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

[stresspoint]

Your last job?

[ He struggles back up, accepting her hand for support as he manages to keep his balance this time. Barely, but he's at least up. Nanami doesn't fight the help, leaning on Ishmael for support, although he does try to bear his own weight as much as possible. His legs just keep wanting to lock up. ]

I don't want to let them mess with my body.

[ Yes, it's too late for that anyway, but being exposed to even more changes isn't something Nanami is ready to experiment with yet. ]

I can still fight without swimming.

[ He did jump onto the kaiju just fine. It was getting away that was the problem... ]

[wheft]

Well, my last job after I quit corporate. I was a sailor.

[ hence the outfit she conjured up for this occasion, and having a strong affinity for the ocean in general. though it's more like she doesn't want to be stuck in a plugsuit while having eight legs to work with, tbh. once nanami is ready, ishmael is going to lead the way, careful not to trip up his legs with her own new appendages. ]

It's too late for that, though. [ she's going to point it out anyway. ] And while you can still fight without swimming, you can't deny that it'd be better to hit them in their home field. At least you managed to survive that attack in one piece.

[stresspoint]

A sailor?

[ Well, business to sailor is probably less strange than business to sorcerer? Maybe. Nanami has a feeling it isn't as simple as that, but he really has no room to judge either. Although that does explain the suit. ]

So you decided to fight in uniform.

[ He has to be extra careful not to fall, and it isn't because of Ishmael's tentacles either. Each step wants to be the one where his legs give out from under him. ]

I can fight my way. [ He only nearly died, right? It doesn't count. ] They gave us the choice. I want to remain in control of this body and fight as I am.

[ Maybe he'll be more cooperative later, but not this time. ]

[wheft]

Mm. Something like that. [ she already fought in uniform way earlier, but that lead her to going berserk for a moment. it wasn't fun for everyone involved. ] I only chose to wear this to cover up. But that's not important right now.

[ going from business to nautical wasn't exactly a smooth transition. she only joined a ship purely on a whim and because of someone's inhuman charisma. but that's a story for another time.

instead, she glances at him with those next words of his. right, it's a point of contention in the base, she notices. ]

I understand being paranoid about losing your sense of self, but a little implant that gives you a different pair of legs doesn't really change who you are inside. [ she would know. it's her biggest fear, losing that. ] Besides, I doubt that they'll let me keep walking around in these new legs for more than a couple of days. Not without a billion complaints being flung at them, anyway.

[stresspoint]

[ He doesn't really question her choice in clothing. Since Ishmael is an octopus-person at the moment, she can choose whatever outfit she wants to wear. Whether it's because of a connection to her past or an escape from it, Nanami could relate either way.

Nanami takes a step, wincing and half stumbling when the pain hits wrong. Maybe because her words strike too close to home. ]

I don't want to lose who I am.

[ It's a hard admission. The fear of losing his core. His soul as it is, hopefully the same as he always was. The fact he can even doubt that is already a problem. ]

Even if they undo it, letting them experiment on us is reckless.

[wheft]

[ hearing that from him and izou beforehand has made ishmael realize that she might be the only person in their eclectic group who has no qualms in using whatever this world has to offer, dubious experimentations aside. she's all too used to stupid bullshit like that where she's from, anyway. ]

At the end of the day, no one else gets to dictate who you are. Despite all the experiments and nonsense and bullshit this world has to offer, it's still you.

[ it's something that she's still coming to terms with, so. ]

And besides, it isn't like I'm just going to take this lying down. As soon as LILITH summons us for a debriefing again, I'm going to shove these tentacles right at their faces and demand an exact timeframe for when I can get my legs back. Moving around in these hasn't been easy, you know.

[ to demonstrate, one of her tentacles gets in nanami's way, causing him to trip potentially. good thing ishmael's here to help step him out of it if ever. ]

[stresspoint]

[ In the past, Nanami probably wouldn't have had as many reservations about the various technologies that LILITH employed on them. He's used to curse energy healing and techniques that change the sorcerer in unusual ways that don't match his own abilities. But after dying, of feeling his entire being altered right before death, Nanami can't entirely fight off that instinctive fear of what it means. Destruction of his entire being as it exists, down to the soul, is a hard pill to swallow. It's left a scar that goes beyond the physical, and he's responding to that by being more stubborn than he was.

But Ishmael's words also have an impact. Sometimes just being heard and hearing a response in return, affirming who they are, is necessary. Nanami goes quiet, absorbing her answer, and a little bit of his weight shifts and lifts so he's walking more on his own as the feeling sinks in. It's still you. It's such an easy response, but it does somehow ease the pain. ]

You can use them to strangle whoever came up with that idea. There has to be a better method than turning us into fish-

[ He does nearly trip on her tentacle, catching himself with a huff and the help of Ishmael's shoulder. ]

At least you can move on land. The ones that only have fins are stuck where they are.

[ Nanami steps more carefully around her tentacles, giving them a better look. ]

You seem to have control of them. What about the rest of you? Do you feel cold?

[ She seems to be breathing fine. He's honestly a little worried about how the Outsiders that used the gems are adjusting to their changes. Does it hurt? Are the rest of their bodies uncomfortable? ]

[wheft]

For all we know, it could be Seok Dang. That guy's really going out of his way to give us a hard time...

[ ah, whoops. she's going to try and focus on her tentacles so that they alternate between nanami's careful steps as they press onward. ]

True. I'm not envious of the guys who are stuck with tailfins at all. But I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm used to weird transformations myself.

[ she did transform into a whale herself earlier. she wasn't herself at the time, but that's just how E.G.O corrosion works. the weird technology LILITH has provided them hasn't gone haywire yet, which is why ishmael doesn't usually have complaints about it. ]

I should be asking you if you're doing fine, though. You look like you're falling apart. [ she would know. she'd died plenty of times back home, and she could feel the pain right up to being resurrected. it's not her idea of fun at all. ] Maybe I should contact the yacht if they can just pick us up from here, but we aren't that far if you can still handle it.

[stresspoint]

Hnh. It's probably him.

[ Nanami is slightly judgmental against their simulation engineer after the last snowy glitch fest. He knows this situation is different and that they are making good use of the Ocean Gems, but even he can't help holding a little grudge against the way they had been trapped and forgotten in that simulation. He's occasionally also immature, just not as expressive about it.

But he also lets that feeling drop as they continue making their way along the edge of the water. Seok Dang isn't with them anyway, so he can't be that petulant about the situation. ]

You're used to it?

[ He does sounds surprised at that. Even curse techniques don't generally involve transforming someone's body like that. ]

I'm... [ She's right. He's falling apart. But he can't say that if LILITH needs them. ] I'm all right. I can make it.

[ He's still able to walk, so he's still able to move forward, even if he feels terrible while doing it. ]

[wheft]

This isn't the first time I transformed into a sea creature, yeah.

[ she became a fucked-up looking orca earlier to combat the matriarch shachimon early on. though to be fair, there was a lot going on at the time, so she can't blame him for not spotting her. the less people to explain E.G.O corrosion to, the better. ]

But I'm still myself after all that, so I don't see why you can't be you once you decide to get those upgrades. Though if your abilities are strong enough to take on kaiju, you probably don't need those anyway.

[ regardless, she presses on, the yacht finally in full view. ]

Speaking of being yourself, I don't think I caught your name yet.

[stresspoint]

[ Okay, that statement is surprising enough that Nanami has to look over, even tired and injured as he is. ]

...You can transform into other sea creatures?

[ Is she used to technology like this in her own world? Maybe that means she's seen far more complicated and dangerous situations with technology than he has. Maybe he should ask her. Would she even want to talk about it? ]

Nanami. My name is Nanami.

Can you really be you even if you change that much?

[ He's been so haunted by the concept of losing himself, he hasn't quite settled into accepting the modifications or his place in Neo Tokyo. It's not that different from his old life, wondering what he really wants to do or be. ]

How long have to done things like this?