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

[lifeprice]

[ Aki shakes his head at the nursing staff, urging them away. He's got this one, even if they'd rather Tsurumaru... Not do whatever it is he's doing.

With the sword in the other man's hand, Aki can watch him curiously. He's not blind, he can make connections, wise and smart enough to figure things out - when people have Devil contracts, when people work together, when he has to fight against creatures with all kinds of powers and techniques. He adapts, he learns, and he survives... Or he survived.

He's not really too sure about his own future any longer. Not with how Denji has been.

Settling down in the chair beside Tsurumaru, Aki takes his own sword off his back and rests it across his lap, watching him for a long, quiet moment before he sighs. ]

Do you want to explain? Or do you want to keep it a secret?

[ He'll survive either way. ]

[cranekin]

(Water drips from the blade onto the floor. If he had room, he'd give it a good swing to shake the excess off but instead, he settles in with his sword on his lad and uses the blanket to start wiping it dry.

He doesn't answer right away but after a few seconds, some of his edge seems to die down and he looks more relaxed.)

...

(So the choice is his if he wants to explain...?)

Which one do you want?

[lifeprice]

It's not my secret.

[ Aki presses his thumb into the hilt of his sword. The Curse Devil might not be here, but he can feel the echo of it, the threat of impending doom. He can't tell anyone about it, the threat to his life, the short future he has in front of him, or they'd start acting different. Stupid.

Pitying.

Lifting his head back up, he watches the other man before he lifts his shoulder absently. ]

I'll listen, or we'll talk about something else.

[cranekin]

(Again, he considers the situation and as if he's trying to buy more time before he makes his own decision, he turns another question at Aki instead,)

Does it have name?

(Eyes glance at his sword.)

[lifeprice]

The sword? No.

[ His thumb digs into the hilt a little more, leaving a mark on his skin before he stops himself, drawing back. ]

It's a contract. It's not something personal.

[cranekin]

(He frowns. He isn't quite sure what to make of this. Normally, he'd be disappointed even if it isn't totally unexpected. But he senses something... he doesn't like that sword very much.)

Maybe it's for the best. (That that sword is nameless.) Names are powerful.

(An old, traditional belief. You can do a lot with a name if you have one.)

I'm Tsurumaru Kuninaga.

(He introduces himself with his name which most already know by now.)

I was forged in the Heian era and was once quite renowned. ... Though, no one seems to recognize me in this era.

[lifeprice]

[ Aki has met the katana devil and the Chainsaw Devil - in a roundabout way - so people sharing bodies or being linked to weaponry isn't a shock to him. His life was focussed entirely on hunting the physical embodiment of the Gun Devil too, after all, so there are few things that would surprise him.

Forged makes it sound like Tsurumaru is the sword itself, which, if the way he's treating the blade is to be believed... It makes complete and utter sense. Leaning back in the chair, he sighs softly. ]

You are the sword? Or the sword is part of you?

[ He tilts his head, watching. ]

... That's why you needed to empty it? The water in the scabbard was drowning you?

[cranekin]

(Sword on his lap, he pulls back the sheet he's been using to dry it and reveals it completely. It's longer than a standard katana and the blade has a clear, graceful curve to it.)

This is me. (And he folds both hands neatly in front of him,) And I am this.

(They're both the same.

He shakes his head,)

A sword can't breathe. (He taps the blade lightly with his finger,) But I can feel it.

Imagine... trying to breathe through a cloth that can never dry. It's possible but uncomfortable. But every day... slowly... slowly... it becomes harder. Your body becomes weaker, you grow stiff, and start to rust. Finally, you become filled with holes until you can't take another breath.

(And he lets out a light laugh,)

Ah! Just thinking about it... it makes my skin crawl. (And he rubs his arms as if trying to show he really is getting the heeby jeebies thinking about it.) The sea is scary!

[lifeprice]

That explains why you were so interested in my sword work.

[ Aki should be accustomed to the strange and unusual now, but it's still something that he can't really think too hard about. He's been kidnapped, he's been forced to fight in missions, an echo of his world at home, but it's still an adjustment. He still has to try and find his footing here, especially with Denji the way he is.

Perhaps he shouldn't be getting into this kind of conversation, trying to make a friend like this. It won't work out, not if he's going to die.

But... he has time, too. ]

Rust would be incredibly dangerous, with your connection. [ He leans forward, to look at the blade, expression curious but also set. Determined. He's in mother hen mode now. ] Do you need more water, or something to dry it with? There's probably something for treating swords in the training rooms, given our use of weaponry on this mission.

[cranekin]

(He turns the blade just slightly to let Aki see better. Masterfully crafted and in excellent condition, some say he's one of the most beautiful swords in the country. It's a blade that not many people get to see in person. This is definitely something that should maybe be in a museum.)

A towel would be nice.

(A hospital blanket isn't the most absorbant material in the world.)

But I already feel better!

(And he winks.)

[lifeprice]

[ It's a good, handsome blade. Aki hasn't spent a lot of time looking at swords, if he's being honest - he had the nail from the Curse Devil, so he didn't need much else in an emergency - but he can appreciate fine craftsmanship. It's a beautiful sword, but he's not sure if he should say that aloud, just in case it goes to Tsurumaru's head.

Stepping around the bed again, he steps out to go to one of the bathrooms and grab two towels, making his way back to his... friend without hesitation. Then he puts them down gently, tucking them against Tsurumaru's side. ]

Here, use these.

[ Then he's back in place, ignoring the wink. ]

Do you actually? Feel better.

[cranekin]

(It's already in his head. Aki can't make it any worse.

He looks down at the towels and maybe Aki can see it. Maybe he can see the way the gears are turning in his mind and when he takes one towel in his hands, he looks up at Aki and smiles,)

Some tea would be good too. And some sweets.

(How far can he push...... can he run a whole mile with this inch........)

[lifeprice]

[ Aki has, unfortunately, spent enough time with Denji and Power that he has a good idea what's going on.

Doubly unfortunately... He is weak. That hasn't changed. ]

You can't have sweets while you're recovering, but I'll get you some tea.

[ Sorry, he's still a good guy. ]

Green?

[cranekin]

Boo...

(The sweets are the best part of the deal.)

If I had them, I'd get better faster.

(Not really but look, he can try.)

... Green.

[lifeprice]

That's the kind of thing that children say.

[ But he says it fondly enough; Aki slips away, and there are a few moments of blissful since. The nurses seem to want to leave Tsurumaru alone until Aki can deal with him.

Eventually, he comes back, a cup of green tea in his hand that he offers out with a tilt of his head. ]

What about your... Sword? Need anything for that?

[cranekin]

They're right.

(Children are more often right than wrong in his experience.

When Aki returns, he takes the cup and holds it in both hands, getting a feel for the temperature before he takes his first sip. Before he answers he takes a moment to think, focusing on his sword and his own physical condition before speaking,)

Nothing for now. (There is more he could do but he wouldn't dare ask for it.) Why? Are you interested in me?

[lifeprice]

Not about this.

[ An upset stomach isn't going to be made better by heaps of sugar, he knows that one without question.

Slipping back down into his chair, Aki sighs, stretching his long legs out. ]

Interested? In what way?

[ Like, romantically? He huffs a little bit. ]

No.

[cranekin]

(Wow.)

You don't have to say it so easily.

(He even looks a little offended at how he said that? Rude.)

I'm quite renowned, you know. You wouldn't be the first to be taken by me.

(Don't let anyone ever tell you Tsurumaru Kuninaga isn't confident.)

[lifeprice]

Would you rather I lied to you about it?

[ Come along now. Aki just shakes his head, sipping from his own cup of tea. ]

Do you want me to be taken by you? Are you interested in me, Tsurumaru-san?

[cranekin]

I think it's called a "white lie..."

(you know? a lie you tell to protect someone's feelings?)

Hm? It's better than being bored.

[lifeprice]

There's no point in lying about something like that.

[ He does feel himself smiling a little, though. ]

So you'd date someone to stop being bored?

[cranekin]

Isn't that what it means "to be interested?"

(Ah, a smile. It makes him smile a little more, too, though, it's clear he's having fun with the conversation in curious sort of way. Light, nothing too heavy, and playful.)

But speaking of...

(Sitting upright a little more in the bed, he holds up one hand-- the same as Aki's prosthetic-- and brings it to the side of his face to make a "peace" sign by his eye. Come on, Aki, give him a pose with that new arm...)

[lifeprice]

I wouldn't know.

[ Aki hasn't really had a lot of time for being "interested" in people, just... Sating himself. His life was spent hunting devils and nothing else, no matter what the cost.

Looking at Tsuru, though, he raises an eyebrow. A few months ago, he'd never give in to this, but... Sigh...

He lifts his prosthetic and mirrors it. Peace. ]

[cranekin]

(Oh nooooooo

He tosses his head back and lets out a bright, loud laugh. He hits the bed with slaps the space on the mattress next to him and

chokes. He chokes and begins to cough and wheeze all over again. Even if he feels better than before, he's still weak from being in the water so long. He takes his tea and swallows it down. His eyes are watering from coughing and he wipes away at the tears,)

The last time I saw you (Wheeze,) You had one arm.

[lifeprice]

[ Aki scowls immediately, dropping his hand down.

He knows that was a stupid idea, and the laughter confirms it.

He must look like an idiot. ]

I got a new one, to make up for the loss. It was useful during the mission.

[ He passes over a cup of water. Ass. ]