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

ii.

[sparse]

[ Here's someone else who isn't holding back either. Blade cuts through one of the shachimon with ease, its shrill cries ignored as it hits the floor. It's quickly followed by another, but he's always been efficient when it comes to killing beasts. One by one, the creatures fall until he's taken care of the ones surrounding them.

This gives him a pretty clear view of what else is happening on the boat, just in time to catch the larger shachimon hopping onto the deck, coming up directly behind Nanami. He acts quickly and without hesitation. He drives his sword through the beast's back with enough strength to drag it down until he's spliced its lower half.

The creature drops dead, and he takes his place to cover Nanami's back, facing the rest of the shachimon heading their way. ]

... Careful.

[ Says someone who's just as bloody and bruised, but he isn't about to stop when the fight is just getting started. ]

[stresspoint]

[ It's hard to watch all sides and harder yet to defend them. Nanami has been doing well enough, relying on quick dodging and careful blows to exploit weaknesses in the kaiju and at least disable them when he can't kill them quickly, but the numbers are getting harder to continue cutting through on his own. When Blade shows up, the situation is starting to look desperate, and Nanami is looking for any escape from being cornered when he feels the sharp movement behind him.

Just a sliver away from being bitten in half, Nanami turns back to find Blade rescuing him, turning out to help cover his back. ]

I owe you.

[ And, yes, it's clear Blade himself has already sustained some injuries of his own, but now at least there's two of them to face the remaining shachimon. Unfortunately it's two against at least a half dozen in the water, threatening to climb up. For the moment, Nanami focuses on the ones charging them. ]

More coming!

[ That's all he gets out before the rest of the monsters reach them and he has to block one of the kaiju's massive heads with his knife, holding the jaws back enough to kick it away. With the other monsters coming in on them right after, there's no room to pause or pull away without exposing himself and Blade to them. ]

[sparse]

[ There's no rest for the wicked, it seems.

But now that there are two of them, they might have a better chance of fending off the horde of monsters coming their way. While Nanami focuses on the ones charging at them, Blade takes care of the ones that are already there and surrounds them, cutting through the smaller ones' flesh with ease. He struggles a bit more against the larger ones, but he blames fatigue and blood loss for this.

He knows neither he nor Nanami will last if they don't end this soon enough. ]

—there's too many of them.

[ He's saying the obvious, but it's true. ]

We should leave.

[ Perhaps they can retreat, and try again when they're not so injured. ]

[stresspoint]

[ Nanami launches into attacking the oncoming shachimon, trying to catch them before they have a chance to corner them with the advantage of the rest of the enemies. He takes three down quickly, but with more behind them, the eventual problem of being outnumbered is unavoidable.

Even so, Nanami holds his ground. ]

We can't let them take the boat.

[ Retreating might be the right choice, but at the same time, if they retreat in the middle of their defense, they'll still lose some of their weaponry and footholds. Nanami keeps fighting the gathering monsters back, keeping his back to Blade's. ]

We can't. Not yet.

[ Not when they have something to defend. ]

[sparse]

[ Not yet, Nanami says. As if what they're defending matters more than his own life.

Blade can hardly argue against it, not when he doesn't have as much to lose anymore. He's simply following orders as it is, and if Nanami wants to stand their ground until the shachimon are all gone, then so be it. He keeps his back to Nanami, surveying the enemies as they start to gather around them. ]

Then— make sure you don't die.

[ He brings his sword up, trailing his fingers along the blade's edge to imbue it with energy. The shachimon growl as they begin their charge, but Blade is ready to meet them as he leaps into the air. He comes down a like falling star, the blast radius of his attack blooming out like a spider lily's petals. It cuts through the shachimon within its range, slowing down the onslaught.

Enough to leave an opening for Nanami to finish it up right after.

Because it's gonna take Blade some time to do it again, not when it always damages him after each attempt. But he's standing back up again, readying himself once more. ]

[stresspoint]

[ They could lose a yacht maybe, but if they keep giving ground, it'll only end in them eventually being overwhelmed. Nanami has even less to lose than he used to. Blade tells him to make sure he doesn't die, but it's already too late for that. On some level, he's already gone past that line and doesn't really think there's much of himself left to fight for. Fighting just to defend and protect is burning away what is left of his own life, but they've still got people to protect, so he can't stop to worry about any of that now.

They need to win this battle first.

He lunges forward, blocking some of the snapping jaws closer to him as Blade blasts down an attack on the group. While the shachimon are still recovering from the surprise after such a hard barrage, Nanami takes advantage of their confusion and sweeps in, cutting through the vulnerable ones still standing in the chaos. He moves back to Blade's side afterward, leaving the fallen kaiju and their still living, but wounded brethren at a distance to regroup. ]

Are you all right?

[sparse]

[ Perhaps it's hypocritical for someone like him to tell Nanami that, but the sentiment remains sincere regardless. Don't die. Whether it's because LILITH wouldn't like it if one of their own dies in this battle, or if it's because Blade truly cares about Nanami's welfare, it's hard to say, but the swordsman does his best to protect the other no matter what.

The shachimon's numbers are dwindling, but Blade doesn't lower his guard for one bit. Blood drips from his additional wounds, and it's clear he's a lot less unscathed compared to earlier. Such is the price he always has to pay whenever he taps into his abilities, but when asked, this is all he has to say: ]

—I'm fine.

[ He has to be. They have a battle to win. ]

They're coming for us. Be ready.

[ Perhaps after another flurry of attacks and counters, the remaining kaiju will all be taken care of. ]

[stresspoint]

[ Nanami feels the way Blade's movements and positioning follow him. The invisible line between his vulnerable side and the enemy always manages to be blocked, even if it seems like Blade is taking more risks than he should to keep it that way. He starts staying closer, avoiding the lunging jaws and swinging tails from the kaiju to prevent Blade from needing to cover him. Nanami is used to relying on his speed and dodging to weave between attacks, but with Blade fighting with him--protecting him--he can't take those risks and potentially draw his ally into danger.

Instead he stays close, using the short blade to return the favor by covering Blade's flank in battle. ]

We can finish them this time.

[ Combined, if they work together, the two of them can at least finish off the shachimon clustered around their yacht. But Nanami doesn't want them both to risk taking serious injuries to do that. ]

If we attack together, we can take the rest of them together.

[sparse]

[ Blade understands immediately what Nanami is doing. The other man is a seasoned warrior, so he can let him guard his flank while he focuses on what's in front of them. With how they've set this up, they manage to clear off more of the shachimon until there are only a handful left.

He readies his sword once again, but spares Nanami a glance when he speaks up. They can attack together, he says, and this will be all over.

He gives him a curt nod. ]

Then, let's finish this.

[ Since his body can take more of a beating than Nanami's can, he tries to block the rougher attacks coming their way, all the while charging up for one finishing move. He charges straight ahead, trusting that Nanami will be right by his side as he unleashes a blast of energy to cut through the rest of their foes. Just like before, it blooms outward like a flower and catches those further away. ]

[stresspoint]

[ It might have been a risk, but there's still a part of Nanami that wants to believe in their teamwork can save the yacht. Yes, they can adapt and work without it and sometimes sacrifices do have to be made for victory, but not this time. Not when he is there, willing to bridge the distance in strength and work with Blade to do what LILITH probably won't.

What if they can prevent more sacrifices? ]

Right!

[ He doesn't realize Blade can take more than he can, and he fights with all of his strength focused on cutting through the shachimon with just as much intensity as the other. Even when he realizes that Blade is apparently shielding him from the worst of the attacks, Nanami doesn't hold back. He takes advantage of that opening to summon up his curse energy and thrust it into his swing, causing a chain of destruction to cut through the monsters that Blade leaves open for him. When they manage to at least mortally wound the rest of the creatures, he turns his attention to Blade to make sure he can still stand. ]

Are you all right?

[sparse]

[ At the end of every battle is when Blade is at his worst. When his body is finally catching up to the damage he's done to himself because of how his skills work— only for it to start stitching itself back up together, as the curse of Abundance finally does its thing. He wonders if there are any remaining shachimon left, but he doubts they'll be reckless enough to try again after what the two accomplished by themselves.

His sword dissipates in a glimmer of golden light, and it's only then that he allows himself to take a deep breath.

Nanami's voice cuts through the noise in his head. ]

... I'm fine.

[ It's a slow process, but if Nanami cares to look closely, he'll notice that Blade has fewer wounds by now. He turns to inspect the other man, hoping that he's faring much better. ]

And you?

[stresspoint]

[ When they finish the attacks, the deck is strewn with shachimon bodies in varying states of disrepair. The carnage left behind is enough to at least temporarily ward off the smaller shachimon still left in the water--the bloodbath standing as a warning for any that might consider another attack too soon.

Nanami pulls back once he confirms they are no longer under an immediate threat, dropping his guard to make sure Blade is all right. At least he seems to be recovering. Nanami himself is covered in a mix of kaiju blood and scattered gashes from the claws and teeth he didn't quite escape during their fight. He's not too badly injured thanks to Blade's interference, but that also leaves him with other concerns. ]

I'm still all right. You didn't have to do that.

[ Taking care of him like that--he's worried about Blade. ]

We should get to the medical bay for now.

[sparse]

[ ... Blade has no idea how to handle something like this. It's strange to have someone care that much about his well-being, having grown used to ignoring it himself since there isn't much point worrying over a body that can mend itself. But Nanami's concern gets to him nonetheless. It seems sincere.

That's why there's a pause before he carefully chooses his words. ]

... Better I get hurt than you.

[ Then again, maybe he's also missing the point why Nanami tells him such. He shakes his head. ]

Let's go.

[ He'll be the first to leave before the other man is able to say anything else. ]