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

in and near the train;

[ Upon waking Mithrun can only assume he has found himself in a Dungeon. Not the same Dungeon, no, but perhaps a different one. Or something to that effect - it doesn't matter much. There's people hurt, there's monsters, and there's the vague and niggling reminder that he's meant to muster up the will to do something about that. He doesn't see any of the Canaries so it probably wouldn't matter if he simply remained sprawled on the ground in the train...but the memory of his squad nudges him to action. Mithrun gets to his feet and rolls his shoulders. Healing magic isn't his specialty, but he knows some things. He's more use in a fight, though, so he walks out of the train to see what there is to see. Demons - monsters. Mithrun bends to scoop a shard of glass off the ground and points at a birdlike monster in the sky, and then -

Hm. Nothing happens. Instead he'll use it to stab something coming out of the forest, uncaring of how the glass shard cuts at his own hand. He drops it after he dispatches the thing, however. Not a monster he recognizes, so he looks it over to be able to describe it later if he has to. Not that he cares enough to be able to give a particularly accurate accounting. There's other people. Mostly tallmen from what he can see. He'll call out: ]

Can you use magic? [ Best to see what's going on with not being able to at all. ]

wandering around hungry;

[ Hunger. There was a time, decades ago, that the desire for food was a regular thing for Mithrun. That desire has long been lost to him like nearly every other and so initially he doesn't quite recognize what it is he's feeling. He hadn't grabbed anything from the train for that reason and now he's standing in the street with his brow furrowed as he tries to identify what's happening. A hand lifts and touches his throat, slides down to his chest, then his stomach. Yes, that's... ]

...I'm...hungry? [ The elf sounds surprised, though his voice maintains a soft and even tone despite that. It's hard to remember what hunger felt like. It's different from the desire for food, after all. Something that can't be filled with food and drink, something that yearns for more. The sensation is almost a novelty now. The only desire he's felt for so long has been entirely different: a goal, not a need. This feels like a mix of both: desire and need. The furrow in his brow deepens and it isn't clear if he's actually planning to do anything about this hunger. He's not actually sure what to do about it - normally he only eats when food is passed into his hands and otherwise never thinks of it. At one hundred and eighty five years of age he might actually need help with what to do next now that he's realized he Might Actually Be Hungry (Suspicious)? ]

vacant house;

[ Pictures on the walls. Familiar strangers, forgotten friends - himself. His brother. Mithrun is standing in front of that particular picture, though he keeps back a certain distance. Hard to tell if it's a magic picture monster when he can't access any of his mana, and he's not about to test it out. Not himself, anyway. If he sees someone else reaching out to touch a photograph, though, he'll watch. When nothing happens: ]

So they're not monsters. [ ...was he not gonna say anything even if he had a suspicion they might be? Helpful. ]

wildcard;

[ ooc: Feel free to toss anything else at Mithrun. He doesn't have a great sense of direction so he can be found almost anywhere even if he doesn't initially intend to go there. Of note for your visualization needs: he is an elf and has visibly elven ears although they are cut off at the ends. His right eye is a prosthetic and he cannot open that eyelid wide at all nor move the eye about. He's got very deep bags under his eyes due to Not Sleeping Much for decades. He's also just a bit over five feet tall. ]

[ The Princess hasn't known hunger, at least not in her long and short memory. She doesn't recall eating or drinking, but she knows what yearning is. It's one thing she has known keenly for as long as her memory extends, and she knows that isn't the strange, hollow gnawing sensation that has persisted since she awoke on the train.

In contrast to Mithrun, she did pack a modest bag with supplies, after sifting through what the train had to offer. Someone had told her to bring food and water, that these were essential, and he seemed convinced enough that she took the provisions he advised.

When she hears Mithrun speak, she pauses. ]

...Is that what that feeling is?

[ She asks, only to realize he may not be referring to that odd sensation. Still, it has her unzipping the bag she'd slung over her shoulder. ]

I have supplies, hold on.

Maybe. [ He thinks that's what it is. But as someone who hasn't felt hungry in, oh, thirty or forty years? Mithrun can't say with any certainty. It's very much a "possibly" for him. They can form a support group for really old people who don't know what being hungry is like. It'll be fun. They can make badges. Anyway, he stands there obediently because Mithrun will follow most directions just due to not having much of an opinion on things. Dungeon exploration, fighting monsters, and going by the Canary rules are pretty much the only things he sticks to and won't go against. The rest is harder for him to care about - it's why his hair is a tousled mess and he hasn't bothered to clean off any of the blood from minor injuries as of yet. ]

Do you not get hungry?

[ With badges and everything? She's never had a badge before, sign her right on up. ]

Not normally, no... I never really needed anything.

[ She answers honestly, seeing no reason to conceal that information. Previous to this, she'd never felt a need for anything but freedom, and she uncanniness of it was made apparent to her once before.

The Princess rummages through her bag until at last she comes upon something pre-packaged in bright wrapping. She doesn't miss a beat in offering it over to Mithrun for his inspection. ]

This has some kind of food inside.

[ She's ah. Not sure what it is, but she was assured it was food. ]

I see. [ He does not see, precisely. She looks like a tallman but if she doesn't need food she simply probably isn't one. Possibly she's some sort of magical entity? Mithrun doesn't think it's relevant to the matter at hand right now and so he won't nosily pry about it until and unless he changes his mind on that matter. He at least accepts the pre-packaged snack. He doesn't recognize the writing on the package at all. Weird. Still, it doesn't take him long to open it to see what's inside.

Some kind of baked good. A wrapped pastry, though he doesn't know what the filling is. Whatever - he doesn't particularly dislike or like any kind of food, so he'll just immediately break off a piece to put in his mouth. Chew. Swallow. Even feeling "hunger" he still doesn't really feel a lot of interest in what he's putting in his mouth, so... ]

Thanks. [ ...he's not great at socializing. Usually one of the others introduces him, but seeing as they aren't here... ] I'm Mithrun.

[ The Princess moves a bottle of water close to the top of the bag so it's within easy reach. That was the other necessity she'd been told to be mindful of, and she's held onto that bit of information in the short time since. Mithrun may have need of it after he eats.

But ah, they've arrived at that name business. Much as it was with Minato, the Princess doesn't have a name to give in her recollection. She must have one, surely, but... ]

I don't remember my name, but I know I'm a princess, so you can call me that.

[ Thruthfully, she's not sure she has a particular preference, as long as she knows she's the one being addressed. It's all she has to give, though she'd lump on the formality of her title if someone approached her with hostile intentions. ]

Mm. Let me know if you remember or decide on something else. [ Forgetting her name isn't all that weird if this is some sort of Dungeon. There's plenty of things that could cause it, actually...and simply calling her Princess works for Mithrun. He doubts anyone else will be running around and doing the same thing? Surely there can't be that much in the way of royalty here. Or maybe there is - who knows.

He won't think to ask for a drink. Feeling hunger doesn't mean he's going to notice or acknowledge the feeling of thirst, so he's probably going to get parched before he actually thinks about it. ]

Since you usually don't need food, do you find yourself needing it currently? [ He doesn't care about the why, but it occurs to him this might be "something missing" like his magic. ]

[ If she decides on something else. It hadn't really entered her considerations that she could simply choose something, if she wanted. What would she pick, though? For the time being, the Princess puts the thought away for when it's safe to ruminate over something far lower priority than survival. ]

If hunger is that strange ache, then it seems that way. [ She huffs out a short breath, as though the inconvenience of it is vexing, if only mildly. ] It's a change.

[ A change in herself, specifically. The cabin had changed before had become new and foreign and even more restrictive, but she doesn't think she herself had particularly changed. What about this place could have affected her like that? ]

Have you been changed in some way?

Yes. [ There's a long pause like he isn't going to expand on that, but at least it's filled by taking another bite of the pastry. He thinks it has cheese inside? It's fine. Not warm, but he's not picky enough to care or complain. How much food is here, anyway? Mithrun supposes if they run out they can always start eating the monsters to be found here. Not that he's sure how to prepare any of them. After he chews and swallows again, though, he does end up giving a little more information. ]

I don't typically get hungry. And I am currently unable to use any of my magic.

[ Magic. The Princess has the notional concept of what magic is, though she doesn't have an image of what it looks like. She understands it's a form of strength though, a power, and it makes her wonder what else may have been changed or taken.

It also reminds her of whatever it was that had exerted its influence before she wound up on the train. She frowns thoughtfully, wondering whether that exists here too. ]

So, something has changed us... Or influences us this way.

[ She doesn't like that at all. ]

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Magic?

[Well that sure is a question to ask a guy you encounter in this dangerous place! Kaito is so confused by that, really]

Like making pigeons appear and cutting people in half and making weird escapes?

[That's the kind of magic he has heard of: stage magic. According to his memories, someone he knows from school knows how to do that kind of stuff; Kaito sure doesn't]

[ ...Well, yes, all of those sort of translate to the kind Mithrun is talking about as well. Calling up a familiar, what he can do with teleportation if he feels like it, and the escape spell to leave a Dungeon - all of those qualify as magic. Still, Mithrun can tell be the tone of the question that it's probably not a direct translation to what he means. ]

...Or any capabilities beyond the average tallman. [ Read: human. ]

Not really. But that's fine. We already got plenty capabilities and skills to work with!

[He's assuming 'tallman' is human, mostly out of a hunch, but also when he heard 'capabilities beyond the average', he definitely thought of himself and his classmates. They all have capabilities beyond the average person! Extraordinary teenagers! But definitely none of them to the extent Mithrun needs]

[ Kaito has figured it out, he's human. Anyway, that sounds pretty optimistic...he's not going to rain on the parade here largely because he's not really cynical so much as weirdly calm due to certain factors. ]

What skills would you claim to have? [ He's not saying this to be disparaging or mean or anything. He's just genuinely wondering what they have to work with. ]

Outdoors survival, basic medicine, teamwork, three languages, an excellent physical shape, and a relentless goal of reaching outer space before I even am of drinking age!

[Very lofty declaration, this all is. Had he thought of more stuff, he'd have said it. As an astronaut trainee he has been trained in a lot of disciplines]

What languages do you speak? A lot of the written language here seems incomprehensible to me.

[ That is to say...most of it. He has no idea how one would go to space, but you know what, go off. ]

Japanese, English, and Russian. That's just the start.

[Well, although learning more languages isn't really a priority for him. There are other things to be trained at]

[Mithrun's voice causes him to jump, just a little, and he freezes.]

What, these? [He looks back at the pictures. He doesn't know anything about magic, of course, but...] They're just pictures, aren't they?

[He's a little nervous about touching them now, though!]

So it seems...but they're a little odd. [ For one thing, why are there pictures of all of them here...? And he feels like they're sort of questionable, though Mithrun can't articulate exactly why he thinks that.

But he does. ]

Ughhh, I don't even wanna think about it. [He groans shamelessly. He doesn't need to ask what feels odd to Mithrun. The whole thing feels odd.] I don't know about monsters, but in movies, these things are always staring at you, right? I bet they're totally haunted, and I'm too young to die!

[Why does it sound like he's already accepted his fate?!]

[The blood flowing from her side from an ill-timed roll over broken glass has, at least, finally abated. It leaves the side of her shirt still soaked in blood, much to her chagrin, but with mask and notebook in one hand and a decently sized whacking stick in the other, she picks her way through the forest.

She can't remember being in a forest before, can't remember if she liked it then or not if she had, but decides that right now she doesn't like them.

The sound of fighting, those demon things she'd been sneaking past-- attacking someone? She picks up the pace, but arrives a bit too late. At least the demon is gone and she breathes a sigh of relief.]

Magic? [She echoes and then looks thoughtful, flexing her fingers around the stick. She looks at the mask--a full-faced, beautifully crafted thing in white, bearing a woman's serene face] I don't know. I'd need a piano.

[She doesn't know if her stuff with music is magic, exactly, but like. it's something, for sure.] Do you have magic?

...A bard...? [ He's not sure why she'd need a piano otherwise, but if that's the case he will accept it at face value. Magic is a strange and occasionally wonderful thing. Sometimes terrible. It all depends. ]

I can usually use magic. Currently I do not seem to be able to do so. [ It's weird but he can fight without it when he needs to.

It's just a lot more effective with magic. ]

[Ruka gives a little shrug, neither agreeing or denying it. In her head bards play lutes or something, not pianos, but like, sure. Why not. She was still trying to grasp that she'd been magically on a train when none existed in her island home. Maybe this was some weird purgatory place or the realm of gods or something.

That'd make the magic bit make sense, right? And the elf... ears... She eyes him, curious, but is currently too distracted by Everything Else to start asking questions.]

Hmm... Is it like there's something blocking it, or like it's gone all together?

[ Keigo: > shows Mithrun a helpful map

Mithrun: > immediately starts walking in the wrong direction ]

This way to the church?

No.

[ HELP this is the worst part about being an AI, he can't just take people by the shoulders and shake them so hard their brains rattle inside their skulls, some people desperately need this and Mithrun might be one of them ]

Is your COMP upside down...? Turn around. I can tell you when and where to take a left or a right.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

Mithrun | Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi | OTA

wandering

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Near the Train

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vacant house - I remembered reviewing is effort so slides u him for now...

someday u will be able to review for Him

HIM!! when I have more time, maybe I'll try to top level w/ Him :d

Near the trains

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@keigo

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