KAIJU FIGHT #1

[synfluxmods]

KAIJU FIGHT #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: thalassophobia, natural disaster, drowning, body horror, violence, blood & gore.

▶ 001. SEAS THE DAY.

On the morning of the 1st, sirens will blare, forcing every Outsider and Neo Tokyo civilian awake. While it hasn't been activated for a while, every citizen within the city knows this alarm all too well - it wails through the city whenever a Kaiju has been detected, ordering everyone to return to their homes immediately and stay there until they receive further information. Outsiders gazing at Neo Tokyo will see the armored city in its full technological splendour for the first time today. Once the civilians have returned to their homes, machinery within the buildings will work like clockwork, sinking each and every LILITH-augmented building beneath the ground. Just in time, too, because the waves are starting to roar again, crashing beyond the shore and flooding the city once more. Observant Outsiders may note that not every building has been modified. The older ones remain standing, vulnerable to the impending flood. Does anyone live in those buildings? The answer is yes, but that's not a priority at the moment.

Every Outsider will receive a summon, ordering them to prepare for battle. The Kaiju has been identified and located. It's show time.

"Angels of LILITH. We have located the Kaiju coming from beyond the sea. A full mission brief including the information we have gathered will be sent to you immediately. For now, make your way to the bay where your transport will be waiting. Be prepared for anything, but mostly, be prepared to swim."

Waiting for the Outsiders at the bay appear to be ... expensive-looking, personal yachts? This has to be a mistake, right? It's no mistake. Through intel LILITH has exchanged with international companies, it appears that this particular Kaiju has a fondness for overturning civilian yachts, and there's no better way to attract it than to leave it its favourite bait. The goal is to attract these Kaiju towards the boats and then attacking.

The ships may look like they're outfitted for a fancy yacht party. In fact, some exploring down below deck in the lounging room, one may find caviar on fancy ritz, oyster tower, little finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off and bougie smelly cheese that nobody in LILITH's pay grade can identify. On another table, there is fancy ramen spoons filled with microgreens, crystal jelly vinegarette, and a thin slice of parmesan cheese. Some further looking may find some fine aged wine, but you're not here to drink and party, you're here to fight a Kaiju! Right? Right.

Despite the fact everything about these yachts just look like... fancy yachts... they are actual warships that are mounted with naval artillery such as swivel guns, missiles and torpedos. Spears, harpoon guns and fishing nets can also be found and used if an Outsider is more comfortable getting extremely close to the monsters. There's no time for a proper seafaring course, so Outsiders will be given a quick run down on how the controls work, and be sent on their way. They will also be given a special jewel-like implant that attaches to the skin, right along the forehead, and told to wear it if they need to go into the water. "Don't worry about it," the LILITH crew says. "But it'll be one hell of a ride if you use it."

Alongside the crew, Seok Dang seems to be also assisting (?) though he's gotten a hold of the reception food down below. Did he smell like fine wine? Possibly. But that's definitely a fancy, half eaten cracker in his hand. He's also got on a bright, neon life preserver. Maybe someone doesn't know how to swim.

"WHOOO HELLA YEAH, MOTHERFUCKERS. Don't know how to swim? Don't'cha worry. Daddy Dang has got you covered. I know CPR! I give the best CPR! 💖 I'll rescue ya. TONIGHT, WE BALL!"

Nobody uses that phrase anymore, but you know what? You do you, SD.

▶ 002. WHALE WATCHING.

Minutes into their ship's course, the boats will rock violently, as if those already violent waves have somehow come alive. There is something in the water! The mission brief would have been shared with them sometime during their trip, but maybe Outsiders want to pull up on their implant the image and debrief shared once again now that there is some action. The orca-like Kaiju trying to reach the shores of Neo Tokyo is called Shachimon, and she's been the cause of the violent waves and flooding we've seen for the past few weeks. Alongside of her and are her children orca who love to mimic everything their mother does. The biggest one, the matriarch of the pod, is over 60 meters in length - large enough to swallow a boat whole. The younger ones are smaller but just as ferocious, spanning from the size of a car to the size of a bus. The youngsters are a size small enough that they can leap out of the water, sometimes crashing down onto people and ships. Beware!

Shachimon will be fighting to knock over boats, or climbing on boats with their amphibious legs. Once they get their hands on humans or Outsiders, they pull them into the water, tearing them limb from limb to feed. Their control over the waves are no joke, either. With a powerful swing of their tail, they can conjure up tsunamis capable of overturning ships. The matriarch, if left to her own devices, seems bent on submerging Neo Tokyo to make food of all its citizens.

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Shachimon
HEIGHT: Younger whales are 4 - 18 metres. The matriarch is 60 meters in length.
WEIGHT: 1500kg - 5000kg
CLASS: Highly dangerous.
LOCATION: Large bodies of water
ABILITIES: Use of sonar to detect any water movement. Fast swimmer. Very sturdy body thanks to all that whale blubber. High intelligence - commonly works together as a pod to take down prey. Capable of creating tsunamis that overturn boats. The largest Shachimon can sink a city if not stopped.
WEAKNESS: Electricity (since it will be inside water), dissection, spearing its eyes or blowhole. Loud vibrations within the water can stun or confuse it.
EXTRA NOTES: Dislikes and will attempt to overturn civilian yachts. Carnivorous, eating marine life and human flesh. Sadistic personality, may play with their food prior to eating.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Lead the Shachimon away from the shore.
✖ Extermination of Shachimon in the water and if they reach the shore.
✖ Protection of nearby fishermen's boats and civilians within those boats.
✖ Teamwork to destroy the matriach Shachimon.
✖ Bring back specimens (live or deceased) for research purposes.

█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

As a note, Outsiders who wish to remain on land and help civilians there may do so. There are waves flooding the city, and some of the smaller, quicker Shachimon will have made it to shore. They will need to be taken care of before they can terrorise the city.

▶ 003. OCEAN GEMS.

Shachimon are most deadly in the water and their go-to strategy is to pull others into their turf, where they have the advantage. That's where those jewel-like implants come in. These implants, called OCEAN GEMS, when attached to the skin, temporarily modify the body. Once activated, nanobots will invade the bloodstream and alter the user's lungs, giving them a set of breathable gills. Their legs will also be altered, giving them fins and the tail of a fish. This is a recent invention by LILITH ever since the first Shachimon was spotted a few years ago, and the technology is still experimental. This means that the transformation process will be significantly uncomfortable, feeling a bit like being asphyxiated and having your legs sewn together at the same time. Deactivating the gem and turning back feels just as uncomfortable, and being experimental technology, it can take a while before the user can successfully revert back. Those who want to fight in the water and lack any weapons or abilities that can be used can request Seok Dang for a weapon. There's a limited supply, but they will be given a special trident. Directly driving the spear into one of the kaiju will electrocute it, giving a higher chance for higher damage. These tridents will be handed out to those who want to use their Ocean Gem and ask.

It's up to Outsiders whether they want to use this new technology or not. Being able to fight the monsters on their own terrain is certainly an advantage, so LILITH would highly encourage it.

▶ 004. MEDICAL BAY.

Healers and those with medical experience will be placed on the warship with a red flag on it. Dr. Spim & Alex will also be present on this ship to assist any major injuries to both LILITH and civilian fisherman alike. This ship is bigger than the others, and while stocked up with the same artillery, it is also stocked with beds and medical supplies. This will be the Outsider's naval medical bay during the siege on the Shachimon and all injured Outsiders or civilians will need to be transported there. This ship will also need to be protected heavily, because once the Shachimon catch on that all the injured, vulnerable prey are being transported to the larger ship, they will start to target that ship in particular. Characters that need immediate medical help should be transported to this ship via a dataportal. Each yacht has a dataportal that can teleport anyone instantly to the medical ship. The dataportals are also located down below deck to prevent them from getting damaged.

▶ 005. THE CALM AFTER THE STORM.

It's a bloody, soggy and gruesome battle and the seas' waves begin to calm down, the sea filled with kaiju carcasses. LILITH's clean up crew is working hastily to collect these corpses, but with the Outsiders' occupied and recovering from their fresh battle, help is limited. Search and rescue scavenges the sea to find any civilians who didn't make it or may need medical help. Meanwhile, the valiant teamwork and effort has paid off. After many hits from many different weapons, artillery, natural abilities, etc. the matriarch kaiju has been downed and sank to the bottom of the ocean floor. LILITH's team will work to retrieve the massive carcass, though it will take awhile. Those who put in notable effort will receive praise and a little extra payout. Outsiders will see an instant transfer of funds to their account: 340,000,000 KRYPTOS. This is roughly about 2500 USD.

The intense battle will have lasted several days and Outsiders are free to go from land to sea as little or as often as they like. It is all over, though, and Outsiders will be called to return to the MAIN BASE for rest and recovery. LILITH will also be searching for the rift where the kaiju came from while Outsiders recover. A message from an unknown voice will pop up an hour or so after all Outsiders have returned to the MAIN BASE. Outsiders may use this time to socialize in a commons area, wash up in the showers, get a meal in the cafeteria or rest.

"Good work."

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our first Kaiju log! All prompts are highly encouraged but OOCly optional. ICly, characters can choose to fight in the ocean, on the ships or stay behind on land and protect the city. At the end of the siege, characters who accepted an Ocean Gem will be asked to return it. It's experimental technology, so LILITH will need to do more tweaking before they can properly release it. Outsiders who use the gem may have whatever fish tail they like, as long as it is a sea creature.

Feel free to NPC your characters' fights with the smaller kaijus. The main fight with the Shachimon matriarch will be determined via a HP-based system (See below).

Please note that all tags in this log count for 2 reward points each. Ask any further questions below!

Below is also the month at a glance. We understand the CALENDAR has been a little inconsistent, but the mod team is sorting all of this out. Expect a FEEDBACK POST this month as well so we can check in with the playerbase and make any adjustments to the game. This log, even if the time stamp says JANUARY, will count for FEBRUARY AC.

FEB 1st: Kaiju Fight Log in LOG COMMUNITY
FEB 15th: Text Post in NETWORK COMMUNITY
FEB 25th: Mod posted MEME COMMUNITY; FEEDBACK POST is live.

Thank you all for being a wonderful and understanding playerbase!

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Comments

01

[likemybooks]

[At one point, Taryon has to stand up from the couch downstairs, where he has been crouching over, deep in thought as he enchanted small metal discs with support spells. It's bad for his back, and he needs to stretch a bit before jumping into battle. His walk takes him to the deck, where he is greeted by a large robot.

That's enough to shake him out of his pre-fight anxiety. Taryon runs straight up to this marvel of engineering, struggling to keep his hands off of the gundam but having them constantly raised as if seconds away from poking it.] Did LILITH make this? It's incredible! How is is powered? Oh my god, those feet! This can move into just any position!

[At least there's one guy who is into the fancy equipment.]

[gundemn]

[ Elan returns with a plate of the expensive foodstuff to find someone cooing over the Pharact. It's a marvel how LILITH replicated it true to form, apart from the size they got the specs right down to the GUND format. Now how they managed to get their hands on secret, proprietary technology is a whole other question and none of the answers are good. Whatever the case, Elan's resentful to be made to pilot it again. ]

Really? Seems lame to me! Science is overrated.

[ Sorry Taryon, this kid doesn't share in the excitement for his own robot. Hearing it praised only makes him want to trash talk it. ]

[likemybooks]

[Taryon has sustained may wounds in the past year from monsters and demons. He has experienced horrors that would have destroyed weaker minds. Nothing comes as close as hearing those painful words: science is overrated.

This boy will never know the joy of watching well-designed machine in motion. He does not understand the intellectual enjoyment that comes from learning about the world. Perhaps Elan is exaggerating, but the sentiment is discouraging enough.]

Well. It's - [He weakly clasps his hands.] I think it's incredible. A lot of work went into designing this, probably went through multiple iterations. I wish I could build something so intricate as this, and believe me, building a robot is tough work.

[gundemn]

[ Paying no attention to the emotional damage he's dealing, Elan takes a bite of the seafood on his plate. If there's any joy to be found in science, he hasn't experienced it. Also he's dramatizing quite a bit because he's a brat. ]

All it is is a bunch of tedious tests and people using technology to capitalize on one another. Just look at the implants they put in us.

[ Oh yup, it's hard work alright. A lot of iterations, a few dead bodies. He's sure the guy means well but the history of this particular machine is more horrifying than most. Elan waves a fork in the air dismissively. ]

There are better things you could be doing with your life!

[likemybooks]

Well. [Taryon hasn't really thought about the implants beyond the fascination with technology that won't be developed for over 1000 years in his world. Sure, LILITH stuck something in his eye, but Taryon figures it's for the greater good, to blend in with the locals. He wants to give the benefit of doubt to the organization that's keeping these monsters from killing what's left of humanity.] That's...really how wars work all over. But there's also small-time inventors who would love this.

Like me. [He doesn't have his tools on him - what he bought in Neo Tokyo is in his room, what he used in battle is left in his home dimension. So, all he does is point a thumb at himself.] I built my own robot, and I assure you, the only testing done was people and monsters beating on him. It was very advanced, in my world, that is, and I spent a lot of quality time learning and building.

[His voice gains a bit of offense - no, staying in this room and tinkering is a worthy hobby and not a waste of his life.]

[gundemn]

[ Taryon is right to pursue his passion for technology. Elan's just been put through hell by scientists and is making it everyone else's problem. ]

What if someone took your inventions and used them for nefarious means? What then?

[ Technology developed with good intentions didn't always remain that way when the wrong people got their hands on it. That was how it was with GUND. ]

LILITH probably recruited you just to take advantage of your skills.

[ Elan doesn't trust the organization one bit. ]

[likemybooks]

Well. It's just. Of course wars have always existed, and people in power exploit what others have made, and obviously I'd be upset if they turned Doty into a purely combat automaton instead of a caretaker.

[His hands lower and still.]

I'm not well-versed in these sorts of robotics. If I was to help them, I'd have to learn about computer coding and electronic circuits, and all that stuff. From what I can tell, no one sells arcane cores.

[Doesn't stop him from inscribing a few runes on roombas.]

[gundemn]

[ He doesn't have anything against technology, really, just a bone to pick with LILITH that he's dragged this man into. Elan's hand pauses on its way to bring another forkful of food to his mouth. ]

You built a whole robot not knowing what circuits are?

[ Something doesn't add up. What kind of technology operates on 'arcane cores'? That sort of thing sounds more like magic to him, but the same probably goes for the man. It explains why he was so fascinated by the mobile suit. ]

[likemybooks]

There's plenty of ways to build a robot. I used magic. And internal mechanisms to move his limbs, but it's powered by magic.

[He folds his arms in front of his chest.]

If I were to build this, [He tilts his head at the mobile suit.] There would be runes inscribed around the outer shell. But this one's power source is all internal.

[gundemn]

Well, yeah. That's because runes and magic don't exist in my world.

[ ...he just spilled that the robot was his, hadn't he? Oh well, it's not like it was going to be a secret much longer.

But a robot built with magic, huh? If Elan hadn't already witnessed other Outsiders using spells, he'd find it pretty unbelievable. GUND tech is just science, and a flawed one at that. The company never did figure out how to build a gundam whose power could be harnessed safely. ]

[likemybooks]

It's yours? [Taryon catches that wording. It only piques his interest further.] But what you're telling me is that you didn't make it, correct?

[Elan looks pretty young, and when Taryon was that age, the automatons he built were small enough to be carried and fairly simple. Even Doty was more of an interesting tool than a partner. It would have been impressive if this teen actually built it and not some large group that he supposedly has issue with.]

[gundemn]

It's Peil company property. Though I guess it's LILITH's now that they've gone through the effort of rebuilding it.

[ He wouldn't really say it's 'his', he's never gotten to call the shots nor does he understand the technology. The man would be better off asking LILITH if he really wanted to understand the machine's inner workings. Elan had only been recruited for one reason. ]

I'm just a test pilot.

[likemybooks]

Being able to pilot something so complex is a feat in of itself. [Taryon pats the torso of the suit lightly.] Is this the cockpit? It seems rather cramped. All I could fit in mine were some books.

[He steps back and faces Elan.] Then again, I didn't build Doty to be a warm machine. The design principles were different form the start. And you said LILITH was able to build it? How?

[gundemn]

Beats me. It was already built when I arrived. They must've lifted the technology because this shit is top secret.

[ That makes LILITH sound like the bad guy, but Peil was just as shady. Elan really couldn't care less who stole who's technology and where it ended up so long as it had nothing to do with him. Anyway, a robot you can hole up in and read books sounds weirdly cozy. He can't imagine ever feeling that way inside Pharact, even when it was still big enough to stuff books in. ]

This Doty, what's it supposed to be?

[likemybooks]

From across planes of existence? That's... [Well, he can't say "unbelievable" at this point when they can take people from wherever and whenever.] You know, it wouldn't surprise me if they were able to teleport the documents right over here.

[He looks at the Gundam thoughtfully.]

Doty has his own set of plans that could be copied in a similar manner. [Taryon still thinks of engineering drawings being physically drawn, instead of it all being digital.] But he did anything, write, clean, fight, whatever I asked him to do. I guess-- he was built to be my companion when I was younger. That's all.

[gundemn]

If that were the case, we could send ourselves back the same way. You know much about teleporters?

[ Maybe they can steal one and... reverse-teleport themselves or something. Elan wouldn't know where to begin with all that, but maybe someone with magic would. ]

A companion bot, huh. We have Haros for that where I'm from.

[likemybooks]

I've experienced teleportation magic, but not machines. Unless there are planar rifts sitting in LILITH headquarters, I can't make something on my own. But that's a great idea for me follow up on, when I'm home. [That would be one incredible invention: instant transport!]

You can say that. They're not at all common in my world. I know some people build golems to protect them, but no one else treats them like a friend.

[gundemn]

[ Treating a robot like a friend is pretty unusual where he comes from, too, but he'll refrain from pointing that out. ]

You'd have to find a way to get home first. No way they're going to just let us go.

[ What he's hearing is that they're not going to be teleporting out of here anytime soon. Damn. Not to be a downer, but he's sure they're going to be kept here until they've exhausted their use to LILITH, and even then it's no guarantee. ]

[likemybooks]

[Thus Taryon continues with his day, believing that in a world where many have companion robots, seeing them as friends is more popular.]

That, right. One step at a time, though. First, we find out where that teleporter is, then we figure out how it works. [He steps away from the Gundam. That certainly was the start of a plan.] ...Are you serious about this?

[gundemn]

Why wouldn't I be? You think you can do it?

[ He replies more out of curiosity than belief that it'd succeed. No way anyone would be brave enough to take the risk, most people he's met are comfortable just going along with this kaiju fighting madness. It wouldn't surprise Elan if this guy doesn't want to stick his neck out either. ]

[likemybooks]

Look, it's a crazy idea. But if we're seriously going to work this out, we can't afford to make it up as we go. [He sighs.] It's not the craziest thing I've done, but we're two people without our regular equipment. We're going to have to scout the science areas and ask around. Then, I hope, I can get access to whatever technology they use.

But we're not on a time limit, thankfully. [Taryon is at ease; fighting kaiju is pretty fun.]

[gundemn]

Scouting around is fine and all, but they have us microchipped. If we're up to something, they'll know.

[ He's already given thought to the idea, that's how displeased he is to be here. Even if he were to get access to their labs under the guise of wanting to see their equipment or repairs for his mobile suit, it doesn't change that they're hooked into a system that can download information from their minds. It's not that he wants to bide his time, they don't really have a choice. ]

[likemybooks]

Oh. [Taryon rubs over the area where the ship was installed. It's been a great boon to adjusting to modern life and made searching for information much easier, but the tracking component hadn't fully sunk in.]

It's a permanent way they could scry on us. [When he says it that way, it sounds rather horrifying.] For better or for worse. But...you don't think they could be watching us every minute?

[gundemn]

Who knows what their algorithms are capable of.

[ Elan shrugs. From everything he's seen, the technology could be powerful enough to monitor them constantly. Despite being a hater, he has to give credit where credit's due. ]

It won't be easy to bring the system offline, either. Unless you've got a magic trick up your sleeve.

[ It might very well take something beyond LILITH's comprehension to escape detection. ]

[likemybooks]

Definitely not one catered to electronics. I could try to build something, but, ah, this place doesn't have all the supplies I'm used to.

[He holds his hands out apologetically.] Like scales of magical beasts, or herbs, that stuff.