synflux | TRAVEL LOG #5

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TRAVEL LOG #5

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I always show a general amount of caution. Don't think it's personal.

[ He says it like it should be obvious. If he hadn't succeeded, if the man had been rather strong, if he'd had some sort of implants... It's all something that could have happened. Silco was ever-suspicious, ever paranoid.

Then again, he had reason. ]

Like with the poison. Do I really think someone is going to poison me? I have no reason to think so, however, I understand how easy that is. [ Say you've probably poisoned someone without saying it. We all know he probably has. ]

And after surviving this long, I refuse to allow something so mundane to take me out.

[stare..........]

< ...Since when is poisoning mundane? >

[ Silco stares back.

He blinks. Well, one eye does. The other still stares. Rarely, Silco's scar is out for anyone to see, but with the heat, he can't exactly wear makeup, can he? That stringy, rotted, fetid thing is exposed. ]

I wonder where I would have gotten that impression, hm?

[Dante doesn't flinch away from the sight (they've seen much worse by now), but the fact that he's looking a little worse for wear than usual doesn't escape their notice.

Several flurrying ticks approximate an annoyed huff.]

< I'm surprised it's that common. Not that it happens at all. >

You've never seen what a Chembaron will do to get their position. I understand.

[ A shrug. ]

We Zaunites are not above using whatever tools necessary to get what we want. You would be surprised how easy it is to find toxic plants in the fissures.

When it's so ready, why wouldn't we use it to our advantage? The only ones done in by it are those that are far too foolhardy with what they consume.

[That condescending attitude...]

< So it's mundane because it's more convenient than killing someone with your own two hands, basically. >

[ Only Silco would make murder and thuggery sound condescending tbh. ]

And quieter. Less of a spectacle.

But yes, in short.

[Just Silco Things™]

< ...I can see something like that happening in a Nest, maybe. >

[Maybe. It feels like they've only ever visited the Nests of the City while they were in some sort of crisis (or had something else going on with them), so they can't be sure what life is really like there without making assumptions.]

[ His lips twitched. ]

Oh, I suppose it could.

[ A little shrug, and a gesture with his hands. ]

Where I am from, if you do not take every advantage possible, you'll find yourself on the receiving end of violence.

Leaving slack means providing opportunities to others. I've never been in that business, you know.

[ Clearly, given how willing he was to take that man out in the closet. ]

< That's not anything new either. >

[The ticking behind their words sounds almost defeated, slow and soft.

Back home. Back in Silco's world. And due to the presence of people like Silco, here as well. In a place that's supposed to be kinder, but, as much as they want to pretend otherwise, is never, ever without.]

< So, what, everything you're doing with "cleaning up the streets" is just another way to take that opportunity away from others? >

[ It's a good thing they don't voice that. He might just start monologing. ]

Do you know what they are like? The people who control the streets?

[ He asks it with genuine curiosity, but he doesn't give them much time to respond. ]

They are lazy. Entitled. They use the power that they have for mere enrichment, instead of using it towards any purpose. Their indulgences in Kaiju parts? Money. Gambling? Money. Manpiulating the government? More Money. They profit on the back of the people they employ, and the people they threaten, and for what? What purpose do they have? What cause?

More money than you or I would know what to do with. [ His fingers drag down his paper, his tone turns thoughtful. ]

What if it was all turned towards a better purpose than simple enrichment? It's insulting that this is all they can think to do with it.

They lack vision. Since they lack it, the opportunity should not be theirs.

[Thankful as Dante is for the text-to-speech functionality of their implants for allowing them to communicate, times like this make them realize that being able to be understood doesn't stop people like Silco or the executive director of T Corp or Ahab from existing.

The urge to make a comment of their own is strong, but they bite back on it in favor of a question.]

< So if it's not the money you want, then what? What are you after? >

[ He smiled, a touch serenely. The real truth, as always is Power. But unlike he people he hates, that he derides, it has a purpose, doesn't it? ]

Why, what were we brought here for? To take care of the Kaiju, of course.

[ Only partially true. There is, of course, the fact that it's Silco. There's never just one thing that he does. There's never just one purpose. Yes, it's to use what he has to defeat the kaiju. But it's more than that. He wants to have something left on this world. A stain left over when he's gone. Legacy, as always.

And something that's left, should LILITH not hold up their part of the bargain. He would leave something uncontrolled and terrible in his wake if they betrayed him for his efforts. ]

I do not have powers, nor am I useful against them.

What I do have, however... [ He gestured toward his books. He has his brains. Logistics. The things he Can provide. ]

[They don't believe his story about wanting to help with the kaiju for a second.

No, that's not quite it. They believe he wants to go home like the rest of them do. But all these schemes? There's no way all of them are for the sake of LILITH's goals.

Still, as he continues, their gaze follows his to his books.]

< ...The kinds of skills that not everyone who can fight has. >

[ Silco's only interest in the Kaiju is what they can make from them. If Singed were here, he already would have had the doctor on developing drugs from their remains, and there had already been some, but the supply dwindles of fresh material quickly. Yamadenki remains had been snorted for an electrifying high, he'd heard, called Third Rail, but they're difficult to find these days.

No, Silco has no real interest in taking out the Kaiju. He's required to be here, so he is here. But this is not where he is his most useful. LILITH must understand that. ]

Why, I knew you could get there.

[ Stop being Condescending, Silco!! ]

You seemed the type yourself, you know. Are you telling me that you are content to ineffectively fight against these things, when there are better uses of your time?

[This guy... How in the world does he keep managing to get under their skin? Even his compliments sound like insults, and they're pretty sure that--most of the time--that's all they are.]

< I'm "content" to gather more information so we can build a strategy to take this kaiju out with minimal losses. >

[Not everyone can be a crime lord, Silco!]

< And I'm finding a way to help with other things back on base too. >

Short term thinking, Dante.

[ It's very nearly a scold, his tone chiding. ]

I'm surprised. I'd think someone from the City would know how to plan long-term for continuous, repeated disasters.

The Kaiju follow a pattern, so think outside the box, hm? There are plenty of excitable everlights to assist on the base. They're practically jumping at the opportunity.

So be smarter. You cannot tell me that you don't have a way to make these go smoother outside of what LILITH provides?

< You mean aside from finding a way to close up the rifts or keep them from opening in the first place? >

[All these kaiju are coming from somewhere, after all. And that's not counting the ones that get created from the energy the rifts give off--nevermind the people that end up mutated in the process. If anything is going to solve the issue, it's gotta be the rifts. There's nothing else they can think of with what they know right now.]

< ...Places where civilians can retreat to for safety would be helpful too. For their sake, but to make it so we only have to focus on the kaiju as well. >

Are you the scientific sort that can put together that one? If so, focus on that.

[ He waved a hand. ] You don't seem it though, are you?

[ Okay. That might be insulting, but only borderline so. Silco isn't the type either. He has managed to deal with the technology, but he isn't exactly hacking people wildly or able to do much more than that.

Hey, he's a logistics guy. He knows what he's good at. ]

See, that sounds more logical. Who wants to deal with the screaming masses in the middle of a battle. What about readily available supplies? How often are we asked to fend for ourselves in the middle of a mission? Weapons? These come from somewhere, don't they?

[ Silco thinks like this, like there's an entire web for an organization, but he rarely speaks it, that book there has all of it. And once he gets going... ]

LILITH has hardly been the support required, after all. We have our suits, and they sometimes give us funds, but don't you think it's up to those of us who can think outside the box to make up for their...deficiencies?

[Condescended to, insulted, treated like a child... There's a part of Dante that wants nothing more than to punch the guy, a part of them that they quickly stamp down on. A difficult task, given how that part of them writhes and fights and desperately attempts to wiggle free from beneath their metaphorical heel at the continued fact that Silco is making sense and might even be correct in some way shape or form, but a feeling they manage to keep control over nonetheless.

Still, their hands burrow deeper into their pockets. A contingency plan.]

< Let me guess: you don't trust LILITH enough to make use of the resources they have available, so you're trying to put together your own outside of them to get what you want. Right? >

[ He stares at them. It's almost like he knows what's going through their head, but really, he doesn't. There's one thing Silco is good at, and it's the kind of mind games that come from living outside of polite society for too long. Silco is so, so good at getting under peoples' skin.

He tapped the cigar on the makeshift ashtray (a cup) before he puffed on it. ]

Do you trust them?

[ He asks, like a dragon spewing smoke over a village. ]

After everything?

Edited 2025-04-16 04:10 (UTC)

[Dante has never been put off by Silco's eye before. With all the oddities in the City, including their own clock-headed self, it seemed ridiculous to find something so small and simple to be strange.

But there's something about the way he's looking at them this time that makes them itch.]

< I know they aren't a company or corporation of any sort, but I'd say I trust them a little more than I'd trust those. >

[If they're going to be honest about it.]

< They've got a specific goal in mind, and they have their own way that they want to reach it. >

[ Silco has always used it to make a point. Most people are afraid of it, or disconcerted by it, but those that aren't, well... He took the monicker Eye Of Zaun for a reason. The weight of it is heavy, like a force of will. ]

You aren't a fool, of course you wouldn't trust a company.

[ Silco's roots as an anarchist revolutionary do come out sometimes. He's strayed from it, but not that far. ]

Has their way conflicted with our ability to do the job? Can you imagine if we had better resources? More support? I'm not an altruistic person, but even I can see the fractures, and can see how we could fill them better.

Isn't that more useful than... [ A wave of his hand. At the cans. ] Simply playing the roles they ask of us?

< I've heard about what happened during other missions. But I don't have enough details to say what should and shouldn't change. >

[Information about what happened in Brasov had been sparing for obvious reasons. Everyone did the best they could with Seoul as far as they could tell, despite the mission's results (though they can't say they're much of a fan of how LILITH handled the fallout from what they've heard of it). And they know they can't trust Silco to remain unbiased.

Dante's flame flickers in the direction of the cans as they glance their way.]

< ...I've been doing things other than just bringing those around you know. >

But you've been present for plenty enough, haven't you? [ His single eyebrow lifted. ] The last one, we managed to make do, but do you remember how they left us to fend for ourselves? Almost entirely?

[ He points at the cans they've been bringing around, a tip of his head. ]

What else are you doing? Really? Wait, let me guess. Morale?

[ It sounds mocking. ] I know you're more talented than most, and that means you could be making yourself far more indispensable, now couldn't you?

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

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

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

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