networkinthenight | [audio] @kingofwei

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[audio] @kingofwei - backdated to June 23

I come bearing some unpleasant news, which Commander Rosinante, Grandmaster Kuai Liang, and I discovered within the last day. Before I begin, if there is anyone with better medical training or healing abilities who can help the two of them, it would be much appreciated. We encountered a violent spirit who did quite a lot of damage.

That said, we went to look into a strange phenomenon the Grandmaster found while looking for torches, and ended up at what they have said is the 'radio tower.' I believe this is where the modern sorts managed their communications, Daylight explained some of it to me some time ago. There are many smaller details which any of us can relate to you but I take to the network to report some incredibly dire news, and to ask if anyone can recognize or translate part of a message.

[it takes some rather obvious fumbling to get the tablet to play a pre-recorded message while sending this one, pity his awkwardness, but then this message begins to play clearly. Kuai got a good recording of it to share.]

I confess I had thought that the reason the Night Market did not visit earlier this month was much more mundane. Flood damage, perhaps, or a loss of communication with Master Rastus. This...is far worse. I do not know the timing of the message, when it was first sent, but the fact that nothing has come up from the bottom of the lake to destroy us yet...well, I don't think I can say what that means.

There is also this, if anyone is capable of translating...

[a shorter recording, now that he's got the hang of it. Morse code if anyone has the chops to tackle it!]

I do not know if we have the resources to actually mount a rescue or do anything about it, but I feel our last remaining chances at survival may slip away if we do nothing at all. World Eater aside, it may be that the portal itself and our ability to resupply will be cut off if we cannot reach them at all. Your thoughts?

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[Resident Morse Code person to the rescue, as much as they hate coming on the network publicly:]

It reads "Message incoming, SOS. 5 and counting." And then it repeats.

Daylight had a lot of data on the radio tower from the dream. That is not the same message he heard.

Did you try to send a message as a reply

Nothing's come out of the lake completely, but that squiddy thing in the museum sinkhole definitely had a go at me. Or the torch I was saving.

[ or both. whatever. ]

But, er, yeah, don't like the idea of being "done for". I think we should give it a go, see what we can salvage.

I'm no doctor, but I can do my best with first aid if nobody else can.

( furthermore... )

The doctor... That has to mean Solis. She's not around to help us out, but surely whatever those homing coordinates are, they can be found in her lab somewhere.

We did not, mostly because their injuries required immediate care and there was no time.

But it is fair to say I also have no experience using such technology. Someone will have to go back to make that attempt, and if they do, be warned that there is a spirit with strong hands and teeth that was squatting there.

...squiddy...thing? In the museum? Do tell.

And as you located the lab and the information, we should coordinate all of this. Along with someone experienced in the use of the radio to send messages.

I will get some people together to try. I know a few things about radios.

[And he can't crash a tower into anything so if he messes up, like the ferry.]

What else can you tell me about the spirits?

[Teeth only matter in flesh, after all. He's got that handy metal arm, and he's been... nearly a match for most of the fighty spirits he's run into so far. Bring Misty and Javert, maybe even Minimus, and they might have a chance.]

I wonder if Clara could point us in the right direction. She doesn't seem to know much about specifics, but even generalities would help figure a place to start.

Excellent. I am glad someone is, it is beyond my understanding.

There was just the one, but it was savage. It tore the commander to shreds and also had the capability to use tools, as it stabbed the grandmaster. I injured it, with ice and with my blade, but it survived a lengthy fall to the ground and escaped so it may still be out there. It has long-fingered hands and moves rather swiftly.

At the very least I should hope she would know which piece of technology does what. There must be a way to look up the coordinates and...I assume something in there is capable of summoning the ships? That was what the message asked for.

If whatever killed Pluto is still down there at the station, we need a plan to deal with it. The message said they thought it was a young world eater and whether that's true or not, it's obvious it was tough to deal with or they wouldn't be asking for our help.

I'll be going down there once we figure out how to get the submarines to us. But if anyone has ideas on how to tackle something like that, let's talk about it before we just jump in face-first.

How far down is it? If it's not too far, and it's a little one, I could shift and try to take it on. Or at least distract it while someone else goes for a kill strike. I'm pretty big, and I've fought large monsters like that before.

Right, after the flood I followed a feather, it took me to the museum where a torch had fallen into this hole in the floor full of water. It was a lot deeper than it looked at first, and then...these balls of light appeared, way down, and they had tentacle bits. It was coming up closer so I grabbed the torch and swam up and got as far away as I could. The arms still almost reached me, I got a picture before I got the hell out of there.

So it did not actually reach you? I see.

It is difficult to know what is what, anymore. What is spirit, and what is otherwise. What is trying to harm us, and what is innocently failing to help.

Still, something of that nature is important to note. Especially if it matches none of the hallmarks of the spirits, and instead suggests something completely not of this world.

You know you have me and my sword, for whatever both are worth.

Don't know. You were the one who visited it in a dream, right? How much do you remember?

Thank you. It's worth quite a lot.

I suppose this is where we find out whether swords are of any use at all.

That said, I feel like I miss having a tactician at hand now more than ever. We have lost so many intelligent resources who could plan a raid in seconds flat. Now we will have to work for it.

It's hard to make plans with no information. Even your best tacticians might be at a loss in a case like this one.

Hm, true. We know nothing of the terrain or the enemy, only that it's the underwater station and they have already suffered terrible loss. Anything and everything is on the table, really.

How is the arm? Do your bandages need changing?

Arm's all right, considering. I can handle it.

I don't know what firepower we have left here that we can take with us, but we'd better bring it all. Hopefully the station's built solid enough where we won't have to worry about puncturing the walls with stray bullets, but something like a bomb is probably out of the question.

[His thoughts are holy shit oh fuck oh my god, actually, but he'll leave that unstated.]

My only conclusion is that whatever came for them isn't finished down there yet.
There's no other reason it wouldn't already be up here.
It's foolish to think that the Night Market could've killed it on their own, but they might be holding it off.
I don't expect that will last.
From a tactical standpoint, it might be wiser to use whatever time they give us to prepare a defense, but then we risk losing the portal.

[And therefore their potential ability to get the hell out of here, so uh, no.]

I'd normally be the last person to say this, but it may be in our best interest to do as they ask.

Yes, I think this would most likely not benefit from major firepower. But then, the first step is setting out our goal. Given the message, I think we should genuinely concentrate on finding any survivors and escaping with them, first and foremost. Secondary, perhaps checking to see what of the technology is salvagable and whether the portal is still functional. Fighting the beast should be a last resort.

I quite agree. I don't know whether any one is left to be saved, but if there are, or the portal itself is in danger, those are reasons enough to go.

I am not sure what we can do, but knowing everyone in Beacon, we will still try.

Optimistic thinking. If this is really a world eater, even a young, small, and now injured one, it probably isn't going to let us wander around the station untouched, and we don't want to show it the way back to Beacon and the bonfire.

I see where you're coming from, but in this case I'd prioritize trying to get rid of it. Finding survivors helps if they can tell us more about what they tried, but I'm not sure we'll have much time to spare.

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[audio] @kingofwei - backdated to June 23

Text @ Soldier

@justfitz | voice

@HK

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@silent | voice because yo let his arm rest thanks

@ Stone, audio

voice forever

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