achates | [DAY 1-]

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The night drags on.

The moon, full and bright, illuminates the world below as demons rise in indulgence of the hunt. All those who are not securely tucked away become prey, whose blood runs freely down the streets, whose screams fill the air in symphony, whose lives are snuffed out one by one as the night grows darker- but not quieter, no. Towards the far west, wind picks up in a deafening howl that tears through the forest violently enough to uproot trees, followed by a thunderous explosion atop the wall that sends large chunks of rock crashing down on parts of the immobile train, creating shockwaves felt all the way into town. Dark clouds gather overhead, smothering the moon and unleashing a downpour that continues unrelentingly until dawn, when the paltry sunlight behind the clouds is only enough to see that the rain that falls is in fact blood, thick and warm, coating the rooftops and the streets. Rivulets trickle towards the east, where they spill over the edges of the world and into the cavernous abyss of a mouth below.

Those who sleep will dream. They dream of being flat on their back, lying on hard metal, a warm breeze caressing their cheek, the faint scent of cherry blossom in the air. They dream of their bodies feeling like lead, heavy and unable to move, hardly able to breathe— and all the while in complete darkness. Whether they give in to exhaustion or struggle valiantly against it, they will eventually open their eyes to a different scene: of somebody's home before here, you and that person reliving the very last memory they had before waking up in the train just yesterday. It's a memory that culminates in darkness. Give in. Struggle. Open your eyes again and again and again, and eventually you will wake up to what you wish were just another bad dream: the unfortunate plane of existence we call reality.

It may not be a good morning, but it's morning. If characters glance at their COMP, they will see a bright number 7 on the screen that disappears as their chosen AI chimes in with a good morning greeting ("Whoa! Congrats on surviving the night, boss!" or "Yikes, you look like shit. Did you get any rest at all?"). Pulling up the map function shows fewer blue ally dots as expected, but perhaps unexpectedly, much fewer red enemy dots as well: there are very few demons to be seen, and those that are, show little interest in hunting unless they are attacked first. The forest is still and quiet, red Mandrake leaves littering the floor in abundance but the demons remain rooted underground, the Hares of Inaba huddled snug within their dens, bird demons taken roost underneath the canopy to keep out of the blood rain. The concert hall is silent today, guards at the door watchful and ready to snipe intruders. Inside the powerplant, the giant Ooze spreads lazily across the first floor, filling the space wall to wall, acid seeping underneath the front doors and burning its way outside. Indoors, outdoors, demons keep to themselves, seemingly sated.

It's almost peaceful. If you didn't know better.

The drizzle of blood tapers off over the course of Day 1, replaced by normal rain once night hits. The water that falls is clear, though bitter and metallic tasting, and the stormy weather continues for several days more. The temperature outside dips, even during the daytime, and the hunger that continues to persist (unless you're BB, who ate a Pixie, maybe) is made worse by the appearance of a hot dog stand that has been set up in front of the school building. Its existence in this place is wholly suspicious, entirely nonsensical, manifested as if out of a yandere devil summoner fever dream— and yet the mystery meat smells divine, and you are so so hungry.

"Hee-ho! Get your hot dogs here-ho! What? What kind of mee-hee-t is in it, ho? Don't worry about it, ho!"

JACK FROST

LOCATION
hot dog stand

STRENGTH
ice

WEAKNESS
fire

INFORMATION:
Jack Frost is a spirit originating from England who brings in cold weather during the winter and is responsible for the frost that forms on the windows of homes and buildings. Though it is usually friendly and innocent, it also has a mischievous personality and will freezes those it dislikes to death, smiling all the while.

SKILLS:
Mabufudyne: heavy ice damage (multi-target)
Megidolaon: mega almighty damage (multi-target)

NOTE: This demon is non-recruitable.

Can anybody resist that cute face? never mind the sales pitch. Jack Frost will operate on a barter system, though it really only seems interested in people's gemstones, or if they're willing to slaughter and bring it a Katakirauwa in exchange for a cold but still delicious hotdog dressed up in any variety of condiment. For those who muster the courage to go demon hunting to earn their meal, they will find that a single hotdog will stave off hunger for up to three days. For those who gave up their gemstone instead, K5 will be screaming at them not to do that, but also, please tell me. Maybe they'll rethink the offer, noticing that the gemstones they'd found on their person now feel slightly warm to the touch- growing warmer when in proximity to another person's gemstones, their colors more vibrant, stones faintly glowing as if with internal light.

Generous as Jack Frost is with providing dubious sustenance, it's a different story when it comes to the vending machine beside its stall. Inside are various drinks guaranteed to be cold, and include bottled water, coffee, teas, juices, blood and tears and many other questionable unlabeled liquids among its touted 100!!! varieties of beverage ("""beverage"""). Two problems: 1) there is no selection button, so you do not get to choose your drink; and 2) the machine will only take macca. Where to get macca? Figure that out yourself and earn your drink gacha.

[ Locked pending: SCHOOL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: GREENHOUSE investigation ]

[ Locked pending: HOSPITAL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: CONCERT HALL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: POWERPLANT investigation ]

OOC

Since I know a handful of you are still working on apps, this event log in general will be open to all players, but Investigations will be closed to current players only. See below for more information.

On Day 1 only, wild demon encounters will be scarce and it will rain blood all day, after which the weather will transition into normal rain and demon encounters will also return to normal rates, less during the day and more frequent after dark.

When characters fall asleep any time in the next several days (including victims of the concert hall lullaby that will begin again starting Day 2, as well as inadvertent naps for those of you who are like lmao yeah whatever, i don't need sleep, i'm fine), they will be able to see the circumstances around other characters' canonpoints. This dream may take the form of being a bystander, or from the point of view of the character, whichever would be more fun/interesting to play.

Players can advance time by posting new logs set on the current or next IC date— don't be afraid to advance time as needed! Plot beats will be adjusted accordingly, and there'll be ample warning if plot necessitates a deadline or specific event date for any reason. If you have any trigger warnings, please let me know here! Comments are screened, and warnings will be listed in the log format post for player awareness.

As characters investigate different locations in the setting, more aspects of the game will be unlocked and will be updated in the post above. In summary, from the previous TDM event, characters have found doors sealed by barriers in the school, greenhouse, and hospital. The concert hall and powerplant are still both heavily guarded by demons that prevent thorough investigation until dealt with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Likely- but the Ritual would have to be conducted at our destination, which is out of our control.

[He knew Sebastian would seek to bring him back, if nothing else. He'd... do what he could for the rest of the people here- it depended what fodder Sebastian managed to find for the spell. He was far from a powerful demon so... perhaps the cost would not be so vile.]

I think our first concern would be to find where the ritual that summoned us here took place. From there maybe we can puzzle something out, I do have a vague memory of what the circle looked like- my other guess is that perhaps we are not in Sebastian's homerealm, but instead there has been a mass summoning. That would explain the empty homes and such.

I'm leaning towards the former idea rather than the latter, given the current weather, but I would see the summoning circle before making further assumptions.

[And currently, the most obvious stronghold stronghold was the music hall. It always had to be music halls didn't it? Blighted pains in his ass.

But if they couldn't venture inside, then perhaps they would seek "leftovers" instead.]

We may have better luck finding signs of the fodder for the ritual. If they somehow managed to use humans, then they would seek "defiled souls"- they would be young... and they would not have seen the worst humanity has to offer.

[This is... more of a warning for Armin to brace himself. Ciel knows he's soft. The warning may not help, but it's the best he can offer.]

[Children. Always children being dragged into other people's wars. Armin isn't soft. He's killed them too. He'd have liked to have been soft once, maybe; that ship sailed long ago.

[Still, his reaction is earnest, if subdued - tight lips and a tighter nod; he feels his teeth gritting.]

It's the best lead we have. [Focus on the practical, the present - strategy, logic, winning the goddamn game--

[He hates himself.

[Relaxes his jaw.]

I'll help you find that summoning, Ciel. Let's work together. You'll be in command. Just tell me how I can help.

What are we looking for first?

[It was much the outcome he'd hoped for. Armin came across as competent- a soldier of some sort, not unlike Baldroy. However he was more... weary. That was a danger in and of itself, hence Ciel making an effort to treat him more softly.

It wasn't as though Ciel hadn't walked in on a situation that echoed his own, and his first reaction was to have everyone in that building put to death. He didn't regret it, didn't hesitate, felt no guilt. They were already dead in all but name, he told himself, their deaths were a mercy. Not a result of his losing control due to his own trauma.

Such things were far easier to justify and deny when you knew your existence had a short expiration date.]

It would need to be a fairly large building to accommodate all that's necessary, and I'm uncertain if it was a necessity or some for some perverse lark, but there was a large statue of a holy figure watching over it all.

It was a month after acquiring my brother and I before they even went ahead with the ritual. It was treated like a grand party for much of the time, waning only when the individuals had to go tend to their daily lives, during which point we were kept in cages along with other children.

There is only one building I have seen that has shown signs of some sort of festivities, that is also of the appropriate size to accommodate.

However, if the ritual is past, we wouldn't be remiss is searching for places with large amounts of dead- particularly of the younger variety.

I don't suppose you're thinking of that music hall.

[Said not without some exhaustion. It's one of the only places in town that they're truly barred from entering - large enough to house a grand ritual, and fiercely protected, despite everywhere else in town being seemingly abandoned. Armin and Akechi didn't make much headway there, and he hasn't tried again since.]

Aside from that, I've found dead in some of the houses. Many of them seem to have childrens' bedrooms. I suppose its as good a place to start as any.

I've asked for more information from the others - well, as you saw. Once I've compiled that, we'll have more leads, as well.

[For the record, once he receives this, he'll be sharing it with Ciel as soon as possible.]

[DAY 1-]

CW: more talk of child death, allusions to child abuse/torture

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CW...more of the above. Honestly just assume he's talking or thinking about terrible shit.

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