TRAVEL LOG #2

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, vehicle crash.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

In the early morning hours of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a rude awakening blaring through their implants. No matter what they do, the alarm will not stop sounding until they are forced to get up. A message will flash through their vision:

ALL OUTSIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE HANGAR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE

Get up, get dressed in your plugsuit, and it’s time to go! Once they report at the hangar, they will be met with a huge spacecraft, large enough to fit at least 80 people. This will be their mode of transport to their next location.

"My Angels of Lilith. You are needed once again. We have received distress signals from the neighbouring country of South Korea. Unfortunately, since we have not established data portals in that country, we require you to embark via air. Your aircraft is ready for you and your seats have been assigned. I bid you a safe journey."

True enough, there are more than enough seats on the LILITH SKY CRUISER to accommodate every Outsider, and to get everyone organized quickly for departure, all Outsiders will receive a seat number. Like any plane, seats are rather cramped and there isn’t much leg room. Once the seatbelt sign is off, Outsiders are free to stand up and move around the cruiser, but they might have to climb over other people or make the whole row stand up to give them room. The aircraft is serviced by robotic stewards serving light snacks of nuts and crackers, and coconut crab kimbap and seaweed soup at meal time. Any characters who use a cloaking device will be instructed to use it during the flight to accommodate the aircraft. Also, any characters who rely on a weapon or anything else (such as a Gundam), it will be loaded onto the cargo of the aircraft.

The flight will take about 2-3 hours. Outsiders may take a nap, chat or try the inflight entertainment available. This inflight entertainment is delivered through a virtual reality headset. Outsiders may pick a selection of AI movies of questionable quality, along with several virtual reality games. There are single player or multiplayer options available for every game.

Available games include:

• The Sims 30: One player gets to become the ‘god’ of a world and build houses or dictate the lives of other players and NPCs within the game as they see fit.
  
• Farm Crossing: A farming simulator game where players get to build and manage their own farms. Harvest your crops and tend to your animals! Impress the friendly villagers in the town with your beautiful ranch!
  
• Tales of Heroes: A fantasy game where players are reborn into a world of monsters and magic and have to level up by fighting monsters and slaying demons.
  
• And many more … (Feel free to design your own VR games.)

Eventually, the sky cruiser will touch down on Incheon Airport. There’s no need to be stuck waiting in line at immigration... it appears as if the Incheon Airport has not been used in decades and seems completely abandoned with the exception of the Outsiders. The old scanning machines and luggage belts are simply collecting dust. Outsiders will be ushered immediately to the nearest train station, where they will continue their journey by train.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

Once descended from the train ride, they will have arrived in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Neo Tokyo, a lot of the people on the outskirts moved to this area in order to receive shelter and the benefits of being amongst civilization, rather than fending for themselves. As such, there is a certain hustle and bustle, but considering the state of their dilapidated airports and most of the other cities falling to ruin, there definitely is a more somber vibe to the city. Despite that, the residents carry on and there is no shortage of shopping, food stalls (mostly with foods that are not easy to perish), cafes, pojangmacha to have a late night food or drink at, and many more smaller businesses. The people are resilient and have every single desire to continue making a living. As such the prices here are competitive and Outsiders will find if they look hard enough, there are some fairly good deals to be made. Currency exchange is no issue, as KRYPTOS is the universal currency.

Since a lot of efforts were made to keep Seoul intact, there are still some important sights that were kept up and can be visited if desired. While LILITH urges people to keep their eyes peeled out for any clues to the next kaiju’s whereabouts, Seok Dang may or may not have sent each Outsider a map of the best sightseeing amongst many other not-so-innocent suggestions. He calls it the difference of experiences and “doesn’t want anyone missing out!” If people check back on the message a day later, they will find it was almost as if it didn’t exist at all. On the list, however, includes sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace, COEX mall and aquarium, Seoul Sky, and many others. However, some of them may or may not exist anymore. How long was he out of the country for? For an extra “freebie” he throws in, Outsiders will find an odd message on their style upgrade saying there is a new outfit available, when opened, it will download a hanbok that they can wear at any time.

"Well, well. Unfortunately, whatever fun could have been planned will need to be halted just a mere two and a half days to get settled. Once again, a message will be produced on everyone’s oculars suggesting an emergency is on the horizon. Guess we better get to that instead of showing you my home country!"

And Seok Dang wonders why he is the Commander's least favorite.

Beep! An alert pops up on the Outsiders' ocular devices. According to the information LILITH just received, there is not just one large kaiju occupying this region, but two. In order to chase both of these leads, Outsiders are split into two groups in order to chase these two kaiju. They have described these kaiju as being very agile and fast, but resembling a serpent from the few sightings that have been spotted. As for the rift that it originated from, there is no sign of a rift in South Korea. Did it migrate here from somewhere else? More details will pour into the Outsider's devices as soon as possible, but for now, Outsiders are called to pursue the hunt.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_{EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION}

Within the next hour, rain will begin to fall upon the city, but this is far from the average summer shower. The precipitation doesn’t seem weather-related as much as it does seem to be a proponent of the kaiju’s abilities. They find this when studying the rain itself, which is acidic to the touch. While the buildings and other structures will remain sound, the people will need to evacuate quickly in order to avoid any lingering effects to the skin. Skin contact with the acid rain will cause both minor and severe burning, depending on how quickly it is rinsed off with normal water. At the first discovery of the acid rain's danger, Outsiders will be commanded to press a button on their plugsuit on the left shoulder, activating an invisible helmet to keep their heads and faces safe.

The Outsiders’ plug suits prevent them from receiving any damages from the rain, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone else. The first team, made up of the members of Everlight and Redemption are to prioritize the initial evacuation of the people, especially those who live slightly outside of the city limits of Seoul. They are the most vulnerable during crises like these and will need to be pulled from their homes, and those who live in the basement shelters will need to be pulled to one higher ground in case of potential flooding with the acid rain. Individuals who have skills in healing will also be called forth in order to tend to the injuries of those who are saved.

Between evacuation, there will also be tidbits of information provided to those on the team that remains in Seoul to check out specific locations in order to figure out more about this kaiju. The first location listed is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Outsiders that remain in Seoul will be utilizing that as their base. They are set to look at any remains the kaiju may have left behind. Any findings are commanded to be surrendered to LILITH. Emergency response of South Korea will use this palace as a safe haven, providing cots for sleeping overnight and other emergency supplies.

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_{BRIMSTONE & REVELATION}

The second team will depart via train on a journey to the city of Busan. The journey is expected to take 2 hours, and while there are comfortable seats available on the train, any luxuries beyond that are minimal. At least LILITH has brought along a few VR headsets for whoever wants to kill time with games or bad movies? Anyone can sit where they'd like for this ride.

An hour into the trip, a loud crash is suddenly heard, with the entire train rocking and falling to its side. This causes a complete blackout throughout the train and it stops functioning completely, leaving Outsiders stranded within the pitch black tunnel. The train system is completely inoperable in this condition. Outsiders will need to make their own journey to the city, following the rails by foot and helping any Outsiders who happened to be injured in the crash. It’ll be dark within the tunnel, but light will soon emerge once they exit it, and they will find themselves at the foot of Mount Geumjeong.

From then on, they’ll need to put their trekking skills to the test and cross the mountainous, forested region, where they will encounter various local fauna such as snakes, deer and black bears. They will also spot many destroyed villages and temples on their way to Busan. However, evidence of the Kaiju can be found in both the subway tunnel and throughout the mountain trek, suggesting that the kaiju has moved through here. This encourages LILITH to keep Outsiders in this area. The Outsiders will need to make a campsite in one of the destroyed villages, though emergency response will also pay them a visit several days later with sleeping cots and emergency supplies. In the meantime, hopefully they brought enough food with them or know how to forage and hunt for food in the wilderness. Some of those berries out there are poisonous....

The team here will be encouraged to explore the area to find further traces of the kaiju and help any villagers who are still alive.

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

Promptly, at the same time, all Outsiders will receive a text message and be put in an encrypted chat-room: OPERATION: RED/BLUE
CODENAME:
LOCATION:
STATUS:
FINDINGS:
Outsiders are instructed to fill out this information and send it into the chat to communicate with one another.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second travel log!

Characters do have ASSIGNED SEATS for the duration of their flight to Incheon airport, though there are just enough empty seats that some characters can move around if they really don't like their seat buddies. Teams BRIMSTONE and REVELATION will be traveling to Busan, while teams EVERLIGHT and REDEMPTION will be staying in Seoul.

RNG below to discover what your character will find in both Seoul and Busan respectively. For the STATUS REPORT Prompt, treat it as an open chat room for all Outsiders and respond to the HEADER COMMENT. Feel free to threadjack and discuss among yourselves. You may also include this as a text prompt in your top level if you would like for people just to reply to you instead of using the header comment.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINGING IT: Characters are told to head to the hangar for DISPATCH to SOUTH KOREA where reports of a kaiju have been seen. Characters sit in their assigned seats for a short air travel ride.

2. WELCOME TO SEOUL: We arrive in Seoul and are given orders to split into two teams: Everlight & Redemption in Seoul, Brimstone & Revelation in Busan. Seok Dang has tried to sneak in some sight seeing in between mission briefs, but it looks like there won't be much time for that, as two kaiju have been found in South Korea.

3. TEAM SEOUL: Everlight & Redemption deal with acid rain in Seoul, ushering civilians to refuge, tending to acidic burns and using Gyeongbokgung Palace as a makeshift base. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

4. TEAM BUSAN: Brimstone & Revelation board a train to Busan which has an outage, trapping them to travel along the tunnel in the dark. They arrive at the end of the tunnel at the foot of Mount Geumjeong and create a makeshift base in the village there. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

5. STATUS REPORT: Outsiders are encouraged to share their findings and speculations on the kaiju in an encrypted chat room.

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Comments

[30storieshigh]

LILITH called us each for the same duty, we share a home, we hunt together. This is the definition of a pack, is it not?

[ He waves a hand. One of those gestures he's started to get a lot of use out of. ]

Knowing whom I fight alongside will come later, for now I know why we fight. This is reason enough to trust the others as allies.

[ Granted whether or not he'll consider any of them "friends" is another matter. A few have proven to be very endearing, the vast majority are more like lost hatchlings than equals. He feels more a teacher than an ally and so far nobody's dissuaded him from this notion. ]

[30storieshigh]

The term fits. Defending the natural order was my duty, during it I would often defend humans as well. In return they built places to rest, offered me their gratitude. Worship would be the word, I believe.

[ He just shrugs like that isn't a big deal. Because it isn't, it's literally ancient history. ]

That was my own world however, protecting this one is different. Here I would say our packs act more as hunters than gods, unseen claws rather than stalwart barriers. Not that there is shame in this, it seems vital to keep the civil denizens of this time at peace, they frighten easily. They are very similar to small flightless avians in that regard.

[ Chickens. He just called civilians chickens. ]

it'll be just as comfy on the floor as it is with intact legs!

[30storieshigh]

I am not saying things. I am using a mind-writer 😐.

[ Was that... sass? From Godzilla? Can't be, he doesn't understand sass. He's just being hyper literal. ]

Then I think I have arrived at the answer. Godzilla, Gojira, Goji Serizawa, none of these displease me. As long as it is true to who and what I am it is my "real" name 👍💯.

[30storieshigh]

[ There it is, he's done it, he's mastered an expression. Godzilla manages to raise a single eyebrow in disbelief. 300 meters? That's a little under three of him stacked together, clearly this is one of those cases of human exaggeration. Happens all the time. ]

They possibly confused their meters with their legs. I am to understand the conversion between the two systems leaves a fast difference.

[ Feet. He meant feet. Bless him he's trying. ]

But it is of little regard. My concern is they may be up above, hiding in the clouds they have turned against us. None of our number possess wings, that I know of, it would be an effective place to elude us.

[curingidiocy]

[ If he wants to. He does, on some level, but on the other hand, he is quite comfortable with his usual diet, which has been meticulously planned out to provide him with the necessary nutrition his body needs to function optimally, plus room for Aventurine's dinners when the man is around to invite him out. Here, he's had to recalibrate his usual food plan as the lack of selection means he can't always get what is best for him.

Building a tolerance for spice... perhaps it's worth it, if they will be traveling all over the world for their missions.

Mixing the two foods is a solid idea, so he does as Bakugo suggests and finds the blood sausage more palatable as a result. It's not bad, now that the sausage is no longer overwhelming his taste buds. ]

What are European blood sausages composed of?

[ Despite his usual appearance being reminiscent of Ancient Greek attire, he is in fact not an inhabitant of any variation of Earth. ]

[curingidiocy]

I suspect the creature is waiting for us to weaken under the effects of the acid rain, after which it will strike. If we do not locate it posthaste, I believe the city will be attacked.

[ Just as how the sand worm attacked Las Vegas. Large settlements do nothing to deter the kaiju. They could not reasonably expect the creature to wait for them to find it. ]

[grade4]

Yeah, it is frowned upon.

[ definitely a weirdo! oh well, she knows a lot of them. some might say she's one of them (she's not, she's normal for sure.) but she'll take a cup from the table and pour it from the pot. ]

Do you normally not drink coffee?

[curingidiocy]

[ He trusts that Aventurine can handle himself out there in the wilderness—the man is a survivor, through and through. But it doesn't stop Ratio from worrying for his safety. ]

No. With the train derailed, it cannot be used until it has been retrieved and repaired. Not likely to happen before an altercation with the beasts occur.

[ There's also the matter of the beast near Seoul. If Redemption and Everlight left the city, Seoul would be defenseless if the beast lurking here attacked. ]

We must remain to defend the city as well. If the lair is found, the best course of action is to note its location but leave it untouched until both creatures have been found.

OH YESSSSSSSS this can only go well

[zauneyete]

[ Beggars can't be choosers, and Silco's not about to let himself fall much further, and besides, he isn't really quite sure who is reaching out, until he's been hoisted back up to the ground, his feet moving on slippery, muddy ground until he finally finds solid ground.

Immediately, he wrenched his hand free of Yzak's (much stronger) grip, and hissed as he rubbed at his wrist. His tond forces him to raise his eyes to look at him with that eerie, unblinking eye, and his lip curled down into a sneer.

Because while he doesn't know the guy's name, he does recognize who he's often with, and that's enough to make the (extremely) paranoid man speak up, ignoring the words, and instead: ]

Were you following me?

[zauneyete]

If I would want whisky, I would drink it. Cigars should stink.

[ No, Silco, that's just you. That's you who likes things as foul as can possibly be stood. His cigars are the vilest known to man, after all, even here he'd sought out the ones that make him think of home. ]

🤝🤝🤝🤝 WE CAN BOTH BE LATE AND PERFECT

[zauneyete]

I don't understand how this world can be so advanced, and lack the basics. Even my world has teleportation, and I am certain that it is far less advanced than most worlds here.

[ To be fair, Silco's world is weird. He huffed in annoyance. ]

I will be glad when we are on the ground. This method is unpleasant.

[ That might be because Silco has tried to smoke multiple times, and already gotten into a fight about it. Good job, buddy. ]

i love this??? wipes my tears

[uncourteous]

[ also, i'm sorry idk how i lost this notif...

he would argue psychosis went hand-in-hand with keeping those around him in line. from his limited experience, he found most tended to cower away from a mere child covered in blood (though, evidently, he isn't one anymore— the point stands), placing a bear's head amongst the other presents at a banquet. a bear today, an assassin tomorrow— but, apparently, it didn't necessarily work on this newfound companion. if he could label him as such.

there's a bit of something; furtive and a bit more subtle that he finds in the man's tone that gives the very natural desire to raise his brow. a prick of what could very well be irritation. perhaps, discomfort as the clear challenge that embeds itself in the man's tone. what could callisto do, but simply match it? ] I find praise to be much more valuable when it comes from the heart. [ he's not serious in the least.

especially when he feels the warmth of the man's fingertips. maybe it's the sudden proximity that heightens the sensation. when he sees the man's temper begin to rise beneath the surface, callisto can't help but give a smile of his own. ] Looks like the bear isn't the only one who falls victim to such traps. [ from jester to bear expy... ]

Do you have to doubt a man so openly? You could hurt my feelings, Sir Red.

[ for his red hair. is this an improvement from sir jester? sir bear defender? ]

[uncourteous]

[ the fact that his words that could barely constitute as being persuasive actually ends up working... is a surprise, even for him. it likely shows, especially paired to her clear reaction to his touch. he doesn't know if the lady is actually more naive than she appears, or what, but he does seem to mutter something to that effect under his breath, before: ]

Divine wrath? Now that does sound quite fearsome. [ except by his tone, it's clear he doesn't actually think so, nor does he take her words very seriously. sorry eresh... you truly deserve a better gameplay experience than this.

now that he also dons his headset once more, he watches the people slowly begin to populate once more. true to his word, he does remove the pool, but why is he slowly adding oven after oven... into the home? surely he is just making sure each sim has an oven? ]

[saudadist]

fair enough
I hope you'll find one made of pure tar someday then 👍

[wheft]

Maybe they could turn invisible? I don't like it if that were the case, unless LILITH's able to provide proper equipment for that one.

[30storieshigh]

The longer it takes the more the balance suffers. This is vexing.

[ He slams his tail on the ground for emphasis. ]

You speak with wisdom, Purple One. Perhaps you have had a thought of how we will find our enemy before they come to us?

[30storieshigh]

Indeed. Not normally at all.

[ Excuse you he's perfectly normal. See how normally he gives a thumbs up? See how normal he smiles while making sure to show every. Single. One of his teeth. This is perfectly normal human behavior. ]

I have only just encountered it. Very amazing, the energy, the flavor, it may very well be one of the greatest works of human kind.

[ That's not even remotely a joke. He thinks coffee is better than technology. ]

[30storieshigh]

Vexing 😡. Frustrating 😤. We are searching for a pile of dried hay containing a metal point, it seems.

[ Even in his longest chases back home he still generally knew where to go. There's not even anything around he's allowed to vent his frustration out on, it's the worst. ]

You write the truth of course. The civil denizens can not be left to their own, they are helpless 😑.

[uncourteous]

What of the feelings of the people?

[ the people meaning him...

??? he thought you said you weren't a tyrant? ]

[wheft]

I think I'll continue relying on Dante from here on out. Unless you could hook me up with Workshop recs?

[ a smirk. come on verg, give her the goods. ]

[wheft]

I did see the miniature versions around town. They look pretty impressive for the average fan, I can give you guys that.

I was a Fixer - a mercenary, essentially. And before that, a sailor. I used to hunt Whales for a living.

[uncourteous]

[ a waste of time. it isn't a lie, but it does prick his conscience to hear such clear words and her conviction in comparison to how he's mostly been ignoring his own thoughts on the matter. it was hard for him to throw away such bitter emotions of resentment, hate, and everything else he was once embroiled it. at her words, he does eventually give a quiet hum of comprehension, as if understanding her stance.

she was both resilient and oddly optimistic. ] Your thoughts are strangely... [ a dramatic pause. ] not very complicated. [ is this an insult? he may frame it as one, but something in his voice makes it sound like it isn't meant to be. ]

Then what would you consider a worthwhile hobby? Feeding cows? [ he then draws a hand up towards her, as if offering to help her down. maybe it's out of habit, or maybe it's his own way of prompting her not to look down on him. ]

[curingidiocy]

[ Ratio shakes his head with a sigh, banishing the written equation with a wave of his hand. The equation pops in a burst of light and disappears. ]

It is easy to come up with any number of systems that Neo Tokyo would benefit from. The issue is with the constraints. There is a lack of resources, lack of facilities to produce the parts I desire, and the environment is unstable, so the system will need to be fortified against disruption. Kaiju crisis aside, to build an entire nation atop a subduction zone... and I cannot factor in Imaginary energy for any of this! There are far too many limitations.

[ Despite his complaints, there's a certain tone in his voice that could be likened to enjoyment. Like he's having fun solving a puzzle. ]

The equation I just banished was for a power system that sadly falls short of needs of the city. Pity, I thought it held potential. Though perhaps...

[ He trails off to a mutter as another idea pops into mind. ]

couch becomes bed

[blastedass]

DON'T BE A SMART ASS!!

[He's calling it sass and yelling at him for it! Someone had to tell Godzilla what texting was and how it worked with to oculars, so he already knows! Damn lizard brain...]

Your civilian name is Goji Serizawa? Hah, that's kind of cute.

[Oh yeah, definitely teasing him about that one.]

When your kin were with you, they must've called you something.

[uncourteous]

[ he really did set himself up... ]

Come now, you would not go back on your own noble words, would you? [ are they really noble words, or was it simply something kabru said to be polite and accommodating? likely the latter and callisto is fully aware of this fact. does this change his attitude or the way in which he seems to hold this over the other man, though? not in the slightest. it's clear from the gleam in callisto's eyes in that he is deriving some semblance of entertainment at kabru's expense. ]

You believe in my royal tastes, do you not?