[Enter scene: Reader, Random, and Desk lady to the Stage]
- Welcome to the Hotel -
[It's akin to a regular hotel but monumental-like. Vast enough to see a horizon and almost a sky, it runs on star power, which is essentially the analog to steam power, causing a steampunk-era vibe all across the whole place. It has all sorts of cogs, wheels, and spark plugs everywhere. Out from the ceiling hangs down massive chandeliers each the size of a town square. The fog up in the sky almost fully covers the base of the chandeliers, but nobody knows where it comes from, they think there's too much steam energy being put out.]
[The elevators have a slender body, and balance on one wheel,
to travel across immense distances throughout the hotel,
and each side has two windows,
with a cathedral head that curves up to point near the top. ]
- Please try to check in within the next two hours -
[Reader moves Random aside to talk]
"Ready to find comrades Kazuma!"
"Of course, I'm curious as to whatever your method may be,"
"How'd you know I was lying?"
"This hotel is massive, the only way it seems to get anywhere is to use one of these vehicle thingies,"
"Exactly Kazuma! We're going to ask for specific room numbers, to figure out the four cardinal directions, and then use them so we can exactly get to the place we want to. You see the big dome over our heads? We have to head in the direction of one of those big stars, which one do you want to go to? Keep in mind we have three hours."
"Let's try the biggest star, and see how far we get, if it's too far, let's run over to the next nearest one."
[Random and Reader look up to the dome, and lose their breath at the spectacular night sky, something was different, everything seems much brighter than before, even with the fog, you could see them walking in groups, some walking as wanderers, you could even see some of them take the elevators into their room.]
[Because of that fact the sky always looked brighter on the sides,
even though the bright ones always hung out in the middle]
[In the midst of them looking up they make a starling realization,]
"Is that what the galaxy we live in is? It was fog all this time?" [Random mentioned in awe]
[Reader reciprocates back the same energy]
"I know, it's wild,"
[Some groups talk about how surreal the whole place is in the background, for a moment Random and Reader forget their goal, Reader quickly puts them back on track,]
"The biggest one you say… lets go over to it then,"
[Reader and Randoms stars can be clearly seen in the middle of the dome where it lies, the biggest star rests on one of the edges, not on an elevator, but rather just resting in place.]
"It seems a bit far, no?" [Random says]
"It'll be fine–," [Reader is interrupted by an unforeseen memory]
[Please wait… ]
[The biggest star belongs to incarnation The Shield of Mortals]
The Shield of Mortals? Something has definitely changed in the future…
[Random takes another look at the sky while Reader is walking around stressfully, and notices all the higher beings and other big stars are moving towards something, it looks like they're all moving towards each other, he wonders if they've figured out how to find party members.]
[A line starts to form, two, a constellation has formed.]
[It looks as if the stars have aligned]
Act 9 - Hotel I
"You seeing this Yulihan?" [Random turns back for answers,]
"Well, depending on what happens next, we may need to hurry on about our endeavors"
Hopefully, its just [Team Player], or some other passive title,
{Praised Crusader}––{Testing, testing, does this thing actually work?}
{Master of Rabbits}––{I can't believe stuff like this could actually exist}
{Acquaintance of Errors}––{Any one want to party up? 56th Table}
{The Enlightened one}––{Any more of me out there? Stare at me if you might be a Higher Being}
…
{Suspicious Frog}––{!party members wanted come to the 138th table 1+ title required!}
{The Enlightened One}––{I guess not… oh? … There is one!}
{Digital Emporer}––{A little sad I have to leave my old life, behind, but also a bit not because I'm kind of good at this game}
{Master of Rabbits}––{Did you guys hear?}
{Digital Emporer}––{Hear what?}
{Suspicious Frog}––{!party members wanted come to the 138th table 1+ title required!}
{Groom of Wealth}––{What}
{Mutton Chops}––{I'm listening}
{Master of Rabbits}––{Two people have managed to have beaten a scenario with no casualties!}
{Mutton Chops}––{No casualties!?}
Oh? It seems like they're just having fun…
"Yulihan! Look, they're talking about us!"
"It does appear so,"
{Digital Emporer}––{What if they plan to beat all the scenarios with no deaths!?}
Ambitious Classroom}––{Thats insane}
{Groom of Wealth}––{I want those people in my party}
{Suspicious Frog}––{!party members wanted come to the 138th table 1+ title required!}
{Threshold of Energy}––{@ Suspicious Frog: Stop spamming}
{The Enlightened One}––{@ Threshold of Energy: LOL}
{Mutton Chops}––{I heard someone even got 100% contribution…}
{Groom of Wealth}––{WHAT! What title did he even get? Table 2342nd}
{Mutton Chops}––{It's a she}
{Threshold of Energy}––{That's what I'm thinking too, I've struggled to even get above 50%... people kept stealing my kills, Table 569th}
{The Enlightened One}––{Oh you guys don't know the half of it, I had EVERYONE on me, Table 1390th}
{Mutton Chops}––{@ Groom of Wealth: I think it's like Team Player, but the chat is her passive skill, shes also the biggest star}
When you activate a title in a scenario, its use is effectively permanent until the scenario is over, as for the hotel, when you activate it, it's permanently for use in the hotel until the day you die. It seems these people were smart enough to figure it out, confident enough to use it for fun too.
It makes sense they even figured out not to use their real names.
"I think we should go to the 2342nd table," [Random says]
"I think so as well."
"I'll get an elevator,"
[Random looks around to maybe see a checking counter of some sort, he doesn't, it's what he expected anyways]
"Open Checking Counter"
[Mechanical whirring can be heard, gears can be seen rolling, spark plugs seem to appear out of thin air, a desk, then a desk lady appears]
"Checking-in for who today?"
"Kazuma Vanderbilt, and Yulihan Yeogsaga,"
"Kazuma and Yulihan, we've heard a lot about your adventures! Please, which room would you like?"
[The 586th room will be the second fastest way to your destination!]
[To Readers surprise, Random says the correct room number] "568th room shall be our next stop!"