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

[bowtography]

I feel like that'd probably distract you the most.

[ignoreher]

[ wh ]

And what makes you say that, Marmar?

[bowtography]

Feminine intuition.

[ignoreher]

Bullshit.

[ wings who taught her that. ]

But fine, you might be right this time... I've had some pretty exciting things happen to me recently that'd totally distract me.

[bowtography]

...

[ Um. ]

Things, as in multiple?

[ignoreher]

[ oh










no she slipped that um-- ]

A... two in one thing! Sort of! Not really multiple-multiple, sorry to disappoint.

[ she is such a good liar. definitely nailed that save. ]

I thought the only way to get me back to me when I pushed myself using E.G.O. was by getting beat up, but it turns out that you can calm me down, too! I think you'd have a really easy time with it, Marmar.

[bowtography]

[ Oh, she is just pausing deliberately now.

Malkuth.

Malkuth, please. ]

You're a little too good at dodging around things, Mally. But I can't always take you at face-value, can I?

[ignoreher]

[ no, she can't, and malkuth is too weak to that pretty gaze of hers. march is always upfront and honest with her; when did malkuth start being avoidant of it? ]

... You can most of the time. Multiple things, sure, but let me... get around to that, okay? I promise I will.

[bowtography]

... Okay.

[ She'll be slightly mollified. ]

[ignoreher]

Okay.

[ okay. malkuth inhales softly, cheeks warming. ]

... So, I'm expecting a confession when we get back to base.

[bowtography]

A confession?

[ ... She is, for once, completely bewildered. Yesod already confessed, so it can't be him. Elysium? When had they gotten that close? ]

[ignoreher]

Right? My life has ups and downs all over the place.

[ well, in one place. ]

So... when I pushed myself too far, the reason I found out I could just be calmed down was because Zag -- Zagreus, he's my neighbor in Everlight, a real sweetheart -- helped me. He held me [ oh no ] and sat me down, and after I teased him about his smooth lines [ Oh No ] I joked that it seemed like he liked me, and he said he did, but that he'd like to tell me properly when we got back. So like, what else could it be?

[ but a confession.....!!!! and he said it was too (agreement) so!!!!!!!

so...

... so, why doesn't she... ]

[bowtography]

[ There's something at the back of her mind, a memory, where they'd talked and she'd said it felt like Malkuth was finally realizing for herself what she did and didn't want and yet who the heck is Zagreus.

A neighbor in Everlight. Some guy she doesn't know, who just confessed right off the bat? He's gotta be fairly new, right? Holding her and having smooth lines??

Malkuth is weaker to a direct approach, she knows this. But oh, boy. ]

How do you feel about it?

[ignoreher]

[ there's a hesitant pause, before she shakes her head and takes march's hand. ]

Well, so, that's... where the other thing comes in. I'm really happy, of course -- I'm interested in him too, I'd like to get to know him better, it feels like it'd be fun and easy to mess around if he'd be up for it, but, um...

[ ... mmmmmmmm, ]

A lot happened last month. Let's start there. I was still sort of sore [ she still is sort of sore ] about Ryoji and all, so I thought it'd be a fun escape to do those love shows, and I dragged pretty much everyone else with me to make friends... I ended up being confessed to, but I-- I don't know, I mean, I love him too, I love all my friends, and he's the very last person I'd ever want to hurt, but Yesod was the last person I was expecting anything from.

[ ...

because she's blind, but. you know. she knows she is. she didn't even foresee someone as obvious as kaito confessing, because she'd already labeled him as something else and it was hard to scratch that sticker off to acknowledge it. ]

[bowtography]

[ March doing her utmost not to make any kind of face at what she would not have known for a long time if Yesod hadn't said anything--

Whew. Okay. Under control. She is Calm. ]

You know, when someone is a friend first--when they're not flirting with you or there's maybe no close tension or those initial sparks when someone cute or... uh. ... Unique-- [ sorry, Verg ]

When someone like that gives you attention, it's harder to think about someone you've considered a friend until they throw you off a little.

[ignoreher]

[ please stop hating on her first situationship she's yearning for the embrace of an older gentleman with an attitude even now. ]

I feel like I'm constantly being thrown off, honestly. [ ... ] How did you... deal with it with Izou? Because you definitely just considered him a friend until you didn't, right?

[ so

like

okay, look, she's trying. because it's yesod, mostly. ]

[bowtography]

[ Girl what have we Learned ]

Yeah, it took so long just to get him to accept me as a friend, I didn't think about anything further. Because that was enough work. [ He'd been comfortably settled into a role. ]

But I think him... having me pinned to the wall the first time, after we'd fought, kind of surprised me. But I didn't want to think too much about it, so I didn't, until...

[ Well, Malkuth knows. ]

I took a lot of time trying to think about him in a different light and interacting with him like that. Like someone who liked me as more than a friend. And it took me over a month because I kept second-guessing everything and I wanted to keep sticking where it was comfortable. But making myself think in a different way was also sort of... exciting? Like discovering new things about someone I thought I knew in one certain way.

[ignoreher]

It's always the wall's fault, huh.

[ but who couldn't be weak to it... that decisiveness. she rests against march, closing her eyes. thinking about yesod in a different way. it doesn't diminish anything else she feels, or what they've gone through -- really, the difference in time doesn't matter at this point, does it? even if she's from farther on, they've become closer regardless, haven't they? -- and... what's keeping her, then.

...

because she's wary of messing things up? of being left behind? of leaving him behind? it's something she feels about all of her closer friends, certainly, but. mm. ]

... I've sort of thought about it since then. I just... didn't want to misuse his feelings, since I was still, you know, sad from before. Like-- okay, it wasn't the most romantic confession, March, definitely nothing like what I'd ever dreamed of getting from anyone, but... I know he was serious about it anyway, since Yesod would never just say something to make me feel better. [ ... ] But I wanted to think that he was, at least for a while.

[ because as stated. she didn't want to misuse his feelings just to make herself feel better. but she was apparently fine with using vergilius's, and she knows she was wrong for it, she got her due there and she's still aching over that and




she needs a vacation. ]

[bowtography]

... Do you need a dramatic, romantic confession? I haven't known Yesod anywhere near as long as you have, but I don't think he's going to say anything just to be nice. Not if that isn't how he really feels.

So I think it's fine not to want to misuse his feelings, but taking them seriously and not putting them off to the side is a good start. Otherwise, that just hurts him.

[ignoreher]

[ ... well, that's the thing. ]

I liked how he did it. [ spoken softly, as much trouble as she'd put him through to say it straight. ] I don't need something dramatic, Marmar. Just someone who means it, who doesn't apologize afterwards. It's just... weird to think about. Not in a bad way, I guess.

[ she just. doesn't know. hasn't really put it to concept in her mind, hasn't really tried to view him that way, and-- she should be upfront. ]

... No, it's more like... I'm kind of scared of taking him -- or anyone else for that matter -- too seriously. Like, what if it ends up not working out for some reason? Could we... go back to being just friends? I've made a lot of them now, but especially when we were still new, I didn't want to risk ruining anything with anyone.

[bowtography]

I mean, I get that too. The thing about seeing someone as one thing, and one thing only, is that it's safe. You can stay like that. That's what had me so scared about thinking about Izou as anything differently. But no matter what I decided, he just... didn't want me to abandon him. To avoid him altogether and the more I thought about it, the more I think I got it... that maybe you can't always go back to a friendship. But depending on the person, if they care enough, they'll want to keep you in their life no matter what form that takes.

[ One hand comes up, to gently stroke Malkuth's hair. ]

We're not new anymore. And even though I really can't keep up with your relationships, what's never changed for me is how brave you are. The ones who got to know you, the actual you, not just the cute girl who flirts and does five million hobbies, will definitely want to stay. Because you're not someone anyone in their right mind would ever want to lose, even if things don't work out.

I think Yesod knows that better than a lot of people.

[ignoreher]

Please. My life and theirs, [ her coworkers, her friends, her family, her home, ] are so intertwined, nothing that happens now or in the future could ever make me leave their sides. I'd fight death again and again and again just to be with them.

[ ... because they're important to her, because she can't imagine a life without them in it. her own layer especially, and her chest aches for their missing pieces. gentle hod, easygoing netzach. stubborn in their own ways, just like herself and yesod.

she doesn't feel very brave. always turning her eyes from sincerity. ]

I know it'd be fine with Yesod in that way, since I'd give him the same. If it was me waiting for his answer, then it wouldn't matter what that answer was -- I still love him, and I'll always be there whether we're something more or not. [ ... ] So where's the line? If it doesn't change anything between us, then how do I know anything's changed at all? It's stuff like that, since at least with other people I know there's a difference. Kissing mostly.

[ and please. she doesn't want to ask him if he wants to kiss her only for him to give a breakdown on even if he might want to he'd be concerned about how it would feel on her end, nevermind the lack of it on his own, and. ]

[bowtography]

Well, take him on a date and see for yourself.

[ Like. Maybe he would wax philosophical on his kissing capability or lack thereof, but. ]

[ignoreher]

[ march, ]

Your solution is so simple.

[ no malkuth you just overthink things to death, revive it, and then overthink it again. ]

Fine. I'll make sure he knows it's a date and see what happens. Maybe we'll both find out it's better we're just friends, like how it ended up with Kaito. Maybe I'll realize that I take him too much for granted and stop it before it gets to where it did with Vergilius, and then neither of us will get hurt and we'll still be on speaking terms. Or maybe I'll like it.

[ and she will




not close any doors until she knows for sure because if it doesn't work out and she's already slammed it on a sweetheart like zagreus she will end it all ]

[bowtography]

Thinking too hard and overthinking it is for people like you and Dan Heng.

[ So very fondly. ]

But at least you'll have more of an answer than you do now. And I think that's gotta count for something when it comes to figuring out what you do or don't want to do after that.