EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

[futurologists]

EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE The royalty of Guild Ophelia has managed to hold an audience with Empress Nama of the Celestial Mountains, urging her to meet with the Empress of the Crashing Wave in the interest of finding an accord between their clans. In return, Nama requests that Ophelia take two letters to the Crashing Wave's court, where, as foreigners, they should be received better than any of her own people. The Empire of the Crashing Wave is a week's travel by foot from the Land of Celestial Mountains, through the forests and farms of the Flowerlands. There is no visible indication that this universe was once two, with even the road leading through the Flowerlands heading seamlessly toward the sea. The farms and villages in the outskirts of the Empire of the Crashing Wave are decorated in seashells and motifs of the sea, and the closer one gets to the city, the stronger the scent of the ocean becomes. Once the city proper is reached, Ophelia's magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see: Location reached: » EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE A progressive society that values innovation. Main sources of income: fishing, pearl diving, jewelry crafting, shipbuilding. Politically matriarchal; socially egalitarian. Empress YOUMI resides at the PEACEFUL TIDE. No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area. The city is built right on the ocean's edge, with some parts of it even jutting out into the sea on bridges and piers. The castle, Peaceful Tide, is built high above the rest; guards will stop anyone at the gates and, if shown the correspondence from Empress Nama, will deliver the letters directly to Empress Youmi. Attempts to seek an audience with Youmi will be rebuffed for the time being, so you may as well take in the sights... ▸ A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT Unlike the Land of Celestial Mountains, men may move freely here, the matriarchal rules of the land only extending to politics. Men and women work alongside each other in all sections of the city, nobles and commoners alike, and even the guards have men among their ranks. In the Artisan District, potters, musicians, and artists line the streets and sell their wares, work, or discuss their craft with each other. Closer to the Beach, there is a boardwalk where young couples stroll alongside grandparents chasing after their grandchildren, electric lamps bathing the wooden planks in a warm glow at night. Fishermen haul in their daily catch in buckets and nets, trailed by a gaggle of hopeful cats. Beachcombers and pearl divers populate the beach as well, making it a clear place for work instead of play. A few days after Ophelia's arrival in sea clan territory, a bell rings loudly in the late afternoon, drawing citizens toward the castle. Guards stop anyone from getting too close, though the populace seems to know what to expect -- soon, a beautiful woman in an elaborate blue kimono appears in an upper balcony. When viewing the woman, Ophelia's magitek will tell them: » EMPRESS YOUMI Leader of the EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE. 30 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant. The crowd cheers at Youmi's arrival, only quieting once she raises her hand. She speaks clearly and confidently, her voice carrying easily across the assembly. "I have received a letter from Her Imperial Majesty Nama of the Land of Celestial Mountains. She informs me that their spring festival was interrupted by an attack from our own people, working without my knowledge or consent," Youmi begins, holding her hand up again when a displeased rumble begins to ripple through the crowd. It's unclear if they're perturbed by the ambush or by Nama herself. Once all is silent again, she continues. "She has detained the criminals, for that is what they are, and assures me she will not bring this to the battlefield. I will send her an agreement to the terms, but hear this: any who escalate this further will be slain by my order. I have spoken. The spirits of the sea watch over us all." Youmi then retreats back into the castle. While some citizens cheer their empress's decree, others mutter unhappily amongst themselves as they disperse and go about their business. ▸ BUT TROUBLE CONTINUES The rest of the day following Youmi's decree goes by without incident, leaving time for Ophelia to stop by the sake breweries near the sea or travel back through the forests of the Flowerlands for hunting, hot springs, or simply enjoying the nature of Hanabira. With war averted and the empresses in communication, it seems as though Ophelia's time in this universe will draw to a close soon. As the sun sinks down, finding a place to sleep might be a good idea. There are hotels in the city, but for those who are trying to be a little more frugal, the Flowerlands is a good place to set up camp for free. Doro, the Lord of the Flowerlands, has heard of Ophelia's efforts in starting communication between the empresses as well, and offers rooms in his castle in thanks; if war were to start between the two, his land would suffer for it. During the night, those who accept Doro's invitation will hear a commotion very nearby, steel clashing against steel. Doro and his daughters rush out, weapons drawn, and straight into a skirmish between sea and mountain clan ronin. The warriors are fighting to kill, and in their fervor, someone's fire arrow alights a farmhouse on Doro's property. The farmers need to be rescued and the fire put out, and while the warriors will likely kill each other, they could also be subdued to prevent further damage. Please let the mods know with a link to the thread if your character is killing or capturing any of the ronin. After the skirmish, Doro must be brought back inside his castle, having been wounded during the battle. He pleads with Ophelia to continue to help, as it looks like a tentative truce by the empresses is not enough to calm the citizens. Since they were so successful in receiving an audience with Nama, he believes they can propose a way the two empires can live in harmony. Throughout the next two weeks, skirmishes between the clans are peppered throughout the Flowerlands, some leaving bodies behind and some leaving damage to farms and forest. It looks like Ophelia's peacekeeping mission just became a lot more hands-on: keep the skirmishes from getting out of control while still working toward a way to end the conflict once and for all. ▸ OOC NOTES This log will last for two IC weeks: the first three days will be free exploration, and day four is Youmi's proclamation and the skirmish in the Flowerlands. Your characters are free to explore for the next ten days, during which further skirmishes will occur. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ Coming next log: Peace proposals! Get your brainstorming started now. ▸ Activity Check is due on 5 February 23:59 UTC. We do not accept late submissions, so make sure you fill it out! ▸ Uniform Design Contest is open! Submissions are due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March. ▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ Exploration Group Planning ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Comments

[bestaround]

[ Still. It grows rough, despite what he says; but then, it typically does. Usually, the groups are smaller. The larger numbers they're encountering now weren't as frequent, but perhaps the warriors on both sides were growing increasingly more violent and desperate as the days went on. Either way, no matter the numbers, it isn't easy facing the human fighters, and the more that emerge from the overgrowth, the more dread builds within 9S.

One of the women makes the first move to lash out against him with her sword. But 9S is swift, maneuvering away from her path with an inhuman grace, and when both feet hit the ground again he flicks a wrist. An invisible force throws his own katana in front of him just in time to deflect another incoming attack.

This continues on. 9S manages to disarm a few and knock out several others, but chaos erupts quickly as both clans clash together and with both androids. This... became far messier than either of them anticipated; perhaps it was foolish to assume they could overpower these numbers simply because they were built to be stronger. (It was rarely an issue when it came to machines.) ]

2B, I don't think we can—

[ He's cut off short. In the mere seconds 9S' attention was diverted away from his fight, a trio of the ronins use the opportunity to attack at once; the blunt hilt of a sword strikes a blow at his head. 9S stumbles, and a warrior doesn't hesitate to use a series of quick, fluid movements that ends with him hitting the ground. There's no time for his mind to catch up with what's happening before 9S lets out a strangled, pained yell as the sharp end of a blade stabs through his hand and into the earth beneath. ]

[undeserved]

[ It is a mess - a big, awful mess. The "skirmish" they'd inserted themselves into is less of a melee and more of a planned battle; both sides had strategized, planning to ambush the other, and equipped themselves accordingly. There aren't more than ten or fifteen women to each side, but the problem isn't as simple as overcoming a group of humans. They're fighting to keep them from killing each other while simultaneously trying to avoid seriously harming the warriors themselves - and keeping themselves from being injured in the crossfire. No situations like this had even existed in the war on Earth. As the minutes tick by, it becomes increasingly obvious that it's too much for just the two of them to handle.

2B's speed and skill keep her out of harm's way, but she finds herself squarely on the defensive; they need to retreat and call for backup. When she hears 9S call out, she knows he has to be thinking the same thing. He doesn't finish his sentence. She turns his way; she sees him knocked down and pinned to the ground with a shout of pain. She stops thinking about retreat instantly. ]

-- 9S!

[ This won't happen again. An android's duty is to serve and protect humanity, coded into its very being, but this will not happen again, she won't let it. Virtuous Contract is in her hand without another thought, and she cuts through the small throng of ronin she'd immersed herself in with a splatter of blood and several slivers of hands and fingers emancipated from their owners. The gasps of pain and surprise go unheard; 2B bounds towards the trio that's gathered around her partner. He's vulnerable. She stops the threat in an instant. The force pinning his hand to the ground disappears; she leaps protectively in front of him to shield him, and the ronin that had downed him stumbles back with a shriek, suddenly bereft of an arm. The other two jerk away in shock, but 2B catches one of them in the back of the head with the flat of her blade on its upward swing, knocking her out cold into the brush.

For the moment, the severity of the injury she's inflicted doesn't sink in. She stands her ground over 9S, protective, blade held in front of her in a ready stance. They need to get out of here, and soon. ]

[bestaround]

[ Though he wields a weapon and jumps into the fray behind 2B, at the end of the day, 9S is still a Scanner—a model not built to fight. As such, when it looks as though his situation took a turn for the much worse, his first instinct isn't to plow through his enemies like other combat models would; like instinct 9S throws up his free arm over his head, as if to shield himself for the next inevitable strike.

It doesn't come.

Instead, the sharp pressure within the palm of his right hand lessens, but it still sends a jolt of pain shooting up his arm. For a brief moment seizes up from it, but in the next, he lifts his eyes—

Just in time to see an arm go flying. 2B stands ahead of him, blood staining her blade, and he feels that maybe he realizes what this means before she does.

There isn't a moment to waste. 9S sucks in a sharp breath, fumbling back to his feet, hardly acknowledging how a rusty red begins to soak into the leather of his glove, leaving behind an imprint upon dead leaves as he pushes himself back up. ]

—C'mon!

[ A retreat is in order more than ever. They both know this. ]

[undeserved]

[ she's ready to carry him if she has to, but the fall he took didn't look so severe, and it wasn't. He hardly needs to say a word; once he's gotten to his feet, she's stepping back, then turning, a hand reaching forward to grab his upper arm and tug him along as she starts to dash off through the trees. The brief pause her savage attack bought them is probably the only chance they'll get to escape without causing even more damage.

For the moment, she doesn't think about the status of the humans left behind or the ramifications of leaving the skirmish to continue - she just thinks about getting 9S and herself out of there. Once they're out of the fray, it isn't difficult. Androids run much faster than humans, and the two clans' true targets were each other, not the interlopers. They don't need to run for longer than a minute or two. ]

Report: Vital signs of pursuers have been lost.

[ Pod 042's deep monotone informs them that the danger is gone, and her heels slow to a halt. Still, she doesn't turn to her support unit for information, but to 9S. ]

Are you all right?

[ his injuries didn't look severe, so she doesn't tell Pod to run a diagnostic on him - still... ]

[bestaround]

[ 9S doesn't dare stop until she slows, even after they've fled the immediate danger. And once they do...

He doesn't have the time to think of what happened before 2B interjects with her own concerns. 9S looks down at himself; the rest of him is okay, and by now the pain in his hand has dulled down to a lack of sensation altogether. It could have been much worse than it ended up being, so he nods. ]

Yeah. I—I'm okay.

[ Which he nearly leaves it at, until he hangs his head, combing his uninjured set of fingers into his bangs. ]

... Sorry.

[ He screwed that one up. ]

[undeserved]

[ It certainly could have been much worse. She, herself, doesn't have anything worse than scuffs and scrapes. The white katana in her hands vanishes away to her back once again, and she takes a few steps towards 9S, as if she still needs to confirm his condition with her own eyes. (of course, she doesn't, but the behavior comes without thought or logic.) ]

Don't apologize. We made a bad call. [ a beat. ] I made a bad call.

[ she was the one who rushed in. But 2B remains all business, at least for the moment - there's no apology in her tone. Both of them lived. It wasn't an utter failure. ]

[bestaround]

[ There's a subtle wrinkle of his nose at her correction, but 9S otherwise leaves it be. He could argue it, but it's stupid to bicker over who gets to take the blame; it isn't as if it's the first time they've both landed in a bad spot.

In lieu of possible quarreling, he opts to finally lift his right hand instead, limp at the wrist and completely unmoving, despite his best efforts to. The "bleeding" seems to have slowed, at least, though he can tell his glove soaked up a fair amount of it. ]

What a lousy time to be out of staunching gel.

[ Because what else can you say, really. 9S can only heave a weary sigh. ]

2B... I don't think it's a good idea to try stopping their fights anymore.

[ They failed here, attempting something they knew they shouldn't be. And 9S can't tell if it's dawned on her what she's done to get them out of their mess yet. ]

[undeserved]

[ of course, the moment he says that, her eyes flick up to her own support unit. ]

Pod, apply staunching gel.

Understood.

[ seeing as she hasn't been here very long, Pod 042 still has some left, fortunately, and floats over dutifully towards 9S's hand to begin field treatment. Her focus remains on taking care of him - which is why his comment catches her off-guard. ]

Stopping their fights is our duty, 9S.

[ even if they don't always win, they have to try. She owes Ophelia that much. ]

[bestaround]

[ —Ah. That's certainly convenient. 9S doesn't even protest it; it's leagues better than hoping the flow eventually stops, so he slips off the glove, lifting the malfunctioning hand for her Pod to access easier.

And then, barely a moment later, he freezes, fixing a blank stare on her. ]

—What? [ Just like that? "It's our duty?" He can't tell how much she truly means those words. ] ... But, back there—we just...

[ Killed some. Several of those people are dead (or dying) now because of their interference. ]

[undeserved]

[ 2B meets his gaze with mounting confusion, between this and his earlier comment. He should want to accomplish whatever tasks Ophelia gives them, too, right? He chose to stay here, too. She tilts her head faintly, just enough, and a patch of red catches in the corner of her vision. There's a dark stain on the pale blue sleeve of her kimono. It's human blood.

A little too late, she realizes the ramifications of what she'd done - actions that she'd taken without a second thought against machines, if it meant protecting Nines, that had much different effects against humans. ]

-- Stay here. I'll go back and help them.

[ she doesn't know the first thing about first aid for living organisms, but she has to do something, right? ]

[bestaround]

Wait—!

[ Without so much a second thought, 9S absentmindedly pulls away from her Pod, reaching out with his other hand to grab at 2B's sleeve and yank her back. ]

Don't do it, 2B.

[undeserved]

[ she does stop - not so much because of his strength but because part of her knows he's right. She can't go back in there alone; that's just stupid. Logically, she knows that. Even so-- ]

I need to do something! [ 2B snaps back, frustrated. The emotion is quite clearly not targeted at 9S. It's coming from inside. She's cursing herself, trying to outrun the wave of dread she feels building inside. ]

[bestaround]

[ If there was the slightest possibility that they could go back and change things for the better, 9S wouldn't be stopping her. But right now, he has no idea what she plans to do among the battling pack of people who don't have it in them to reason. They both know they don't; they wouldn't have been stopping them with force rather than words this whole time if that were an option.

9S doesn't let go. This isn't a side to 2B he's a total stranger to, but she doesn't irrationally snap like this enough for him to know what's the best way to deal with it.

His mouth flattens into a thin line as he desperately searches for the right words to use. In the end, he still isn't sure, but— ]

Come on... Nothing good is gonna come out of going back!

[undeserved]

[ her hands ball into fists. Because of course 9S is right. She knows he is; she already knows she can't do anything. It's another illogical emotion, this desire to run out into danger to try and fix something that can't be undone - 2B doesn't know why she's so full of them. She breathes out a stiff exhale, but she doesn't struggle against his restraining hand further. Her gaze stays firmly on the ground.

There are humans dying back there - and she killed them. There's no reason to say it aloud when she's certain he already knows, too. The possibility had loomed overhead for this entire mission; she'd thought she'd be precise enough to avoid it. Lucky enough. She should have known better. ]