synflux | KAIJU FIGHT #1

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The answer is very positive. It's that idealistic kind of answer that Nanami wanted to believe in when he was younger. Sorcerers fight to protect the innocent. The good people will be defended and the evil ones will be punished. A simple, hopeful outlook that he wanted to believe in--that he might have even carried with him, wanting to help those around him even after losing the one closest to him.

That hope is all but crushed now, but somehow hearing Raidou talk makes Nanami relax. The biting pain in his head starts to subside, and he lowers his arm, giving the younger man a better look. ]

Are we your shield too?

[ It's not like Raidou is the only one with a duty or a past after all. But, like Yuji, he seems to want to take on more than his share of the responsibilities. ]

Can't we cover you in battle as well?

[He looks away, knowing Nanami is right. He's on a team now, a large one. He needs to respect that.]

"I am to discard my individual will to be a shield for others, to be the sharpest of blades to cut through evil." [A phrase he says with a practiced tone.] This is what it means to be a summoner. Though I may no longer be a summoner... [He shakes his head.]

I am trying.

[He really is. He let Bakugo save him in battle. He lets Yuji call him by his actual name. Little moves to divorce him from the job and title he no longer feels worthy holding. Fighting against those ingrained instincts is a challenge.]

Do you want to be a shield?

[It's probably because he's already dead and feeling disconnected from his old life, but Nanami doesn't have the same unyielding drive as Raidou does. He's well past giving up on fighting for idealism, he had failed in fighting for obligation, and now that he's given one life up fighting for the good of others, he's... not sure. Where is the purpose he wanted? Maybe Raidou's answer will hold some deeper key for all of them. The tension behind Nanami's eyes fades as he finally manages to let go of that worry.]

Is that who you want to be here?

[Raidou looks at him now, looking lost. It's a something he's been asking himself that he just can't seem to find an answer to.

His question is an honest one.]

What else would I be?

I don't know.

[ He doesn't have a clear answer himself. He's already died once with that question still playing in his mind. He had muddled through and done his best for the time that he had before, but even that didn't provide clarity. He can't give Raidou a fully confident reply, but maybe that's also just part of living. ]

Someone else? Are you happy as a shield against evil if there is evil in those you shield as well?

[ Nanami strangely enough feels more at ease now than moments ago, reflecting on their situation rather than the losses. ]

Maybe we've already done enough.

My happiness is irrelevant to my duties.

[A frank answer, all going back to that idea of discarding of his will to serve others. A business-mode reply used to hide his true feelings to that question, which hits very close to home. An idea that makes him chew his lower lip despite himself, eyes cast down again.]

...If I protect someone who later wishes myself or other harm, that is my mistake to bear. And I will correct it accordingly. A mistake I have made once, but never again.

[If he somehow is still alive, if he is somehow returned home, he knows what he'll have to do about Seimei.]

I just want to help however I can.

[ He finally sits up. ]

Your happiness is important.

[ It's probably an equally stern answer, stated flatly as if that is a fact. ]

It's your duty as an individual to look after yourself as well. Your health and happiness is also tied to your ability to protect others, and there won't always be someone to remind you to take care of yourself.

[ And while he definitely hears what Raidou is saying, Nanami leans forward. ]

What you aren't responsible for is someone else's choices. We all do what we can to serve our purpose, but no one can know another person perfectly. We all have both good and bad parts of us. Everyone has ineffable reasons. Their decisions don't belong to you, but if you want to, you can decide if you want to fight them or understand them.

[ He holds up his own hand, looking at it. ]

If I rely on you, will you rest yourself or just make me worry?

[He's surprised when Nanami leans forward, and at that distance he can see the anguish creeping into Raidou's muted expression. He leans back, tucking the brim of his hat down like a reflex.

Maybe he couldn't control Seimei's actions, nor could anyone have seen the turn he'd take. It doesn't mean Raidou doesn't think his feelings didn't blind him to what had been coming. He won't let it happen ever again.

He doesn't have much to say to all that, but that's probably to be expected.]

I don't want anyone to worry over me.

[He sees the pain and recognizes it as similar to his own. It's not the same--his loss came in a far different way--but it's still the same expression of complete loss that Nanami felt all those years ago that left him completely lost. That empty, horrible feeling had ultimately driven him out of the jujutsu world, and in the same way it had also dragged him back. Never again. It's a language that doesn't need words.]

I will worry. It's my responsibility to worry about you.

[Because he's the adult. Because they are part of a team. Because Raidou is right in front of him, a living person, and caring about each other is human.]

I don't regret doing something I can do for others.

[The words echo through him, channeled by something else.]

If it's something I can do, then it's enough. We depend on each other because we're a team.

[Nanami holds the hand out to Raidou, palm pointed upward.]

[Despite everything, despite being betrayed and hurt, Raidou still cares. He still cares about Seimei, too. Part of him wishes he didn't, but it's just how he is. No man is an island, not even the Capital's lonely protector.

He nods almost imperceptibly at Nanami, then takes his hand, closing his eyes to help concentrate on the healing a little more.]

I'll do my best to not make you worry.

[No one is able to truly know another person and judgments can always been misled, but Nanami still believes in the potential for something better. Maybe not perfectly and probably not for himself, but for those around him the future is still waiting. They can make at least some difference.]

It's my place to worry about you. There's nothing wrong with that.

[He's still uncomfortable having the nanobots affect him, but he only flinches a little and tightens his grip to cover that.]

KAIJU FIGHT #1

▶ 001. SEAS THE DAY.

▶ 002. WHALE WATCHING.

▶ 003. OCEAN GEMS.

▶ 004. MEDICAL BAY.

▶ 005. THE CALM AFTER THE STORM.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

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