[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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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There will be no NPCs in this game other than the two navigators and some key demons. You're on your own for now!

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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.

Comments

Tao Isonokami | Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

[saintsprayer]

I. TRAIN
[Although dressed in a school uniform, there's a teenage girl who looks remarkably composed with everything that's happening. She isn't panicking, giving the cut on her leg from broken glass only a cursory look, a peek out the window to see that this doesn't look like any part of Da'at she's seen before... but she does seem to be surprised most of all to find others here. If she spots them trying to leave the train car, she'll hurry after them, hopping over scattered luggage and gently touch their arm.]

Hey -- you shouldn't rush out there when it's not safe. Would you like me to go with you?

[She's not sure if she's talking to an ordinary civilian or at least someone who can fight, so she'd like time to take stock of who she's helping, too.]


II. SCHOOL
[Tao had wondered, sometimes, if she could go back in time, she could have changed something so that the horrors she had seen at Jouin High School could have been prevented. The irony now being that she is once again outside a school hearing the screams and cries of victims -- or maybe just demons -- and now she's even worse than useless. She's lacking her saint powers here, and she hasn't found a demon to recruit, yet.

She sucks in a breath and picks up a splintered piece of wood that looked like it had been used to board up one of the windows, but has since been torn away. An improvised weapon, for all the good it will do.]

If anyone is still alive... [she murmurs to herself under her breath,] I have to try.


III. CHURCH
[The church seems like a natural place to find refuge from demons, so Tao heads there, lingering to look at the rusting angel statue before heading inside. Finding no one around, she sits down at a pew with a relieved sigh... which quickly becomes a yelp of surprise when she realises sitting further down the same pew is a still-clothed skeleton.]

E-even here?!

[She looks around and spots more poor victims seated around, her heart pounding in her chest. When she's had a little time to recover from the shock, she steps towards the altar and clasps her hands together, offering a silent prayer for their souls.]


IV. WILDCARD
[Anything else! She's familiar with demon summoning, even if she hasn't tried it herself yet, so she might be able to help your character if they need an extra tutorial buddy. Feel free to pm me or hit me up at moonsilver!]

I

[foxchild]

[Shun'ya pauses at the train's exit, adjusting the strap of his (stolen) backpack that he has slung over one shoulder, stuffed full of necessities he looted from the nearby luggage. When he turns to her, the pistol and the tanto attached to his belt were readily apparent, and across his chest was a holster that contained peculiar tubes. This was a man clearly prepared to forge out into dangerous parts unknown.

But his expression was warm and reassuring, though his eyes... well, not quite, but they're not unfriendly, at least. They're just very sharp. Assessing.]

Kind of you to ask, miss, but I can take care of myself.

[He pauses, giving her a slow, considering once over. He didn't see any weapons or summoning tubes that she wore openly, but...]

How about you? Civilian? Or nah?

[saintsprayer]

Me? I... [She's still not a hundred percent sure if this is Da'at or not, so it might be a bad idea to talk openly about Bethel. After a moment's hesitation, she just smiles and shakes her head, opting for a vague:] Not exactly.

[He's armed, though, and she has no idea what to make of it.]

If you can fight, can-- can I make a selfish request and come with you for a little while? There are people out there in trouble, and it will be easier to reach them in a group.

[foxchild]

Hmm...

[Shun'ya doesn't immediately agree, carefully weighing the pros and cons. Not for himself, but for the young lady. It may be safer for her to stay on the train, since he hadn't seen hide nor hair of any lurking demon along its length, but... it may be safer for her to stay by his side, even if he was going to poke about outside. He can actively fight off demonic threats, after all, and he had basic survival skills, thanks to his mentor insisting he knew how to survive in the wilderness for at least a week (thanks, dad).

Decisions, decisions. Which would be in her best interest?]

...alright, you can come with, but you need to stick close to me, alright?

[A brief pause, and he added slowly:] And... don't try any crazy heroics. If there're demons out there, well... they're good at luring in those types. Faking human cries for help, that sort of thing...

[saintsprayer]

[Ah, so he knows about demons after all? She nods.] Thank you. I'll be careful, but I don't want to ignore anyone in danger, either.

[Which may or may not entail crazy heroics. Sorry!]

Whatever happens, I won't be a burden to you.

[foxchild]

Mhm, we'll see.

[Shun'ya's tone is wry, but he doesn't seem overly bothered by it. If she rushes off and gets herself killed via crazy heroics well... it is what it is. He'll try his best to protect her, of course, but he was pragmatic enough to know when things simply slid out of his control. Human free will was one of those things.]

Well, before we go on out little jaunt, do you have any combat experience? Got a COMP? That sort of thing.

[saintsprayer]

I can fight using magic. And a COMP is this thing, right? [She looks down at hers and touches it briefly, a small COMP worn around her neck like a pendant.]

I know healing magic too, so I can support you if you get hurt.

[Or so she assumes... Although she hasn't yet realised her powers are missing.]

[foxchild]

[Shun'ya studies the COMP around her neck, feeling briefly put out. Aw, she got a discreet one while he had to lug around this blocky monstrosity? It was strapped to a spare holster on the back of his belt, but it was still surprisingly heavy - definitely heavier than his pistol and tanto combined, at least. He knew it was going to throw some of his manoeuvres off, if he wasn't careful.

Some people just had all the luck, huh?]

Really? That's rare, a human as young as you knowing magic, that is.

[After all, an onmyōji like him took years of dedicated study and practice. But hey, the world was crazy, with prodigies running wild doing unbelievable bullshit. If she was telling the truth, then she'd be useful: he only had six healing shikigami in his spelltag stack right now...

(He also hadn't yet realised all of his powers were sealed, not just his summoning tubes...)]

But I won't look a gifthorse in the mouth. C'mon then... ah, excuse me. What's your name, miss?

ii

[compendiem]

[ Much of that same thought was what Minato had in mind when he eased himself through one of the broken windows on the ground floor, stepping quietly inside the silent hallway and peering inside the empty classrooms. He could have sworn...

Whether it's her footsteps or her voice that carries down the corridor, Minato only looks up and over when Tao first steps inside the school building, him hanging back under one of the classroom doorways.

Another boy stands in between them, one that looks remarkably like Minato himself, a warm smile on that boy's face that doesn't quite reach the eyes as he waves to Tao, beckoning her closer. Minato, on the other hand, does not move and wears no expression at all on his face, but his eyes glance between two strangers, curious, confused, but for whatever reason, not suspicious. ]

[saintsprayer]

[Tao's starting to have the sinking feeling this was a terrible idea to try alone, and it's not alleviated when she sees the two weirdly calm figures in the hall, one confused-looking, one seemingly friendly. She's seen that demons can impersonate people to lure them in... and so she doesn't want to fall prey to it here, either.

Still clutching her makeshift weapon, she steps a little closer, but not too close, should either of the figures lunge at her.]

Hello...? [She says, tenative.] Are you both okay?

[compendiem]

[ Are they okay? The two boys exchange a glance, Minato not sure he can speak for the both of them but the other Minato (miNOTo...) gives her a sheepish look, opening its mouth to speak but it does not: it hasn't heard Minato's voice yet, doesn't know how to emulate it.

Come closer, it gestures, its other hand lifting to rest on its stomach as it takes a limped step forward, as if wounded. Tao seems like a kind girl, surely she will approach to help somebody who could need it.

Unfortunately, it's also Minato's instinct to move when he sees somebody hurt, and that sudden movement has the demon's eyes shining, bright red instead of Minato's own grey ones. ]

[saintsprayer]

[Tao feels a flicker of pity even if it seems strange that the first figure doesn't speak. She can't judge, after all. But when Minato moves and his double's eyes turn red, she channels her inner Yoko (or Nahobino, maybe) and swings as hard as she can at the suspected demon.

... Which isn't very hard by most demonic standards, but. She's trying!]

[compendiem]

[ It's not very hard, and moreover, it feels more like she's hitting a brick wall than a person, whose red eyes flash when they turn Tao's way, unfurling back into its original pitch-black Shadow to fill the room like black smoke, impossibly to see through. The temperature of the air drops, and the both of them will immediately find it difficult to breathe— too long in the smoke and they'll find it more difficult to move, as if their energy or life force is getting sucked out of them the longer they remain in the Shadow's clutches.

All around her is darkness, silence, the cold. and then something warm bumps against her hand, fingers finding and wrapping around her wrist, a slight tug forward that's more of a request than a demand. ]

[saintsprayer]

[Tao drops the beam and covers her mouth with her sleeve, as if that will do much to help avoid inhaling unnatural smoke. When she feels the warmth against her hand she jolts and recoils -- or tries, but there's already a tug at her wrist.

Is it the demon, trying to negotiate, take her hostage? Or the boy, trying to help?

Tentatively, she steps forward.]

Train

[blastoffed]

[Oh, he sure was going to get right into the forest! Although with a backpack filled with stuff, because as hotheaded as Kaito is, he wasn't going in there wholly unprepared!]

Staying in this train isn't going to be any safer. Look at it, it's all wrecked. [Somewhat] Anything bad could get in whenever it wants!

[He really is unaware the train is by far the safest area right now, on this side of the forest]

But if you wanna tag along, sure, let's go. We gotta get going right now.

[saintsprayer]

Right. If anything attacks us, I can protect you.

[She says it with confidence... though she hasn't yet realised her powers aren't working here. Oops.]

Why don't we start by heading north? For now, it looks like there's less danger that way.

[blastoffed]

Now that's a good plan. We go to the north, following the tracks. Tracks always go to civilization!

[Alas, that won't work out, so sooner or later going into the forest will be a must, but oh well]

Are you really ready for the trip? It could take hours. Can't go unprepared, you know. Take some water with you, at least! One liter per two hours of walking!

[saintsprayer]

Ah-- right. Good idea.

[Strangely, everything scattered around here looks very recent, not like the decades of decay she had seen in the ruins of Tokyo around Da'at, so maybe there really is drinkable water here among the supplies. She feels a little guilty, but nonetheless she finds a backpack with a flask of water and a few other basic travel necessities.]

I'm sorry. [She whispers, but she doesn't have time right now to think about where the owner is, especially when they might have long since fled -- or been taken from -- the train. Peoples' lives hang in the balance right now, and so prioritising finding them, and anything that will help her get to them, is more important.

She gets to her feet and turns to him, bag at the ready and perking herself up, for the sake of both their morale.] Okay, let's go!

[blastoffed]

[Now that's better! Kaito is prepared as well, having packed his own backpack with scavenged stuff -- and less qualms than she should have, in his mind justifying it with something along the lines of 'I'll pay whoever this belongs to once we're all safe'. When in a life or death situation, some minor allowances are necessary!

Time to get going, walking along the tracks. Kaito keeps glancing at his COMP, to keep track of the red dots littering the forest -- another reason not to go in there! Better watch out in case any start moving towards Tao and him]

Do you know what made the train crash like that? I don't remember anything of what happened.

[Trains don't get overturned randomly. Something big must have happened]

[saintsprayer]

[She casts her glance back along the tracks to the train: the damage, the way it's thrown partially off the rails.]

This might sound crazy to you... But I think it was attacked by a demon. [She turns back to him. Maybe it could have been angels that hit the train in the crossfire, but that seems less likely.] That being the case, though... Where did it go? Maybe we could look for tracks.

III. CHURCH

[devilishkouhai]

Woops! [ BB sighs, picking up the skeleton and yeeting them out a window with a loud clatter as some stray bones fall onto the floor around her. While the rest fall apart outside. ] Sorry, BB is still in the middle of cleaning things out. Hmm.... [ Casually begins talking to her as she is praying. ] Are you a by any chance human?

[saintsprayer]

[Tao's eyes fly open and she looks around at the noise, positively horrified by the nonchalant way the other girl... Had she just... Did she just throw...]

I... Yes. [There's no point in lying, even if that horrified reaction hadn't already given it away.] I take it you're a demon.

[devilishkouhai]

Well, BB is devilish but she is no demon. [ As if that was even better to explain, but she sticks by it continuing on to say, ] BB is an AI from the moon, here to help humanity ~☆! So no need to look scared or upset or anything like that, even though BB does think you look cuter like that ♡!

[saintsprayer]

If you're here to help us, you should treat the dead with more respect.

[She frowns. AI isn't completely beyond the realm of possibility to her, given Aogami was entirely synthetic, but it's strange that she wouldn't claim to be a demon at all.]

I don't know what happened to them, but each of them deserve a proper burial.

[devilishkouhai]

Oh, are you Catholic? [ She muses, outloud. ] Well, it's better to leave the dead as they are. Their bodies will return to the earth, where they belong, and continue the natural cycle of life. Which, frankly, if you ask BB - this place sure could use it.

[ She peaks at the pile of bones she made out the window. ]

Yup, that whole bony body will do nothing in the church but maybe something outside! You could also use the body for other things like magecraft, and throwing it at the demons. Many cultures use bones that way, so no shame in doing that with them - ya know ~ ♡?