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

@rubber ducky

[curingidiocy]

Any analysis of the crystal must be done in a laboratory. However, its presence can indicate one of several things, including but not limited to: a high concentration of minerals in its digestive system, infection, the presence of calculi and/or dehydration. There is little else that can be gleaned from visual examination.

[stonehearts]

( there he is! the man of the hour. )

So if it follows the rules of most oxygen-dependent lifeforms, which isn't a given, then it's probably not feeling too well. That makes our job potentially easier, at least.

[curingidiocy]

That is not a guarantee. Crystals can form in the urine of healthy individuals who have a slight excess in minerals and proteins. Additionally, we must keep in mind that this is a creature of unknown biology. This may simply be a natural byproduct of its digestive system. Do not assume that we will have any advantage over it.

@gojira

[30storieshigh]

Ah, you are the one who knows of this "piss". That is... many words. You appear knowledgably enough 👍.

I am unsure if the effort would reveal anything useful about our enemy. Either they claim territory and eat deep of the minerals of life, or they are ill. Neither makes them less dangerous.

[curingidiocy]

Understanding the creature's eating habits may give us hints to its size and the nature of its abilities, especially when combined with the findings being presented by others on the network.

I believe a likely hypothesis to the strong presence of minerals in its diet is due to the acid rain that the creature seems to be capable of summoning. The rain would corrode stone and metals, saturating the environment with dissolved minerals that the local fauna and flora would consume, which in turn would be consumed by the creature.

This suggests that it may use acid rain to weaken its prey as a part of its strategy when hunting for sustenance. No other evidence of poison or corrosive elements have been brought forth by Outsiders, so we may tentatively rule out abilities of that sort.

[30storieshigh]

This is not an unwise assumption, I have known plenty with similarly destructive feeding habits 🤔. Yet the scale of the storm could suggest otherwise to me. A being large enough to prey on a lair of this size would be better off hunting larger prey than humans 🐋🐘.

Or there is a hatchling that does not yet know how to hunt prudently 🐣. If this cannot be ruled out we must search out for nests too, destroy any other young before they can become threats 💀.

[curingidiocy]

This is not the creature's natural habitat. Perhaps larger prey existed in its original territory, but as it has now been brought over here by the rift, it must make do with what exists, and I'd wager it believes humans are the easiest to hunt.

LILITH mentioned that there are two kaiju occupying this area. If they are of the same species and of opposite sexes, assuming they reproduce sexually, then we may indeed need to keep an eye out for a lair or nest with their young.

[30storieshigh]

Easy perhaps, yet I still find confusion here. I can think of few beings that appear less appetizing 🤢. Even if it were not against my way and I was to be weakened I would not think to try it 😕.

Locating the enemy's lair would be the best thing I believe. Find it, destroy all inside, it will lure the rest out. Few beings would respond to such an act with anything short of blinded rage 🤔.

[curingidiocy]

Clearly those creatures think differently, otherwise they would not target us.

Brimstone and Revelation will have a higher probability of locating their lair. I do not imagine they would place it so close to the city. However, should it be located, it would be unwise for them to attack without Everlight and Redemption. Confronting the beasts will require all of us.

[30storieshigh]

In this we can agree 👍, there is no wisdom in the use of anything less of overwhelming force against our enemy.

I do feel concern in the distance between our packs however. If the others are noticed first it will be a matter of import to reach them quickly 🏃‍♂️💨. Do you believe us able to rely upon the track runners 🚅 if the need arises?

[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.

[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 😑.

[curingidiocy]

[ Interesting that Godzilla knows the idiom but not the exact words. Is it due to his language not having an equivalent in Ratio's language? Or perhaps LILITH's equivalent of a Synesthesia Beacon doesn't have a completed database of their language.

A thought for another day. ]

Indeed. For now, it would be best to continue as we have. I have already deployed my drone to keep an eye out for the beast. It will not be enough, but it is better than nothing.

[30storieshigh]

Very well. I shall resume my hunt, may you have luck in yours 👍.