't trust her in the least, she's named Hecate, that's like trusting someone named Loki. Going after her is a bad idea, whatever she wants from us it probably isn't in our best interests.

Also we're going after the library chick.

>>19333823

Damn, is she asking what we think about the fight, or what we think about HER? Should we even be hitting on her?

>>19333846

Go with this. It can't hurt to butter her up. The fight was an absolute curbstomp, imo.

do updates always take so long?

> "About the battle, I really didn't catch much of it but it seemed rather one-sided."
> ""Think about what? The fight? I barely caught the glimpse of it."

"-It was, wasn't it?" Hecate muses, turning back towards the screen - Around you, you can hear the mismatched crowd mutter to itself, gazes still fixed on the flickering display...With a distinct air of anticipation.

"...He's been hunting him for three weeks, you know," she offers, an alien note in her voice. "It shouldn't go on *that* long...But he does this every time."

> "I think you're the loveliest (insert-term-for-armor-guys) I've ever met."
> "You also seem remarkably out of place here."

Her smile widens, just a little - A flush blooming in her cheeks, as she brushes stray strands of hair back from her pale features; "There are transformations, and then there are *transformations*," Hecate answers, in lieu of an explanation...though she does sound faintly pleased, regardless, her stiletto-heels rapping lightly on the tiles underfoot.

"-As for what I want, well..." A warning chime peals from the hovering display, and she exhales, sharply - A taut hiss of breath. "...Here he comes."

(Continued.)

>>19333981

The screen fills with roiling fog - Fog that resolves into a ragged grey mantle, coiling like tendrils of mist in an unseen wind. Spurred boots clank against the bridge, hellish red eyes lighting up beneath the raised cowl:

> "[GAME over.]"

Like smoldering crimson embers, the eyes glare from the display - The features indistinct, blurred, like a child's half-remembered nightmares. The angular shape of a long rifle is fastened to the cowled shape, slung in place - smoke still rising from the white-hot barrel.

A skeletal hand rises, drawing a weapon from the folds of the cloak - A blunt, ugly black ingot of a pistol. Bony fingers clutch at the ebony grip, levelling it at the screen.

> "I am the hand of extinction...Death Calibre. And this is my weapon..."
> "-the [Black Joker]."

Gasps, and a surrusation of breathless horror arises from the crowd - Hecate's grip tightening on your arm, just a little. "-That's the one you have to watch out for," she says, in a hushed whisper. "...He'll be coming for you soon."

(Continued)

>>19333989

(Sorry, was collating replies.)

...There's something about that guy. You can feel the malice radiating from the cloaked skeleton, like heat off a bonfire - Almost palpable in it's intensity, as the screen clouds over with static.

[ ] "Who *is* that guy?"
[ ] "What's with that gun of his?"
[ ] "How does he fight?"
[ ] "Has anyone beaten him?"
[ ] "Why is everyone after me?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334008
Can't we ask all of the questions? If not, the priority:

[1] "How does he fight?"

[2] "What's with that gun of his?"
[3] "Who *is* that guy?"
[4] "Why is everyone after me?"
[5] "Has anyone beaten him?"

>>19334008
The most important question is [X] "What's with that gun of his?". That seems to be his main weapon and knowing what it is like when he hunts us with it is really useful.

Second to that is [ ] "Who *is* that guy?". We need information on our opponent.

We already have a decent idea for how he fights, he stalks them and slowly hunts them down. I don't think anyone has beaten him and why everyone is after us is easily explained by us being the protagonist, the Red Joker.

>>19334008

[Free] He calls it the black joker, but it's just a weapon...

Or is it?

"...That's the thing. No-one knows what that gun of his *does*...But it's his most dangerous weapon. He's never lost, not *once*: It's hard to believe someone like him - Someone who's only been around for a few months - has a Relic like *that*..."

Hecate's voice trails off; Her hand resting against your chest. "-They want what's *inside* you, Red Joker; They want what makes you *special*. You musn't let them have it - None of them know what to..."

The world blurs, and *ripples*. Your vision wavers - The image of the classroom superimposed over the red world. Hecate makes a soft 'tsk', her brow furrowed; "So this is your limit," she murmurs, distractedly. "-If you need my help, you can find me at the [Papillon]. Let's meet again in the other world..."

"...Anon-kun."

And you wake up.

***************

"...Anon-kun?"

You sit up, slowly - Your back protesting, stiff from your hunched position. Close by, you hear a sigh of relief...Sleep-blurred vision resolving, slowly, into an almost-empty classroom...And Asuna's form, her hands clasped primly before her.

"Ah, thank goodness...I wasn't sure if I should wake you up..."

A glance at your watch - Class is over. It seems like you slept through the rest of it. You blink, to clear the spots from your eyes; Your chair squeaking as it's pushed back.

[ ] Ask why she's here.
[ ] ...It's about that coffee, isn't it?
[ ] ...It's about that book, wasn't it?
[ ] ...It's about the Culture Fair, right?

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334068

OP here. Sorry, that last option should read:

> [ ] ...It's about the Cultural Festival, right?

>>19334068
>[X] ...It's about that coffee, isn't it?

>>19334068
[X] ...It's about that coffee, isn't it?

Afternoon Asuna. Care to join me for some coffee to wake me back up?

>>19334068
>[x] ...It's about that coffee, isn't it?

Asuna's library girl, right?

>>19334068

> [X] ...It's about the Culture Fair, right?

Conflicted /a/non here. Asuna is nice, but hecate is a tempting piece. since she knows our name already, maybe we should visit her.

>>19334098
Nothing stops us from pursuing both paths.

>>19334098
I say no to Hecate. I have a general rule against relationships with people named after the goddess of witches. We don't know what game she's playing, we can't trust her, she is the single most suspicious person here, and if we let her into our life she becomes the largest potential threat around.

If we have more questions we find her, ask her and do not get romantically involved.

I trust her about as much as I trust Honey Badgers, no matter how calm and on your side it looks, it will rip off your face when you don't expect it to.

>>19334098

We should. But we promised Asuna a coffee so we should keep that promise.

>>19334111

You might be right but she warned us so i think we should atleast go see her and thank her.

>>19334127
I agree on visiting her some time soon. We remain cordial, polite and don't trust her one bit.

Also we show no romantic interest towards her and politely turn down any dates or romantic offers she makes.

>>19334097
>>19334095
>>19334087

(Yes, she's library girl.)

> [x] ...It's about that coffee, isn't it?

Ah, you remember.

"Y~yes!" Asuna says - A little too quickly, coloring slightly. She coughs, lightly, to clear her throat; "I mean...Well, I don't have a shift today...S-so I was just wondering - If you were free...?"

Well, there *is* that upcoming Cultural Festival...Fortunately, you haven't been embroiled in the preparations *just* yet. And if you remember, Kazuya's called in sick, and Natsumi's at a swim meet. So, that means...

[ ] ...Sure, why not? You're free.
[ ] ...You mean, like a date?
[ ] ...You actually have some Student Council work to finish.
[ ] ...But you can't afford to miss club practice.
[ ] ...You should try and follow up with Hecate instead.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334158
>[x] ...Sure, why not? You're free.

>>19334158
[X] ...Sure, why not? You're free.

The last 3 aren't acceptable, and the second one might be moving a bit too fast. We don't want to embarrass the girl.

>>19334158
>[X] ...Sure, why not? You're free.

>>19334344
[X] "I'm glad you invited me."

It's an honor to be shown your secret place.

File: 1338637635127.jpg-(261 KB, 1252x1690, asuna2.jpg)

(Sorry, 4chan kept banning my post. I had to rewrite it.)

Some time later...

-The cafe 'D'Artagnan' is an old-styled cafe; It's all about the classic ambience, with carved wooden furniture and polished tables, each high-backed booth fitted with soft red cushion. The pleasant smell of spices lingers in the air, soft classical music a subliminal counterpoint to the faint background chatter. At this time, with the after-school crowd, there's slightly more people than usual...But the effect is, overall, fairly tranquil.

...All that, and they make a decent cup of coffee, too.

A soft, relaxed sigh parts Asuna's lips, as she sips at her hazelnut coffee; Her silver spoon clinks against the side of her cup, as she tongs a half-dozen sugar cubes- one at a time- into her drink. Absently stirring, she glances out of the window, at the sun-dappled street.

"-I've always liked it here," she muses ~ "...It feels like a secret place away from the world - As if I can watch everything from here."

Nearby, there's the rattle of the dessert cart - A waitress in a pastel-colored dress unloading a parfait, then a small bowl of macaroons and fresh cream. It's a pleasant moment; Through the stained-glass windows, the light casts a kaledioscopic scatter across the checkboard floor.

[ ] "You really like sweets, don't you?"
[ ] "...It's really peaceful here."
[ ] "I'm glad you invited me."
[ ] Free

>>19334352
>[x] "...It's really peaceful here."

>>19334352

I know that feel, the filters are fucking insane, recently.

>>19334352

> [ ] "...It's really peaceful here."

>>19334364
>>19334352

At least you didn't get banned. I got banned for a simple short reply to a post in the second thread of the Joker Quest.

>>19334352
>[x] "...It's really peaceful here."

>>19334352
>>19334356
>>19334373

Asuna giggles; "Mmmm, it is. I love the city, but...It's always so crowded, so...so *noisy*. Here...It's a bit like the library." She falls silent, as the waitress returns - laden with a plate with slices of fresh-baked bread, and a dish of something. It smells savoury, quite nice, but you're not really sure what it is...Or how to eat it.

Your confusion must be showing, because Asuna blinks once, continuing. "Ah, I'm sorry - I thought boys don't really like sweet things." With her spoon, she carefully skims off a layer of ice-cream and fruit, tentatively offering it ~ "Y, you could try some of mine...?"

While her voice is light, there's a slight tremble to her fingertips - Her expression faintly embarassed, as she leans towards you.

[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334414

Say 'yes', obviously. Why the hell would you refuse?

>>19334414
Open our mouth, lead towards her and let her feed us what she is offering. Tell her that it is delicious and that we love sweet things, like her.

>>19334414
Silently lean in and take up on her offer and let her feed us.... but for only one spoonful, the rest we can handle ourself.
I think that way would be the best.


>Asuna giggles; "Mmmm, it is. I love the city, but...It's always so crowded, so...so *noisy*. Here...It's a bit like the library."
"I agree. Sometimes I also need to get to a quiet place away from the noise to relax."
I think getting into deadly fights on weekly basis would make one love moments of silence and peace.

>>19334414

pull the food off the spoon with your tongue.

>>19334443
>>19334438
>>19334435

>>19334443
>>19334438
>>19334435

Your breath catches - Just a little - as you open your mouth; Asuna seems to relax, as if some invisible tension is draining from her, her slender form poised - the slow-spreading flush to her cheeks echoed by her soft smile...

-And then she's gone.

You nearly overbalance, grasping at the table - Crimson gauntlets coming down on a solid onyx slab. You're no longer seated; You're standing, in a darkened alcove littered by uneven outcroppings of oddly regular stone - Polished cubes, abstract twists, all mirroring the arrangement of the seats, populated only by the wisps of coiling grey smoke.

And you...

...You're in your armor.

This...This shouldn't be happening. You didn't transform - You *know* you didn't. But you're *here*, without warning, and you feel a cold shudder claw it's way up your spine, as a warning manifests...

RED JOKER

VS

DEATH CALIBRE

From behind - You hear the weighty tread of boots, the faint jingle of spurs...A gravel-on-gravel *rasp* from somewhere behind you. When you swivel, you can make out a hooded silhouette, standing mere meters away...Straightening from its slouch against a rising basalt column, beginning to stride towards you.

And from within the darkness deep within the cowl, red-glowing eyes flickered, a soulless voice coming to life.

> "Draw."

> HP: 100%
> Meter: 0%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19334502
well, shit

draw then

>>19334502
You have the absolute worst timing Black Joker.

Draw our guns and fire while ducking for the nearest available cover.

>>19334502

"Okay. Have you got a sketchpad and a subject?"

>>19334502

Get in motion and shoot.
I hope we can snatch a relic this time.

rolled 4 = 4

A quick-draw duel, beneath a raw-meat sky.

You don't hesitate - The disorientation of the unwelcome transition is a passing thing, but the spectre of grinning death is enough to trigger your well-honed instincts.

He has the drop on you, even as you swing your arms up, even your bulky forearms sheaths fall away, to reveal the rotating barrels of your gatling cannons. But you can aim and fire in the same swift motion - Death Calibre has yet to raise his long rifle...

-And he doesn't. Instead, his hand blurs down to the holster at his side, invisibly fast - As you turn the electric surge of adrenaline into a *leap* to the side.

(Roll d100.)

>>19334562
I hope we survive this time

rolled 59 = 59

>>19334567

higher is better right?

rolled 70 = 70

>>19334567
here goes nothing

File: 1338641229514.jpg-(26 KB, 434x500, deathcalibra.jpg)

>>19334575
>>19334574

(Yeah, higher is better.)

You're so much faster. The black arm is barely at chest-height, by the time you depress the firing studs; The plasma bolts burn away from you on trembling blow-torch tails, like fiery comets of scalding heat.

Each scalding shot smashes into him; The smoke-cloak catches fire beneath the caress of superheated plasma - It doesn't *tear*, like cloth...It *splinters*, like a maul taken to a block of obsidian, fragments flying free like chips of mica.

The combined impact of the blasts generates such *force* that Death Calibre's feet leave the ground - He lofts into the air, then crashes back to earth, on his back, steam rising from his charred limbs.

With the hood drawn back, the grinning-skull of his face is even more pronounced. He stretches his length across the obsidian floor, limbs stiff as if in rigor mortis - One fist still clenched, as your opponent lies still.

> HP: 100%
> Meter: 8%

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334607
Keep on firing on him. Focus on his arms to inhibit his shooting ability.

The moment he starts to pull something or do something crazy weird get to cover.

>>19334607

Aim for his shoulder, try to disconnect the limb that's holding the gun.

rolled 84 = 84

>>19334625

supporting this.

>>19334607
Don't let him get into "predator" mode. Keep shooting.

You strafe him with fire - The cohered bolts chew into his arm, shredding the skeletal joints, the socket, carving great crescents of molten metal from his side...And then with a ripping, unpleasant noise, the limb tears away entirely, severed raggedly at the shoulder.

His hand spasms open, and it's not a gun he's holding.

You glimpse an ovoid shape, a red telltale flashing on the side - Already alerted, you duck down behind cover as it rolls away from unclenching fingers, the tiny metallic sounds quite belying its potency...

There's a *click*.

The expanding blossom of yellow flame mushrooms into the sky, and it rains burning ash. Behind the solid shape of a recessed block, you're mostly covered as flame washes over you, around you, with a buffeting *roar* like one of your own weapons - And when you look up, there's just a little burnt patch on the ground...Covered in a charred cloak, the one remnant from the battle - The one thing not totally destroyed in the blast.

> RED JOKER V&(#@%/
> RED JOKER VICTORY
> RED JOKER V...
> RED JOKER...
> ???

> HP: 93%
> Meter: 13%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19334700
>> RED JOKER V&(#@%/
>> RED JOKER VICTORY
>> RED JOKER V...
>> RED JOKER...
>> ???


Well, did we win or not?
I guess not. He could have gone into his "stalk" mode. Lets find some cover, go into a building if there is one.

>>19334700

Deploy one of the bits and have it move the cloak. Either it's the gun leftover or he can regenerate.

Losing a bit won't hurt as much as, say, losing ourselves. And keep your eyes open.

"That was easy."

You concentrate. Your shoulder eyrie lifts, and a single Interceptor detaches, zipping around the raised block you've taken shelter behind - The hovering drone speeds through the air, with an eerie anti-gravity silence...Lifting up a corner of the frayed cloak, drawing it away-

...There's nothing beneath it. That, by itself, isn't unusual - All enemies vanish when they die. As the drone lifts the edge of the swirling mantle, it seems to shift color - Taking on the color of soot, then the red of the sky, in something that seems less 'camouflage' and more 'assimilation'.

*Have* you won? You don't seem to be fading out, but you can't see an opponent...Just this ominous, brooding silence. The plain around you is like a statue gallery, rife with all kinds of strange structures - The tallest, you'd say, is around three storeys, though you could probably make the leap from one of the smaller ones.

And then -

CRACK.

You hear the thunderclap of the shot, a heartbeat before your cover splinters; It fragments, as a single round bores right through the scorched obsidian, a heartbeat away from you - A glancing round, like someone gauging the distance. The pealing sound fades into a faint buzzing, buzzing...

> HP: 92%
> Meter: 14%

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334774
Can we determine where the shot came from?

>>19334774
First off get away from the hole in the wall, it's probably going to explode.

Second work the trajectory from what we heard, the angle of the hit and the time difference between the sound and the hit to get a good idea of where he is.

Then move towards that location sticking to shadow and cover as much as possible.

We currently don't need the Interceptor out, I don't think it'll really be able to stop one of his bullets so put it away for now.

Can we set our interceptors on "search" or "radar" mode?

rolled 7 = 7

>>19334774

Grab the mantle and wear it.

>>19334774
If the drone can be used to search, do so. If it can't.. probably would be best to actually discard it. Right now it's a liability, especially if we choose to hide.

If it can't be used to search, use it for what it is designed to: Blocking enemy shots.

Go to ground, try to see if you can lure him into firing at the droid and give away his position.

>>19334811

Yes, let's wear the bright red marker that was set out in the open which when picked up was immediately responded to with bullets.

Oh, wait.

>>19334810

(Unfortunately, not yet. It just doesn't have the range.)

>>19334787
>>19334783

You wrench yourself up and away from the wall, just in time - It doesn't explode, but the next shot smashes right *through*, with enough force to smash the onyx plain underfoot. You're up and running, calculating the angle of the shot, the origin of the sound...

-The next shot makes it all academic, but your frantic estimation lets you dive aside *just* in time. It's fairly satisfying to note that your guess was close enough - The sniper's firing from the highest tower, the glint of light from the scope's lens impossible to miss...

As you sprint past, you snatch up the mantle - Pulling it on, draping it around your armored form in the same swift motion, as your Interceptor locks back into the eyrie. Strange symbols flicker across your display - A chain of neon-green runes, counting down -

INTIALIZING...

(Continued)

>>19334906

The mantle breaks down into a swirl of hexagonal polygons - Reforming, reshaping, into a long crimson duster, the sweeping length of it settling over your armor, as if made for it. The fourth shot finally has the range, and slams *right* into you...But the savage impact spends itself against the mimetic fabric, shards of your new coat hurled free - Before they complete a slow circuit, the fragments slotting back into place!

> CONVERSION COMPLETE
> 'ASSAULT SHROUD' OBTAINED
> UPDATING DATABASE...

The Assault Shroud is a defensive Relic, which will passively boost your capacity to take damage. It has one of two 'active' modes -

a) When deployed, the mimetic fibres will take on the wearer's appearance, after removal.
b) Alternatively, the Shroud can be commanded to disperse, creating semi-solid afterimages that can confuse sensors and absorb low-calibre shots. Certain opponents might be able to overcome the ruse.

Both of these effects will rapidly drain the material reserve, which will regenerate in the next battle.

> HP: 83%
> Meter: 17%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 31% Remaining.

TIER ONE WEAPONRY UNLOCKED

> TRISKELION LAUNCHER - 3%/Missile, INDIRECT FIRE.
> PLASMA CASTER - 10%/Projectile, DIRECT.

YOU HAVE CONTROL.

>>19334894

But we're already red. Having something else that's red can't hurt.

>>19334911
Shoot 2 missiles at the tower where he is shooting from. They probably wont damage him but at least they will distract him enough for us to get closer.

>>19334911
We just got a bitching longcoat. Life is good.

Send 1 or 2 missiles along a high arc towards Calibre while we continue to approach his location sticking to as much cover as possible. The missile ought to distract him long enough for us to approach while he is busy dealing with that instead of shooting us.

Breaking into a pounding run, you target the tower - Your missile pods unlocking with a faint *whirr*, before a pair of rockets loft away on wings of jetair and flame. Your opponent has the range, now - Another shot cracks out, with an air-splitting detonation, as you surge forward in an all-out rush. You *have* to close the distance...Nothing else matters.

You jink hard to the side - The shot hisses past your left shoulder, deflected by your newly-gained Shroud; It rips a deep furrow through the duster, so close you feel the breeze of the shot. Your pelting charge takes you past the abstract and grosteque structures that litter the plane, even as your missiles bloom into twin fireballs; You're in the shadow of the tower, now, noticing at last the protrusions carved into the surface - He must've used them to scale them, then waited and watched for your approach.

Of course, being under fire might not be the best time to attempt the ascent - Even if the the angle should prevent most of his shots. A faster approach would simply be to make the leaps - Three of them, in rapid succession - from the lower structures, using them as makeshift platforms!

> HP: 83%
> Meter: 12%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 11% Remaining.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19335007
Get on the highest nearby building and start shooting at him.
We don't really have to get close to him. We're ranged fighter too, so we can have some sniping battle with him.

>>19335007

We have superior close-range firepower. We get in close, and shoot the shit out of this fucker. Just shoot him to pieces. We can tank most of his shots now.

>>19335023

He can play the ranged game better than us, we need to get in close. Sniper rifle versus chaingun isn't really a contest.

>>19335030
>We can tank most of his shots now.
Bullshit, our shroud can withstand one shot at best.

>>19335034
Unless his rifle has the same rate of fire as we do then no, we have advantage at mid-range combat.

>>19335007

Hit the ttop with everything, as many missiles and interceptors, if they'll reach. if It gets to point-blank range, we have the advanage.

(OP here: So, approaching the tower via the platforms while laying down covering fire? Is that the majority vote?)

>>19335103
Seems like it.
Send out interceptors for distraction/more cover

>>19335103

Yup, i think it is.

Your Interceptors deploy, fanning out, zipping away as you make the first leap ~ Descending hard enough to crack the platform, as you unleash a trio of missiles. Explosions bloom on the surface of the great tower as you clear the second gap, your heels digging screeching furrows into the ground - The three Interceptors orbit you in a blitz of whirring blades, as you spring again with one final, adrenaline-bursting effort...

Sparks fly from your heels, as you skid to a stop - The air tinged with ozone and char, as you sweep around for your opponent; You notice, at last, the long rifle on a tripod stand, an odd mechanism attached to the stock - The barrel tracks back and forth, the trigger depressing with a dull *click* of the hammer falling on an empty magazine...

And pain flares in your right shoulder, as something punches into it. It *hurts* - You *roar* out your agony, as a metal spike erupts from your armor, *twisting* to rip and saw at your flesh-

He's behind you. The skeletal metal form is behind you, grinning skull scorched black by the barrage. It wrenches out the tongue of the punch-dagger, and lunges again; This time, it rakes across your back, cutting deeply into the metal, with an ugly *screech* of steel.

> HP: 76%
> Meter: 4%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: 5% Remaining.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19335194
Jump, flip, burst of fire.

>>19335194
That rifle is his artifact, right? He left it lying. If it is possible we should grab it and integrate it.

Anyway, direct the interceptors to assault him from that flank, behind and above while we make a backwards leap to put a little distance between us and start shooting with abandon.

He's swarming over you, *stabbing* you - Before you power backwards, in a desperate leap that almost takes you to the edge of the tower! You almost slip into the echoing emptiness - But your gatlings deploy, your Interceptors describing whirring arcs through the air...

-The first one careens off his rifle, shearing through it in a shower of sparks, before it traces a keening line across Death Calibre's chest. The second one slices through his left leg, just below the knee - The black metal skeleton pitches forward, the stabbing point of the dagger glancing off the ground as it sinks to one knee...

And all four gatlings spit cohered flame. Buffeted by the shots, splinters of black ceramite and metal denuded from his form, Death Calibre jerks and twitches like a puppet on a live wire - Pitching over, in an eerie echo of the beginning of the battle-

There's a BANG. A thunderous report, like from a hand cannon, like a grenade going off...And you're right at the epicenter of it.

You've been hit.

It doesn't hurt - Nothing happens - but as Calibre falls over at last, his leg severed at the knee, bony fingers clanking against the onyx ground-

> "Heh-heh-heh..."

...He makes the strangled, clacking laughter of the damned.

> "...Shoot me...Shoot me again...Not good enough."

Smoke curls from the barrel of the black pistol gripped in his right hand. He can't even stand - Flakes of metal shredding off from his 'bones' as he twitches on the ground - but the weapon struggles to rise again, as if of it's own accord.

> "Nothing's over...[It's showtime]..."

> HP: 71%
> Meter: 13%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: DEPLETED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19335302
Use one of the interceptors to remove the pistol from his hand. Check the location where we were hit; if I had to guess I'd say the pistol fired a sticky mine that has yet to detonate.

>>19335328
Better yet, cut off his arm. Heck shoot both gattlings at his arm while we're at it.
Direct the other interceptors to cut off his head.

>>19335334
If the rifle and pistol are still intact, we should try to collect them.

>>19335339
I think one of the interceptor cut the rifle in two.

>>19335350
The shroud was also heavily damaged when we picked it up. It is a different type of equipment, though.

Perhaps it's possible to integrate damaged components, even if they can't be used on their own. We could increase the accuracy of our gatlings, or enable them to be detached and turned into sentry turrets.

>>19335366
Well, the shroud was said to regenerate for the next battle, so we shouldn't worry about that.
I do support taking the both parts of the rifle to see if we can do something with them.

Your Interceptor keens through the air, in a buzzing arc of silver flame - It slices through Death Calibre's fingers, through the ebony grip of his pistol. On the backswing, as it loops away, it takes his entire arm. You train both gatlings on the severed limb - Chains of plasma fire battering it, making it dance and skip and roll...until fume rise from the surface, until a sooty puff of smoke arises from the ruin.

> "It's never over...never over...nev-"

A wordless command sends your remaining drone flashing down in a decapitating stroke - The vibrating edge shuts him up at last, in a final, scorching arc.

It shears his head off. Clean off.

Head and skull and helmet as one, tumbling away like a ball, trailing beads of molten metal - The chattering jaws coming to rest, as the light in those crimson eyes fade. The laughter dies, fading out like a record winding down.

RED JOKER VICTORY

You breathe a little easier, as you examine yourself for damage. Beyond the gouges and scrapes you've taken, it seems that his final shot did nothing...

-Until your fingers find the symbol on your chestplate. A horned skull, a lopsided grin, scorched into the metal...Like a morbid parody of your own mark, black particles of soot still rising from the surface.

Death Calibre's rifle was part of him - The remnants vanishing with his fading corpse. But the gun, the [Black Joker]...missing part of the grip, a severed finger still locked in the trigger guard, it lies where it's fallen...Sedate, as if sated by the lives it has taken.

> HP: 71%
> Meter: 10%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: DEPLETED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

(Quick addenum: At your level, it would take three 'units' of XP to reach the next upgrade. Death Calibre counts as two, not one, so you only have one more fight.)

>>19335417
With one arm, imprint the symbol of the Red Joker onto a nearby structure. With the other, retrieve the Black Joker.

Can the chestplate be detached? If so, I suggest casting it away, to remove our opponent's mark.

>>19335417
Grab the pistol. Make sure to approach it from behind (ie, never be in the same line as the barrel) and never let the barrel aim at us when handling it.
The mark on our chest is eerie, probably a homing target to ensure that the next shot will never miss.

>>19335417
> a severed finger still locked in the trigger guard

yeah, this is a trap.
If we want that gun we should do as>>19335436 said and remove the finger. props destroy the finger too.

>>19335429
>
>Can the chestplate be detached? If so, I suggest casting it away, to remove our opponent's mark.

If it is possible. Do this, even at expense of our own HP. And throw it far away.

(You can't shed your chestplate, because it's part of your 'body'. Credit where credit's due, though: It was a good idea.)

Cohered plasma flares, flickering across the surface of the tower; The now-familiar grinning harlequin-face, sketched out in charred lines. The crater that marks the remnants of Death Calibre remains an unsightly blotch - But one you incorporate into your mark.

As your forearm sheaths snap shut, sealing your weapons away, you approach the fallen pistol, cautiously. Staying out of the barrel's line, you reach down and...

-The hand you use to grasp it tingles.

The mark on your chest throbs.

You freeze, as something opens in your mind, as the world goes cold. You taste acid and copper in your mouth - There is a pellucid blue glow, sterile and alien. You can hear - You can *feel*...

- something uncoiling, something vast and black, something scaled and horned. There is a sense of falling, of something forgotten expanding from the black pit of creation, impossibly old, moving by the light of burning worlds.

It can smell you. It can taste your pain. It can hear your thoughts.

And it *hates.*

Your fingers spasm open, involuntarily. You're breathing hard, shaking, maybe even weeping a bit, your mind still raw from the terrible vision that scorched your mind.

You...You don't think you should touch it again.

> HP: 65%
> Meter: 7%
> ASSAULT SHROUD: DEPLETED

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>19335527
Can we use interceptors to outright cut the marked section out of our chestplate?

>>19335527
Well, if we can't have it then no one should!
DESTROY THE GUN!

>> 19335527

Holy balls, what the fuck is that thing. It made our METER go DOWN. Let's shoot the shit out of it.

File: 1338650811482.jpg-(54 KB, 615x615, 1273543272660.jpg)

>>19335527

Damn.... so tempting.
If cutting the marked section doesn't work i think we should just destroy it.

>>19335565

No wait wait wait.... maybe we should try to ask Hecate for advice.
Problem is, how are we gonna take this thing with us?

>>19335527
>"...That's the thing. No-one knows what that gun of his *does*...But it's his most dangerous weapon. He's never lost, not *once*: It's hard to believe someone like him - Someone who's only been around for a few months - has a Relic like *that*..."

If we roll for a Relic, we could end up just like this guy, chained to an eldritch abomination.

(My apologies - I meant that it's a signifier, like the symbol for a debuff. The actual mark is on your 'character', so to speak.)

That's right. Something like that - A weapon like that - it should not *be*.

You raise your arms, and unleash a concentrated blast. It's a small target, but you have a good reason: The hail of rounds hammer into the gun, flipping it over again and again - It seems like it's bucking, trying to resist its own destruction.

Then your shots pierce the magazine, and the chainfire detonation rips the target apart. It spews fragments of itself in all directions,the barrel splitting down the middle...Indiviual shards flicker with small fires, burning to ash. You exhale, as you...

-taste ice cream and strawberry, the delicious morsel melting on your tongue, spreading the delicious taste across your palate. There's a soft clink as Asuna draws the spoon back - Her brown eyes so very warm, as they meet yours...her lips parting, as if to say something-

At the corner of your vision, something blurs. Something scorched, something cooked - It lands like a bushel of overripe fruit, and bursts. Asuna *starts*, her gasp so very loud as she turns - And a little scream claws it's way from her throat, as she covers her face with her hands.

(Continued)

>>19335650

Around you, you can hear people rising to their feet...The hubbub of panicked voices invading this peaceful sanctuary.

> "...He just fell-"
> "-He *jumped*!"
> "...someone's dead!"
> "...burnt all over..."

Later, when you finally go to look, you'll see the familiar uniform of your school - And a wretched form, burnt and crushed to near-formlessness.

But it's the face you'll remember - The flesh has been scorched away from the skull, to expose bleached white bone...

-And the face of [Death Calibre].

JOKER QUEST CHAPTER IV

END

>>19335655
That motherfucker....
He choose to interrupt our date on purpose.

>>19335575

OP here: I'm sorry, I missed that. If any of you come up with any good ideas how to take the thing along, feel free to post it. If it's viable, I'll retcon accordingly - You have the time to consider what to do there, after all. (Not saying it's a good idea, though.)

>>19335655

Awww, hell. Op, that was a sucker punch to the balls.

>>19335671
Could we use two interceptors to form a case for it, and seal it inside?

>>19335684

Damn, that's a pretty clever idea. Supporting this.

(Forgot my trip.)

Alas, they're not Amuro Ray-level funnels yet. Your Interceptors are currently drones with spinning blades, like the ones in Half Life 2.

And you would still have to put it in your 'inventory' - That is, carry it - to retain it for next time.

I don't think there is a way to take the gun with us. Besides, I don't think it is a good idea anyway, it is clearly evil.

Although, we might be able to put it into our Shroud if it still retains it's cloak form.

OP here:

Thanks for playing, you've been a great audience. I have exams coming up, so it might a week or two before I can run this again...But I'll try to run a session of two before that fact, on Wednesday/Saturday.

Again, thank you all and good night.

>>19335731
good luck with your exams!

>>19335650

SO MUCH FOR THE DATE.

And it was all going so well...

>>19335655

I'm glad that asshole is fucking dead. He gave us so much trouble. That guy was a fucking freak, too.

>>19333754

We have to look her up next time. She probably knows about the magic gun, whatever it was. Not to mention she has a better body than asuna.