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

[ornamentals]

I won't be small forever, you know. [but the subtle praise does have him straightening just a little, and after a momentary hesitation he takes the newly offered seat. he leans forward with his arms resting against the table.

it would seem, even here, he couldn't escape the unending grasping reach of monsters that wanted just that: to gain and gain and gain.]

... Good. [it really is a relief. he thinks about what those last moments were like for them, how they suffered. he hopes they did.] Vash doesn't believe in killing others, but I do. They deserved everything they were given.

[kowase]

Yes, I am aware. Which is why I am making such bits of humor as quickly as I can, for I will not be able to, soon. Dante told me that you are a creature that grows very quickly. [ he's in a weird mood, sorry, Kni. he'll tease just a little more as he slides his tray of fries over to the kid, hiding his face behind a terrible milkshake he's still nursing.

he looks at Kni. Considering. He knows how old the boy is, but he doesn't know his history. Something Dante hasn't told him--and truth be told, he avoided Vash the Stampede. The man was loud and irritating and he didn't need two red-coated idiots in his life.

He puts his drink down. ]

I believe. [ he starts, slowly, pushing his sunglasses up onto his forehead a little. ] When it comes to situations where you may feel the solution is to take the life of another. [ he continues, taking a pen from his coat--he pulls out a battered old leather-bound journal; filled with bookmarks and loose paper.

He starts to sketch in it, as he talks. ]

--If the people have done something that can be apologised for, fixed, and redeemed, killing should be avoided. Communication, in any form, is important for securing a future where fighting becomes less. Being able to understand others and live peacefully is a necessity for society to work. As it does, currently. As life is supposed to be.

[ he then draws a line between a few orbs he's drawn on the page. ]

However.
If you become a person, or groups of people who decide to go against that peace, do things that are cruel and damaging to others--even deadly, or life changing beyond repair.

...I think that is when the only choice is to make sure heads roll.
Actions have concequences. And if people forgo their ability to live in a way that protects and benefits those who are weaker than you for nothing but personal gain. Then they give up their right to mercy.

Regardless of what your brother may think.

Sometimes people deserve to burn.

[ornamentals]

Yeah, normally. [he flexes his fingers, as if the motion might conjure some familiar sensation of his powers again. it's been just about a month now since he last felt anything.] But everything is different now.

[they can share in the weird mood together, then. vergil is allowed his teasing, kni won't even huff.

when he pulls out the journal, kni's eyes move from watching his hand to vergil's careful scribbling. he stays silent as he listens, brows pinched in consideration. he only knows what dante had told him, once before. if anyone could possibly understand him, it could be vergil. he had taken the chance in admitting to some of his darker thoughts, ones he knows would only earn him some mournful look from vash if he ever spoke them aloud. if only it were so easy to banish the ruthlessness that haunted him, but without it he can only wonder what would be left of him. if anything at all.

the plate of fries stay untouched, focused instead between the movement of vergil's pen and his words.

sometimes people deserve to burn, but not everyone. sometimes people had the capacity for change, to be better. vash believed that he could be better, too.]

What do you do with the anger? [it'll burn him alive one day, he's certain of it.] I feel like it will never go away.

[kowase]

Different. Because of this world? [ he... doesn't know much about otherworlders, admittedly. But he does remember Dante complaining about feeling weaker than usual when he first arrived--perhaps it's the same for Kni. He remembers Dante saying Kni and his weirdass brother were 'something beyond human understanding', and that researching them was impossible.

he makes a thoughtful sound.

The other asking him such a question... he could understand what it felt like. Maybe not in this life, but whenever he had those passing memories of 'Vergil' from Dante's world, Dante's timeline--he felt those emotions almost keenly as if they were his own.

...because they had been his own? Long ago? He can't tell. The lines were blurred. ]

It may never go away. Not in a way that matters. But what you can do is find a way to channel that energy into something else. Pain you have felt in the past can be explosive. You either let the fire burn everything around you--burn those you care for along with those you hate--or you find a way to make peace with it, as a part of you.

I pour myself into learning. Knowledge, as well as gaining power. I research about magic and I collect items that are of my interest and add to my strength.

You have to find something like that, aswell.
You are young. It may feel impossible, or out of your reach. But you will manage.

You have the benefit of not being alone.

[ornamentals]

[he nods once,] Whatever... magic that fuels this place, it cut me off from accessing my - our - source of energy. Thanks to that, I have to do things I didn't need to do before, like eating and sleeping.

[kni knows a general amount of knowledge when it comes to his sisters, the dependent plants, but independents were still a mystery. no one could answer the questions kni had but himself. vash had always been different, but did that mean different rules applied to him as well?]

If you wanted to know more... I'd be okay with telling you. [kni knows the value in keeping important information close to one's chest, and now after all of this, he feels even less inclined to speak about his species and everything that made them perfect for exploitation.

but for vergil, he could make an exception.

kni leans back against the booth, eyes downcast toward the journal page vergil has open. he wasn't alone, but even in a room with people who smiled at him kni didn't feel less alone. some disconnection, pieces left slightly ajar beyond his line of sight. it was easier to be alone than to try and force the pieces to fit together, but vash wanted him to try regardless. annoying.]

Some might argue I deserve to be alone. [some back home, maybe even some here. isolation may even be too kind of a fate, but kni doesn't make a habit of wondering what others think he may or may not deserve.] I sent millions of humans to their deaths and doomed thousands more to a life on a barren planet. [at the latter he shrugs.] That part was unintentional. I miscalculated.

[kowase]

...How strange. You were capable of sustaining yourself without food or water beforehand? Fascinating.

Dante told me once that you and your loud older brother were 'beings beyond my comprehension,' and suggested to me that I would not be able to do something like research what it is you are. I cannot think of many mythical creatures that can forgo food and water, other than spirits or gods.

[ and while he's far from wanting to sit and view this... child as a seedling of a godlike being, he's having even greater difficulty imagining someone like that idiot Dante keeps the company of is a godlike being, as well.

He'll stare at the kid, though, as he admits that he will tell him things. ...He will listen, and much to his word, he will keep such things the boy wishes to admit to him secret.

Even if he was not quite prepared to hear the weight of the secret once it hits his ears.
His eyes slide over to look at Kni, as if seeing--as if understanding him for the first time.
There's a memory, here, somewhere. Of a giant tree, pitted and baneful, rising up in the center of a city. And how much blood ran through it. It makes his skin feel itchy. ]

Miscalculated. As in, they were not meant to survive.

[ he crosses his arms, here. ]

Dante mentioned you feared humans. Was this thing that you did. This reason you deserve to be alone.
Did you do it out of fear, or out of malice.
...You are young. Far younger than you appear.

I feel this decision you made was quite rash. [ the reaction of a desperate mind doing the only thing it could think of. ]

[ornamentals]

Mhm... [spirit, god, or angel; some days kni wonders exactly where their origins began and what led to their species creation. humanity's need to play god, splicing together mysteries until a favorable result falls out. easy to exploit and bleed dry until the next is lined up for the same, nightmarish treatment. his thoughts start to get away from him and kni shakes his head, letting pale hair fall over his face.]

Vash and I are... unique, compared to our sisters. Plants were created by humans to be generators, a solution they made after draining Earth of its natural resources. We have access to a higher dimension that humans don't, a power source that they used to produce things like food, electricity, water for themselves. [he starts to pick at the hem of his hoodie, pulling at a loose string.] Everything we need to survive, as Plants, can be accessed through our gates. [a pause, staring ahead.] ... except for Vash. He's always needed to eat and sleep... [a shadowed look falls over his face as he trails off, fingers curling into tight fists.]

My feelings are justified. Everything I did, it was all to keep Vash safe. [fear is a powerful motivator, fear for himself and fear for his brother and fear for whatever the future held for them if he did nothing at all. was it better to wait and regret or act and reap?] I couldn't afford to wait around and hope everything would be okay.

[kowase]

[ he takes note of it all. 'Plant' is a word he knows, of course--but not in the context that Kni is offering. Generators? Higher dimension to ... create food and water, like... they sound like batteries. and that creates a whole another worry in his mind: these things, were they used by humans? A subservient race?

His throat feels dry as he remembers something Nicholas told him once.

...And he understands. All at once, he understands. Maybe it's because he has his own twin; and he knows what hoops Dante would jump through for him.

Despite himself, he finds his hand moving down to touch Kni's shoulder. In understanding. ]

At the time there were no other options in front of you. You were--are, impossibly young, and your roads do not branch.
While I do feel that perhaps, killing that many people was likely not the right choice.
I understand why you made it.
It is possible, that, in the case that our places were switched, I may well have made the same choice as you did.

[ if he knew dante had been alive, in that fire--he would have gone in after him.

if he had been stronger... ]

You're here, now. In this world. Your paths have branched furthur than they may have back then.
What will you do now?

Continuing down such a dire, dark path may be fill you with yet more tragedy.

"The cut worm forgives the plow." --What do you say?

[ornamentals]

Right or not, there's nothing I can do to change it. It's already happened.

[right or wrong, did it even matter if vash was hurt? kni had failed his brother in a fundamental way, the burning embers of devoted adrenaline still cracked along his edges. he remembers fingers shaking as he executed the sequence to send millions of sinners to their deaths, head buzzing deafeningly loud.

vergil's hand is heavy, something he shares with his brother, kni thinks. and still, he tenses under the weight.

he has thought about it. what it would mean if he changed paths now, after everything that's happened. he had made sacrifices, too.]

I can't forgive them. [he states, honest, then,] ... but I don't want to go down a failed path. [and add to more of vash's scars? no, thank you.]

[kowase]

You are right. The past, no matter how glowing or damaged it is, cannot be changed. All one can do is walk into the future and hope to not reopen old scars or create worse ones.

[ he takes a moment to consider kni for a moment. Dante was right--the boy had a cleverness well past someone of his age, but there was also a very childish fear, there. Pain caused by something bigger than him, something he couldn't control.

So the only option a child had in the moment was the only thing someone without power could do: lash out. Lash out until there was nothing left that could harm them.

He pities Kni in that moment.
He could have lived a better childhood without the fear of being devoured by others, but instead... ]

You need not forgive those who hurt you. Forgiving is something someone kind--but stupid may do. They are willing to risk another wound if it means taking a gentler past. There is nothing... wrong with it, but it is also not always the correct way to do things.

What you can do is learn to live with them. And never let them take advantage of you, or those you care about, ever again.
You can punish them without killing them all. Become someone to be feared and respected.

That was the path I was going for. ...But I did not stop to consider the lives of others in my path. And therefore, I ultimately failed, as well.

You need to find a balance.

[ornamentals]

[vergil speaks from experiences familiar to ones kni had yet to cross himself, but had been laid out along his path from the moment the ships began their fateful descent. there was no reason for him to lie, but a small part of him wished he would, just to have something to pick apart with satisfaction.

unfortunately, vergil's words ring true and even worse, kni considers it all. it would be foolish of him not to, after all.

he leans back against the booth with an audible sigh, head bumping the red vinyl backing. his hands loosely folded over his lap.]

How long did it take you to find that balance?

[with a near infinite lifespan before him, kni wonders when he'll find it himself.]

If I can be someone Vash can depend on, then I'll be satisfied. [depend on, protect, love - all of these things and more.]

[kowase]

[ he seems to contemplate the question. Trying to remember when 'Vergil' found that balance--and the short answer was that he had to walk through hell to find it.

Krusnik had done something to jumpstart many of his darker memories, that was for sure--ones that he wouldn't have now, were it not for the things they did. Ones that would be best used to answer Kni's question.

How oddly convenient. ]

Well over thirty years. I looked about your age when I turned my back on the world, the first time. It took walking through hell twice to understand that I could not walk the world alone, hating everything. And that I had to change.

[ hopefully, Kni wouldn't take thirty years to understand it. ]

If the fondest thing in your heart is to protect that noodle of a brother of yours, then perhaps you'll find your path quicker than I did. He seems like the type who's incapable of having a bad thought about anyone.

[ornamentals]

[thirty years isn't that long, far better than the eighty it took vash to come to his own realizations!

kni searches vergil's expression, looking as if he could continue his questions until the sun rose and every day life in this odd city started up as if nothing was different.

his semi-invasive questions can wait for another day. kni covers his mouth to hide a cough that sounds suspiciously like a laugh at vergil's apt description of his brother.]

I wish he would sometimes. Not everyone is deserving of his kindness, despite what he may think.

[kowase]

Not everyone deserves your grace, or your open palm. There are those who will always take advantage of it, regardless if they are people who appear to be your friend.

[ he isn't at all like vash--he has, what, three friends other than his family? and he was super reluctant to make more friends. kindness was difficult. both in this life, and last life. ]

Perhaps your brother simply does not understand balance.