soul_logs | Phase 3: Mission 153

Entry tags:

Phase 3: Mission 153

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.]

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When she had been told that many agents would be going, Teresa had been uncomfortable with the idea. She was a warrior who had always worked alone, and the idea that there would be 'allies' fighting close by was disconcerting. Certainly she had seen other warriors of the Organization fight together against Awakened Beings, but she had always been strong enough to take them by herself. This concept of fighting with other was novel to her.

Still, standing at the edge of a pit full of Kishin Eggs was easier than fighting back-to-back with another agent. She set her foot forward on the upraised edge and looked down at the weak creatures that had obviously made some sort of meal out of some of those taken. She supposed that she should feel sad for their deaths, but she didn't. The most she could do was avenge them.

She glanced to the broadsword in her hand, lifting it slightly so that Yuuri could also see the scope of their target. She knew that he was far more sensitive to the reality of death and what had been done here, but she felt no need to shelter him from it either. She simply supported him and offered a silent sort of guidance.

"Our orders are to destroy the pit and anything in it. Shall we go now, or do you wish to wait for others," she asked simply, her silver eyes shifting back to the Kishin Eggs hissing and making their way towards the wall she stood by.

Staring at the various caves and aware of what they were going up against, Cloud realized how much he disliked running around in the cramped confines of caves. He had done it so many times in the past, but his Buster Sword had seemed far more manageable. The length of the Masamune made him far more intimidating, but he wasn't able to do wide slashes that made him look impressive.

He and Sephiroth were initially charged with heading into and clearing out some of the smaller caves. He had no problem with that, given how well they worked together now, but it would be a pain maneuvering in such tight quarters. He just hoped that whoever was coming in behind them would stay clear of seven feet just to be safe.

He settled the humming Masamune across his shoulders and waited for the signal to move in. While his eyes were moving around the area, most of his attention was on the presence of his Weapon on his shoulders. 'If you need a break, you have to tell me, alright? I know you won't, but you should anyway.'

With agents coming over from Europe to guard Shibusen and Death City, Sarah had allowed herself to be deployed with the rest of the troop. She had tracked down Tassadar, aware that he would go and demanded that they team up for this mission. She wasn't about to let the big alien out of her sight for awhile, even if that meant that he was stuck listening to her bitching and glaring at him far too often.

Because they weren't actual partners in the agent sense, they had been assigned to killing anything that got in the way of other agents. Apparently that included zombies, the familiars of the witches and any low level kishin egg that was around. She was fine with that; destruction of enemy troops was something she was very good at.

She sat on Tassadar's shoulder, settled easily even on his golden armour as she surveyed the area of each cave with her enhancing goggles. She knew he could smell the enemy, but she prided herself in being able to see it, and it wouldn't do for them to be rushing blind into a swarm situation. The zerg had been bad enough, but at least with the zerg she could generally sense them.

Pushing her goggles to settle on the top of her head, she uncrossed her legs but allowed them to dangle from Tassadar's shoulder. "Most agents are in the larger caves for the Kishin Eggs. There are zombies, spiders, ants and some kind of snake like creature moving around. We should take to a cave you're not going to have to crouch over in."

The moment that they'd found out where the kidnapped people were, Yuuri had been itching to go so that they could drag them back. That was why the young Maou had dragged Teresa with him and been one of the first through the mirror. He hadn't hesitated with transforming the moment they started their mission, and he settled his soul in with Teresa's as they made their way towards the base.

His ghost-like face had been set with determination throughout their entire journey, and had lasted right until she had shown him the sight of the Kishin Egg pit. Yuuri's eyes had widened at the sight, and he couldn't help the gasp of surprise and horror at what he saw. He had seen much worse in the future, but even despite witnessing all of that, the young Maou still couldn't get used to such horrible sights.

While there was a part of him that knew that they should wait for others, Yuuri's rashness wouldn't stand for it! That was why he choked back his emotions as he said, "We can't let them have anyone else." Even if it didn't look like there was anyone else alive down there... Yuuri wouldn't stand for the Kishin Eggs continuing to eat like that!

Teresa had seen a considerable amount worse than this, but she had also spent a lifetime killing youma who were just as hungry and rude as Kishin Eggs. She regarded them edging their way over to where she and Yuuri stood with a passive eye, only bothering to measure up their strength from afar. Besides, she could sense his determined increase at the sight.

Already, she knew that he would want to go in there and search for survivors. That too was a novel concept, but she found that it was one that suited her liking since partnering with him. His lust for saving life soothed her of memories of Clare and how she too had preserved that life for as long as possible. Perhaps working here would save another.

"Very well," she murmured as her grip tightened on the broadsword, and she suddenly pushed off from the edge of the pit. She leapt into it without hesitation, settling in the middle of the area and her usual smile appeared on her lips. "Come at us," she called, gesturing with her sword before she flew into action.

Sephiroth had recovered some of his lost strength from the injury he had sustained, but he was still far from being fully healed. He had done what he could to rest over the last few days, even if that had been mostly unsuccessful given his inability to remain settled. It was strange to consider that uninjured he could remain stationary for hours on end, but the moment he had to do such a thing, all his legs wanted to do was to move. Sephiroth found it irritating, and he'd done a fairly poor job at attempting to control such urges.

There had been that reason and the fact that he hadn't wanted to appear weak in front of anyone, least of all Cloud. They hadn't spoken much since departing each other's company a few days back. While he had responded to most of what the blonde Meister had said, Sephiroth had rarely offered any of his own thoughts in return, and had instead remained quiet and contemplative.

Distantly aware of Cloud's thoughts as they made their way to the caves, Sephiroth pulled his thoughts from his mind as he heard the question directed towards him. He was using most of his strength and energy to maintain his Weapon form and even now he was remaining mindful of the effort needed. 'You've nothing to concern yourself over,' Sephiroth softly said. He wouldn't put Cloud in danger, even if he'd loath to admit to such a weakness.

Cloud glanced at the sword across his shoulders once, twice and then again by the time he had reached one of the small cave entrances. He was concerned for the ex-General, aware that Sephiroth wasn't the type to rest well when it was required. He had done his best to entertain the man, even hopefully putting out the silver-haired man's newest hobby on the table and had been met with limited success.

Now, they were going into battle, and he knew that his Weapon wasn't at full power. He was fine with that, content that his skills were good enough for them both even in the confines of caves. Still, they hadn't spoken much since he had tried to kill Kadaj and Sephiroth had taken a hit for him. He had done his best to hid his concern from the ex-General.

Stopping in the cave entrance, he drew the blade from his shoulder in time to slap aside a spider that had leapt from the darkness at him. His blade cut into the thorax of the creature, leaving it kicking and thrashing on the ground nearby. 'Here comes the swarm then. Ever eaten giant spiders or ants before? I hear they're a novel taste.'

Tassadar had respectfully kept his distance from Kerrigan ever since his return. He knew that the silence she had given him after her initial outburst had been completely deserving, and something he had not complained about. The templar had tried his best not to consider any such thoughts that the bond they had built had been destroyed, and it had initially been a difficult concept to ignore until he'd discovered the possible disappearance of Selendis.

He hadn't been certain of just when the Executor had disappeared, as he knew it was around the time he had returned to the city, and he feared that she could have been taken by the Witches. That thought had pressed down further on his already growing levels of guilt, along with the deserved silence from Kerrigan, but he hadn't allowed it to manifest and affect his attempt to search for his missing companion.

The templar had been entirely surprised when Kerrigan had searching him out leading up to the battle. So surprised that he hadn't been able to speak much before simply nodding to accept whatever offer she had given. He had every intention of going on the mission, Weapon or no Weapon, but he had never expected for the Ghost to be within his presence again.

That thought lingered on his mind even as he stood out there on the battlefield with the Ghost in question perched on his armour. He had the ability to catch the scents of the creatures in the area, but only those that were upwind to his position. When Kerrigan spoke, Tassadar's softly glowing gaze flicked up to regard the Ghost. "Have you found any, Sarah Kerrigan?"

His emotions were lightly tempered by Teresa's complete calmness of the situation, and the young Maou managed to keep most of what he felt under control. It was difficult for him, since he could feel the tears wanting to prickle at the edge of his eyes, but he held them back. They could come later once they'd taken care of the threat around them.

"Let's go, Teresa!" He firmly said in response to her words.

Feeling comforted as she tightened her grip, Yuuri set his eyes in determination once again as Teresa pushed herself off the edge of the pit. He wanted to stop anyone else from being hurt here, and the young King wouldn't back down until the threat was finally taken care of. All he could think of was how the families of the victims would react knowing about their loved ones. Life was something he wanted to protect, and while some part of him still hated having to kill Kishin Eggs, Yuuri had learnt the hard way that it was the only way to protect all of the lives.

His attention momentarily focused on what was creeping towards them in the cave. It appeared as though their time for inactivity was coming, and he'd need to focus all of the energy he had so that he could maintain his transformed form for as long as possible. Trying not to focus too much on the way that Cloud took out the spider, Sephiroth instead kept his attention fixated on both maintaining his Weapon form and the resonance between them.

'Then you will have to dine on one,' Sephiroth offered, his thoughts only partly distracted with his focus. There were more creatures heading their way, but knew that Cloud would deal with them so long as he could maintain his form. 'I never had any interest in game that fell too quickly to my blade.'

Sarah watched each of the cave entrances in turn, judging the horizontal distance of each cave opening before bringing her goggles back down and fiddling with the controls. The measuring distance software didn't work, which was frustrating, but she could at least get an idea based on the openings.

"The entrances all seem large enough to admit you, but I would say that the large caves won't narrow down as much as the smaller ones," she murmured even as she remained perched where she was on his armour. Oh, she had no need to slip away just yet, and it was easy to keep an eye on him this way too.

Still, she turned her head to survey the various agents waiting for the signal and shifted her shoulders. She didn't see Karkat, but that wasn't disturbing considering how short the troll was. She didn't see Selendis' great height either. "Selendis hasn't made it to the battlefield. She must be inside," she murmured before pushing her goggles back up her head.

He did what he could to hide what concern and fear he had for Selendis' well being. The templar would never forgive himself if his attempt to meditate had caused her disappearance to happen - a guilt he would have felt just as much if the one perched on his shoulder had been taken as well.

Returning his attention to their battlefield, the templar tried to focus his senses on finding any traces of his companion on it. There was nothing though, and Tassadar knew that the chances had been slim at best. Still he knew that the moment he was close enough, he would be able to latch onto her scent and begin tracking her down. If anything got in his way, there would be nothing but the fury of Auir destroying whatever blocked his path.

"Then we will retrieve her," Tassadar said, his voice betraying nothing, but the narrowing of his eyes was enough to indicate the seriousness of the templar's words.

Her metal boots made noise as she moved across the stone to a Kishin Egg that had remained away from the others, too intent on whatever it was doing. She set her other hand on the hilt of the blade and cleaved the creature in two, quickly kicking the falling parts to the side to look at the victim it had been feasting on.

Silver eyes took in the sight with a calmness, and she knew that the woman there was already long dead. She turned slightly as the many other Kishin Eggs gave up what they were doing and come at them both, and she chuckled softly. "We may only find victims here today, Yuuri. Take heart though because you and I shall avenge them for their family's memories."

She stepped into the fastest of the bunch, slamming the hilt of the blade between its bulbous eyes before turning the blade against another that had come up to her side. This was the wonderful thrill of battle, she thought.

While he didn't show it, Cloud knew that Sephiroth was entirely focused on the need to maintain Weapon form. His partner only had to do that when struggling, and he knew that their battles would have to be quick. He couldn't risk either of them getting trapped in a cave full of creatures with only knives on them, and he wasn't about to let anyone fail this.

Creatures began to creep to the cave mouth, hiding in the darkness and waiting for an opportunity. He let them come, drawing more up as he ended the struggles of the spider before he thrust out his arm and created the fire pillars around him, keeping one directly in the cave entrance to burn those who were too close. 'You never had an interest in eating. Look, I cooked some for us.'

Yuuri could feel his heart clench at the sight of the poor woman who had become food for the Kishin Egg. He forced himself not to glance away, knowing that he had to honour her death without showing such weakness, but it didn't make it easy for him either. How could something do this? It was terrible.

"Then we'll stop these Kishin Eggs from doing this to anyone else," he said in reply. There had been some emotion edging into his tone towards the end, and Yuuri had been unable to keep his emotional response to her reply as she spoke of avenging for their families.

With his heart going out for them all, Yuuri felt himself put all of his strength into this battle as she began to attack the ones responsible. Each strike she made empowered his Weapon form, but the young Maou was too emotionally distraught to notice.

Close quarters allowed her to sense some of Tassadar's guilt, but she said nothing about it. His choices were his own, and she had mind to tell him how he ran his life here in Death City. His lack of partner and her concern for his well-being had drawn her to demanding his attention for this.

Plus, it seemed fitting that the two of them together would move in to track down Selendis. She still didn't know how such a fierce warrior could be captured, but she knew that it was the only place Selendis could have gone. Her hand tightened on the rise of his armour at his words, nodding her head in agreement.

"If you have need of a Weapon, you may attempt to use my form," she said slowly. She wasn't certain his large fingers could, but he had claws and a mind for accuracy. "Unfortunately, my knives won't fit in your hands."

He was distantly aware of what was going on around them. Sephiroth had enough trust in Cloud to handle the situation without his input, which meant that he couldn't fail his Meister with this battle either. If he needed rest, then he could do that once he'd returned to Shibusen. Until then he wanted to offer his support regardless of how weak he currently was.

There was a surge of energy drained from his body when Cloud summoned the fire pillars. Grasping at his control, he used every bit of willpower to keep his form as he adjusted to the use of the few abilities this form had allowed him to maintain. Doing his best to keep that surprised struggle from his partner, Sephiroth muttered, "I eat at times..." He purposefully ignored the fact that Cloud had 'cooked' something for them, even if he wanted to inwardly roll his eyes.

Teresa knew that such battles and scenes were difficult for Yuuri, but it was a reality that they all faced. She would temper his emotions and use them for the most productive means, yet it was strange to feel such things through their resonance. She was not a warrior who fought with emotion, yet there was a humanity that returned to her as she experienced them.

"We shall," she agreed grimly as her blade cut through the flesh of the Kishin egg before she slammed the side of the blade up in front of her to throw up a shield to block an attack. She worked around it as attacks fell on the shield and created confusion.

In that time, she had removed two Kishin eggs and the clawed limbs of another.

His attention never once wavered even as he felt Kerrigan's attention on him. All of his focus was on ways to penetrate their enemy's defences, and what possible targets could get between them and who they sought. No matter what stood in their way, he would strike them down.

Kerrigan's offer did give the templar pause though, and he glanced up at the unexpectedness of it. Momentarily ignoring his determination, he regarded her thoughtfully as he asked, "That is something you want?" His failed partnership with Nataku still weighed heavily on his mind, and the templar found a sense of hesitation within at picking up another one - especially one who he had betrayed not long ago.

At the mention of knives, his attention slid back to the caves as he said, "I have no need for knives." Which was true as the protoss had been fighting with their claws long before they developed any of their technology.

He cut the ability off when the screaming ended, and he held the blade at the ready for anything that might have escaped. It seemed that what hadn't been cooked in the entrance way had been wise enough to back off considerably. He stepped into the darkness of the cave and allowed his glowing eyes to take in the twitching husks of many creatures.

He waited there, pretending to allow his eyes to adjust as he instead focused on aligning his own wavelength into supporting Sephiroth's struggling one. He remained still and listening as he held the Masamune at the ready. "When I make you," he replied dryly. "Hmmm, smells like a barbeque in here. We forgot to bring some sauce."

Sarah didn't meet Tassadar's gaze when he studied her where she had perched herself. Instead, she made it seem as if she was busy watching for signals on when it would be time for the agents to head to their assigned duties. "It's not about want, but it's about getting the job done," she snapped, though there was no heat in the words.

Nodding her head, she was one of the first to see the signal and grim agents starting to move out. "It's time," she remarked, staying where she was. Tassadar's longer legs would make it difficult for her to keep up if he decided that charging was best suited to him right now. "Get us out in front, and the battle is ours."

Yuuri tried to keep his emotions in check, and it was something that was more easily done when he could sense the absolute calm Teresa constantly had within her. It was one of the many things he cherished when it came to both their partnership and their new friendship, and the young Maou had come to rely on it in times such as these as well.

Sighting some of the Kishin Eggs coming in from the side, Yuuri cried out as he poured his energy into creating a protective barrier on the side the creatures were coming. He knew that Teresa would be alerted to their presence, and felt a flash of relief when she used the time to take out two other Kishin Egg threats.

"There are more coming from behind," Yuuri hastily warned as he sighted their approach.

There was a calming presence settling over his soul when Cloud silently began to align his wavelength with his own. While he didn't say anything, there was the barest feeling of a thanks through their connection as he mentally grasped onto that feeling. It did what Cloud intended it to do, and it offered what strength his weakened form needed to regain control of his wavelength.

Purposefully ignoring the dry remark, Sephiroth grunted at the blonde's following words. "Then do feel free to take yourself some home for dinner then," the ex-General lightly scoffed while the blonde waited for their enemies to arrive.

Her answer left him momentarily silent, and he wordlessly accepted it for what it was. He wasn't about to pair with her when it was an undesirable concept on Kerrigan's end, and only would if there was no other choice and her life was threatened. With his mind made up, he returned his attention back to the battlefield and respected Kerrigan's desires.

When she spoke that it was time, the templar knew that she wouldn't be removing herself from his shoulder. Instead he simply nodded before he broke out into a sprint. It wasn't just the protoss' size that often made them a terrible sight on the battlefield, but also their speed and strength that was far above that of any human. That much was obvious here as the templar moved swiftly over the terrain. His much longer legs shifted with efficiency, and he found no difficulty with the terrain as he pushed himself harder.

Tassadar effortlessly pulled away from the other group as he made his way over towards one of the larger caves. There was no sign of the enemy yet in his path, but he knew that it would come in all due time.

[Cybele hadn't cared about the humans who had been taken. The first opportunity she had, the Witch had delved into the depths of their hideout to search out any of her sisters. Most of them has escaped during the confusion of the attack, but she could taste that there was still one here, one she would make beg for mercy, and the thought excited the Witch.

That was why, when the rescuers caught up to where Cybele was, they might have noticed the wide-toothy grin on her face.]

Cowards! Too afraid to face me?

[ooc: hopefully it was okay to start it! I'm happy with action spam/prose - whatever you guys want. Cybele won't remain around for long unless there is either a few Kishin Eggs or a Witch around, so I'm not sure what you all have planned? PM this journal or give me the heads up here, thanks!]

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Phase 3: Mission 153

[Teresa & Shibuya Yuuri][Kishin Egg Pit][Closed]

[Cloud Strife & Sephiroth][Outside the Caves][Closed]

[Sarah Kerrigan & Tassadar][Outside the large caves][Closed]

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[Shizou/Magoichi/Chosokabe/Cybele] [Dungeon] [Closed]