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

[ ...THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION, THOUGH. why is Minato here, arms wrapped around himself in a failing attempt to maintain warmth and circulation. There is no demon with him, not even a weapon. Just a music player— his COMP— that hangs on a lanyard around his neck, the faint orange glow being the largest contrast in all this icy white. ]

I thought... [ the cold claws at his throat, but he has to speak up if he doesn't want to get drowned out by the howl of the wind. ]

...Thought I saw someone.

[ Maybe it was Akechi? maybe it was somebody else, as Minato does still glance around them, trying to see if there are any other bodies in the hallway that aren't chunks of ice on the ground. ]

If you did, they're likely frozen solid if they traversed any further. Possibly dead.

[Forced out, gusts try to push every ice cold word back into his lungs. He perseveres. It's cold. Freeze imminent. Perhaps worse than a simple, shitty ailment to be knocked out of, given the smell of corpses moving with the snow.

They can't go any further - not like this. Akechi's winter clothes are meant for trips to to the subway from his condo, not a trek through a blizzard. This kid looks equipped for the same.

Annoying. It's so goddamn annoying.]

Turn around and move.

[ Akechi isn't dead, though, and despite himself, neither is Minato. It's what makes him linger for a moment longer, before he does as he's told and turns his back to Akechi, to return where he'd come from. This happens to be further into the school— he thought so, anyways, could swear his shuffling feet are moving but it shouldn't take so long to leave the hallway when it was only a few seconds between him originally turning the corner, and meeting Akechi halfway in the hall.

Is Akechi still behind him? he glances over his shoulder, prepared for an understandably /: expression if in fact he hadn't actually moved this entire time, frozen hands fumbling with the music player as if the orange glow offered any warmth whatsoever.

Another minute passes. Did they really think they could just turn around and walk away? Something out there has decided otherwise. ]

[That :/ expression is pure and true on the face of [1] halfway frozen asshole.

Of course this would happen. Fingertips numb in his pockets, face warmed by the few exhales Akechi can manage without choking on air, sleet and snow. Visibility down to nothing. A world that doesn't move and has trapped them in it.

Ridiculous.

A puzzle to be solved, a cognition to change - they're going to freeze solid if they don't. If this kid dies, so be it. He took a risk walking in here, but Akechi refuses to perish in a siege of snow in a false world.]

This is maddening. [The complaint is worth the way a chill seizes his lungs.] Move. Try to find the wall and follow it any direction.

[Hackles raised - a safe room must be around. A distortion somewhere. Even a room to remove themselves from this blizzard for a moment will be enough. He moves to follow his own suggestion - gropes whatever's to the side of him to find some kind of bearing.]

[ Akechi is being so helpful, what a nice guy. Minato leans to the side, trying to find the wall with his shoulder without having to remove his hands from his pockets. It's like trying to walk against the wind in a blizzard, and his feet keep slipping, but a hallway is only so wide.

His body is so numb he almost doesn't notice he's found the wall until he shoulder checks it and nearly gets turned around. ]

Here-

[ He turns around and holds his other hand out to Akechi, fingers trembling, ungloved. ]

[Hand and leg meet nothing on his side. The hallway wasn't that big when he wandered in, but-

No wall. No stability. It's all bitter, freezing wind and air.

When he turns back to see how his quiet companion's faring -

Oh, he's not doing that king.

Fingertips and hand become visible through sleet and snow. His rapidly blinking eyes catching it just barely.

He ignores it. Follows the body part lifeline with his eyes instead and deviates until he's standing behind the guy, shoulder pressing against an ice brick of a wall.]

Walk.

[Human shield, thy name is rando, in a sense. It's easier to keep an eye on him from behind and Akechi's a better guard. Knows to keep an eye out for surprise attacks - he doesn't know shit about this guy's skills or abilities, if he has any.]

[ Akechi: ew, fuck you
Minato: oh he wants me to keep my hands in my pockets to keep them warm, he's so thoughtful

Alright. He won't spurn that consideration, pulling in his arm and huddling back into himself. The wind whips around them, but Akechi being there blocks the brunt of it from behind, back not as frozen as the rest of him. He'd be a better windbreaker for Akechi's front if he were taller or wider, but unfortunately all Akechi's got is him.

Him and the AI swinging on the music player around his neck. Red dots on the screen. He peels away from the wall, to head towards the closest one. ]

[One benefit of this rando? He's quiet.

Akechi enjoys the silence in the increasingly muffled wind - they're going to get frostbite before anything happens. His ears are numb. It feels like he can't hear well, until-

A giggle. Playfully malicious in whipping winds.

They aren't prepared to deal with this shit, though he looks to see if it's an easy mark in this blizzard.]

Keep walking.

[ Minato proceeds to immediately disappoint Akechi by walking towards the sound of giggling and opening his mouth ]

Hello...? Can you help?

[ Yes these demons are toying with them and are planning to kill them, BUT maybe he looks pathetic enough that they'll take pity and make it stop, one way or another. ]

[Oh.

Yeah, no - acknowledge the voice spelling impending doom in a hallway spewing a natural disaster.

'Can you help?'

Akechi is temporarily stunned by the stupidity, the blatant disregard of potential subterfuge - what little remained, if any. He welcomes a bloodbath in any situation, but half frozen in a looping hallway isn't his preference.]

You can't be that stupid. Nothing is going to help us here.

[They're laughing at their impending frostbite and death. Akechi briefly weighs the pros and cons of leaving this guy behind. Opts not to. Pushes against Minato's shoulder to get him back on the original route. He can verbally eviscerate him later.

He can barely get the words out. Forces it regardless.]

Do not acknowledge it again, unless you plan to strangle it yourself. I won't protect you when it attacks.

[ He turns easily, shoulder touching the wall once more, but before he can open his mouth to reply, another voice chimes in: ]

He's right, you know? There's nobody here that can help.

[ The wind dies down in the space around them, and it feels that much warmer in an instant only because they aren't being assaulted by ice from all sides. In that empty space stands a Moh Shuvuu, giggly and :3c and clearly finding this situation soooo funny. What are they going to do? how are they going to get out? their feet are going to freeze and their toes are going to fall off if they choose to stubbornly press forward.

Minato tries hard not to acknowledge the demon as requested, but that's difficult... he stares at her feet instead, like damn those boots look warm. The COMP around his neck glows bright orange, eager. ]

We could... make a deal.

[His own COMP perks up with helpful tips on negotiation that he muffles with his goddamn hand against his pocket.

Shut up. He knows what to do - chooses to not indulge weak shit like this, but-

He'll see what this kid does.]

Bribery? How quaint. Though I have alternative plan should you fail here. By all means, do your best.

[ Thank you, stranger, he will draw strength from that encouragement and absolutely do his best. That said, what does he know about bribery? what does he even have to offer? nothing but his life, the clothes on his back, whatever is in his pockets.

...

"beat 'em up!!" he remembers Ala goading him earlier, hands tucked away into his pockets just like they are now. He'll have that, at least, as plan C if neither his nor Akechi's plans pan out. He turns to face Moh Shuvuu, her smug smile that is clearly already set to refuse anything Minato suggests.

... ]

You could've killed us at any time. But you didn't. [ why? because they're being played with. that much is obvious. ] It'll be boring if we freeze to death, so... how 'bout we play a game? If he and I win, we get to leave. If you win, you get to kill us. Eat us. Whatever.

[ sorry Akechi he's betting your life away too, sorry, sorry, he is decidedly not looking at Akechi when he proposes this, instead watching the smugness leave the demon's face and is instead replaced by interest. sorry. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

school

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