002 | Tokyo In Trouble

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Surprise! There's a disaster on the Near Shore.
When: Late at night (February 24, 2016) into mid-afternoon (February 25, 2016)
Where: The Meeting Hall of the Heavens AND various places around Tokyo
Summary: A nice little greeting for the new guests and an unpleasant surprise for the older ones~



A sudden, loud blast of noise persists throughout the entirety of the Heavens. It sounds much like a war horn of ancient times being played at a decibel that is meant to shake the very core of every being within its range. No matter how much you might try to block out the noise, it remains ringing in your ears deafeningly, and somehow you find yourself compelled towards the Meeting Hall - the place where you were first introduced to the Heavens and what you have gotten wrapped up in.

Anyone checking their phones will notice a large, bright red alert flashing at them - 'EMERGENCY! REPORT IMMEDIATELY!' It seems that the Heavens have taken to using modern technology for their messages as well.

Once you have reached the Meeting Hall, you will find that every wall has turned into a sort of television screen, displaying various streets and buildings in Tokyo, everyone one literally crawling with ayakashi both big and small. A voice that you recognize as Amaterasu's - though you would never be able to describe it properly - rings throughout the halls.

"We need your help, brave gods, loyal shinki. A rift the likes of which we have never dealt with has opened on the Near Shore. We must end the ayakashi who are harming our dear followers. Please come to our aid in this time of need."



Meeting Hall

The once garishly decorated Meeting Hall looks very much like the base of operations for an army at war. There are gods gearing up with shinki and man-made gear as well and plenty of gods and shinki saying prayers before they head out to battle. Everything you might need to make yourself feel safe during a fight has been provided, including every type of weaponry. But, of course, only shinki wielded by a god can actually destroy an ayakashi.

Counselling

In the main hallway, there is an innocuous door with a small, nicely written sign that reads "Gentle Counselling". Inside the door is a small room with a few sweetly smiling shinki inside who are willing to listen to your problems and answer any questions you might have. They are also here to help out any gods that are having a hard time dealing with knowing about how their shinki died and any shinki that is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are dead.

February 24

The rift that has opened is so vast that there is literally nowhere in Tokyo that you can go without encountering a rampaging group of ayakashi. Everything is utter chaos and there are creatures everywhere for you to fight. Let's just hope that you can get out of this dangerous battlefront mostly unscathed.

February 25

Towards the middle of the day, it will seem that the ayakashi are becoming fewer and further between. Things seem to be calming down a lot, though they are nowhere near normal yet, especially since the rift is taking longer to close than the Heavens would like. Fortunately, no new ayakashi have escaped into the Near Shore from the rift since this morning, due to a barrier that has been placed around it. Still, the ayakashi seem to be really hell-bent on getting away from you all now rather than fighting...



In Summary:

• There are a ton of ayakashi on the Near Shore that need to be destroyed.
• The newbies are getting one hell of a welcome as a result.
• Seek counselling if you need it!
• Go kick some evil ass.
• Comment to the first thread to get a randomly generated number of ayakashi to face.
• Mods will gladly play out any ayakashi interactions where requested.
• Try not to get killed~

Comments

[sweetdeath]

You're a god, Shepard. Why would it ever be impossible not to shoot a human?

[But he looks away as he says it. Nearly everyone he's killed has been part of a job. But not everyone, and his right hand flinches with the visceral memory of wrapping around the handle of a knife.

Maybe he should put the one he'd gotten back. They've got arrows there, too, even if carrying a bow is going to weigh him down a lot more than just having a backup weapon.]

[roeh]

Hostage situation? Terrorist threat? Some people just lose it for whatever reason and it's a helpless bystander that gets caught in the crossfire. Unless this job comes with some bad intentions kill switch that I don't know about I don't see how that changes anything about the way I've done things for a long time now.

[She runs a gloved hand through her hair even as she mulls over her own words.

Okay. Maybe gods weren't supposed to meddle, and maybe there was a very good reason why people did those kinds of things here but she wasn't naive enough to believe that she wouldn't find herself in the difficult situations anymore, making the hard choices. Better to bring the gun and never have to use it than be caught in a bad spot that costs everyone.]

[sweetdeath]

So there's a hostage threat, and you walk in and shoot a guy who can't see you in the face....

[Tsuzuki trails off, looking at her.]

Is that the best way to solve it?

[roeh]

[Oh that earns him a rather pointed glare.]

I just said I try to avoid shooting, didn't I?

[She may be the last person to call herself a good person but she still doesn't appreciate being called a thoughtless killer. A butcher. Just because it was an option, didn't make it plan A.

Yeah. There's a lot of history there.]

[sweetdeath]

[Maybe not thoughtless. And Tsuzuki's not going to judge someone else for being a killer, not when he spent seventy years dragging people to the afterlife.

But Shepherd's new to the whole god thing, no matter how used she might be to stopping terrorists or kidnappers.]

I'm just saying you've got options you didn't when you were mortal. Most people can't see you, to start with.

[roeh]

Yeah. Maybe. [Whatever they were, she hasn't really figured them out yet though. Turning into a bird in the sky doesn't really change much on the ground.]

That one's not really anything new for me though.

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki blinks.]

Wait, what? You're kidding. You were invisible when you were mortal?

How?

[roeh]

[The look on his face. She laughs. A warm, genuine sound.]

Technology is a wonderful thing.

[sweetdeath]

... Oh yeah, that's right, you were from the future.

[He shakes his head, relaxing into a smile at the sound of her laugh. So apparently they can make people invisible without magic in the future. That's new.]

You know, I think you'll be fine with all of this stuff.

[roeh]

Hey in my line of work, you have to adapt. And something tells me this one isn't much different.

[If anything it would test the limits of those abilities especially when she was intending to run even more against the grain than usual. But now wasn't the time for that. Instead she decides to swipe the gun Tsuzuki's selected. She's finished with her own and if he's as incompetent as he says, she figures she'd be doing his partner a favor in checking it over.]

[sweetdeath]

Hey!

[Tsuzuki sits back on his heels indignantly. Wait -- she's not taking it, though, is she? Is she looking at it?]

... What are you doing?

[roeh]

Relax [Said with a slight drawl.] Don't you trust me?

[She's just sighting down the barrel, with it pointed safely toward the floor. She can't find any fault with the alignment certainly not for such an old piece but maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that an organization like heaven kept everything in such pristine shape.]

Besides. What are you doing? [She's still not sure all that paper would be more useful.]

[sweetdeath]

[It's safer not to answer that while she's holding a gun, as far as Tsuzuki's concerned. He blinks at her, and holds up a paper.]

I'm making spell ofuda. Like I said, I'm not that good with weapons!

Magic I'm pretty good with, though.

[roeh]

[Nonsense, she's totally harmless. When you're on her side.]

In spite of his discomfort she continues to fiddle with the gun, checking all the moving parts over. It gives her hands something to do while she's otherwise restless to start.]

Huh. Didn't have much of that where I'm from. What's it supposed to do?

[A piece of paper looks pretty harmless after all.]

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki brightens at the chance to talk about something he is comfortable with, and turns the ofuda in his hand to show her the writing on each side.]

This one's for casting out evil. It helps to focus the power of an incantation on a target. I don't know if it'll work on any of the ayakashi, but I'm going to give it a shot -- if I can just exorcise them this'll be a lot easier!

[roeh]

So since Ayakashi are born of negative thoughts and feelings, you're gonna try and expell the bad so only the good is left? [She frowns at first, like maybe she's judging Tsuzuki again, pacifist that he is. But then she just nods after a moment. She's only been thinking it over.] Not a bad idea if it works. Might even save a few more lives if it means avoiding a fight altogether.

[Seriously, she sounds mildly impressed.]

[sweetdeath]

Or keep them out of an area altogether if they can't be exorcised.

[They're born from human spirits, so maybe they can, but Tsuzuki's not going to bet on that working. It seems like all the gods would be trying it if it did.]

I'll let you know how they work once I've had a chance to test the spells!

[roeh]

[Shepard pauses from her work on the gun. It was mostly finished anyway. And already in great shape. Well. She made it a little better with a few tweaks. You're welcome.]

Hey, you're not thinking about trying that out alone right? If it doesn't work, if the shit hits the fan you're gonna want back up. [Not that she's offering or anything.]

[sweetdeath]

[Hisoka's going to appreciate that! Tsuzuki? Has no clue, really.]

Of course I'm not going in alone! Hisoka'll be with me.

[This is definitely not a bad idea that will end with them needing to be rescued.]

[roeh]

[That's why he should just trust her already~]

Right. And he'll be what? A sword? A bow? A potato peeler? It's plans like that that end in me having haul your sorry ass out of the fire.

[At least she would do it...]

[sweetdeath]

... A good luck charm?

[Definitely more useful than a potato peeler!

Although less capable of stabbing anything.]

Look, we'll be fine! If I have to throw up some wards and then both of us need to run, we will.

[roeh]

[She gives him a flat look. Because yes. How exactly are you going to stab anything?]

I hope you're not one of those types that's too stubborn to ask for help too. Because seriously. [She waves her hand dismissively. Too cool for this talk. Or something.]

You've got my number.

[sweetdeath]

[Even if Hisoka's form was a knife, Tsuzuki wouldn't be doing a lot of stabbing. He grins.]

Don't worry, if I need help I'll yell.

Thanks, Shepard.

[roeh]

Yeah yeah. [She's bending at the waist now, ready to beat a hasty retreat after that nonsense. But not before dropping the gun back in Tsuzuki's hands.]

I looks like it's almost time so I guess I better go find my sword. [Was it rude to refer to your shinki by their vessel type? Well. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't mind.]

Good luck out there. I hope it works.