ximilialog | MISSION: GHOST GIRL PART 2

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MISSION: GHOST GIRL PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 . 2

THE GREAT ESCAPE • THE MONSTER SANCTUARY • THIS PLACE BECOMES OUR LAST • IT'S TIME TO BE BRAVE • FYI

// PART I. the great escape!  

There is tension in the air for the next few days that follow, and there are too many questions and too few answers, and less that anyone in the palace is willing to give. The Orbers have been separated into two camps, with the sick and infected locked in a wing that cannot be accessed, save for the snatches of conversation exchanged through communication devices, and the rest kept in the dark with watchful eyes guarding their every move. But the team won’t sit down and accept their fates, and certainly not the fates of their newfound friends. Plans are discussed and carefully plotted between them, away from vigilant ears, and it can’t come soon enough.

1.0 Jim, Bucky, and Sam have been tasked with getting people in the infirmary to band together to knock out the guards, tie them up, and then escape. Syrlya will help the team from the outside, providing a portal to quickly help the infected escape the palace unseen. They will attempt to unlock the doors from the inside, and once unlocked, The Darkling can cut through the entire door, bringing it down; Daisy will help him. In the meantime, to keep the guards from alerting the rest of the palace, Richie will be tasked with distracting them, keeping their attention away from the infirmary.

2.0 Once the team has escaped through the door, Sabriel can help put the guards they come across to sleep, as well as disorient any servants they don’t want to catch leaving. Erik will be shielding them from any guards who try and stop them. It will be difficult for the infected to keep their wits about them, but they’ll have to remember who they are and focus on what makes them them. Finn will be the only one who can help the infected with the changes that affect the mind, so those who find themselves hallucinating, lashing out at others, or are struggling with any number of other changes may require some help to escape. From the outside, any other Orbers may join the escapees on their way to Yuryeong.

3.0 While the great escape is occurring, Clara, Hermann, and Clarke will have to try and convince the guards that they don’t support the escape and reassure them that they are on the side of Gyeongje’s rulers. In the end, will you escape to the outside and help as best as you can from the outer city? Or will you remain within the palace walls and hope that the guards don’t suspect you?

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// PART IIA.the monster sanctuary  

The knowledge of the way to Yuryeong leads the infected and those escaping with them deep into the forest, along a path covered in thick underbrush and a shelter of trees above. Eventually the group will notice a golden glow shining through the thicket of foliage and will be led to a small shrine made of stone and half-covered in moss; it seems old, almost abandoned, yet before it there is an altar bearing signs of offerings recently left upon it.

Once they approach, there’s an unearthly glow around the shrine like sunlight emanating from within; something seems to slowly be reaching out to envelop each escapee. Those familiar with magic will recognize it as a barrier spell of sorts — it inspects them, reads something inside them only visible to the spell itself… but whatever it’s looking for, it must be successful because the forest around them begins to blur.

When their surroundings refocus again, the small shrine has been replaced by a much larger one, and the trees around it carry red ribbons of prayer waving slowly against the wind. The entrance to the shrine is shrouded in darkness — though it’s not entirely natural, as becomes evident when the shadows start to move and a tall form emerges.

“I see you’ve followed my sister’s call,” the shadowy figure speaks with a man’s voice. Now in the light, his form becomes visible and a gruesome sight: his chest is hollow, the bones of his ribcage plainly in view. He lifts a shadowy arm and moves it in an arch towards the door behind him. “Well, Otherworlders, welcome to Yuryeong. Make yourselves useful, my sister will speak with you soon.”

4.0 When you follow him inside, you’ll be surprised: instead of the inside of a shrine, the door is less a door and more a gateway. Behind it is what can only be called a small village: there are tent-like houses that stand on shaky foundations, made from leftover wood and harsh, hard fabrics, partially held up by the trees nearby; pathways that cut through the grass; a large area outside where pots are held over fire, the smell of stew wafting in the air. And all around there are monsters: different forms moving, speaking to each other, some around the fire, some emerging from their tents, and some ducking under the flaps to disappear into them. Perhaps more surprisingly, there are also people: some are dressed in clothes not unlike the citizens in the merchant district; some bearing the uniforms of the guards, mingling with the monsters with ease.

The shadow-man disappears into one of the tents, unmarked from the rest, and when he reemerges, he is not alone. So-Yeon’s white clothes stand out from the rest like a beacon and she slowly approaches the team members where the shadow-man had left them.

SO-YEON

Welcome. I have been told you are in the process of finding a cure for the curse. If that is so… then please: know that if you can help my people, you will have all the assistance I can give you. But even if that is not so, you are still welcome here. The enemies of my enemy are my friends. You will be safe here, the palace cannot reach us now. There are empty houses you may rest in and food you may eat. Be at ease — if you wish us no harm, you will come to no harm. And if you need anything, ask me or Seung-Hyun. He manages most of the affairs here.

She nods to the shadow-man — it becomes clear the similarities between them; this is her brother — but anything more she wants to say is interrupted when one of the guards runs to her side, tugging her arm. It’s an emergency, they say urgently. She looks at the team, mouth half-open, but then turns away swiftly to follow the guard into one of the tents… She reassures you that she will speak with you later.

5.0 If you follow her suggestion, you’ll find that there are a few empty houses to occupy — though inside, they are barely furnished, mostly consisting of hastily-crafted wooden desks and spare clothes or sheets on the ground making what appears to be a bed. In general, all of Yuryeong seems less like an established town and more like an emergency encampment, and those who are not infected may want to do something about that. Perhaps you want to help make the “houses” more comfortable, or perhaps you volunteer to hunt and forage for food — with so many new mouths to feed, it’s clear that whatever supplies exist won’t be enough. Or maybe, having assessed the desperate situation, you decide to sneak back into the city, avoid the guards there, and come back with supplies.

If you are feeling inclined to do a little cooking, there are few pots and pans scattered about by the fires. Just be sure to leave some of the meat uncooked as some of the infected seem to require it raw.

Those who want to explore will find a graveyard in the woods near the shrine — there are nearly a hundred graves marked with stones bearing crude carvings. Those who walk among the markers might find some spirits of the deceased still lingering, dead townspeople, either killed in attacks or by the infection.

6.0 As the days pass, the infected will find that their changes have reached the end and have come to the completion of their transformations; and though they are not entirely losing their minds, thanks to Yuryeong’s barrier, the mental effects do persist. With the team progressing through a working cure — So-Yeon is there alongside the team members focused on the cure and readily provides what help she can… though pushing the orb’s power out of her and into the cure often leaves her anywhere between tired to half-conscious, carried back to her tent by her brother on numerous occasions.

Eventually the time comes for the cure to be tested… after all, while in theory it seems to work on the cells of the infected, reversing their mutations, you never know if it works in practice. The particularly brave or daring will be the first and necessary test patients — and indeed, the cure does not work without some hitches. Those it’s tested on find their transformations receding and then returning again, and unfortunately once the changes begin to be undone for good, it does not come without considerable pain.

But endure that pain and finally, finally, after countless hours of work, science and magic together, the cure will start to work. The infected team members will slowly start to change back to themselves.

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// PART IIB.this place becomes our last  

The members of the team who choose to stay within the palace walls will have to convince the Lord and Lady of Gyeongje that they are there on the basis of believing the rulers are just and right in their thinking. And, sure, it takes some doing, but eventually it is the Lady Jeung-Sun who nods her head. It seems she believes you when you tell her and Lord Suk-Ju that you condemn the actions of your fellow teammates, that their siding with the Ghost Girl is to declare themselves enemies of the palace and its people.

That’s good, right?

7.0 For the remainder of the late afternoon, there appears to be a sense of camaraderie between you and the rulers of Gyeongje. You’ll be welcomed to tea and food, to be seated in the main room alongside the captain and some of the higher-ranking soldiers. At one point, the captain is beckoned to the main table where she leans in while Lord Suk-Ju appears to be relaying some important information he doesn’t want his wife to hear. (Lady Jeung-Sun remains none the wiser while she sips her tea, watchful of her company.) The captain nods, and then she nods again, and her eyes roam over to where you and your teammates are enjoying tea and bite-sized foods and other things. She straightens and approaches your tables, her expression solemn and unreadable.

You might be curious by this point, or perhaps you’re beginning to suspect that you’ve overstayed your welcome. But before you can utter a word of warning to the rest of your team, if you’d had any of the tea and foods, your tongue might start to feel a little strange, slippery to match the way your brain feels like it’s sliding out of place inside your head. If you decided to abstain from the offered sustenance, you’ll notice your fellow Orbers start to look quite unlike themselves: lethargic and a little overheated; some might start to babble confessions to questions they might otherwise have kept to themselves.

The next thing you know, you note the captain raising her arm, shouting for the guards to arrest you and the others while the truth serum is still in effect.

It’s time to go.

8.0 It’s not without some fussing and possibly a brief scuffle before you manage to get past the guards and back out into the palace grounds. Your heart is beating so fast and it’s difficult to remember where you are or how to get out; the palace has been built like a maze. A figure seems to emerge from the shadows and she’s alone. “Trust me,” she whispers as she ushers you and the others down a path you don’t recognize, “I’ve helped one of you already.” But before you’re about ready to call her out, you see the exit up ahead. You’re almost there. You’re almost free.

There are others waiting for you right outside of the gates, and they lead you towards the merchant’s district, a comforting sight to those of you who have explored it, and familiar enough to those who haven’t. There are shouts in the distance, difficult to discern but it’s easy enough to hear the displeasure, and more importantly, how they’re in pursuit of you.

You’re led into a home with a dimly lit hearth and there’s enough space to look as though this might have once been the residence of a large family, maybe even a well connected one. The wood walls, painted red, seem dull now, the colour flaked and chipping away from the worn structure. It has seen and faced time and disuse. There are thick curtains covering the windows and trinkets left on a table facing a mirror. Everything is covered in a light layer of dust.

A strong, stout woman with her dark hair piled high atop her head comes from the next room over, followed by two other women, both much younger than her. Her daughters, perhaps, or maybe the daughters of her neighbours. Either way, they seem simultaneously protective and obedient to the older woman, moving to stand behind her while she and the guard who initially helped you escape exchange words. You can make out the words ‘Listen to them, they speak the truth’ — and then the guard nods in your direction and slips back out of the house without another word, leaving your fate in the hands of this unfamiliar woman who looks as though she might have boxed a few ears in her time.

“I’ve been informed that you can tell me exactly what is happening to our city and why we are made to suffer as we are,” she says. “You may call me Aunt Min-Ji. Which of you will speak?”

9.0 Not all of you will have been led to Min-Ji’s home, or perhaps you’ve simply decided to find your own way. Maybe you’re keeping guard from nearby, opting to protect the others during the quiet, informal council. Either way, the sound of the palace’s guard is louder, and there is commotion and flickering firelight reflecting against roof tile and cobblestone as Lord Suk-Ju’s search parties have entered the outer district with the intent to silence you before the truth gets out.

Use your wits and your weapons to protect this area and defend it from the guard. Those with abilities to snuff out flame might be especially useful at this time, as wood doesn’t exactly do well against fire, and the guards have come equipped with torches in hand.

10.0 It’s becoming clear that the palace guards were never going to allow you and the others to exist in peace, not while the Ghost Girl and the Infected were still at large. You’ve now been declared a threat and an enemy to Gyeongje and must be stopped at all costs. If you run into the palace guards, you’ll be met with a fight, and you must try and defend yourselves and the merchant’s district to the best of your ability. If you aren’t much of a fighter, you can still be useful. There are always other ways of tricking a guard or disarming them — just, you know, use that clever brain of yours.

Even while you’re in the midst of a tussle, you might notice a suspicious party moving past the commotion. There are a cluster of guards surrounding a dark wood box suitable for one, lifting it by its formidable poles. The palanquin is concealed by fabric curtains but a shift of wind reveals a man’s figure within it — he looks panicked and harried as he urges his entourage on. You know that face, you saw him only moments before he called for your arrest. Ah, yes, it’s none other than the Lord of Gyeongje, himself. But where is he going?

And while staying within the city has quickly become dangerous, there is some good news from those in Yuryeong...

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// PART III.it's time to be brave  

The cure is administered to the Orbers first, and with very little complaint — “Our people are still wary,” So-Yeon explains when the rest of the compound hesitates, “let them see the success of this first.” She seems to pause, her expression thoughtful before she adds: “Besides… I have a plan.”

The plan, it seems, requires returning to the city. Everyone in Yuryeong is gathered in front of the shrine where So-Yeon speaks to them all, her voice easily carrying over the crowd with renewed strength.

“Everyone! Finally, we are returning to Gyeongje! We will take back our home and show everyone the truth. We will expose the lies once and for all!”

11.0 Her words are met with a roar of approval… and whether you agree or not, you’ll find it difficult to stop the infected citizens from leaving. One after another, they follow a procession through the door of the shrine, disappearing through the barrier that has protected them all these months — none look back.

The journey back to the city from the dark woods is deceptively easy but everything seems to change the moment the group reaches the edges of the outer district. Armed guards are waiting for them patiently as though they were prepared for their return — it is an army by the looks of it, assembled to pursue the monsters instead of protecting the palace.

But just how did they get there…?

12.0 Those in the city may have an answer for that. The signs of the guards mobilising are impossible to miss: their presence on the city streets is suddenly gone, like they have dropped all efforts to search for the team; instead, they can be seen dragging heavy carts full of arms to the palace.

It is possible, too, to see some of the guard sneaking back into the city, knocking on the doors of houses where some of the team have taken to hiding. There are whispers between the cracks of the doorways — It’s finally happening, the captain has called for us to go to war, it’s the Lord’s orders, what do we do —

But it’s the noticeable presence of the full force of the guard leaving the palace the next day. They form an impenetrable wall around the border of the outer district, some perching on rooftops in the merchant district, all alert, their backs straight … all of them ready to fight at their captain’s command.

13.0 And a fight does ensue the moment the Yuryeong forces arrive. Just as before, in the palace courtyards, hesitation ripples amongst those of the guard who seem yet again unwilling to fight — but most of them, it seems, have gathered their resolve. They aim to target everyone equally, human or monster; and in the midst of it all, the captain calls her forces to her.

While some of the guards wield regular swords (one or two), some have equipped themselves with sabers or bows and arrows — all are strong, capable in combat, and are clearly using the magical arts to help them fight. A single jump might take a soldier from the street to the rooftop or higher still into the trees. Some will fight with talismans, using them to freeze their opponents in place, to bind them, or make their weapons burn fire-hot. Some guards may also have their own special weapons: whips of pure energy, fans that create unnaturally strong blasts of wind, or arrows that — when they hit a target — neutralise any magic their target might have for long enough to leave them vulnerable for further attack.

As the fighting inevitably spills from the edge of the city and into the streets of the residential district, brave civilians begin to join the throng in an attempt to interfere. Further still are the innocent bystanders unaware of the fighting or the reasons for so much violence near their homes. Without weapons or the skill to defend themselves, they’ll need someone to protect them — they’ll need you.

● ● ●

The fight is heated on both sides, the cries of metal and magic ringing through the air amidst shrieks of the fearful citizens, and when it feels as though casualties are unavoidable, it’s So-Yeon’s voice that rings out over the city that has quickly transformed into an ugly battlefield.

“Stop!”

The barrier that kept Yuryeong hidden slams through the city with a staggering force, and So-Yeon, with her face seeming greyer than just moments before, sways on her feet before taking a step forward.

“Guards of Gyeongje, stop fighting! You cannot harm us now, and we have no desire to harm you. Instead, I ask you listen. I ask you watch. Come with us to the marketplace … there we will show you the truth of us and the truth of this plague.”

There is a palpable hush among the crowd, surprise and wariness spreading across the faces of the Gyeongje guard in equal measure. Some of them quickly gather their wits about them, making attempts to push against the barrier that has suddenly materialized between the infected, the orbers, and the palace’s guards like a wall. But the others seem noticeably relieved, and others still are curious. Hesitant whispers ripple over the army. Many are unsure what to do next.

One, however, refuses to be silenced — as she pushes herself towards the front of the forcefield, the captain raises her voice to those under her command.

“Guards, don’t listen to her! She’s just trying to stall us, to —”

Her words are cut short, and shadows that seem to slide like liquid from darker corners of the city gather towards her, wrapping themselves around her arms and her legs and her mouth, binding her to keep her from speaking any further. Like the shadows themselves, Seung-Hyun’s form glides next to his sister, motioning to one of Yuryeong’s guards to take the captain away.

“To show that we have no desire for a fight, we will not harm her,” So-Yeon says reassuringly. “All I ask is that all of you follow me to the marketplace, and soon you will know the truth.”

Without waiting for anyone’s permission, she begins to follow a path leading directly into the marketplace, the infected moving quietly after her, a procession of ghouls and ghosts made flesh. With no one to command them otherwise, their captain silenced, the Gyeongje guard slowly lower their weapons, watch for the Ghost Girl and her army, and follow.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the first two weeks of August.

• The conclusion of the first mission will be revealed on August 14, and the team will return to the station then.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them here.

• Soundtrack for this log (parts I, II and III): ♪ ♪ ♪

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01. Honest to a fault

[ One doesn't have to know Yzak for very long to realize that he's both 1. short-tempered, and 2. honest. You know you'll never be bullshitted by him when he speak to you, what you see is what you get and he is so unapologetically himself. And when he feels a certain way about someone or something, if he's not letting it be known through his (loud) words, it'll be clear as day in his expression. However, in a life where one has dealt with many chains of military as well as the obnoxiousness of the political sphere, he's obtained some tact. He knows there are times where he needs to be wary of his words and his actions for the sake of himself, his team, and his friends. Where it could be a life-or-death, mission ruining situation.

This is one of those times.

So Yzak is courteous, professional, the way he speaks to the royals and the guards at the palace is perfectly practiced so easily believable. Of course, as mentioned, Yzak is also short-tempered, so there's only enough of this he can stand before he wears down and starts getting cranky and wanting to punch someone in the face. So he never overstays in a conversation, and if he doesn't absolutely need to be somewhere, he won't be.

He's stalking back to his room at some point, alone, looking pretty impatient. He doesn't like being in these moments - ones where he can't act, even if he completely understands the importance of them. That's why he stayed back at the palace - enough people headed out who were perfectly capable of defending themselves and the people around them. He wanted to make sure that if anything went south here, they wouldn't end up completely fucked. ]

02. The truth will set you ... up for some trouble

[ He is not in the mood to partake in tea and snacks and assumed idle chit-chat, so Yzak politely declines the offer, deciding instead to "head back to his room." It's not a total lie, he does stop by, but overall, he's feeling like a caged cat waiting for something to happen, waiting to hear from the team outside about what's going on. Thankfully his less-than-beaming expression doesn't give him away, because there are plenty of reasons for an Orber to be mad - upset about this situation turning as messy as it has, one could even assume he's mad and feeling oh so betrayed by those who escaped! He does idly wonder what he'd be doing instead at this moment if he had decided to head to Yuryeong after all...

So of course that exact moment is when he hears the sudden commotion from nearby.

And whether or not it's during the scuffle, during the escape, or when they're finally safe enough to relax a little, Yzak is doing his duty of incapacitating guards and dragging one of his more lethargic allies, any who are currently under the truth effect, out of harm's (and jail's) way. ]

Ugh ... sneaky bastards...

[ And there's bound to be some chit-chat between them during all of this (or after all of this, whichever!). So you know, maybe since this truth effect is still going on, they might let something personal slip to Yzak that they might not have wanted to while they talk. (please hit me up if there is something specific you want and we'll make it happen somehow hehe) ]

03. Can't silence the whispers

[ After they've conversed with Min-Ji, it was time to take various actions. ]

04. A Major in bravery

[ It always ends like this, doesn't it? Conflict slowly building up more and more into a frenzy of fighting. The only upside to experiencing it more than once in his life is that now? He's in his element. He didn't climb the ladder to become a commanding officer for nothing.

Yzak doesn't make moves to kill. But he's also not being too overly careful in his actions, either. He knows how this goes. Go easy on your target, and they'll absolutely take advantage of the opportunity you give them in doing so to strike at you. He's quick, movements smooth and trained, at a speed and edge a cut above that of a normal human.

When some of the civilians get involved and try to help them, he looks apprehensive at first - these are the people he doesn't want to get hurt more than anything. But much like his own reasons for joining and staying in the military, Yzak understands their determination well enough. They have things they want to protect, and it's in these moments where that becomes clear. So he quickly barks out orders to them with an authority fitting of a Major, in hopes that by following his lead they'll stay safe. ]

And don't get yourself killed! [ He calls to a couple of them after pointing them to one of the nearby buildings to give some extra rooftop aid from. It sounds more like an order than a suggestion, coming from Yzak.

There are guards, too, that he can be heard arguing with while they fight. All of his pent up aggravation from laying low at the palace coming out. ]

Are you really this fucking stupid!? Try thinking a little for yourself instead of just accepting whatever you're told to do! You really think we're here because we wanted to waste our time fighting with you idiots!?

[ He gets told to fuck off or is ignored completely by a couple of guards, but as the battle continues, one might see a guard "casually" look the other way when he notices someone coming in to incapacitate his ally. One might see one of their allies hit by one of those strong blasts of wind from a talisman and get knocked over a couple of feet, but then realize seconds later they were just in the line of another guard's sword. Maybe there's some merit to Yzak's brutal, angry honesty and calling people dumbasses straight to their faces. ]

05. Wildcard

[ Throw another idea at me! ]

OOC

Have at! Don't hesitate to tag something here if I've already tagged your top level, or to comment here twice if you want to do more than one prompt with me! I love doing more than one thing at once with people! I'm at gaignun, Tara#1768, or PMable here for any questions/plotting!

What?

[In her cot at Yuryeong, Sabriel stiffens, her drift toward slumber suddenly halted.]

Yzak, what's happening? We're making progress towards the cure here, what's happening on your end?

We're okay.

[ He makes sure to get that out of the way before anything else. ]

We had to take leave of the palace. After you guys left, we were able to temporarily smooth things over to keep an eye on things. But I guess the Lord wasn't fully convinced, so he pulled the classic truth serum in the tea bullshit. A couple of people had no choice but to talk, and they tried taking us all in.

They didn't manage it, of course.

But we're in the outer city now. And there are others here who are willing to work alongside us.

Didn't anyone ever tell him it's incredibly rude to poison your guests?

[Miss Prionte would have had a fit if anyone suggested such a thing in her etiquette class.]

I take it they're still looking for you? But it's good to know that you've found aid. I'll just- try to keep working on the cure. Once that's done we can take the orb back to the Ximilia.

● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 . 2

F Y I

Yzak Jule | Gundam SEED/Destiny

Whispers; A

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02. here we go bayybeee | cw: serious injury mention

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03. Can't silence the whispers

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4. A thousand Sims-filled years later, here is a tag of Dusty waxing poetic about Yzak Jule.

YEAAA

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