DARK ALLIES FINALE LOG

[afterlifer]

WHO: Anyone and everyone!
WHAT: Dark Allies Finale
WHEN: March 22nd-24th
WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere in this afterlife
WARNINGS: Potential violence, loss of sense of self, fighting, cussing. If you have anything else let a mod know to add it!
SUMMARY: The Programmer and Fantoche have increased the number of shadows in order to pursue the NPC, Ai, who has been trying to hide but cannot continue to stand by and do nothing. Meanwhile, many of the afterlife's residents have been turned into NPCs.. is there a way to reason with them or get their memories back? There are 3 parts to this log!

MARCH 22: SHADOWS
Shadows are difficult to deal with, and you've just been surrounded. It seems like the number of shadows have raised up well beyond half of the NPC population. Team up, fight off the shadows, try to follow them to find the NPC first! Ai will be around throughout this log and will reveal her Guard Skill abilities in a comment here. Feel free to attempt to apprehend her.

MARCH 23: THE NORM
A few people have been turned into NPCs. The shadows seem not to bother them-- the shadows ignore them and those turned into NPCs don't even seem to see the shadows. They can see you, even if they can't remember. Try to talk some sense into them or take whatever measures you think are necessary? Try to keep them company or say goodbye because if Ai isn't turned in, there's no known way to turn them back?

MARCH 24: CAPTURED AI
Ai's identity has been revealed since the 22nd, but she's been avoiding capture up until now. Come up with a plan, decide what to do. It might be a good idea to have a meeting and talk to her. She's surprisingly cooperative. The OOC poll revealed that Ai will be kept away from Fantoche and the Programmer, so if any characters have the intent to do otherwise they will not be able to be the ones to find her. Of those who comment, on the 24th the mods will RNG one character to have successfully captured Ai and she will reply to that thread. Other characters or teams may jump in based on what you as the players have decided to do.

Comments

[afterlifer]

No. I'm not human, I was only given one name.

[masturbatestoyou]

I see. What's it like...? Being a self aware evolving NPC, that is?

[tsunball]

suzumiya

you realise theres no guarantee they won't just turn into npcs either right

you can't just protect everyone like that

it's impossible

[extraordinarily]

... That would probably be for the best.

[ She slightly sweatdrops at that comment, a hollow laugh escaping her lips for a moment or two before another thought comes to mind. ]

So it would only work on NPCs, shadows, and people? Like if I shot them, what would happen?

[extraordinarily]

The only thing that is impossible is impossibility, so stop being stupid. I'm the one with the most experience here now when it comes to shadows and being turned to NPCs so don't tell me otherwise. Just because we couldn't protect the ones who turned into NPCs doesn't mean we can't protect the ones who aren't now!

[knightlyrondo]

If I don't watch the stairs then both of us could get attacked by those things.

[She doesn't really want to say these things but someone has to. She lowers her head.] ...you've already escaped being a witch, Mami-san. These things aren't as half as scary as that fate.

[afterlifer]

As I said, it freezes motion. The momentum of a bullet would be lost after the Lattice faded, so you would simply be wasting a bullet.

[onewayroad]

[pauses for several seconds, brow furrowing]

Can the net stand up to atmospheric attacks like wind and shockwaves, or do I need to stick to bullets?

[afterlifer]

It freezes motion. Any attack you launch will need to stay above the level of the Lattice.

[onewayroad]

Understood. Hopefully that's visible to the naked eye.

[he gestures with his gun toward the closest visible shadows.]

Let's get started.

[losthersheep]

That makes things a little more difficult.

[ Mami didn't want to go back out there. She wasn't afraid of the shadows, but she was afraid of someone getting hurt, specifically the girls she was missing right now. ]

Do you have a plan to find her?

[extraordinarily]

So basically the bullet would just simply drop afterwards. That makes sense.

[ She nods in response, placing her hands on her hips, deciding to cut to the chase. This isn't as important as other things.. ]

Will you tell us the truth now? About everything..?

[extraordinarily]

Well, I could always shoot a mass text first. See if anybody replies. She might reply to it as well if I do something like that.

[ What Haruhi doesn't know is that Ai's phone lines are more open now than they were the first time she tried. ]

She replied to my last post, after all, so it's not as if she doesn't notice the network. Other than that, the best thing to do right now is find everyone else, regroup and then work together to solve this. It might take time, but we have all the time in the world if we don't get caught.

[tsunball]

are you saying i have less experience than you just cause you were an npc and i wasnt

because fuck that you know ive been running from these things tons of times too suzumiya ive been here for a longass time

[afterlifer]

It is.

[ As soon as he requests that they start, Ai is off running. The points won't connect until she uses the Guard Skill, so she can at least set up the perimeter for them to get rounded up into. As she starts running, she offers a salute and a smile. ]

Roger!

[afterlifer]

Yes!

[ She nods, though holds up a finger. ]

After we take care of the shadows. They may be frozen, but they still need to be scattered.

[suckswithmaps]

H-Haruhi?!

[Celica shifts her glance from the shadow in front of her and over to the bystander... probably, again, being totally careless.]

I-I'm fine, yes! I've just been looking all over for people I know... So the question is, are you okay?! You're not an NPC or anything, are you?

[extraordinarily]

If I was an NPC, I wouldn't say that I know that I'm already dead and that our glorious leader of the SSS is one.

[ Haruhi, please.... ]

And I wouldn't be holding this.

[ She spins the gun around her her finger with utmost confidence, a light chuckle escaping her lips. ]

[extraordinarily]

You think I don't know that?

[ Such biting words, Haruhi. ]

But experiencing the thing first-hand gives you a bonus +20 death experience. Especially since I remember everything I did as an NPC.

[extraordinarily]

And how exactly are you going to do that?

[ Her voice is now more annoyed than anything. But she's also curious. ]

[losthersheep]

That seems like the smartest idea. Even if she doesn't answer, someone else might have seen her last. We have to get to her before that other AI does. Who knows what will happen to her.

[ Even without her powers, Mami thinks she can protect people. Ai isn't Kyouko, or Sayaka or Madoka, but she's still someone she thinks she had to help. ]

We may have time, but we don't know if she does.

[shinesbrightest]

S-sorry. [He laughs a little, his face slightly red in embarrassment] Bad habit, I guess. I know how you feel, though... I thought I was doing okay, but before I knew it, things just started piling up. I should have had this essay finished days ago.

[extraordinarily]

That's true.

[ She nods in response, grinning wide as she spoke. ]

So let's get moving. If we stay in one place, we'll be in danger.

[onewayroad]

[While she runs off, Accelerator puts his gun away for the time being and holds out a hand, watching her actions intently and putting it together in a spatial mental image. And, it's time to start calculating the air flow in the area. If he wants to have enough clearance above the top of the Lattice, he needs as perfect control as possible.

It's easy to do hurricane-level winds. What's not as easy is hitting only certain areas while leaving others intact. That said, he once took part in a high-speed battle against the Number Two while keeping all the falling debris from hitting civilians in the area. This will be simpler than that.

The air around him becomes visibly windy. All he needs to calculate now are the equations that will result in maximum widespread damage through the shadows while leaving enough clearance above the Lattice so as not to disturb its motion sensors.

A barrage of narrow and focused shockwave-like shots not unlike gunshots. That is the answer he comes to. A few seconds after her prompt, he focuses, holds his hand out in front of him and quickly flicks the fingers of his hands open.

WHOOSH! - off fires the first one fast as a bullet, with all the accompanying sounds of ripping through the air toward its target and tearing a small hole through it. And now he waits to see how things hold up.]

[losthersheep]

[ Maim just reaches out a little, despite Sayaka being all the way across the room from her. She can't reach her, in more ways than one. Even though Sayaka is back in her life, she still doesn't feel like their relationship is anything like it was before, there's still so much keeping them apart. ]

I guess you're right... [ Even as much sense that makes, it doesn't make her feel much better at all. Mami can't lose anyone again, she doesn't know if she could take it. ]

I'm sorry, I should be stronger than this.