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

002

[sensehispresence]

[ Food, Kadaj found, was something that his body required. It was weird to go from not needing it to actively needing it. Even if he hasn't actively found too many foods (so far) that he didn't like. Not that he's eaten a lot. Merely enough to keep his stamina up.

Coffee, however, is not something he has tried. There is a brief nod toward the stranger, cat-like green eyes watching him. He's sure that the other was one of the Outsiders. He might as well join the other, get to know him.

Moving over he sits down across from him before looking outside and then toward his companion. ]

It has a nice view.

[30storieshigh]

[ It's Kadaj's lucky day for trying coffee it turns out! Godzilla's had them leave the pot on the table and there's already an extra cup. Playing the role of host, since it is his table, he goes and fills it before setting it in front of Kadaj.

And then topping off his own cup. He has not slept for 26 hours by this point, he feels amazing. ]

Indeed. It is... unique to look on people from up here after moving amongst them, comforting.

[ He looks at the window while sipping his coffee. ]

And it is quieter here than other areas in the lairs below. The constant sound of life on the pathways is enjoyable in its own way, of course. Yet sometimes silence is a welcome change.

[sensehispresence]

[ Whatever was being placed in front of him was hot. That much could be seen from the steam coming from the cup. He does not, at the moment, touch the cup and merely listens to the other talk. ]

Do you not move amongst them often?

[ Hands wrap around the cup and the warmth actually feels good against his skin. Especially when he ran a bit colder than normal humans. All remnants ran a bit colder.

When he does take a sip of the new concoction he's not sure what to make of it. The taste was a bit bitter for him, something he's not used to. It almost made him wonder if big brother liked things like this. Or if Yazoo or Loz would.

Even if the man he no longer sensed within him would. Not being able to sense Sephiroth anymore was taking a bit of an adjustment. It was also giving him a bit more freedom to learn more about his own personal emotions. ]

The lairs?

[ That is the first time he's heard anyone call them that. As for the silence... ]

I am not used to the silence. So, I do not know how welcome it will be.

[30storieshigh]

City, buildings, dwellings, lairs, any name you wish to give them. I have spent my life as high above them as we sit now, only since waking here have I been of a scale to walk in them rather than through.

[ He waves his free hand the way people do to illustrate things, more because he's seen people do it than that he understands the gesture. ]

Perhaps you will find you enjoy silence as you begin to know it, or perhaps not. Every being has their own preferences, it is what makes us ourselves.

[sensehispresence]

[ Lairs was still an interesting way to put it. That? He associates with wild animals more than humans. Then again... there's a lot about the people around him that are different. Perhaps it was the same with the person before him.

The gesture is not one he's ever used. One of the Turks has probably used it, on more than one occasion. They were neither here nor there though. ]

So, you were above them before? Higher than we are now?

[ That would be tall... for a human. However, not everyone was who they seemed. After all, one could use him for an example. Humans did not have cat-like eyes the way he did. His eyes came from the man he was the will of, his whole being did. Which was why learning emotions was interesting and a bit slow going. ]

I do not believe I will ever enjoy the silence. Though, perhaps you are right. That is something I will learn as we go.

[30storieshigh]

Hmm. Allow me a moment.

[ And he's looking out the window again to orientate himself. He's never been to this city before, but given the position of the sun, where the horizon is, and comparing the view with the smaller buildings in the city below. That's giving him a rough idea of how high they are.

He could've just read the information on the way in for the building's exact height but who has time for that? ]

No, certainly not higher. I was some rows of windows shorter than where we sit now, but I would have been able to see decently over this city.

[ A thoughtful nod, then his attention turns back to his companion. ]

To live is to change, to learn. You will find what you enjoy for yourself, should the silence not be it than there is plenty else to find solace in.

[sensehispresence]

[ Despite how bitter the coffee was, he'd find a way to fix it later, he still sips on it. The whole time that he does he watches the other look out toward the buildings before them. Those words have the youngest of the remnants peeking out the window before looking at the other. ]

So you're tall in your world?

[ That? Is probably an understatement. ]

Without my brothers here I have no choice but to learn.

[ Without Sephiroth in his head learning was what he'd have to do. Finding out emotions, foods he liked, and that his body actively needed rest. ]

[30storieshigh]

[ The question gets a chuckle out of Godzilla. He's understanding enough of humor to find it in that understatement. There's something delightful about how direct it is. ]

Yes. Very tall.

[ And now the thoughtfulness sets in. He's not really good at figuring out age, everyone he's met is vastly younger than him to begin with, but still he's getting the impression of significant youth here. ]

You are not used to being away from nest and kin? It is never easy to be ripped away from such comfort, you have my sympathies. Yet do not be discouraged, you have packmates here, while not the same as blood-kin they are still allies you can rely on.

[sensehispresence]

[ If there was humor behind his words then it goes over his head. Big brother would've understood the humor far more than he had.

The other wouldn't be wrong about age. He looked as if he were in his twenties and yet he wasn't, not really. However, it was no one's business when he was 'born', as it were. Not when he could fight and make sure others were safe. Even if that wasn't something he did back home. ]

No, I am not used to being away from my brothers.

[ It was always him, Yazoo, and Loz. The three of them against the world. ]

You consider others you do not know as your packmates?

[ For him? It would take time before he saw anyone as friends or allies. Give him a little longer and he would possibly make friends and acquaintances. People that he could care for. ]

[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. ]

[sensehispresence]

[ They did not all have the same duty. Well, among the Outsiders they did. Their civilian duties were vastly different though. As for hunting together, did they? This was his first time being out among the Outsiders during a mission. He hadn't been among them before now.

That hand gesture was one that amused him. The other seemed to like it quite a bit. ]

Yet, if you do not know who you fight alongside how do you know they can be trusted? That they will not turn on those that are meant to be allies.

[ Packs also didn't have an assortment to them, not to his knowledge. ]

[30storieshigh]

Ah. A fair concern.

[ A troubling thought actually! He takes a moment to think it over as he sips his coffee. At the end of the day Godzilla is from a simpler world, when someone says they are an ally they are, enemies are obvious in their hostile intent, and even the humans that are enemies are easy enough to sniff out. Here though? ]

I do not wish to think LILITH would be careless enough to call such people, of course I can not be certain of this. Any event is possible. [ A shrug. ] However I shall hope for the best from our allies until I am given reason otherwise.

[ And if he's given reason otherwise, well, he's certain he's not the only one who'll be after the traitor's blood. Once that line is crossed and an example is made of the offender it shouldn't be a continuing problem. That's been his experience at least. ]

[sensehispresence]

[ Where he was from someone could say they were an ally and turn against someone. Could use that person to their advantage. He is sure that Shinra has done that countless times. It's something he wouldn't put past Rufus Shinra. Though he, himself, could be manipulative too. Could use what was needed to his advantage. ]

What would you do if such a time arose?

[ He unconsciously takes a sip of the coffee before sitting it back down. It still had a bit taste to it and he wasn't entirely sure that he enjoyed that taste. Perhaps he'd have to try something different. ]

If someone did betray us.

[30storieshigh]

Kill them, of course.

[ Said easily enough, complete with a shrug. He clearly doesn't like the idea though. ]

It is unpleasant, yet a necessity. If any become a threat to the territory or to the rest of the pack, they need to be destroyed. In such a situation the duty is maintain the balance, reestablish authority, and make sure an example is set for others who may think of straying.

[sensehispresence]

[ Kill them? That seemed rather definite. He didn't know this other man but it seemed like he was willing to kill if need be. Though, he'd known some like that in his own world. ]

What if LILITH does not believe they should be killed? Do we know what would happen then? Especially if someone dies due to betraying everyone.

[30storieshigh]

[ That gives him pause. If LILITH would disagree on killing a traitor, what then? Up until now LILITH hasn't given him a reason to conflict with their orders, what happens when they go and make a very human mistake while ignoring the obviously more sensible path? Does he accept he isn't in charge, rally the other Outsiders to see sense, some third option?

Troubling. Very troubling. Godzilla's not used to being unsure about things, he's rapidly deciding he doesn't like the decision. He keeps his composure though, offering a shrug as his answer. ]

I suppose we will have to cross that expanse of wood when we come to it. I have no more insight to LILITH than any other, what they would plan to do with a traitor is beyond me.

[sensehispresence]

[ Those cat-like eyes watch Godzilla as the other ponders what it could mean for them. What it would mean if LILITH decided not to kill off a traitor. No one truly knew what would, or would not, happen. Nor (he's sure) did they want to find out. ]

We will not think of it for now. For now? We enjoy what we can before the battle.

[ Even if enjoyment wasn't something he was used to. ]

[30storieshigh]

[ He likes that clearly. The statement has him chuckling and nodding. ]

This is very wise. We shall be well rested and fed before the fight starts.

[ With all the deep talk Godzilla realizes he let a basic human courtesy slip. He could really kick himself for that. With a saluting raise of his cup he remedies that failure. ]

I am Godzilla. By what name do I call you?

[sensehispresence]

We will.

[ Even if resting and eating was still remotely new to him. He's gotten a bit better at it. Though, it would take a bit more before he did it without thinking about it. Eventually it would come naturally to him. ]

Hello, Godzilla.

[ That was an interesting name. One he did not know. ]

Kadaj.

[30storieshigh]

Greetings, Kadaj. A piece of burnt bread is in order, I believe.

[ He means a toast. Once again lifting his cup as he grins. ]

To finding the things we can take joy from and taking victory from the grasp of our enemies.

[ With that he proceeds to slam back the rest of the cup he has. There's still steam coming off of it, this doesn't bother him in the least. ]

[sensehispresence]

Why would anyone eat burnt food?

[ Explain that one to him. Burnt food seems counterproductive to them staying healthy. Unless, of course, there's something he didn't know.

His own coffee is left partially undrank. He doesn't realize that if milk or sugar is added to it that it would take away the bitterness. Though he does raise the cup in a mimic of what Godzilla is doing before setting it back down. ]

To fighting a good fight and gaining that victory.