Scene #6806: Pirate Assault on Yoji Island

Owner	Pose
Starlight Bandits	Yoji Island is not particularly easy to get to. With no native warpgates on it, those responding will have to hitch a ride with JSDF or make their own way over. The boat trip would be slow, hindered by thick fogs and jagged shores that could rip a hole in a hull with even a glancing blow. But indeed, as the island comes into view, it almost looks like this is the fate that befell the pirates. Their many and varied ships exhibit many tears and gouges, several listing in the shallows by the shore and the docks. However, they also exhibit a lot of damage above the water line. Gouges and cuts, what looks to be cases of sudden advanced sun bleaching, and a couple that bear anti-air weaponry look to be covered in spider webs. Upon making shore, the JSDF disembark and begin mobilizing to secure the area. There are two immediate points of interest given away by the sounds. In the nearby village, a rustic little place deeply stepped in Japanese tradition, the sounds of chanting and prayers can be heard. Surviving locals perhaps? But in the distance, deeper into the island, is the sound of gunfire, and lots of it. Some kind of fight is going down.
Staren	Staren is a bit busy for long boatrides, as he's accidentally gotten involved in a shootout, but afterwards, while he's waiting for his technicians to process the civilians he's reviving... Apparently there's this going on! And he has his own ship, so... Staren beams down at the planned arrival time, briefly identifying himself to the JSDF and then... well. Sounds like he's moving from one gunfight to the next. Stylized translucent orange wings suddenly appear behind his back and buzz like an insect's as he flies that way. At least he has armor this time.
Majima Goro	"Nishida, why the fuck are we in this boat?" "Boss, there was a distress signal coming from this island!" A gloved hand pushes knuckles between eye and eyepatch, drilling it in. "...Nishida, why the fuck do we care about a distress signal coming from pirates?" A motorboat has followed the JSDF. It contains two men. One, a man in a snakeskin jacket and black leather pants, reclining, while a man in a hard hat nervously operates the vehicle. "Well, boss, there was this guy on the corner of Tenkaichi, you know, right by Serena.." Majima sits up. Puts his hand up. "...I know how this shit goes. Just get us onto the island, before I knock ya silly." He rubs his eye, taking a deep breath. With that, they arrive. Sure, alright, 'Majima Goro, President of Majima Construction' is weird credentials, but Staren'll probably vouch for him. Right? That's a thing Staren would do. Staren's a good guy. "...Alright. Nishida, we're goin' down to the village." He says, making his way downwards towards the chanting. "What? I thought you'd want in on the fight!" Nishida looks surprised, albeit somewhat grateful, following quickly behind at Majima's side. He's nodding very enthusiastically at the idea of not-bullets. "..like I said, I know how this shit goes. This way's where the GOOD fight is."
Lilian Rook	"JSDF . . . really don't want to. Ughhh" Despite a lot of fussing over having to cooperate with the virgin Japanese army, Lilian eventually gives up on it when she also decides she doesn't want to cross multiple miles of ocean by herself, due to the fact that she expects to have to do things when she gets there, and it's a tax on both focus and stamina to do that. She suffers through a ride, trying to make the best of the couple of hours she has left before her night schedule starts. She has no interest in disclosing anything she's up to once she disembarks. The armed ships draw her attention sheerly for the extremely abberant sight of being choked with spider webs out at sea. She takes some time to examine the webs themselves, experimentally yanking on them, and then the damage suffered by the others as well, mostly looking to get a good look at what'd happened further inside, past the hulls being bleached or peeled (that's fairly standard if they'd actually been shipwrecked here a while). Gunfire is what draws her attention eventually though. She shows up in the village, and then the first thing she has to say is: "You again?" She groans a little in Staren's direction. Not a lot. Just a tiny bit. Two nights in a row is a bit repetitive.
Starlight Bandits	Staren just dives right in. The JSDF can't really stop him, being ground troops and all, but some begin following him overland to confront the sound of gunshots. Lilian passes them by within the frozen time and catches up just as Staren reaches the source. In the middle of the island is a hollow, burnt out volcano. A cave goes right through the mountain to reach the crater, which features an ancient, ornate wooden shrine. Emerging from within this shrine are many larvae, each the side of a large dog. They're swarming over the pirates and spraying them with thick web. From the looks of some that are lying on the ground, these things are capable of ripping and tearing flesh. The pirates are fighting back, but the monstrous bugs are both surprisingly durable, and many. Meanwhile, at the village, Majime and Nishida comes across a prayer circle in the centre. They have gathered around a small stone pillar which has a moth carving atop it. The prayer is being led by two young women, twins clad in matching ceremonial robes. The whole affair is being watched over by several of the pirates, none of whom seem happy. "SHADDAP!" one shouts, firing a pistol into the air, but the villages will not be dissuaded. "Keep it down!" another hisses furiously. "You want to bring that thing back?!"
Majima Goro	Majima spreads his arms, happily swaggering into the village center. That said, he's about to yell, but then they're talking about being loud bringing 'that thing back'. Nah. He doesn't wanna do that just yet. So, instead, he decides to handle things in a sensitive, and mature manner. That is, he bends his elbows, pointing two outstretched thumbs at himself. He smiles that kind of smile that pings aggressively, before pulling out the Tonto. He mimes a few stabs in the twins directions, before shrugging at the pirates, as if to ask, 'why hello sirs are these the weird cultists you need beaten to a pulp' in that sort of useful pantomimery one uses at a time like this. He's got an eyepatch, he's basically a pirate, right? That's totally how that works. For his part, Nishida's just following along, trying to puff himself up and look tough. He's not very good at it.
Lilian Rook	Giant bug larvae weren't exactly what Lilian was expecting to find in an island volcano. On an island at all, honestly. Not one this small and out in the sticks anyways. Maybe a giant spider monster, but as a one off. Given that the unfortunates here are reported to be pirates, and certainly look the part with there lack of discipline and easily available guns, Lilian doesn't seem too tempted to leap into action to defend them. Rather, she watches a little while to confirm that the bullets are doing a whole lot of less than they should to organisms normally known for being helpless and squishy, and decides that she might as well skip bothering on her own part. Given that the bugs emerged from a volcano, she errs on assuming that they're probably pretty resilient to heat too, and that their insides are likely going to resist pressure, which works the other way around too. Conjuring a ball of swirming red mist into her hand, condesing into a winedark core at its center, she hurls it into the midst of the grub swarm, where it explodes into a wave of deep, rose red energy that sweeps over the rocks without any real damaging force. It's where it catches the bullet riddled larvae that it does the badness, causing their blood to crystallize and turn to spikes, erupting from under their hides as cruel thorns pierce the innards.
Staren	Staren's expecting to see pirates fighting police or something. Instead, there's... larvae? "So. What's all this then?" Staren asks after landing. He, too, is less moved to immediate action. "Are there even any locals left, or did you already kill them all?" Once Lilian (and possibly the JSDF) engage, though, Staren joins in. He's not making the same assumptions -- he fires the beam cannons to see if they work on one of the larvae, and will decide where to go from there based on what happens.
Starlight Bandits	Majima swaggers right up to everyone, threatening the twins who only regard him complacently. The pirates meanwhile, peg him instantly. Guess they must be a tight knit crew, because all their guns get trained on the yakuza and his henchmen. "HEY! Who the hell are you?!" the loud one shouts, when a gunshot suddenly rings out. Not aimed at Majima, Nishida, or any of the villagers. Rather, a pirate keels over as the JSDF swarm the village. The fighting is instant and loud. The villagers hunker down or make a break for safety, but again, the twins remain and continue the prayer. Meanwhile, at the temple, the pirates seem conflicted on getting saved. But either way, the laser beams shot by Staren and the blood spears that Lilian makes erupt within the larvae seem far more effective than simple bullets. "No, we rounded them up in the village,"a pirate with a missing chunk of leg groans. "Listen, we have to go. Do you have a boat? There's a-" He is cut off by an ear-splitting cry that comes down from the sky. https://puu.sh/EaSlG/6d55615375.mp3 "Oh god it's back!" the bleeding pirate cries. The sound is heard in the village also, which makes the pirates panic and scramble, easy pickings for the JSDF. A bright green glow cuts through the mist as a massive, flying figure descends upon Yoji Island. It burns with bright bioluminescent light, bright enough to be painful to look at. Through the glare, the figure of a great moth can be seen before it descends upon the island. It moves at speeds that belies its size, ducking in and out of the village, volcano, and ships in repeated flurries. With each dive, it attacks a pirate, taking some into the air before dropping it, others suddenly getting slashed and gouged. The JSDF is at a loss. The villagers just fall to their knees and pray.
Majima Goro	Majima...was not intending to get the pirates ambushed. Frankly, he was on Team Pirate. On the upside, apparently not being on Team Pirate has paid off. A giant green glowing moth has descended, and just started murdering pirates left and right, frankly faster than Majima can even keep track of. "Nishida, get t--who the fuck 'm I kidding," He says, turning around. Nishida is already kneeling next to a villager, fervently making prayer motions. Majima frankly cannot blame him. Alright. Majima...likes fights, but this is the kinda fight that requires a giant-ass lizard that breathes fire. Him. He lights a cigarette and calmly walks over to lean on the side of a building. Hell, he takes a phone call. This ain't his issue till someone says it is, or that moth attacks him. Maybe he can tango with the JSDF if they sass him. That's fine too.
Staren	Before Staren can even reply to the pirate's request... "...The hell?!" Staren backs away defensively, and raises his arm to fire... but then he notices it's only attacking pirates. Is it... actually some kine of legitimate guardian deity or whatever, fulfilling its duties? He's not sure he actually needs to stop that. If anything, guardians doing their job is something to encourage because it's good for everyone, compared to the fakers who just leech off their worshipers.
Lilian Rook	"Oh? That's good for you. Maybe your punishment will be a little less severe." Lilian says to the bleeding pirate, surveying the larval corpses and poking them with the tip of her scabbard to ensure that they're dead. She can't provide medical attention anyways, so what's the point of fussing over him? Staren's the real humanitarian. He'll probably handle it. She pauses only when the screech interrupts her assessment, stopping to clap her hands over her ears and grimace through the aural punishment. She has to abandon one of those when the light comes blazing into her face, shielding her eyes instead to try and at least be able to see through the insane glow radiating off . . . a moth? "I was really expecting some kind of angel or island god for a second there." she hisses. "What the hell is this gigantic insect doing here, and why is it like that?" The word that it's what the villagers are praying to comes from Majima, even to the point that their village is full of statues of it. "Does it live here?! How does nobody know about it with all those shipwrecks out front?! Who'd be dumb enough!" Well, someone was. These pirates, namely. Lilian remains watching the giant monster's movements for a little while longer, working out a plan of action in her head, when she realized it seems to be only targeting pirates. "Is it domesticated or something? Or is it a permanent residents of its territory thing? That's . . ." Lilian is genuinely at kind of a loss. She turns to the guy with the ostensibly stronger compass and better grasp of Big Heroism, slowly and tentatively asking Staren "Do we . . . care about this?" A second later, something else hits her. "Sh- We just killed its offspring, right?" She makes sure to get as far away as possible from the dead grubs as quickly as possible after that realization.
Starlight Bandits	Down in the village, among the prayers and calls of the villagers, a single phrase is repeated over and over. "Mosura... Mosura..." they chant. The JSDF, upon realising that this being is only going after the pirates, suffers an internal disagreement. Some feel they should defend them so they may face the law, others feel it's not worth incurring the wrath of this 'Mosura.' Such a shame then, that Staren and Lilian killed all those grubs. The pirate with the hurt leg is the last to go, literally getting crushed to death as the giant moth comes in for a landing just as Lilian starts to get away. Only now does it realise that its young(?) have been massacred. Its light dims, and it folds its wings in before scuttling over to the bloody bodies. It... cries. That's the only word to describe the noises it makes, noises that reach the village. The locals cry too, apparently recognising what the sounds mean. Given that this being has the capacity to be sad, that implies intelligence. Maybe it's less pheromones and more 'recognition' that allowed it to focus down on the pirates. But given that those sobs give way to an enraged shriek, it may be done picking and choosing. It turns, unfurling its wings like a whip to try and slap Staren, before going barrelling after the fleeing Lilian, crashing through the woods around the volanco to arrive at the shore. It begins ripping and tearing through JSDF with sharp chitinous legs. The villagers scatter, but the twins remain cool and calm, watching this guardian as it goes after Majima also.
Staren	Staren holds up his arms and takes the slap on them. "I'm sorry!" But then it goes after the JSDF... He has to fire on it. "Run!" He shouts to them as he tries to draw the moth's attention. <"Majima! Ask the villagers if there's anything we can do to calm this thing down! Or get it to talk with us!">
Majima Goro	Majima has done literally nothing wrong. "...eh...Nishida? If ya heard any of that, get into a house, ya dumbass!" He calls out to...nope. Nishida's already slamming a door, and cowering under a bed. He is a Good Boy. He sighs, clicking off his phone. Well. Guess he's gonna have to tangle with a giant-ass moth tonight. He grumbles. ...Oh, who is he kidding? That's awesome! He starts to dance around a little bit, in fact, getting into the groove of it. Can he save those JSDF guys? Nah. But--as it circles around again, it starts to rush at him. That's when he suddenly flashes with magenta fire, eye gleaming. "Hey, I don't wanna kill this moth buddy of yours!" He calls out to the weird creepy twins still praying at the center. "...so ya may wanna work on calmin' him down 'fore I run outta options!" With that, he dances his way out of the moth kaiju's attack. Literally dancing. He's moonwalking as it presumably turns around for round two. "I'll buy ya time, but my buddies got trigger fingers, eh?"
Lilian Rook	Lilian figures it out ahead of anyone else, which is still a little too late. The giant moth from hell lands on the clearing, and she has to teleport out of the way at the last second to avoid being trampled, taking a much higher rock up the volcano's exterior slope. The giant bug is . . . mourning, over the gross, evil killer grubs. "Now I feel kind of . . ." Lilian lets the half-formed word roll around in her chest for a moment, not quite taking shape on its way to her lips. "-uncomfortable with this. It kind of feels like I've kicked a dog for no reason. Albeit, I'm a cat person, not a moth person." The larvae are hideous, gelatinous worm things, clearly preying on human beings, so it really rubs Lilian the wrong way that she has any feelings at all about a giant moth. It causes her to rock uncomfortably on her chosen stone, fiddling with the hilt of her sword rather than drawing it. "Hey, can that thing understand me?" she calls out, leaping again into the air and gaining distance with flight. "Does it understand the villagers, or just their interpretive dance? Can it be communicated with? I . . ." ". . . this thing is these idiot islanders' only defense, right? It's a guard dog doing its job. If we kill it now, they're basically defenseless against the next band of degenerate killers, and there aren't any young to take its place. I'd rather not screw over the villagers we're supposed to be protecting, but . . . well, if I have to, that's that." Lilian still seems remarkably apathetic about the JSDF lines. They're soldiers. They signed up for it. "Get back on the boats you gaggle of-" -----[stop]----- "Unbelievably retarded jingo jumping jack Extras." -----[start]----- "-slack-jawed idiots! Get out of the way!" she yells down at the troopers being assaulted, pelting the terrain between them and the giant moth with the barrage of red-black flames that err on danger close for the JSDF rather than risk hitting the moth, trying to delay it to minimize casualties. Honestly, those are Staren's problem too.
Starlight Bandits	"Mosura" lunges and swipes at Majima with the wrath and fury of... well, a gigantic creature who just found its young killed. But in that rage and sorry, it becomes clumsy. It scuttles awkwardly atop the village roofs, trying to stab and pierce at the yakuza with its massive legs. But it misses, over and over, until its frustration catches up with it. It shines once more, letting loose a blinding flash to try and stun him, before a stinger emerges from its abdomen. But a song fills the air. Oddly, the lyrics sound more Indonesian than Japanese. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lmZRRqF6wA Both Lilian and Staren had the same idea; the villagers must have a means of communicating with this creature for it to defend them so fervently. And that means turns out to be the twins. Their song catches the monster's attention. It twitches on the spot, its wings blocking the sun as it hisses lightly at the two, but they sing on undaunted. Slowly, its furious movements begin to settle, and the stinger retracts. "Oh ye man who is consumed by his mad delusion. Oh ye wicked woman who seeks to do good. Oh ye boy who will do evil in pursuit of good," the twins say in eerie, perfect unison. "We thank you for coming. And ye as well, soldiers of the mainland." The surviving JSDF hobbles back to the boat as the twins continue. "The Great Goddess Mosura apologises for her outburst. She is a friend and defender to humanity. But the loss of her young sent her into a panic. We hope you understand." All three (yes, even Mosura) bow their heads to everyone in turn. "We hope we do not impose when we ask a question of you all; Mosura has sensed something, but would not leave us unaided unless she were sure, so we ask of ye to confirm her feelings. Has a creature such as this appeared in the world beyond?" One twin crouches so the other can step upon her shoulders. They rise up as Mosura looms behind them, spreading her wings as the twins spread their arms. It becomes apparent that the pattern on their robes are continuous with Mosura's great wings. The robes depict a body, roughly. Scaly, with claws. Two great spots on Mosura's wings seem to resemble eyes. It's... not a great resemblance to anything they're asking about, so they supplement. "A great, standing lizard, with a breath that razes the world. Know you anything of this?"
Staren	Staren stops attacking as long as it's not killing JSDF. He hangs his head at the 'will do evil' descriptor. He faces the twins to answer their question, though. "A great, standing lizard was faught and killed some months ago, but noone described it as having some kind of special breath." Staren pulls out a tablet and shows a picture that must have been shared by Reyes's sensors at some point. The overall shape is that of godzilla, but it's spikier with a more mottled hide. "Are there still surviving young? Is there anything we can do to make it up to her?"
Majima Goro	'Man consumed by his mad delusion'. Y'know, he'd be insulted, but Majima frankly got off easy, there. Besides, he calls /himself/ the Mad Dog of Shimano. Apparently they've heard of him. He just nods along with it. "Eh, nah, I'd do the same thing, eh? I just didn't want it gettin' any worse." He points up to Mosura. "...and leavin' you guys prey to punks like those assholes," He says, casually pointing to the mutilated corpses, "Didn't seem right. Anyway, eh..." He watches as.. "...wasn't really 'spectin a cheerleadin' outfit outta this, but sure, what the fuck....." He scratches his head. "...Wait, eh? Ya lookin' for Gojira? ...aww, shit, I ain't seen that guy, but that doesn't mean he's not 'round, I guess." He puts his hands to his mouth, in order to yell more efficiently. "Hey! Nishida! Get your ass out here! Mosura ain't gonna kill ya!" ...there is a slow, tentative opening of a door. Nishida looks at the moth. The twins. He leaves the relative safety of that hideyhole with a hesitation, as if he is calculating whether he is more scared of the giant moth monster or Majima. It should say a lot that Majima wins out, as he treads out. "Y...yes, Boss?" He asks. "...yeah, you're always watchin' all the frequencies. I'm sure Staren'll get right on it, but can ya also check your phone and shit and see if Gojira's a thing now?" A gloved hand waves a little. "..y'know, like the fuckin' movie? Obviously it's a thing /somewhere/." "Boss, didn't you stab that thing in the eye some months back?" Majima walks over, firmly but lovingly punching Nishida in the side of the head. "...That one didn't have a fuckin' atomic breath, ya dipshit! Now get that phone open and start searchin'! We owe these guys!" "But Boss, we didn't--ow!"
Lilian Rook	Lilian twitches visibly at 'ye wicked woman who seeks to do good'. Oh she's definitely already coming up with the words, but the eerily synchronized twin dance and the fact that it suddenly gets the moth's attention, as well as apparent cooperation, is stunning enough that it takes her mind off of them and leaves it only on watching --squinting, eventually, at the abstract shape being displayed. "I- . . . I'm not sure how to feel about being apologized to by a moth. Moth goddess? I mean, after all, I helped kill the grub things. Granted, it really looked like they were a danger to the village at the time. Still. Isn't that more my prerogative to apologize?" She doesn't, but the thought is there. "I'm not certain I have anything on hand that'd be compensation for it. What do giant moths even eat?" She resists the urge to think of something to say about giant sweaters. "Oh well, I suppose I can always just leave a donation for village repair. Corpse removal on those seagoing stains too." She opens her holo and goes scrolling through her logs. "I remember Doctor Strange and Rhongomyniad saying something about that before --yes, two months ago or so. I don't have any video logs. An official report wasn't properly filed. Why?"
Starlight Bandits	"Your heart is kind, boy," the twins (who look younger than Staren) say to him as he tries to extend help. "But Mosura will tend to her clutch, as shall we. Your offer of help is appreciated, but unnecessary." But as Majima speaks the name 'Gojira' they both snap their attention to him. "Yes. Has he been sighted?" Nishida gets right on it, braving the awful signal out here as Lilian brings up that they should be apologising. "Would you?" they both ask. Nishida would find reports of a great nuclear lizard attacking an oil platform a month and change ago. It is the same event that Lilian relays. "Yes. That is Gojira," the twins say, causing Mosura to stand upright once more. "He is the king of this world. And in a sense, Mosura is his queen. His eyes upon her wings is proof of their bond. She wishes to be at his side." The great moth takes flight for the volcano once more, the villagers shouting prayers and well-wishes after her. "She will lay another clutch, and then depart to seek him out. We shall tend to it, and our homes... but help in repairs and cleaning up would be appreciated. Thank you," both twins say, offering another bow to the Elites.
Staren	And that's another swerve. "She wants to be at his side? Does that mean helping him attack people?" Staren asks, now not sure what to make of all this.
Starlight Bandits	"No," both twins say firmly. "Mosura is a guardian deity. Gojira is..." For once, they both seem stumped, taking a moment to pick their words. "He demands respect, and responds in kind when it is not given. Should he go too far, Mosura will stand against him."
Majima Goro	"Boss, apparently it's out there! Check it out!" Majima swipes Nishida's phone. "...eh, so it is! ...what's on your phone gallery, anyway? I've never actually looked--" "Boss! No! That's not okay! We're busy!" Meanwhile, there is some frantic swiping as a poor man in a hardhat desperately attempts to acquire his cell phone from Majima, who is holding him back casually with one hand while flipping through with the other. "...ahhh. Yeah. This's old, though. 'bout a month back. Ain't sure where he is right this minute, yeah?"
Staren	Staren cocks his head to one side. "I see... I will send constructs to help with repairs, but first I must save lives before the window of opportunity passes." If there's nothing else pressing, he goes back to the battleground to gather any dead he can save. Mainly the JSDF, but maybe even a pirate for interviewing what the hell they were doing here.
Lilian Rook	Lilian doesn't actually answer 'would you'. If she doesn't the conversation moves on regardless. That's the better choice. "That's . . . well, I'm not going to stop the giant . . . guardian. Things like that, when they're supposed to be paired or opposed or destined to something or other, are usually best left like that." "Oil drilling is a dead end industry anyways." Lilian is moderately interested in whatever this Gojira thing is supposed to be, and starts looking up the reports herself. "I'm afraid I'm not any good at hammering nails or anything, but-" Lilian likewise assumes that a rustic little nowhere village like this doesn't take cheques, so she contacts the local JSDF line directly and hits up the disaster relief line. Then she points to Majima. "You own a construction company, right? Five million yen to get this place set back up. Otherwise, it goes to the JSDF."