KAIJU FIGHT #4

[synfluxmods]

KAIJU FIGHT #4

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, destruction of city, blood, gore

▶ 001. BE READY.

Despite having two targets, LILITH struggles to get a trace on them. Reports of sightings come in and often follow the same trend: They always appear before heavy rain, can be spotted dipping in and out of the heavy clouds, and always disappear by the time the sun comes out. Gradually, they can paint a more accurate idea of what they’re dealing with as more witness reports start to come in.

What starts off as reports of a large serpent-like creature in Seoul and Busan evolves into definitive reports of pair of dragons. Both are reported to be blue in color before they seem to fade to a dark gray or green color into the clouds. Based on reports, LILITH believes they may be able to camouflage themselves which would explain why they have been difficult to track.

However, LILITH’s Korea branch announces that by tracking the weather patterns and tracing them with residual rift energy, they can predict when the kaiju will appear next. All agents are told to be ready to mobilize at any moment. This means practicing timed emergency drills and sleeping in shifts so they can be ready to move out at any moment.

LILITH Korea decides to save time and reduce workload, they’ll have their own military assist with civilian evacuations. They will work with LILITH Japan’s agents to track the kaiju and provide support while the “specialists” (Outsiders) take care of the main threat.

▶ 002. KAIJU FIGHT - SEOUL.

In the early morning hours, agents in Seoul will wake up to an alarm telling them that an anomaly weather pattern has been detected and a kaiju is due to appear at any moment. Because the kaiju is airborne, they will be sent to one of the highest points in the city: Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan and Lotte World Tower in the center of the city. Outsiders will be granted permission to go up to the rooftops to strike the dragon.

LILITH Korea will provide air support through nearby Incheon Airport and Seongnam Airbase. Should any Outsiders want to join in, they are welcome to if they can provide credentials… or manage to take a plane.

Eventually, the kaiju will be downed. It will crash into the city and deal heavy damage to buildings as it thrashes around on the ground at first. It will begin to run across the city at high speeds and climb whatever buildings it can. Anyone stationed at Lotte World Tower will have to evacuate quickly as it tries to bring the entire building down. However, it looks like the city is so densely packed, there’s no room for it to take off into the air.

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: IMUGI ♂
HEIGHT: 1000 feet across, 30 feet high
WEIGHT: 2000kg
CLASS: Extremely Dangerous
LOCATION: Seoul, South Korea
ABILITIES: Control over weather conditions, including summoning of heavy storms, lightning strikes and hurricanes. Can fly up to 1000 feet. By flying amongst the clouds, Imugi releases chemicals into the atmosphere that bring about acid rain. Armored scales, sharp teeth and claws.
WEAKNESSES: Piercing it in the gaps between its impenetrable scales. There is also a particularly weak spot under its chin that will deal significant damage if pierced.
EXTRA NOTES: Despises humans and hunts them for food and sport. The scales on the male Imugi also seem to have a different color sheen to their scales, but only under a specific type of light.

* Due to its appearance in Japan, as well as Korea, it does have other names in the database.

▶ 003. KAIJU FIGHT - BUSAN.

Meanwhile, Outsiders in LILITH will have to deal with less assistance from LILITH Korea. With the railway out of commission and their air forces focused predominately in Seoul at the moment, there’s just not enough to share with Busan right now.

All seems quiet for now. Civilians and agents tune into broadcasts for updates from Seoul. As they learn more and more about the growing destruction in the capital city, everyone can’t help but wonder… There are two kaiju, right and one of them was last seen in Busan… so where is it?

Finally, around evening, the kaiju appears not in the sky but in the mountains outside Busan. It’s strange but LILITH will order the Outsiders to move out. If it’s on the ground, it may be injured so exercise caution. The mountains are difficult to travel through but eventually, they will find the Imugi.

It is extremely violent and will thrash out at anyone who gets close to it. It downs trees, spits acid, and summons lightning strikes to keep the Outsiders away. It uses it’s camouflage to escape into highway and railway tunnels. Outsiders may be able to infer that despite being unable to fly, it is trying to travel to Seoul.

To make matters worse, Outsiders may run into… traps. It looks like someone has tried to set out hunting traps out here. They drop electric nets, shoot tranquilizer barbs, and more. Is this what has been keeping the Imugi down? Who put them out here?

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: IMUGI ♀
HEIGHT: 1000 feet across, 30 feet high
WEIGHT: 2000kg
CLASS: Extremely Dangerous
LOCATION: Busan, South Korea
ABILITIES: Control over weather conditions, including summoning of heavy storms, lightning strikes and hurricanes. Can fly up to 1000 feet. By flying amongst the clouds, Imugi releases chemicals into the atmosphere that bring about acid rain. Armored scales, sharp teeth and claws.
WEAKNESSES: Piercing it in the gaps between its impenetrable scales. There is also a particularly weak spot under its chin that will deal significant damage if pierced.
EXTRA NOTES: From its initial appearance and behavior, specialists believe that this female Imugi could be in preparation to give birth or may have recently given birth. This appearx to be the female counterpart to the kaiju in Seoul— despite them both being the same type of kaiju, likely derived from the same rift, this kaiju seems slightly more agile and openly aggressive.

▶ 004. NO TIME TO REST - SEOUL.

It’s a two-front battle in Seoul and Busan.

Finally, in the late evening hours, the Seoul Team will successfully defeat the Imugi. Lotte World Tower collapses to the ground, bringing down more buildings with it. The water systems in the city are damaged and the streets begin to flood, mixing water with kaiju blood and turning acidic. Some of the evacuation centers were attacked in the chaos so Outsiders will have to rush to evacuate them again.

While it all seems like a standard aftermath, there is no time to rest. Scavengers emerge and try to plunder goods from the destroyed stores. They go into dangerous areas to retrieve luxury goods and expensive electronics they can resell for more Kryptos later.

However, some people have come and are trying to pick the Imugi corpse. They collect blood, rip off scales, hack off claws, and try to take whatever they can get their hands on. They may try to bribe an agent for an organ or to just look away while they pick at the remains. Some agents accept the bribes and others seem to be participating for themselves.

There has always been a black market for kaiju but this is a dragon. Anything they can get will surely sell for a lot of money.

▶ 005. NO TIME TO REST - BUSAN.

Meanwhile, in Busan, since the battle started later. It is still ongoing. Fortunately for them, they don’t have to worry about buildings collapsing on them. However, around evening, something happens. Everything goes still in the mountains. The air becomes electrically charged, the clouds grow darker, and suddenly the kaiju takes off into the air.

It lets out a loud, high-pitched screech that summons a sudden heavy downpour of acid rain and the sky flashes with lightning that touches down all around the outsiders. The air becomes heavy and some Outsiders may recognize it as a Rift opening up. They may also notice that the Imugi in the sky… is growing? It grows longer and larger and it looks down on the Outsiders with glowing eyes before it disappears into the Rift.

The female kaiju has escaped.

The mountains have been heavily exposed to the Rift which means characters can fall to Rift poisoning. Exposure to the Rift can result in increased headaches, vertigo, irritability and impulsiveness. They will be ordered to retreat for their own health and safety.

▶ 006. DECISION.

With the fight in Seoul completed, and the other Imugi having escaped, all Outsiders will be prompted to return to Seoul in order to regroup. Agents in Busan will have to tend to themselves and make do with what they have until help arrives. With the rail destroyed, aircraft will arrive from Seoul to provide aid and pick up agents in Busan. They will swiftly return to Seoul. With parts of Seoul devastated by the attack, there won’t be much time to relax in leisure, especially as the higher-ups within LILITH seem to be under several discussions on their recent failure in allowing the second kaiju to escape. While it is the Outsiders who risked their lives on the front line, it isn’t to state that they’re only met with appreciation from the general public.

The branch in South Korea seems to be firm on the Outsiders and all borrowed LILITH operatives to remain in the city and help. Not only has the kaiju left ruin to a lot of the infrastructure in the city but crime has skyrocketed as a result of people trying to capitalize on the destruction. Without assistance, the entire city could fall into anarchy. On the opposing end, the Japan branch wants to prioritize tracking the kaiju while they are still able to, especially considering the Imugi's natural ability to camouflage and move stealthily from one country to another. They fear not acting swiftly will result in losing whatever trace they have.

…

A few hours after team Busan touches down in Seoul, all Outsiders will receive a message on their oculars. It will briefly explain the current situation and ask each Outsider to cast a vote on their next steps. There are two options that will be settled before them, either to: ASSIST the city of Seoul as best as they can before moving onwards, or to immediately CHASE after the recently escaped Imugi.

While that is happening, Seok Dang will have also disappeared. Considering his long history in the country, he naturally has the most connections. As a result, he is ordered to go out and seek specific pieces of information that the Japan branch isn’t privy to as a whole. While he’s firm on publicly stating he is staying around for a specific idol event (that is most definitely canceled), it’s clear he is attempting to look into the LILITH operatives that have been found dead in South Korea.

While those Outsiders in Busan were hit heaviest by the rift effects, the instability of the dual nature of two kaiju coming and going from Seoul and Busan have led to the presence of rift poisoning in Seoul as well. Because of this, Outsiders will be prompted to sit tight and await further orders while their peers recover.

▶ 007. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to fourth kaiju log!

Below will be two choices available, either to stay and ASSIST the city in its efforts to stabilize, or to CHASE after the escaped kaiju. Both results have their own pros and cons. Please keep in mind, this would be an IC decision, and so please keep that in mind before casting a vote. If you have multiple characters, you may cast a vote with each character. Additionally, while this does impact the aftermath or the following log's contents, it will not impact the general schedule. Voting will close at 12:00 AM GMT on August 22nd, to allow mods enough time to draft the next log.

As there are two kaiju, please comment below in the correct thread to get your hit in! In fairness, since only one kaiju is defeated, the final hit winner will be from Seoul, while two of the heaviest hitter will be from Busan, and one from Seoul in order to keep the numbers even.

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

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. BE READY: The kaiju have been identified as a pair of dragons. Outsiders must participate in training drills to be ready at a moment's notice.

2. KAIJU FIGHT - SEOUL: Outsiders must take to the air or other high places to bring down Imugi (male). If they can use it, they may have access to aircraft. When the Imugi is brought down, it will take down Lotte Tower with it. The battle will proceed on the ground.

3. KAIJU FIGHT - BUSAN: Outsiders will track the Imugi (female) to the mountains outside Busan. It will not take to the air but Outsiders will run into odd traps that may deter their progress.

4. NO TIME TO REST - SEOUL: After being defeated, scavengers will try to raid the destroyed buildings and remains of the Imugi (male). Some law enforcement, including LILITH agents, seem to be involved.

5. NO TIME TO REST - BUSAN: A Rift opens and Imugi (female) escapes. Characters may be effected by Rift poisoning.

6. DECISION: Outsiders in Busan will sit tight until aid comes by air from Seoul. Busan Outsiders will be transported back. LILITH South Korea wants the Outsiders to help with recovery and keep the peace. LILITH Japan wants to pursue the Imugi (female) while they still have information.

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Comments

1a

[intertwinedfates]

[Having been chasing the kaiju for a while now, Yato's starting to feel the strain of a prolonged fight. After landing near Ereshkigal, he wipes the sweat from his brow and takes stock of the situation: they're well-armed and outnumbering the beast, but it's stronger with better defenses. What they need is something of comparable size or strength...

And it seems they just might get it thanks to Ereshkigal. For as her blessing spreads over the area, revitalizing the group and upping their abilities, Yato peers over at her curiously, astounded by what is clearly a boon from her. He shouldn't be surprised that other gods have such impressive abilities, yet it still leaves him feeling a touch jealous and definitely in awe.

Yet that's not the end of the surprises from her, oh no! Once she transforms into the skeletal creature, Yato's jaw drops and in a rare instance, he's practically speechless. Eventually though he finds his wits, and leaps enthusiastically, thrusting a fist into the air to cheer her on.]

Atta girl, Eresh! Go get em! You can do it!

[queenofkur]

...?

[ I-Is someone complimenting and praising her? It's not like she's doing that so people will tell her she's doing a great job, no no. Perish the thought! Only a shameless and dishonorable goddess would do things only so she can get people to like her. Buuuuuut it's a nice bonus, isn't it? Especially when for your entire existence, you've never been complimented for all of the work you've put into your duties!

And it's Yato! That makes it even more special. Besides Ryoji, she's never heard praises from another god. ]

T-Thank you!

[ Is the giant flying skeleton smiling and sparkling? Of course she is! Regardless of the form, she's still the same Ereshkigal. Of course, that means she is, without a doubt, far less scary than she could be. ]

You've been doing amazingly too, chasing it all that way!

[ He deserves compliments too! No effort must go unrewarded. ]

[intertwinedfates]

[Another way in which they're similar, truthfully, though Yato does deliberately go out of his way to earn praise much more readily. It's why he's so quick to give it out when he thinks someone is doing a stellar job. And truly Ereshkigal is making one hell of a splash in this battle in double the ways. That deserves not only thanks for the revitalization, but her impressive battle form as well. If they were fighting sentient creatures, they'd know to be rightly scared of an intimidating form like that.

So he keeps bouncing in place, like an overenthusiastic cheerleader. All he needs are pompoms!]

Hehe, no problem!

[Aw, look how cute she gets when pleased, even as a spooky skeleton! That's so sweet that Yato can't help grinning all the more at her. Scary or no, he's still impressed.]

Aw, thanks! Now we should be able to really get serious between the two of us! Ready to serve up some serpent today?

[With sword in hand he leaps up to land on her shoulder, crouching there with a laugh. What a pair they make: the Goddess of Death and a God of Calamity. This thing's gonna wish it was never born!]

[queenofkur]

[ H-He's so enthusiastic! What a bright and joyful god... His human is so very lucky indeed. If she had any hopes on whether gods are a good fit for humans where romance is concerned, those doubts are all gone. He's sure they'll be happy, whoever his human is.

... Of course, she's not going to apply that logic to herself. Self-loathing is a bitch. ]

Right.

[ Wait, is he... Is he on her shoulder? Wow! That makes her feel like one of the warrior heroine from the Final Goddess series of books! That's so much responsibility too. But... That's also a chance to do something unique and truly spectacular! ]

Yato... We should try a synergy attack!

[ They could each do their own thing, side by side. But synergy attacks are always the highlight in books! It'd been an option for the sim character to use in that "veedyo geyme" they played on the plane. Now feels like the perfect moment to design and execute one! ]

[intertwinedfates]

[If there's one thing Yato has in spades, it's definitely enthusiasm! And truthfully he'd chalk most of it up to having special someones in his life - both Hiyori and Yukine. Two humans who have changed his world into one of light and possibilities. Gave him a new lease on his existence and finally showed him a better way of being.

He'll just have to help spread it around to people like Ereshkigal herself.]

Oh--! That's a great idea! I've always wanted to give something like that a whirl! Think you could imbue my sword with some kind of energy, or maybe hit it after I stab the thing?

[They'll be like real heroes in popular fiction! It might even win them the battle if they're lucky! Now it's just a matter of figuring out the best way of combining their powers into such an attack. If Yato himself had elemental powers, it'd be one thing, but he's more the stabby type...]

[queenofkur]

[ Mhm... She ponders for a second. Indeed, he is more of the type for close quarter combat it seems. Imbuing his sword with power is a good start. But they can go a step beyond to make this even more memorable! ]

I'll imbue your sword with energy from the Underworld, and then I will launch you at the enemy so you can deal a deadly strike at it!

[ She'll have to be careful not to launch him too hard... It would be super embarrassing if he was accidentally sent flying to the moon! But now that they have an attack plan, something very important is left: ]

And we'll call it... [The name of a synergy attack is like, 5% of its effectiveness. No matter how cool the attack is, if it has no name, nobody will ever remember it.] The Divine Calamity of Death!

[ Now that sounds like the kind of wonderful attack you would read about in history books! ]

[intertwinedfates]

[It's definitely a good idea to be on the same page regarding their abilities and skills in order to properly combine them into a more effective attack. It wouldn't do to have them trying two different things at once!]

Oh-- that's not a bad idea! Get some OOMPH behind it and send me there even quicker than I could move myself! I should be able to aim as long as you get me in right general direction.

[Yeah, don't send him on a first class trip to space, plz, Eresh...! He might be a god, but he still needs gravity like the rest of the creatures on Earth.]

Ah... [He's a bit... uncertain about "calamity" being in there, but there's no way she could possibly know the negative association he has with the word, so all he does is grin and bear it.] Alright! Let's do this! The... Divine Calamity of Death, getting ready to launch--!

[Now all they've got to do is nail and they'll be set to be remembered for their part in the battle! Both of them will gain recognition as gods and heroes!]

[queenofkur]

[ She just thought it sounded cool, any familiarity with words used in the name of the attack is the product of pure coincidence (and fate being mean, perhaps).

For now, time to get started with the attack! It's their first time doing it, so it's to be expected it'll be a tad slower than normal. Things like that require practice! But perhaps after two or three more Kaiju battles, they may just be able to spam it and take the monsters down on their own. ]

Alright- [Ereshkigal focuses the Blessing of Kûr on his sword, to enhance all of its properties and give it the death attribute. It gains a (cool?) purple glow with yellow flowers swirling around it.] Weapon powered up!

[ She very very delicately closes one of her skeletal hand around him to grab him. S-She's never had to use the hands of this form for anything other than combat, she doesn't want to accidentally hurt him. ]

A-Are you ready?

[intertwinedfates]

[Definitely fate deciding to thumb its nose at him, for sure. If he didn't know better, he'd assume his father had a hand in it. But thankfully the bastard isn't here.

Instead he has Ereshkigal, which is a damned sight better partner than he could ever hope for. She's got strength, beauty, and flair! They're gonna be so cool taking down this kaiju...! Provided they get it right. Which he's going to try his best to do. Gotta stop the rampage before it takes out too much more of the city.]

Whoa--! Nice! [He admires the sudden change to his weapon, grinning broadly as the purple light illuminates his face. The flowers are a neat touch, too!] Pretty and cool all in one. I approve!

[As her fingers encase him gently, he braces himself against her bony hand and peers out from between her fingers, judging the aim and direction he'll be going in. He trusts her completely, knowing that she'd never willingly harm him. And if he gets a bit of a squeeze, a prod of this own fingers should help indicate as much to her.]

Whenever you are. Launch me!

[queenofkur]

[ Alright. He's confident in this, she's confident in this. Now is the time. She takes on a deeper tone, forcing herself to sound as scary and terrifying as possible. Her normal voice just doesn't really fit with her transformed form, but she can adjust for that.

First, a declaration: ]

Behold and tremble, kaiju! Your end hath cometh, for gods from beyond the sunless sea have come to punish you!

[ Ehehe. That's the sort of stuff they'll make painting about once they'll be done saving this world. Now, for the launch. She moves her arm back, holding it out for a moment before... ]

Divine Calamity of Death!!

[ And lo! She throws Yato straight at the beast! M-Maybe she's put a bit too much strength into her throw. Were he to hit a wall, there are no guarantees he wouldn't break every bone in his body at that kind of speed. But if he hits the kaiju, the attack will be spectacular!! ]

[intertwinedfates]

[There's nothing much left but to execute their combo attack, except perhaps adding a little bit of flair to make it a truly memorable moment. And Ereshkigal has that covered in spades!]

Damn right! The time of a calamitous death is upon you!

[He cheers from within her grip, grinning widely at the spectacle they must be making. They're gonna look so cool...! Whoops! It's now or never--!]

The gods Ereshkigal and Yato will smite you!

[And he's off--! It's one hell of a toss, almost enough to make him want to scream from the force of it, but he manages to keep himself quiet until the last few moments as he approaches the kaiju, then lets out a feral yell. It's timed perfectly for the impact that comes when his powered up sword pierces between the scales of the imugi, foisting all the energy into the blow with a bright explosion and making the beast holler with pain as it rears back.

Success...!

Although once their attack hits home, Yato's left with his sword embedded in the creature while he hangs off it, feet braced against the scaly body so he isn't stuck dangling free. But... uh, now what? He grimaces and tugs at the blade, trying to get it loose for another attack before the dragon can try retaliating.]

Ah, fuck--!

[queenofkur]

[ She stares in awe as the other god is thrown majestically towards the target, and as he perfectly manages to strike! Now, all she can do is wait for him to hit the kaiju, which should only take a few seconds...

... Success!!!

Ehehe, their first try doing an attack together, and they nailed it! Hopefully everyone watched and will compliment them about this later (not that she needs the praise, but it's a really nice bonus). She smiles - as much as her skeleton form can smile - and waits for him to return so she can, at the very least congratulate him on playing his part to the perfection.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ]

H-Heh...?

[ I-Is his sword stuck? Is he barely hanging on it?! Oh no! Oh no no no no no no. If he falls and breaks his back (or worse), she won't forgive herself. ]

H-Hold on!

[ She rushes towards him! She can't fly (even though she's a floating skeleton), but she can position herself right under him to catch him at the very least! ]

[intertwinedfates]

[A roaring success, you might say! Given that the kaiju is none too pleased with having a long pokey object jabbed into its side. It's almost enough to make Yato feel a little bad, except for the way the creature thrashes about trying to hit anyone and anything within reach. This is a battle they need to win, for everyone's sakes!

Plus it'd be nice to earn some accolades for their efforts and maybe have a banner congratulating them on a job well done. He can't deny that sounding appealing.

But that's for later-- right now, he's the banner whipping in the wind almost comedically. It'd be downright silly if it wasn't made so dangerous by the height. He'd likely survive the fall, but damn if it wouldn't hurt!]

Woooaaaaaahhhh~!!

[Apparently the Imugi isn't too keen on him being there either, as it twists and turns in an attempt to dislodge him. It leaves Yato feeling like he's on some kind of extreme carnival ride, only without a safety net. At least until he hears Ereshkigal coming for him. Twisting his head, he looks around and waits until she's within sight before giving his sword a solid YANK, freeing it and sending him plummeting down, down, down--

right into her skeletal hands! He lands with a grunt, unharmed and relieved. After catching his breath, he glances up at her with a sheepish smile.]

Oh man, thanks, Eresh! Dunno what I would've done without you.

1/3

[queenofkur]

Ehehe!

[ Ereshkigal sparkles (literally, again). The day is saved and the attack was - indeed - a roaring success. ]

It's nothing. I—

[ She pauses abruptly. Wait. What is that feeling? ]

[queenofkur]

[ ... She goes back to normal and Yato finds himself carried in the arms of a very normal-looking goddess instead of a scary giant skeleton!

And... Is that the Kaiju lunging towards them at the exact same time? ]

3/3

[queenofkur]

[ W-W-What's up with that timing? Couldn't her mana run out at a more convenient time?! That's absolutely disastrous! At least she still got her A-Rank strength so she doesn't immediately drop him like a hot potato. Instead she starts running in whatever direction appears to be the safest. While still carrying him. ]

H-Hold on!

[ It's a blessing at least that the panic of this situation is preventing her from panicking because she's carrying him like that. ]

[intertwinedfates]

Oh, pshaw, it's not nothing, it's--

[What it is will have to remain a mystery as all of a sudden they start plummeting towards the ground until Yato finds himself being carried bridal style in the arms of a very discombobulated goddess. He starts yammering nonsense as the kaiju makes a move to come after them and throws his arms around her neck to make their journey a little more secure, hopefully.]

I-I'm holding for all I'm worth! --watch out, kaiju on the left!

[He shouts abruptly as the beast lunges from said side, aiming to scoop them up in its maw. Oh please don't let them end up dragon fodder! He doesn't want to think where its food goes...! Being eaten by an ayakashi was bad enough, thankyouverymuch!]

[queenofkur]

[ She follows his directions as she keeps running. T-This had started so well, with the two of them being so cool and dealing so much damage to the kaiju! And now they're literally running for their lives with not an ounce of power left. Well, maybe he has some powers left... But she's too busy running to ask him!

Thankfully, they're not alone fighting this thing. Sooner or later, someone's bound to draw its attention. And indeed, other outsiders are attacking the monster even now. Maybe not as well as they did (they put so much effort in it!) but ere long, the kaiju stops pursuing them. ]

I-I think someone distracted it...

[ She slows down... W-Why are his arms around her neck? Hopefully he's find the strength to get on his two feet before she has a chance to realize the full scope of this predicament! ]

[intertwinedfates]

[Definitely not how he wanted his first kaiju fight to go, that's for sure! But they're still kicking which is a good thing, even if they are having to beat a hasty retreat so they don't get squashed or eaten. Gotta take your small wins where you can get them!

And things finally start going their way again once the others cause enough pain to distract the creature, sparing them from further running. He may not be the heaviest god out there, but given it seems Ereshkigal's strength is depleted, he worried she might tire out before they could get to safety.]

S...Sounds like it... You did a good job there, Eresh. You're pretty fleet of foot!

[Gradually, he lets go of her and waits until she stops to hop out of her arms, breathing slightly hard just from the sheer adrenaline coursing through his veins. That was actually really damn scary...!]

For a moment there I thought we were gonna be kaiju snacks. Thanks for the save, by the way.