godsoffortune: lol get it? (eye-akashi)
The Far Shore Mods ([personal profile] godsoffortune) wrote in [community profile] thenearshore2016-10-15 07:02 pm

009 | Where Your Demons Hide

Who: Everyone!
What: Emergency demon fighting
When: Late May 5-Early May 6
Where: Just outside of Tokyo
Summary: The demon from the school has reared its ugly head again and needs to be taken down.



On the evening of May 5, the Heavens suddenly receive an influx of prayers from people in and around a certain town just outside of Tokyo. There seem to be a lot of people in the area that have suddenly stopped responding normally (or at all). The situation continues to spread as the night goes on until not only is the whole town suffering from this malady, but the neighboring towns are starting to become affected as well.

With so many gods and shinki on hand - including new ones that have just appeared - the Heavens have issued a request for any available gods and shinki to go investigate what might be happening down on the Near Shore. New gods and shinki will be given the low-down on what's happening, but not much more than that.

The situation will continue to expand until just a little before dawn, when the demon finally has enough power to revive.



Drained Humans

Many humans in the affected areas are walking around despondently. Oftentimes, they are just walking into things or getting hit by things. There have been a few car-related incidents as well. Anyone who was present for the high school incident will recognize these symptoms as something that was happening to people in the school. The glazed looks, the spiritless responses and reactions. So this should be fairly familiar to some.

No One's Safe

Unfortunately, being in the town will start to wear on anyone who is there. Gods and shinki alike will find themselves growing more despondent the longer they spend in the town. All of their energy will be slowly sapped from their bodies, and shinki in particular will feel almost like their existence is draining away.

Hellish Circle

There is a large park in the center of the town. Drawn all around this park is a magic circle, large enough to encompass the whole park. There are candles around the edges of the circle, and in the center there is a cup filled with blood covered by a mask with a swirling eye pattern on it. Stepping into this circle will not only make you extremely tired and suddenly drained, but it will also bring bat-like ayakashi bearing down on you.

The Demon

The Demon itself rears its ugly head just a little before dawn, springing out from the center of the magic circle and looking right pleased with itself. It stands about 5'8" tall, so it is largely unimposing, but there is an aura about it that makes it undeniable that it is powerful. The demon will gladly fight anyone who comes at it, though most he will just shove out of the way without a second thought.



In Summary:
  • Help the drained people
  • Try not to get drained yourself
  • Be careful about being corrupted
  • Fight the demon
  • Have fun~
revolutionfalcon: (declaration of intent)

Shun Kurosaki | OTA

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[A: Drained Humans]

[The sudden flood of prayers was enough of a warning sign of what was to come, but as soon as Shun sets foot in the town they're all coming from, a familar unease runs over him. As someone who came to this place when the school had been attacked, the sluggish, unfocused movements of the humans here are all too familiar, and his eyes dart around as he walks further in, watching for people dragging themselves into dangerous situations.

The roads are of particular worry, and before too long, Shun finds himself by a school. There are students straggling out from late clubs and other activities, and though some of them are at least alert enough to hover vaguely at the side of the road until it's empty and they can cross, others walk out without actually looking. A girl who doesn't look older than about ten and a boy even younger, probably siblings, step out together far too slowly to cross before the inattentive, semi-conscious driver nearby reaches them, and before there's the chance for another accident, Shun steps in and scoops the two forward, ushering them to the other side of the road.

Watching them wander through the doors of a nearby building, he gives a faintly relieved sigh and turns back to look towards the crossing.]


Keeping an eye on things is easy enough, but how the hell we're meant to get people who insist on driving like this off the road... [Idiots. He passed more than one accident on the way in, and at the rate this is going, there's only going to be more.]
--
[B: No One's Safe]

[Coming here this evening, Shun was already on the worse edges of tired. His encounter with the roaming vampire the previous night left him in less than optimal shape, even if he got away, and the use of his power to that extent only cost him more. If he'd been in better condition, he would've noticed earlier that he feels weaker and weaker the longer he stays in this town, but it takes until he's tunnel-visioning enough on his next destination that he almost trips down a staircase for him to stop. At that point, the focus on the situation at hand slips away, and he holds his head for a moment as he realises exactly how drained he feels.]

Damn it...

[It doesn't last long, though. He's not known for letting things like this stop him, and after a moment to recover himself, he starts moving again, having to put thought into focusing on everything around him in the way that's usually natural to him. Most won't notice anything other than hard lines under his eyes, but people who know him a bit better may notice the fainter shadows and the fact that he takes one to two seconds longer to notice their approach than his usual snap response to people still several metres away.

He's fully aware of this himself, but he's still got a job to do here, and he's not going to let this stop him. So anyone approaching will get his focus - even slightly delayed, he picks them up sooner than many would - his eyes narrowing as he tips his head in the direction of what he doesn't currently know is the park.]


I think there's ayakashi closer to the center of town. We need to protect the people, but getting rid of the problem at its source would help them even more. [At least, in the state he's in, he hopes those flying shapes he caught sight of were ayakashi.]

--
[C: Hellish Circle]

[The magic circle is pretty damn noticeable even by the standards of what's going on in the town, and Shun looks over it with a rather dubious eye. He's not stepping into it, he's not that stupid, but he'd also like to know what exactly the hell is going on. So after inspecting what he can of the candles and circle, he climbs the nearest tree to the park that isn't actually within the circle, from which point he can catch sight of the small offering in the middle of the park.

Snapping a small branch off from around where he's standing, he closes one eye and aims in the direction of the cup and mask before hurling the stick towards it with a hard, well-aimed throw. Before it even gets near the offering, its trajectory begins to shift much more harshly than the conditions warrant, as if a strong wind is hitting it, and it lands a good few metres clear of the circle's center.

With a frustrated hiss between his teeth, Shun drops to the next branch down, eying the circle again.]


Figures we'd have to cross that thing to find out what the hell is going on here.

--
[D: Wildcard]

[[None of these working for you? Assume Shun's trying to get to the bottom of things through investigation or hit me up for plotting!]]

B

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-10-16 10:26 am (UTC)(link)
[What use is a shinki if they are not with their god when they need it most? Joker knows Shun is exhausted - he feels the town (or something) tugging on his energy reserves too - but they are both ridiculously stubborn. As long as there are people in need, Joker isn't running and he knows Shun won't either.]

Let's get the word out, aye? Ye'll be putting yerself in mortal danger if ye try to attack it alone.

[He has learned to give Shun space even if all of his instincts are screaming at him to comfort him.]

I'll be honest, ye look dead on yer feet. I'm gonna get some food in ye and somethin' ta drink.

[Gods are not invincible. The strain will have an ill effect, he's sure of it.]

Please, Shun?
revolutionfalcon: (don't worry about me)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Though he's focusing on trying not to look as worn-out as he feels right now, Shun lets the facade slip slightly at Joker's remark. It's the least he can do to reassure the other that he's fully aware of how bad a shape he's in right now, even if he immediately covers his face again in the attempt to rub some of the more obvious exhaustion out of his features.

Though he's more appreciative of the gesture than he'd like to admit, he shakes his head firmly, his hand slipping away from his face again and ghosting a little closer to his neck than it really needs to on its way back to resting.]


We can worry about that later. This needs our attention now. [This is more familiar to him than many of the other prayers in this place - the urgency, the immediacy, it all puts him in mind of the battlefield, and he's in his element even if he's low enough on strength that he's having to pay attention to things that usually come naturally. He takes a few more steps forward towards their destination, then gives half a glance back with a very slightly softened look. If Joker's that worried, he's not going to be able to focus where he needs to.]

When we finish this, I'll rest and eat properly, if you're that worried. But it has to be then, not now. There's too much at stake here.

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-10-16 10:58 am (UTC)(link)
We're not the only ones here. [If they were, he might feel differently. His worry does not abate at Shun's words for that reason and he takes a step forward.] I don't wanna lose you in a fight. It's not worth it.

[Oh it would be heroic and dashing and all of that. Stuff for storybooks. Joker knows life doesn't work like that.]

I swear if ye collapse, I'm carrying you outta there. [The battle be damned. Shun is family now - whether he likes it or not - and Joker values him above most everyone else. That might seem wrong and biased, but that's how he works.] Don't make me do that. I won't let ye hear the end of it.
revolutionfalcon: (why do people have to do things)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 11:38 am (UTC)(link)
I know. [Looking in the direction of the park again, he lets out a low hiss through his teeth.] If we find anyone else on the way, they can help too. But I'm not sitting out because of something like this.

[While he had been tired this morning, it hadn't been this bone-deep, so he's assuming part of his current weak feeling is something to do with what's happening in this town. And if everyone else is here handling this to help, then he'll be damned if he can't handle it as well.]

If I collapse, then it's not like I'll have a say in the matter. [He says it like he sincerely disbelieves it's going to happen.] You wouldn't be the only one not letting me hear the end of it, trust me.

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-10-16 11:58 am (UTC)(link)
I can agree ta that. [Joker isn't one to fight to the death over these matters. He cares, he worries and he will keep a watchful eye, but he never wants Shun to feel like he doubts him.] Yer a strong one. I don't think ye'll collapse easily.

[He sticks his hand into his pocket and motions to the park, smirking.]

What're we waitin' for? I'd like to see the thing downed in the next hour or two.
revolutionfalcon: (pass the mantle)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 12:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shun nods in acceptance of the concession, pulling himself together properly again to the far less obviously worn state he's been holding for most of this mission. He's grateful to have a shinki as flexible as Joker - and hearing Ren's seemingly constant troubles with Hibari only increases the feeling - but he's not particularly good at showing it.]

I'll make sure I live up to that expectation, then. [Not that he thinks he won't, but it's another way to reassure him.

In any case, Shun starts walking again at the prompt, keeping his eye out to make sure there aren't still any hazy humans wandering into danger around their area.]


So would I, but we need to figure out what the hell it is first. Last time this happened, I thought we got rid of the thing that was causing it. [Then again, that hadn't exactly been the end of it...]

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-10-16 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Ye will whether you try or not. That is thy nature. [Somehow, some way, not being trouble has been ingrained in Joker's being. He would be hurt and quick to change if Shun said he was being a nuisance (except when it comes to him fussing over Shun's well-being). On that point, Joker will never change. Sorry, god.]

There could be more than one of 'em. [Anything is possible. He perks up when he sees a man ahead.] Leave 'im to me!

[Quickly, gently, he redirects the man, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.]

This way, my good man! Ye don't need to be part of this show~
revolutionfalcon: (alert attack)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, Shun can't really argue with that. He doesn't make a habit of giving up or failing once he's set his sights on something, and that goes hand in hand with living up to expectations.

As Joker goes up to help out the stray walker, Shun lapses into a brief, thoughtful silence before speaking up again.]


That might not be it. The last thing that did this...we found occult books and some kind of shrine in the office of the school it happened at. Like it was summoned. Maybe someone's taken up the mantle of the dead principal of that place, except they're going for something stronger. The area it affected was nowhere near this big last time.

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-10-30 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well that's disquieting. Once the stray man is directed away from the danger, Joker rejoins Shun.]

So either someone is tryin' to avenge this...principal...or they jus' like power.

[Either way, it's no good.]

They need ta be stopped, plain an' simple. [He takes out one of his daggers just in case. In battle, he will, of course, assume his shinki form, but before then, the blade will be of use.]
revolutionfalcon: (high ground)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-30 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[With a short nod, Shun considers things again for a moment before he settles on the most likely of those two. Normally it wouldn't take him this long, but he's not firing on all cylinders right now.]

Probably the second. We found fraudulent financial records in the same office. The principal was probably working alone, or at least not on anything important enough to prompt an attack on this scale. Maybe this is something to do with how he got that power in the first place.

[Since he's pretty sure random humans don't just get hold of occult things and have them work that consistently. There has to be something else involved here.

Glancing over at Joker as he draws his dagger, Shun shifts aside the heavy lower section of his coat to reveal the wrapped golden handle of his own dagger.]


Have you got enough, or do you need mine as well?

[personal profile] jocularly 2016-11-08 12:08 pm (UTC)(link)
He'll end up the same way regardless~ [Joker winks at Shun, trying to ease that harsh expression on his face. He is a good looking lad, but he's serious far too often and he pushes himself too hard. Maybe Joker is more sensitive to those qualities because they describe him too. It's easier for him to focus on someone else rather than himself.]

Only got the one hand - unless I start throwin' 'em! [He chuckles and shakes his head.] I wouldn't throw that beauty if I were ye.

(no subject)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon - 2016-11-08 13:19 (UTC) - Expand
dominatriarch: ([...] | Just tell me there's a chance)

C

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-16 12:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She approaches from a distance, observing in silence mostly. The circle is... different. It's definitely nothing she's seen before. Are those glyphs and symbols even Japanese? Hindu? She can't tell but they're not familiar.

It's when Shun throws that stick that her attention is drawn. But no, it isn't because of the fact that it's protected or the stick gets thrown off. It's the mask that gets her. She approaches slowly, a look that seems to fall between surprise, disgust and fear on her face. ]


...that mask....
revolutionfalcon: (game face)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-16 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Bishamon is not a difficult figure to recognise, and even with only one meeting and Shun functioning a scrape above emergency batteries, so to speak, he recognises her as soon as he glances down. Dropping down another branch and then back to the pavement in deft, practiced motions, he straightens up and looks over that way himself, eyes narrowing slightly as he tries to pick out the details.]

You recognise it? [If this is something the old gods have dealt with before, maybe there's some answers to be had here. Or more questions. It's hard to tell which with this place.]
dominatriarch: ([...] | I want you to make me)

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-17 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
I do.

[ And boy does she ever. There's clear revulsion on her features as she remembers everything that had to do with the mask. The same mask that was seen with Ebisu... the same mask that was on that giant ayakashi that slaughtered her shinki... what's it doing here? But she'll swallow it down. If there's anyone she knows would benefit from this info, it's Shun.

She approaches the circle cautiously, not close enough to breach it but close enough to be able to confirm that it's that. Same. Mask. ]


Do you remember what I told you about Ebisu and his attempts to name ayakashi?
revolutionfalcon: (unsettled)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-17 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Her mention of that immediately throws a grave shadow over his face, and a bit more wariness comes into his face as he watches the center of the circle.]

It's hard to forget something like that. So this mask is something to do with it?

[Maybe that's why Bishamon looks so disgusted by it. She seemed to respect Ebisu well enough when they talked about him, though, even if she didn't agree with the experiment, so it's worth confirmation.

And if Ebisu recently reincarnated and isn't supposed to remember any of that...there's probably something to this that he can't understand the depth of yet.]
dominatriarch: ([#] | Before I turn around)

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-17 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
He used a mask exactly like it. There was one found in his temple. That was the piece of evidence they used to tie him to the Sorcerer.

[ That frown never leaves her. Whatever's going on here is clearly very dark and very dangerous. The mask was all that was needed but why the blood? Why the circle?

Her voice lowers, clear building rage in it that she's trying to keep down. Charging into that circle isn't going to do any good. It's not going to make the caster suddenly appear. ]


The only other time I've seen the mask was on the same ayakashi that killed my shinki.
revolutionfalcon: (don't remind me)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-17 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Alright, he's definitely missing something here, because that sounds like something far more serious than what they've been dealing with so far, and Shun's full attention goes from the mask back to her.]

Who the hell is "the Sorcerer"? Nobody's mentioned anything about anyone like that.

[Sure, the heavens keep information close to their chest, but this sounds like a serious threat. Neglecting to tell them about something like that goes beyond questionable judgement.

Bishamon's second remark, though, brings his own expression to something bordering rage as well, a pained hiss escaping him. He's seen more than enough people die in front of him to imagine how much that must've hurt.]


Just one shinki, or...? [The word could be referring to one or more, but an ayakashi capable of killing just one shinki with her around would already have to be impressive. Killing multiple is almost something he'd rather not think about.]
dominatriarch: (9889203_original)

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-17 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A shake of her head. No. More than one shinki. More than five. Ten. Twenty. Enough to retain only a handful of the Ha clan. But then she'd only told Shun part of the story. Perhaps it's about time she tells the rest. The only shinki by her side right now is Kinuha, the whip that hangs by her side. She knows she can hear this and instinctively, she presses a hand against the whip before collecting her thoughts.

Where to begin. ]


Ebisu had been sentenced for attempting to tame ayakashi. This in itself is an act deemed more unforgivable than utilizing a nora. Heaven had known someone called the Sorcerer had been controlling ayakashi... that the sorcerer was behind the ayakashi that attacked my shinki and my estate.

[ Her fist clenches. It's an almost immediate reaction to remembering that day. ]

They thought they had dealt with the Sorcerer. They thought Ebisu was the Sorcerer. He didn't have to die... he was innocent.
revolutionfalcon: (thoughts of home)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-18 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, Shun's definitely taking this much more seriously now. Even if he has no way of knowing how many more than one were killed, it's enough to deepen the pained lines on his face. For a moment, he looks as exhausted as he actually is right now, before he pulls himself back to a restrained neutral.

This, though, is hard to listen to and keep that kind of face. Shun had assumed that Bishamon, Amaterasu and their ilk represented the highest authority this place had, but hearing her refer to Heaven as "they" is putting a bit of a different image into his head. By the end, he looks somewhere between angered and conflicted, trying to piece together this with what he already knows of this place and what had happened last time he'd seen people like this.]


I thought you and Amaterasu and your circle would have been the ones in charge here, but if there's something else... [Then there's still questions they don't have answered, and it's still possible some aspect of the heavens is behind all this.] They sentenced him without being sure he was the Sorcerer? What the hell kind of oversight is that for a heavenly bureaucracy?

[In any case...] Then maybe whoever this is provided that principal who originally summoned the ayakashi to that school with what he needed to do it.
dominatriarch: ([...] | I want you to make me)

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-19 12:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ An exhale. This was a complicated story from the start. She seems to relax slightly, if only to collect her thoughts and try to decide how best to explain the situation. ]

It was an oversight because then, the other gods had assumed there was only one sorcerer. Only Ebisu had been experimenting with ayakashi. They found masks just like his on his estate. In a way, he had been sentenced for that charge. It was easy to assume Ebisu and the sorcerer were one but we were wrong. That's the only conclusion I can draw here. Either the principal has been given the means to summon an ayakashi himself or... we could be dealing with the true sorcerer.

[ A beat as she closes her eyes. For gods, they were certainly a blind bunch. Time to let the other shoe drop though. ]

Amaterasu may have placed the order against him but... this Amaterasu has no knowledge of it. I wasn't part of the conclave that decided this. When they sentenced him, I was somewhere else with another god named Yato. We were retrieving him and Ebisu from Yomi.
revolutionfalcon: (this is why)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-20 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[While that does make sense, it's hard not to still wonder what exactly they were thinking. The masks could have been planted, at least...and it's looking like they may have wanted to look a little deeper into who exactly had been experimenting among the Heavens.

Shun clearly doesn't like it, but after a few moments of distaste, he accepts the explanation with a reluctant nod. It's done now, so arguing over it isn't going to help anyone.]


If the "true sorcerer" last time wasn't one person or possibly even the right person, we might not even be dealing with one true sorcerer. And whatever this is, it's far bigger than last time. I'm not going to assume it's the principal behind this again.

[That guy was seedy as hell, but even with what happened at the school, he didn't get the impression he'd be capable of something on the scale a power circle this size implies.

As she goes on, Shun pays more attention - he's been wondering about how the heavenly bureaucracy really works. But the real information there is the last thing she says, because while he assumed there was some kind of underworld or hell if the Heavens existed, he wasn't aware it was accessible to them.]


You went to the underworld to bring other gods back? [He has to assume something stopped them reincarnating.]
dominatriarch: ([...] | Before I walk away)

[personal profile] dominatriarch 2016-10-21 11:54 am (UTC)(link)
It doesn't sound too far off to assume the principal was a decoy.

[ There's a small shake of her head though. Things have only become more complicated with all these newcomers and some of the old gods disappearing. It's insane. ]

I apologize. There's actually little I know about the incident that happened involving the school and the principal. Kazuma and I had left briefly a few days before it happened.

[ But moving on. There's quite the story behind that but it isn't anything probably like what Shun thinks it could be. ]

Ebisu went there of his own volition. Yato knows more about what happened there than I do as he was there with him. I'd only heard that they went to Yomi and went to get them back.

(no subject)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon - 2016-10-22 09:07 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] dominatriarch - 2016-10-22 12:55 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon - 2016-10-26 04:58 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] dominatriarch - 2016-10-28 12:18 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon - 2016-10-29 13:47 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] dominatriarch - 2016-11-02 12:21 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon - 2016-11-03 09:20 (UTC) - Expand
redstray: (What do)

A!

[personal profile] redstray 2016-10-26 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Eric was feeling sluggish and pretty bad himself, but at the same time, it didn't seem to bother him. Pushing through whatever this state was seemed manageable, at least for now.

He could hardly say the same for the people that were driving and walking in this chaos. Somehow during this endeavor the school was being let out and the crowds were coming in.

He grabbed someone and tugged them away as a car made a very sharp turn towards the sidewalk. He heard other tires screech and turned to spot someone else making sure pedestrians weren't being run over. ]


Kill their tires before they kill themselves?
revolutionfalcon: (against the wind)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2016-10-26 07:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, it's one solution to the problem, and Shun glances sharply at the one suggesting it before his gaze shifts to the school fence. The older brick has been topped with sections of small, pointed bars to dissuade people climbing it, and after a cursory glance over the road to ensure nobody else is in immediate danger, he crosses back towards the school.]

Keep an eye on the road, then. [The remark is made in passing as he walks over to the fence and touches his fingers to where one section of the sharp bars is attached. Under his hand, the connecting metal begins to discolour and rust rapidly, and Shun looks back over his shoulder to make sure the road is adequately watched.]

I'm guessing you have nothing that could help with that, if you didn't take up that suggestion yourself.