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

It's a flower. A pretty flower, for a pretty Princess! Would be a shame if you scared other people off by telling them you had no name, in a situation like this. So try to use it if you can! [ She finds a spot to sit herself down, making herself a bit more comfortable. ] Did you find pictures of yourself in this house? BB did, with another man she knows nothing about. It was very weird.

Pictures...

[ Truthfully, the Princess — "Dahlia" — had been so focused on making sure nothing would attack her once she settled down that she hadn't paid much mind to the decor. She frowns in thought, scanning the room. Mostly, the pictures appear to be dark figures, some birdlike, another an actual raven.

One, just one, has a fair-skinned figure with pale hair. She supposes that's herself, though the scenery doesn't look right. ]

I guess there is one. Someone here has a strange sense of humor.

In this house? [ BB muses with a peculiar tone to her voice, eyes flittering to and fro. Wondering where those pictures were, wondering more if - ] Does that mean this house called to you, and you just happened to pick it?

I looked for one that didn't have demons in it, but I couldn't say for sure.

[ Maybe she wound up here due to some influence she's unaware of. Her only intention was to get some reprieve from the creatures trying to devour them. ]

Aww, thank you Dahlia-chan ~ ♡ ! [ Light whimsical tone, one that seemed to chime out loud in a girlish way. ] It is better to stay safe in a home, but also together! BB plans to stay at the church for now, until she gets a better understanding of what is going on - ya?

[ She blinks, silently perplexed. What had she been thanked for? Yet it seems the current of conversation has swept her right along, and she doesn't see a reason to swim against it. ]

Is there something special about the church?

Other than it is Holy Ground, and Demons do not want to be around anything Holy? [ The girl shrugs, tilting her head to one side as she muses the practicality of that for the time being. ] No... BB is not sure yet. The train is the same too, but the train itself isn't Holy in itself from what she saw... Not particularly anything that stands out either. Did you learn anything by any chance?

[ So a chuch is holy, and holy is anti-demon... The Princess is learning so much today. Like a sponge. An incredibly stoic, pretty little sponge. ]

The school has a lab filled with demons, or something that shows as hostile on our devices. I couldn't get in, and for the time being, they can't get out.

[ Yet the numbers suggest to her that this may not remain the case. ]

Ah, thank you Dahlia-chan ~ ♡! That is really concerning for a few reasons, depending on the outcome of that situation. [ She mulls over it but, considering there is nothing they can do. That sits in the back of her mind. ] Well, as long as nobody opens the door - we should be fine. Until we can fight the Demons back. Then it's best to leave those situations be, and let everyone know, so we avoid any... Well, problems that can come from it - right ~☆?

I was repelled, so it shouldn't be easy for anyone to open it.

[ Perhaps that's a mercy while they lack the power to fell whatever masses of demons exist in here. Had they flooded out, who knows how many of them would have been killed? ]

But we should compare notes, now that you menion it.

[ Collaboration is yet new to her. ]

Sure, BB hasn't learned too much yet, but with what she knows now - she will share it. [ She turns to pull out a shirt that was folded within the batty backpack she had been wearing. Holding the inconspicuous shirt up, she shows it to the other. ]

BB found a lot of clothes from different countries that don't match her records. Mind you, BB-chan knows every country that exists on Earth, down to every city, town, and street. Although 'Hyrule' does exist, as a name in some capacity, it doesn't as a major city with any textile affiliation to it. So, it is odd. There are many more names like this on clothes throughout the train.

[ She neither knows Earth nor Hyrule. As with so many things she's been presented with since waking on the train, the Princess finds no familiarity in them. They're new and she takes them in like a sponge. ]

So there are names on the clothing?

[ She honestly hadn't noticed, but now she tugs her borrowed bag nearer to sift through it and pull out a shirt for inspection. ]

People must come from more than just this Earth you mentioned.

[ BB snaps her fingers, and gives a little - Ping, Ping sound. As if she were a bell, announcing her answer as correct. ] Correct my little O'hime-sama! This is important because cross-world travel, is very complicated magic. Which can mean our situation may be really dire, depending on the why and the who!

[ She looks up from scrutinizing the label on a long, blue shirt when BB produces a sound she's never heard before. It's unique. Can other people do that...? She won't ask, but she will absolutely wonder. ]

I don't really know anything about magic. [ She'll admit her ignorance, aware as she is that it would sokn become apparent one way or another. ] But if it's so demanding, someone must have a compelling reason to go to the trouble.

[ Which, as BB says, could be a very bad thing for them. ]

[ Oh, this is one very smart Princess, BB muses. Finding herself ever more impressed the more the other speaks. Despite their seeming ignorance, if not for how open they seem to be BB would assume they were playing a narrative - maybe she is anyway. ]

Mmm ~ Hm!! BB has been doing what she can to find what she could, unfortunately, it doesn't look like there is much to see at this time. Maybe tomorrow will bring more insight, especially since covering so much ground is a bit hard to do when there are huge Power Plants or Schools to walk through. Anyway, if you do learn anything else! Feel free to share with BB, she does love information.

[ She nods, a short, efficient little gesture. It has to be, seeing as the shackle around her neck poses an obstacle. At least it's one she's long accustomed to, though. ]

Any enemy would be a mutual one, so it only makes sense to pool information.

[ How can she not see whatever brought them here and dropped them off amidst creatures that eagerly prey on them as anything else, after all? It isn't the first time she's been targeted, but it is the first time it's been like this. ]

Yes, yes! Ne, ne O'hime-sama Dahilia! You're totally right! We'll get out of here in no time, for sure! Especially with BB-chan here! [ She poses, and strikes up a peace sign towards the other. ] Humanities #1 Ally!

[ Some words BB says, the Princess definitely doesn't know. Seeing as that's par for the course (Rosie mentioned Japan and what is that) she simply rolls with it. ]

Even if it takes time, I'm extremely patient.

[ She says it with a certain firmness of belief because she knows she is. Her presence here is proof, in a way. That patience outlasted her prison. ]

Not that I plan on lingering more than necessary.

[ Being surrounded by creatures that want them dead isn't her idea of ambiance. ]

BB-chan is pretty patient too! [ She is not. ] In fact, BB can sit down right here next to you, [ She hobbles over towards the Princess and takes a seat close by. Whether it is a couch, table, or another chair of some sort. ] and wait - wait, what are we waiting for?

[ Dust plumes up from the sofa when BB sits, another sign of disuse. How long had this house been abandoned? The Princess has no way of knowing. ]

I've been waiting to see whether any demons show up in this house.

[ So far it's been quiet, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. ]

If they don't, then it's one safe building... Relatively speaking.

[ And if not, well. She does have a sheathed dagger resting on her lap. ]

Huh, that would be interesting. If they come close enough to the sides, then you are better off heading to the church or train. [ Her eyes wander, looking outside towards the window. It's dusty and very unclear, but BB can see shapes and objects out through it. ] Stabbing them might work for a few, but it also just might make them hungrier. Everyone is so hungry here. Are you hungry?

I wonder whether they'll always avoid the train.

[ Or why they do, for that matter. She surmises from BB's words that the church must be the same way. Without knowing what repels them from those locations, the Princess doubts whether she can rely on that safety in the long run.

She's not great at relying on anything though. ]

That gnawing sensation never seems to cease. Maybe it's something this place does to us.

Probably not, BB couldn't find anything weird with the train when she went through its components. It is... Basically, just a train. [ A normal train, too normal of a train considering the situation at hand. ] BB has a feeling it will get worse, so, we better figure out how to fix it and soon. Otherwise, our tummies are going to be the front and center of our problems.

[ So there isn't anything unique at all about the train? She can't help but wonder what that means for all of them. Somehow it got them here but it was derailed — was it accident, interference? They have no way of knowing.

If it may not last, there's little reason to stay on the train. ]

It does seem likely, especially with signs that some demons are being confined, or held in reserve, that things could get worse. The hunger being abnormal is something I haven't made sense of.

[ She can't recall ever having been hungry before, nor eating anything. ]

Edited (what are words) 2024-09-16 03:23 (UTC)

Oh man, imagine if they got out and ran around, rampant??? [ A scoff, she twirls a lock of her hair casually. ]

Well ya know, to be frank - [ Shes chatting, like they are just two girlies hanging out together having a fun time. ] BB isn't a human, actually, but here, she seems to be now? She has a physical body, and it feels suppeeeerrr weird ~ ☆! Like, BB never had to eat before - she could if she wanted to. However, here, she has to... It feels like? Also, BB doesn't need to sleep - but she feels her body is kind of... Heavier now? I am pretty sure that is what sleep feels like.

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