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

Not personally, but I can make a good guess as to its nature.

[He sets the COMP down on his lap, resting a hand across its metallic surface as he flashes an easy, relaxed smile towards the young girl. He catalogues her detachedly, his gaze barely shifting as he assesses her threat level...

Unknown, for now.]

You okay? Not suffering from any bad injuries? You seem pretty calm, considering.

[Empathy was not - his thing, but it was easy enough to fall back on rote scripts for disaster situations with potential injured civilians. Are you injured? Are you okay? The basics.]

[She appears calmer than she’s been in… several days.

[People are dying outside.

[That’s a problem.]

It… may take some time to settle in properly. Hah.

[She doesn’t look forward to it.]

But, ah… no. I’m not injured. [Punctuated with an idle tug at her sleeve. Eye contact is difficult; Yuri’s flicker only briefly to the young man’s smile, but otherwise remain on the weapon.] I’m more curious as to what’s going on.

Nothing good, that's for sure. It's certainly the kind of situation that'll result in a dead body or two.

[He says it so calmly and matter-of-fact, his warm smile not faltering in the slightest. It's just facts, and he sees no reason to entertain delusional idealism about their situation. Of course, he didn't want anyone to die, but you learned to temper your expectation when it came to demons. Besides:]

Not that I have to worry about that. This scenario is my bread and butter, in a way. Speaking of...

[He lifts the COMP, its blocky, gun-like shape cumbersome as he slowly tilts it from side to side, letting the light glance off its metallic frame.]

You know what this is, miss?

[The flippancy is noted, uncharacteristically composed (or is this more in tune?) as Yuri is being. An affinity for situations like these could be a boon—and just as dangerous.

[She’ll take what information she can get from those willing to give it. That’s all.

[And from a distance, at that; the temptation to get a better look is certainly existent, but Yuri doesn’t close the distance. Pockets her phone instead, and clasps her hands behind her back.]

I can’t say I do. [Even-toned, albeit without a smile in return.] But it does seem my phone’s been hijacked by a similar program....

It's a COMP. Basically it's a portable computer whose main purpose is the subjugation and countering of demons, but you get some extra bells and whistles attached to it, depending on the manufacturer.

[He doesn't really care if she believes him or not - in the modern age, humans were increasingly resistant to acknowledging the supernatural and he learned cold, harsh experience swayed them faster than any verbal argument. He only cares that she, too, apparently has one too. Nothing more dangerous than a complete novice armed with a COMP...]

If you have one too, I'd be careful. Then again, if there are demons out there, it'd be the only thing between you and an early death so... do what you will with that info.

[He rests his COMP back on his lap.]

Say, what's your name, miss? You got one?

[The COMP was, until this point, one of the only voices that seemed to (claimed to) have a clue as to what’s going on. He talks just as smoothly as either of the AIs.

[There’s a pause before her answer, clearly considering a response.]

Yuri. [He’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an alias, given the hesitation. It’s not.] Now, you say “be careful”—is there danger inherent to the device? [“Satan” that it might be, it’s still on his lap.]

Rosie.

[A name for a name. Since she wasn't giving a full name, and seemed a little cagey about it, he'll return it in kind.]

And of course there's danger. Anything to do with demons is dangerous, no matter how much technology tries to mitigate it.

[Really, the COMP was a marvel - a blend of arcane and science to shackle demons to its summoner without needing to sacrifice a portion of one's magnetite or magatsuhi stores. Granted, it did come with limitations: memory storage was abysmal, you had to shell out more money for the COMPs that let you cast spells, etcetera, etcetera...

It was why he disliked them. Old traditional means of summoning and magic were far more reliable than the ever evolving, ever malfunctioning technology of man. He didn't care if people disparaged his ways as 'old-fashioned' or 'tedious' - he preferred reliability over innovation.]

Got no idea who programmed these badboys, what protocols they installed, or even the true loyalties of the on-board AI. The fact we got these 'for free' too doesn't really fill me with much confidence. If you're gonna use it... I'd probably explore it functions, test it out, that kind of thing. You wouldn't want to find out it's defective when you need it most, eh?

[She nods, considering. “Rosie” is, likewise, offering a lot, and requesting apparently little—so far.]

It’s the potential defects that concern me. As far as I can tell, [phone withdrawn again, its screen still opening to the COMP it was left on; the glow is tinted warm, and] it does everything as claimed. Which seems, for the moment, to begin and end with map navigation and a switch between voices.

[A glance to fragmented windows.]

I don’t suppose there’s a way to test them proper [read: for actual interaction with demons] without putting oneself in danger.

The combat aspects of it? Nah. You'll have to test it out in the field, I'm afraid.

[Preferably against a very weak demon that even a complete novice devil summoner could overpower with their own mortal strength, rather than a bigger, nastier demon that'd steamroll her.]

Preferably against a weak demon, and maybe with allies to back you up. Then, if it malfunctions, you've got a better chance of surviving. Humans on their own are pretty weak, but there's truth to the phrase "there's safety in numbers"!

[Whether to fight together or to play a game of "demon gets the hindmost", he didn't clarify.]

[There’s a pause.]

Would you be willing to demonstrate?

Haha...

[Direct! Well, he can appreciate someone who doesn't beat around the bush.]

Sure, but not right now. I'm more than happy to take my time before wading out there. We've got no idea what's outside, and a train full of seemingly abandoned supplies... we may as well see what's up for grabs first, mm?

Makes sense.

[Finally, then, Yuri stands. There’s some odd trepidation to it; she blames it on the gun. She switches COMP from orange to blue—Rosie still a noted ally.]

Have you searched the supplies yourself yet? [Closing her hands behind her back, she nods towards the closest overhead compartments.] I’ve found a handful of blankets, so far. [The creatures outside don’t strike her as the type one can wrangle with a simple rag over the eyes.] Nothing identifying.

That'd be too easy, wouldn't it?

[Slowly, Shun'ya stands up - his movement was oddly stiff, and he immediately shifts his weight more onto his right leg than his left one in a movement that seems purely habitual.

Standing up reveals that the COMP isn't the only 'gun' he has: there's a pistol in a holster strapped to his belt on the left, with a short-blade - a tanto - on the right. He stares at the bulky, gun-like COMP in his hand for a moment before tiredly latching it onto his belt beside the tanto (it came with a convenient carabiner, thankfully)]

But those blankets can be useful... we have no idea how long we're going to be trapped here, after all.

[Plus, can be turned into emergency bandages and tourniquets if things get really dire...]

[Rosie’s got the weaponry to bolster his nonchalance. The pistol is more apparent; the blade is blocked by the COMP’s bulk before Yuri can identify it; some sort of pocket knife, maybe? She clasps her own hands behind her back.]

Agreed. It only makes sense to stock up before setting out. [Yuri nods towards the down-slanted end of the traincar, stray baggage accumulating in the corners like spilled debris from a plane crash.

[She waits for Rosie to move before proceeding herself. It strikes her as deeply, deeply unwise to turn her back on someone with such an arsenal.]

How long do “scenarios” like this last, typically? Days? Longer?

[Shun'ya took the lead without complaint or hesitation, seemingly unbothered about having an unknown stranger behind him and in his blind spot. In truth, he didn't really like it, but he wasn't going to get all bent out of shape about it. It is what it is, and all that.]

Depends on the 'scenario' and who's running it.

[But he's privately hoping it wouldn't be longer than a few days. It wouldn't do to exhibit any uncertainty or worry, though, so he locks that anxiety up and stuffs it down to be dwelt on never.]

I just like to err on the side of caution, y'know? Better to be overprepared than under... ah, let's see now...

[He stops by a large luggage container that was half-opened - the lock busted open, either by falling from the overhead storage area, or by other means, Shun'ya didn't know or care. He merely squats down, flipping it open entirely and examining the contents.

Clothes, and blankets. Why were there so many blankets on this train???]

[Clothes. Blankets. Clothes, more blankets. Echoing Rosie’s lead, Yuri kneels down and pulls at another bag, this one softer and only zipped shut. Prying at the metallic seam reveals much the same.

[Another luggage, sturdier. Pried open. Yields naught but fabric.]

It’s strange. [Yuri pulls at a shirt, short-sleeved and nondescript. Something red stuffed in the crevice catches her eye; for the moment, she ignores it. Glances to Rosie, eyeing his focus on his own wares.] Only a thorough pilfer through the whole train could be certain, but…

It really just seems like cloth.

Hmm...

[Shun'ya honestly didn't know what to make of this. People took more than a set of clothes and a spare blanket with them on a train - there should be books, personal items, electronics, hell, even a pair of shoes or some over the counter medicine...]

I was really hoping someone here would have ibuprofen or something. Not a single painkiller? Really?

[He stands back up and turns away from Yuri, looking back the way they had come, his hands on his hips in a way that could only be described as like this.]

[Rosie turns away, and Yuri slips the red item into her blazer pocket. The luggage is clipped right back shut—and then, thinking better, she grabs the handle and pulls it up as she stands. It’s not quiet. Too cumbersome to travel with, at least without a clear destination—but perhaps if she remembers where it’s been left....]

Nothing of the sort, I’m afraid. [A beat. Some wayward blood spray outside, blurred by merciful windows. How quickly it becomes background noise.] Would that be a necessary part of demon-wrangling?

[Anyone’s guess if she’s joking. Yuri’s inflection hasn’t changed much this entire conversation.]

Haa, well...

[No. He's genuinely in acute pain right now, but damn if he lets even a fraction of it show. His posture's relaxed as anything, and his smile shows no sign of strain as he turns back to Yuri. His gaze skips over her, though, sliding over the windows where the last of those unwisely fleeing the train were unceremoniously cut down.

As an apprentice to Raidou, he acknowledges that he should've gone out there to protect them... but he's a pragmatist, and he saw no point in pointlessly endangering himself for those that were already slated for death. No cure for terminal stupidity, and all that.

Those still on this train, however... they weren't terminally stupid. Ergo, Shun'ya will dump his focus and energy on them.]

...it's always good to have painkillers on hand, when conflict is common in your day-to-day. Wouldn't you say?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

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love that description

thanks!

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