epidemiology | EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

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EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

RETURN TO OSKA

Upon arrival in Oska, new and returning recruits alike will find that something strange is going on. Any attempts to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you will be just that -- like you don't speak the same language. Let's hope everyone is good at charades, because you're going to be out of luck for a full day.

On the second day, a text comes across -- surprisingly intelligible to everyone. Is it over? Well . . .

crowley:
Hello, Audentes. We are currently experiencing magitek difficulties, as you may have guessed already. Temporal insects have arrived with our latest arrivals, and as you may imagine, we have had our paws full.

cherenkov:
We are working out how to mitigate the pest problem for good. For now, please put your unpleasantly huge feet to use and stomp them out. Or other such methods.

crowley:
We have created a quick patch to facilitate text-based communications, but verbal translation will continue to be down until the insects are exterminated. Thank you for your patience.

It's not over.

TEMPORAL INSECTS

This invasive species has worked its way in through the rifts along with the newest batch of arrivals, and information on them is available in the library (provided you can read the language it's written in!). It seems they behave like locusts, living quietly within the space between rifts for many years until their numbers suddenly balloon and they begin to swarm in search of food.

These bugs move fast and pack a nasty bite, but are unarmored and easily squished. Each one is about the size of a football, and leaves a little tell-tale slime trail that makes it easy to track. They can cling to any surface, and won't hesitate to leap onto attackers and bite if they feel threatened. One can take a decently sized but non-lethal bite out of someone, but a number of them together will pose a real danger. If punctured or squished they tend to explode into moderately acidic goo that can cause caustic burns if not immediately washed off.

They are attracted to any area of high temporal energy, which can be literally any surface, corner, or point on or within the castle and its grounds. As they begin to feed they cause temporal distortion in the area. This manifests as the immediate area seeming to flicker backwards and forwards through time. An insect gnawing at a table leg in the dining area, for example, might cause the area to stutter between years and years of dinner parties, ghostly attendants of all fashions and species appearing and disappearing as they enter and leave the affected area.

An onlooker can't interact with temporal distortions directly, but if the insect is left to its own devices, it will eventually eat through all of the temporal energy and render the immediate area gray, frozen, and completely inert. It's highly recommended you kill or otherwise chase off an insect before it manages this, as it can do irreversible damage to a world.

For affected Oska locations, please see this post.

OOC NOTES

The translation errors will continue through the rest of the month. For more information or to ask questions, please check the plotting post here!

New bounties are available in Oska!

Please remember to fill out your squidge success form before August 31, 23:59 UTC! Filling the form out is mandatory, even if you do not have the 3 squidge threads. You will not pass AC if you do not fill out the form. Characters who have been accepted on August 20th are exempt. Please direct questions relating to the success form here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mm, it seems as though they breached the place, but as for where they came from-- it seems like whatever last mission everyone had, that had been the cause.

[She's not too certain, since she had not been part of said mission. If anything, she was too new here, hoping she can get her footing and not always caught off-guard. It's only been a day, but she should've steadied herself by now.]

Perhaps we can do something about that bucket...

[She needs to help with that too.]

[ So they came from somewhere, and they're... well, they're here. They need to be handled. She finds that simplicity compelling, because while it promises no answers, it does deliver on objectives that can be achieved.

Keeping up with a storm instead of drowning in it. ]

Or set up more buckets for people? The bugs have been um... eating the other bugs when they're squished.

[ It's gross, albeit effective? ]

That's one idea. I think I can help make something easier for you to use instead of a bucket though, but setting up buckets help too.

[She can't create something too big because she's getting hungry, so she'll need to work on smaller projects for now. That much, she can do.]

The washroom should be this way.

[And if it's overrun by bugs, well... they don't have much of a choice, do they?]

You can? That would be nice, but it's okay. This has worked out so far...

[ At first, everything looks fine. No looming bugs lurking, no slime trails on the floor or walls near the entrance to the washroom. Not even a flickering of temporal displacement.

It's once they're in the washroom proper, Chihiro heading toward the sink, that a slurping sound from the ceiling over the door can be heard. Blobs of drool and goo drip-drip-drop down from the ceiling, splattering against the floor. Chihiro shoves her bucket under the faucet and twists it on, looking back up and over her shoulder to see the fat bug gnawing away at the ceiling molding.

It doesn't act provoked yet, but that's because they haven't tried interfering. The hist of water pouring into the sink makes it pause in its chewing. Those tentacles quiver, teeth chattering as it shifts around, focusing on the two new occupants. Eeeh maybe it wants to eat, maaaaybe. ]

Is it going to attack?

[That... was a dangerous position. Her mind is already going through a series of chemical components, picturing what exactly she needs to make and how long she has to make it. With Chihiro in such a precarious position, close enough due to the fact that the insect was chewing above the faucets, she can't afford to work on something that'll take too long.

She drops that idea in favor of a simpler one, tapping her palm twice as she imagines something long and hollow, which won't really serve to protect but...]

No, not yet. But it's best to hurry on away from it and get behind me.

[ Chihiro twists the faucet off, picking up the half-full bucket with a swishing sound from the water inside. Taking careful steps backward, she doesn't run, not wanting to potentially startle the slug-bug into attacking based on perceived movement.

She doesn't know if that tips them into aggression or not, but she's preferring to not take the risk if it isn't necessary. Before long she's behind her new friend, holding the bucket up at chest level. All of this has a gritty sort of surreality to it; she presses her lips together in a thin line, eyes wide and watching, waiting for what comes next.

The insect itself shivers, returning to eating with occasional twitches that shudder through its body. It moves along slowly, starting to slide down the wall and over the mirror, leaving a trail of slime in its wake. ]

[That's all she needs for now. She taps her palm, pulling out a metal attachment for her gun, a long and hollow barrel she specifically designed in her mind to replace the current barrel she has. It's a quick switch, and she knocks off the magazine and empties the pellets to the floor, her palm spitting out longer pellets for her to use, almost bullet-like in length.

She's careful not to startle it, but it was further than she'd like, and coming closer was dangerous, so she'd have to make do with the distance.

She glances back, makes sure that Chihiro is safe, before she aims the gun and fires. The piercing skin that follows as the bullet penetrates still makes her wince, but the following burst of the insect was satisfying... even if it melted the faucet in an acid bath.]

[ Someone needs to talk to management about their choices in furnishings because Chihiro is really hoping that's not normal when these bugs explode. The acid didn't seem that strong to her — but she'd gotten it off quickly, and it hadn't been so concentrated. Right now she actually darts forward to splash her water over the acidic remains, short circuiting the chemical process so that it neutralizes.

... She doesn't understand it in those terms, but it appears to work that way. ]

How did you do that?

[ She asks as she dances back again, looking from the ruined faucet to her new friend. ]

Changing your gun?

[Definitely needs to get looked into, those faucets. Momo doesn't even know if it's safe to use them if they're affected by the acid like that, or if this one was just more potent-- it could be a number of factors really. Luckily, Chihiro was on the move.

She's a bit concerned, and she glances over to be sure she's not stepping on anything that could hurt her, before she picks up the pellets she had dropped on the floor, as well as the old barrel. Unfortunately, she can't get rid of them, so she places them in her pocket instead.]

It's part of my Quirk. As long as I know how to make it, I can convert my lipids' molecular structure into any object.

Are there any more left?

[ She shakes her head, not to answer the question, but as a matter of confusion over what in the world a quirk is. Isn't that... no, she has no real context for it, and so instead she steps around to the side and peers up and around for slime trail evidence.

She uses the bucket to gesture toward the stall furthest down from where they stand. ]

There's a slime trail that goes in there, but I don't know. It could be from the one you shot.

[ She's looking between the melted faucet and the other sink, slowly moving toward it in order to fill her bucket one more time. Be prepared, be less likely to get covered in acid goo with no ready way of getting it off again. ]

[Unfortunately, she doesn't see the issue in that and believes it is indeed an answer to the question. Alas, it's hard to see something is odd when it's so normal to you.

The slime trail is worrying, but she doesn't want to avoid the creature altogether either. Hm...]

I'll go check. If anything comes out, be prepared to throw water, all right?

[Time to see if there's a bug in there.]

[ Water splashes down into her bucket, Chihiro watching her progress. ]

All right!

[ Is her pointed, not quite chipper answer to the request made. It's as she agrees that the sound of something flushing can be heard... the stall door doesn't move. Should it be opened, she will be treated to a sight of a temporal insect swirling around in the western style toilet bowl, spinning slowly in circles.

Think fast?! ]

[W H Y

She ends up jumping back, because that somehow surprised her, but tries to recover immediately to shoot at it when she's at a safe enough distance. She underestimates it, unfortunately, in her panic, so some of that acid?

Might fall on herself.

She hisses, berating herself mentally at that, but at least the insect is down for the count.]

[ Chihiro and her water bucket head into action almost immediately as the bug is taken down. She lifts her bucket up and covers the scant distance to her new friend in a matter of half seconds, dumping water on her where she thinks the acid may have touched. ]

Are you hurt?!

[ She's made weapons out of what feels like magic, but Chihiro doesn't equate that to any kind of special healing. Hence the water defense and the look of concern on her face when she looks up at her. ]

[It's right on mark, and while she would appreciate not to be doused, the sting from the burn lessens with water. It doesn't completely fade, not really, but she throws an appreciative look at Chihiro for that.]

Yes, thank you. That-- That was a good call.

[She looks back at the insect, makes sure it's dead, before turning to her.]

Sorry, it didn't reach you, did it?

[ She gives a firm shake of her head, glancing over her friend before carefully moving back to the still functional sink. Her water on hand has been so useful she wants it almost immediately in hand again. ]

It didn't splatter that far. Do you need a towel? I had a hand towel left I think —

[ Balancing the bucket in the sink she's patting down her side looking for where she shoved the hand towel. ]

No, you should keep that in hand in case.

[She says, and opens her palm. Something absorbent, microfiber, creating it dna by dna as her palm glows temporarily before she manages to pull out a towel from her palm.

Good enough.]

If we're separated, I'd like to make sure you have everything you need.

[ She nods, tucking the towel further back into a pocket with another wide eyed glance at her. ]

Really, how are you doing that?

[ She twists the faucet off again as the water fills over halfway, still sincerely not understanding this process that produced a gun (the first thing that was and wasn't like that used around her in person; something to be outdone en mass in coming weeks, though she does not know it yet) and has now produced a towel. From what feels like thin air.

The explanation before had clearly not meant much to Chihiro. ]

[She thinks about it, trying to think of a way to explain it a little more clearly.]

I suppose... it's easier to think of it as magic? It's a science, but the process is rather unique to me, so it might be difficult to process.

[No one else had the ability she had, as far as she's concerned.]

[ So it's a science that acts like magic. Frankly, she's not sure there isn't already science that's so beyond her it's basically like magic, so it's an easy explanation for Chihiro to swallow. She nods her head, at least slotting it away as possible for now. She can ask other questions later, like: ]

Is there anything you can't make?

[ ... oh no, she'd been meaning to ask that at another time. She pulls the bucket out of the sink and balances it in her arms. ]

Um, though we should keep looking for people to help, probably. I didn't mean to ask that right now.

Ah, quite a lot.

[She says easily, but gestures to the door.] I should be fine, thanks to your help, so I can explain on the way.

[She doesn't seem bothered by the question, either way. In fact, in a way, she almost expects it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

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