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

[fursuit]

[ Tezcatlipoca smiles and gives Tsurumaru a little nod, since so far, he’s one of the Outsiders that Tezcatlipoca likes without reservations. He likes humans, sure, but he was still responsible for them, in a way. The bond between them would always be different. For him and a weapon, though, the fondness is easier.

However, as Tsurumaru figures out the twist here, he frowns in confusion and looks at the ground like it might give up the secret. ]

Below, huh? Well, shit…

[ He looks up again, looking for an entrance, and there is a building nearby, but it’s fairly nondescript. With a shrug, he starts to head towards it. ]

You ain’t surprised though. He a joker?

[cranekin]

Right? Imagine an entire underground ocean!

(Because that's what he's imagining an aquarium to be like. There are a few signs that show a person running in a certain direction along with writing that says to see shelter in case of an attack. If this place is anything like Neo Tokyo, that means it should lead underground. So he's going to start skipping off in the direction those signs lead to,)

Mhm. He's fun and it seems some of the other leaders don't care for him much.

(It doesn't take long to find one entrace that leads down,)

He usually takes care of the training room back at the base.

[fursuit]

Ah. Sounds like my kinda guy, then.

[ It’s clear from his tone that he doesn’t mean that they’re similar so much as it’s something possessive. That’s just how he is with people at times, and in this case, it’s because he sounds very similar to Tezcatlipoca in general… ]

Well, I’ll have to get to know him, then give him an earful about havin’ shit directions.

[ He flicks the cigarette he’d been nursing to the ground and stamps it out before they head down. He’s not the most considerate, but he can do the basics. ]

…Guess it bein’ underground doesn’t matter to the fish. Essentially same deal, so far as they’re concerned.

[cranekin]

Mhm! I like him too.

(He's chaotic and unpredictable. The exact type of person Tsurumaru likes most.

He watches a Tezcatlipoca tosses his cigarette and while there's no visible judgement, it's clear that he's definitely making a little mental note of that. Tsurumaru might be a menace but he's considerate and respectful one.)

Hmm... as long as they're in cases, I won't mind. (Nothing against fish but swords and water don't really mix. Especially salt water.) It says you can see fish from other parts of the world. Maybe you'll see something familiar.

[fursuit]

[ Inside they go, and after a moment's consideration between the elevator and the stairs... He picks the elevator. No need to exert himself too much, and besides, if it's glass, the view can be fun. ]

Yeah, distinctly possible. There's some cool fish around Mexico for sure. I'm sure they'll have a shark, since they're about as cool as you can get.

[ He turns back to Tsurumaru while they wait, and his smile turns just a little mischievous. We can just assume tsuru didn't answer, since, hey, now that he has him here and can literally wrestle him if he tries to leave: ]

Gotta ask, by the way. Didn't like the conversation topic about life and fate and all that shit?

[cranekin]

(Not the elevator... He falls back a few steps and watches as he makes his way to the elevator instead of the stairs which is what he was going to go for.

Already, he feels restless and he stars to shift from one foot to the next while they wait. He can't stay still when faced with the thought of putting himself into a small, enclosed, and potentially dark space again.)

Ah, just thinking about fish makes me hungry.

(He is definitely going to go into the aquarium and call everything delicious. Watch.

But it's mid-dance step that he seems to falter just a second. Blink and you'll miss it but he misses an imaginary beat and though he recovers almost instantly, it doesn't change the fact that it happened. Standing still, crossing his arms, and looking otherwise unbothered,)

I got bored.

[fursuit]

[ Tezcatlipoca snorts out a little laugh at Tsurumaru’s hunger, and he looks his way to tell him to not eat the fish (not that he’d stop him), and it’s just in time to catch that falter. He’s a much sharper and more empathetic person than it might seem, so he can guess pieces of what’s behind it, especially with what he hears as a dismissal. And certainly, he could push at it. But that hadn’t worked the first time, had it? Plus, Tsurumaru’s vibe so far is that Tezcatlipoca feels like if he pushed the matter, the guy would literally run away.

So, the amused smile falls a little bit. It’s calm and neutral, as if to say from that alone that he won’t pry. And he won’t, at least not now. He’s patient, and he at least guesses that the questions might be stewing in Tsurumaru’s heart. If he wants to talk about it, he’ll listen.

The elevator dings to let them know it’s there, and Tezcatlipoca steps inside without worry. Luckily, it is indeed a glass elevator, so maybe that will be a little less claustrophobic for Tsurumaru. ]

Bored, huh? [ He parrots it back, but his tone is playful. ] Tellin’ a god they’re boring is really somethin’. You’re all lucky I’m more used to the lack of respect here!

[ Though that had started well before… Daybit was so blunt and straightforward that Tezcatlipoca had quickly stopped expecting it, honestly. He looks at the panel of buttons and selects the one labeled “aquarium” with a little grin. ]

Well, good thing we’re changin’ that with a tour, then.

[cranekin]

(No, he has to call the fish delicious. It's traditional culture.

Likewise, Tsurumaru watches Tezcatlipoca. Is he the type to push forward? The type to simply save information for later? Or will he not notice at all? )

...

(Ah. The type that definitely notices things. The worst type of person for someone like Tsurumaru Kuninaga. It may be safe this time but he files this knowledge away for now. He'll have to be more careful in the future.)

So bored I was gonna die.

(He was totally bored.

Stepping in after him, he stands to one side and holds his head up high. Watching as the numbers go lower and lower, he just lets out a short laugh,)

Being a god doesn't make someone remarkable. (Absolutely. He believes it so firmly in his heart and his opinion can't be changed.) So I'll say it 'til they do something seriously miraculous.

(A miracle would be nice once in awhile.)

[fursuit]

Ha. Brat.

[ He barks out the note of the laugh as Tsurumaru calls him boring, but it’s not a barbed insult. He feels a bit more fondness for Tsurumaru than he would a human, even if it’s ultimately for silly, sentimental reasons. Tezcatlipoca is a warrior god, so naturally he deeply values a good weapon. That they might gain sentience is still an odd concept, but you know? Within all of mythology, it’s not that weird. ]

Miracles are hard to come by, no thanks to LILITH. Any other time? Sure. Could make one at the drop of a hat.

[ It’s arrogant, but there’s a quality to his tone that makes it clear that he’s telling the truth. Or delusional. Tsurumaru’s pick. ]

What kinda miracle you lookin’ for?

[cranekin]

(It's been a long time since he was called anything like that. Back home, there aren't many who can. He looks over, clearly taken aback for a moment before and then he lets out another laugh; light, airy, and proud. Yeah, he's a brat and he'll take it as a compliment.

There's only one more floor to go before they get to the aquarium. One more floor to reply to his question. He hums thoughtfully as if trying to think of what sort of miracle would impress him. Or maybe he's stalling.

The elevator dings, the doors open, he answers lowly,)

A god that cares. (And tongue sharp, voice mocking as he mumbles a certain foreign word,) "Paraiso."

(And he steps off the elevator.)

Ah, look! Over there! That's the entrance. Wow, they really put a whole sea down here!

1/2

[fursuit]

[ Tezcatlipoca waits expectantly, but patiently. Maybe the elevator was intentional for this reason. It’s harder for Tsurumaru to avoid harder questions when they’re stuck in the same space together. And yet, that doesn’t really seem to be the impression. It seems more casual and coincidental, but therefore it’s hard to tell how intentional this was. He’ll never say.

The answer is surprising, but only in that it’s coming from someone that isn’t human. From them, that’s about what he’d expect, but as he thinks about what Tsurumaru had explained about his origins… Maybe that makes sense. He breathes out a sigh, but it’s so slight that it’s almost imperceptible.

“Paraiso” might not mean anything to him, but the sentiment does. It’s a familiar refrain from people that have had a hard time of it. From those who end up at his campfire.

…It’s something to consider. ]

[fursuit]

[ But the pensive, cool expression is short-lived. There are some things that Tezcatlipoca is very straightforward about, and there are others that are nearly impossible to guess at. It seems that this is the latter case, since as Tsurumaru flees the conversation (again, he notes), Tezcatlipoca follows along this time. ]

Woah.

[ It does help that the aquarium’s entrance is impressive. A giant pane of glass is the side of a massive tank, and schools of fish and other, larger creatures happily swim by. No need for an advertisement when you can just show one piece of it right here. ]

Well, shit. That’s impressive as hell.

[ He really has to hand it to humanity on this one. He heads towards the entrance too, but he does divert slightly first to go take a better look at the massive tank while they’re on this side. The view (intentionally) isn’t the best of the full tank, but there’s still enough. ]

I haven’t even seen half of these before…

[cranekin]

(He's flighty. Like the crane he's named after.

Hands on the glass, tilting his head up to look at the fish and the plants inside the tank, he looks more like a child at the aquarium than a fully grown spirit. He's practically sparkling with excitement and he moves around the tank to try and follow a certain fish that has his attention,)

They look so good!

(Poking his head from around the tank to look back at Tezcatlipoca.)

Doesn't that one look really tasty?

(A certain brightly colored, round, and plump fish swimming slowly in the water...

At the front desk is a hologram receptionist of a lady in uniform, ready to charge them for entry. "Please don't touch the glass." She says, he response automated and he pulls his hands away.)

Sorry, sorry...

(Coming over to look at the ticket prices, he looks over at Tezcatlipoca.)

Do you think we can get a senior discount?

[fursuit]

[ By comparison, Tezcatlipoca’s reaction is much more muted and relaxed, but he’s still impressed. It’s the kind of marvel that makes him appreciate humanity, because they really came up with some clever shit. He smiles a little to see a familiar pompano lazily swim by, though it’s definitely not a fish that Tsurumaru is focused on. Even if it’s large, it’s unremarkable otherwise. It’s just one that’s familiar for his part of the world.

The little twinge of nostalgia is broken by Tsurumaru’s hunger that’s quickly followed by a digital scolding, and he starts to drift towards the receptionist. ]

Told ya, man. Can’t eat these fish. Like, shit, bet most of ‘em are endangered.

[ not the old man jokes… but Tezcatlipoca scoffs and nods as he looks at the receptionist. ]

Yeah, he’s got a point. Few billion years should get me in for free. I existed before all of these. Arguably, made 'em.

[ I’m sorry. That’s not a valid response., she replies, since there’s nothing even close to that kind of joke that’s accounted for in her logic… ]

[cranekin]

Eh? (A few billion years? He looks over, eyes wide with surprise and laughs,) You're so old! You should definitely get a discount!

(And yet, there are no discounts for them. Even when she tells them to provide ID, their fake identities probably have regular ol' birthdays on them. )

Fine, fine.

(And he holds out his wrist to pay kryptos for the regular adult ticket,)

Let's go. I want to see a shark.

(Like a child... he only wants to see the coolest fish.)