Phase 3: Mission 153

[soul_mods]

Characters: Grand Canyon mission goers, victims, medics
Location: Grand Canyon
Rating: R
Time: Feb 5, 2009, mission starts at dawn
Description: Event links list.


The scouts had done their jobs well and the mirror deposits its travelers just at the end of the area Shibusen has closed off as their mission target. It's still dawn, the sun barely visible over the horizon. The witches hasn't noticed them there yet, the scouts say, so it's still possible to take them by surprise.

This is what the agents are told: In the rock face of the Grand Canyon is a cavern system made up of many small caves and three large ones. The large caves contain a kishin egg pit, the kidnapped agents and civilians, and what appears to be a machine at one end. There are about five dozen zombies crawling the area, and an equal number of ants, spiders, and ravens on top of it.

Worst of all, the scouts report that they had sighted a few of the agents patrolling for the Witches. The scouts hadn't been certain if these ones had soul perception or other abilities, and had given the area as much space as they could in order to avoid an early confrontation. Still, it's bad news and it looks like a fight with some of the kidnappees themselves is inevitable.

Not much time is given to the agents after the briefing before they're being ushered into place. A few scouts are going to be causing a commotion some distance away to distract the familiars and zombies, clearing a path for the agents. After that, it's all up to them.


[ooc: Just put up your own threads with the subject line [Characters][Feeding Cave/MMM Cave/Kishin Egg Pit/Elsewhere][Open/Close]
Kidnappees can go thread in the caves while waiting for the rescuers, too.
For those who want to thread with a witch, please add it in the subject line so we know where to go!
This day change will be one week irl.
The mirror will stay open for anyone who needs to be rushed back to the medics.
For those handwaving, please put your summaries here for the meister points and soul tally record.]

Comments

[toukakoukan]

[Ed stayed alongside Ling, keeping his movements silent as they made their way through the cave. He knew Ling was fine, but he probably had more of a tendency to fall into traps so he kept himself alert.]

Right. Should you transform now or wait until we get closer?

[forhispeople]

I'm waiting. We don't know who's out there. We might need two sets of hands to deal with this, and I've worked out how to transform fast. Just.... be careful. When I ran into Takuto, he was acting completely... not himself. I almost thought it was Envy. [He shudders]

Ah? There's a tripwire here.

[Ling bends down to inspect it. To their right in the cave wall, there are rocks stacked and ready to come down when the trap is sprung. He shakes his head in disdain.]

How cheap. How stupid do they think we are?

[toukakoukan]

[He raises his eyebrows, having not noticed the tripwire so surely he's one who'd fall for the 'cheap' trick. At least he would probably be quick enough to miss the rocks were he to trick the wire.]

Uh, yeah... how cheap...

[He looks around again, more suspiciously now.]

Do you think they're messing with people's heads here?

[forhispeople]

I hadn't thought of that-- but I bet you're right. Maybe we're meant to think we're fine after we step over this, and then there's a secondary trap that gets us.

Let's look around, do you see anything weird? God, I can barely see a thing in here. I wish we had torches.

[toukakoukan]

[Ed starts scanning the walls and ground as best as he can now, studying for any inconsistencies. He kind of wishes Roy was there, but it didn't matter in this world where he couldn't even use his alchemy.]

Watch it. [He points to a spot on the ground where a metal plate is somewhat disguised, eyes catching on the slight sheen among the dirt.]

[forhispeople]

Good eyes, I knew I could count on you.

[Ling hums and nods, doing his best to edge by between the plate and the wall of the cave. There's a short bit at the end where he must jump to avoid stepping on the plate.]

Careful-- looks like there's a fake wall here. It's not even rock, look.

[ooc: after your tag, think it would be a good time for Ran Fan to bust out, while they're distracted with these traps?]

[toukakoukan]

[He follows after, having an easy time of it with his agility. He edges around where Ling has pointed out with a nod before he's scanning the cave again.]

Count on me? Heh, as if you had to worry in the first place.

[ooc: sounds good!]

[forhispeople]

[Ling can't help but let out a little breath of relief.]

I'm worried about everything these days.

[He looks around the cave, feeling his stomach knotting even more.]

Where is she.

[masked_guardian]

[Ling's question is about to be answered, since during her patrol Ran Fan has spotted the duo and has taken a second to observe them from the shadows of a small crevice in the rock. If anything, recognizing them told her they were exactly the people she had been ordered to attack.

So a kunai goes flying from her vantage point and in Ed's direction.]

[toukakoukan]

[Ed hears the kunai whizzing towards him in barely enough time to dodge with a started sound, stumbling a bit and nearly falling over as the weapon gets the wall behind him. He keeps low now, looking around on full alert.]

Ling, get down! [He still can't see well enough in the dark to see where Ran Fan is]

[forhispeople]

[Ling does indeed get down, eyes wide and confused. He can't see anything in the dark. That was most certainly the sound of a kunai. Is this what it's like not to sense Ran Fan's chi in battle?]

RAN FAN! I looked everywhere for you!