synflux | TRAVEL LOG #2

TRAVEL LOG #2

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It depends. Some people think it's a sin to replace human flesh with metal parts. And some people think that machines shouldn't have souls or feel human emotions, while remaining machines.

[ A gusty sigh. ]

It led to a lot of trouble when that sort of ideal broke into our Library. I didn't even get a chance to enjoy going back to sleep.

[ Thanks a lot, Arbiters. ]

So at the very least, I don't have to worry about you having a problem with it.

[ Well, if there's one thing Siffrin can agree with as far as the Vaugardians go...

... it's that you should be happy with yourself, in whatever form that takes. Changing, not changing -- it wouldn't matter if their bodies were made of flesh or not, probably. That, too, is a kind of change, and would be accepted without second thought. It's not Siffrin's business to have an opinion on someone's decisions that way. It's too tedious for them to do anything himself, but whatever makes someone happy. ]

I don't really have a problem with anything.

[ Too relaxed, or maybe too transient. Siffrin sits down on the cot, finally, and then flops onto his side. Really looking like a nap's in the future, if not for the subtle alertness of someone waiting for the call of their name. ]

Doesn't matter if I don't understand something. As long as it's right for the person who's doing it, they're happy and it isn't hurting others... It's okay.

[ She looks over at them as they flop, but nothing really changes about her posture; if anything, she only seems to relax a little more, for all that her gaze remains alert and watchful. ]

Well, if more people thought like you, maybe I would have been able to rest a lot easier.

[ If that's how Siffrin really thinks. She thinks, briefly, of what Ishmael said, about how it's not like everyone here is thinking about back-stabbing. What does it take, though, to take someone so easily at their word? ]

Though there's not really any kind of point in lamenting it now.

... It's fine to grieve what you wish was different.

[ Nothing that's her fault, or can be changed so easily. But it's fine to lament it, to grieve and complain. Not that they do. ]

You can rest a little more here. I think that's something.

Telling myself that I can is easier said than done.

[ Admitting it is also hard. ]

It feels like if I lower my guard, I'm still at risk of making the same mistakes I did before.

That's impossible. You're someplace new, so you can only make brand new mistakes.

[ It's a bit of a joke, because she very much can make the same mistakes -- but the circumstances are different, the people different, her own experience different. They won't be the same in the end. They'll be different somehow. ]

... You have people who can watch your back now, too. So you should let them.

I think they've got enough to deal with.

[ ... You know. Like dealing with emotions. Far too many emotions. Emotions she want nothing to do with. She says it with a roll of her mismatched eyes, though. Yes, she understands. Siffrin is being lighthearted, for at least part of this. ]

[ At least she understands. That's good enough, and Siffrin remains laying down, but closes their eye with a soft exhale. Different than the one she might take note of.

He really does need to rest properly, sometime. Later. Later. ]

... If you can picture a fire, then visualize it sealing a wound. Some people... use needle and thread, for theirs. I wish.

[ ... Yeah, that's a different exhalation. Is he tired? ]

You mean like cauterizing?

[ Huh. She can understand them coaxing a fire from bits of kindling without doing it in the usual way, and it's weirder that the fire won't burn people, but using thoughts of fire to heal?

Crafts really are as creative as their wielder allows, huh. ]

Mmhmm. When you get sick, you get a fever. That kills the sickness. So a fire would kill infection.

[ There's simple steps to it. Break it down, and it's simple. ]

I thought it'd be an easier explanation for you. Um, the fire travels through... the warmth of the fire travels through, and... it heals. That sort of thing. You'll find what works for you.

Does efficacy depend on the kind of person?

[ A pause. ]

Like someone more caring being better at a healing Craft or something like that.

[ Like she's definitely more destructive-minded. Probably. ]

If that was the case, Isa would have at least one healing Craft he could use. But he doesn't. His is more... on preventing damage. Rock, and all.

[ (And if that was the case, you wouldn't have one at all! Haha!

...

You wonder when you'd thought of them, your Healing Crafts. Why you'd thought of them. It's been a long, long time since then. Was it to cover Mira's weaker ones? Or to fill the space when she couldn't, wouldn't use them? Was it just so she wouldn't be the only one? Or because yours are faster, more effective, because of how fast you'd become?

Was it out of care? Or was it because it was easier?) ]

No... Anyone can learn anything, if they want... I guess people who think of others might be more likely to learn them, or think of ways to learn them, but it isn't like someone can't, or won't be good at it. [ ... ] Mira uses both Scissor and Paper Crafts, so it might be... the second, that helps, but if I can do it, so can you.

[ Since he's only Scissors, and all. As far as anyone is concerned. ]

Odile doesn't have any. Just one that slows people.

[ Isa... right, the muscular one with hair a lighter red than hers. She remembers. ]

So it's more a matter of learning what you're interested in, if it's something you'd apply or not. [ Which makes sense. They'd talked about learning things she'd be able to apply to her own fighting style, after all.

Healing, though... that's new. ]

Tampering with someone's speed isn't a bad idea, either. Sometimes that can make all the difference in a fight.

It has. It isn't... that difficult to get, either. It doesn't use real Time Craft.

[ Which is something he knows they haven't spoken on, but he brushes past it like it's nothing. ]

All she does is use Paper Craft to bind the movements of the person in front of her, and it slows them. It's taken a long time to... make it as strong as it is, though. I think. Across different kinds of Sadnesses.

[ Sorry, hold on. She's had enough of Time shenanigans not to bring that up-- ]

Time Craft? That's something anybody can just--use too?

[ She's not sure how she feels about that, honestly. ]

... No. It takes too much life to use Time Craft, and... until now, was just theorized. But that's what the King is using to freeze everyone in Vaugarde. It's just what you think of when you "slow someone down", isn't it?

[ That's all. It doesn't exist, really. It shouldn't.

(Like you. Like the King. Like--) ]

Don't worry. It isn't, and can't, be taught.

[ Don't worry, he says. And she's about to retort that she's not, but takes a moment to reconsider just how much her heart rate spiked in that moment. The way she'd tensed was probably evident, too. The sharpness of her tone.

Oops.

Gebura breathes out, a little more carefully this time, pushing her hand against her bangs. Okay. ]

Sorry. I don't have the best experiences with time manipulation.

I'd be surprised if someone did.

[ (You think of what it's like, being trapped in time.

Loops. Tears. Unable to move, staring up at the King.

...

It isn't so bad, really. The tears. More of a rest than you ever got normally, these... those days.)

Siffrin's eye opens and he turns a little more, to look at Gebura. ]

What's yours?

What, my experiences?

... [ She looks as though she's staring right through them for a minute, until her eyes focus on their face. ]

It's nothing very pleasant. You're sure you want to know?

I asked.

[ So yes. They want to know, tucked halfway into a curl and watchful. ]

[ Gebura drops her head back, slightly. There's a weary light in her eyes. ]

My second life was spent in the body of a machine, with incomplete memories. Ten years passed for the City. And in that facility, ten thousand years went by. I didn't really realize how deep it ran until after I'd been asleep.

[ She grimaces, lightly. ] It wasn't really sleeping, though. I could see everything that was happening in the Library, things that went on with the guests and the Librarians that had woken up before me and the past of our Director. It was like I was experimenting even a fragment of what she'd been through. What we'd all been through, but only she remembered.

... More or less, there was a kind of... scenario we were being put through, to gather enough energy to cure humanity from its own apathy. If enough energy wasn't gathered, from the Abnormalities, from our own heightened emotional states, it would reset. We'd loop back. I remember fifty days, but it was far beyond that.

All of the Librarians--we had a different name back then--had to be pushed to our breaking point. To experience pain and undergo meltdowns. Multiple times across loops, apparently, to get to the point where that quota was finally met.

Being the only one who remembered that, who had to witness our employees die over and over again and who had to deliberately provoke and break us, to be ignored at the very end... I don't really blame Angela for wanting revenge against the person who'd made her act out that script.

[ (...

It's almost laughable, and you do catch yourself before you start--)

Only an odd smile remains, something resting on the side of appropriate bewilderment, as Siffrin listens to the story. It would be unbelievable to anyone. That it could happen, that something, anyone could let it happen or put it to action. That someone would bear the burden alone, and suffer from it.

(But it isn't that unbelievable.

You think you're handling it better than this Angela, too. You just want it to end already.) ]

You did have a rough time. I can see why you'd be concerned.

[ What else to say? Without tipping a hand, without talking about things he never did his family members. There's a lot to digest, anyway. Gebura won't mind the silence as Siffrin raises a hand, sweeping it over her figure as if petting an animal.

... Which will cause a sort of lightness, a rested feeling. Stamina restored. ]

She couldn't break the loops until it ran through?

[ She won't mind the silence, no. She never has. The gesture is a little more unexpected, but she's in-tune with her own state enough to realize some of that fatigue has tapered off. Connected to the gesture, then. One of his newer Crafts? She gives him a nod, acknowledging.

Her tone continues to be level and steady. Not as pained as when she'd had to explain what had happened on the last day of her life to anyone. But there's still something resting beneath it. Some sort of resignation, maybe. ]

No. In the end, the only way to get out of it was to complete it. To have everything be perfectly timed and provoked and resolved.

[ Her snort is bitterly derisive. ]

I wonder how many times I rampaged, back then. How many times I sought my own death by tearing down everything around me. She could recite everything we [ screamed, cried, murmured, choked out ] said perfectly.

[ A beautifully memorized script. ]

[ Yeah.

That's a little too familiar, the shapes of words on the tip of their tongue. Siffrin turns onto his back, hands resting on his stomach with a sigh. ]

Hundreds, thousands of times, maybe. But you don't remember it. [ ... ] Would you want to?

[ Siffrin has a knack with asking the more complicated questions, worded simply, doesn't he? Whether she would change anything if she'd had the option to. If she would have wanted to remember ten thousand years of loops. ]

It's entirely possible I would have lost all my sanity if I had. Or gone against what was meant to happen and caused a hell of a lot more resets. But...

[ Her head tips forward, resting her forehead against the knee she's drawn closer. ]

She wouldn't have had to endure it alone, then. So sometimes, I wish I'd realized.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.BRIMSTONE & REVELATION

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

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lobcorp/ruina spoilers

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▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_EVERLIGHT_&_REDEMPTION

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_BRIMSTONE_&_REVELATION