FRAGMENT: First - The Endgame

FRAGMENT: First - The Endgame
Date of Scene:	25 June 2014
Location:	The Homeworld
Synopsis:	A crew of Abstractum Users encounter a powerful Pure within the final moments of a previous Cycle's Node.
Thanks to:	To Samael and Abstractum for their combined GMing!
Cast of Characters:	Kirito, 2, Fiora O'Brien, 219, 253, 347, 455
Tinyplot:	When They Return

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Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Once more people have been invited to assist with exploring the Fragment, and have been asked to come to the White Wing of the Homeworld right about now. No weird space travel this time, for newcomers. They're going to project the Fragment as if it were a simulation and then go mess around inside like it's a Node-- which it kind of is, anyway.

Homura is waiting, looking fairly bruised and battered from her match yesterday. She's got a fair amount of patches and bandages on, though the fact she's wearing pants and a dress shirt hides most of them. There's some around her head, upper forehead, where she got hit pretty hard. A fair amount of it's healed or been taken care of, but she probably shouldn't be doing any heavy fighting today, hence the request for help mentioning something along those lines.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber is standing next to Homura eating his dinner. Whether or not it will be a good idea to head into crazy conceptual areas and fragments of the past with a burrito is a question for a more philosophical man who is not Psyber. Which is why he has a half-unwrapped foil-covered cylinder of tortilla, containing chorizo, cheese, rice, beans and sour cream. Common folk would call it a burrito, "Good job on your win yesterday," He says to Homura through a mouthful of food.

Ariel (219) has posed:
"Ah!" That's the first thing out of Ariel's mouth when she appears. "You're still hurt? Oh... you're really fighting a lot harder than you should be in the tournament! I hope my opponent isn't that hard on me." That was before.

Ariel is STILL examining Homura as they prepare to enter the Fragment, looking her up and down with some fretting concern. "I'll do the best I can."

Kirito has posed:
Unlike the other WMAT participants - winner or losers - Kirito shows not a single scratch or sign of harm. This is nothing unusual. His avatars never really have. Wounds are always just marks of glowing light that fade, or a missing limb that regenerates after 3 minutes pass.

The Spriggan's currently leaning against a wall, standing on one foot with his arms folded and eyes closed. Apparently the boy's deep in thought, wearing a pensive and aggravated, even slightly weary expression that just doesn't look right on his face.

Yeah, he lost at the WMAt, but it's doubtful THAT's the thing that's got him brooding against a wall in the White Wing.... no, that would be news of the Fragment and more Abstractum stuff.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Eagerly, and from nowhere, comes a voice. It's Fiora's voice.

"Oh boy, another rousing episode of Mystery Shit Nobody Understands!" her disembodied voice calls in faux-excitement, before she Cheshire Cats (that is, her eyes and mouth appears creepily) next to Psyber.

"Are you ready, sportsfan?" She asks, sniping a bite of his burrito. Omnomnom.

Then the rest of her appears in a shimmer, wearing her God Tiers and stripey socks and all that, her hands behind her head.

"Sup?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"I'm fine, really. I never want to fight another Space Marine if I can help it, but Sayuri put me in the good habit of keeping a bag of cubes from the Demons at the ready, so it's not as bad as it could be."

The Puella will take a moment to wave to everyone as they arrive, in turn. "And thank you, Psyber. I care less about the victory and more about the opportunity to fight in conditions that don't advantage me, but it's nice nonetheless."

"Don't look so gloomy," she asides to Kirito-- she sure is one to talk. "We are going to get to finish the work of a previous Cycle. It may not bring them back, but isn't that a good thing? If we can learn about them, too, we might gain the knowledge needed to help ours succeed." It's hard to say what the Fragments will yield, if anything. It's kind of a gamble, really.

Homura raises her hand, addressing her Abstractum.

"On your mark, Claire."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Clairvoyant Rush is very busy being the core component of this Fragment process, and so, given that it is currently occupied processing this data, can't do too much talking.

Psyber's Abstractum, Adjudicator, seems relaxed and at-ease. "You certainly earned it, from the look of you." It says, in an approving sort of tone.

Ariel's cloak wraps around her protectively. "I certainly hope they're not as tough on you too. I'd hate for that competition to be anything but a fun test of skill."

"Yeah, c'mon, Kirito, buck up!" The enthusiastic sword on his back speaks up eagerly. "Adventures! Harmless ones where there's not some horrible, awful stakes involved. At least, mostly! It's a lot better than most things, right?"

"Round two, and both sleuthing and the mystery are still contending, hmmm?" Hecate, the broom, is probably being ridden under Fiora. "I can't wait to see what this round brings."

"Almost ready, Miss Akemi." Claire says, falteringly and uncertainly. "J-just a second, just a little more, and... Er... Mark!" That'd be when it interfaces directly with the White Wing and Mr. Welcomes in order to project the new Fragment data, just as before.

Samael (455) has posed:
Once everyone had shuffled in, Claire would start the process of reconstructing the fragment. A black void issued from her, quickly overtaking the walls. The group would find themselves in a black, featureless void before something very particular would happen. A burst of code would issue forth, reconstructing the area that Fiora, Psyber and Homura had visited before as it spread over the void.

The group would find themselves in a rather large featureless room, floored with what appeared to be something resembling a tatami mat. In the middle of the room, however, was a very large and ornate oriental-looking throne, made out of fancy red laquered wood and gold, with patterns of dragons, phoenixes and tigers all over the place. Flanking the throne on either side were two extremely ornate weapon racks, each holding a set of weapons just as ornate as the seat they guarded, though judging by the blades, it looked as if they were perfectly battle capable as well. What would've attracted everyone's attention, however, was the person currently occupying the throne.

A woman, whose legs were currently dangling off one of the armrests, was currently sitting with all the ease of a rather lazy cat on the throne. She wore a kimono-like garment that shimmered in the light, with bright red cherry blossom petals artfully embroidered onto black silk. Her extremely long but shocking white hair was splayed here and there, and as she looked over at the group, she flicked a bang out of her view with a carefree motion. Her eyes were a bright, blood-colored crimson, and on her neck she wore a choker with a similarly colored gem laying directly over her throat. A quick look at her bare feet and hands showed off what appeared to be red nail polish, matching the shining color of her lips.

The woman stood up, and it became quite apparent that she was almost as tall as Psyber, perhaps an inch or two shorter. She took a few steps forward, the kimono hanging loosely off her shoulders, and she placed a finger on her lips as she considered the group once again. Her figure was rather curved in all the right places, and she walked with all the vampish movement of a woman who knew exactly how to use her looks to get what she wanted.

"So, heroes. You did not answer my question. What did you come here to do? You claim ignorance, yet, I would wager that one would not come to a place such as this with no particular purpose..." she said, a hint of sultryness sprinkled throughout her every word.

Luckily, she didn't seem to have noticed that the group had shifted in membership slightly. You should thank Claire for that.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber watches the woman take a few steps forward for many reasons, some suspicious and some just more appreciative. But his answer is fairly truthful in what he says to the woman, "I'm here for answers, I suppose you could say. I come from a faraway land and this one may hold any number of answers for what is happening in mine."

A truthful answer, if skewed a bit to not be overtly breaking of the theme they seem to be playing into in this world.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel is also truthful in what she says, looking carefully at the woman before offering a gentle smile and a dip of her head. "I'm also here for answers, but also because I want to... help." The way she says that makes it sound like she's here to right wrongs, or at least to stop death. Which would be true if this weren't a memory.

Ariel then confirms this with a look of concern, "You aren't injured, are you? You don't /look/ injured..."

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
There they go. Back to the throne room, meeting the mysterious woman. Homura still doesn't know if that woman's part of the 'Node', or if she's an User. Past a point the difference might not matter; people within Nodes are, after all, still people. The only thing different about them is that they originate from a constructed world.

"Answers, yes. To help, as well," she confirms to the woman, before assing: "To know more about Abstractums and Pures, and the war they wage in countless worlds." Node or not, they're still worlds. "But, you have not introduced yourself, either. Will you return the favor?"

Kirito has posed:
What in the WORLD just happened?! Kirito hadn't been here before, but he did come to investigate more. Finding himself in the middle of a VERY classic throne room of the eastern variety seemingly from nowhere leaves him gaping, even with Double Fault trying to pep him up. He was right in the midst of playfully pondering a stereotypically aloof response to the Sword - just to tease it - when this change occured, and it utterly clears his train of thought.

No, rather, what really cleared it would be that very alluring woman, with a visage sufficient to temporarily stupefy anyone. Kirito blinks a few times, wide-eyed. "eh....EHH?!" But his tiny outburst is clamped down on quickly, alongside a hurried glance Homura's way. Unspoken words drift within his expresssion, asking, 'What is THIS about?!'

Hoping that Homura or someone else will answer first, Kirito decides to survey his surroundings with a sharp eye... and he spots the sharp weapons too. "Oho... those aren't just for show," the boy murmurs just loudly enough for his weapon and those nearest him to hear.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora points at Psyber. "He is a great warrior, and moonlights as an investigator."
She gestures at Kirito. "Another warrior. The faster, zippier flavor."
She gestures at Ariel. "A bit of a generalist. Our party healer designate."
She waves a hand at Homura. "Our ranged specialist. Dabbles in magic."

She bows, to the 'queen' or royal or what have you. "And I'm nothing at all. We fight things, fix things, and do puzzles. The consummate adventuring party. Which makes you the narrative font from which quests and details are dispensed! Simple, really."

She pats Hecate. "And sure, we have these. It shows you that we're good at our jobs. Or something."

Samael (455) has posed:
"No one of importance. At least, for now. Soon, perhaps I will be. Perhaps later. It is difficult to forsee." Homura received with a foxish smile as regarded the magical girl, turning to Psyber as he spoke. "Answers? Then you will find little, here. Dead people tell no tales, and as for myself, I know little as I care not for knowing much, as the land is in chaos. Borders shift, the land is burnt and restored, titles are claimed and destroyed. It is folly to be attached to this world, especially in the state it is in."

Her pale skin almost glowed, especially against the dark color of her clothing, and her bare shoulders rose in the slightest and most dignified of shrugs.

"Injured? I am not. No, you are far too late for help. The battle has come and gone, and those that were not slain have long since fleed."

As Fiora piped up, the woman nodded. "Those. They are the tools and arms of those chosen, or at least, who choose for themselves. They are the mark of a hero, of one who wishes to bring order to chaos...or perhaps, simply gain as much out of the chaos as is possible. Either path forges indviduals of great strength, for those that simply do not measure are forgotten under a pile of corpses."

Psyber (253) has posed:
"And how long have you been here, throned atop a pile of corpses, milady?" Psyber ponders to her curiously, hands falling into the pockets of his coat. He lets them rest there as he watches her, seeming unphased by much, "The dead may tell no tales, but the survivors certainly do. So perhaps you have answers."

"First question's easy: What, exactly, happened here?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Well, Fiora introduces them.
Quite well, even. She sells herself short as usual, but then, saying 'she is nothing' is... not WRONG, really. Enough of nothing can be something apparently.

"If everyone has fled or died, why do you remain here alone?"

Psyber covers the more important questions-- but Homura would like to know why this woman stayed behind, where everyone else had no. Did she gamble on more Users coming through, or was she hiding? The throne room did seem protected, so it might have been a good place to hide from whatever rolled into town. Pures, maybe.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel points out, "I see a lot of dead, but that doesn't mean I can't help." Indeed, she is actually doing something a little more proactive now that they've engaged the woman in conversation, and that is she is quietly stretching out her senses, so as not to break the fragile playback they are in. While the others talk, Ariel is /feeling/, and hopefully getting some help from Diea while she uses her new(ish) sorcerous senses.

Kirito has posed:
When the woman began her speech, Kirito focused his attention on her completely, eyes narrowing at the careful selection of words. Dire, despairing, tired words, he'd note...

"My name is Kirito... and you say it's folly, but you're still sitting on a throne..." His lips tilt up into a wry but sharp little smile for a moment. His tone's a little warm at least. "So you must have a good reason to still be there even if you say that." Although he knows that isn't true, with how depressed she is. MAybe there's nothing left to change...

"... Is this world really so brutal?"

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Jude is rumbling with a deep sort of concern. "When many lie dead, what's left is either very strong or the source of the death. While I am skeptical of the former, she's at least someone to be wary of." This seems more like approval of Psyber's ongoing existing caution than anything else.

Homura's Abstractum isn't on her, but seems part of the reality. Its voice can be heard softly. "Oh... Oh I hope she wound up being okay... Whoever she is..."

"Powering Blue Chroma. Mystic Driver." Harmonious Diea speaks up, granting magical power, precision, and mental clarity to Ariel with a soft, blue ethereal glow.

"I like it! Kinda. Adventury. Even if there's too much dying. I wonder if we get to be in a fight here too, with whatever caused all the killing! That'd be great." That's Double Fault, from Kirito's back.

Samael (455) has posed:
"A short while. They were alive a while ago. And is it not obvious? Someone attacked, slaying all who stood in their way. As for why I remain, why would I not? Do I appear to have any other holdings to my name? If I do, then you are mistaken."

The woman walked back to her chair before assuming the same lazy posture as she initially had.

"This is indeed a world with little mercy. The strong survive, and try their luck. Some attempt to build a land of benevolence, some find that order must be brought, no matter what the cost."

Ariel, however, would simply find herself sensing one particular thing: power, and loads of it, almost seeping into the are from the individual in front of her. In addition, she'd get...something else. Something almost about the reality, rather than the person or location. Anticipation. A conflict would happen soon.

Psyber (253) has posed:
"Yes, but if someone killed everyone, what are you? A ghost? Or were you spared for some greater reason? Or perhaps you are the killer?" He asks these questions less to her and more to himself, a hand cupping under his chin, cradling it with his fingers. He sighs a bit, in a melancholy fashion, before pausing in thought.

He seems to be on the verge of an idea, but not one he wants to vocalize. So he's silent.

Kirito has posed:
Kirito, too, seems to have had a thought, for a hint of stern distress flashes in his eyes. There is, after all, a huge discrepancy with what was just said... "Don't tell me..." He mutters softly, a hint of fear slipping into his tone. Good thing he has Double Fault here!

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel doesn't even bother to speak, except to say she doesn't like this over the radio quietly. She instead glances at Homura, worriedly, and scoots a little closer. "Just in case..." She taps her horn against the magical girl, sending a gentle flow of magic into her, trying to bolster her natural healing with some of her own and hoping Homura isn't in her half-witch situation. That holy energy might not be so effective, then.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Homura is fine! Really. Her Soul Gem is actually pretty clean right now. She's injured because she's just not burning a whole lot of magic on healing. It'd darken if she did and then we wouldn't get anywhere.

The healing energy is helpful, though.
She'll be that much less crippled.

"You keep avoiding answering the obvious question. How do you remain? If this is your holding, did you hide here using the enchantments on the door as protection from those who do not know the way through? Or are you the conqueror?"

Maybe insisting will help.
Probably won't.

Samael (455) has posed:
"Ah, and so the question is asked. What am I? That is something you should already know. I find it odd that someone would send you without any knowledge of who you were to slay. Perhaps you have angered the wrong person, and they saw fit to dispose of you by sending you to me."

"Don't tell you what?" the woman asked, a smile on her face. She walked over to one of the weapon racks, gingerly drawing one of the swords.

"I tire of such questions. You were sent here to be heroes. Or perhaps you were sent here to your deaths." The woman motioned to the huge double doors, and they slowly creaked shut.

"So, heroes. I suggest you start acting heroic."

Ariel (219) has posed:
Uh oh. "Nnnn... I was worried about that." Still, Ariel has a chance here to learn something, and she takes it. "Please try not to um... I guess you don't have a choice." Sigh. "Diea? Green Chroma please?"

She'll let Diea set the Tandem up, and right now she has to issue orders, right? "Kirito, please go for the flank on her other side. Psyber, head on as usual to keep her sword busy. Um, Homura, you do your thing and surprise her with what you can do. Set her up for Psyber and Kirito. I'll try to slow her down."

And saying that, she tries one of her most complex spells: the gravity field, a tiny circle around the woman that will slam her win increased gravity. Properly-executed, this can cripple even a super strong being. At Ariel's level, it's more like it will just make her limbs slow, hopefully, but it's something.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"I see. Well, your analysis is incorrect. We were not sent, but came on our own. If you will not provide our answers..."

Homura's left hand produces the ROMANOV'S END, a fancy black handgun with a red diamond symbol on it. In her other hand, a REGISWORD. Both weapons more effective against nobility; the Puella Magi doesn't know if this person is a queen, an empress, a tyrant or just a wanderer, but they're fine weapons against regular opponents too, so it's not like there's a drawback to arming herself against a ruler.

At least there's no doubt this was in the script, now.

With Ariel's order in mind, the girl blurs and reappears atop the throne. She levels the handgun up and fires a few shots towards the woman, which are joined by further shots that were not taken in realtime, bullets suddenly appearing and trying to pincer her. A distraction, one that'll let Psyber and Kirito bring the real pain.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber takes a few moments to let the radio message sink in about his predecessor. Something he had been curious about just a bit ago, the path walked by whatever prior iteration he had, "Very well. If it must be a battle..."

Psyber reaches to his back and draws the greatsword in a slow motion, "I'll try not to kill you. You seem cordial, if violent. I rather like people like that."

Six Strike Drivers? Would it be enough? He had no idea how powerful this woman was.

Gripping the blade in both hands, he dash-stepped in towards her while others provide cover, moving uncannily fast for someone with a weapon so big. His attack to her is a horizontal sweep, aiming to carve out part of her midriff.

His logic is that Ariel can fix someone cut in half at the waist easier than someone beheaded.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
As the green Chroma is set up, Fiora... Well, she's not included. Or maybe she is? She lives an odd life. After dallying around, and observing, she actually...

Well, there were no books to mess with, no scenery to really interact with.

But as the Lady With Red Highlights grabs her sword and faces the group, challenging them to be Heroes... Fiora just grins.

Then she tableflipps both weapon racks, flitting almost blissfully between each, before whipping Hecate out from under her butt and starting to poke the back of the throne, trying to shove it over. Then she starts tapping at the edges of the room for secret doors.

If she doens't get assmurdered by the Lady in Red.

Kirito has posed:
WHAM. The doors slam shut and Kirito inhales sharply. That's happened to him enough times for it to invoke a small panic. A jolt runs straight up his spine and his hand goes immediately to Double Fault's grip. With one smooth motion he draws the Abstractum from its sheath. "You keep wishing for action, Double Fault. Looks like it was just granted!" ANd Kirito doesn't sound happy about it.

Once again, his opponent is a female. Granted, she's not a springy peppy schoolgirl with fists of steel this time, in fact, she may be something far more upsetting. But he'll just have to deal, like always. "... I don't like cutting girls. And we don't know anything yet. If we can afford to hold back, let's not hurt her too hard." he mumbles to Double Fault, counting on the sword's own ability to show mercy.

"Got it, I'll leave the strategy to you then!" He shouts Ariel's way, before breaking into a low dash. He was introduced as 'zippy' and zippy he totally is. The swordsman covers the distance in the blink of an eye, swooping up to the woman's left side. Still, he hasn't swung yet, though his gaze is sharp enough by itself to pierce a different kind of defense easily.

"You still haven't given us your name."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"Powering Green Chroma!" Harmonious Diea speaks up urgently, flaring green. That's one switch for today, there's only one left in Diea! Or, rather, there was only one left in Ariel's predacessor's Abstractum, anyway. Then, as before, the Tandem Paradigm aligns.

Kirito finds himself boosted majorly in agility and speed! Psyber's offensive power is increased even FURTHER! Homura gains a quick one-use mega-damage increase that'll fall off in efficiency immediately.

Meanwhile, each individual Abstractum immediately sets about their own enhancements. Adjudicator massively charges Psyber's offensive power, granting him a titanic force and precision accuracy to his blade! Double Fault gushes powerful speed enhancement through Kirito, boosting his reflexes and hardening his avatar against damage while it does! Homura's bullets airburst when in range of the woman for increased damage! For some reason, not being included in the Tandem Paradigm actually increases Fiora's broom's efficiency in doing something, but the effect can't yet be seen.

Samael (455) has posed:
"Ahh? Something different, something interesting." The woman sauntered forward, her hips swaying slightly from side to side as she casually approached the group, sword in hand. She took a look at the circle surrounding her, and she smiled, shaking her head. "But ultimately...you shall have to try harder than that."

Her free hand reached out, actually somehow /grasping/ the field. After a second or two of concentration, the woman had it in her hand like a hula hoop, which she casually tossed Ariel's way.

As Homura froze time after taking the initial shots, she would suddenly find herself face to face with the woman. Or at least, as high as her head would go, anyway. "All of these tricks, and all of these toys! Though I'm not unfamiliar with them..." she uttered, raising her left hand again. Black and red wreathed her arm, forming a larger, phantom arm around her limb, ending in a set of claws. She casually took a swipe at Homura while time was frozen, before making her way back to where she was and letting time resume its normal course after swatting away the bullets with her sword. The impacts left a rather nasty looking crack in the sword itself, however.

Psyber's blade would clash with the woman's as she lazily parried his stroke. Unfortunately, Jude would simply break the fancy looking but ultimately inferior blade as he was deflected, and the woman sighed in response.

"Ornaments of authority, rather than weapons for battle..." she said to no one in particular, as she drew a spear from one of the weapon racks as it went flying through the air, the victim of Fiora's ministrations. A sort of black and red aura started to seep out from the woman, almost like smoke as she moved to face Kirito, matching his speed with an almost annoyingly easy grace.

Height being a thing, Kirito's gaze would unfortunately meet the woman's somewhat exposed chest as he flew through the air. A split second later, Kirito would find that his opponent had spun around, aiming to swat him into the ground with an overhead strike.

"Ah, but your ignorance is so entertaining." she said, taking a few steps back to face the group. The smokelike aura had now almost begun to take over the entire room, but it was odorless and quite easy to see through. The only feeling that came with it was an immense pressure, like a dam just about to give way to a huge amount of water.

Fiora's actions would have something weird going on with them, however. Every now and then, Hectate would cause a bunch of lines of meaningless code to pop up in a ripple in locations that she poked. However, it seemed like this behavior was totally random and would happen only when her abstractum damn well felt like it.

Kirito has posed:
Kirito's reflexes are quick as lightning. This is on complete display the instant the woman starts her move. An opponent's breathing, their footwork, these things are always very telling. So he trusts his instincts.

Blocking an overhead strike with a parry from below is rarely smart.. at least... just raising Double Fault to do so would be really silly. Even if it works it'd leave him exposed. So he doesn't do that. Instead, Kirito does something kind of strange. he drops his guard? Double fault's brought down to his waist in that split second, as though he were himself about to strike!

That pose, however, has a meaning all its own. The Abstractum shines with a cerulean light not quite of its own making, and immediately ACCELERATES at inhuman velocities in a perfect upward <SLANT>!

The weapons clash, and Kirito rebounds back a whole two meters. It gives him a good moment to see things he'd rather not right now, and the swordsman makes a somewhat startled face... but only for a moment.

That's not gonna slow him down. "Odd. Those weapons looked pretty serviceable when I saw them earlier." But now that she's wielding a spear, the boy examines the weapon for any obvious flaws... and spares a glance at the weapon racks she's drawing these things from as if they too are now an enemy! ... or maybe a resource.

Psyber (253) has posed:
His sword parried as it was, Psyber skids back from the impact and holds his greatsword with both hands. His brow furrows in the aftermath of the attack, clearly not pleased at the fact he was so easily parried by such an absolutely lower-tier weapon. This called for some fancier tricks.

Swiftly moving his hands, Psyber reaches into his coat. He uses a the Homura-Psyber Combo frame. A moment later, he also inserts his Level 2 Homura... plus a Level 1 Fiora Cartridge, just to see what the latter does.

Then he's charging straight back in towards her again, trying to press the assault along with the other one. Unlike Kirito, his attacks are not using speed. Psyber attacks with overwhelming force, aiming heavy and cleaving strikes at his opponent.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"How--"

Aww god damnit.

The woman slashes at Homura, reopening some of her wounds around her chest. She's knocked back, slamming into the wall pretty hard. Her big advantage is now... well, just a feature, really, one that won't help her at all.

Like fighting Samael.
She'd think it's annoying if she wasn't busy thinking it is incredibly painful, and trying to figure out what the hell that woman is. Though, the answer is probably obvious, and she might just be a Pure. A very powerful one.

"Claire, please tell me you can tell if we're supposed to win, because I'm not liking the idea we came here to reenact a loss!" Better safe than sorry, let's check if she knows.

As Homura gets back to her feet, she recalls not having Claire with her physically-- presumably, her Abstractum knows how to handle the combo stuff correctly in this state. For her own part, Homura's Regisword is wreathed in blue, purple, yellow and red fire, a burst of corrupt magic, at the cost of darkening of Soul Gem a bit more than normal. She grips it with both hands, the pistol long gone.

She lunges for the woman, trying to cut her with the rainbow flame and nobility-slaying sword, mirroring Psyber's movements. From the side it'll probably look like one of those fancy X-Slash combos.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Well that was... different. Ariel squeaks as her own gravity trap encloses her, but she leaves her standing orders to keep doing just the same. "Just keep going, I'll be fine!" How to do this, though?

"Nnh..." Ariel focuses on her own spell, and fortunately it's hers so she can snip the knot binding it together easily. It still slows her down, though, as she was too startled to get the dispel together that quick. "Diea..." She quickly slams in Himei's and Homura's Cartridges to give her some kind of boost, not really wanting to experiment with Psyber's yet.

Then she throws lightning at the woman in a SNEAK ATTACK!

"Why are you doing this?!" Yeah, Ariel's just going to ask wit a pleading cry.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora, after Diablo 3'ing the weapon racks, JRPG'ing the surroundings, and Pathfindering for secret walls, is out of ideas. The impetus, 'be a hero', was kind of lost on her. She wasn't /really/ a hero. She was kind of this... Horrible... Thing.

A thing with the shell of a person. With a broom! And snazzy clothes.

"Oh! I know. Hold on, let me be a hero!" She announces, planting her hands on her hips.

"Hecate, do /that/ thing." She calls, before leaping forward, wreathing her hand in DARKNESS (and also, potentially, hype) as she goes to punch the Lady in Red in the face.

"FRIENDSHIP!" She cries.

Hecate is probably being Intensely Hype during this.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Homura's level 2 cartridge allows for their traditional effect: ATTACK UNDO/RETRY! Useful! Fiora's level 1 cartridge makes it near goddamn impossible to determine Psyber's sheer power level by turning off his fancy effects! Though that might not have been something his predacessor did.

The combo gushes additional power into the offensive elements, now resulting in a double-stacked offensive buff on the most offensively powerful Red type in the network, lining up with past simulations. Is THAT enough, at least!?

Claire speaks up again, from all around. "I-I don't know, Miss Akemi! You all might have enough power to beat her here, but it might break the simulation if you're supposed to lose. I'm... I don't know, I'm sorry! And... if your predacessors died, then..."

Homura's cart gives Ariel an ACTION QUEUE, letting her queue up actions to be acted upon later. Himei's has a more direct effect: ATHLETIC BOOSTING, which just increases Ariel's overall endurance, strength, and agility! Might help stabilize her for that sneak attack.

Fiora's Abstractum, amid handling whatever the hell it's trying to handle, makes a LOT of noise, a LOT of wind, and a LOT of bright white light as Fiora suddenly rushes in. This is completely substanceless; there is no actual power boost to speak of.

Samael (455) has posed:
As Kirito drew back and took a careful look at the assortment of weapons now spilled on the floor, he would notice that indeed, they were all extremely ornamental, and while well made, a trained eye like his could easily home in on the weak spots. Given enough abuse, or one well placed strike, the weapons could easily be felled.

As Psyber approached the white haired woman, her crimson grew wide with excitement as he came towards her, only for a look of confusion to come to her face as the effects went away. Jude came down, swung with all of Psyber's might, and...

...cleaved through the spear. The woman caught the blade, however, and the blade cut slightly into her hand, causing her to lick her lips as a thin red line spread down her hand. Psyber would suddenly became very aware that the woman wasn't straining at all to grasp his blade.

"Ohoh. Something a strategist would be proud of." she said, before her grip suddenly tightened. Like how someone would toss a softball, the woman would fling Psyber by the blade into a rather solid looking stone wall, flicking the blood off her palm as she considered the rest of her opponents.

"Little girl, you should have stayed afar. Your friends are much more capable than you at feats of strength." she said, picking up another weapon, this time, a halberd. Instead of going for a strike, the white-haired woman simply aimed to clash the blade straight into Homura's regisword with enough strength to completely shatter the haft, which was casually discarded.

Ariel's lightning and Fiora's HYPE PUNCH would have the fortune to connect at the same time! ...unfortunately, it seemed that Ariel's attack would somehow ground out, soaking into the black, smokey mist that now filled the entire room. Fiora's fist was caught, and the woman helped Fiora on her way forward, allowing her to continue with the punch with even more force, along a new heading that would lead her towards Kirito.

"You are all...different." the woman stated, licking the red line that crossed her palm. "As for why? Why not? There are others, who do what I do. Some are interested in amusing themselves, while some believe that they are superior to others, and that only their whims and fancies are the ones to be satisfied. So I ask you again: why not? It is a cruel, brutal world."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber's blade is caught and he's heaved backwards. He goes sailing backwards, trying to brace himself before his body collides with it. But then it does so and the wall cracks and craters from his impact, Psyber letting out a pained grunt and a slight wheeze from exertion.

The compliment does little to balm the incredible amount of pain that put him in. But this situation does let him think about what he would have done if he had fought her before. And how he would have won. He takes a moment or two to think that one over and then realizes how HE would have won if he'd fought her before he was fighting her now and had done so as someone not-him. (Confusing, he knows)

Psyber pushes himself into a standing position and rolls his back and shoulders, "Alright. Let's do this." He lifts the sword up with both hands, gripping it tightly and then charging in right towards the woman. It LOOKS Brash, reckless, without thought, and a suicide run. And this is deliberate. He throws a haphazard swing right at the woman, one that could be easily blocked.

Because he has Homura's cartridge. Because he has a do-over.

And so he activates that, resetting the sword to an original position, hopefully with a feint for her. He expects her to counter while he's pressing in, and he makes no motion to stop her. His goal is simple:

Psyber wants to push through her assault and get in to a zero-distance position. If he succeeds, he'd pivot around and press his back into her chest, trying to use momentum to slam them both against a wall.

If THAT succeeded? He'd smirk a bit, "Gotcha! Let's face the Reaper together, yeah?"

And then he'd hoist up his own greatsword. He didn't have to compensate aim, since they were the same height. That made it easy to know. And he'd thrust his own sword square through his chest and back into his pinned opponent behind him, trying to impale them both.

If everything goes according to plan. Obviously... it very well might not.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
The woman's blade shatters.
Homura's Regisword cracks, but does not yield.
It is a very good sword, despite being common.

"Do not presume to know my limits," she says, as she seems to produce just enough strength to avoid being knocked back, and instead make another attempt at the woman with the rainbow-flaming Regisword-- one-handed, this time. She needs her to block, or to catch it. It must be tempting, given that Homura is, indeed, not a blade specialist, much less very strong. That, and it's unlikely the black blade will survive a second impact, and enough strength might take the Puella Magi's arm with it.

At the slightest opening, she'll produce the black pistol again.
In a blur of speed, it is aimed at the woman's necklace; more specifically the gemstone set inside, though it might look like she's trying to just gun the neck.

She'll be busy with Psyber as it is.
This'll test just how fast she can react to everything coming in at once, and Homura's got her finger on the timestop trigger, just in case.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Queue up actions. More athleticism. Ariel ponders, then gets an idea at last. "KIRITO! TRAP HER!" The swordsman has two sords, he should be able to keep her busy for the moment it will take Psyber to assault and Homura to 'be efficient.' But most importantly, "DON'T KILL HER!" She wants the woman alive.

And how does Ariel help?

Buffs. Buffs by touch. Touch she transmits by leaping up, rebounding off the ceiling, and passing Homura and Psyber by to tap both of them and give them an extra boost of holy energy. Kirito and Fi are trickier, but with a kick off the ground, then a double-jump back, she'll try to reach them as well.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora may be a pugilist supreme and her punches hit like rocket powered jackhammers on crack cocaine super krokodil...

But that doesn't really make her any better at hitting things. In fact, she is not really practiced in punching man-sized things.

So, hey, Kirito, about those rocket powered jackhammers on crack cocain super krokodil!

Thankfully, she sorts of ducks and rolls and shadows sworl around her as her body becomes ethereal and ghostlike, as she tumbles THROUGH Kirito, her momentum dispersing as she does a sick LASS ROLL along the ground, coming down in a crouch, and then standing up.

"I see you didn't want my friendship, and also the head trauma, which I can't blame you. But does EVERY mystery woman want to foist shit off on the Black Speedster here?" She complains, shaking off her hand and tapping Hecate. "Uhhh... You okay there, champ?"

Kirito has posed:
"What crappy weapons." Kirito declares quietly, just loud enough to be heard. It offends him a little, honestly, for so much effort to be put into a thing that can't even do its job. ... There's a reason he's never gone for highly ornamental weapons that merely look good. He's never been seen wielding anything that isn't a fairly hefty, sturdy blade...

He does, indeed, have two swords, the other currently sheathed on his back next to where Double Fault was. It's a crystal sword very similar to the Dark Repulser he broke against heathcliff's shield, and bears the white wyvern insigna of the Lisbeth's Smithy upon the scabbard. Upon seein how easily she grabs Psyber's blade, Kirito halts in place and draws this other weapon. No fancy cartridges, no strange magic. The warrior is a man of pure swordsmanship as he leaps into action.

"Those weapons are practically crying over being made so shoddily!" So much for his interests of breaking the weapon to DISARM this person. She is clearly too powerful to be bothered if weaponless. She can totally take a few blows even from a Sword Skill or two.

"... no, worlds aren't any more brutal than the people in them let them be. You came here, slew the defenders, and stole the throne. That's why you don't even show the slightest regret over priceless weapons breaking into pieces - they aren't even yours! You're just dancing around in a stolen palace with nobody left to lord over! Double Fault. Let's beat her back! Combo Drive!!"

Uh-oh.

This time wielding BOTh weapons, Kirito lashes forth with a vicious assault of rapid slashes, none aimed at vitals, but they're swiftly increasing in speed and ferocity. The intent is to beat the woman back and not give her any time to do anything but defend or run!

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
We're all really lucky that this is a simulation.

Lines of abstract code begin to surround Psyber. His predecessor Abstractum, at this stage of the timeline, apparently burnt itself out in an overcharge. Assuming Psyber's effort was effective, the degree of power brought to bear here is tremendous; the blast of red light that tears through his ribcage is something along the lines of an orbital strike, and it just doesn't stop, continually tearing through his body and blasting into whatever's behind him in a sustained, brutal pinning. Due to his Abstractum gradually becoming less and less able to record the process, the simulation is degrading around Psyber.

It has a strong chance of being nonlethal. Both to Psyber and to the woman. This is because of Ariel's orders! Kirito's offensive gains much more suppressing ability, trying to corner the woman much more effectively!

"Mmmmm... VERY good, Fiora!" Hecate says, eagerly. "This is perfect. We need to find more Fragments, as soon as possible."

Samael (455) has posed:
As Psyber charged the woman, she engaged him as he expected, picking up a blade from the floor as she did. She followed the angel's feint after deflecting his blow, and it seemed that Psyber had scored a double hit as he drove the blade into his midsection.

Or so it seemed. The white-haired woman had caught the blow, having dropped the sword. The smoky aura had gathered into two huge phantasmal limbs, overlaid on top of her own limbs, and they both had moved to catch the blade and energy blast as he drove it through his ribs. Jude's red met black, and what followed was one hell of an explosion.

Thanks to Ariel's orders, however, it seemed that the damage done was superficial at best, both to Psyber and the woman. The hands of the phantom limbs were gone, but were quickly regenerated by the aura that had filled the room.

A bored sigh came from the woman as she turned around, only to be confronted by a pistol held right next to her choker. Less than a nanosecond passed, but to Homura, it seemed like an eternity. Using Samael as a reference point, Samael had only been able to catch up to Homura's time powers at best, mostly using it to annoy her and to barely even the odds. This...whatever this woman was, had overtaken her, if just barely. The bullet fired, just at the last second, the projectile glanced off the gem inlaid in the choker, causing a spark to fly.

Kirito's assault would come straight after, and the woman would raise more weapons, before kicking the throne up as a last defense against the swordsman's last stroke. As the seat of power was cleaved in two, the woman skipped back with a twirl.

"Perhaps the time for playing around is over." she said, her eyes thinning slightly. She took a step forwards, and something extremely strange started to happen. The black, smoky aura that had hung around the entire room suddenly came towards her, and instead of just her arms, it formed a sort of large phantom around her. While bits and pieces of her form could be seen in the ephermal construct, the main thing that stood out were her eyes and the red gem on her choker, now blazing with blood-red crimson light.

With all the slow purpose of a creature that knew it could kill anything in its way, she stepped forward, and then....

The simulation itself started to degrade. The walls turned from stone to red and black bits of code, exploding in a fireworks show of digital corruption. Large tears in space opened themselves, vomitting red and black bits of...stuff, until finally, everything just suddenly stopped.

The entire scene vanished, and everyone found themselves in the same black void that had initially kicked everything off.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Claire is the one who speaks up now. "U-um... " She starts, nervously. She seems near the verge of panic at the idea of having messed up here. "I... I'm sorry, I think that's all. Um, that's all the data, I mean. Your predecessors... Um, the Node was turned into the Fragment just after that, so there's no information. I-I guess it was destroyed...? So... I had to shut down the fragment, I'm sorry!"

Then, rather abruptly, the Short Man is here, wearing a period-appropriate bit of peasant outfit. The Tall Woman is next to him, in a more noble-esque wardrobe. She speaks first, then the man.

"This is, unfortunately, the part where your predecessors died."
"Don't feel down 'bout it, though."
"While they correspond, in some inscrutable way, with you..."
"They're like smoke comin' off a fire."
"Like reflections in water."
"Not a lotta grit to 'em."

"They left something behind, though."
"Little resonance, jus' for Samael."
"And for other Pures, of course."
"Run through 'nough Fragments, you'll synch up with it."
"Synch up with it, and you will find yourself much more..."
"Tough when it comes to dealin' with 'em."
"Who knows what happens then, hmm? You're the first to try."

Claire's black void itself seems to be destabilizing too. "A-aaaah! I'm sorry Miss Akemi! Aaaah!!" Claire's panicking a fair bit now, and then the void itself disappears; the group's unharmed, back in the White Wing. The Pair are gone. Back on Homura's hand, the ring makes nervous noises. "The data was... Unstable, so I had to... I'm sorry, it looks like we can only use it once before it gets too dangerous to hold, it might have actually hurt you if I kept holding on...!"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Everything looked grim for a second there.
Instinctively, knowing it wouldn't help, Homura shielded herself.
They are greeted by the Short Man and Tall Woman; given clues and hints. They don't even have time to reply or ask for more. It's back to the White Wing-- uninjured, apparently, but probably exhausted nonetheless, and hurting.

Homura glances towards the ring on her hand.

"Where do we find more Fragments?"

There are tons of questions that could be asked besides that-- but it's late! The scene needs to wrap up, so the player does not push on them. But for reference, if it wasn't so late, Homura is thinking:

Is that what a Node's endgame is like?
How does a Pure get so powerful?
How does this relate to Samael at all?
And probably a few others.

Kirito has posed:
One moment Kirito's slicing up a throne and preparing to push the assault even further. In fact, the moment he sees the woman draw in her power and get serious, an unseemly, combative grin sprouts on his face as the EXCITEMENT of mortal combat boils up. ... you could say, he's forgotten a little about what's going on, because seeing someone about to pull out a crazy trick is at least somewhat amazing, as a warrior!

And in answer, he draws back Double Fault, taking a stance for one of his favorite techniques - the lightning fast single-hit Sword Skill, <Sonic Leap>!

It's just as the light gathers in his Abstractum though, that everything grinds to a halt, it all comes apart with him at first facing the chunks of a throne, then an expanse of staticy nothing, and then--

Oh hey there pillar.

"...uuuuuuwah! Cancel canc--"

FSHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Sonic Leap activates - and Kirito, seemingly at lightspeed, slams facefirst into a pillar in the White Wing. "UUUHUUUGHHHHHHhhhhhh!!!"

And, a few seconds afterwards, he causes quite the clatter by landing on his back. Anyone staring too hard at him can see his HP meter went from nearly full to about a third. Although it's visibly - yet somewhat slowly - refilling.

Ariel (219) has posed:
"Mn..." Ariel mumbles woozily. It's very strange. The unicorn girl is wearing a /severe frown/ for some reason, and she's being very quiet. Almost without thinking, she moves over to help Kirito. "I think I'm going to need some advice."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber's triumph at managing to catch her with his maneuver quickly turns to a sense of loss when he realizes she caught his blade and his (predecessor's) sacrifice was all for naught in that moment. Forced to mimic his prior self, he is driven to his knees and falls over in the aftermath of his attack.

When they reappear in the White Room, Psyber's sword is in his hand, not through his chest. He lifts it up carefully, hoisting it across his shoulders and then grunting faintly, "I'm getting really tired of losing fights," He says to no one in particular, staring off into space for a few moments.

Psyber does have one critical correction to Ariel, but it doesn't come in an annoyed tone. It's more of a flat one and a statement of general practice, "If I ever sacrifice my life to stop something, please don't convert it to non-lethal when I do so."

And then he's hoisting the sword up over his shoulder and starting to head towards the exit. He has something heavy on his mind, but this is hardly the time to talk about it. So instead, he takes out a cigarette and puts it in his mouth.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"I-I think there should be more in... In Abstract Space or Unshift Space or..." Claire seems urgent, trying to scramble for the answer here. "We just need to look for more... And... And hope Samael isn't there next time! I'm sorry!"

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel stops and blinks. "When I'm in Tandem, I can boost whatever you do. You know that. But I can't do that if you go off doing secret plans of your own all the time. If you don't want mine to interfere with yours, please tell me what you're doing."

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora is just standing there. First she was standing in the room as everything went and exploded. Into void.

Then they're back in the White Wing.

And Fiora just kind of sighs. "W-what? WHAT?! AAARGH! THAT'S THE WORST SHIIIIT!"

She grabs Homura and starts shaking. "Make it all make seeeeense!"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"Please do not shake me I am still covered in injuries," Homura requests, being shaken. Fighting Kharn kind of left its mark on her. All over her, really.

"I don't know. But at least we know what to do next."
She pauses.

"After large quantities of rest, sleep, and other matters."