TRAVEL LOG #5

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #5

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, nightmares, gun violence, survival scenario

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

"Angels of Lilith, report for duty in the DISPATCH."

The day starts off with alarms blaring and oculars shining bright lights in the Outsiders' heads, waking them up early for an emergency dispatch. Although the current Rift at Mt. Fuji needs to be explored and examined, the Rifts continue to appear in different parts of the world, and this Rift is no different. Captain Yamakawa continues,

"We have received a distress call from EGYPT. Much of the region fell during the first kaiju crisis. Now it is a desolate land that survives with the help of a generator called an ESSENCE which is currently malfunctioning. We assume the cause is Rift energy—according to our radar, there is a heavy amount of Rift energy coming from that area. We will move out immediately. Pack all the things you may need, but each Outsider will be supplied with a care package of their own containing essentials."

Even though it is 4:00 AM Tokyo time, LILITH hopes you all have slept well. It could be the very last good sleep in awhile. While the dataportal to Egypt is operational on Japan's end, because of the malfunctioning generator, Outsiders are unable to come out on the other side. The old method of using the flying cruiser will be used once again.

There will not be assigned seating for this other than by teams. Everlights will sit with Everlights, Brimstones with Brimstones, and so on. The Outsiders will be encouraged to rest on the flight, and a few hours before landing, an in-flight meal will be provided. The meal is surprisingly delicious and consists of chicken or pork katsu cutlet, but with the warning that all Outsiders will know about: it contains high amount of cyber caffeine. This sort of newly innovative caffeine can keep Outsiders awake for several days, but sometimes it may cause restlessness or hyperactivity, causing characters to have a jittery amount of energy but razor sharp focus. Other times, it simply keeps characters awake and they feel no different. The cutlet will be served with KAIJU™ Energy Drink. Any Outsiders that require a different diet will be provided with what they need, and the cyber caffeine will be added to it if they would like.

Yamakawa gives instructions again:

"We have received more information about the kaiju. Civilians have died in their sleep from horrible nightmares, and we are encouraging Outsiders to sleep together in pairs or groups, or disregard sleeping at all until we obtain more information. We are still receiving facts about this monster, but this meal will help with keeping everyone awake as a safety measure."

Those who do not want to have the highly caffeinated meal can have everyone's favorite: a ration bar that isn't spiked with any energy, but it doesn't taste good at all. Outsiders may be more likely to fall asleep and be in danger by choosing this meal. The balance of a dystopian society.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

When they finally arrive, the air is temperate and dry in Alexandria. The Outsiders might have to check their clocks once more to make sure everything is right; everyone is expected to land in the late afternoon and every clock says it should be close to evening, but the city is already growing dark with the sun setting quite early. Because of the ESSENCE disruption, Alexandria is running on back up energy, which makes for spotty lighting and loss of basic power.

LILITH will be greeted by a small group of researchers at the airport and they will help take the Outsiders to their base: the Alexandria Institute which was once the University of Alexandria. They will give the Outsiders a quick run down of the situation and some background.

1. LILITH does not have a strong defense branch in the region any more. Instead, the branch here seems more focused on research, especially on the origin of kaiju and rifts.
2. This region is extremely prone to spontaneous Rifts. Many of them are small and pass quickly but this most recent one is unprecedented.
3. One evening, in the final week of March, the Alexandria Institute received a corrupt file from their fellow researchers in Greece. It shut down much of their research facility (including their warp portal) and all they have been able to recover so far are the words, "Do Not Go To Sleep."
4. The next morning, they awoke to find the sun rising later and setting earlier. It feels like the days are getting significantly shorter.
5. Many locals developed a fear of the dark and going to sleep. They would then die in their sleep within the next few days.
6. The autopsy of these victims have shown no cause of death, puzzling coroners.

Progress has been slow because the corrupt file shut down many of their facilities. They have not been able to track the source of the Rift or identify the kaiju responsible for it. They believe the answers may be within the corrupt file and will be happy to receive any help they can get from the Outsiders.

When they arrive at the Institute, Outsiders will be set up in the old student dormitories. Each room has 2-4 beds depending on the room, with a common shared area on each floor. Given the current threat, there is also a supply of energy drinks and bars boosted with cyber caffeine. Outsiders have two options:

1. OPTION ONE: Stay in Alexandria and help the researchers with the generators, while keeping themselves and teammates awake during the night by playing games.
2. OPTION TWO: Go out into the Egyptian desert on camel-back, spending time getting to know their camel before heading out.

OOC NOTE: While players may write prompts for both options, we ask that you submit for a clue only once per player (not per character, as we have a lot of characters in game now!)

▶ 003. LEARN & EXPLORE. (ALEXANDRIA RESEARCH.)

Times are hard in Alexandria right now with their generators malfunctioning and efforts being split. The researchers are trying to get the generators back up and uncorrupt the data they received from Greece. LILITH will instruct the Outsiders to help with the research but also warn that they cannot afford to just sit around and wait to crack codes. The researchers also agree. Sometimes the best way to get research data is to go out into the field, but they haven't been able to do it due to not having much protection. The desert is vast, and there have been sightings of other small kaiju lurking beneath the sand and in some smaller cities.

Outsiders can decide to stay in the city of Alexandria to help crack the codes, or they can opt to go out into the field. For the latter, they can choose to stay close to home and investigate within Alexandria.

Those who wish to help with the ESSENCE generators and researchers will stay in Alexandria, using any downtime when not investigating to try and stay awake, slumber-party style. Two Truths and a Lie? Maybe Spin The Bottle? Perhaps some games can keep Outsiders enticed so they don't doze off.

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

For those who wish to explore the desert and smaller cities, Alexandria Institute will supply what they need, such as water, food, essential tools for digging, sleeping bags (no sleeping, but maybe for resting!) and anything else. To conserve energy, the researchers supply camels for the Outsiders to use. The camels are mostly tame, but have their own distinct personalities, so they may need a little more handling and can be coaxed to behave with treats like artificial carrots and bananas. Outsiders can spend time getting to know their camel if they are going to explore the desert or cities. A camel can seat two people on its back comfortably, but also carry any essentials that travelers need to bring along.

In the distant small cities and across the desert, Outsiders will come across Sand Crocodiles, one of the smaller kaiju that have been inhabiting the desert. These monsters are basically crocodiles but with a twist: they can spit fire if angered and they can camouflage in the sand. They hide strategically, and one wrong step will cause them to push their jaws out of the ground, harming a person or camel. The stubby quills along their backs or rounds of their horns aren't entirely covered while hiding, so watch carefully. Fortunately, Outsiders will be supplied with a shotgun. Aiming between the eyes or in the mouth will kill it, but also beating it with the back of the shotgun will also do the trick. And yes, they also taste like crocodile too, if anyone is hungry.

After exploring, Outsiders are requested to report their findings back in Alexandria.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth travel log!

Welcome to the new and improved Travel Log! Below, you will see the link to the MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET post that has information about the kaiju below along with RIFT EFFECTS. Fill out the form for RNG Attacks and whether you would like to receive a RIFT EFFECT. This should give characters some ideas for the status of their character in the next log, which will have more action and monsters in it. Outsiders may use the CHAT to report and discuss any findings.

We thank you in advance for your patience as we try out this new format!

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

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. EYES WIDE OPEN: Outsiders travel to Egypt after receiving reports of their power generator, ESSENCE, being unstable and malfunctioning, leaving citizens in peril. They are instructed to "stay awake." They are supplied cyberpunk caffeine and told to try not to sleep or stay in pairs to be watchful of any danger.

2. ARRIVING IN EGYPT: Arriving in Alexandria, the Outsiders are confirmed that citizens have been dying in their sleep, with coroners unable to determine the cause. The days are mysteriously getting shorter and people are unable to stay awake.

3. LEARN & EXPLORE: Outsiders are given options to stay in Alexandria to help with the generator or find clues to assist the research team. Between researching, they are asked to continue to stay awake by any means possible. Those who will be exploring the desert and smaller cities for clues are given a camel for transportation. Outsiders are encouraged to get to know their camel before traveling.

4. FEELING SANDY: While looking for any clues out in the desert, Outsiders encounter smaller kaiju known as Sand Crocodiles. They hide in the sand and attack at the opportune time, snapping jaws and spitting fire. Shooting them between the eyes or in the mouth will K.O. them.

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Comments

— Kaladin

[zauneyete]

[ The sun beats down, violent and hateful for how hot it is. The days may be getting shorter, but that doesn't seem to prevent the sun from still being blisteringly hot when it is around. Even Silco, who generally very stubbornly refuses to wear anything but his usual outfit, has opted for the desert attire from his style upgrade. It's at least doing something, although the exposed skin he has is still ruby-red from burning, and the shades over his eyes leave him looking more innocuous, and less... like himself. If it weren't for the scar peeking out around the shades, one might have even missed him for a normal person.

But well, there's no makeup in the world that can survive this amount of sweating.

His fingers wrapped around a shotgun, he's been trying to make his way past another pack of those crocodile kaiju, all surrounding a small oasis. Tezca is off on one of his scouting missions on the camel, and Silco had been enjoying the sun until... these creatures came.

He's trying to stealthily leave, head for the ruins he can see in the far distance, but he is not sure on the sand. His feet ar uncoordinated and clumsy. He drops the gun, and a soft oath slips from his lips, before he tries to pick it back up.

Unfortunately for him, one of the creatures is making its away towards the dune that he's on the other side of. It crests it, and looks down on the (admittedly poor) morsel before him — Silco may look thin, and somewhat poor eats, but he's still a meal, all the same.

Silco doesn't even think to lift his shotgun. For some reason. ]

💨💨💨

[gyve]

( Time slows for Kaladin leading up to the attack. Long enough to make a conscious, human choice. He could leave him, let nature take its course, and feel less burdened, but he doesn't. Silco may be a bad man, but that doesn't give Kaladin the right to decide how he's punished. That'll happen one day well beyond his reach, and he'll wonder even then how he feels about Silco's death.

Time flows again. He spends less than a second thinking and acting; then all Damnation breaks loose.

The crocodile crests the dune like a wave, its launching point sending it parallel with Silco's shoulder. Brutal jaws open wide to receive their meal, to slam shut, lock, and perform a death roll to rip the human's shoulder from his torso—but Kaladin beats them to it. A white-blue glow chills the area in a sudden, pressurized release of Stormlight. He streaks forward at the Light's epicentre, narrowly avoiding a collision with Silco. The sand ripples beneath their feet, shimmering outward from the impact of a short spear thrust perpendicularly into the crocodile's mouth. )

Didn't account for me, did you, you bastard?

( The Sylspear is imperceptibly bent by the force of the bite, which surprises Kaladin into slamming his boot down onto the crocodile's lower jaw. In response, something in its throat begins to click.

Uh-oh. )

Snap out of it, Silco! You want to die getting eaten by this oversized cremling?

[zauneyete]

[ He should be used to combat. He's seen plenty of it by now, fought people with far more capability and power than Silco has ever really even thought about having. He's fought men who called themselves gods ( looks directly into the camera at you, froot ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ) and even gods for real. He has felt his limbs crack and break, lost limbs, felt power seep between his fingertips, and watched his own life end from the eye of his shooter. He should be well-used to this by now.

He should.

He has no power here. So little it's almost embarrassing, compared to the threat he'd been back then. When he'd had the capability, when no matter how many times death knocked on his door — and oh, how his old acquaintance tried to come calling — it never seemed to happen. He always came back. It made him foolish, and it made him take chances he shouldn't. (Then again, didn't he take foolish chances here too?)

No, he's back to his old ways. He understands that death is permanent here. He refuses to die. He refuses to get taken by any of these things.

The creature lunges out of the sand at him, and Kaladin — why did it have to be him? — comes charging out to try and help him? He snaps out of his fear long enough to hear the clicking, long enough to see Kaladin get nearly caught in it. He's close enough that if the thing does what he thinks that's going to do, he's probably going to get in trouble.

So he actually moves, kicking up sand while he does so, trying to get out of the way. It's not far, and it's not even effective. His pistol is still in his holster — Tezca had insisted he bring it along, despite the provided shotguns — and it's the only weapon he has, other than the knife tied into the back of his leather holster.

It's not enough. And he doesn't have time. He ducks and rolls, trying to get out of the way. He expects Kaladin to do the same, but perhaps it's selfish that he just moves though he at least makes an effort to stand, once he's out of the blast radius.

At least temporarily. ]

Can't stand not being the hero, can you?

[ He sneers, and at least it's a little confirmation that he isn't frozen anymore, though... it was a close thing.

Will he thank him?

Oh, absolutely not. ]

[gyve]

( Each of Silco's steps displaces sand, which slows him down. Kaladin would have liked to buy him time, but the advanced stage of the beast's building attack causes the inside of its throat to glow brightly orange. He has to leave now, or risk being burned up in its flame.

His spear is dismissed in a cloud of mist, letting the crocodile's mouth snap shut before quickly jarring open again. Kaladin uses a lashing to propel himself backward to where Silco calls out to him, a scant moment before the ground where they were turns to glass. The heat of the blast of concentrated flame is so hot from their position that Kaladin can feel his skin blister as his larger body obscures Silco from the worst of the heat.

It's healed by Stormlight instantaneously, redness gone, but the back of his light jacket still burning. Casting it off with a low curse, Kaladin summons his weapon again to ready himself for another round. )

Oh, so you wanted to get burnt to a crisp? Or chewed on and flapped around like a doll? Give me a break, ( he sighs, spinning his spear in his hand in an insufferable flourish. ) Ready your weapon and cover me, or run back to one of the fringe cities... Here it comes again!

( The kaiju, surprisingly quick in the sand, bends its body in a snaking run. Its terrible jaws open wide, motes of fire from its previous attack still sparking around its teeth. )

[zauneyete]

[ He should just leave him. But something in the implant starts buzzing at the thought, like he can feel it start to warn him off, remind him of the consequences of not participating, and leaving another Outsider abandoned.

He sighed, and looked up at the sky, before he immediately snapped his gaze back down. It's not better than looking up into the bright sky, but it's... at least there's no sun. ]

I would rather not be here at all.

[ He grouses unpleasantly. but. He has to do something, doesn't he? He pulled his gun out from his holster, and made an impatient gesture at Kaladin, as if to tell him: 'well? hurry up then!' instead of anything helpful.

God, Kalaidn, if only you could leave him to die. ]