You know if you should be here!

The Twin Beans café is rather busy at this time of the day as you wait for a slate gray sports Kaiumotors Soutetsusha SUV. You look through the cafe's windows time and again, and at some point it's sitting there, just across the street - the man who drove it there waiting discreetly a few feet away. As you approach, he greets you with a polite bow, hands you the key, and is soon on his way.

The way through the city is a bit tiresome, as you would expect, and especially so given the warm weather, but the traffic is surprisingly less intense than in other days. After some time, you see the checkpoint Dai indicates, and slow down as you approach it.

Participation
Please make a first IC post with your actions so far, including what equipment you are bringing with you (including weapons and armour, if any). Thanks!

A trip towards a destroyed lab, through a land that was either touched by, or has a portal ripped through to, Gaki-Do. For most people, this would be something scary.

For Sumiko? She was excited! So much potential to learn - both what could be at the lab, and even maybe see some spirits out in the wild. She idly wondered if there would be a way to capture one to study, but this is not the time nor the place for it.

She had dressed sensibly for the trip, and had her sidearm and her computer with her. As well has her lucky Spider plushie under her jacket. Trying not to lean too far over the edge as they got closer to the area so she could see everything that was around.

(ooc - no armour. Equipment - sidearm, portable computer, AlterEgo , Spider plushie, Communicator, Conelantern)

For the first time in forever, Yesugen wore what was most suitable to her. In addition to standard samurai weaponry, she had her rifle slung over her shoulder covered by combat armor. Attached to the chest was her life-support systems. They were heading into a toxic environment, after all.

Talking was even less of a thing with her in the midst of combat. Utaku training, really.

---

Light Armor
Standard Rifle
Advanced Gas Mask
Extra Energy Pack (2 Rifle and 1 Sidearm)

Dai arrives promptly at the scheduled time. He was a bit more apprehensive than most, perhaps, at the thought of bringing a bunch of people who were not familiar with the Desolation first hand. But a job was a job.

(In addition to his standard carried items Dai is wearing his ashigaru armor and bringing his rope, grappling hook, extra energy cells for his side arm, and small mirror)

Kiyoshi stared absently out the window, thinking over what he had been told about their objective. The Detective was back at the embassy, of course. The Fox only had a few things with him.

- - -
Carrying:
Sidearm
Communicator
Conelantern
Holorecorder
Densai

(OOC: Waiting on an answer to define whether Sakura will join, then we start!)

Sakura was there.

OOC:
Ashigaru Armor
Sidearm
Daisho
Communicator
Medicine kit

With Yesugen on the wheel, the team crosses the checkpoint Dai leads them to uneventfully using the temporary permits Kioku provided them earlier in the day, despite the wardens' quizzical look at the group.

The barren landscape of the Desolation is hardly the easiest drive, even with Dai's mapped route. Debris and rubble from fallen buildings, roads torn down or in varying states of disrepair, all contributes to make Yesugen's life considerably harder, but with a good enough hand on the wheel, it should be possible to get to the building where the lab is located before you attract the attention of any of the things known to frequent the area.

Utaku Yesugen wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:06 pm

Snip

Yesugen - please roll Driving/ Agility vs TN 25 to ensure you can get to the laboratory fast enough to avoid any complications.

As confident as she was in her piloting, that unfortunately didn't translate to cars. Perhaps that day at the arcade still bothered her. Regardless, it turned out that cars weren't, in fact, meant for flying.

---

(D5 LA) - Driving / Agility TN 25 | 5k4 ⇒ 20 (TN: 25)

That still didn't mean a crash - as difficult and sometimes risky as the roads were, Yesugen managed to avoid that much. But it did mean they weren't as fast as they would have hoped...

Eeny meeny mini moe... | 1k1 ⇒ 9 (TN: ?)...

After a few turns, you start to hear a buzzing noise, first far away, then louder. Before you notice, the car is beset by a swarm of small, glimmering flying insects dancing in the air. Thankfully, with you inside the car, they don't reach you as easily they would if you were on foot - but some of them still manage to make their way inside the car.



Out goes Y-O-U. 1 = Sumiko, 2 = Yesugen, 3 = Dai, 4 = Kiyoshi | 1d4 ⇒ 4

What do the bugs seek on Kiyoshi?
1, 2 - Sidearm
3, 4 - Communicator
5, 6 - Conelantern
7, 8 - Holorecorder
9, 10 - Densai | 1d10 ⇒ 3

They don't seem to attack you directly, however. Instead, those that make their way inside the car, flying towards Sakura and Kiyoshi, seem to be drawn to their electrical equipment.

Hotaru Sakura wrote: .

Kitsune Kiyoshi wrote: .

Utaku Yesugen wrote: .

Sakura - The bugs cling to your Sidearm and Communicator and try to thrust their proboscis into them, as if to feed on them, or maybe their electricity. Thankfully, the number of bugs is not as large as it would be if you were on foot, but it still takes considerable effort to avoid them. Please roll Reflexes vs TN 15 twice, noting each time which item you are trying to rid of the bugs.

Kiyoshi - The bugs similarly cling to your Communicator. Please roll Reflexes vs TN 15 to try to get rid of the bugs.

Yesugen - Meanwhile, you keep trying to get to the lab so you don't remain out in the open for so long. You think you see a shadow somewhere close, but it might be just a figment of your imagination given the current circumstances... Please roll Driving/Agility vs TN 20 to try to get to the lab without any further problems!

Sakura swatted at the weird bugs. Luckily, her sidearm was fine, and she managed to drive them away from her communicator as well.

She let out a breath, but was still quite tense.

OOC:
D7 LA Reflexes, TN 15, Sidearm | 3k3 ⇒ 32 (TN: 15)
D7 LA Reflexes, TN 15, Communicator | 3k3 ⇒ 17 (TN: 15)

"Well this is rather unpleasant," Yesugen said, swatting with one hand without even looking. Still, after all the delay, she figured out how to compensate for the terrain. Cars were able to go over certain things and not others! Much unlike flying, which could go over anything.

---

(D7 LA) - Driving / Agility TN 20 | 5k4 ⇒ 27 (TN: 25)

"Not yours!"

The bugs and their intentions were a surprise. Kiyoshi was barely able to swat them away and protect his communicator. Quickly, he secured it and his other devices within his satchel bag. He was especially concerned about his densai.

- - -
[D7 LA] Ghosts down Memory Lane (Closed), Bugs!, Reflexes TN 15 | 3k3 ⇒ 16 (TN: 15)

As the others struggle with the bugs Dai is quick to secure his various small electronics within his pockets while swatting and shooing away any that come near items too large to be concealed.

(Good rolls folks! I totally would have provided aid if needed. Really....)

Hotaru's and Kiyoshi's quick reactions prevent the bugs from digging deep into their equipment, and after quite a bit of swatting and with the car moving fast, you get rid of enough of them that they don't seem to pose a harm to your equipment anymore. Not immediately, at least.

With all your equipment safe and Yesugen's driving up a few notches, possibly spurred on by the adrenaline rush, whatever shadow the Unicorn thought she might have seen is soon left behind, and after some more jouncing and trembling along the Desolation's devastated roads, you see a half-destroyed, dust-covered sign at the façade of the same metal and plasteel building Dai had seen the day before. The building is originally probably 6 or 7 stories high, its entrance behind what must one day have been a garden of some sort.

‘SOS I GeneBi Te ’, the remaining letters read, somewhat ominously.

Everyone should please decide whether you'll get inside or remain in the car!

OOC: I'll have to be out for a few hours, then be back later this evening. As I might have said elsewhere, to keep things moving I'll probably ghost people who do not answer in 2-4 hours (except when I'm sleeping, which I'll let you know here!). So please leave general ghosting instructions on what you are likely to do and what your main goals being here are (especially if you're interested in something besides just getting the sample Kioku asked for).

Specifically, your time inside the lab will involve a tradeoff between being fast and being thorough, so please include in your ghosting instructions which side of that you're more likely to be in.

Also, as things happen, be free to add more specific ghosting instructions as well. It's a good idea in fact!

Thanks!

"Well, better get this over with, neh?" Sakura pulled her precious firearm, armed and armored, and got out of the car.

OOC: Sakura is going inside

Sumiko had made sure to secure her belongings after she had identified the creatures

(ooc - roll approved by Thimacek - D7 LA Lore:spirit realms/int (Sage) to identify the creatures! Assuming around Tn20ish? | 5k4 ⇒ 48 (TN: 20) - will provide info when they're back)

"Let's do it."

Sumiko climbed out of the car and got ready to go in.

(ooc - going in. Ghosting info is here)

(Dai is going inside. It is pretty clear to others that Dai favors fast over thorough. Though with a shugenja present he will, reluctantly, defer to the majority if they go thorough)

At first, Yesugen considered staying behind. The prospect of everyone dying inside, though, persuaded her to enter along with the others. With her there, there was little chance that anything could go wrong...

---

Going inside.

Throughout all of the episodes of the various Detective series, the group always split up in various ways. It was always a bad idea that led to a chase montage and the feature song of the episode. Koyoshi studied the building fir a moment before entering.

He doubted he'd hear any music here.