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

[arealhardnose]

[Elsa will have to ask about that, because it sounds like quite the story. Later, though. Once the ayakashi threat has been contained, at least for now. If they've been attacking this long, then they bear some (slight) resemblance to the attacks of Evil (for lack of a better word) back in her home world. It takes different forms, but it's always there, ready to try and conquer the planet, only to be beaten back by a team of Rangers every time.]

Me? Oh, no. I'm a complete novice to godhood, but not to fighting. [For now, she'll leave out the specifics on that. They're not exactly relevant right now.] I forgot how, but becoming Menrva is bringing it back.

[She hasn't felt so small talking to someone in years, but in the presence of a god who's been at this for thousands of years, Elsa is... probably as good as a child, in comparison. It's not a feeling she has missed, but it will pass in time. All these things pass in time.]

Hopefully with so many of us coming here, well keep these monsters from doing too much damage. [Which... brings up a good question.] How much damage are they capable of causing?

[dominatriarch]

[ These novice gods... there seem to be more of them coming in recently. She'll pretend it isn't concerning but it is. There's so much they have to learn but it's a good thing some of them know how to take care of themselves.

There's a frown at her question, though. ]

Ayakashi can only be killed by a shinki held by a god. Thus, this is our responsibility.

[ But a sigh, when she finally relaxes a bit. It's slightly pointless to burden these newbies with their responsibilities all at once. It won't do having them crack under this pressure all of a sudden, after all. ]

They plague the residents of the Near Shore... and you'll find they're why we're prayed to so often. No matter how many of us there are, doubtless their numbers aren't going to thin anytime soon.

[arealhardnose]

So the ayakashi-- they're our reason for being? Destroying them is why we're gods at all?

[It has barely even been a day, but Elsa has already reached the point where she needs-- time. Time to process this, time to ask questions. Time she doesn't have, because there are ayakashi everywhere and they've got to make sure no one is hurt.

At least she doesn't have to worry about suddenly blinking out of existence, if what Bishamon says is true. But at the expense of innocent people? It's like the earth, like every individual ecosystem, supporting itself in an endless cycle that may not be fair, but it is functional.]

I see. [Her grip on her halberd shifts, hands spreading apart along it as she twists it a little and glances at the blade.] Then it looks like ayakashi have some use.

[dominatriarch]

They aren't our reason for being... not entirely. The residents of the Near Shore -- the humans, as most call them, are.

[ She can't help but turn her attention to the streets. Sure enough, there are several people going about their business and oblivious to the fight that rages on around them.

There's a small frown as she turns her attention back to her present company. ]

Their prayers and offerings are what ensure our existence. In turn, we protect them from ayakashi. And when some die, we turn them into the shinki that allow us to slay these ayakashi.

[ There seems to be a slight shift as she presses her hand to the guns she has holstered. Yes, these shinki were once human. It's an important thing to remember. ]

Some may call this a cruel cycle but things are as they are.

[arealhardnose]

[Though it isn't exactly an easy fact to swallow, Elsa keeps neutral, shrugging.] It's in keeping with the way the rest of the natural world is. Nothing is easy, but it is what it is.

[For all that Bishamon doesn't tell her much, the magnitude of it all is a lot for Elsa to take in all at once. Turning people into shinki seems-- she doesn't know what. She'll probably go seek counseling after this is all over, to sort out her thoughts on the matter.]

I'm more than glad to help them. Humans. [How strange, to say that. It separates her from all she's ever known.] Thank you. This is all very good to know.

[dominatriarch]

[ It's a difficult lesson to teach, what they do and how they go about it. Normally, it's left up to the reincarnated god's remaining shinki to do so but when a shinki is as clueless as their god?

She does, however, place a sympathetic hand on Elsa's shoulder. ]

I'm glad you understand that.

[ Her tone isn't condescending. It's grateful, to say the least. ]

I know you've just arrived... but if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. For now, if you can fight, I suggest going to the other parts of town. Given how many ayakashi there are, we'll need all the help we can get.

[arealhardnose]

Of course. [It's not a smug answer, just an honest one. You don't make it through biology and genetics courses without being faced with how violent and arguably unfair the natural world is. Humans kill to eat and destroy to live. So do plants and animals. It makes sense that the same, or something similar, would be true of the world of things unseen.

As far as further questions, Elsa can't think of anything she absolutely needs to know this minute. The fight against the creatures tormenting people takes precedence.]

Right. [She glances up and down the street, seeking out targets. Within moments, she finds some. Bishamon is right. They need as many gods and shinki as possible to deal with this. As difficult as it is to adjust to the change when she's had to fly into action upon arrival, Elsa wouldn't call her transformation ill-timed.

Looking back to Bishamon, she nods.] I'll see you back on the Far Shore.

[With that, she heads off to face the monsters that have flooded into the city.]