agogelogs | DO BETTER,

Entry tags:

DO BETTER,

WHO? Everybody! Including fourth wall visitors.
WHAT? HRHR and swap shenanigans, among other things.
WHEN? 12 XII, Year 6 of Sanaliel's reign.
ANYTHING ELSE? Please warn for anything besides physical violence and move to a personal journal if it's beyond PG-13.

BE MORE, DO MORE;

check your blood pressure

READ THE LEMURIA INFOPAGE.

STRANGE THINGS ARE AFOOT

You've been in Lemuria a little while now, trying to fit in, assimilate, and survive. But on the dawn of the twelfth day of the twelfth month of Lemuria's third and final season, something strange happens.

You wake, but it's as though your mind isn't your own. Or maybe you stayed up all night and felt the change, in the AM hours before it's so late it becomes early. A mental stirring, a feeling that only gets worse as it goes on, no matter what you tried to do and how you tried to halt it. Whatever the case, you're in its sway: Lemuria has become a hive mind.

Your memories are no longer private. Your powers are no longer your own. The barrier between you and everyone else is gone as easy as thinking. In a flash, just looking at someone allows you to instantly understand their thoughts, or encourages their memories to suddenly become your memories, too. It's instantaneous, like the memory has always been there, like it truly happened for you. Once upon a time, it was tangible.

It isn't a perfect science, however. While the intention is there, what exactly you experience is fuzzier. Your scouts will eventually chalk up the inconsistency of the experience (why do some hold up better against it than others?) to individuality and the BCEs, but who knows, really.

IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

Stranger still, when you venture out to see the rest of the city, the city is calm and silent, like a perfectly preserved relic or a dream. The average citizen is dead asleep, in their beds or in the streets, whether they collapsed walking, riding a hoverbike, or driving a vehicle.

There are accidents, eerily still besides smoke curling from the wreck, with no paramedics on the scene. When someone dies, they die as unaware as everyone around them.

Besides you, of course.

For anyone who dies, their memories remain out of reach; otherwise, you might very well see the past of any Lemurian citizen you pass. Even if their hopes and misfortunes don't survive with them for the night, they might survive with someone else.

In the midst of the sleeping city, you can try and help those in need. They won't wake up and you'll probably never get a thank you, but bandaging wounds sure would be nice of you.

A CITIZEN'S ADDRESS

Not long after the sun rises, a post goes up on the network:

@ASHOLE | @ALL

something got seriously fucked up holy shit
were doing our best to figure it out but honestly? it seems like some kind of technomagical intercurrent based on hypothetical thaumaturgic mnemomancy
uhhh in laymans terms somebodys fucking with memories but you knew that right?
the thing is theres somnomantic undercurrents as well
only thing i can figure for why were still awake and theyre not is because of the bces
they havent been invented yet, but theyre designed to protect us from things like the sleeping shit
so we arent being affected exactly the same way as the lemurians, either
but thats got its own problems because uh
you know how were undercover spies in a volatile period of time and shit
well we aint the only ones
the regency-to-be has guys hanging around here and they got bces too
vega's already run into a couple

be fucking careful
and for the love of GOD dont go to the bolthole
youll lead them right to us

ill update with better intel as i get it
i have some theories but i wanna run a few tests

I WANNA ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT

So despite all the sleeping people and the horroresque quiet, you're not alone.

Walking around in broad daylight is a dead giveaway to Regency spies that you have a BCE. And they will attack. They're dressed as civilians and seem better prepared for the situation, lurking in the shadows and staying out of sight. Some of them may tail you for a very long time before waiting for the right moment to make a move. Some may leap out as soon as you reveal yourself. Each fights with their own style and aim to kill.

They're equipped largely with blasters similar to yours and they don't, for once, have power nullifies. They do have superhuman strength, speed, senses, and healing, so watch out.

Some may engage in conversation, but it's largely of the trashtalk variety. It's not impossible to have a genuine talk with one or two (feel free to NPC them as you like and ask if you need any specific information on something they would or wouldn't say, but really, it's up to you), but it is unlikely. They are consummate fighters.

They're trying to find the source of COST's boltholes around the city, and take out as many COST operatives as possible in the process. Why don't you return the favor?

Ooor maybe you lead them right to the bolthole. Somebody's always gotta be that guy.

I'M A BELIEVER

During all of this (and maybe despite it), there are missions. Their exact timing is up to you; while they take place around the hive mind overtaking Lemuria, they don't necessarily happen during it—barring, of course, the one where you save the day and bring down Fafnir.

You can use this event to your advantage or disadvantage, through gaining someone else's memories or knowledge, or adapting to a set of powers you haven't spent a lifetime honing. The Lemurian people are a silent wellspring of information; even the most oblivious has an intimate understanding of their home and outlying territories that COST can't replicate. And, well, an unconscious person is an easier target than a conscious one.

READ THE LEMURIA INFOPAGE.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It is a hell of an entrance, one to be remarked upon after the whole fight is over. For the time being, Chiron can only do two things. Nod his head in recognition of Genji's appearance, and respond, "Appreciated. Let's see if this is easier than fighting spiders."

The agent dodged the returned bullets easily enough, and now cover is being provided by one of those low level walk downs that lead to basement based apartments. Chiron bolts for the area before any bullets can start flying, hooves carrying him quickly across the street.

"They're probably going to try and get into the building! What's on the other side of this?"

Genji came from above. He might have seen if there's a backyard behind the building, or simply more apartments. If the latter, there could be connected elements, or some other hidden passages.

The question of whether a Regency agent presents more of a challenge when compared to an Aranean is something of a toss-up, but given that it had been someone from the Regency who'd murdered Genji and Jack, he certainly has feelings about the matter. He's had some other run-ins with the Regency since that lost fight, but nothing quite like this.

If Genji's feeling any apprehension as a result of that, he doesn't let it show. There's a job to be done here. The more members of the Regency that they can neutralize, the better.

It's strange that the agent has chosen to retreat, which makes Genji wonder if he has some other trick up his sleeve. Genji races after Chiron, his prosthetics allowing him to keep up even though it's two legs against four.

"Some kind of shopping center, I think! There's likely a back exit to the building. Let's not lose him!"

Two legs, four legs, whatever. It's enough legs, and Chiron makes a tight turn to thunder down the steps that the agent has gone through. What he expects to be a walkdown is a cold metal door that leads into not quite a warehouse, but a storage area.

"This must be a part of the shopping center."

Chiron spoke hurriedly, carefully maneuvering all of himself through the door before stopping. He looked to Genji with a severe, worried face. This place could be narrow, and he didn't have the right body for dealing with that fact right now.

"If you can tail him, I can head him off in the shopping center proper. I have speed right now, but I also have bulk."

Having witnessed Genji in a fight, Chiron doesn't doubt for a second that the man can move through tight corners.

This underground warehouse isn't at all what Genji would have expected either, but it must be some sort of storage area or shipping dock meant to service the shopping center. Either way, it isn't the easiest to navigate for someone who's currently part-horse, and Genji doesn't mind the suggestion that they briefly split up.

"That's fine! I'll chase him down, so just make sure to catch up, all right?" Genji knocks his fist against his metal chest and nods, then takes off down the hall, already trying to listen in for the sound of faraway footfalls.

He knows that a Regency agent is not to be trifled with, but he's confident that he'll be able to catch up with him and slow him down, at the least.

"Contact me on the BCE immediately if something happens," Chiron manages to get out before Genji is gone.

There is power in well, horse power, and his hooves thunder over the empty streets. It is strange for that to be a singular noise in a city, but there is no luxury of time to dwell on that fact. Chiron focuses on getting to the shopping center as quickly as he can.

When he does enter, it is with a sense of relief. There is plenty of space where the stores sit across from each other, and if Genji has been successful, this is where they will emerge.

Still, Chiron keeps himself running, forward, forward, forward in anticipation. His hooves echo through the empty building, meaning his own approach isn't subtle.

While this might be a chase, Genji doesn't ever let go of an opportunity to make use of stealth. It's where he excels, and as soon as he catches sight of the Regency agent moving into the shopping center, he trails him in a subtler way, taking the high ground on the second floor of the mall to keep track of where his quarry is headed.

By the time that Chiron catches up with him, Genji has already made his move. He's got the agent pressed up against a wall, his short blade held to the man's throat. He hears the hoof beats coming toward them, relieved for the back-up because he knows he'll only have the upper hand for so long.

As expected, the agent squeezes on the trigger of his blaster. The energy bounces off of Genji's metal thigh, but he's forced to jump away in order to avoid greater injury.

Still, with Chiron here, they should be able to put an end to this.

Chiron arrives just in time to see the agent pressed against the wall. There's no surprise at the finger on the trigger, only a cold moment to calculate what the most effective thing to do is.

Genji jumps, and just as he does so, Chiron barrels on fron the side. If he was a human, it would be as good as tackling the agent. With the horse angle, Chiron instead manages to grab the agent and haul him over his shoulders, the element of surprise on his side.

Moreover and much more importantly though, the blaster has gone flying from the agent's hand, and Chiron's still running. In that moment, it occurs to him that he and Genji never quite discussed if the agent was to be questioned to any extent or simply be disposed of.

Chiron takes his opening, running into the Regency agent like a freight train. It's quite an impressive sight, actually, and Genji can only watch in surprise and admiration until he sees the blaster fly out of the agent's hands.

It clatters onto the floor and he's on it in a second. Now that the agent's primary weapon has been taken away from him, he should be that much easier to deal with. On top of that, Genji could possibly give this blaster to another refugee who would make more use of it. (Jack, perhaps?)

He isn't sure what Chiron plans to do next, if he's going to put the agent out of his misery or let Genji take on that task, as he had in the arena. Either way he stands by, ready to make use of his blade if the situation calls for it.

It isn't a surprise that the agent in Chiron's grasp immediately scrambles for something on their person. A knife, most likely, which is why Chiron is quick to throw them ahead of his own far too fast gallop, barely giving them a moment to pick themselves up before well, trampling them.

There's something out of the agent that might be, "that's what I thought you'd do, you stupid horse," but Chiron speaks over them as quickly as he can, directing his voice towards Genji.

"Is it worth interrogating them, or shall I end it hear?"

Even with Chiron speaking over the agent, Genji can't help but catch what he says. Well, that's rude, to say the least. Chiron doesn't look too bothered by it himself, but Genji can't stand for people judging others based on appearance.

All the same, he forces himself to logically consider Chiron's question. His Blackwatch training makes him feel as if they have to at least make an attempt at an interrogation, even though he can already guess that the agent won't give them anything.

Best to get it over with quickly, then. Genji stalks toward the agent, who's still writhing around on the ground after that trampling he got. He shoves a hard, metal foot down onto the man's chest, to try and hold him still.

"What is the Regency trying to accomplish here?" he demands to know, his tone as sharp as his blade.

The agent is quick to respond, the response simple and honest.

"Ensuring that COST doesn't interfere with our plans."

Chiron looks over at Genji, drawing out his own bow and arrow. It's a very short range, making the long distance weapon pointless, but in this moment, Chiron can't say that he cares. He looks to Genji.

"I believe that makes this a kill or be killed situation."

In a sense, their goals are exactly the same. COST is trying to stop the Regency, and the Regency is trying to stop COST. One less Regency agent means one less threat to Genji and his people, and so he can't begrudge Chiron for his conclusion.

They can't spare this man, not when he would turn around and stab them the moment they turned their backs.

So there's only a brief pause before Genji nods, his gaze tracking between the tip of Chiron's arrow and the downed Regency man.

"I believe you're right." There's only one thing to do here.

"Very well."

Chiron lets out an arrow into the agent's jugular before there is even a chance for a response. The speed is the same as in the Arena, although being so point blank makes it nearly comical. Chiron tuts, and then leans over to pull the arrow out.

"You may want to step back," he advises Genji, aware that this is cruel. He isn't proud of the action himself, but it was the quickest thing he could do at the moment.

This isn't anything new to Genji. His brother is nothing short of deadly with his arrows, and there had been at least a few times where he'd been able to see those skills in action outside of the training yard.

Not to mention being on the receiving end of them during their confrontation at Hanamura.

He steps back mainly out of courtesy, but doesn't avert his gaze from the gruesome scene. There's something to be said in sharing the burden of a murder.

"That's one more of them off our backs," he says conclusively.

"Out of many," Chiron says, after taking a moment to lean down and make sure the unfortunate agent's eyes are closed. There's no coin on him, otherwise Chiron would to the bare minimum of rites for the dead.

He turns to Genji, giving a curt nod. He understands why Genji didn't look away, and that means the world.

"Shall we travel onwards together, or split up for the time being?

Chiron's words are a reminder that this fight is far from over, though Genji knows that this isn't the true battle. They're trying to rewrite history, to make it so that the Regency never exists in the first place. It takes some of the weightiness out of what they've just done.

If things go as planned, the man they just killed will never even exist.

"I think it would be best to head back indoors for now," Genji advises. "Where are you staying? We can go there."

"At the moment, I can't take advantage of any of the bolt holds." There's a gesture to well, all of himself, because it's hard to fit an entire horse in those tiny little hidey-holes. It's embarrassing.

He also knows that remaining where they are is a problem. More agents will approach soon.

"A few blocks over is what I know to be an abandoned warehouse though."

It's ultimately not practical for more than a few people to stay in the bolt-hole, so Genji hadn't planned on heading back there anyway. It makes more sense for all of them to scatter into various places throughout the city, and thereby make it that much more difficult for the Regency to track them.

"Then we should go there," Genji says decisively. While it feels strange to simply leave the Regency corpse there, he's not sure what else they would do with it. If anything, it might send a message to some of the others, though he doubts it would deter them.

He nods to Chiron. "Lead the way. I'll watch our rear."

"Very well."

The body could stay where it was, and if any agents came looking for a friend, well, they would find evidence of why it was best to let COST win the day. As far as the warehouse went, Chiron turned about and began a leisurely sort of trot towards the way he had come in.

"Yell if anything is approaching."

"Of course."

With how silent everything around them is, it would be impossible to miss someone tailing them. All the same, Genji is vigilant in the way that he watches behind them, not wanting to underestimate the Regency and what abilities their agents might have.

It feels strange to speak much, especially once they make it outside again, and so Genji quietly follows after Chiron.

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DO BETTER,

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Ending here seems wise?