[IC Board] All the World's a Game - Season II

[WriggleRid3r]

Groznyj Grad - Russia

---

"Bio-organic creatures are pretty horrific. Good thing they don't exist here." Sheva chuckled as she uneasily handled her mini-SMGs.

"Yes, we're ready." Rengar nodded. Sniper grunted. "Who starts first? Shall we tell you of our plan first?"

---

Voile - Gensokyo

---

"Staying still quietly and not trashing my library is the only way you can help me." Patchouli glared at Jack with indifferent but annoyed look. Then she transferred that look to Sakuya and reprimanded her as well. "Were you really not able to keep this man suppressed? You are a failure, as a chief maid."

[S121]

Outside Eientei - Bamboo Forest of The Lost - Gensokyo | Dusk

John couldn't help but lightly shake his head and feel a little sympathetic towards Utsuho's misfortune. As John pulled out the deactivated Energy Sword, he looked at Utsuho and spoke.

"Hold still. This sword is very sharp, and I don't want to cut you.", John calmly said as he activated the sword.

Just then, John activated the Energy Sword, causing a blue, double-tipped blade to erupt from the handle with a loud, violent hiss.

*PSSSSSHHHHH*

After activating the blade, John wasted no time in hovering closer to her and carefully cutting away the bamboo above Utsuho's wings, taking his time for each pole to ensure that he did not touch Utsuho's wings with the blade. Each pole blackened around where the Energy Sword cut before falling to the ground below, and when John finished with the bamboo above Utsuho's wings, he quickly got to work on the bamboo below her wings as well, taking the same amount of time and care as before. after half a minute, the bamboo that was restricting Utsuho fell away and down towards the ground, freeing her.








Emberlight

Takoizu was a little curious about all the items The Higher Power had bought, especially the abnormally large pill. What exactly were they up against? Why would they need such a large pill? Was it even a pill? was it needed for some kind of giant monster? Takoizu had no idea, but she was hoping to find out, preferable before they delved into the unknown.

"So, what did you get?", Takoizu asked The Higher Power in a curious tone and she leaned slightly towards him, focusing on the bag he was holding.










Interrogation Room - Sector 2 - Prometheus Labs | Dawn

after hearing Volgin's reasons for coming here, she couldn't help but cross her arms and half-furrow her brow. Halsey was many things, some of them negative, and some of them truer than she would have liked to admit, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it was stupid.

"Join the Neo-Yakuza? What kind of organization do you take us for? We know what the Neo-Yakuza does, especially to Characters. We know about your operations, like how you recruit Characters, and if they don't comply, how you subjugate them. After Base 7, we decided to dig a little deeper. Not only do we know that your organization was trying to replicate the SPARTAN-III Serums, we also know about the experiments you were performing in Base 3, as well as its destruction. If anything, your organization is the exact reason why we have an active SPARTAN division.", Halsey said to Volgin in a cold, almost spiteful tone.

[WriggleRid3r]

Eientei - Gensokyo

---

"I can move my wings now! Thanks John!" Utsuho, being able to flap her wings now, flew over and hugged John... A little too close for comfort for a married man like John.

[S121]

Outside Eientei - Bamboo Forest of The Lost - Gensokyo | Dusk

John was happy to see that Utsuho was so grateful for his help, but he couldn't help but slightly blush in his helmet as she hugged him and got a little too close for comfort. John had no idea what it was, but there was something that made him feel as if this hug was somewhat uncomfortable.

"*ahem* Uh-heh, no problem.", John said to Utsuho in a slightly nervous tone as he unconsciously scratched at the back of his head.

[SUSTIC]

Hilly Field - Outside Prometheus Labs - London | Dawn

Eve stopped as she continued to try to regain control. She was having a bit of a difficult time. The Queen's Throne's original purpose was to be used in the war against humans, however the war against humans had ended centuries ago in her world. The only reason why she needed the Queen's Throne was to keep up with the foes that were growing ever so stronger in her world, not to go on a murderous rampage.

The Queen's Throne was too strong though. She could not regain control. "M-Must destroy all humans within vicinity... must-" She said as she paused. Images of her "friends" began to came to mind. Chung, Raven, Rena, Aisha, Ara... and Elsword. As these images flashed to mind Eve began to settle down... this was indicated by the lens on her forehead turning back to a pinkish-blue color.

[S121]

Hilly Field - Outside Prometheus Labs - London | Dawn

Jack could see that the crystal on her forehead was changing back to a bluish color, most likely indicating that she was returning to normal. Jack didn't want to risk sending Eve back into a murderous episode, so he remained still, but was ready to doge the Nasod Spears if she threw them. In an attempt to calm her down, as well as to gauge her current condition, Jack decided to ask Eve a question.

"Are you alright? Is the code under control?", Jack asked Eve in a calm tone, taking care not to set her off.

[Koishi]

Catacombs

---

"And who says I was asking you to be on the front lines, you idiot? I'm just as human as you, and i'm here to find out what is causing all this shit. I'm not asking you to fight, i'm asking you to assist me until we hit the source. After that, flee like the coward you are if you want, i won't stop you. But until then, you stick with me, or I send you to the deepest, darkest place I know of where I know for a fact you won't survive. Here, you have a good 77% percent chance of living. Take those odds against what might happen otherwise. Besides, wouldn't whoever you're working for benefit from all the info gleamed from this experience?" The Huntress stated clearly, seriously, and with a tone as sharp as a blade.

---

Emberlight

---

Well, various things." HP held up the bag, then put it on the ground gently, opening it. There were 5 pairs of vials of various colors, a dark, somewhat scarlet colored one, a yellow one, a turquoise one, a orange one, and one the color of ice. Next to it was the abnormally sized pill.

Elemental vials. Really damaging and inflicts status upon enemies. He pointed to them in their respective order. "Curse, Stun, Shock, Fire, and Freeze. There's also the pill."

[WriggleRid3r]

Outside Eientei - Gensokyo

---

Utsuho liberated John and flapped her wings two or three more times to get used to her wing movements again. "Are we ready now? I'm getting antsy about the fight."

[Cucoo5]

Catacombs

Eleos stopped for a moment, contemplating things. Finally, he chuckled guiltily. "Heh, guess it's just instinct for me...to hightail it out of a situation when there's a crowd." he shook his head. "So be it, but for the records: I don't exist."

[wonderweiss]

Prometheus Labs Interrogation Room

---

Volgin then fixed his posture and turned his grin into a frown(y face).

"We do it because characters are dangerous. they are constantly known as two thing: a gift from the gods... And a possible threat."

He reached into his coat.

"Ma'am, have you ever heard of the inFamous Thesis? If you 'studied' hard enough on the Neo-Yakuza, you should have. A character can turn to be two ways: a protagonist and an antagonist. Not to mention that more characters mean a higher population, less area left over, more resources taken up and some countries cannot afford that. We offer characters somewhere they can afford to live, not subjugation. Sure, we run tests, but this is a golden opportunity."

He stood up and began pacing.

"When you think about it, there are really two kinds of people. Those cowering and those willing to stand up and take. With the arrival of characters, we just uncovered a gold-bejeweled pandora's box. It's people like them -- people like us -- that make the superpowers of the real world kiss the ground we tread. And once they're done kissing up to us, they want our abilities. The Neo-Yakuza is one of those superpowers, and with the rate we stand at, we may just be able to become so powerful we overthrow everyone else. You can even say that Neo-Yakuza is a nation of its own at this point. There is no denying it anymore. Where we go from there, only two people know: the second most powerful man in the Neo-Yakuza, the Base 1 Leader... And the single most powerful man in Neo-Yakuza, if not the world, the leader of all of Neo-Yakuza."

He faced her, still pacing.

"These are dark times. We already reached a breaking point between America and China, and it's only a matter of time before every other country breaks with their enemies. We, having just formed, are small in comparison to most countries, but we are a country, no doubt. This is a war of economy, wits, and overall power, and every single country wants that, and would go great lengths to achieve the power to grow their countries. Even if it means using us. Neo-Yakuza is simply a means of trying to harness that power. That's why we need characters, allies... Organizations."

He sat back down.

"That's why we've asked your organization to align with us. You can rise with us to power. After all, think about this. Sure, your labs have advanced technology, but at one point you'll run out of funds to support that technology. Then what are you going to do? It's basic human psychology that a human will do things as long as something comes out of it. We get some information on your technology, you get the funds to support and even progress that technology."




Voile

---

"My... Apologies... Miss... But he is a strong one..." Sakuya muttered.

Just then, Jack had an idea. He began slowly rolling with all his might. He was headed for the edge of the floor down to the next level below. As a matter of fact, his plan involved going to the lowest point. At one point, he finally rolled off the edge. He was falling very fast due to the gravity. He formed a bullet dive position and his speed greatly increased.

"This is gonna hurt!" He said to himself.

Just then, he crashed into the solid ground, creating a large crater with a big hole in the middle going deeper.




Groznyj Grad

---

"Going over the plan would be nice," Snake said.

The group sat down at a nearby table.

[WriggleRid3r]

Voile Library - Gensokyo

---

"Damn." Patchouli knew what Jack was planning: he was going to make a hole in her library. But too late to make the gravity back to normal, OR changing the air friction around to stop his momentum. "Sakuya. Call Remilia and Flandre. A varmin like this must be put to death before he endangers anyone."

---

Scarlet Devil Mansion - Gensokyo

---

"Welcome back, Mistress!"

Remilia entered her mansion to notice something odd. The fairy maids were on high alert, guarding the entrance to the library and cleaning up mess at the front lobby. No Sakuya around to help them.

"What's going on?" Remilia asked a fairy maid cleaning the rubble. "Was there an attack?"

"An intruder, mistress! He beat miss Sakuya and headed into the library!"

"This is serious. If this intruder has the power to defeat Sakuya, that means Patchouli might be in danger as well." Remilia assessed. "We have no time to lose. You, pirate man, follow me! Fairy, you did good work. Keep cleaning the mess as best as you can."

"Yes, mistress!" The fairy maid nodded and went back to business.

---

Groznyj Grad - Russia

---

"Believe it or not, we were stranded here." Rengar began. "We came from Australia, hunting down Neo Yakuzas and their Base 2, until some stuff happened and we ended up here. Snake knows the entire details, so I wouldn't go into it."

"For the past 4 months, we've been working our butts off trying to afford our way back to Australia." Sheva continued. "It was hard work, mercenary working and all, but we have enough money to buy a helicopter."

"But... Something came up."

[S121]

Outside Eientei - Bamboo Forest of The Lost - Gensokyo | Dusk

John was glad that Utsuho had finally broken her embrace and quickly recovered his calm composure.

"Yes. I finished gathering everyone, so now we can go.", John said to Utsuho as he hovered down and closed his Corridor of Darkness from before.

After landing, John waited for Utsuho to land as well, so that they could go inside. After all, John remembered that Utsuho didn't like to travel using the Corridors of Darness, and it was always nice to walk instead of simply teleporting.





Emberlight

Takoizu nodded as The Higher Power listed off what each vial did and thought about how they could use each one. Perhaps they would come across an enemy that was only weak against status effects.

"What is the pill for?", Takoizu asked The Higher Power in a curious tone.





Interrogation Room - Sector 2 - Prometheus Labs | Dawn

After Volgin had finished speaking, Dr. Halsey remained silent for a couple seconds and quietly thought about what he said. After a long pause, Halsey finally spoke.

"You say that Characters are dangerous, but you do not even consider humans as a part of your little thesis. Just like Characters, humans can be seen as either a gift from the gods, or a very serious threat. I've read your inFamous Thesis, and all I can say is that all of it was a given from the start, that Characters behave just as normal humans do. All you did was put the obvious onto paper. Just as how humans would act, Characters would surely treat this world as their second chance, treat it as a new opportunity. Using their morals, experiences, and habits, they set goals for themselves and choose what lives they want to live. Just like humans, they decide to be either good, or bad. The only difference is power, but if there is one thing that age has taught me, it's that power does not ensure victory. Even you can fall to a mere human with a good head on their shoulders."

"As for countries being up in arms, that is nothing new. Humans have killed each other for less than power. There has never been a time when humans have not been at each other's throats, and the introduction of Characters is no exception. It will not end with Characters, just as how it didn't just end with the creation of the Atomic Bomb. It is a cycle of violence that started the very moment humans learned to bang rocks together, and it will never end until we as a species, die off. We are here to ensure that malignant, hostile countries don't gain enough power to threaten the natural political order of the world, and if you consider yourself a country, then we will give you what you want. We'll treat you like a country."

"You clearly do not know where we stand in terms of finances or resources. We are given grants and resources by various sources, sources that benefit from our technological advances. Even if the grants and the resources stopped coming in, we have enough to last years before running low on either one. I will not allow our Labs to be used to help the Neo-Yakuza gain the power they need. I know what they do to Characters.", Dr. Halsey said before taking out a couple sheets of paper from the manila folder in front of her and showed Volgin the information on them.

On the papers were various intelligence reports on the Neo-Yakuza's Character Trafficking operations, each one with a picture of the victimized Character, as well as the faces of some of the agents. Not only that, there were also destinations for each "delivery". Addresses, the amount of money paid for the Characters, and many other pieces of information that led straight back to the Neo-Yakuza.

"Manuel Terez, a member of a Drug cartel of in Mexico and an operative in Mexico City. Sophitia Granche, a wealthy businesswoman from Athens, Greece. There are many others than just those two. In fact, there's even dropoff locations at the SK Gaming Headquarters, the Hokkaido Hotel, and even the Hong Kong Triad Branch. You're selling Characters like slaves, as objects. You are a part of all this. When the Neo-Yakuza cannot recruit a Character by choice, they do so with lies, extortion, and force. As far as I care, you're a disgrace to your own kind for helping them do this.", Dr. Halsey coldly said as she then tapped on a part of the table between Volgin an herself.

Just then, a Hardlight, holographic screen appeared out from the table and hovered in the air and a video was suddenly played. On the video was a group of Characters; a fox humanoid, a small, blue robotic boy, a keyblader, a green-haired woman with a parasol, a large man in bulky, green armor, and various others. As the security footage played, Volgin could see the humanoid fox sneaking through the corridors of Base 3, searching for any hostages, the blue robotic boy fighting alongside a woman that was firing off what could only be described as "curved lasers", the Keyblader placing magic bombs along various surfaces in the building's infrastructure, the green-haired woman fighting the twisted abominations inside of Base 3's labs, and the armored green giant wielding a Gau-16, mowing down countless Neo-Yakuza personnel and Characters. For a moment, Halsey seemed to focus more on the green giant than any other part of the security footage, as if the person in the video was important to her, but after every couple of seconds, she would shift her gaze to the other Characters assaulting Base 3.

"As you can see, we know about Base 3's destruction. Soon after its destruction, we sent spies in and had them collect all the intel they could from the site, all without leaving a trace of their existence. We know about everything that the Neo-Yakuza were doing in Japan; how they operated, their protocols and procedures, and even their research data... The Neo-Yakuza are even worse than their predecessors. They need to be wiped from the planet."

"Prometheus Labs will never be your ally, not while I'm still in charge of it. I did not create this facility for power, I created it as a way to advance technology, as a way to help humanity advance as a species, as my second chance. That is why I have to decline your offer.", Dr. Halsey finished, leaning back to her normal seated position.

[wonderweiss]

Prometheus Labs Interrogation Room

---

Volgin remained silent. Then, after a while, he spoke.

"... Very well. I would imagine the leader would respect your decision."

Volgin closed his eyes.

"... However, I'm not one to leave empty handed. I would like to ask a small favor of you, if that is alight with you. You may benefit from it."

His eyes shot open. "I want you to try to find out everything you can on the Base 1 leader. What is he? What game he is from?"

He took out a folder of papers. However, this folder wasn't given the Neo-Yakuza logo. He took out some paperwork.

"I've been trying to find out for quite a while. He isn't human. I had collaborated with the leader of base 5 Intelligence base as he was also curious. We found his name was Ases Inozuka. I noted that there was a boy with the same last name, but he couldn't possibly be it. He was picked up off the streets, leaving us with the option that it was a typo and that he may be related to a character from the Touhou series named Komachi Onozuka who also used to work with us. We cannot find anymore information than that. I want to know what he is. You need that information as well if you want to beat him. I don't give a damn about the Neo-Yakuza or what they're after! All I can imagine is how big it's gotten! There is only one thing I know of that can possibly give them the funds to build the Neo-Yakuza, and that is the Philosopher's Legacy! My legacy! I don't care about what anyone else wants! I shall not be treated as someone's lapdog anymore! Do you hear me Ases?! Damn you and your-"

Suddenly, Volgin collapsed on the ground, holding his head.

"Gh! Damn it! The drug! It's... Wearing down!..."

That will be enough, Volgin. Return immediately.

There was a faint voice from Volgin's ear. It was almost audible.

"... Damn... You... I thought I made it clear... I didn't want to be... A part of your damnable company!"




Voile

---

Sakuya got up.

"Yes miss." And with that, she disappeared.


She reappeared in front of Remilia having used her power to stop time to make haste.

"Mistress! There's a problem in Voile! An intruder has entered the mansion for unknown reasons without notification! Where is Mistress Flandre?"




Groznyj Grad

---

Snake sat up. "Something? What happened?"

Otori had been thinking to himself. I dunno. I've been doing the same thing and I kinda enjoy it. Hell, wouldn't mind if I could stay in Groznyj Grad. It's an artifact!

Gerard hit him on the back of the head.

"What the hell was that for, gramps?! Don't tell me you can read minds!"

"When it comes to you, I don't need to," he replied.

[S121]

Interrogation Room - Sector 2 - Prometheus Labs | Dawn

Dr. Halsey was genuinely surprised when Volgin gave her all the intel he could find on the Neo-Yakuza's leader. Just a moment ago, Volgin seemed to be sided with them, but after she declined his offer, he suddenly changed. What exactly was going on here? Right before Halsey could ask Volgin about his ties to the Neo-Yakuza, Volgin suddenly fell to the floor and grabbed at his head as he writhed in pain. As soon as Volgin began to seemingly speak to himself, Halsey knew what was happening. Volgin was using some kind of earpiece to talk with somebody, similarly to how security guards from The Labs would talk to each other. Thinking quickly, Halsey considered the possibility of a drug effecting Volgin and thought up of a plan. She knew that The Lab's Infirmary had drugs that could purge a person's system and cure them of withdrawal symptoms, or at least suppress them. As for the person speaking to him, finding the signal was one of her highest priorities. If Halsey was correct, Volgin's earpiece most likely had a secure frequency, which meant that there would only be a few available frequencies on his communicator. That meant that the frequency could be quickly and easily traced, and thanks to Daniel being next to her, they could get the information as fast as the transmission could travel back to the Neo-Yakuza's base.

"Daniel, trace the signal coming from Volgin's earpiece, and get him to the infirmary. Tell the doctors that he is under the influence of Class-VI drug.", Dr. Halsey said to Daniel in a serious tone.

"Yes Ma'am.", Daniel said as he quickly activated his communicator and adjusted it to Volgin's frequency as he quickly, yet gracefully hopped over the table.

As soon as Daniel landed on the other side of the table, he quickly grabbed Volgin and lifted him up.

"Don't worry, we'll get you help.", Daniel said to Volgin as he ran out of the room with him in his arms.

Meanwhile, Halsey grabbed the intel Volgin had given her and held it tightly, partially worrying for him, as well as trying to figure out who exactly this Neo-Yakuza leader was. Whoever he was, it was clear that he held no regard for the lives of those under his control.

[WriggleRid3r]

Eientei - Gensokyo

---

Utsuho followed suit, closely behind John to make sure she does not lose ways in the hypnotic hallways of Eientei.

---

"Then let's start with a simple blood test." Eirin began by drawing a syringe and injecting the tiny needle into Max's arms. Red hot blood began filling the syringe, but only a little was extracted to prevent Max from getting anemic. She then applied a drop to a petri dish and used her microscope to check the blood.

---

Voile - Gensokyo

---

"Isn't she at the basement, like she usually is?" Remilia pointed down the stairs. "I'll take over from here, get to your duties."

---

Groznyj Grad - Russia

---

"We were contacted by an unknown man by the name of K." Rengar said as he brought out an audio recorder. "We don't know who it is, or where he is from, we can only infer that this K person is a male."

"K told us that he has top information about the Neo Yakuza executives. But we're not sure if this is a trap or not." Sheva tagged along the conversation. "Our plan right now is to track this K person down and see whether he is truly an enemy of the Neo-Yakuza or a well-fabricated trap."