June 2022 Test Drive

[jigokumods]

MAIN NAVIGATION

1. CLEAN UP

The curse has broken, finally banishing the oppressive air around the city and the many sightless eyes of the accursed haniwa. Life will have to return to normal now but first there is lingering clean-up that must be attended to:

SHUTEN CLAN

The Shuten Clan is out in force to rebuild damaged storefronts. Eager oni appear in their festival happi, singing oni working tunes. You can pick up the words easily enough, join in and help out. The mood starts bright, but after a number of unlucky accidents there is less singing and more grumbling. The cursed energy left behind has made all of you much more prone to workplace accidents but the storefronts need to be scrubbed, broken glass needs sweeping, new furniture needs construction. There are any number of thumbs smashed by hammers, hands cut on saws, heads hit with falling debris or that board of wood you didn’t see someone carrying towards you. It’s a cursed day to be out on the job.

Rewards will come in the form of free drinks for a week from specific bars and a generous amount of chips for the casinos. If you aren’t of age to drink or gamble? Well… they’ll look the other way this time. Have fun.

It should be noted that the uniform -- a happi, a hachimaki, and fundoshi -- is required. The Shuten Clan is very traditional, after all.

TAMAMO CLAN

The bathhouses in Tamamo clan territory remain full of bloodied water. They need to be drained and scrubbed to make them new again. However, reaching the drains is a tricky business. You can’t simply reach in to pull out the plug, you will have to wade into the water to twist it free. Easy enough, right?

Unfortunately, residual curse energy has made this a very dangerous task. Phantasmal hands will reach out and try to drag you under as you get too close to the drain. The phantasms can be distracted, so you’ll need some teamwork to succeed. Your reward is a significant amount of free bath coupons. Some of the advertised baths even have “special” properties. Take the chance to relax, you probably need it.

Those that are rejuvenated in the newly purified baths will find themselves with seemingly limitless vigor. That vigor may sometimes manifest in the form of desperately needing to fuck the first thing willing to do so. Which might turn out somewhat embarrassing...

SUTOKU CLAN

The residual cursed energy in the Sutoku Alliance territory has congregated in their many arcades. The prizes in the UFO catcher machines seem off and they keep shifting around. If you happen to win a prize, the prize slot snaps shut on your hand with amazing force: the machine out for blood. To clear the curse, the prizes need to be removed from the machines and purified with the help of a local shrine maiden. Unfortunately, the key ring to open the machines has been stolen by some of the unruly prizes. You will need to use your UFO catcher skills to fish it back out.

Try not to lose any fingers.

Other machines are shooting tokens out of their coin slots at astonishingly painful speeds. A strange phenomenon, as even the machines that take swipe cards are doing it. Where are those tokens even coming from? You will have to get the machines open and give them a deep cleaning to get all the residual blood off the coins and mechanisms. You need the same keys that are stuck inside the UFO catcher…. Better hope you can fish out the one you need.

For your troubles, you will be given unlimited free plays for a month. Perfect for winning a totally-not-cursed prize for your sweetie.

ENMA DEPARTMENT

It’s the Department of the Enma’s turn to go begging for good will. They are considered to be mostly responsible for the way the cursed haniwa were handled in the first place. Enma souls should get out on the streets and see what the people need: Food, clean water, housing repairs and maintenance, as well as exorcisms. They’re all high on people’s priority lists and most people want it done pronto. Try not to get snappy with the angry people, the department’s reputation is on the line.

The Enma is slated to give a press conference at some point. It's up to the rest of the Department to assure that there will be reception to his words. They are likely to be of grave importance to the rest of the city.

A hard day’s work is its own reward, but you’ll also get a day pass to a theme park on the edge of the city – in the name of community outreach, of course.

2. GHOST SHARKS

The very streets themselves are treacherous with residual curses. The isonades may have been intimidated out of town for the moment but the anger of their ancestors lingers in the bloody puddles that still glisten in the streets. Come too close to these puddles and spectral sharks will lunge from beneath the surface: Blood for blood! Lives for lives!

While spectral in nature, the teeth on these sharks can still do real harm to anyone they lash out at. They don’t seem to take damage in kind, but will pop and disperse for a moment when struck. The ghostly sharks are being populated by a magic totem that has been partially buried in the dirt of a local park. Destroy it and the sharks will disappear.

Unfortunately, a pack of snotty local children have taken a shine to this magic totem. They are not keen to let you take it from them, nor break it. It’s theirs. It’s special. If you’re feeling brutish or cruel, you can fight the children or deceive them, but your boss would probably suggest you try to bargain with them for appearance’s sake. They’re entirely unreasonable though, as children can be, and it will be quite a chore to get them to agree to your terms.

3. CURSED CORNERS

There are certain corners and alleyways which are simply predisposed to gather cursed energy. These areas are still haunted enough to affect the reality around you. You may experience hallucinations or visions of lost loved ones, past regrets, personal failings. These visions are played out in the area for all to see. You will remain frozen in place until your moment is done, or someone brave comes to pull you out.

Now that the worst of it is over, some of the more morbid and voyeuristic members of the public may be lurking around these haunted areas, waiting to see what horrors will be unveiled. They have out their phones and their cameras to record the show.

The cruelest of the spectators provide commentary to their social media followings as they observe. Anything for that monetization!

The biggest of the streams is a kerakera onna who goes by her channel name: Lipsticki. She leans in over the rooftops to cackle loudly at people’s misfortunes and give petty, scathing commentary about their misdeeds and failings.

4. THE ENMA SPEAKS (PLOT RELEVANT)

Outside the hospital where the Enma was being treated, there is a huge press gathering. The judge arbiter has been deemed fit enough to release. Hungry for word, journalists from every publication swarm the area. Most press-outlets in the city are controlled by the Sutoku Alliance, who have a vested interested in interrogating the Enma.

A number of other onlookers have tacked on as well, including Lost Souls both old and new. Lost Souls may even find themselves ordered to attend the statement by their faction.

It is assumed that the Enma must have something of grave importance to say, after all.

The Enma approaches the podium. He is dressed in his usual suit, his crown, and his stern expression; it puts a hush over the crowd through its tremendous pressure alone. No questions have been asked, yet, but a statement has been prepared. He clears his throat:

"The cause of the curse, the enemy of Jigokucho, is... Haniyasu. The Department's focus will be shifting to determining our next action in regards to this entity. That is all."

Just like, the Enma's secretary and a retinue of armored shinigami move to flank the Enma and guide them to a waiting limo down the steps. The press yells their questions over one another, but are pushed back. The Enma doesn't even seem to perceive them, simply focusing on getting into the car.

Unfortunately, if you're a representative for one of the factions -- especially the Department of the Enma -- that makes you fair game to hound for questioning too. Do you stand your ground or try to run away?

[[banner art by s-tokimura]]

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Comments

[karumic]

[It does indeed, and thankfully he has quick enough reflexes to get out of their range in the next moments. Any later, though, and they'd likely have dragged him in.

Kazuma's embarrassed, if anything, that they were that close to getting the drop on him. He should be better than that. He doesn't know how he knows that, but he does. He stares sullenly out over the water where the hands retract with soft plops.]

Thanks.

[Some of the bloody bath water splashed onto his face in the commotion. Gross. He wipes it off with the back of his hand with an expression of disgust.]

Guess I'm still not used to things around here.

[watermemory]

[Minato starts forward, but the stranger's quick enough on his feet to get to safety himself. Instead he stops awkwardly at the lip of the baths, with half an eye on the waters to see if the spectres decide to make a second performance.]

Don't mention it. [He gives a small smile to try and smooth it over, even if he doesn't disagree one bit with Kazuma's visible distaste.] On the whole, I'd rather see yuzu in the baths, not blood and yurei.

[With a silent prayer, he reaches into the waters to get his improvised projectile. Several cold somethings that might be fingers brush up against his arm. When he does find the spritz bottle, there's a bad moment where he has a brief tug-of-war with... whatever inhabits the baths, but Minato pulls backwards with another splash, undrowned and his prize retrieved. His attempt at levity is pretty well over, judging by his unnerved face.]

Eeh... I doubt anyone is "used to it," yet. I know the city exorcists have their work cut out for them, but this is a little much.

[karumic]

[Better Minato than him, here, though Kazuma does try to cover Minato's retreat by stomping at the hands that reach back to pull him under. It's the least he can do, after he saved Kazuma's dumb hide.]

None of this is normal, then?

[It's more of a loaded question than Minato might realize; as compromised as Kazuma's memory is, he has no idea what a baseline level of yurei activity is--if there should be any at all--here or anywhere else. It's a tricky balancing act, trying to suss out everyone's standards and expectations without revealing his own disadvantage. Possibly one it is not even worth the effort of striking, but Kazuma don't trust like that.

At least it's easier to hide when he doesn't seem to be the only new person around here.]

What's the bottle for?

[watermemory]

[It doesn't sound like an odd question at all -- the discomfort and terseness coming off of Kazuma feels all pretty par for the course, especially after both their close calls just now. ]

I haven't been to this bathhouse, to be sure... But it'd be bad for business, no? I don't think my family's inn back home would get any visitors if there were ghosts in the floorboards or blood everywhere. [Minato tilts his head at the stranger.] Unless, were you not here for the storm?

...for now? Nothing. [It had had soapy water in it, but after that tug-of-war, now he examines it, the contents are as tainted with blood as the rest of the bath. He sets it on the floor with a resigned sigh.] I thought I'd clean off that-- [He gestures at the bloodied mural on the wall] --but, ah... you know the rest.

[karumic]

Ah. I was hoping it had special spirit-banishing properties or something like that.

[Which means they'll have to come up with something else for the ghost hands. Alas.]

I actually only just woke up here. [He's not sure how long ago it was, at this point; it could be hours or days. Everything here is so surreal that time itself feels confusing to him sometimes.] I didn't even know there'd been a storm.

[watermemory]

Don't I wish.

[That was in a murmur, but even with Minato's mild tone there's a distinct heartfelt feeling in the words. City full of martial artists and magicians and heralds of the far-flung future, and all he had was a head full of books.]

[He eases himself to his feet, dipping out of the room for a moment to grab a mop from the nearby cart of cleaning supplies. He hovers in the hallway for a beat to see if there's anyone to ask for help with the ghost hands. No dice, though from down the hall there's the sound of a scuffle, a splash, and an explosion of complaints -- someone else running afoul of the haunted baths. He winces and ducks back into the room, holding out the mop handle to Kazuma.]

Here-- we can try just fending them off from a distance, at least?

...Mm? [He's not sure if the stranger is lucky to have missed it, or unlucky to be spirited here.] Things were-- touch and go, for a while there. It was a storm the way this is a normal bathhouse, if you understand.

[karumic]

[Kazuma takes the mop, twirling it experimentally with smooth motions of his wrist. The weight of the mophead means it doesn't move the way he expects it too, so he ends up dropping the thing in the bloodied bathwater with a splash--but he's too surprised by the fact that he has any expectations to defy to be embarrassed.

So he must know how to use some kind of weapon. Interesting. When he has time later, he might try to take the mop part off and see if that feels better. For now, it'll do well enough as a blunt instrument.

He picks it back up--now it's bloody too, great--and brandishes it, mop-head foreward, like a lance at where the macabre hand spirits had vanished and now appear to be lying in wait. He feels a bit silly, but desperate times. After all, Minato's right: it's not a normal bathhouse. Or a normal storm.]

You're telling me it rains blood here?

[It sounds dry, like he's being sarcastic, but he's already seen enough here to know it's not out of the question.]

[watermemory]

[ There's something oddly familiar about the stranger's motions, even when he drops his makeshift weapon. Minato should be watching the ripples in the water, to find an opportunity to move in and yank out the drain plug (would the hands disappear? or would they see a knotted tangle of ghost limbs at the bottom of the tub? ...eurgh...), and yet. He can't quite put his finger on it. ]

[ For a moment, he thinks about himself as a child, swinging around a tree branch (the closest thing to a bokken anyone would let him have at that age) and lunging and parrying at invisible enemies... falling over his feet because his body was trying to access muscle memory meant for someone older and longer-limbed. But Kazuma looks to be about his own age, so that can't be it. He's probably just seeing things. ]

[ He checks himself (so he's not just. staring weirdly), turning his attention back to the waters, rolling the cuffs of his trousers up (even if it's a bit late to avoid a splashing) in preparation to wade back in when there's an opening. ]

It did for a while. [ His voice is quiet, not joking in the least. ] I truly hope it was just a one-off. It left the whole city in a mess.

[ An understatement. ]

[karumic]

[Kazuma notices Minato looking at him, but not knowing the significance to him, just assumes he must have looked particularly foolish trying to perform sword techniques with a mop. Fair enough. Kazuma keeps his gaze trained on the hands like he'd never done anything out of the ordinary in the first place, not unlike a cat that casually walks off falling off a ledge like it had done so on purpose.]

And the monsters? Are they from the storm too? [Both the apparitions and the youkai, though he's not holding out hope for the second one--they seem too entrenched in the society to be temporary.] Or should I be so lucky.