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.

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[ The impish smile, the knowing glance, none of it misses Merlin at all when he returns. But he just carries on, playing dumb. Being heartless and callously indifferent.

(Because the alternative would be to acknowledge that the Mage of Flowers did such a thing, was anything otherwise.) ]

That'd be nice, wouldn't it? I much prefer happy endings over sad ones.

Edited 2024-09-08 06:16 (UTC)

Who would've thought Mister M was such a sap, deep down?

[Shun'ya's tone was teasing, but not malicious. He raises his arms above his head, stretching his back out until it popped loudly.]

Ngh. Well... [He lowers his arms and rolls his shoulders, trying to loosen them.] Can't say I'm much different. I've had my fill of sad endings, but reality sure does love sticking to 'em.

[ Shun'ya is so lucky he decided to move on that quickly from that dig at Merlin, because instead of saying anything, Merlin simply gives the other man's noggin a soft (in his opinion) tap on the back with his staff in response to the "sap" comment. A gesture easily mistaken for embarrassment or annoyance, not the attempt at correction it is.

(Being a sap would imply he had sentiment, and thus proper feelings.) ]

I take it that you've been around the block when it comes to these sorts of things, more often than you'd like.

[ That much was obvious; "Rosie" was probably the most skilled and experienced in this sort of situation out of everyone he's encountered so far. ]

[Shun'ya just grunted quietly at the headbop and didn't acknowledge it, far too used to his mentor delivering the same whenever he said something too deranged or almost killed himself with this or that dangerous stunt.]

Hah, well, yeah. As they say, no self-respecting devil summoner dies in his bed.

[A hyperbole, as Shun'ya knew many devil summoners that had, actually, died in their beds, but even those were mostly violent deaths (demons getting their revenge by sneaking into their homes when their guard was down, or assassinations from rival devil summoners). The sentiment remained the same: a peaceful end was not on the cards, and correspondingly there were few, if any, happy endings for them.]

And they die young too. I think I've only known like, five old farts in this business, and all of them were the top dogs in the Kuzunoha clan. The exception, not the rule.

[ Merlin lets out a soft "hm" of acknowledgement. ]

Sounds like a lethal occupation, to say the least. Why do they do it?

[ His voice may be casual, but his intention is anything but. It's a question that he wants to probe a little deeper, find out what makes humans like those tick. ]

Who the hell knows. Arrogance, probably.

[It's... an unexpected answer, but it was an honest one. Shun'ya knew what the correct answer was: "oh, because it was an honour, because they want to protect Tokyo as is their ancestral duty and/or the right thing to do, etc, etc, etc", but Shun'ya didn't have to worry about any Kuzunoha elders overhearing his derisive comments and throwing shade on his mentor as a result. Shun'ya can say whatever the hell he wants - for once.]

Ignorance, too. A lot of them acknowledge the short lifespan, but always fools themselves into thinking they'd be the exception. 'Ah', they'll say, 'everyone dies young in this business, but not me, because I'm different!' And then they get eaten or blown up or something equally grisly before they hit the big 4 O. Tragic.

Tragic indeed. Well, you know what they say: pride comes before the fall.

[ Some things never change, it seems, despite worlds, cultures, and time periods. In all his 1500+ years of observing humanity, some things indeed never change. ]

Still, if it was mostly about proving one's superiority and the ego rush that comes with the job, I can think of a number of other far less dangerous and easier occupations to take up.

[ Like, say, catfishing lonely bachelors on the internet— ]

Well, there's more to it than that, I think...

[But hell if Shun'ya knew what it was. As Mister M said, there were less dangerous jobs that would satisfy their superiority/inferiority complex out there... but most devil summoners were pretty brain-rotted, in his experience.]

But a few probably would get more fulfilment in being... I dunno, a professional esports player, or something. A Vtuber, maybe?

[ His lips quirk upwards, a sly smile on his face at the mention of one of his previous occupations. No, not being a professional esports player. (That's reserved for some of the other Servants.) ]

Hah, exactly! Either one of those would be way less work for less pain and more gain.

[ ExCUSE you Shun'ya, catfishing Dr. Roman as Magi☆Mari was INCREDIBLY VITAL to Romani's mental healthcare and thus an incredibly vital part of the plan to prevent the incineration of humanity, he'll have him know.

Speaking of live, though, the video feed continues as they have their merry conversation, a new challenger has entered the fray!? Dimitri!? ]

What's the blond doing there?

Ah...

[Indeed, The Blond was there, all bristling with heroic enthusiasm and sweeping into the fray with all the glittery dramatique of a big damn hero, off to save the day and sweep the damsel(s) of their feet. Shun'ya curls his hand into a loose fist and lightly taps his cheek with his knuckles, his expression one of amused weariness.]

The invicibility of heroic youth. Let's see if that translates into reality...

[Now, despite his glib tone, he really didn't want any of these idiots dying horribly. He was rooting for them to succeed - it was just, well. Jaded. The brutal expectation of reality. He's seen this scenario play out multiple times, and rarely did it ever end happily.]

[ Merlin keeps his own eyes trained on the live feed, agreeing with pretty much every word the other man uttered. Many times, too many times to count, he had witnessed similar people do similar things for (probably) similar motives, but received no miracle, only death. ]

He seems trained at least, but his weapon is lacking. Not bad for an improvised one, though.

[ Demonic beasts aren't easy to bring down in the first place, so he's got to give Dimitri some credit here that he managed to catch it off-guard and bruise it even a tad. If it was just the Stonka they had to deal with, things would be a lot easier, but then the mob of Katakirauwas then shows up to make the situation even spicier. ]

Actually, I'm surprised how few people are appropriately armed here. It makes me wonder if us trained few were accidentally scooped up in the net, rather than intentionally picked out...

[As the majority of the victims of this place - a large chunk of them seemingly dead - seemed to be ordinary civilians with barely any combat experience. It made sense if their purpose was to be grotesque sacrifices to whatever entity lurked here - and made the presence of those like Shun'ya and Merlin not make sense.

It truly was mysterious, their situation.]

Well, in any case, imagination and skill can make the most mundane tool a deadly weapon - or so my mentor says.

[ Merlin takes a few moments to ruminate on the idea. It's not a far-fetched one, given that the inhabitants of the town before them seemed to be sitting ducks, and even most of those who managed to crawl their way out of the train crash didn't have the good fortune to be armed and prepared. In actuality, he's far more concerned about what it meant for more capable, armed, and knowledgeable people to be summoned this time, instead of hapless civilians. ]

That's two for two now when it comes to solid advice from your mentor.

[ And the one who mentored King Arthur would know a thing or two about mentoring, so his praise isn't entirely unfounded...if a touch questionable at times. ]

That's because my mentor is brilliant. He knows basically everything.

[Shun'ya sounds very proud, like a son loyally boasting about his super amazing perfect father that can beat up your father no problem. Now thoroughly distracted from the rescue mission unfolding on his COMP's screen, Shun'ya launches into, well...]

He's a peerless warrior and an intelligent scholar - and he's wise, too! You know how you encounter so many smart people who have absolutely no common sense? Well, my mentor is downright blessed with it. He's very down-to-earth, but he's also very dedicated to his beliefs and will even defy tradition to uphold them, which is more than I can say of other members of the Kuzunoha clan. He always says that our true purpose is to ensure that the civilians of the Capital can live long, peaceful lives, even if we must sacrifice our own to achieve that.

And he just pulls miracles out of his ass all the time! When things seem hopeless or beyond help, he always manages to pull off some crazy plan or move that tips things back in our favour. He's saved the Capital hundreds of times, and he makes it look easy too! I admire him from the bottom of my heart, and I hope one day I can live up to his expectations!

[Oh boy. Shun'ya has it bad. He has it so bad, Merlin.]

[ For a few moments after Shun'ya launches into his boasting, Merlin merely blinks a few times. One would forgive Shun'ya for mistaking his reaction for that of clear awe, with how obviously amazing his mentor is.

But really, he's just taken aback by the strong burst of emotions (flavors) he tasted just now: sweet and fluffy on the surface, coated with genuine gratitude and admiration, but with a potent something mixed in beneath, an ingredient that should be taken in moderation. Like biting into a chocolate only to find a kick of alcohol infused at the end, lingering in his mouth, and it might prove to be a sort of poison if he takes in any more of the latter.

He blinks again. Well. There's no question who serves as a shining star for this man. ]

...He sounds like quite the accomplished man. For you, that's a lot of things to live up to.

Hah, that's true! But I don't mind it.

[He genuinely didn't. He was slavishly devoted to living his life solely for his mentor, to become the man that he wanted him to be. Shun'ya was not naturally kind, or empathetic, or even selfless - but for his mentor, Shun'ya will become all of those things. He'll become the kind and heroic apprentice his mentor desired and crush down his true, unsightly self. In a way, that was a show of love, right?

(An obsessive, twisted kind, maybe...)]

It's because of him that I even have something to live up to. He saved me from demons when I was a very young child, so... I owe him quite the debt. This is how I've decided to repay it.

[ The speed at which Shun'ya quickly went "this ain't about them" about the people fighting for their lives against demons as soon as the topic of his mentor reared its head was impressive, in its own bizarre way. ]

...I see. So you've decided to follow in the footsteps of your savior, despite the statistical lethality of your occupation.

[ To punctuate his statement, the mage lets out a quiet sigh, difficult to tell whether it was one of approval or disapproval. People who knew the kind of cruel fate that awaited them, and decided to take up a role anyway, all for the sake of one thing...fate sure does know how to pick who to pair him up with.

A young man orphaned in circumstances beyond his control, in which everything but his body died one day, desperately trying to fill the hollow in his mind and soul by emulating the one who saved him, taking up his ideals and following them to an obsessive, self-destructive degree. Somebody stop him if they've heard this before. ]

[The moment his mentor is brought up the blinkers get welded on, sadly.]

Yup. You can probably say I'm no better than those who join the profession with the belief that they'll survive the longest because they're them, but I'm self-aware. Maybe I'll die young, maybe I won't... I don't really care, so long as I'm making him proud.

[He turns back to the projector, to see what those optimistic heroes were up to.] Hrm, which, thinking about it... no doubt he would've wanted me to help these guys out, instead of leaving them to experience the consequences of their own actions. He's a bit of a bleeding heart like that...

[ Is it better or worse that Shun'ya's aware of his (probable) fate?

Is it worse to be arrogant enough to think yourself above the posed dangers, only to go charging in as the next sorry sap in line for the meat grinder, or is it worse to be completely aware of the dangers and go charging in anyway, uncaring of the consequences or one's survival?

It's hard for Merlin to say. ]

What, are you having second thoughts, now?

Edited 2024-09-20 04:07 (UTC)

Well, all this talk about my mentor is making me realise he'd probably scold me for writing these guys off as suicidal lunatics. I mean, look! They're actually still alive, amazingly!

[He had expected them to die not long after Blondie showed up, in all honesty. But they're surviving, and succeeding in their rescue objective! It's a miracle!]

Ah, maybe if I'd been there it would've put them through less stress, maybe. But on the other hand, this is good experience for them? This is like personal development that all devil summoners have to go through, so maybe letting them fend for themselves was the best option... hm...

[ Merlin bursts into laughter when he sees Alice throw his own contracted Cait Sith into the crowd. The audacity! That's what he loves to see: turnabouts and plot twists to make the heart pound and pulse race. He's going to pay for it later when said Cait Sith will surely give him some scratches out of frustration, but hey, it was literally not his fault that the poor demon ended up being used as a grenade.

Miraculously, he manages to stifle his laughter for long enough to give Shun'ya a proper response. ]

W-Well...[ Give him a moment. ...Okay, done. ] Well, hindsight is 20/20. For those of us not gifted with eyes of foresight, a good part of how we're looked back upon depends on the result. If the group over there met their ends, we'd probably be seen as having a proper sense of self-preservation, not sticking our noses into that risky business. But since they seem to be succeeding, against all odds, perhaps we'll be seen as heartless scoundrels.

[ He lets out a sigh, a smile on his face. ]

When faced with a decision like that, perhaps what matters most is making a choice that you won't regret later.

[ A choice that one won't look back on with regret but determination, regardless of outcome. A choice that one can live with, carry the burden of, should they make it out the other end alive. ]

Hmm, you've got that right. If they survive, people are gonna wag their fingers at us, huh? Ah well.

[Shun'ya is used to ruffled feathers and scolding from people who were not his mentor and thus whose opinion mattered absolutely nothing to him. He leans back, rubbing his thumb along his bottom lip, and slants a look Merlin's way.]

By the way, that Cait Sith... it looks awfully familiar, y'know.

Does it, now? Maybe you've spent too much time on the job.

[ After all, it's clearly—

Nah, he's just messing with him. Shun'ya knows that he knows and he knows that Shun'ya knows. He won't insult the other man's intelligence (this time) and all but come clean, by shooting him a sheepish look of admittance, without saying as much in words. ]

...Like I said, I much prefer happy endings over sad ones. If I have to pull a few strings in the background or arrange a couple of backroom deals, so be it. I'm no knight charging in to risk life and limb.

[ And he would know a thing or two about those types as well. Well, is rather fond of a couple of them, in his own way, really. ]

Hahah, there's no shame in preferring background schemes over heroic charges! Smart cowards live the longest, and all that.

[He doesn't say 'coward' in a derogatory sense, though. In fact, he deems it a natural human instinct to want to stay far away from demons and help in a very distant manner. It's better for him too, if other people are heroic in a smart way rather than 'let's recklessly charge out during a full moon into a whole pack of demons!']

But they never get the glory, though. Well, I'll know about your secret hero streak, Mister M, don't worry. Or should I call you Hero M?

If you're going to call me that, you're going to need to workshop it more.

[ Glory? Fame? Gratitude? Those sorts of things don't even occur to him whenever he pulls stunts like this. It's nice when it happens, but certainly not at top of mind. ]

But really, a title like that doesn't belong to me in the first place.

[ A man who foolishly meddled in the fate of an ordinary country girl, only to allow her to march to her preordained demise, can't be called a hero. A man who callously consumes and discards humans' dreams and emotions can't be called a hero. A man who guides people to weave the beautiful tapestry of human history without care for the individuals who weave it can't be called a hero. ]

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[DAY 0] TDM.

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wraps a nice neat bow around this thread, pats