achates | [DAY 0] TDM.

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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

[A burst of bright light flashes in a window to Shun'ya's left (he might recognize the skill as Trafuri), followed shortly thereafter by an IV rack hurled through the selfsame window, which is in turn pursued by Alice tumbling through the hole she just made.

She picks herself up nonchalantly, ignoring the cut on her cheek and instead directing her attention toward the crazed Hare of Inaba nibbling ineffectually at her hoodie's sleeve. With a put-upon sigh, Alice scrolls through her COMP and summons her Shadow to cure the bunny of its madness with Patra.

It's only then that she pays any mind to Shun'ya, affixing him with a flat stare.]

I'm aware.

Edited 2024-08-29 21:01 (UTC)

You sure are, lady. Damn.

[Shun'ya barely blinked at her, er, dramatic entrance (exit?), one hand resting on the pistol holster strapped to his belt in a relaxed manner as he swept a quick glance over her and her demon servants. She seemed like she had them under control fine...]

You're handling those demons of yours well. Got experience with 'em?

[Alice glances at the gun.] Sure, [she lies. No sense in telling him that she's even easier pickings than he might think. (Alice is actively choosing not to interrogate why she's been able to keep calm and think straight when by all rights she should be panicking.)]

I'd like to say that I've gotten what I came here for and you couldn't get me to touch this discount theme park Halloween attraction with an eleven foot pole, but... [Her brow furrows.] Something's bothering me about the demons here.

Ohhh~?

[Shun'ya immediately looks intrigued. He crosses his arms, shifting his weight onto one leg and jutting his hip to the side slightly - a casual, relaxed posture.]

What's bothering you? I may not look it, but I'm something of an expert when it comes to demons. Maybe I can help?

I took a wrong turn and found a whole swarm of them by the stairs down to the basement level. A few peeled off from the main host to harass me, which is why I had to make my own emergency exit, but the rest all stayed behind.

[She crosses her arms. Based on what she's seen of demons so far, the behavior didn't make any sense—Alice figured she was dead meat the moment they saw her and the entire horde would tear her to shreds, but instead...]

It's almost like they're protecting something down there.

You're probably right. No offence, miss, but you're a prime meal for a demon - only things like contractual obligations or a powerful compulsion would make them hang fast...

[Hmmm, but now he's very curious. What's in that basement down there? Normally, he wouldn't hesitate, but as it was he's... very disadvantaged, right now. His main three demons - powerful and well-trained - were sealed in their summoning tubes, and the local demons he recruited were utter weaklings in comparison. His spelltags, too, were inert, and while his very mechanical pistol functioned fine, he only had 90 rounds. He didn't want to waste them on something that may ultimately be a dead end.]

But it'd be reckless to go poking that hornet's nest without a proper plan, especially if we don't know if it'd be even worth the risk.

Maybe, but at the very least I'd make them regret eating me. Stab their organs a few times with a kitchen knife before I'm digested or something. [It's impossible to tell whether Alice is serious or doing a bit.]

You're right. The smart thing to do would be to wash our hands of this business, find somewhere to lay low, and hope that we don't get eaten while we're asleep.

...Unfortunately, I have a plan. [Alice can't believe she's suggesting something this insane, but their backs are against the wall. Waiting for rescue or for someone else to find a way out of here will just end with ~~everyone~~ her getting killed while sitting on their hands... and whatever is down in the basement is the only lead that Alice has right now.]

Trafuri should let us get through most of the ghosts without having to engage, and Patra will make sure they can't turn us around and into their line of fire. The issue is that Frankenbun and Poser [i.e. her Hare of Inaba and Shadow] are weak to the spells they like to throw around the most. Plus, I doubt that Trafuri will let us slip straight past all of them, and neither of my demons have the firepower to break through what will be left of their line before they regroup and tear us to shreds.

[...Alice blinks a few times. Was she always this good at military slash supernatural tactics?]

Edited 2024-08-30 00:05 (UTC)

[Well now, this was interesting. Had he encountered a fellow experienced devil summoner after all? If so... hm. Maybe it would be less risky than he thought...]

Hm. Okay, well, that's where me and my demons can cover for you, then. Yatagarasu and Xiezhai have the elemental advantage, and they're... well, not strong, but strong enough for this task, I guess. And I'm no slouch either.

[With an amused huff, he pats his firearm. He also has the tanto strapped to his belt, if things get really dicey.]

Ninety rounds... I'd rather not waste them on those ghosts, but eh, if push comes to shove... [He laughs.] You really wanna commit to this? Once we're in, there's no room for second guessing.

[Of course Alice is second-guessing herself. This is insane. She's insane.] I dropped all my extra guesses on my way here. I would've taken a second to pick them back up, but I'm pretty sure the demons would've chomped my arm off if I gave them that chance. [But thinking about any of that will just get her killed.]

[Alice wipes away the blood on her cheek, then scoffs.] Do me a favor and shoot me if I spout another lame line like that. I'm a high school runaway, I shouldn't be trying to sound cool in front of a real professional.

[Despite what she says, Shunya can see ice-cold determination in Alice's eyes as she steps back into the hospital to lead him to the basement stairs; the kind of steel that can only be tempered through hard-won experience.]

Edited 2024-08-30 04:57 (UTC)

Just a high school runaway, huh...

[Somehow, Shun'ya has his doubts, but he keeps them to himself as he follows after his new partner-in-crime... whose name he didn't actually know. Ah. Should probably rectify that, huh? So, as they step into the hospital, the ambient temperature nosediving, Shun'ya asks, rather brightly considering their surroundings:]

So... got a name, stranger? If we're potentially going to die together, may as well know that much about each other, eh?

I'm Alice... Machias. [As good a pseudonym as any, although she isn't sure where she got the idea. No way in Hell is she associating with the Jungharts ever again.] You?

Shun'ya Iijima, but everyone calls me Rosie.

[He easily brushed aside that 'mm, not quite??' twinge that kept dogging his steps every time he introduced himself here. It was annoying, but irrelevant. No doubt this place had scrambled with his memories, but he refused to let it bog him down too much when there were much more pressing issues...]

So feel free to do the same. I'd prefer it, in fact.

[DAY 0] TDM.

iiic

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want to make this a proper investigation?

sure! i'm going to bed now since it's 1am for me but i'll be free all weekend after work if thats ok

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