logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: WHEN THE NIGHT IS OVER

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EVENT LOG: WHEN THE NIGHT IS OVER

characters: everyone.
location: Everywhere
date/time: March 15
content: The World Eater arrives.
warnings: probable violence, gore, death; mark threads as needed

Everyone here was brought to Beacon for this one reason: to try and find a way to strike back at the thing that threatens to end the world entirely. You've spent the entire time learning, preparing, and for many, making this dead world your home. You've made friends with each other but also with the forest spirits, you've discovered much of the town's past and have set out to ensure its future.

This is the moment that every decision, and every person, shall finally come together, or be lost forever.

i feel the weather change

At the missile silo, Weaver and those helping her have been busy for over a week straight hammering scrap metal into place, wiring the controls to the launch system, and running new cables from the silo to Solis' lab to get the place set back up onto the Beacon power grid - a feat possible only because several batteries were recovered from the power station some time ago. Disassembled drone pieces lie scattered for easy repurposing, and networked tablets allow easy network chatter between the silo and anyone at the Helix Station who has offered to observe from the lake.

In the distance, those around the missile silo begin to hear an eerie droning hum. Weaver's eyes go wide and her ears lay back against her head. "It's here," she says with a shudder, then quickly bounds over to the control system. "That's the sound that the lighthouse used for the reset. If I don't need you down here, get up top, and get ready to fight."

At ground level above, the snarls and warbled growls of spirits call back, but immediately, there's rapid movement in the trees and some of those calls are cut short with a gurgle. Masked figures with green eyes dart through the brush, giving the silo a wide berth as they move in to fight, but those who would be allies must be outnumbered as aggressive forest spirits, both green-eyed and otherwise, break through into the clearing and seek out the people of Beacon. Their many-eyed leader has been kept occupied, but these ones are still looking to pick off every creature with a lantern. It's time to stand and fight before they make it to those still below, who are preparing to aim and launch the largest bomb Weaver has ever built. If this wasn't difficult enough, the green-eyed spirits are up to their usual tricks - you may find yourself suddenly fighting someone who looks just like your best friend, or perhaps your own animated, dismembered body - a cruel vision of what might soon come to pass. They are fast, they are ruthless, and only with the effects of the potions will you be able to shake off these horrible visuals, so make good use of them.

i hear the river say your name

Those at Helix notice it first - the droning hum that had first been noticed as a minor vibration in the hull swells in volume until it can be heard throughout the station. Thanks to the tablet network, they hear when those at the silo do that the sound is the speech of the World Eater - and it must be very, very close.

Inside the station there's little means to act directly against it; however, you'll find yourselves plenty occupied anyway. The little spirits (and the large corpse-wearer, shrouded in decaying bodies) that had previously been docile and had tucked themselves into hidden corners in the station scurry boldly out of hiding, with teeth and claws at the ready to devour and dismember anyone they find. And proximity to the World Eater once again has its effects - you may feel nauseous, disoriented, or despairing; you may find that it's hard to breathe, that your fingernails fall off their digits, or that sabotaging your fellows is the only way to survive. The potions help substantially, even if the effects aren't completely removed, so drink up, stand your ground, and keep an eye on those tablets to help let those at the silo know when to fire, and if they've succeeded.

Because eventually the creature itself is visible against the night sky over the lake, a void in the place where stars should be, and that means it's close enough to be targeted.

i watch the birds fly by

Soon, Beacon Square and the harbor as well as the general reaches of town become a dangerous place to be, but perhaps you feel you need to brave the run - to get supplies, to check on your friends, to flee and hide as spirits emerge to do the World Eater's bidding. There aren't many, thankfully - for those who care commanded by the many-eyed spirit are busy fighting those at the silo and the green-eyed allies, and nearly every friendly spirit seems to have gone missing. But alone and in the open without anyone to back you up if you need help is a frightening prospect, made even worse when you see the distant figure silhouetted over the lake, vastly taller than anything else you've seen since arriving.

The disruption from all the fighting must have delayed the launch, or perhaps something else went wrong. Just looking at the World Eater from a distance creates a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as it takes one long stride after another, drawing nearer to the town and singing that eerie song that drives the spirits to hunt you and to destroy everything you've built.

And then, suddenly, you hear something else. A counter-drone, a song like birds, like cicadas, like howling wolves and the strange whistle-warbles of the spirits, all merging into one. It's sung from every tree all around, and it drowns out that jarring hum of death.

The spirits so bent on drawing blood and viscera slow, and listen.

The World Eater slows, one foot raised into the air, then swings its head, seeking the source and finding it everywhere. And that's when it happens.

At the missile silo, Weaver has been successfully defended, but just barely. One of the spirits got to her before it could be killed, and a horrible gash has ripped through her clothing and the fur of her back. Her lantern is flickering desperately when she presses the button, and the makeshift missile roars and arcs into the sky.

From the square or the lakeshore, or for those watching monitors at Helix, the streak of vapor from the bomb's tail vanishes somewhere high above. And then moments later, it drops - landing not on the World Eater, but into the lake at its feet.

Rather than a blinding light, the tablet monitors go fully black as an intense roar and rush of water fills the audio channel, and the Helix Station shakes horribly, creaking and groaning as the rush of water from elsewhere in the lake strains every element of its construction. The noise and the confusing darkness persist for several minutes. It feels much longer.

But eventually, the darkness diminishes as stars shine through the mist and ongoing falling rain. There's still a tall column of water vapor in the air over the lake - it stays for nearly half an hour, slowly dissipating as powerful waves smash into the shore, triggering a small series of tsunamis that swallow the harbor and threaten, but never fully inundate, Bonfire Square.

The towering void has buckled where it stood, and only a few pitch-black spines jut out from the surface of the lake before they are slowly swallowed by its returning waters.

i see an emerald in the sky

When the spirits stop singing, the rain persists. Clouds billow up into the sky over the lake, and fall back down. The droplets are warm - warmer than the frigid air, than the ice and snow that surrounds the town.

The damage has been limited - most of the buildings still stand, for there were too few spirits that sought to attack, and those that did now sit in place or pace around curiously as if they hadn't just tried to tear out your intestines and dismantle The Invincible - which, actually, hasn't even seen a single scratch, as suits its optimistic name.

Many of Beacon's people may be injured, and many may be dead. But those whose lanterns still burn bright now find themselves in a slowly thawing world, as the deep and endless winter seems ready to launch into a new spring. Cautious and curious, spirits watch from the trees, then point out at the lake and chitter with excitement.

There is light in the water. It funnels upward from the foam left by the bomb, and with each ever-gentler wave, it touches the shore. And in a few tiny patches of sand, sheltered between rocks, green grasses begin to sprout.

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[even after all they've been through, it's still instinctual to raise an eyebrow at being addressed sans title, but that flash passes rather quickly. Rosinante did earn it, twelve times over, so it's fine it's cool sure]

If I must be honest, my arms ache. Has it truly been that long since we had a lengthy battle with constant enemy incursion? I have gotten rusty.

[yeah, it really has. Not since the last time he saw Masaomi alive, maybe]

My cuts are inconsequential. Save it for worse injuries. Have any of them gotten past our perimeter to the silo?

Not that I've heard, but I don't have eyes on everything. I see Pudding's still holding, though.

[He nods to where she's poised by the bunker door, overlooking the wide opening of the silo itself.]

She's awfully brave. Last line of defense. Safer there than out here though.

[he follows the look and sighs. Good, good. Alive is better.]

Yes, she is quite resilient. She reminds me a little of my wife.

[jury's out on which one is more sadistic tho...]

I don't expect to stay so lucky forever, so as long as there is a last line behind us, I feel more confident in the whole...throw ourselves and every ounce of our strength at it until someone or something dies, strategy.

If ever there was a time for it, it's now.

[An easier thing to say than to believe. He'll stay right here and he'll fight, because Law is here and Will isn't far and he absolutely won't abandon either of them, but there will always be that little part of him from long ago that learned to survive by running and hiding. Yes, he himself will stay right here and give it his all, but if others can't throw everything into the ring and want to leave, he'll understand.

A quiver in the brush catches his attention. He may not have haki, but he can hear, and his head turns quickly toward the source.]

Your green-eyes better keep up their end of their deal.

[aching arms or not, he raises one blade to hold Rosinante off - they actually do have to assess threats before attacking, lest they accidentally set upon one of their allies and end up ruining the whole deal]

So far, so good. I'm almost positive we would never have even this much of a rest without them.

[he sounds flippant, but his senses are trained on that spot in the bushes, waiting for something to show itself. If nothing else he's sure the spirits can sense tone, so he keeps it light in case the thing is ready to attack and waiting for them to be off guard]

Glad to hear you're so comfortable with it.

[Look, he can be flippant right back, though for him it's more of a stress reaction. Keep cool, keep focused, act tough. Things you learn in the Marines.

He stays back though, gun down. It's easy to fall into the role of letting someone else command.

More movement. The thing is either small, or staying completely still and just moving a foot, or maybe a tail. He has visions of something catlike, twitching its tail in anticipation.]

We don't even know if they're winning out there, do we? I can't understand the noises they make at all.

[as long as there's no flash of green eyes in that thicket there...]

I heard some close by at the onset, but they seem to have moved off. We may not know a thing of what they're managing until it's over, but that would mean they are successfully keeping the Many-Eyes away from us. I...

[if it's not the small spirit with its twitchy tail, there is a green-eyes nearby enough to affect him - Cao Pi breaks off as a shadow rises up over the hill in the other direction. Someone's been doing its homework, because the shadow takes the form of one of the Hydra's big ol snake heads. Just the one, though, and much like the last time Zihuan and Kuai saw it, it just sort of wavers like a charmed cobra. This time? He's not fooled.]

Damn! One of them is here. Find it, don't aim for the serpent but whoever is conjuring it.

[His eyes follow Cao Pi's gaze and for a moment he's startled at the sheer size of the thing - but he still has a good hour or so on this resistance potion left at least, and he nods as he, too, realizes this is just an illusion. Ignore it, focus on the real threat.

What he wouldn't give for haki right now.]

Think that movement was related?

[Or just more bait? He steps a few feet away, giving Cao Pi room for those blades, and studies the dark forest ahead, then reaches into his coat pocket for the trinket he bought at the night market so long ago and attaches it to his lantern. It shifts, shrinking to something stonelike and far dimmer, easier to tuck away under his coat to hide it. Sorry Cao Pi, yours is the only obvious lantern out now, but it still seems like a good safety precaution.

As he's lifting his gaze back to the trees and begins to angle his shotgun upward, the serpent dives down, then re-emerges closer and strikes like a fanged whip at their feet. He knows it's an illusion but he can't help but stagger sharply backward in reaction, and falls to the ground while the shadowy snake tries to suffocate Cao Pi in its coils. Clearly the spirit at fault hasn't yet realized its work has been seen through so easily.]

[oh man now he would kill for that kind of thing for his lantern, he really missed his opportunity back then. Anyway big phantom snake head...

He can't fault Rosinante for taking a tumble right then and there. Even with his own potion dose fading, he at least has enough presence of mind to know it's an illusion - it still manages to interfere in his attempts at locating the source and dealing with it. He throws a quick double-slash of his blades to give him the momentum to dodge around and try to find the green-eyed spirit that must be trying to use this old fear of his to weaken him before attacking]

I don't...find it! Just find the culprit, but spare anyone not attacking us!

[even the fangs going for his arm are nothing but a muted sensation, it's not real it's not real so something, somewhere within sight, is trying to use it against him]

[Quickly, he's back on his feet and hangs the shotgun over his shoulder in exchange for drawing his pistol. It's easier to move with, if they have to keep dancing around this snake.

And surely they'd better not continue to waste time doing that. Cao Pi is right, find the culprit. But how? If a green-eyed spirit is simply sitting and watching them somewhere, causing this hallucination but not attacking, how would they know?

Time to take a risk. With pistol pointed ahead of him, he presses forward toward where he had seen and heard those shifting leaves earlier, confident that Cao Pi will try to give him at least some sort of backup if things go awry. He pushes a branch aside as he looks down, then up, and sees a dark shape scamper upward through the branches. At the same time, the massive shadowy serpent turns its head from Cao Pi and heads straight for Rosinante's back, jaws wide.]

[his instinct is to attack the serpent, even after he just told himself it wasn't real, so mid-lunge Cao Pi twists and aims his strike at the creature that just went up, missing with the blade but sending a quick burst of ice shards outward in that direction. As expected, the Hydra head just phases right through them both, nothing but a disturbingly real image - no fangs, no fireballs. Thankfully. It doesn't mean Cao Pi doesn't hesitate for a fraction of a second, genuinely distracted.]

[The movement and ice make him glance back - he can't help it, any more than Cao Pi could help but attack the thing. But with nothing more than illusions and ice, he focuses again on where he lost the creature in the trees.]

I saw something go up this way. Can you see anything from back there?

[He's not expecting a yes, as much as he'd like to hear it, so he reluctantly holsters his pistol and reaches for then trunk, ready to start shaking the whole tree. Maybe he can at least force the thing to move, maybe Cao Pi will see it then.]

[what what huh? He swivels around, shaking off the thoughts of being surprise!devoured]

...no.

[he's not trying to be sarcastic, really, but it comes out a touch sarcastic anyway. It's dark and they only have his lantern to provide any pool of light at all. At least, that "no" includes no glimpse of green eyes, so...]

You know I had to ask.

[Don't get snotty with him, emperor. That way leads to scowling.

Climbing the tree seems like a terrible idea, so Rosinante backs off to regroup. The green-eyed spirits are smart enough to notice they're doing their best to ignore the hallucination, surely - they're tacticians, many of them, not mindless monsters.]

Either it will realize it's not going to achieve anything that way and attack directly, or it'll leave and look for an easier target.

[And given he and Cao Pi are now side by side again and both armed, attacking the two of them directly in the open is a terrible idea without friends. That's the best thing their allies have done for them - none of the spirits that break through seem to be managing to reach them in more than pairs, and few manage that. Green-eyed spirits are worst when they have the element of surprise and can pick people off using their hallucinations to their advantage, or when they send groups of other spirits out like hunting dogs. It seems it is now much, much harder for them to achieve those advantages.]

Let's wait a moment, see if it comes back. If not, I should keep checking on the others.

[the spirit hasn't given up yet, but the head of the serpent is definitely acting more unsure, wavering around, roaring like an angry cat without doing anything about it, and so on. Cao Pi steps back and shoulders up behind Rosinante, keeping his blades out]

Yes, I agree. I would rather get rid of this so-called trickster outright and end its fun but I can steel myself to face its effects if others are in more danger. [hmm, though] If there is another dose of the potion readily available, I may need it sooner than later.

[This precious cargo he's carrying - don't worry, it's in a well-padded bag - is the exact reason why he's not too eager to go chasing off into the woods at the slightest hint of movement and would rather draw enemies toward them. Don't want to lose this stuff.

While Cao Pi watches the trees, Rosinante un-disguises his lantern and kneels down to peer into the bag and find one of the bottles with the resistance potion. Well, "bottles" - given all they had available was what was in the kitchen supply, it's mostly mason jars, but good enough. He tries to sort through quickly when he hears a a sharp, metallic roar through the trees that shifts mid-cry to the din of dozens, if not hundreds, of voices shouting in anger. Immediately he's back upright, pistol aimed, with the bag dangling from his elbow. He'd hoped for more time.

The serpent melts away. Everything is ringed in fire and smells of smoke, and he realizes the spirit has switched targets to see if that works any better.

It is far, far harder for him to ignore this. His mind is very good at filling in all of the gaps and making it seem extremely real. He's also quite good at pretending he's less affected than he is, and simply frowns, while his hand grips the pistol harder, knuckles white.]

Guess it doesn't want me to do that. If I act like I'm lost in this, maybe it'll think it can take you on alone.

[Slowly, as if confused and frightened, he lowers the gun and takes a few steps back, looking around at all the fire and clearly avoiding it with care while trying to keep Cao Pi in the corner of his vision. Hopefully Cao Pi trusts him enough to believe he won't actually be taken in by the hallucination - because Rosinante sure has been through this one a few times before at their hands, and they seem to know it's effective.]

[oh, the trust isn't the problem, resisting the urge to take a curious look around at this new hallucination is. Cao Pi doesn't recognize the particular scenario unfolding around him even though he's been in countless battles full of shouting and fire and smoke before. He just has to ignore it long enough to keep it together and either find his target or snag a jar from Rosinante before he ducks away and moves on.]

Whatever you plan to do, make it quick.

[he's on high alert, tensed, swords gripped in his hands. Where is it, where is it? His ice powers can't be wasted, so he can't simply shower the whole area with sorcery and hope it hits something - although the temptation to do so grows the more he can hear the rising shouts]

[Mostly, what he's doing is not doing anything at all, or giving the impression of it. He looks around like he doesn't even see Cao Pi; like he's somewhere or somewhen else. He focuses on acting like he's surrounded by the flames, trapped and wandering in the hallucinated past. Hopefully the spirit doing this to him doesn't know how he would act if actually wholly caught in this particular scenario because he's sure he'd be a good bit more panicked and angry.

There's a bright spot of green in the forest - there, then gone in an instant. Is it this one that's to blame, or is that one of their allies? His mind, against his better judgment, turns the brief movement and all those tall trunks into an army of armed islanders and for a moment the acting vanishes, replaced by his truly racing heart as he stumbles backward and aims his pistol at nothing but forest. When he realizes he's backed himself up against the edge of the silo, he realizes he's found a terrible, risky opportunity and takes it - so rolls with that backward trip into the silo's open mouth, grabs onto the edge of the bolted metal and concrete structure, and hangs by his hands until he's found somewhere to plant his feet, silence himself, and wait.

The green-eyed spirit should find itself with one target, suddenly - with Rosinante ready to spring back up onto the surface once he hears the commotion. Hopefully Cao Pi doesn't freak out and think he actually fell into the silo...

But if the emperor does turn to look, or otherwise break his concentration for even a moment, their hunter will take its opportunity to strike.]

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EVENT LOG: WHEN THE NIGHT IS OVER

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