[ whatever he's going to say, he's cut off by the sound of the door slamming on them. ]
Ah. I suppose we should have expected that to happen, whether we had taken precautions or not.
[ because that sort of thing just seems to be par for the course around here, as he thinks back to #teamfreezer... and a shiver runs through him. anyway. he wanders over to one of the fighting games, wiggling the joystick to see what that does. ]
... And you may need to play one as well, Edelgard-san. I doubt it was mere coincidence that there just happened to be three somewhat functioning machines waiting for us.
[Well! As they all start messing with the games... the cabinets turn on a little more steadily, and each is asking whoever is poking at it to input a player name.
The fighting games, curiously enough, have silhouettes instead of actual characters displayed, the names all glitched out.]
[Haha good thing he didn't pick the fighting game. But okay. He'll glance at the game screen before glancing at the other two next to him.]
...let's get this over with. You're both armed, right? [But given there's nothing else in the room to do, he'll just let his free hand pat the left pocket of his capris and input the name "Jumpy".]
... Do you think we'll fare better or worse if neither of us is experienced? In the games, of course.
[ this. sure is something. he kind of just stares at the machine before him before it registers to him what he's supposed to do. with a bit of difficulty—leave him alone he's a sword what's a technology—he manages to input AOE.
[At first the machine seems like it might not accept Junpei's input. It flickers, displays a message that says SCANNING... but after a few moments, each machine displays a new message:
INPUT ACCEPTED. COMMENCING NOW.
The moment this message pops up, cables dart forth from seemingly nowhere, a writhing, coiled mass slithering onto the room's floor from behind and inside the machines. They wrap around each participant's wrists and ankles, holding them still, and even should they manage to cut one down... more will take their place.
Once they've been sufficiently restrained, silver-colored cables snake out from compartments of the arcade cabinets that have popped open. They coil around and slide up each person's spine, the ends of these cables finding new homes as they plug themselves in place at the back of their skull, Matrix-style.
Edelgard and Nikkari's selected characters display as themselves. Donkey Kong now has a tiny Jumpy sprite positioned at the bottom... and the breaker box sparks as two additional cables plug themselves into Junpei. A new display bar appears on his screen that reads:
PLAYER POWER: 100% P̴̨̛̘̜̺̪̙̟̘̳͍̺͐̎̂͐͜͝ͅO̷͔̙̦̭̜̥͙͖̙̟͖̙̓̈́͊́́̐̋̾̊̐͝W̴͕̞̫̞̱̟͕͖̖͕̻̥̫̃̇͒̀̐̅͛É̵̡̢̡͒͂̈́̚͠ͅR̸̡̜̪͚̰͉͖͚̫̦͖̝̥̫̽ ̵̫̮͇̣̯̯͍̄́̋̈̃͌̋̉̈̄S̶̙̓͛̂̋̑̚͝͝Ô̵̡̳̳̹̝͔̯̫̖̙̥̭̇̀̊̓̍̌͝͝Ȕ̶̼̦͘ͅR̶̨̛̜͙̹͉̤̻͈̂͛͒͂͂̇͂̂͘͘̚͜C̷̠̪̥̔̑̂͑͝͝E̸͎̻̗̗̹̤̘͈͐̀́̈́͒̅̅͠:̸̯̬̝̥͚̦͓͙̻͙̱̉̈̌̋̓ ̸̛͍̺̳̰̙͉̜͇̙̠̽̅͜͜͝7̶̢̛̤̯̻͇͗͒̐̑̀̉̐̎̓̈́̓0̷̢̖͕͉̙̫͂̆̋́̒̌͌̏̐̍͝͠%̵̡̩͈̔͌̌̊̐͜͠
Junpei's arms and hands move of their own accord to reach for the game's controls.
Nikkari and Edelgard will find themselves unable to move for the moment (though they can speak), as the speakers of the fighting game cabinet crackle with fuzzy, indistinct audio.]
[Oh. Okay. So like, obviously this was supposed to happen but that doesn't stop him from snarling and trying to immediately bolt which means he sort of pirouettes but ends up staying upright as cables bind him.
It's the slithering of the silver cables that get to him though and he tries to jerk his head forward enough that they can't plug in.]
What the fuck. [What the fuck? WHAT WAIT WHY DO I GET TWO EXTRA CABLES?! TEEJ EXPLAIN!?! Anyway, his hands are moving to the controls and he's trying to turn his head to see what's happening on the other side of the room, still trying to break the control even as his fingers settle on the joystick and the button.]
[ nikkari is fast, and he draws his blade as soon as the cables shoot out of the cabinets. that seems to have been for naught, though, because he's restrained before he can even attempt to slice through any of the wires; nikkari aoe the sword clatters uselessly to the ground. perhaps if he had been a tantou, he might have been able to cut his way out... but he supposes there's no use lingering on that now.
when he finds he can't move at all, his pupils dart as far as they can to the very corners of his eyes to see if he can manage to catch his companions in his peripheral vision. ]
Junpei, Edelgard-san—stay calm. [ way easier said than done, my man. ] Any attempt to struggle may worsen the situation further.
[Thanks for the advice, but she's not listening - she cuts down a few of the cords, but others quickly take their place, and she drops her axe, frozen. She seems to be in something like blind panic as soon as she's restrained, struggling useless against the restraints, but as soon as the coil slides up her spine, it jolts her into anger with a gasp of breath.]
Let go! Let go of me this instant! [She hears Nikkari, but that doesn't stop her from trying to struggle - trying, because she realizes she can't move any more. She hisses, furious, trying to maintain stoicism even though every aspect of this is sending her somewhere dark, and she feels like a caged animal, desperate to get free again.] Solve it, Junpei. Now.
Junpei's game has yet to begin. The fighting game, meanswhile, has started to play background music, as the screen shows a glitchy background... that seems to be the arcade?
Audio begins to play, as if from a game cutscene-- but it's coming from Nikkari and Edelgard, the now-familiar voice from the PA system announcements overlaid with their own voices. The cables wrapped around them pulse gently as they're forced to speak along with the clip, acting the following lines:]
"--Holy shit, what are you doing?!"
"Trying to shove this lance up your fucking asshole! What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you've lost your goddamn mind. Calm down, Ḩ̷̠̫͖̺̩͉̻̮͍́̀-̸̢͈̗̞̳̦͎̯̪͇̇̀̉̒͛̆̈́̇̚̚-̷̢̢͎͎̙̩̳͓̟͈͆̈́̍͊̿͒̔̽͋͜ͅͅ-̶̣͉̮̲̍͋̌͘̕͝-̶̨̢̞̜̗̙̖̹͓̤̪̀̿̆̀̋-̷̧̛̫̲̞͉̩̩̣̠̠̠̩̮͙̓-̶̟̬̪̲͛̔̿̉̄͌̒̆͊͘͘̚͘̚, and we can talk about this."
"Calm down...? Are you seriously asking me to calm down? You must think I'm a moron. I bet... I bet you always think you're the smartest guy in the room, don't you?"
"... Ḩ̷̯̍͐̂͆͊̓̄̀́͗̍͋̍̕͝͠-̸̧̡̢̢̛̛̦͕͇͈̗̩̺͕̒̒̃̌͜͠-̶̼̬̮̮͓̅͒-̶̧̛͕͎̩̯̱̱̯̞̙̩̦͈̲̾̊̄̋͌͌̔̕-̵̗̼̲̳̼̖̙̮̦͙̑̈́̈́̈́̋͆̽͆͋̅̄̈́̌͜͝-̵̡̛͇̥̰̣̞̑͛̈́͑̌̂̌̒̎̃̓̔̚͠͝-̷͖̃̀, I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Hah-- Of course you don't. You think everyone on this fucking ship loves you, right? You don't think anyone talks about you behind your back. I'm such an idiot for thinking we were friends, when it's your fault that my brother is dead."
"That's-- What?"
"I've been talking to M̷͎̮͖̤̭̞̳̭͚̂̚-̸̘̜́̅͛̓̃͛́̐͑̃̇͂͝͝-̸̣͎̻̐̋-̸̢̡̡̦͉̹̮̳͕̮͛͑̓̓̓̒͝͝-̶̢̮̠͎͙̟͉̪̤̘̺͉́̈́͊͒̓͐͊̎̒̈́̎͝͝-̴̧̢̗̭̞̤̲̞͔̝͍͈͚͕͖̘͆́͂́͋́̏̃͑̉̏͠͠͠͠. You know what she told me? That she and the other two -̷̛̳̺͎͕̐̑̅͠-̷̫͉̙̬͑̀͆͐͂̄̑-̶̢̛̭̰͚̉̄̄͐̈́̅̕-̸̨̝͈̞̣̦̱͓̈́͐̈́̌̆̂͆́̃̇̉̃-̶̡̢̩̙̫̟̖̆̀ͅͅ-̵͕̒͊̈́̎̚͘-̵͇̈́̓̈́͊͒͊́̏͝͝͝c̷̲͔̎̀͗̽͌̓̊̔̒͠k̷̨̧̹̘̝̳̼̂̌͜ḙ̶͓̑̅̈̋̋̒̕̚͠ṙ̴̛͔͖̙̠̗͒͋̀̎̀͘̚ͅs̷̞̭͇̲̯̣̖̎̽̀͊̕ͅ planned to -̷̡͎̜̟̣̖̜̇-̶̨̨̤̩̣̯̯̯́̐̔͐̈́̐̽̓̽̿͋-̵̰̩͎̳̦̟̮̹̃̒̑̔̀͋-̴͇͈̩͛̎͠-̷̼̤͂̋-̶̨̩̗̔͂́͛̌̚͜-̷̹̓̃̈́̾̅-̶̡̨̻̲͙̞̭̦̥͛̀̆̈̈́́̉-̵̢̰͖͚̥̻͖̟̭̲͉̌̈̀̀͋̊̕-̷̜̰͇͓̿͋͂́̓̈́͝͝ my brother, and you said no. And you know what else she dropped along the way? That you specifically told them to keep any information they found away from me."
"H̷̤̬̙̠̒̈́̓̔-̷͇̗̰̺͇͋̌̓́͊́́́̈́͘-̴̨̛͖̝͈̙̣͉̓͂̾̈̃̒-̵͓͖͖̮͍͔͓̭̞͈͗̐͑-̸̪͔̰͓̅̊̈́̈́͑̽̑-̷͔̬̰̰̐, it's not what it sounds like. I swear."
"Don't waste your breath. It's midnight and we're both awake. So either you're possessed, and here to kill me... Or they've given me their blessing to put you in your place."
"... So we're really going to fight over this, huh?"
"Yes. But look at the bright side, -̶̢̗͍͎̭̹̞̣͛̔ͅ-̵͔̗͗̚-̶̟̫͒̂̌̄̓-̶̰̱͔̜̰̙̮̩̙̱̥͚̋̌̋͠-̵̳͎̹͖̻͙̞̥̪̼̿͛̓̊̐̀͛̋̐̾̀͝-̷̢̙̬͓̹̥́͜-̴͔̟̭̱̐͋̾͊̈́́̓̃... You won't have to send pictures of your ugly dick to talk to Ą̸͔͎̩̗̱̌̈́-̶̛͎̺̠̲̿̐͛̀̽͗̃̀͋́̄-̴̖͓̤̳̳̦̣̰͓̅̊͛͑͋̕͠-̶̨̛̞̺͎̲̙̝̰̦͇͔̊̏̎͐͒̃̍̎ͅ-̷̳͙̳̮̒̈́͒͜-̵̙̦͉̲̮̰̮̣̏̀̿̈͂̑̍̂̌̈́̚ anymore."
[Following this, they're each forced into a fighting stance, both picking their weapons back up. They'll be able to move-- but only to fight each other.]
What do you think I'm trying to do!? [This is to Edelgard, but he can only turn his head enough to listen to the dialogue and...oh. Oh that's a lot, he'll memorize all of that and try to write it down later. Uh. UH. He's also watching both of them pick up their weapons and he's trying to break loose from the cables again.]
Okay! Okay, whatever you do, swing the opposite way and don't actually hit each other! Break the cabinets if you can! [Maybe that'll help? Shit.]
[ well. this is something. being used by somebody else isn't exactly new to nikkari, but that had only been been before he'd obtained this human form of his. this feels wrong on every level, from the way he's forced to speak the words of someone else to the way he's filled with the compulsion to fight edelgard. this goes against everything he stands for, everything he's ever known, and it turns out he really fucking hates that.
he hears junpei's words, but as much as he'd like to listen, he can already feel his limbs forcing him to face his companion. the least he can do is turn his sword so that the blunt back of the blade is turned toward his "opponent," rather than the razor sharp edge of the proper side. ]
Edelgard-san... if there is any way to strike me with your weapon without murdering me outright, I'd appreciate it—!
[ with that, he begins to advance toward her, doing everything he can to avoid dashing in like he normally would, but it only serves to slow him down so much. ]
Don't you have any ability to evade me? I'd focus your breath on that.
[She doesn't actually mean that as harshly as it sounds. Only that she's struggling to regain her control, but she has very little of it, and it's hard on top of that to focus on directions being shouted at her. Besides, he has the weapons triangle advantage?? She will try to turn her axe so it won't cause as much damage, but it doesn't really have a blunt side, and she's focusing her efforts more on using it to block his strikes, since she doubts she's able to move as quickly as he is while wielding the heavy axe. She'll try to follow Junpei's direction and swing into cabinets, but she may bring down some heavy blows in his direction - dangerous, but not all that fast.]
[Good luck not killing each other! Nikkari is fine for the moment, but Edelgard will find herself redirected if she tries to attack anything but Nikkari; the cables will hijack her body once again, arresting the swing and turning it back toward him.
Meanwhile, Junpei's game has begun on its own-- has he been paying too much attention to the others to dodge that first barrel?]
[Yike, that's going to go poorly. He's not a combatant and that means there isn't much he can do for the two who're busy fighting each other. It's the only reason he looks back at his screen and notices the game's begun and he slams the right button just barely clearing the barrel.
He's also looking at the screen to see if Donkey Kong and the princess are still up at the top. If it's just playing the game? He can do this.]
Uh, maybe both of you try to not outright kill each other? That'd help a lot!
Something tells me—[ his breath catches in his throat as he leaps out of the way of edelgard's axe, the sheer blowback generated by her swing itself pushing him back a little, ]—that we may not have much of a choice!
[ it's annoying to literally have control wrested away from him any time he so much as attempts to divert his course. he's trying very hard to not strike her with his usual skill, instead focusing his attention on her weapon rather than edelgard herself, preferring to have metal clash against metal instead of spilling blood. maybe that'll be good enough for the shitty game demons? ]
Do you think... this is a fight to the death, or are we merely here to distract Junpei from concentrating on winning his game?
[Yes - some of those strikes on her part are pretty close calls. As for Nikkari, she’s able to block most of his strikes, particularly if he’s aiming for the axe. She nods when he speaks.]
Junpei, focus on your own trial. Your suggestions aren’t required.
[A little harsh but if he’s going to keep shouting at them to try not to murder one another, he’s going to get hurt himself.
She’s starting to come back to herself a little bit, the fighting revitalizing her somewhat. Nikkari is a skilled opponent. In any other circumstances, sparring against him would be thrilling.]
It’s a game, isn’t it? I imagine one of us must achieve victory to end it. I wonder if it can be done without bloodshed?
[If Junpei's looking at the top, he'll find Donkey Kong is still there-- but his head is replaced with a giant eye. The creepy one from the usual gif, you know the eye. The princess has been replaced with a sprite that looks somewhat like Akane, though.
As long as there's attacking going on and they target each other, the game demons seem satisfied enough, so Nikkari won't find he has too much trouble aiming for her weapon! And as for Edelgard's thought...
Junpei might have the answer to that. Once he clears part of the stage, the screen glitches and shakes, and the display at the top has changed:
However, once the screen returns to normal, the difficulty has ramped up, and the game is still hit with the occasional glitch that makes it harder to see the screen.]
Akane? [The name slips as he leans in closer to the screen, assuming it's a trick of the game and gritting his teeth. He's taking Edelgard's advice though and ignoring them, aware of that changing number. Run, Jumpy-sprite, run. He's busy moving the avatar to climb up a ladder and keeping an eye on his own screen.]
Power source is fucking up. [This is said to the other two as he tries to make the sprite run faster.] If it's victory though, is it between the two of you or all three of us?
[Granted, trying to make the sprite run faster means he skids a little past the other ladder he's trying to reach, and while he can clear one barrel, there's another that rolls and plows right into Jumpy-sprite.]
[ spoken a little too soon there, though, it seems. he's a little distracted as he tries to carry on the conversation mid-battle, and he just barely dodges a swing from edelgard. he doesn't take the full brunt of the hit, but the spikes crowning the head of the axe manage to slice a shallow gash through one of his legs. he yelps in pain as blood starts to gather at the wound, but he remains standing as he strikes back at the weapon. it'll take more than a little cut to down a sword spirit. ]
[She hisses when she feels her axe graze flesh, losing her own balance momentarily and only just catching his strike. She looks angry - though more with herself than with him, as she is genuinely trying not to hurt him whatever she said before.]
Stay focused! In a true battle, I'd have cut you down there.
[But as strong as she is, she's not as strong here as she is with her crest. She's growing less cautious as the fight goes on, the strain of having to wield her axe and armor (the dress is armor somehow) and keep up with his speed and skill beginning to wear on her.]
[On the screens of the two fighting games, the silhouette representing Nikkari appears to take damage, health bar dropping a bit; Edelgard's remains full, strained as she might be starting to feel.
When that barrel hits Junpei's sprite, he's also going to find out why he has those extra cables attached: there's a sudden jolt that will leave him feeling drained, and the screen shudders once more as the lights in the room become brighter again.
[There's a yelp as he feels that jolt, head spinning for a moment and the screen shudders even as the light becomes brighter. He looks up at the screens above, squinting to read the bar.
"Okay. So a 20% hit gives a 10% power boost. 30% down is 60%, and 60% out of 80% is 20%..."
Luckily he says none of this out loud, but he forces himself to face the screen, eyes scanning the game before moving the Jumpy-avatar up another ladder, running a short distance and grabbing a spare hammer. He uses it, swinging at a few incoming barrels, but he does nothing as one rolls directly into the avatar again.]
[ junpei's cry registers somewhere in the back of nikkari's mind, but with edelgard telling him to keep his attention on her, junpei's unfortunately getting placed on the backburner for now. sorry, dude, but that axe also hurt and also he kind of has a little bit of self-preservation too??
the renewed sense of survival spurns something in him, though. just like how edelgard had thought about the thrill of battle as they exchanged blows, there's something about the blood slowly trickling down his leg that rouses the part of him that accepts he is, first and foremost, a weapon created to kill. baring his teeth in a wide, unsettling grin, his face darkens as he lunges now for edelgard herself. ]
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fullthottle) wrote2019-11-04 08:52 pm
no subject
Ah. I suppose we should have expected that to happen, whether we had taken precautions or not.
[ because that sort of thing just seems to be par for the course around here, as he thinks back to #teamfreezer... and a shiver runs through him. anyway. he wanders over to one of the fighting games, wiggling the joystick to see what that does. ]
... And you may need to play one as well, Edelgard-san. I doubt it was mere coincidence that there just happened to be three somewhat functioning machines waiting for us.
no subject
[Sighing? Deeply? And approaching one of the fighting games.]
I haven't played games of this type, either. I am not accustomed to competing and doing poorly.
[But she'll mess around with the joystick too. Any hot girls in skimpy outfits on the character selector?]
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The fighting games, curiously enough, have silhouettes instead of actual characters displayed, the names all glitched out.]
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...let's get this over with. You're both armed, right? [But given there's nothing else in the room to do, he'll just let his free hand pat the left pocket of his capris and input the name "Jumpy".]
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[ this. sure is something. he kind of just stares at the machine before him before it registers to him what he's supposed to do. with a bit of difficulty—leave him alone he's a sword what's a technology—he manages to input AOE.
shut up it's still his name. ]
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[Picking the sluttiest looking silhouette, and then typing as much of EDELGARD VON HRESVELG as she can fit in the input box before preparing her axe.]
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INPUT ACCEPTED. COMMENCING NOW.
The moment this message pops up, cables dart forth from seemingly nowhere, a writhing, coiled mass slithering onto the room's floor from behind and inside the machines. They wrap around each participant's wrists and ankles, holding them still, and even should they manage to cut one down... more will take their place.
Once they've been sufficiently restrained, silver-colored cables snake out from compartments of the arcade cabinets that have popped open. They coil around and slide up each person's spine, the ends of these cables finding new homes as they plug themselves in place at the back of their skull, Matrix-style.
Edelgard and Nikkari's selected characters display as themselves. Donkey Kong now has a tiny Jumpy sprite positioned at the bottom... and the breaker box sparks as two additional cables plug themselves into Junpei. A new display bar appears on his screen that reads:
PLAYER POWER: 100%
P̴̨̛̘̜̺̪̙̟̘̳͍̺͐̎̂͐͜͝ͅO̷͔̙̦̭̜̥͙͖̙̟͖̙̓̈́͊́́̐̋̾̊̐͝W̴͕̞̫̞̱̟͕͖̖͕̻̥̫̃̇͒̀̐̅͛É̵̡̢̡͒͂̈́̚͠ͅR̸̡̜̪͚̰͉͖͚̫̦͖̝̥̫̽ ̵̫̮͇̣̯̯͍̄́̋̈̃͌̋̉̈̄S̶̙̓͛̂̋̑̚͝͝Ô̵̡̳̳̹̝͔̯̫̖̙̥̭̇̀̊̓̍̌͝͝Ȕ̶̼̦͘ͅR̶̨̛̜͙̹͉̤̻͈̂͛͒͂͂̇͂̂͘͘̚͜C̷̠̪̥̔̑̂͑͝͝E̸͎̻̗̗̹̤̘͈͐̀́̈́͒̅̅͠:̸̯̬̝̥͚̦͓͙̻͙̱̉̈̌̋̓ ̸̛͍̺̳̰̙͉̜͇̙̠̽̅͜͜͝7̶̢̛̤̯̻͇͗͒̐̑̀̉̐̎̓̈́̓0̷̢̖͕͉̙̫͂̆̋́̒̌͌̏̐̍͝͠%̵̡̩͈̔͌̌̊̐͜͠
Junpei's arms and hands move of their own accord to reach for the game's controls.
Nikkari and Edelgard will find themselves unable to move for the moment (though they can speak), as the speakers of the fighting game cabinet crackle with fuzzy, indistinct audio.]
no subject
It's the slithering of the silver cables that get to him though and he tries to jerk his head forward enough that they can't plug in.]
What the fuck. [What the fuck? WHAT WAIT WHY DO I GET TWO EXTRA CABLES?! TEEJ EXPLAIN!?! Anyway, his hands are moving to the controls and he's trying to turn his head to see what's happening on the other side of the room, still trying to break the control even as his fingers settle on the joystick and the button.]
no subject
when he finds he can't move at all, his pupils dart as far as they can to the very corners of his eyes to see if he can manage to catch his companions in his peripheral vision. ]
Junpei, Edelgard-san—stay calm. [ way easier said than done, my man. ] Any attempt to struggle may worsen the situation further.
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Let go! Let go of me this instant! [She hears Nikkari, but that doesn't stop her from trying to struggle - trying, because she realizes she can't move any more. She hisses, furious, trying to maintain stoicism even though every aspect of this is sending her somewhere dark, and she feels like a caged animal, desperate to get free again.] Solve it, Junpei. Now.
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Junpei's game has yet to begin. The fighting game, meanswhile, has started to play background music, as the screen shows a glitchy background... that seems to be the arcade?
Audio begins to play, as if from a game cutscene-- but it's coming from Nikkari and Edelgard, the now-familiar voice from the PA system announcements overlaid with their own voices. The cables wrapped around them pulse gently as they're forced to speak along with the clip, acting the following lines:]
"--Holy shit, what are you doing?!"
"Trying to shove this lance up your fucking asshole! What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you've lost your goddamn mind. Calm down, Ḩ̷̠̫͖̺̩͉̻̮͍́̀-̸̢͈̗̞̳̦͎̯̪͇̇̀̉̒͛̆̈́̇̚̚-̷̢̢͎͎̙̩̳͓̟͈͆̈́̍͊̿͒̔̽͋͜ͅͅ-̶̣͉̮̲̍͋̌͘̕͝-̶̨̢̞̜̗̙̖̹͓̤̪̀̿̆̀̋-̷̧̛̫̲̞͉̩̩̣̠̠̠̩̮͙̓-̶̟̬̪̲͛̔̿̉̄͌̒̆͊͘͘̚͘̚, and we can talk about this."
"Calm down...? Are you seriously asking me to calm down? You must think I'm a moron. I bet... I bet you always think you're the smartest guy in the room, don't you?"
"... Ḩ̷̯̍͐̂͆͊̓̄̀́͗̍͋̍̕͝͠-̸̧̡̢̢̛̛̦͕͇͈̗̩̺͕̒̒̃̌͜͠-̶̼̬̮̮͓̅͒-̶̧̛͕͎̩̯̱̱̯̞̙̩̦͈̲̾̊̄̋͌͌̔̕-̵̗̼̲̳̼̖̙̮̦͙̑̈́̈́̈́̋͆̽͆͋̅̄̈́̌͜͝-̵̡̛͇̥̰̣̞̑͛̈́͑̌̂̌̒̎̃̓̔̚͠͝-̷͖̃̀, I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Hah-- Of course you don't. You think everyone on this fucking ship loves you, right? You don't think anyone talks about you behind your back. I'm such an idiot for thinking we were friends, when it's your fault that my brother is dead."
"That's-- What?"
"I've been talking to M̷͎̮͖̤̭̞̳̭͚̂̚-̸̘̜́̅͛̓̃͛́̐͑̃̇͂͝͝-̸̣͎̻̐̋-̸̢̡̡̦͉̹̮̳͕̮͛͑̓̓̓̒͝͝-̶̢̮̠͎͙̟͉̪̤̘̺͉́̈́͊͒̓͐͊̎̒̈́̎͝͝-̴̧̢̗̭̞̤̲̞͔̝͍͈͚͕͖̘͆́͂́͋́̏̃͑̉̏͠͠͠͠. You know what she told me? That she and the other two -̷̛̳̺͎͕̐̑̅͠-̷̫͉̙̬͑̀͆͐͂̄̑-̶̢̛̭̰͚̉̄̄͐̈́̅̕-̸̨̝͈̞̣̦̱͓̈́͐̈́̌̆̂͆́̃̇̉̃-̶̡̢̩̙̫̟̖̆̀ͅͅ-̵͕̒͊̈́̎̚͘-̵͇̈́̓̈́͊͒͊́̏͝͝͝c̷̲͔̎̀͗̽͌̓̊̔̒͠k̷̨̧̹̘̝̳̼̂̌͜ḙ̶͓̑̅̈̋̋̒̕̚͠ṙ̴̛͔͖̙̠̗͒͋̀̎̀͘̚ͅs̷̞̭͇̲̯̣̖̎̽̀͊̕ͅ planned to -̷̡͎̜̟̣̖̜̇-̶̨̨̤̩̣̯̯̯́̐̔͐̈́̐̽̓̽̿͋-̵̰̩͎̳̦̟̮̹̃̒̑̔̀͋-̴͇͈̩͛̎͠-̷̼̤͂̋-̶̨̩̗̔͂́͛̌̚͜-̷̹̓̃̈́̾̅-̶̡̨̻̲͙̞̭̦̥͛̀̆̈̈́́̉-̵̢̰͖͚̥̻͖̟̭̲͉̌̈̀̀͋̊̕-̷̜̰͇͓̿͋͂́̓̈́͝͝ my brother, and you said no. And you know what else she dropped along the way? That you specifically told them to keep any information they found away from me."
"H̷̤̬̙̠̒̈́̓̔-̷͇̗̰̺͇͋̌̓́͊́́́̈́͘-̴̨̛͖̝͈̙̣͉̓͂̾̈̃̒-̵͓͖͖̮͍͔͓̭̞͈͗̐͑-̸̪͔̰͓̅̊̈́̈́͑̽̑-̷͔̬̰̰̐, it's not what it sounds like. I swear."
"Don't waste your breath. It's midnight and we're both awake. So either you're possessed, and here to kill me... Or they've given me their blessing to put you in your place."
"... So we're really going to fight over this, huh?"
"Yes. But look at the bright side, -̶̢̗͍͎̭̹̞̣͛̔ͅ-̵͔̗͗̚-̶̟̫͒̂̌̄̓-̶̰̱͔̜̰̙̮̩̙̱̥͚̋̌̋͠-̵̳͎̹͖̻͙̞̥̪̼̿͛̓̊̐̀͛̋̐̾̀͝-̷̢̙̬͓̹̥́͜-̴͔̟̭̱̐͋̾͊̈́́̓̃... You won't have to send pictures of your ugly dick to talk to Ą̸͔͎̩̗̱̌̈́-̶̛͎̺̠̲̿̐͛̀̽͗̃̀͋́̄-̴̖͓̤̳̳̦̣̰͓̅̊͛͑͋̕͠-̶̨̛̞̺͎̲̙̝̰̦͇͔̊̏̎͐͒̃̍̎ͅ-̷̳͙̳̮̒̈́͒͜-̵̙̦͉̲̮̰̮̣̏̀̿̈͂̑̍̂̌̈́̚ anymore."
[Following this, they're each forced into a fighting stance, both picking their weapons back up. They'll be able to move-- but only to fight each other.]
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Okay! Okay, whatever you do, swing the opposite way and don't actually hit each other! Break the cabinets if you can! [Maybe that'll help? Shit.]
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he hears junpei's words, but as much as he'd like to listen, he can already feel his limbs forcing him to face his companion. the least he can do is turn his sword so that the blunt back of the blade is turned toward his "opponent," rather than the razor sharp edge of the proper side. ]
Edelgard-san... if there is any way to strike me with your weapon without murdering me outright, I'd appreciate it—!
[ with that, he begins to advance toward her, doing everything he can to avoid dashing in like he normally would, but it only serves to slow him down so much. ]
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[She doesn't actually mean that as harshly as it sounds. Only that she's struggling to regain her control, but she has very little of it, and it's hard on top of that to focus on directions being shouted at her. Besides, he has the weapons triangle advantage?? She will try to turn her axe so it won't cause as much damage, but it doesn't really have a blunt side, and she's focusing her efforts more on using it to block his strikes, since she doubts she's able to move as quickly as he is while wielding the heavy axe. She'll try to follow Junpei's direction and swing into cabinets, but she may bring down some heavy blows in his direction - dangerous, but not all that fast.]
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Meanwhile, Junpei's game has begun on its own-- has he been paying too much attention to the others to dodge that first barrel?]
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He's also looking at the screen to see if Donkey Kong and the princess are still up at the top. If it's just playing the game? He can do this.]
Uh, maybe both of you try to not outright kill each other? That'd help a lot!
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[ it's annoying to literally have control wrested away from him any time he so much as attempts to divert his course. he's trying very hard to not strike her with his usual skill, instead focusing his attention on her weapon rather than edelgard herself, preferring to have metal clash against metal instead of spilling blood. maybe that'll be good enough for the shitty game demons? ]
Do you think... this is a fight to the death, or are we merely here to distract Junpei from concentrating on winning his game?
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Junpei, focus on your own trial. Your suggestions aren’t required.
[A little harsh but if he’s going to keep shouting at them to try not to murder one another, he’s going to get hurt himself.
She’s starting to come back to herself a little bit, the fighting revitalizing her somewhat. Nikkari is a skilled opponent. In any other circumstances, sparring against him would be thrilling.]
It’s a game, isn’t it? I imagine one of us must achieve victory to end it. I wonder if it can be done without bloodshed?
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As long as there's attacking going on and they target each other, the game demons seem satisfied enough, so Nikkari won't find he has too much trouble aiming for her weapon! And as for Edelgard's thought...
Junpei might have the answer to that. Once he clears part of the stage, the screen glitches and shakes, and the display at the top has changed:
P̵͉̠͊Ḽ̸̒̄Ȃ̵̦̑Y̵̲̐̈́E̷͈̊Ŕ̵̙̲:̸̱̹̄ ̷͍̊͑͜1̴̣̫͝0̶͉̭̂̎0̵́ͅ%̵̨̨́̃
̶̜͝P̴̙͌́O̸͈͚̔W̴͚̚E̸̺͆̈R̷̡̚ ̴̪̣̓S̴̡̞̏Ô̵̥͇Ù̷̝͇̾R̸̝̘̆͒C̵̄ͅĔ̷̜̐:̶̙͂ ̴̗̠̈́6̶͇͓̋̈́0̴̝̖͆̃%̴͙͠
The lights in the room dim, just slightly.
However, once the screen returns to normal, the difficulty has ramped up, and the game is still hit with the occasional glitch that makes it harder to see the screen.]
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Akane? [The name slips as he leans in closer to the screen, assuming it's a trick of the game and gritting his teeth. He's taking Edelgard's advice though and ignoring them, aware of that changing number. Run, Jumpy-sprite, run. He's busy moving the avatar to climb up a ladder and keeping an eye on his own screen.]
Power source is fucking up. [This is said to the other two as he tries to make the sprite run faster.] If it's victory though, is it between the two of you or all three of us?
[Granted, trying to make the sprite run faster means he skids a little past the other ladder he's trying to reach, and while he can clear one barrel, there's another that rolls and plows right into Jumpy-sprite.]
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[ spoken a little too soon there, though, it seems. he's a little distracted as he tries to carry on the conversation mid-battle, and he just barely dodges a swing from edelgard. he doesn't take the full brunt of the hit, but the spikes crowning the head of the axe manage to slice a shallow gash through one of his legs. he yelps in pain as blood starts to gather at the wound, but he remains standing as he strikes back at the weapon. it'll take more than a little cut to down a sword spirit. ]
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Stay focused! In a true battle, I'd have cut you down there.
[But as strong as she is, she's not as strong here as she is with her crest. She's growing less cautious as the fight goes on, the strain of having to wield her axe and armor (the dress is armor somehow) and keep up with his speed and skill beginning to wear on her.]
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When that barrel hits Junpei's sprite, he's also going to find out why he has those extra cables attached: there's a sudden jolt that will leave him feeling drained, and the screen shudders once more as the lights in the room become brighter again.
P̶̫̲̽L̷̹͐́A̵̦̕Y̶͔̓Ȅ̸̲͒R̶͔̺̊:̴͓̦̿ ̸̳͕͆8̷̢̟̀0̷͕̙̾͘%̵̌͆ͅ
̸̯̈́Ṕ̸͕̟̈́O̴̝̜̐W̶̮̣͋E̶̟͆Ȑ̸̟̗ ̵͖͋̆S̷̲͇͋O̶͍̬͆Ự̴R̴̥̯̕C̴̰̐̕Ẽ̵̛̬:̶͇̝̇͘ ̷̱͇̉͠7̸̩̭͗0̴̮̻́͝%̸̮̓͋]
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"Okay. So a 20% hit gives a 10% power boost. 30% down is 60%, and 60% out of 80% is 20%..."
Luckily he says none of this out loud, but he forces himself to face the screen, eyes scanning the game before moving the Jumpy-avatar up another ladder, running a short distance and grabbing a spare hammer. He uses it, swinging at a few incoming barrels, but he does nothing as one rolls directly into the avatar again.]
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the renewed sense of survival spurns something in him, though. just like how edelgard had thought about the thrill of battle as they exchanged blows, there's something about the blood slowly trickling down his leg that rouses the part of him that accepts he is, first and foremost, a weapon created to kill. baring his teeth in a wide, unsettling grin, his face darkens as he lunges now for edelgard herself. ]
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END.