achates | [DAY 0] TDM.

[DAY 0] TDM.

Error in final launch sequence:
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹͚̽𝚡̰̍̂𝟸̠̯̘ͭͧ𝚌̭͉̺͖ͥ𝟿̳̰̒̇ͅ𝟷̦ͣ̉͌̅𝚋͓͎̈̒̀𝟻ͭ̌͂𝟷ͩ̓𝟾̦
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹̖͇͕̃𝚡͉̹̯͇̻̉̓̂𝟸͚̹͈͓̩͚̲̼͒̾𝚌̱̠͙̝̪͇̈̌̂̃̄ͭ𝟿̱̜̪͓̳̹ͤ̊̈́ͦͥ̑𝟷͖̱̝̀̒̇̂̄̈́̓̇ͅ𝚋̥̯͉̹͛͛̊ͤͦͩ𝟻̬̮̈́̋ͯ͛̉̐𝟷̋ͩ̔̔𝟾̼
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Debugger connection lost.
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Debugger connection lost.
Shutting down...
Rebooting
Download in Progress:
File download complete
Time elapsed during download operation: 00:12:33.131
Rebooting
Launching Demon Summoning Program. . .

You open your eyes to the end of the world, but you do not see it.

Instead what rouses you is screaming and crying, blood and tears: all around you are signs of life. Inside the overturned train, people begin to awaken, sprawled on the ground as if thrown violently from their seats, broken bones and bleeding wounds struggling to rise from the carpet of shattered glass from the windows at their feet. Emerging from the wreck, characters will find themselves at the edge of a dense forest, a towering stone wall at their backs. Bright eyes peer out from the shadows of the foliage, more and more blinking into view like stars in a darkening sky, but despite being drawn to the scent of blood that hangs heavy in the air, nothing steps out of the forest. Not yet.

None of the passengers can recall what happened, what they were doing on a train, where it was going- there's more they can't remember, but overshadowing the gaps of memory are things they have gained in return. A familiar item that is not theirs. A gemstone that feels lighter than it appears, as if hollow inside. And a device that wraps around their wrist (or rests on their head, or hangs around their neck, or however it presents itself to each character) that starts up on its own the moment the character turns their attention to it, as if waiting. Each character's COMP has a "navigator" selected at default, either "A☆L☆A" in bright neon orange, or "K5" in cool slate blue, although the presiding navigator can be freely switched between them.

Heya, boss! My name's Ala, your new navi!

You wanna know something really funny? Go ahead and touch the map on the corner of the screen to enlarge it. See all those little red dots? Those are demons out to kill you. Haha! You're surrounded!

Heya, boss! You can call me Keigo, your navigational AI.

If you touch the map on the corner of the screen, you can enlarge it and see the positions of all your allies. Looks like some of you are already heading out: see those little blue— oh. That one just disappeared. ... Try to stick together.

Along with providing a map with enemy/ally positions, the navigators will walk characters through the demon interaction, recruitment, and summoning processes, with advice varying between the two navigators (click to expand)

Just beat 'em up and force 'em to join! They can't say no if they're dead!

Nobody is immune to bribery, not even demons. What do you even have, though...? No matter what, don't let them get that life stone.

More demons incoming! Ooh, you're screwed. You'd better run! Don't worry, I won't tell.

Let's hide here. We'll wait here until that demon passes, then move!

Look, a body! Are they still alive? Wonder what's in their pockets...?

It's already too late to help. But better them being demon food than you.

Or, you could stay. There is nothing forcing anybody to leave the relative safety of the train. Those who stay behind will find the conductor's cabin empty, save for a small black cat perched on the headrest of the driver's seat that peers out with bright golden eyes at those who enter. Otherwise, there are no signs of a fight or struggle inside the cabin. Elsewhere, there is unclaimed luggage in the overhead compartments with an abundance of clothing and blankets, although characters will not find any of their own clothing except what they're already wearing. The dining cart is still stocked with enough food and beverage to last each passenger at least two days— maybe longer, if people keep leaving/dying... But at the same time, maybe shorter, considering the pervasive hunger that gnaws at the pits of everybody's stomachs, an emptiness that yearns to be filled by something... more.

As minutes stretch into hours, it becomes painfully clear that nobody is coming to help. Everybody only has each other, this town, its inhabitants. The forest is dark and unforgiving, near impossible to navigate even with a map. Strange creatures jump out from the shadows, eyes bright, mouths salivating, hungry. Strong hands claw through the dirt underfoot to grab at people's feet, pulling themselves up, mouths wide open, hungry. Sharp talons swoop down from the skies above, snatching characters up into the air, crushing skulls and snapping spines. Hungry. The demons here seem delighted to see such a feast wandering right into their home; those who are stopped for attempted conversation express surprise that characters are able to see them, but ultimately the hunger wins, and hunger does not listen to reason.

Casualties are inevitable. Blood mist permeates the air, and follows even as characters break out of the forest and across town, all the way to the fraying end of the world. Out in the open, however, the sun rays beat down bright and harsh, and those hungry eyes shy away from the sunlight to remain in the shadows, inside husks of buildings and thickets of overgrown fields. Characters will be able to find refuge in the greenhouse and the church, and some of the standing houses are truly vacant (as opposed to "surprise! there's actually a demon inside!" vacant); the only eyes that follow you are those of photographs hung crooked on the walls, of familiar strangers and forgotten friends. Look, there's a picture of you too.

Other locations require more caution to explore:

The sound of crying can be heard from the upper stories of the school building, thin wails echoing up and down the deserted halls, and human-like shadows peer out from the broken, unboarded windows, as if watching. A barricade inside the front doors makes it difficult to enter from the main entrance, and with most of the windows boarded up, the hallways inside remain dark even during the day. The smell of rot is prominent, heavy and cloying, especially in the auditorium-become-mausoleum that is littered with crushed bones, thin and brittle, every last scrap of flesh already nibbled away. A flock of demons crowd around outside principal's office, where a blizzard blows through the entire hallway, rendering visibility near zero and temperatures below that.

The hospital is also deathly cold, breath visible in puffs of mist that sometimes form into screaming faces, and when all is still and quiet, you look up and see yourself. Shadows form into mirror images of the characters who enter the hospital, silently approaching others and attacking once the person's guard is down. If a demon borrowing your face isn't bad enough, Phantoms go a step further and take the form of people who are close to your character: friends, family, foes. Exploring the hospital may or may not be worth the potential backstabbing, considering the fact that the supplies found are maybe not the most sterile, half the equipment is rusted or corroded, and a lot of the medicine is unlabeled tablets and capsules inside unlabeled bottles (essentially, take at your own risk). Moreover, hordes of all sorts of demon ghosts will bar characters' way down to the basement, gathering in massive numbers anytime somebody tries to descend. Electricity bounces around the top of the stairway down, while bright flames lick the bottom of the stairs; particularly unlucky characters may be hit with a confusion spell, liable to throw themselves headfirst down the stairs to be consumed by the waiting demons below.

Hauntingly beautiful music can be heard from within the concert hall, and listening to their song puts you fast asleep— possibly in the middle of the street if you're not careful— while those who manage to make it past the front doors are immediately frozen in a hunk of ice or electrocuted to a crisp before being kicked to the curb. The concert hall appears to be actively guarded, and it's clear that strangers are Not Welcome. Even the other demons keep clear of this building, drawn to the music but lingering far enough to not be overwhelmed. Characters may have an easier time of initiating conversations with demons from around town or inside the houses nearby the concert hall.

The crackle of electricity can be heard from inside the power plant's upper stories despite the blackout, and the entire building shakes from time to time, as if caught in a thunderstorm, or an earthquake. A slow drip... drip... drip... can be heard throughout the building, of amorphous demons clinging to the walls like mold and leaving puddles of caustic acid Everywhere. Anybody who enters the power plant's front entrance is met with a massive agglomerate of black Ooze that has expanded to fill the entire first floor from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, preventing anybody from going upstairs while it remains. Arms and legs poke out of the demon's body in places, desperately clawing and kicking, weaker, weaker. done.

OOC

Welcome to Day 0! What better meet-and-greet is there than everybody being tossed into the fray to fight for their lives? ('': For convenience, here are the game info, locations, and demon compendium pages; please use these as reference for what more can be found in the setting.

The characters' COMP will turn on only after they notice and focus on it. If they do NOT activate the COMP, they will not be able to see the demons or interact with them in any way other than being killed. Activating the COMP will allow characters to see demons and somewhat understand their language, with an added effect of allowing physical attacks to harm demons, and mitigating the damage taken from demons.

For characters who app and are accepted, please report demon recruitment here. Characters who are just tdming do not have to report. Recruited demons are inclined to listen to their summoner, but are not necessarily friendly at the beginning: if your character shows weakness, the demon may be just as likely to eat them as they are to protect them.

There will be no NPCs in this game other than the two navigators and some key demons. You're on your own for now!

This first event/tdm is open to the public, and can be used for test driving at any time after the game starts. I'll be keeping a pulse on threads for when characters have gotten their bearings and seem to have a general idea of how they want to proceed into the next day, and we'll go from there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ They aren't— shouldn't be— but Minato stares back at her anyways like are they?? It's very possible. He's not the best with faces, and tends to keep to himself, and on the flipside there is very little that stands out about him either. ]

I- maybe...? [ ARE THEY ] ...Not too familiar, though, I guess. [ Apparently. considering the fact that he doesn't know her name, or who she is.

His COMP takes the form of a music player hanging on a lanyard around his neck, its screen with the faint orange glow of the other navigator, but the map zoomed in on the train so that the screen remains blank. ]

[Teen in a school uniform, teen in a school uniform… Not recognized, but not not recognized, either?? Yuri scans him for a moment, trying to pin the outfit’s details, maybe recall a school name, but…

[Nothing.]

I do… tend to keep to myself. [Hasn’t done a great job of that, as of late! That said, his uncertainty may be a relief. Yuri is certain she’s left an… impression.] I may be thinking of someone else....

[She glances down towards his device, glowing warm despite the blank screen.] Do you carry that often? I don’t recall ever seeing it.

Always.

[ The device hanging there over his chest, he means, although he does hold and regard it with some curiosity. ]

The music is still there, but there's a "navi" inside now. Also it's orange. [ he adds, because bright vibrant orange is very much NOT his color, it draws too much attention. ]

Looks like the upgrade might be useful, though, if you want to see it?

[ The lanyard remains around his neck, but he does hold the music player out to Yuri if she wanted to take a look, just assuming she doesn't have one of her own. He wouldn't think so, since she said she's never seen one before. ]

[She does indeed lean towards it, squinting slightly at the zoomed-in blank. The glow and the “navi” are familiar enough, though:]

It was this or “K5,” right? [Still watching his screen, as though something might pop up, Yuri holds up her own phone, screen out. It lingers on the blue, a stray thumb swipe throwing the map way off-focus from the train.]

I believe… mine has the same program.

So you chose "K5"...

[ Or maybe she's like Minato, who looked at his COMP and saw it was orange and just accepted his fate without question. He looks at the map on her screen; with "K5" as her current navigator, it's blue dots on this map as opposed to Minato's own, and the two of them can watch in real time as people leave the train and enter the forest, only to get picked off one by one, their lights snuffed. The ones in groups or at the very least pairs seem to be doing better, getting further, but their lights don't all shine on forever.

Minato breathes out, lifting his gaze. ]

It's been a while... Has anybody come back? Said what's out there? [ whether it's worth risking their lives for? then again, if the promised ending was freedom, who would turn their back on it and face the demons a second time just to let others know? ]

[A choice, insofar as this is where the figurative cursor has landed—for the moment. Yuri has been indecisive; vision swimming with dots, blue, red, blue again, lives extinguished with less than a breath. There’s something dehumanizing to the spectacle, to merely observing it; it makes her sick.

[She keeps watching.

[—That is, until the young man speaks again.]

Ah… to my knowledge, no one has. [Phone withdrawn and screen promptly shut off, as if images of carnage can be dismissed so easily. Yuri steps back straighter.] I suppose to do that, you’d have to watch a blue dot or two… I haven’t been keeping that close an eye on any of them.

But I’m certain this train won’t stay a refuge.

Yeah... [ He doesn't think so either, but he lacks that certainty that Yuri has. ]

Whatever is killing people out there... why not invade the train? It's cramped. Hard to run or hide.

[ And there's still so many people inside, trying to get their bearings like the two of them still are. If he were a hungry demon, he'd crack this train open like a can of tuna. ]

It’s a good question....

[In truth, her “certainty” is flimsy as a genre convention. The characters settle, get comfortable; danger waits until guards are fully down.

[Ergo, be paranoid about everything forever. Sustainable.]

Do you plan to wait and find out?

[ Is it sustainable, Yuri? is it really?

Still, maybe it's better than Minato's case; he could do with some healthy paranoia, and not just take everything in stride. A turned over train, demons in a forest, an annoying little AI hanging from his neck who's sooner laugh at him than give him any useful advice. ]

...No, I suppose not. Probably... we should evacuate anybody left. Escort them. We go around the forest, maybe?

[Well, that’s a jump.]

We—we could do that, [slightly sputtered, the idea of escorting countless terrified others into even less known territory spiking Yuri’s pulse—not in a good way, by any means;] if… if it came to it.

[She hadn’t meant to leave now, necessarily, was all. That’s it.]

There’s been some talk of safety in numbers, and if we did have to flee, that would… yes. [Thinking aloud. Calm.] Better to stay together than keep getting picked off.

If people can trust the herd.

I wouldn't expect them to, with no basis. But if somebody explains our intentions...

[ He gives Yuri a Look, like... maybe if she explains things to people, surely they will listen. She looks to him like the trustworthy sort, thoughtful and eloquent. They would listen to her.

And the ones that don't, there's no forcing them. If they believe that much in their own strength and ability to get through the forest alone, good on them. ]

[Oh, that look. Yuri’s not the best at reading people, but the trail-off seems intentional—if only because she waits a beat, two, and quiet answers.]

…Me. You mean.

[Pointing at herself, incredulous;] You’re suggesting I lead that…?

[Sure, she’s… thoughtful. Eloquent. Can be. Yuri can speak confidently when she has to, right? And yet the concept feels utterly foreign.]

Yes. I mean... If you're not opposed...

[ Free will, etc etc. He won't force her- it's only ever a suggestion, and he'd do it himself if she asked him to.

But also. Look at him, and look at herself. Who is the better option here? ]

[She doesn’t think it’s her at all—but, well, why? Why not?

[Yuri clears her throat.]

I’m… not. [She volunteered to run a Club, after all. The severity gap is laughable—but if no one else volunteers, then…] Not opposed, that is.

H-however. I refuse to lead people into certain doom. [On purpose, anyway.] We should plan a route first. Or at least scope one out.

[Small nod, to Minato’s device.] Have you noticed any patterns in the enemy activity?

[ (: It's all up to her now, thank god she agreed so he doesn't have to do anything. see? she knows exactly what she's doing. truly, there is nobody better for the job. ]

Sorta.

[ He positions his COMP so that the both of them can see the screen at the same time, and they can watch people die in real time. His screen is currently panned over to the forest, full of red dots. ]

Mobility is different, inside the forest. You see ones that don't— or can't— move, for whatever reason. Other dots that are moving, but not in a straight line. Probably having to go around trees and stuff, like we would. Then there's ones that are probably flying overhead, and can travel straight from one place to another. Not as many of them, but we'd want to avoid them, probably...

[ So, if they go the train track route, it's just the flying demons they'd have to contend with. Through the forest, they might have an easier time sneaking by the ones that can't move, and if they get caught by a mobile demon, they'd be at the same dis/advantage of having to traverse the maze of trees.

Both sound equally impossible with such a large group. Good news, though: people keep dying, so their group is getting smaller. ]

[People are going to die and Yuri will be responsible! She can’t wait!

[For someone who just shuffled the speaker’s podium off to her, Yuri notes not only Minato’s observations but also that he has them. In spades. He’s studied this, she thinks. Knows which movement patterns indicate what, and where that leaves the rest of them.]

Well, the flying ones sound like a nightmare. [Not a strategy so much as thinking out loud, barely an observation.] Bringing luggage for cover could deter them—or make for easier targets. A forest path calls for lighter travel, maybe a group formation lest we get picked off....

[Gee. Speaking of that, she sure does love when those dots swerve and cluster, like flies to a landfill. Any path will leave bodies in its wake.

[Yuri forces a swallow.]

I hate to say it, but… the forest may be a better option. The group can keep tight. Strongest members at the fringes, for defense—and although the branches might hide demons, they could shelter us, too.

[And when the weak get picked off in the dark, no one else will see it. It’s an ugly thought. Visualizing attacks in open air, however, inspires nothing but panic. Is it a mercy not to see one’s impending doom with clarity? Yuri wonders.]

But what do you think?

[ He thinks it will be difficult, with their numbers. Difficult, but not impossible. The team he used to lead never numbered more than four, which included himself, and it consisted of people who could fight back. He's done escort missions too, but it was with civilians who were near-catatonic, a much easier state to manage compared to people who are scared and panicked. What a mess this is. ]

We'll make it work.

[ What choice do they have? ]

Forge straight through the forest, cutting our own path if we need to. Shortest, most direct route possible. [ minimize their time in rough terrain, although he has no idea what they'll face on the other side of it ] Strongest at the fringes, like you said. Demons will run from those who overpower them. And we will run from them, engage only when necessary, only for as long as necessary.

[ Running away is always a valid option. Running away has kept him alive a number of times. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

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