Exio (narrating): Sooo many failures. I paid for most of those mistakes myself, but sometimes it included others. Paying for my own mistakes is normal, and I have to use myself as a resource to move forward. Brute force is all I know, but do I really have to give up on everyone else I care about?
Exio (narrating): I tried leaving everyone back at base. I knew they were targeted, but I thought they could handle it. But then they all died to [REDACTED] for some reason. Had to think a lot more about that since HE brought more to his side.
Exio (narrating): I found an alternate self with similar circumstances and tried telling my group to leave our hideout. But then that plan blew up when the heroes came too early, we tired ourselves out, and then some void Monster came by and killed us all.
Exio (narrating): I tried. I'm still trying. I remember everything that happens. If we're using my standards, the time-axis is screwed to hell with the past and future mixed up. In that sense, I'm just as crazy as heroes. But it's still different seeing one parallel world compared to thousands and more. I have no idea where I am. I barely have a sense of myself because I'm the one who met the Broker. Everyone else was just collateral shoved into me. So I have to keep going so I can [REDACTED] the Broker. I just can't hack it yet, so I tried setting new plans up that might work (MC). Somehow. I tried other plans (The Alliance) because I had to. And I had other plans (Team Exio) that I thought were usable at first. I had no expectations, but...
*Present, Reverse Imaginary Point Lab
Yoshiori: Exio, they're starting to move.
Exio (narrating): Wait where am I? Who's they? I had to push myself into my head to make sense of everything. Then I got up to speed.
Exio: Thanks Yoshiori. So, MC, Monomasa, and Seiichirou's servant. Figured as much.
Yoshiori: Yeah. They also have this dragon guy?
Exio: (surprised finger twitch) ...oh. He's alive? Huh.
Yoshiori: You know him?
Exio: Yeah, he calls me a companion. He'd definitely join MC since he likes interesting things. Still, them's the breaks, huh? I'm watching this bubble world, meaning he can use his hero power willy-nilly. Small mercies for your enemies, eh?
Yoshiori: ...are we really going on with this?
Exio: Uh, yeah? I've been saying I can finally fulfill my goals now. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance where the Broker can't see here, the Unique candidate is here and the world is fragile. Really, I got to thank MC for all this luck.
Yoshiori: ...oh. I guess...I got to thank them too.
Exio: Yes, here I can make as many Monsters as I want, not like usual. The more they destroy, the more unobservable this world becomes. It sucks that this has turned to Plan B instead of Plan A, but oh well, this is luckier than before.
Yoshiori: ...couldn't we have done something else?
Yoshiori is hoping SUPER hard.
Exio: Huh. (turns to Yoshiori, still smiling) Do YOU have a better idea?
Yoshiori: ...no, sorry.
Exio: It's okay. If this works, we'll lose almost nothing. I told you already, and you agreed didn't you?
Yoshiori: ...yes, I did. I won't leave you alone, Exio.
Exio: ...thanks. Really. I suck at fighting, so I have to do this instead.
Exio uses the interdimensional mud inside the Path to make a Replica!
Exio (narrating): I have to do with no prep but lots of experience. And other mes are doing this too. We've made like a crap ton already. Almost time to stop making fakes and start making self-replicas.
Exio: Awaken, Id Replica.
Warping Paths threaten to wreck the world and create dense Ether fragments that Exio puts himself into! Cracks spread from the hole on Exio's chest!
Yoshiori: Oh my god Exio!
Id Replica has appeared! It's way stronger than the fake Monsters Exio made! Also it looks like it's suffering. It barfs out mud or whatever.
Exio: Yep, struggling hard to live. Just like me.
Yoshiori: E-Exio, what is that?
Id Replica: [Weird Screaming]
Strange lights! It's totally going to destroy everything!
Exio: Good, it has a mind.
He sounds casual. Like he decided this was happening before.
Exio: Okay Yoshiori, let's go. I'll watch your dream, so will you watch my crazy dream through?
Yoshiori: ...okay.
Imaginary Point
Light falls, pushing through eyelids.
Sui: ...morning?
Sui's been having a nap inside a tent in the lab entrance lobby, still in her hero suit. It's not wrinkled at all.
Sui: A normal dress would be wrinkled. I wonder if I can make a real dress like this? I should talk to Crowne and Master.
Soft.
Sui: Oh right, I should check what's happening and talk to Seiichirou.
Seiichirou is sitting outside the tent.
Sui: Morning, sorry I'm late. How's the wall?
Seiichirou: Morning. It's been holding up, like your suit. And don't worry about oversleeping since our defenses rest on you.
Sui's hero threads are holding the barriers together.
Seiichirou: It'd have been nice to admire your pretty threads without the horrible Monsters outside.
There's a ton of them outside, silently trying to ram the barriers down. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
Sui: Wow. You were right with your suggestion earlier.
Seiichirou: Right? Who could sleep with those watching you? We also have this VP we still can't figure out where it's coming from too.
Sui: Yeah. There's way too much for who could be watching. And there shouldn't even be much in terms of people who can.
Crowne: Morning guys. Good nap?
Sui: Morning. And yes.
Crowne: Nice. Wasn't much, but still helpful. Oh right, thanks for keeping Sui's suit up, Seiichirou.
Seiichirou: No worries. We're all in this together at this point, so we should be open.
Crowne: Cool, I suck at staying considerate all the time!
Sui: Well we could only sleep thanks to the thing you and Grigory made. (points at machinery added to the barriers)
Seiichirou: It was a surprise when you suddenly yelled about the noise, but it helped a lot.
Crowne: Looks like it's working, huh? High end stuff since I got Grigory to help. The Active Noise Canceller really is making the material quality work.
Sui: What?
Crowne: Like how salting crab makes it tastier!
Seiichirou: Crude, but understandable I suppose.
Crowne, Sui, and Seiichirou head to a table put in the center of the lobby being used as a temp command center. Grigory's in a corner messing with machine parts. Food and water is stacked in another.
Crowne: Welp, a siege huh? Reminds me of school.
Sui: ...what happened in your school years?
Crowne: Secret! Everyone needs a place to think now and then.
Grigory and Huckle are working on stuff.
Sui (narrating): We take turns sleeping. We're last.
Sui: Okay then!
Sui (narrating): I slapped my cheeks, but Master would disapprove of that. But she'd also say "oh well, get ready." Time to focus.
Akashi: Oh, you're up? Grigory's got some analysis done.
Mokdai: Morning Sui. Things still unstable around here.
Akashi: I needed Huckle to dumb it down for me! Grigory's been getting pissier.
Mokdai: Yeah, lots of grumbling. I'm worried, but kinda scared to talk to him.
Sui (narrating): They're thinking hard on something, but it's comforting to see.
Sui: Thanks. I need to check on the walls.
Akashi: Okay. Don't push yourself too hard!
Sui: Hang on MC, we'll find you.
Later
Grigory: Stuck, weeeeh... (slams into table)
Akashi: OMG are you okay!?
Grigory: Yuuuup. The psychic damage is worse, maaaan.
Akashi: The pings not working?
Grigory: uggggh I thought they would. This suuucks... they have the port light, so whyyyy?
Ryekie: Oh yeah, weren't you surprised about the Monsters showing up before?
Flashback!
Grigory: Monsters? How???
Present
Huckle: Oh yeah huh...what did you mean by that?
Grigory: Oh, did I not explain? whooops.
Grigory: Okay, so. Like, I'mma explain some other stuff first before answering, mkaaay. Remember when I talked about unobservable zones?
Melide: Yes. Something about how they stabilized after the lab was made?
Grigory: Yeah, unobservable means you can't do existence verification, mkaaay.
Mokdai: Um, do they go all black or something?
Grigory: Nah, black means something's still there. Like the closest thing I can think of is damage caused by Monsters, mkaaay.
Flash of Mt. Fuji!
Seiichirou: Like the confirmation of something's absence by checking its surroundings?
Grigory: Yuuup. Like observing ether flow. But unobservable stuff can't even be seen by Observers. This whole meeting was originally about how unobservable areas were expanding and how to find them. Except, like, all this happened...
Huckle: Hmm...
Grigory: So back to the Monsters thing. When the Paths starting bugging out, unobservable areas tend to expand. Especially when ether distorts and--
Mokdai: OMG Akashi what's wrong!?
Akashi: ...nothing. Brain broke, thinking too hard...
Grigory: Whooops, sorry about that. TLDR: with more unobservable areas I didn't expect Monsters to show up... (suddenly freezes)
Sui: Grigory? Wha--
Grigory: Oh my GAWWWD that's it! (starts keyboard mashing)
Grigory: That part was weird to begin with! I limited it to our world and the Imaginary Point, but what if we search parallel worlds? Uhhhh, I need to check the signal strength and...
Melide: Um, what's happening?
Crowne: Grigory, explain!
Grigory: ...oh! S-sorry. Remember how I said I thought Monsters showing up was impossible? But if Monsters appear, then Paths are connected. But where tooo?
Akashi: Uh, our world?
Grigory: Maybe, but unlikely. Remember why?
Seiichirou: ...oh right, all those conditions to get here.
Grigory: Right. Hard to believe the Monsters could do that...
Typing intensifies.
Grigory: But I'd been limiting our search to only our world and the Imaginary Point. Since the Imaginary Point is closed, I didn't think a parallel world could have one too buuut... okay, I'mma use a ton of power here!
Dramatic button press! Coordinate data is getting defined!
Akashi: What!? Is that where MC is!?
Grigory: Yuuup! That's the data from MC's port...light...oh...
Sui: Why are the numbers jumping around?
Grigory: mkaaay I was wrong. This is... (looks around at everyone)
Huckle: ...please tell us, even if it's bad news.
People nod.
Grigory: ...okay, so. There's like, a really high chance MC is in an even more unstable world. I've seen these numbers from before the lab was built and the unobservable areas were expanding.
Mokdai: T-then we have to save them soon! Can we connect there!?
Seiichirou: ...agreed
Grigory: Well...
Huckle: Is it going to be hard?
Grigory: ...yeaaah. The coordinates aren't locked down so....
Heavy silence...
Akashi: Okay, time to make a new plan then.
Ryekie: Right!
Grigory: But...
Akashi: Oh, I don't doubt you. I'm not being desperate, and I can do without being hit by these guys again.
Mokdai and Sui smile.
Akashi: So maybe we should check MC's room again.
Grigory: Hmm...I guess?
Seiichirou: Okay then. So, do we start planning with how to get past the Monsters?
Ryekie: Yeah, they're still spawning, and we still need to hold the fort. Huckle, can you handle this end? I'll lead the away team!
Huckle: Alright. Grigory, Crowne, Sui? Come over here.
Sui: Okay. So Crowne, should we double pad the threads?
Crowne: Or we could do the messy thing and make another exit.
Everyone starts getting ready. Except for Grigory, he's standing there staring.
Grigory: Huh. Maybe I've gotten rusty...
Everyone's determined to act, even if nothing turns up.
Grigory: Hey Huckle? Parallel Flight's a niiiice agency.
Huckle: I know, right? By the way, we still have an opening for a tech advisor.
Grigory: !?
Grigory: Haha, coool. Maybe I should think about it. Mkaaay, time to pack up my measuring tools!
Things quiet down a little, but not oppressively like before.
Sui: Wait what's happening?
Mokdai: Uh, it's supposed to ring when it connects with MC's port light?
Akashi: I guess? But uhh...
Akashi, Sui, and Mokdai's port lights are ringing!
Grigory: You three! Give me your port lights now! (grabs)
Grigory: Log check...okay not a bug...uhhhh what, coordinates located?
Akashi: W-what's going on?
Grigory: We got a lock on MC's location! Somehow! Uh, everyone's data is slightly different. Whatever, standard deviation or something! (starts typing)
Huckle: Does this mean we can go to where MC is?
Grigory: Uh, not yet. We have one, two...? Well we got some gambles to make. Soooo, who here sucks under time pressure?
End of Episode
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