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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shion | hell's paradise

[blindspotting]

i. WALL JUMPS

[ For all that Shion has been extremely vocal about swordplay being just as useful as anything else in fighting the kaiju, finding himself on a ship in face of massive sea monsters does spark a moment of wry reflection. He should really know better than to assume anything at this point, but here they are.

Well, he hasn't let impossible odds stop him yet, and he isn't about to start now. The moment the smaller creatures start heaving themselves onto the ships' decks, Shion bursts into movement, prioritizing speed to keep himself out of the whale's range. The strikes he makes are precise and decisive, focused on the head and eyes as he keeps himself constantly in motion. One particularly good stab directly into the thing's open mouth finally sends it crashing onto the deck, but before it's even finished falling Shion is already on the move again, picking up even more speed until he's running sideways along the hull of the yacht and launching himself at one of the other nearby boats.

It takes a few back and forth jumps between the ship's sides before he finally manages to get enough momentum to throw himself up onto the deck, skidding across the surface right behind another of the Shachimon that's just managed to haul itself on. ]

Behind you! [ It's snapped at the figures he can make out just beyond the whale's body, though whether he means the creature or himself is up for debate. Either way, he's already on the move again, sword bared and ready. ]

ii. IMPROBABLE AIMING SKILLS

[ His sword might have fared well enough against the smaller Shachimon, but even Shion has to admit that there's not much it can do against the mother. In a moment of relative calm despite the rocking ship underneath, he considers his options, then suddenly turns to make his way towards the guns mounted onto the deck. Evidentially someone has shown him how to use them, since he seems very sure of himself as he settles behind one of the swivel guns and takes a deep breath.

Right in time for the matriarch Shachimon to burst out of the water a short distance away, her massive head turned towards on of the other yachts. With an almost eerie amount of focus and without even bothering to turn his head in the creature's direction, Shion waits for one second, then two, then fires. Somehow, impossibly, directly into the moving whale's eye. ]

iii. SUPER DROWNING SKILLS

[ All the steadiness and agility in the world can't save you if there's suddenly no ground to stand on, as Shion gets to discover the hard way. He senses the massive wave coming a second too late to do anything about it, and then the entire yacht is tipping up on its side and it's all Shion can do to push off just enough to keep from ending up underneath it as it capsizes.

And then he's in the water. It closes over his head and the shock of it is enough to stun him for heartbeat or two before he extends his senses to try to find his way back to the surface. Only to be met by millions upon millions of energy signatures, veritable walls of moving pinpricks of light in every direction, endlessly billowing clouds that make it impossible to pick out any actual shapes. They're everywhere, surrounding him until there's no way to tell which way is up. With every other sense deadened, all he can do is desperately try to catch the form of something he recognizes, to find any kind of landmark in order to figure out where he is.

Anyone else in the water might spot his figure floating under the waves, utterly still, apparently no sign of struggle at all. Is he hurt? ]

iv. WILDCARD

[ Hit me with anything you like! ]

i. WALL JUMPS

[eyescar]

[ Yuji is also an up-close and personal fighter, so being behind like this and having to figure out how to get into close range isn't going well for him at all. The problem is that he's got his fists, his club, and his sword; all utterly useless unless he can get himself close enough to the matriarch. It means that, for now, his focus is on the smaller ones, dealing with the orca kaiju before he can leap across to try and hit the mother.

He's jumped over to the ship with Shion, skidding to a halt beside his friend with his Light sword in hand. Twisting around, he cuts low on one of the orca, trying to get at it's feet before he breathes out and turns his head up, to stare at the other guy before giving him a wave. He must look a sight, sword in hand, club strapped to his back and his attention wavering between ally and foe. ]

Hey, Shion! You okay?

[ Ducking forward, he tries to slip between the oncoming creature and Shion himself. ]

[blindspotting]

[ His attention almost entirely on the creature in front of him, he registers Yuji as a familiar blur of energy. And one that seems to be managing fine on his own for the moment, so Shion lets himself focus in even sharper on the the shachimon, the rest of the world dimming slightly. It's enough that Shion is moving almost before the creature even starts to turn, darting around Yuji and into range to bury his suddenly-flaming sword directly into the things's eye.

The resulting thrashing throws him back again, and he lets the momentum slide him back towards Yuji's signature as his voice filters back into Shion's perception. ]

Fine. You?

[ Well. Fine enough. Uninjured, at least, and a quick scan tells him that Yuji is mostly the same. ]

I think this one is almost finished.

[eyescar]

[ Yuji makes a move almost immediately, adjusting his weight so that he can be a barricade against Shion falling off or getting hurt, even if his body slams into him - he can handle that without too much hesitation. Digging his heels into the yacht as much as possible, and he draws himself up as he looks around, trying to keep his attention on whether more of them intends to come and get them.

Shion looks fine, at least, and Yuji believes him. ]

I'm fine, nothing to worry about.

[ Blade in hand, he steps closer. ]

You wanna deal with this one together?

[blindspotting]

[ He pauses for a moment, considering, as the shachimon flails in pain and anger. Taking into account Yuji's speed and strength as his mind rapidly flickers through a few different ideas. Yes. Together.

One side of his mouth ticks up slightly. ]

Go for the legs. See if you can get it onto it's back.

[ The topside of it may be a weak point, but stopping it's momentum will give them significantly more time to deal with it. And maybe keep it from upsetting the entire ship out from under all of them. ]

I'll follow behind. Stay clear of the tail.

— wall jumps.

[hitokiller]

( cue another man who has overestimated his swordplay, now bathed in blood from flicks and stabs into the amphibious monsters' tough hide. he slides across the wet floor of the yacht's deck, attempting to retain his balance despite the turbulent seas that shake them back and forth.

he just needs to maintain his cadence. strike swift and true, and they'll fall as easy as a human would to the sword, that insane confidence of his pulsing in every thrust meant to kill.

that's why he growls as he hears a warning to avoid something that has caught him off guard, drawing a deep breath as he plunges the blade backwards into the stomach of another terrifying creature attempting to clamber onboard. )

Tch! They just keep comin'!

( there's barely a second to observe the other's swordplay as he pauses before taking off into a sprint alongside this other agent. )

Brace yerself for the next one!

[blindspotting]

[ There's not much more than a heartbeat for Shion to register a familiar sort of sword style, but that's all he needs to trust that the man next to him can handle himself. True to the shouted comments, there's already another one of those creatures trying to heave itself onto the deck, setting the entire ship to tilt slightly underneath them. With enough speed they can keep their footing and maybe meet it before it completely manages to climb on. ]

Go left!

[ With no time to see if the command will be followed, Shion veers around to the right, hoping to split the thing's attention between the two of them as he darts in to slash across the arm the shachimon has hooked onto the edge of the ship. It sends the thing twisting into the direction he'd sent Izou in, ungainly as it grunts in pain. ]

[hitokiller]

( when you and your fairly unacquainted bro have comparable fighting techniques...

but as a fine mist of blood and water blows past them in the air, izou's feet comply with the shouted command faster than his mouth can give a reflexive shout of disapproval for being told what to do, the grip on his blade growing a bit difficult with his palms so stressed from the elements boring down on them. still, a murderer who walked the streets alone at night working with strangers is something he should be used to at this point, given he's been doing it for years now in death.

the beast sent in his direction stumbles, clad in the crimson of a previous strike, and izou ducks in low and deep with his next step, thrusting his weapon upwards to catch the swipe of its claws before it can strike him down. shit. the enormous power behind these blows even with their small size is nothing to sneeze at. if this were land and there was mud beneath his feet, it would've definitely thrown him backwards.

he grits his teeth, the dark locks of his hair furling in the wind. steels himself, and then—

it's a blood-curling scream that follows as izou delivers a second strike to the head, intended to kill, the fate of his enemies carved into the steel itself: heaven's wrath.

it still isn't enough to down this particular remnant of the larger shachimon, though, and it reels back before flinging its tail in an attempt to strike all those nearby. )

[blindspotting]

[ The flailing tail forces Shion to dart back out of range, sweeping along just outside the arc of it's reach. Izou seems to have things in hand and so the best thing Shion can do is provide a distraction, giving the other swordsman the time and space to finish it off. But that tail is a problem.

The next time it swings in his direction, Shion runs a bit up against the tilt of the deck under the shachimon's weight and uses that to push himself off, bringing his sword down directly onto the whale's tail with all of his weight behind it in an attempt to pin it to the deck.

Even with that, the creature still tries to flail, but Shion is refusing to let himself be shaken off. It takes all of his strength, but he's managing to hold it in place for a least a few precious moments. ]

iii.

[yuwon]

[ to be honest, back in the tower, most situations seemed too severe for him to spare a thought of assisting someone else. he had an objective and he stuck to it, despite the sacrifices that would inevitably be made. even up until him arriving here, he often wondered if someone like hercules would have found a better method in his shoes, but he supposed there was no real reason to overthink it. ... and just like now, he doesn't think much before springing into action.

he was attempting to confirm there was no remnants of shachimon for him to potentially drag to the surface. instead, he radars another person in the water, and so he swims in. he hasn't used the ocean gem (only briefly before) and so he manually lets his body sink until he feels someone nearby, he reaches out a hand...

tapping their face in the water. he does this for a few seconds, before gripping onto them and wrapping them over his shoulder, he figures... he should try to move to the surface at least. it's not exactly hard, but he supposed it was kind of concerning to think this could be a dead body... (sorry shion....)

he guesses this is what he gets for doing something kind of out of character for him. ]

[blindspotting]

[ He registers vaguely that there's something touching him, and then that he's moving, parting the endless clouds of light around them, but it's so hard to focus on anything in particular. It's not until they suddenly break the surface and the empty space around them hits him like a slap that Shion suddenly reacts, violently coughing out some of the water he'd accidentally swallowed. ]

What... [ He manages in between gasps, trying to feel out exactly what is happening while his mind catches up with the rest of him. There's someone holding him...?

Luckily it doesn't take too long for him to get his breathing back under control, though the water they're still half-submerged in keeps playing havok with his perception. ]

The ships?

[yuwon]

[ once they break past the surface of the water, and he actually hears and feels some sort of response from the man... he's relieved. it's not like this is easy to see as he regains a deep breath of fresh air, but he pats them on the back awkwardly from his weird position. he doesn't release them off of his shoulder, either, just in case. he figures that swimming itself probably wasn't the issue, but it never hurt to be sure. besides, he figures if it's a burden, the other party would say something...

and to be honest, he also wasn't sure if he could bothered to fish the same person out of the water a second time. the thought makes his features flatten momentarily, before he tilts his head. ] Ships? You want to head in that direction?

[ a careful pause for thought, before he follows-up with: ] You sure you don't need more time to catch your breath?

[blindspotting]

No. [ He coughs again, has to take a few more deep breaths before he can make himself clearer. ] Are they still there, are they alright.

[ There's several large things looming at the edges of his perception, but at the moment it's hard to tell if they're inanimate or more of those creatures. That said, they should probably get out of the water quickly. ]

I. Thank you. [ First things first. ] We need to get back onto solid ground.

[ If nothing else than because being this unable to see (such as it is) is affecting him a lot more than he'd like. Possibly more than the near-drowning. ]

i;

[1797]

[Ren is already preoccupied with another shachimon, small enough that he's baited it close with a long dagger in hand. There's already a spear jutting out of the blubber of its neck; Ren hasn't exactly had much exposure to other types of melee weapons, so he's nowhere near as accurate as someone practiced would be.]

Got another one over here. Watch out!

[He yells that back over his shoulder as his shachimon lunges and he dodges, leaping upwards to land on the creature's back and driving the dagger through its eye in the same motion. He yanks the blade free and vaults clear; the creature thrashes, agonized, and careens right into the orca Shion is fighting.]

[blindspotting]

[ He feels the shift in the vibrations of the decking under their feet before he registers the other creature barreling closer, and darts out of the way before the two whales collide into each other with pained bellows. As they thrash into each other, Shion takes the opportunity to slide unerringly into the gap one of them has left, driving his sword deep into it's uninjured eye and letting the blade catch fire for a second or two for good measure before he disengages again.

As the one finally begins to fall, he splits his attention between the remaining kaiju and the other figure nearby. ]

Are you alright? [ And then a second later, ] Can you lure it towards the edge of the deck?

[ Ren doesn't seem to have much more than a short blade, from what Shion can tell, but he seems agile. If he can catch the thing's attention enough, it might give Shion time to go for a killing blow. ]

iii.

[frostfist]

[ Familiar with water and the ocean as he is, Wriothesley still prefers to keep to more stable ground when it comes to fighting. It's easier to focus on the battle at hand when he doesn't have to split his focus on making sure he's not at risk of drowning, and he's smart enough to know that fighting the Shachimon on their home turf only leaves him at a disadvantage.

Still, there are moments when he's grateful that he's at least comfortable with being in the water. He gets knocked off the yacht more often than he'd like, as do many of his fellow Outsiders, and while most of them are more than capable of handling themselves, there are times when it seems prudent to step in.

One of them, a white-haired man whose name he's not sure he remembers goes toppling over. As with those before, Wriothesley leaves the man largely to his own devices, concentrating on landing one last punch to send the Shachimon in front of him splashing back into the water, a spike of ice driven through its abdomen. He flicks his attention back to the side, expecting to see a struggle, a fight, some kind of movement from where the man fell in and instead sees—nothing.

Ah heck, don't tell him the man can't swim?

From there it's a matter of spraying out an arc of ice to keep the worst of the encroaching kaiju at bay, and then diving into the ocean himself, the sting of water against his eyes not enough to stop him from kicking his way to the body under the surface and wrapping one arm around the guy. He drags them back to the surface and gasps in a lungful of breath, then does his best to give the man a small shake. ]

Hey! Talk to me.

[ He's really only got a handful of seconds to assess the man's condition and make a judgment call from there. ]

[blindspotting]

[ There's some sort of movement happening, sending the clouds of energy into agitated eddies, but it's so hard to pick out any one thing that all Shion can do is hang there. At least until something wraps around him and pulls, and the shock of air combined with the shaking starts him choking out some of the water he'd breathed in without realizing it.

...alk to me, the voice says, and Shion impulsively reaches up to grab at the arm around him like he's trying to feel out the shape of it. ]

I'm--[ he gasps out in between coughs, before almost forcing himself to calm down enough to catch his breath. ] --I'm alright.

[ Possibly something of an overstatement, considering he's still dangling in Wriothesley's grip, but he's at least mostly coherent. ]

[frostfist]

[ Awake is good. Awake is great. Less great is the situation they're both in, still half-submerged in water with the Shachimon still prowling around them, but at least he won't need to lug both himself and an unconscious body back to safety.

He glances around them real quick, then asks: ]

Can you [ no, why was he automatically about to ask swim even after watching the guy topple into the water ] run back to the boat if I clear you a path?

[ Things Wriothesley has not yet noticed in the midst of everything else he is being forced to notice: that Shion cannot in fact see. ]

[blindspotting]

Run?

[ He turns a mildly baffled expression in Wriothesley's direction. Where and how exactly would he be running? It's a strange enough question that it does kick his mind back into functioning a bit better, and he shakes his head as he takes a breath. ]

If we can get close to the ships I can get us back on. [ Assuming that Wriothesley also wouldn't want to be in the water for long. He appreciates the rescue, but hanging around in the shachimon's domain seems like a terrible idea for everyone.

But his perception is still more than a little shot, and all he can do his hang on to his rescuer until things clear. ]

Are they far?

ii

[likemybooks]

Shion! Move it to-- [Taryon's feet pound the deck as he rushes towards the the gun. What if he doesn't know how it works? What if he needs assistance in aiming?

Shion fires. It hits the kaiju - of course, he has that Monk ability to sense life energy. And it strikes her in the eye. That's just...] Wow. [Taryon's arms drop to his sides.] That's incredible.

[He's just surrounded by people with superpowers wherever he goes, he supposes.] Hey, I think I'll protect you while you fight. [One hand reaches out, ready to casts a spell, then pauses. Shion's a perfect shot, he doesn't need a Sanctuary cast on him. What else can Tary do?]

[blindspotting]

[ The absolute focus he'd been maintaining on trying to keep track of the monster fades a little and he turns towards the figure that's suddenly appeared by his side, mouth quirking into a half smile as he registers it as Taryon. ]

I would appreciate it. [ It's possible that he could keep track of the matriarch and spread himself wide enough to watch out for any other attacks, but it's not something he'd like to rely on. Having assistance makes everything significantly easier.

Though, speaking of assistance. Taryon knows these mechanical things, doesn't he? At least he's more than clever enough to be able to work it out in a way that Shion never will. ]

I don't suppose you know how to reload this thing?

[likemybooks]

[Taryon pulls the sword from his side, ready to slash at any baby orca monsters and defend Shion with his own dainty body.]

I've seen it worked on a few times, yes. [He turns around.] That's the chamber. Do you have extra bullets?

[He gives the deck a quick glance - it's empty, thankfully. No beasts to interrupt their work. Back to matters at hand, he crouches at the heavy metal box bolted to the floor with a LILITH logo.] Here. I think. [He pops it open, revealing every piece of repair equipment and ammunition they would need to use the built-in weapons.]

teamwork time

[stresspoint]

[ All in all, they're doing pretty well against weird monsters they haven't seen before in person. The younger ones at least seem more vulnerable, but the matriarch is making for a difficult target, and unfortunately she is the one they really need to take down if they want a victory. Between hacking at the smaller creatures boarding their yachts, Nanami makes his way toward Shion once he happens to see him in a similar position. ]

We're not going to make any progress unless we keep attacking her.

[ He says that around fending off other shachimon, keeping within earshot of Shion. They can communicate through the implants, but he's trying not to rely on that too much either. ]

If we find an opening, we should take it.

[blindspotting]

[ He tips his head in acknowledgement despite not looking Nanami's way, attention heavily focused on the water around them in case more of those things pop up. It's difficult to track what's a wave movement and what's something cresting and it's taking a lot more focus for Shion to be sure.

But once they've cleared the deck for the moment, he turns a little to give the other man a considering expression. ]

What did you have in mind?

[ Neither of them seem particularly built for distance fighting, and Shion could maybe throw his sword but he's fairly sure that he won't be getting it back again if he tries. Being completely unarmed here seems like a poor decision at best. ]

[stresspoint]

We need to get in close to the leader.

[ This is already heading in a risky direction, but Nanami can see while watching the matriarch swim around that their focus should be on her. She keeps calling her children to specific targets, directing them almost intelligently to swarm them. She's the commander and they won't win unless they start getting to her.

He cuts through another smaller shachimon, kicking its ongoing neighbor aside to get closer to Shion. ]

When it comes around again, we need to hit it. If we fire from the deck, we can force it to breach.

[ And then... well. They'll have to risk going straight for her, which definitely puts them right into her range, but he's willing to take that chance. The question is whether Shion will accept his plan. ]