thenearshore | 009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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~

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Yes, my lord. I am here.

[ She can guess he feels the same confusion as she does as to how this all works. But her words-- I am here-- remain true. She's all around him, keeping him safe reinforced steel and bulletproof storm windows. And perhaps more spiritually, she feels a deeper connection to him in this white void that is this soul-space.

Unlike when she was barking orders, her voice has dropped to that same calm, reassuring tone as before, even as the (one-sided) battle continues outside. ]

Do not fear; you are under my protection. [ She has no questions for his orders, no press for the next move. That's not important. What matters is his well-being and safety. ] We will keep you safe!

[He looks around him in wonder. He's not hallucinating; his shinki is indeed a giant, metal ship. If he remains inside, he would no doubt be safe.

But that's not what Yamanami wants. The look of wonder fades, and he smiles, getting to his feet.]

Thank you. But you've got it slightly wrong, Yamato-san.

[He will not stand by and let Yamato fight these monsters on her own. A strange calm settles over him, and he leaves the bucket behind as he heads out to the observation deck with his back straightened and his eyes looking forward. When he reaches the closest railing, his hand wraps around it firmly.]

You are under my protection. Give me your wish, and we'll save this town and it's people.

[ When his hands touch the railing, it's much like the hand he spared upon her shoulder earlier. Only this time, the grip is more sure. Instead of filling her mind with a vision, it inspires her heart with confidence. ]

My wish...

[ The pesky ayakashi seem to have given up for the moment. They fly out and regroup. But unlike the bombers she had faced before, they're rather unintelligent. Every fighter pilot knows that if approaching a ship, it's best to come from the angle to the sun. Now that the ayakashi are zooming back towards her, this puts them right in line of her main cannons. ]

Is for victory-- to protect the souls of this town!

[ She feels as if she knows what is to come next. The foresight gives her strength; she's never felt so empowered! ] Main cannons, one and two, prepare to fire!

[ On the deck, he'll see the engineers and crew prepare the shells as voices transmit from the communication module at his right. Like the ghosts they come from, the messages are garbled and the voices warped. Yamato relays their voices, and a small, confident smile can be heard in her voice. ] Your orders, sir.

[ They'll fire when he commands. ]

[The moment he receives her prayer Yamanami can feel that power stirring in his veins, his skin tingling with energy.

And with that he shows her the way. Where to shoot without harming even a single tile on any roof. Which ayakashi to take down first, from which angle, which cannon, which turret. All the details he doesn't understand, but she would, and she will take this information and do what must be done.

When the vision ends, he lets out a breath.] Let's go, Yamato-san.

[ The vision gives her enough coordinates to calculate exactly what she needs, and not just from her main battery, and not just the ayakashi in front of her. She knows where the one lurks beyond the top of the house a mile away. She sees the one skirting between the trees, the one perched upon a chimney five miles away. All of these are within her range, and then some. With his guidance, she knows all of their positions. By the time her vision ends, her crew has already prepared the rest of guns, each station manned and ready to go. ] All armaments...

[ Within the soul-space, she breathes in deeply, closing her eyes and letting the vision he's shared with her replay in her mind. With this, she knows exactly what to do. Exactly how to win. A signal blares from her citadel, the announcement for the crew to cover their ears for the main cannons. But this time, it's the ringing horn for all of her weapons to engage.

When she opens her eyes, she sees all of her enemies with even more clarity than before. A chill silence precedes the chaos to come. She utters one word: ] Fire!

[ So she shouts, but what results is not just a fire, but a hailstorm of it. ]

[When all the sailors begin to cover their ears, Yamanami immediately does the same and braces himself. If his vision is true, then--

--then the loud boom as her entire artillery range comes alive would shake him right down to the bone marrow. The reverberations expanding outwards from Yamato in a circular wave and Yamanami grits his teeth again, the deafening explosions rattling him to the core.

But he doesn't want to miss seeing Yamato in action. He had felt her desire to be useful, her desire to show him what she's capable off. So he drags his eyes up and watches as hell itself seems to rain down on the ayakashi. His mouth drops open in shock and awe at this awesome, grand display of power, the shells connecting with pinpoint accuracy.

There's that nudge again in his mind, and the words come to him so easily that it seems almost natural for him to know them.]

You who desecrate this Land of the Rising Sun. With my advent, I, Guan Yu, lay waste with Kanki and expel thy vast defilement.

[An ayakashi attempts to swoop in to attack Yamanami, but he's not afraid. He knew this ayakashi was going to be here. And he knows what Yamato will do. So instead of running and hiding, he looks it in the eye and calmly pronounces his judgement upon it.]

Rend.

[ His incantation times perfectly with her shots. Each and every one of the ayakshi that she strikes rends on the spot, bursting into a spiritual white energy. As for the ayakashi that dares enter her immediate airspace to try and attack her lord, it too is suddenly blasted out of the sky with one of her many mounted machine turrets.

The phantoms cheer triumphantly at their victory, although their voices are still incoherent, as if they're speaking with salt water in their lungs. Yet faceless or not, they raise their hands to the sky and cheer, a few bringing out bottles of sake in celebration on the deck.

Can a ship smile? Well, she's smiling, wherever exactly she is, and maybe he'll feel the railing he holds grow warmer with her pride. Such clean shots, such precision.... she could have not done any of that without her god. He truly is incredible. When she speaks next, her voice is both filled with satisfaction from the fight as well as awe for him. ] Yamanami-sama... All targets have been eliminated.

Your new orders, Sir?

Well, there is something on my mind. But it's a request, not an order.

Yamanami-san. [He replies with a warm smile, his hands squeezing the railing back in return.] I'd like you to call me Yamanami-san. No more "my lord", or "Yamanami-sama." Or else I'm going to start calling you Yamato-sama in return.

Yamanami-...san. [ She repeats hesitantly.

And then she shakes her head. Above, the radar spins. ] S-...such familiar terms with my lord-- I could not possibly!! [ She stammers.

Just then, another message comes in from the intercom. ] Eh? What is that? Two of my boilers are heating up past acceptable levels and there is steam? [ What on earth... ] Oh, dear...

[ She says, rather embarrassed. Because as she realizes that she's blushing in her soul-space, it just means that some mechanics in her ship form are also creating steam!! Certainly, he will hear the embarrassment in her voice and feel her flustered state. ]

Edited 2016-11-19 07:29 (UTC)

[Oh dear indeed. She's quite a funny one! Yamanami chuckles and pats the railing. He imagines it's similar to patting her on the shoulder.]

Take it easy, Yamato-san. I'm really just an ordinary person thrust into a peculiar situation. I'm hardly a lord or a god.

But maybe we should discuss this further when you're not a ship. I wouldn't want to steam up your boilers.

[And just like before, the know-how to revert her back to her human form is just there in his mind. If not for all this danger the ayakashi pose to this town, Yamanami would be a little amused by all this magic going around. What else could it be but magic, that someone as useless as he is has been elevated to a godly status?]

I'm going to change you back now. Are you ready?

[Once she says yes, he'll call out her name.]

Yes, sir!

[ She says. In some senses she wouldn't mind staying in this form-- oddly, she feels more herself as this giant hulking ship-- but she knows that it wouldn't be conducive to any conversation. And so, Yamato waits patiently for how exactly she might revert into her normal form.

Her body begins to dissolve into spiritual energy once again, condense, and then reform into a body with arms and limbs. And when it does, she feels herself hovering back down to the ground so that her two feet are solidly placed back onto the pavement. But that's not all.

As it so happens, because she was effectively carrying him in her ship form, she's also carrying him in this form, too. In her arms. Princess style. ] ...Eh?

[ There's Yamanami, and she has one arm under his knees and the other under his shoulders. He's definitely not the heaviest thing she's lifted today at all, but she isn't expecting this. ]

Y--Y--Yamanami-sama....!

[ She shouts in surprise, nearly dropping him. Fortunately she stops herself from doing so, but in reflex her arms have only tightened where she holds him. ] Pardon me, I did not realize--!

[ Now that she doesn't have any boilers to send off steam, her face is turning red. She's sure she'd be able to cook an egg on one of her cheeks, her skin feels so hot from embarrassment! ]

[Well. This is unexpected. Yamanami lets out a slight yelp when she almost dropped him. Instinctively his grip on her tightens, and when he regains his balance he looks down at the ground, noting how she's carrying him, and then looks at her face.

And begins to laugh. And between laughter, he shakes his head.] We must look quite a pair right now! [He chuckles.] I wonder if this will happen every time I revert you back to your normal body?

P...perhaps. [ Is all she can say, knowing how red her face must look like. But his casual laughter helps; it's a lot better from his somber look from before, the sickness he had felt when she had transformed. She'd much have a happy god than a vomiting god. Which makes her wonder what happened to that bucket, if it would appear in the same place if she transformed again, or-- ah, best not to think about it.

Adjusting her hold, she crouches down slightly to let his feet touch the ground. When he has his balance, she releases her arm out from under his shoulders. ] There.

[ Yamato remains a little awkward, but her smile has returned. She coughs, as if it would clear her embarrassment. ] You... gave the exact coordinates to guide my missiles. [ She says, her voice hushed and in awe. ] That is incredible.

[He utters a soft word of thanks once she helps him back to his feet. A quick glance around, and it really looks like they've cleaned house. He had suspected his gift could be used that way, but the results exceeded even his expectations.

That's...almost a little frightening. Can he really wield this power wisely, he wonders?

Yamato's little cough drags his attention back to her.] Oh, I didn't really do anything. It was you that destroyed those ayakashi. [And remembering that thrill of excitement, that eager rush to prove herself, Yamanami adds:] I'm very impressed!

Oh, but without you, such accuracy would not be possible, and--

[ She trails off there. Yamato has the foresight to know that this may lead to an endless circle to passing the praise. It's her turn to smile and laugh lightly. ] Let us say that we worked together, as god and shinki.

[ It's not going to make her less impressed of him, and he'll feel her pride for him through their shared feelings. ]

Oh no, without your cannons victory could not have been--

[He realises the problem almost as soon as she does, stops at the same time she does as well. This is going to be a continuing theme between the two of them, isn't it?

Yamanami smiles in response; they might not agree on he's suitability as a god, might not agree with the pride she wants to have in him...but at the very least, them working together? That's something they can both agree with.]

I'll do my best not to let you down then, Yamato-san.

I, as well. [ At the very least, they get along cordially.

She bows to him again, and when she straightens up, Yamato smiles kindly to him. ] Maa, then with these ayakashi taken care of... we still must help the rest of those under this spell. Shall we?

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009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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