jigokulogs | March 2022 Mini Event

March 2022 Mini Event

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The Night Parade is fast-approaching and each faction will be busy with their own preparations.

1. SHUTEN CLAN

The Celestial Phoenix Casino, a fairly popular casino in the Shuten territory, is overdue on its protection money. This money is sorely needed for parade preparations. Unfortunately, the casino has decided it doesn't need to pay up because they've hired some new unaffiliated muscle. Neither the manager nor their new muscle are the type to listen to reason, so be prepared to exert some intimidation and force to convince these new bodyguards to take their business elsewhere.

The brute squad working for the Celestial Phoenix seems to be made up of several different youkai. Some of them are more human looking than others, but you'll notice no Oni. Even independent Oni wouldn't dare turn against the Shuten Clan. Even lacking in Oni, these thugs are armed to the teeth, swinging several deadly weapons and even a few firearms. This could get rough, so be prepared for the worst. Take the gangsters protecting the Celestial Phoenix out or convince them it’s not worth it.

Once inside, you'll discover that the owner, in a panic, has locked himself inside the casino's value with the protection money owed. This might take some doing to get open...

2. SUTOKU ALLIANCE

The Kappa want to be left alone and the Daitengu has asked Sutoku Alliance members to assure their wishes are respected. Members are tasked with convincing people to stay away from the Kappa's riverside facilities by whatever means necessary. Of course, you may want to take a look for yourself to see what they’re being so secretive about. That’s not recommended, if you don’t want to get into trouble.

It’s not just strangers who are nosy, though. Retinues from both the Shuten and Tamamo clans are making an appearance and asking why the inspections are taking so long. Why are the Kappa dragging their feet? The Alliance prefers to avoid direct violence, so it's up to you to talk to these clan captains in a way that convinces them to leave the Kappa alone.

If you're curious enough to dive deeper into the Kappa's business, however, even your Alliance membership isn't going to keep you safe. The Kappa themselves seem to disappear from sight the further into the sewers you go, as if invisible. Preventing yourself from being spotted by a security camera or a patrolling Kappa is almost impossible. Cover your faces, stick to the shadows, and you might just notice that... they’re building something down there.

Something for the Parade? Who knows? But it’s definitely not decorations or a float...

3. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA

The parade route for the Night Parade needs to be "cleaned up". The Department is tasked with getting the low level street gangs and squatters to clear out. The homeless population will resist and may not be so easily persuaded to give up their spots. Your best bet is to offer them food, booze, or shelter for the night. The street gangs will assuredly fight back. Use your strength or your wits to get the job done.

The gangs will not typically be that tough, most don’t want to step up to the Department's goon squad too heavily lest they wind up in a cell for the rest of their lives. Still, some might be hopped up on encouraging substances and try to escalate. Don’t worry, though. You have the authority of the Enma on your side! Don’t think they will get away with waving a weapon in your face.

The homeless, though, lack strength or weapons. They are more fueled by desperation to keep their spots. Winter hasn't been kind to them, after all, and they don’t have much respect for the Enma's authority. Their belligerent behavior is loud, and often violent despite their absence of means to properly defend themselves. At worst, they’ll probably try to use biological warfare. Don’t ask what's in those bottles...

4. TAMAMO CLAN

Parade costumes need to be designed, crafted, modeled, and then likely mended knowing the rough and tumble yokai. The textile shops and tailors of the area need Tamamo Clan members to help them out. Costumes vary from extremely ornate to extremely sexy. These costumes need to merge form and function, for the Tamamo clan parade marchers that means they need to be able to sell their specific wares while wearing them. (wink wonk)

None of the costumes are floor ready and the shop bosses urge you that these cannot be seen by the public until they are ready. This won’t stop some peeping toms and tammies from trying to scope out the goods. Most of the voyeurs are spying for perverted reasons, but some are from shops outside of Tamamo’s influence trying to copy the designs for themselves. Either way, Tamamo Clan members aren't expected to be just pretty faces. So rough’em up.

5. TASTE TEST (ALL FACTIONS)

For those less interested in their faction's work, the restaurants in the Tamamo territory also need help finalizing their menu offerings for the Night Parade. Taste testers and creative cooks wanted! These aren’t just any dishes though and may have some interesting effects. One may be so spicy that everything burns, your face turns red, and you need to cool yourself off. Or maybe your dish is so good that you need to take a nap – it doesn't matter where you are, you'll just fall asleep right on the spot. Another possibility is a dish that gives you unstoppable energy – literally. It will make you want to get up and go and never stop moving. If you stop moving, it may cause a bigger problem.

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[In all honesty, Dante expected everything to go south the moment he heard about the negotiations. The casino manager isn’t interested in paying up. That much is apparent since the guy hired his own set of goons to look after the joint. Even so, Dante didn’t expect the crazy bastard to start shooting up his own casino. The Shuten Clan has their work cut out for them but thankfully, Dante operates well under pressure.

A few more shots ring out as several hired bodyguards fall dead upon the floor. While Dante typically adopts a strict no-killing policy when it comes down to humans but he’s willing to make the necessary adjustments if they’re shooting at him. Especially if it involves criminals. After all, Dante was a mercenary back in the day. That’s why this iconically red coat devil hunter is currently in a firefight with the manager’s hired guns.]

Just in time for a little bit of target practice!

[Dante cheers before shooting some poor bastard who tried to get the jump on him from around the corner. He grabs the guy’s corpse and uses him as a mock shield as he enters the main casino floor. While everyone is shooting at his meatshield, Dante cocks Ivory (the white gun) and fires indiscriminately into the crowd mercenaries. Most of the visitors in the casino have fled to higher ground just leaving him to deal with the bodyguards on the main floor. This is perfect since Dante doesn’t have to worry about accidentally hitting civilians but he needs to be careful not to hit his own guys.]

Tch, this fucker is heavy—

[Dante complains before tossing the corpse towards bodyguards before breaking out into a sprint. Underfire by a dozen or so men, the devil hunter narrowly avoids getting riddled with bullets by sliding behind a series of slot machines for cover. He takes this time to reload his guns but as he does so, he notices some guy armed with a broken bottle making their way through the chaos.]

Never bring a broken bottle to a gunfight, kiddo!

[There's a look of mild irritation that crosses Kamui's face as Dante slides into place beside him. He wouldn't have to mess around with a makeshift weapon if his harpoon gun had shown up with him, he almost retorts, but he can stay cool under pressure. Even under fire. At least now he's got an ally instead of being shot at alone: after all that chitchat on the network, he can actually put a name to the man in red.]

Dante, right? It's Kamui.

[But that broken bottle's not here for nothing. One of the hired guns-- a smaller, scaled suiko-- crawls around to their hiding place with a knife in his teeth; reflexes snapping to attention, Kamui drives the business end of his bottle down into the suiko's back. The yokai shrieks, losing its dagger in the process-- and dropping just a bit of a weapon upgrade into Kamui's lap.

He unceremoniously shoves the suiko away; the yokai's in too much pain to do anything but writhe around on the floor. He raises an eyebrow at Dante, grabs his new blade, and rises to a crouch.]

Then help me find a gun.

[And off he goes, hustling onto the next row of slots.]

[Dante wouldn’t be Dante if he wasn’t irritating at times. He’s difficult to handle even on a good day but he’s the best guy to have around during a gunfight. Not just about anyone can keep this calm and cool with bullets whizzing by their ears. That takes talent.]

Oh shit, you’re Kamui?

[He didn’t expect to run into Kamui so suddenly after their brief conversation online. He figured they would meet one day on a mission but not quite like this.]

Fancy meeting you here! I was hoping to give the craps table a try but that’s out of the question.

[If it wasn’t for the gunfire and chaos, this would’ve been a great time to catch up and chat. However, they have a small army of bodyguards shooting up the damn place. It’s pretty unfortunate too since the Celestial Phoenix Casino is a really beautiful place—or rather was. There’s not enough insurance in the world to save this casino. The interior is littered with bullet holes now and there’s enough blood to coat the walls at this point. All hell is breaking loose but thankfully Kamui managed to stop their little yokai friend from getting too frisky.]

What the hell is that thing? [Dante questions as he stomps the Suiko’s head with a satisfying crunch. Judging from his baffled expression, Dante has never seen a “water tiger” before.] Looks cross between a feline and a bullfrog—

[The devil hunter lets out a curse once someone decides to take a few pock shots at the kid. Without any hesitation, Dante fires back with Ivory again before suddenly deciding to switch to Ebony instead. The guy he’s trying to snipe is a few feet away hiding under a roulette table. It takes a moment for him to line up the shot but once he does, the threat is promptly neutralized.]

Just a heads up, these idiots are badly armed with second-rate shotguns and Glocks!

In the flesh, Dante! Hope we live to meet a second time! [he answers dryly, from his hiding place at the next row of slots. In spite of it all, he's actually looking forward to this: Dante had been an able fighter from what he'd caught watching the arena battles their first night here, so at the very least, he's picked a good person to watch his back.

At any rate, the action is in full-swing, so he barely winces as Dante finishes off the suiko.]

I think it was a suiko? I'm Japanese, but I don't remember every yokai--

[It's a bad time to chat, indeed. Kamui, defenseless with only a knife, ducks down again, grateful for the cover Dante's so helpfully provided.]

I gathered! Every gun that's been dropped is out of ammo, though!

[And so is he, now: with a quick snap of his wrist, he tosses a knife into the head of a yokai that'd been attacking one of their Shuten oni.]

Are we really just fighting our way out of here?

[Leave it to Dante to start cackling like a madman in between gunshots after that brief introduction. Between all the screaming, gunshots, and destruction, this is pure chaos. He cannot help but laugh at this point despite being in mortal danger right now. The mercs can't shoot worth a damn but they make up for that in numbers. It's almost as if the casino manager hired a small army to protect him, none of which are oni thankfully. That’s a good thing since their ogre-like pals are holding it down by busting as many heads as possible with shotguns, baseball bats, and their bare fists.]

It sure looks like it!

[He replies after shooting two assholes down from the overhead above them.]

Unless you have a better idea, we’re fighting our way up towards the VIP lounge!

[Judging from Dante’s tone, he’s not very keen about falling back. He wants the casino manager’s head on a pike after this nonsense. None of them would be here if someone didn’t try to murder him in cold blood. Dante is still pretty pissed about that despite his gleeful persona. He’s in full murder rage right now which isn’t a good thing.]

If I offer you one of my girls, promise not to blow your wrist off?

[He asks before giving Kamui his black gun. Ebony & Ivory are both M1911-style handguns chambered for .45 ACP rounds that both boast a plethora of customized features that will make a gun nut cry for joy. While Ivory was made for close-range rapid-fire, Ebony was made for distance. That means Kamui will be playing “sniper” here if he can handle the kickback.

Ebony packs a nasty punch.]

[Since arriving to Jigoku-cho, Kamui's sixth sense has been more than simply dulled. It's completely silent, like he never had one in the first place. Even so, watching Dante having the time of his life picking off these mercenaries, laughing as if it's all part of some grand joke... Kamui already knows the man's criminal power must be off the charts. The older man, like the other Shutens, thrives in a brawl. Craves blood.

It's stressful. It's also... contagious? Kamui keeps a good handle on himself, but he'd be lying if he didn't find this all a little exciting.

And then, there's a gun in his hand. Kamui blinks, dumbfounded, staring down at Ebony shining beetle-black in his palm for a long second before his eyes dart back up to Dante.]

It's okay? Really? [He says, with all the gravitas of a kid who's been lent a cool new toy: his eyes even go a bit wider, the left gleaming its bright silver.

As soon as it's clear that yes, it's okay, Kamui kicks back into gear as smoothly as if a switch had flipped in his head. The gun's not resting in his open palm anymore, he's properly armed with it now: it looks right in his hands, as if it's far, far from the first to sit in his hands. Kamui narrows his eyes, lines up Ebony's crosshairs with the head of a merc across the room, and pulls the trigger.

Kamui's not a gun nut. But he is trained to kill-- thoroughly. He holds steady as it discharges, and as the man crumples to the ground amid the gory shower of what's left of his skull.

Who knew? The plain-looking kid's a crack shot.] I can handle her just fine.

[VIP lounge it is. The stairs are to their right. Kamui inclines his head towards them: if he's the cover, Dante should be leading the way. He kneecaps another approaching enemy, who collapses in pain on the ground. The way's clear.]

[Once the kid managed to get his first kill with Ebony, Dante hurried around the slot machine to lead the charge. He starts firing indiscriminately at the mercs, shooting them at rapid succession like a one-man army. Hell has no fury like a pissed-off Dante and it shows from just how many bodies hit the floor.]

Keep up the pace, Kamui!

[He yells once he manages to clear a path towards the staircase. The remaining guards fall back upon the second level, determined to keep Dante from progressing any further. A grave mistake they’re about to pay in blood.

He starts airing out the mercenaries again the second he climbs up the stairs, shooting with deadly precision as he races down the hallway. No one is spared from the onslaught, not even the turtle-like goblin that tried to flee into the lounge. Dante leaps over towards the kappa and shoots it in point-blank range before quickly whirling around to shoot the Tengu that was shooting fireballs at him. This has turned from a gunfight to a massacre in 2.5 seconds.

Everything is just a blur at this point now that Dante managed to break through their formation in a hail of bullets. At one point, the devil hunter does get tagged in the shoulder but he simply brushes it off and keeps on shooting. He ends up taking a few more hits none of which manage to slow him down. Dante keeps up the momentum for a while before eventually diving behind a nearby wall once several more goons from the lounge appear carrying shotguns. It’s then that Dante takes this moment to check on the wound in his shoulder.]

I can’t believe that bitch tagged me.

[He grumbles as he shrugged off the sleeve of his coat. There’s a hint of blood there but nothing too egregious that seems to warrant medical aid just yet. He's healing at a rather alarming rate.]

Ugh, I'm gonna have to knife the bullet out later.

[And keep up the pace he does. It's almost a shame he'll have to give Ebony back: she's not what he's used to, but she still handles like a dream. It feels so, so much better to be fully in control like this, gun in hand, than improvising as he'd done before. Kamui really owes Dante big for this one. He'll have to figure out how to thank him later, for sure.

With Dante mowing his way through like a tank and Kamui picking off any stragglers hiding and setting their sights on the other man, they're up the stairs and around the corner in no time. Easier for Kamui than Dante, honestly-- with such a big, imposing target barrelling his through the casino, Dante's drawing nearly all the gunfire his way.

Then again...]

Are you all right?

[By the time they're behind cover again, Kamui's seen him get shot more than once, and yet he hasn't stopped or slowed in the least. He gives him a concerned once-over before he peeks his head around the corner of their latest hiding spot, firing a few more rounds off.]

Some of those looked nasty. If you need I can take point-- [But he trails off as soon as he takes another glance back at Dante. Those weren't scratches. They're already gone? Kamui blinks, dumbfounded.]

You're healing. [Which means he has powers, of some sort.] Your abilities-- [BANG; Kamui frowns tightly, leans around the corner again, and fires off another shot with Ebony back.] --your abilities work here? None of mine do.

O-Only some. [He manages to croak out in between coughs.] If I was fully rearing to go, we wouldn't be pinned down.

[Dante only has a handful of abilities at his disposal right now but thankfully he has his rapid healing. He doesn't believe in God or anything, but someone up there in paradise above saved his ass by allowing him to still rapidly heal. However, Dante still feels pain. It's almost like he feels pain more acutely than ever before but he can take it.

He spats up a few more droplets of blood until eventually, he coughs up a few bullets. It's not the prettiest thing but whatever. At least some of those damn things are out. The others will have to be carved out like a turkey dinner later.]

You're pretty damn good with her.[He gestures to Ebony with a smirk.] I'm starting to think she's a little sweet on you but I can tell you got skills.

[Dante takes a deep breath now that the pain has subsided a bit. He typically likes to work alone but he's for once glad that he doesn't.]

Take the lead, man. The stage is yours.

[Dante, that's gross. Kamui doesn't seem to be especially bothered by it, though, so much as he is interested. His silver eye might keep him alive indefinitely, but they wouldn't stop a bullet. Actually healing is something amazing in and of itself.

At Dante's words, Kamui meets his eyes again, looking up from the collection of bullets in the man's palm. He offers a modest smile back. He'll be able to get a few more moments of rest without any further issue, if Kamui can help it.] Thanks. You can count on me.

[Humble as his nature may be, he's no slouch when it comes to a fight-- hell, he might've even taken Travis down, if their fight hadn't been stopped prematurely. (Speaking of Travis, he definitely would've enjoyed this little outing: Dante's thirst for blood is so much like his friend's, really...)

So, taking point, he's off. Dante's picked off all but the youkai bearing shotguns; small, but agile, Kamui moves to hide behind another overturned table, fearlessly baiting one into firing off a blast and leaving himself vulnerable on the reload. Kamui snipes him from cover, and Ebony's bullets land true-- the hired gun is down with a bullet in his skull. One beside him hesitates, startled his comrade is gone, and in that second Kamui pops back out again, tagging him in the shoulder.

But Kamui leans more on his brains than his brawn. His eyes dart up to a chandelier on the casino ceiling, and with a well-aimed bullet, he breaks the cord that anchors it to the ceiling. With a deafening crash, it hits the floor, disabling a few more men.]

Saw a couple more, Dante, [Kamui calls behind him,] taking cover, too!

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March 2022 Mini Event

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