KAIJU FIGHT #2

[synfluxmods]

KAIJU FIGHT #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: electrophobia, body horror, death/injury, gore, violence.

▶ 001. IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

On the 1st of April, Outsiders will be rudely awakened by the sudden voice of Captain Yamakawa:

"Angels of Lilith. I require your immediate attention. Through your efforts at extracting information from our captives, and intel collected by our intelligence team, we have located the culprits who have stolen our specimens and are conducting illegal experiments. Your mission briefing will arrive shortly. Take caution, however. The Neo Tokyo Meteorological Agency is reporting strange abnormalities in their readings. We will look further into this. For now, stay sharp and be prepared."

The alarm will sound in the base, urging all Outsiders to suit up, bring their weapons and get ready for the mission. A location pin will then be downloaded into their implant, along with an associated mission briefing. The location will lead to an abandoned amusement park that might be familiar to some - Tokyo Disneyland. The brief will report that according to intel, there is an unauthorized research facility hidden within the premises. Outsiders are to locate it, storm it, and seize any lab specimens they can find.

To get to the theme park, characters will be able to take trains to the edge of Neo Tokyo where they can then be transported by armored trucks through what remains of old roads. Eventually, when the terrain becomes too destroyed and overgrown with brush, they’ll have to travel by foot the rest of the way. However, they will have to be careful because it looks like someone has laid out traps. Some of them are designed to capture animals but others are clearly booby traps meant to deter intruders.

From the outside, nothing looks out of the ordinary in this old park - there are classic attractions such as Cinderella’s castle, the Haunted Mansion, Alice’s Teacup ride, the Western River Railroad, and many, many more. While most of the rides are weathered down and no longer functional, there are plenty of old gift shops and carnival game booths with prizes to take home for free (if you don’t mind a really old Minnie Mouse doll).

LILITH was not able to pinpoint exactly where this secret laboratory is hidden within the enormous park, and it’s now up to the Outsiders to find it. All implants will be fitted with a heat-seeking function to allow Outsiders to detect anomalies within the park.

The first part of the mission is simple: Scour the rides and attractions and find the entrance.

Outsiders may encounter more booby traps while searching the park. Traps will range from making parts of attractions and buildings collapse on intruders to more elaborate and high-tech ones like electric fields or explosive traps. Players are more than welcome to come up with their own traps so long as it fits the setting.

▶ 002. BOO WHO?

Eventually, Outsiders will find themselves drawn to the Haunted Mansion, where there appear to be several abnormal signs of life. While the mansion would hardly have been scary to anyone but children several hundred years ago, centuries without any sort of maintenance have turned the place into a real nightmare. Pitch darkness, decrepit fake graves that look like they could be real ones, and the mysterious chatter of – is that a ghost? There are flickers of life within the old animatronics, and ever so often you might see a skeleton or zombie twitch. They might even take a swing at an unsuspecting Outsider.

The deeper into the mansion you travel, the more power it appears to have, until the Outsiders reach a door that appears to be heavily guarded by a group of humans holding vicious chimeras on a leash.

Once LILITH receives this intel, the next order is given: Storm the lab immediately!

▶ 003. LET'S GECK-GO!

As the Outsiders infiltrate the lab, the air buzzes with electricity and everyone's hair begins to stand on end not from fear but from the sheer amount of energy generated. There may be a lot of machines generating a lot of power and some of it may be spilling excess electricity into the air but this feels different. It feels more potent.

Suddenly, the park comes to life. Old generators buzz to life, staticky music begins to play on the worn out speakers, and the lights begin to flash. From the overgrowth surrounding the park, trees begin to topple over. It is obvious that something is approaching and whatever it is seems to have a lot of energy. From the trees, a giant, gecko-like creature emerges. The air around it sparks and each step it takes generates a wave of electricity that follows the many wires and systems laid out underground.

The energy at the park seems to be drawing the unknown kaiju towards the park and more geckos appear from the forests behind it. They move quickly through the park and climb over the buildings and attractions. When they see a hybrid or a person nearby, they will stun them with their electric fields and try to eat them. As they begin to swarm the park, they go into a feeding frenzy that infects the air around them. Rides begin to spin faster, the music grows louder, lights explode, and the more electricity and power the geckos absorb, the bigger they become when they shed their skins.

One gecko in particular grows faster than the others. This one will keep growing with no apparent end in sight and begins climbing over the highest rides until they topple under its weight. Outsiders will have to avoid collapsing rubble and climb over ruined attractions to take down this kaiju while also stopping the other geckos from growing to the same size.

After dealing with the gecko kaiju for some time without any information, a report will finally come in:

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Yamadenki
HEIGHT: 3 metres- unknown (does not stop growing)
WEIGHT: 1,500-70,000 kg
CLASS: Dangerous
LOCATION: Kanto, Japan
ABILITIES: Stores electricity within its body. Uses static electricity to climb up and stick to objects. Can use electric shocks to stun and injure prey. The more energy they absorb, the bigger they grow. When close enough to a human, it kills them by biting into their flesh and absorbing the electrical currents within the cells, disrupting the heart rate and nervous system. It then eats the flesh.
WEAKNESS: Attacks to the head and body. Ice and extreme cold (they are cold blooded).
EXTRA NOTES: Can regrow appendages. Their severed appendages and bodies can retain electricity for an unknown amount of time so proceed with caution.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Cut off the supply of electricity at the park by disabling all generators
✖ Bring back the Yamadenki (alive or dead) for research purposes
✖ Bring back the hybrid specimens
✖ Capture all suspicious persons for interrogation

█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

The Outsiders will have to cut off all energy supplies to stop feeding the newly named Yamadenki and then defeat them.

▶ 004. A RIFT IN SPACE-TIME

"MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Unknown energy signal detected! Reaching maximum output! Our sensors are detecting a breach in the inter-dimensional fabric!"

An hour into battle, Outsiders will receive a sudden warning signal, urging them to complete their mission and eliminate the Yamadenki before it’s too late. All that concentrated energy generated at the park is being corrupted by the Yamadenki, and it’s not long before a rift bursts through from beneath the Haunted Mansion, causing a huge explosion and a rain of rubble and mysterious energy. It’s the first of its kind. A rift has never opened this close to Neo Tokyo!

Energy from the rift seems to affect anyone standing too close to it, transforming any unprotected human into a snarling, groaning, human-reptilian hybrid. These hybrids have electrical qualities similar to the Yamadenki and are just as ferocious. The plugsuits issued by LILITH should protect characters against any nasty transformations (unless there is some damage to them or they have taken them off), but exposure to the rift can still result in increased headaches, vertigo, irritability and impulsiveness.

The rift is growing larger by the minute, and from the other side of it - the growling of a number of unknown beasts can be heard. Even the higher ups within LILITH are anxious about this. The only way to stop the rift is to cut off its power supply.

"Angels of LILITH! We must act fast! Disable all generators and subdue the Kaiju before it’s too late!"

▶ 005. AFTERMATH.

As the Outsiders shut down generators and take down the Yamadenki, the rift shrinks in size until finally it closes. Everything at the park goes still now that there is no more power to run things. Some of the corrupted humans and hybrids still linger and will have to be taken down or captured but they are in weakened states now that the rift has closed.

Outsiders will be tasked with capturing the Rift-infected humans who will then be transported to LILITH base for treatment... if they can be treated, that is. Outsiders will also need to report for treatment. Characters may experience the lingering effects of the rift such as the vertigo, headaches, shorter tempers, and impulsive behavior. The LILITH medics aren’t sure what to do other than prescribing bed rest and maybe offering some medication for their headaches. The worst cases may be prescribed sedatives.

Normally, LILITH would order the Outsiders to retrieve specimens from the field but given the events that unfolded, they are told to standby until a special research unit can inspect the area for contamination and give the all clear.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second Kaiju log! As before, all prompts are highly encouraged but OOCly optional. ICly, any characters suffering negative effects from the rift will recover within a week, though you are welcome to determine the severity of their symptoms during that time.

Feel free to NPC your characters' fights with the smaller kaijus. The main fight with the largest gecko will be determined via a HP-based system (See below).

All tags in this log count for 2 reward points each. Ask any further questions below!

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Taryon Darrington | Critical Role | Redemption

[likemybooks]

A. Disneyland Mythos

[It's no surprise that those who come from worlds without amusement parks spend much of their time exploring the concept of such a place. Taryon sees a ruins of a kingdom, or rather a replica of some sort of mythology that was important to the people around here. There's so many animal-people and creatures that he's never seen? Who is Stitch? What's the deal with all these "monsters" with the little girl? What castle is this based off of? There had to have been a reason all this was built in one spot!]

Okay, I keep seeing this duck in a lot of places. [He points up at the painted ceiling of an empty store.] I'm not saying ducks aren't interesting, but he seems really important in the grand scheme of things.

B. Exploring the Rides

[Out of curiosity, Taryon wants to try out the rides! To see if they work, of course. The roller coasters are a bit too rickety for his liking, but he can be convinced to try them out after checking out the dark rides.

They're fun, but the most interesting part are the animatronics. Taryon knows that technology is far more advanced here in therms of robotics and mechanics, but the bears and pirates are works of art. He ignores the any prescribed ride path to poke at the long-forgotten figures.] How did they move? [He tries to move an arm on his own.] It's metal. The outside is some sort of fabric, maybe a plastic? [Thankfully, he has a bag on him with his weapons, roomba, and a few tools.

He will take apart these animatronics and learn their secrets.]

C. Battle

[When the kaiju first appear, Taryon has two roombas on the field, which buzz slowly and peacefully around him, glowing with the enchantment he infused into them. In one hand, a sword, another a hand with two rings - one of them is activated as a shield while he focuses on small small lizard. When he spots someone nearby:] Hey! Need a boost?

[One of the enchanted roombas zip over the cobblestone road, then stops a few inches from his partner.] Touch it if you need help getting around!

[Later on, as the source of the Yamadenki's power is found, Taryon stuffs his roombas into his bag - they're powered by batteries, which means they could end up feulin their enemy! The solution, then is to hunt down the generators hidden throughout the park and destroy them.

Like Taryon can fight a giant lizard in the middle of a group of lizards and whatever they're doing to the ground.] I went back here earlier. There's a big power source inside! [He kicks down the door leading to a staff-only section of a stage show.

D. Aftermath

[As the rift closes and the kaiju is defeated, the terrain of the battlefield calms, and Outsiders collect the wounded and victims of the rift's power. Among those lying on the ground is Taryon. On the outside, he looks pretty well, save for several bruises and a coating of dust and dirt. Inside? He's suffering.]

Ow...

[His hands clutch his head, his fingers attempt to pierce his skull and rid himself of the horrible headache. Standing on his own is an impossible task. But thankfully, he hears footsteps.]

Hey...hey, you. Help carry me to the bus? [He'll be this pathetic all the way back to the main base. Whether curling up on the seat and wincing each time there's a bump in the road, or lying on the floor in the common area avoiding any reason to move and do anything for himself.]

A

[queenofkur]

[ She looks up... The ducks are very important indeed. But the one he's pointing at is clearly not the one with cosmic significance in the grand scheme of things. She shakes her head and looks back down. ]

The bespectacled duck with the top hat is clearly the most important one.

[ Should he look at her, Ereshkigal is holding a bunch of plushies in her arms. The biggest one is the Scrooge McDuck one, but there are also a bunch of flower plushies. ]

You can see the nobility and radiance emanating from him!

[likemybooks]

Are you sure? [If only there were written records of the Duck lineage, but alas, paper has rotted away, and with physical books being so rare these days, hunting something down would be a herculean task.] In the pantheon, he could be the oldest, but he's not the one whose image is everywhere. See-

[He points to a nearby painting of Donald and Daisy in medieval clothing.] There's that one again! You can tell, he's the one always wearing blue, and he's commonly shown in an angry pose in images with many figures. So he was important to the general populace in some regard. That old guy, I don't know what his name is, I've only seen him once in a while.

[queenofkur]

[ What he says makes sense. But she perceives a critical flaw in his thinking: ]

A-Are you implying that the deity whose image is everywhere is also the most important?

[ Isn't he aware that many pantheons have deities that are super popular even though they do frick all? Sure, that duck with weird coastal clothes may be very popular, but important? That remains to be demonstrated. ]

Popularity rarely correlates to importance. [For example, some goddesses are super important but not very popular. Goddesses who may be close to him right this moment.] For all we know, he is the least important of them all.

[likemybooks]

I don't think he's...

[She's getting very close to him and clutching her beloved Scrooge tightly. Her tone doesn't set well with him — he might be getting very close to tipping her into her skeletal-death-goddess-mode.

Taryon looks at the statues surrounding them: of a sorceress duck, of the triplets, of some duck on a suit.]

...You're right. He's popular but probably not involved in anything critical. [Like what, Taryon doesn't know. Some cultural thing or another.] Maybe his stories are shared widely, that's all.

[queenofkur]

[ Now now, she would never do something that drastic for so little! (Except she has before, but details)

But the moment he starts agreeing with her, something happens: the goddess sparkles. Complete with the shimmering sound you hear in movies whenever a diamond sparkle. She's very happy to see that, for once, he's in total agreement with her! Of his own free will!! ]

Y-Yes...! [She nods.] I'm sure this one has a lot of fascinating and tragic stories attached to his name.

[ His life... His times... You could write a book about that. ]

[likemybooks]

[That's a good sign. Ereshkigal is pleased, and she seems to be happy with their conversation.

Taryon still thinks Donald is more important in the overall mythos of "Disney".]

Well...we'll just have to find more information on him. In the meantime...[He turns on the heat-seeking goggles and gives the main lobby another look-over.] I don't think they're hiding anything here. The museum would be in a terrible condition if kaiju were kept underground.

[He pulls himself away from the painting of ducks. The statues...the art...these were made with great respect for the animal figures. It must have been an important set of stories for the people who followed Disney.]

[queenofkur]

[ She nods. It's best to move on if there is nothing else to see. It's fun and intriguing, but they have a mission they ought to focus onto. ]

I suspect you are right.

[ Before leaving though, Ereshkigal picks a plushie of Donald that was sitting under a broken glass and hands it over to Taryon, putting it into his hands. ]

You should take it. [Her pockets are already full, she can't afford to take more plushies for herself. But more importantly:] Regardless of what his place in this pantheon is, he will have a good home with you I am sure.

[ There hasn't been any accident since they cleared everything up at the library... So he deserves to have his own souvenir! ]

[likemybooks]

Oh, I can't-

[Donald is resting in his arms now. This strange sailor duck is his. A descendant of Scrooge? An unrelated duck? Who knows, but it's his, and it's rude to refuse a present.]

I'll have to research what he actually does before I can fully appreciate him, but...thanks. [He can't carry a plushie around, so Taryon has to stuff him into his bag until his little head is all that is visible.] We match.

[They're friends! Maybe. Friends have matching figurines.]

C

[icyspicy]

[ Winter has been helping to fend off the geckos and got himself turned around by accident, wandering into the stage show area just in time to cross paths with Taryon. ]

A power source?

[ Well, who is he to say no to that kind of lead? Better they go in pairs anyway, just in case one of the geckos has decided to snuggle up to said power source.

He steps into the backstage area after Taryon. ]

Much obliged, friend.

[likemybooks]

[Taryon quickly salutes Winter before turning to the darker interior hallways and running with an anxious urgency. Each second is an additional opportunity for the kaiju to gain power, and he cannot allow himself to fail his teammates.

The backrooms are thankfully less of a maze than the rise area; this is a straight, simple set of corridors with prominent doors. Taryon stops at a set of metal ones that used to be kept under lock and key a long time ago, but now their hardware had grown fragile.]

There are a lot of robots here, the offices had papers mentioning how much electricity they drew. Can you pick locks or break this down?

[icyspicy]

[ Being a half-elf, the dark never bothered him anyway, and he moves around with ease. He's happy to let Taryon take the lead, since the man seems to know where he's going.

When they get to the metal doors, he steps up beside the other man. ]

Normally I'm one for a softer touch, but since time is of the essence, you might wish to stand back.

[ Assuming Taryon does, Winter lifts a hand, strange darkness peppered by what looks like starlight gathering in his palms as he speaks an incantation. If Taryon knows a thing or two about warlocks and the sort of spells they tend to wield, then he might well recognize this as Eldritch Blast.

Winter lets the spell fly, a bolt of force that slams into the lock to break it to pieces. ]

[likemybooks]

[Taryon hops away from the doors when Winter asks, but he stays near him to observe the spell he casts. His adventuring party does not include masters in arcane casting (save himself of course, but his magic is orderly an calculated, not flashy and explosive), and he's eager to witness a spellcaster up close. The force of the Eldritch Blast generates a gut of wind powered by the bolt's speed, and Taryon's loose hair flutters in the spell's wake.

It's so cool, every time he watches raw magic in motion.] Oh. That surely does it. [He pushes the door and enters. Behind are rows and rows of old computers, cooling systems, and mechanical equipment neither man recognizes.]

Two options I got: we demolish everything with what magic we've got, or we find some way to have the machines explode on their own.

[icyspicy]

[ Into the room they go. Winter understands a bit about what a computer is, but certainly not enough to know if they’re explosive. He frowns a bit, hands on his hips. ]

I’m not very helpful when it comes to demolitions, unless you’d like me to start slinging an Eldritch Blast at every one of these machines.

[likemybooks]

Or some thunder spell to overload them? I could try chopping up the machines and get to their insides. And if they run on fuel, we can use that as ignition.

[He's learned a few things about engineering since arriving to his world four months ago. He holds up his hand, which has two rings - one designed similarly to LILITH's inventions, and another with a ram's head carved out of metal.]

I can always use the Ring of the Ram if we run out of options. I only have three charges. Some need to be saved for the big guy.

the way that i, the player, forgot he has shatter

[icyspicy]

Hmm.

[ He gives the room another surveying glance. ]

If it's thunder we need, I can do that much. I'm not keen to use a spell slot the larger spells in my repertoire, but if you think those creatures are feeding off these computers, then I'll consider it worth it.

[likemybooks]

If we find a smaller power room, I'm all for using tamer methods. [This is where a large robot assistant would help, or a other piece of powerful equipment, but for now, Taryon has a warlock at his side.]

Alright. Should I get out of this room right now, or...

B

[kubricks]

All sorts of things, I’d guess.

[Fabric, metal, and plastic sounds right to her. But she’s not exactly an Imagineer, so for all she knows there’s some other things in there.]

They’re really remarkable and must’ve been even more so back when the park was running.

[Just her thoughts on it while she watches him investigate that one.]

I know we’ve seen more impressive on a daily basis here, but still, they’re quite the achievement.

[likemybooks]

[Plastics are an incredible material from the future. Flexible, sanitary, and waterproof. And they last for hundreds of years, leaving the Country Bears looking pretty good in their old age, save for the patches of missing false fur and moth-eaten clothing.]

It's art, that's what it is. I wonder what this exhibit was all about? [He pokes around one bear, but doesn't find an obvious panel as one would on a robot, but there's a seam on the back of the bear that runs from its neck down to its waist.] Oh, so...

[He pulls out a screwdriver from his waist pack and works in prying the two folds of plastic open.]

If we get them working again, we can see their performance!

[kubricks]

There's an interesting idea.

[That isn't necessarily in line with their objectives but she won't make a huge deal out of that. It's fine, there's still plenty of time for that. And she's curious, moving in a little closer to watch him work.]

I'm not familiar with these ones either. Some of the others I could tell you even if I've never been here, but I don't remember seeing Disney bears before.

[The Country Bears movie is a little ahead of her time, so she hasn't stumbled across that one.]

[likemybooks]

[They're here to uncover the secrets of the hybrid smuggling ring, and Taryon should understand what sort of technology they're dealing with. What if something is hidden in these robotic puppets?]

You know what Disney is? [He pulls apart two swatches of furry plastic skin to reveal the metal skeleton beneath.] I guess if you're from the same world, then it makes sense.

[Makima is likely from a point earlier in the timeline. Which means she has all the answers to his question. He turns to her.] Which ones do you recognize?

[kubricks]

A lot of them. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, I've seen some of the movies, but I think a lot of it is just osmosis.

[It's sort of inescapable. If you live in a world with Disney, sooner or later Disney finds you.]

But there's others like this one. A little alien in one of the other areas, I don't know that one. Or the fish.

[She's not surprised there's ones she doesn't know. Makima has no idea when the park fell into disrepair but it was bound to be after her frame of reference.]

[likemybooks]

[Taryon isn't sure what to make of those names. Mickey must be the cartoonish mouse he sees around the park, but what is Goofy?]

Those stories must have been pretty popular, if they built an entire make-believe town based on them. Just how many characters are there? And they're all attributed to Disney?

[Well, he can't rip out the bear's skeleton, so he's going to record a video on his implant of its inner workings.]

[kubricks]

They are. Known throughout the whole world, or close enough to it anyways. They have or had parks like this in a few countries.

[Thankfully there's no Disney Devil, otherwise her world would be in a lot of trouble with how well known it is.]

And truth be told, I don't know how many there are. Some are more popular than others so you see them more, like Mickey or Donald. Others not so much. But there's a lot of them.

[likemybooks]

[Taryon's eyes widen; he's impressed. Even his favorite books aren't known widely around the world to the extent that they would dedicate all this space as a tribute. There is artwork, local book clubs, and the shared joy of finding another fan, but a small town just for several fictional characters? It's on par with Vasselheim, a city with multiple temples and religious orders.]

That's...we don't have anything like that where I'm from. I must learn more. [Hopefully at the gift shops or researching online.]

I hope we can come back here one day. I want to try building one of these back in the lab. [He pries himself away from the bear and pats it on the back.] Really clever idea, using a soft layer on top of the metal.