Krusnik Mission Log (CONTENT WARNINGS AHOY)

[kaisoumods]

Krusnik Mission Log

CONTENT WARNINGS: The following log will involve discussions of kidnapping, stalking, child abuse, and human experimentation. Proceed with caution.

So let's take a moment to recap: amongst the numerous groups connected to the paranormal, one of the more infamous ones is Krusnik. For years, Krusnik's name was synminonous with the darkest parts of the world. Known for taking children no one would miss and other such people to do God only knows what to them, they're a group that seemed more like a horror story than anything real. There's been many efforts to try to stamp them out, some more successful than others, but they always managed to slink away into the shadows and survive another day.

In the past, Krusnik didn't usually go stateside. Too much risk, was the theory. However something must have changed, as they've decided to try their luck in Kaisou. Perhaps it was the active Spirit Vein that led them here, or more possible... the otherworlders that no one would think twice about if they disappeared. Gaining their hands on some of those would be a great benefit to Krusnik. And if they happen to get their hands on one or two escaped prisoners in the process...well. So much the better.

Like hell they will.

Thanks to the combined work of many factions and people; the alarms have been sounded. Alba, the researcher who asked for help a few times, has been revealed to actually be Georg Weissmann - a high ranking member of Krusnik. Now it's time to gather the wagons, make sure those vulnerable are protected, and as for Krusnik itself? It's time to root out these demons wearing human-skin once and for all.

Within the City

While only one Krusnik member had been identified in July, it turns out there's a sizable crew of them within the city. There's several operatives scattered throughout the city. Alba himself is no where to be found in the city, but plenty of his lackeys are. They primarily target the young (or young looking), though it's possible they may go after some slightly older people if they have particularly strong magical energy. It's never very many of them at a time, usually only one to three, and they seem to be focused in areas with a high concentration of supernaturally inclined people (except, notably, the Zodiac apartments and Cathedral Hill). Usually they will attempt to strike when they think someone is alone or their guard is down, so staying in groups and making sure there's someone keeping constant watch is a good way to deter them.

Though the groups are small, they are dangerous in their own right. All of them have been trained for combat to an extreme amount. Not only that, but they have magical abilities in some form or another, some who may rival the Libra app users thanks to years of experiments done to their bodies. Their modus operandi leans towards using stealth tactics to get the jump on their target. Not wanting to make their presence too known while in the city, they will tend to flee if they're met with a confrontation that'll draw attention. These aren't people who can be reasoned with, as they are nothing short of fullblown fanatics to their cause. Though, if you wish to capture and get information about their operation in the city, certain interrogation methods aren't out of the question.

In Hyrule

Hyrule was a dangerous enough realm on its own, but the presence of Krusnik operatives have heightened that danger even further for some. Just like in Kaisou, they will try to strike potential targets when they see an opening in groups of one to three. Since they are away from the prying eyes of the city, these Krusnik members will be more willing to have more drawn out fights in order to obtain their targets. Most of them are more than willing to fight to the death for their cause and have the combat ability to back that up, so you best be prepared for a challenging fight.

However should you manage to capture some of them alive, it may be possible to obtain information about their operation using interrogation tactics. As it turns out the leader of their operation and the target of the Black Order, Weissman, is in Hyrule itself. He's set up camp at the Coliseum Ruins in the southeastern part of the Hyrule Fields. The Black Order has been ordered to kill him on sight, so that'll be their destination. If there's anyone looking to dissuade them from carrying out their mission, they're going to have a tough argument to sell.

When you arrive there, you'll find that the place is covered in a red sludge that is toxic and painful to the touch. You'll have to do your best to avoid contact with it as much as you can. Once you get into the coliseum itself, well, it turns out Weissmann knew you'd be coming for him. This isn't the first attempt to take him out, after all. So as soon as you step into Coliseum, Weissmann will call down to you from his ledge he's using as his vantage point. Before you can react, he'll cast a spell that conjures an evil-looking eye before everyone who looks upon is magically immobilized. Now that he has a captured audience, he'll go into a full villainous speech mode. From mocking the Black Order's shortcomings, to emphasizing that all Krusnik is doing is trying to unlock humanity's full potential. "You could have the power of gods," he says "But instead you hold yourselves back with pointless barriers you call morals". He'll even callously speak of the "progress" the former victims have made: first lamenting that Johan would give up the power of his possession after failing to control it - a true failed experiment. Subject Zero, he notes, has clearly allowed her growth to stagnant while in the outside world. Kohinata, on the other hand... well, the Water Spirit he possessed himself with was weaker than Weissman would like, but it was still some progress.

When he's finished saying his rage-inducing, sociopathic piece - he'll decide that's time to finish you all off. Not by his hand, but rather the Silver Lynel he found living in these ruins. It's a massive centaur beast, wielding a claymore emitting flames. He'll release it from his spell, which it's now angry enough to charge and attack everyone who are nothing more than sitting ducks while under Weissman's Evil Eye spell.

Fortunately, for those who came prepared, there are ways to counteract the spell. Barrier spells will deflect the spell entirely, and extremely strong willpower stands a chance to make the spell's hold break. And if someone manages to break Weissman's concentration (by say, shooting him)- that'll break the spell entirely. Whatever ways you manage to free yourself from his magic chains, it's now up to you to fight off the Lynel and get to Weissmann. Weissmann himself, caught off guard by the surprise resistance, will use elemental magic to defend himself. How you deal with this man is up to you, but it's clear he'll be a threat as long as he keeps breathing.

The Base

Once Weissman and the Hyrule team are dealt with, there is only one more thing that needs to be dealt with: the demon's den that is their base of operations. You can find out information to its location either through interrogating captured agents, tailing their agents, or looking into a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of undertown gossip. Eventually, enough leads will bring you to a cluster of warehouses. Most seem to be just regular warehouses, filled with various stocks for businesses in town and for more illicit business ventures. In the middle of these stands a warehouse which outwardly doesn't seem any different from the others. By design, it is made to fit in, be inconspicuous. The inside, however, is a much different story.

You are not alone, first off. There are plenty of Krusnik goons to fight- who will quickly leap to defend their organization. They will fight back with weapons, elemental abilities, with everything they have. And they will fight tooth and nail. Worse still are other, younger members of Krusnik- former captives who have been beaten down and fully indoctrinated into Krusnik's cause. They will not listen to reason, and they will die for this. There's a couple among them that seem to no longer even have presence of self at all and act more like mindless weapons - results of Weissmann's handiwork, it'd seem. Some are exceptionally powerful- if you have the ability to sense them, you will quickly realize these people have been possessed by monsters and demons. There is no benevolence here. Mercy might not be an option.

The bottom floor of the warehouse is filled with rows upon rows of shipping containers. They all have padlocks and chains around them, but none are currently locked. Opening them, you will find a mattress in the back corner, with chains and shackles bolted to the side of the metal wall. Almost all of them, thankfully, are empty- but there's a few that house the three app users (Takame, Vergil, and Rose) who managed to get grabbed. All three of them are alive, though their harrowing physical and emotional states serve as a stark realization that the horror stories about what Krusnik does to victims are anything but stories.

The upper level of the warehouse has a few rudimentary lab setups. It's clear this isn't anything high-tech or powerful, but the remnants of something that once was. Mismatched equipment can be found everywhere, vials and medical equipment scuffed and cracked- things grabbed in a hurry from a crumbling coalition. It's not all scientific, of course. Ancient tomes line the walls, equally damaged and hodgepodge together. Pages are marked which indicate powerful deities, sheets of notebook paper pushed in amongst the pages, with scribbled theories on the best methods to give a "higher rate of spiritual contact". As any former Krusnik captive could tell you, and as is plane in front of you now, all of the methods are grizzly. Means of pushing a person to the brink of death, to try and induce a possession of a spirit. Ideally, of a god.

The furthest room on the top level is an office. Sitting in a chair is a well-put-together man. He's clearly heard the ruckus of all the fighting but hasn't stepped into the fight himself. He welcomes you with a smooth, relaxed voice, like you've dropped in for a cup of tea and not to root out an evil organization. If given the chance to talk (and oh boy, will he talk) he'll explain he is Philip, he's the second of command of this current operation, and you Libra users have it all wrong. Krusnik is trying to understand the Spirit World, the GODS, better. They are simply reaching out to touch the heavens, to bring this power down to mortal folk. He had memories of a previous life, where this was used to better another world. A lost world. That the touch of a god would give everyone an equal playing field, would rid the world of pain and suffering, why would anyone not want that? He does his best to make kidnapping children and forcing them to become vessels for powerful beings by bringing them to the brink of death a reasonable thing to do. Of course, it's not and you can deal with him as you see fit. Once he realizes you're on the attack, he will lash out- his arms turning into green goop - which he can mold into spikes or just straight-up try and suffocate you with it.

Work together to take this guy out. And make sure you do a thorough job doing it- there's always a chance he might reform if not eliminated completely.

Aftermath

Eventually, once Philip is defeated (be sure to be VERY thorough with taking him out) you can check around the office. There's a computer where the attempts to hack Libra originated from. From the scattered paperwork, they will find candid photos of the escaped Krusnik members- there are also candid photos of current otherworlders, especially the minors. All have scribbled notes, times, days, places- an attempt to work out a routine. The beginnings of a plan to try and capture them.

Further investigation will yield Weissmann's personal logs, as you can always count on the evil scientist types to write down their crimes. Amongst the various records of stomach-churning experiments, unhinged manifestos, and detailed crimes against humanity- they'll gain context to why Krusnik was here of all places. It would seem the previous attacks on Krusnik facilities, those carried out by Abel and Zero, were basically fatal blows to the organization. What is here in Kaisou is the splintered remains of the survivors, trying to start again. There are notes of smaller pocket cells out there in the world- but it's clear this was Krusnik's last attempt to get a foothold and gain power once more. With this crushed, they have no hope of truly resurfacing again.

The last thing in the office is the filing cabinet. Weissmann had the key, so unless you looted it off his body, you'll have to pick the lock. Once inside, you'll be rewards with a treasure trove of documents about the organization. Not just their heinous experiments, but information on who gives them funding, who would help them get new victims, and so on. Perhaps Alba was planning on relying on these contacts again, or was holding onto it for blackmail. Either way, it's a treasure trove of evidence to help pursue justice against those who helped Krusnik. And in the very back of the filing cabinet, there's also a notebook containing information on a glyph Krusnik developed to help conceal their presence throughout the years. Maybe this could come in handy...someday.

With everything explored and dealt with, there's only one left to do: figure out what to do about the warehouse. Maybe it'd be good to alert the proper authorities or the Black Order or Zodiac to figure out--

Oh what you want to burn it? Well... okay, that works too. You did just take out a nefarious cult so...yeah, you can burn this building, as a treat.

OOC Notes

This is the catch-all long for the Krusnik subplot! Should you post about this event outside this log, please remember to use relevant content warnings. The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

Comments

IV! Let me know if this needs changed.

[poisontippedcure]

[Rose is...not okay. It is extremely obvious that she is not okay. There is a lot on her mind, and for the most part, once they're out, she's a zombie. She's walking from one place to another, not saying anything.]

[That is, until she sees Jun. The part of her brain that has her feeling sorry for her current predicament is suddenly replaced by the part of her that craves violence. It's not as pronounced as it is for the other Warriors of Light, she's a pacifist by nature, but it's there. And it's telling her that this place has hurt her friends and her family. She turns to Jun.]

They hurt Takame. They hurt you.

[When Jun sets the fire she's spurned into action. Once they're a safe distance away, she'll use her wind magic to fan the flames, helping them to spread. She wants to see this place burn.]

I'll help.

Not at all!

[whiteshroud]

[Jun knows she was among the kidnapped, and he can tell she's...much different than she was before. First she was basically catatonic, and now this.]

Rose...

[he lets her burn it. It does help. The wind magic fans the flames and causes the small fire to start to spread. He's still glancing at her]

Thank you...[Asking how she's feeling is a stupid question] Have you had food? Or water?

[poisontippedcure]

[She's doing her best to avoid eye contact as she continues to fan the flames. There's something therapeutic about it, in a way. It's almost like she's meditating.]

[And her stance is immediately broken the moment Jun speaks to her.]

I don't--I don't know. I don't remember the last time I ate.

[whiteshroud]

[Yeah...he had a feeling about that. He'll look at her with mild concern]

Then you should eat something. [Reaching into his pocket, he'll pull out a chocolate covered granola bar] Here.

[poisontippedcure]

Thank you.

[She's not sure why, but she didn't expect that. Either way, she's happy to have the granola bar. It's only once she takes a bite that she realizes just how hungry she's been.]

I--they didn't feed us. At least not well, and I know they slipped something in the food. I didn't want to think about it [on top of everything else, anyway] so I stopped keeping track.

[whiteshroud]

[He watches and listens to her as she speaks and eat. Yeah...that sounds very familiar alright]

Mm... I remember they'd do that. We'll make sure you get actual food, okay? Safe food.

[poisontippedcure]

Remember?

[That’s right. They did hurt Jun. That’s why Jun set the fire. That’s part of why they helped fan the flames. She knew that internally, but what that meant hadn’t clicked before now.]

I’m so, so sorry. They’re monsters.

[whiteshroud]

[he shakes his head]

It was a long time ago. I've come a long way since then.

So will you.

[poisontippedcure]

Do you think?

[She takes a seat on the ground, hugging her knees. Jun deserved this even less than she did. Hells, he was just a child when it happened, and here she is a fully grown woman, breaking down completely.]

They were so convincing. I actually believed that the cell was where I belonged. If the others hadn't come, hadn't been so obstinate, than I--

[whiteshroud]

[He kneels down next to her]

I know so...because I used to believe the things they said too. [He'll confess it quietly. It's usually the part of the story he leaves out] I believed it so much that after my dad rescued me... I thought him a kidnapper. It took awhile for me to realize just how deeply wrong all of it was.

[He had always known on some level, but when it's the only world you've ever known...it's hard to question it as much as you should]

But...just because you fell for it, doesn't mean you can't move past it. They're gone, but you're still here.

[poisontippedcure]

['They're gone, but you're still here.' She appreciates Jun more than she can communicate. She needed to hear that, desperately. She wants to call him strong, but she stops herself. Every time someone has called her "strong" as a Warrior of Light, she's hated it. She doesn't know if Jun would feel the same way, but she's not going to take that risk.]

There was a part of me that was concerned, you know. Takame is...well, Takame, and the other person who was trapped with us was very resolute. I feared that I was the only one who had ever fallen for their tricks.

[She shakes her head.]

That deplorable man is dead, and with him, his silver tongue.

[whiteshroud]

...No, you weren't the only one. [He breathes out, feeling a tightness in his chest] Many of the members we killed today were once victims themselves. Ones that crossed the line and became far too gone to save.

[The line where a victim becomes a victimizer themselves, where reason can no longer be heard. Jun knew everyone had no choice but to eliminate them, to prevent Krusnik from ever rising again.... but it was tragic, all the same]

He is. He won't do that to anyone else ever again.

[poisontippedcure]

Ones too far gone...

[That was something she hadn't even considered. Had she remained, she imagined she would be catatonic, unable to move until she eventually passed. She hadn't imagined fighting for them. Fighting her friends. Fighting those just trying to save their loved ones.]

Absolutely horrid. The world is a far better place without him.

[She can't even imagine. She doesn't want to imagine. She breathes. As much as she wants to, it won't help Jun to dwell on negativity. Nor will it help her, but she's putting her own needs aside for the moment.]

I know you've heard this today, probably many times, but I'm glad you're with us. None of this could have been easy.

[whiteshroud]

Mm...the world's just a little bit safer now.

[He can't really bring himself to feel like there was any kind of vengeance achieved for him. Maybe it's because in many ways, he's already moved on with his life. The little boy who was pulled out of that lab was long gone. Jun was a different person now]

Ha, I've heard it a few times. I'm not sure how much help I was, but... I do feel a sense of closure from all this, in a way.

[He confronted the monsters that had long lurked in his shadows, and he still stood. ]

[poisontippedcure]

I'm sure you being here was more than enough. It is for me, anyway.

[As terrible as she feels, she's glad that Jun didn't have to see that. She still wants to leave at least a slightly good impression on him, and she's not proud of how she acted in there.]

[She takes a deep breath. At least she's not actively crying anymore.]

I'm told that the best thing to do is to find something to look forward to. [That isn't a building burning down.] Would you like to tend to the garden again?

[whiteshroud]

[She seems more lucid now, more at ease. Good. He's sure Rose has a long road of recovery ahead of her, but she's sounding a bit more like the woman he knows.

He'll hold out his arms, signaling for a hug if she wants one. Sometimes gestures speak more than words of comfort.]

I'd like that quite a lot. I'll help look after it while you recover, okay?

[It's the least he could do]

[poisontippedcure]

Thank you.

[She goes in for a hug. Even after all she's been through, she's grateful. She knows today can't be easy for Jun either, so that he's willing to help comfort her means a lot.]

I--don't know how long it will take. I think awhile. But I'm looking forward to a beautiful garden when I come back.

[whiteshroud]

[Hug initiated! He'll do his best to give her the biggest warm hug he can manage with his small body]

Ha, that's okay. Recover at the the pace you need. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.