TRAVEL LOG #1

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: potential mentions of drugs, suspected mind-control, alcohol, and gambling, gore.

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

On the morning of the 15th, the Outsiders will hear an alarm sound in the early hours. No matter what you’re doing, the alarm will not stop sounding, and it’s because they’re playing directly into your oculars. If one is sleeping, they may even be roused by the spark of colors on their oculars dictating an emergency. After a few minutes of this, the following message will appear:

PLEASE REPORT TO THE DATAPORTAL AT THE TOKYO BRANCH AND BE PREPARED FOR DEPARTURE.

"Captain Yamakawa speaking. You’ve done a great job in testing the data portals. Now that we are able to travel, we were sent a call for help in another city due to lack of personnel and resources abroad. You will be looking for evidence of a new kaiju around the rendezvous point. It may be a difficult journey, so prepare yourself. SYNTHIA will still be online to help you make it to the city. Report to the POD CHAMBER where we have installed an international dataportal and prepare for transportation."

Following the success of the dataportal testing, the engineering department was able to fine tune its abilities and widen the reach of the portals. The portals can connect even abroad now!

Despite their best efforts, however, they cannot guarantee that the same symptoms won’t appear, and ask all Outsiders who are utilizing them to practice caution. Additionally, through all their testing, they found that people who hold hands or make contact with others as they pass through will be hit with less issues.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

When one passes through the data portal, they will see the refuge city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Similar to Neo Tokyo, it is also rich in life and known as the city that never sleeps. Incidentally, it is also famously noted as a place of endless vice. The city is built up around a strip of land of roughly 4.2 miles. A vast majority of the city was built up over the wreckage of the old, and some fixtures were simply made new with whatever was left preexisting. The Mojave Desert has expanded towards surrounding cities, though it will take a vehicle to get there in a timely manner.

The city has no shortage of hotels and with each hotel, a casino. While Outsiders here are on a mission, there’s no stating they couldn’t participate in the fun of Vegas while LILITH crew begin their investigation. While some hotels will be clearly abandoned or less traversed, there is no end to all card tables and slot machines, all asking for your KRYPTOS.

The hotel the Outsiders are slotted to stay over the course of the next few days is one where they built directly over the hotels of the old. While it offers a decent place to sleep, it’s not without a refurbished pirate themed bed, or the columns of what appears to have been from Caesars Palace. Is that a giant clown face staring at you in the room? Don’t worry about it. The hotel offers that this is the best place to depart into the desert from. For this mission, Outsiders may bunk up with whoever they would like, and each hotel provides two queen sized beds.

Excited to venture out into the city? Even under the threat of kaiju, the city doesn’t sleep. Outsiders may venture through the Las Vegas Strip and treat themselves to a fun night of drinking, gambling, shopping, partying and circle-style performances. The Grand Canal Shoppes, a Venetian-inspired high end mall, boasts a man-made canal with gondola rides for a fee, along with many retail outlets and restaurants. There are also numerous spas and carnival-style rides to enjoy. Las Vegas was once known as the ‘Marriage Capital of the World’, and in a world besieged by kaiju, the people don’t seem to think they have anything to lose. Outsiders may spot a few bride and grooms-to-be partying in the street.

(LILITH does not have a stance on whether or not Outsiders are permitted to get hitched as long as it does not affect their performance. )

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

It’s normal for fights to break out with so much alcohol being passed around, but something … isn’t quite right with some of the locals here. Outsiders who keep an eye open might notice people acting erratically, and not just from being intoxicated. There are people ready to pick a fight from just being looked at, people falling into despondent sadness and lethargy, people wandering mindlessly and people becoming distressed from seeing things that aren’t there. Ask the locals and they will tell you these cases seem to be popping up more often the past week.

The most concerning of all are the stories of people disappearing completely. One little girl will tell you she cried as she saw her mother mindlessly walk into the desert, as if called by a voice no one else can hear. There are many other accounts of this happening. In fact, all the people acting erratically seem to disappear within a few days …

Outsiders may interact with civilians who are acting erratic and aggressive, but asking questions they may receive answers that do not make sense, are perverse and inappropriate or may trigger aggression. Any Outsider to gets into a fight and is severely injured may report to a local hospital here and will find they are pretty packed with other civilians acting strange, hurting each other and themselves. Certainly, this was the main cause for concern that got LILITH's attention anyway.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

Within a day or two, the Outsiders will once again be called to action by a blaring notice in their implant.

YOUR VEHICLES ARE PREPARED. ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE THE CITY IMMEDIATELY.

When they gather at the location provided to them, they will find a fleet of armored campervans waiting for them. Each campervan comes equipped with beds, a kitchenette, and bathroom facilities, and will fit about 4 people. Within the campervans, they will find desert-appropriate attire designed to protect them from the scorching sun. These campervans also come with some basic artillery such as a mounted machine gun. There are also supplies in the form of water bottles and MRE ration packs.

Those who have driven large vehicles in the past are encouraged to take the driver’s seat. If the group does not have any driving experience, they will be given a crash course on driving recorded by the man himself, Seok Dang. (He probably shouldn’t be doing this with the stunts he’s pulled, but the Commander does not have any time to be teaching anyone driving, and Seok Dang volunteered so eagerly…)

"Listen. If you’ve ever handled a ▄▄ before, the joystick is exactly like that. You gotta tug it, but not too hard. Gently, yeah, like that, that’s the path to ecstasy … "

If it eases anyone’s worries, the campervans are armored and highly shock resistant, so they should withstand a crash or two.

(Those who finish his course and successfully drive 100km while supervised will receive an international driving license.)

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

With everyone settled into their campervan, the large scale road trip begins. LILITH has a general idea of where the biggest energy signal is located for the rift and they will feed the coordinates to the Outsiders. The journey will take about a few days into (and around as LILITH is searching for both people & the source of the rift energy) the Mojave Desert, and Outsiders will be permitted occasional rest stops to give drivers a break and to investigate the terrain. The terrain itself is a harsh desert, with cacti and small local fauna abundant. (Those not wanting to eat ration packs can take this time to hunt the local fauna such as birds, lizards and desert foxes.) While there is nothing else around, observant Outsiders may notice signs of human life - footprints in the sand, a shoe or torn piece of clothing being left behind, and even the odd human carcass being torn apart by vultures.

The logical conclusion would be that those missing humans have been here, and the only thing left to do is find them … but Outsiders and civilians aren't all that lurk here, and time will tell what lies beneath the desert surface ...

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our very first travel log! Each campervan will accommodate anywhere between 3-5 people, with 4 being the ideal and 5 being a squeeze. Players are encouraged to connect with each other to fill up a van but the mods will not be enforcing it. If you need help finding roommates, there is a FIND A ROOMMATE header below that you can make use of.

If you'd like to test your gambling luck, we also have an IC SLOTS HEADER for you to comment to for you to see how well your character does at the slot machines. This is entirely for fun, and of course you are always welcome to have your characters winning or losing at the slot machines as much as you want in your prompts so long as they aren't winning jackpots.

Following this log, all characters who have purchased style upgrades will receive an update to their chip enabling them access to desert attire and popular styles within Las Vegas.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

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Comments

[hitokiller]

( "in your debt." that sorta phrase coming from a man so handsome and tall startles izou for a second.

it doesn't take more than a moment for him to recover, though, taking time to sheathe his blade before answering. )

Prob'ly not. ( a beat, as he starts to recognize vaguely who he's speaking to— ) It was ... Minter?

[icyspicy]

[ It's okay Izou, he has that effect on people.

A laugh. ]

Winter. Like the season. Just how drunk were you?

[hitokiller]

( too drunk, apparently. a common occurrence. )

Winter, then. What was that about not bein' able to take them down without killing 'em? You haven't got a single spell to like, casually knock a couple people out?

( not counting the one he literally just didn't notice. )

[icyspicy]

Not really. Most normal people aren’t hearty enough to handle even the most benign offensive spells in my repertoire. If I wish to use non-lethal force, I’d have to do it the old fashioned way.

[ With his bare hands or a weapon, he means. He shrugs. ]

I’m no fighter, so it’s good you came along.

[hitokiller]

Huh.

( izou wrinkles his nose a little. )

So you're a real hotshot mage, then. But if I can hit a guy with the flat of my blade, how's it so difficult for a...

( he trails off, several annoying casters that likely still resided in an organization lies beyond space and time coming to mind. best not to mess with this guy too much. )

Need me to escort ya back to the hotel?

[icyspicy]

So difficult for what? A spellcaster? Magic doesn't gave a "non-lethal" mode I can just turn on when I want.

[ For a mercy, Winter is notoriously difficult to annoy. The repeated prodding and jabs don't bother him. He's simply stating facts.

look most civilians have like 4 hp and winter does a minimum of 6 with every eldritch blast— ]

I wouldn't say no to the company, if it's not too much trouble.

[hitokiller]

( okay, fair. civilians and their nothing hit-points.

izou's just used to casters of a different sort: cowardly authors who used their literary works as devices and lacked the ability to do much more than cast a healing or sleeping spell, and mystic figures like merlin who not only bolstered the defenses of a team flawlessly, but did so while wielding a sword of his own. )

Huh. You learn somethin' new everyday. All that magic stuff's beyond me, but. What I do know is you'll be safe with me on the way back. Long as you got me escortin' you, there ain't nothing to worry about.

( there's that flawless confidence again. izou exhales through his nose, pounding a fist lightly on his chest for emphasis.

and for all he remembers, the hotel shouldn't be too far off. it's not like this place was a maze. )

[icyspicy]

[ That flawless confidence sure does remind him of someone he knows. He chuckles a little to himself, heading off toward his hotel and trusting that Izou will come along. ]

I appreciate it. Besides, this gives us a lovely opportunity to chat. Since you’re getting so close to March, I would love to get to know you as well.

[ This is a threat. ]

[hitokiller]

( freeze-frame. or almost.

it's funny that this is set before current izou, who's now aware that winter has a partner, because he naturally feels a little cagey at her being brought up unexpectedly. )

What. You were... a friend of March's, yeah?

( like, just friends? )

[icyspicy]

I am. I might almost call her something like a younger sister.

[ So at least Izou shouldn't have to worry about Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome making a move on her. But also— ]

So I'm sure you can understand why it's important to me to vet any potential suitors.

[hitokiller]

Th-... That so.

( what the hell? of all the guys to show off to in the middle of the street... if he's telling the truth, that is.

this went straight from mildly cordial to izou feeling challenged, and his expression sours like an animal threatened with a stick. )

And how're you gonna "vet" me, exactly? Just from listenin' to how I talk about myself? Mind you, I don't exactly need anyone's approval when it comes to gettin' close to her.

[icyspicy]

[ Save a man from an angry mob, get a shovel talk as a reward. This probably isn't how Izou expected his evening to go.

Winter simply smiles, serene as you please, and tilts his head a little. ]

I'm aware that you're both adults and can do whatever you well please. That won't stop me from wanting to find out just what kind of person you are. You've shown me plenty already.

[hitokiller]

( if izou were smarter, he'd realize being sized up like this meant he was a pretty decent candidate already.

but winter's rightful badgering surfaces thoughts he's already had: that march is too considerate of a person to be seen with an idiot like himself, that he was too mismatched for her.

every step taken suddenly feels heavier. )

Hmph. March... She's got a real bunch of busybodies lookin' out for her. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. I don't got the faintest idea as to what she's told you already, but with how willin' she is to trust certain folks...

( "suitor", though... and here's where he puts a hand on the hilt of his blade while they walk, if only for some comforting familiarity. )

[icyspicy]

Only that there was a... [ vague hand gesture ] —an expression of feelings, more or less. What she wishes to do with that is up to her, in the end.

Goodness me, but I've put you on the spot, haven't I? You are passing with flying colors, if you're wondering.

[hitokiller]

( expression of feelings... that don't mean—

his grip tightens, suddenly more embarrassed than anything else. )

H-Huh? I... I wasn't wonderin' a thing. ( a lie. ) 'Specially when... like you said, it's up to her how she feels.

( all that attempted swagger vanished in an instant with this conversation. bye. )