[OPEN] Mission 155

[soul_mods]

Characters: Open to those who signed up here.
Location: An unmarked cavern system outside Death City.
Rating: Various.
Time: March 18th, sunrise.
Description: Shibusen agents brave underwater caverns to take out the first of three Madness emitters.

Missiongoers pile out of the mirrors early in the morning, just as the first hints of sun start to color the walls of the sandstone canyon red and purple; it'll be the last bits of real light they'll see for at least a few hours. The atmosphere is electric -- there're quite a few new (and old) arrivals who're eager to see some action, but just as many people who're feeling rather more apprehensive… And for good reason.

The only way to their destination is blocked by a few hundred yards of sunken tunnels. Luckily they've been provided with mouthpieces, breathing apparatuses with enough oxygen to last about ten minutes: more than enough time, provided that the guests don't lose their way in the dimly-lit, twisted caverns. It's as easy as following the person in front of them, right?

Upon emerging safely from the pool onto mostly-dry land, they'll find themselves in an immense cavern, illuminated by countless, blue fungi clinging to the walls and ceiling, looking like stars dotting a night sky. Already the first signs of the way Madness has been corrupting the wildlife are evident: the mushrooms exude strange spores that make some people's head pound the same way the increasingly noticeable Madness wavelength does.

As they travel further into the watery caves and explore its many branches, they'll begin to encounter creatures twisted by Madness: moles, snakes, beetles, centipedes, all grown to monstrous proportions, some with a venomous bite that quickly turns their victim feverish and delirious. The more daring fighters can easily dispatch those and delve even deeper, and it's near the source of the Madness, in the chamber housing the emitter itself, that they'll encounter the kishin eggs.

There're dozens of them-- eyeless, white, vaguely human-shaped things, but despite their blindness they have no problem finding their quarry, fighting with claws and exuding their own Madness wavelength. If the missiongoers can stand strong against the kishin eggs and the ever-present wavelength given off by the Madness emitter, Shibusen's specialists will have enough time to shut the machine down for good.


OOC NOTES.
- The event summary post containing all relevant links is located here.
- Make your own threads, but please indicate in your subject line [CHARACTER(S) | LOCATION | OPEN/CLOSED] and, if applicable, if you need a kishin egg NPC!
- The locations are the sunken tunnels, the medics area, the cave system, and the emitter chamber, but only the medics will have their designated sub-thread.
- If you have any further questions, the mod thread on the coordination post is here!

Comments

[feelsgoodinyou]

There was a ripple of anger in his voice as something in his expression turned sharper and deadlier. He had had trouble dealing with that snake because it had remembered him too much of his Ka Diabound, which had been about the only thing in the world he had still trusted and cared for when he had still been alive.

But Diabound was long gone now too.

Without him noticing his hackles had raised as a bang of raging mourning flashed through his mind. Gone and torn to pieces, just like te rest of his remaining humanity, did that guy really think he knew anything he was talking about?! Ha! That was as foolish as thinking that that little pea shooter was going to do him any good against him!

He lowered the scimitar with a little too much speed and force to make it look like anything but an empty strike into the air. "Good grief, you little shit! You think you can talk just because I had a sentimental moment?! Nothing is holding me down this time, neither from harming that trash nor from cutting you bone from bone!"

[shiromadoushi]

"You were so beat up you couldn't even make it to you own stupid room!" Which is what had started the escalation of conflict to start with.

"I don't care about your 'moment' or whatever you want to blame for what happened, this is far worse than any mission you would have been on before and if either of us are going to do any damage here we should work together!" Bakura snapped, swiftly pushed to anger.

[feelsgoodinyou]

Any retaliation he was going to snap back died in his throat as he stared at the other white-haired boy wordlessly.

Was he- was he really-

That little shit wanted to work -together-?!



Bursting out with laughter, he shook his head. "With you? Forget it!"

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura tensed at the laugh. "Fine, then forget I asked!" he snapped. It had been a stupid idea, and he had known it from the start. "May something eat you and you die for good this time!"

Stupid stupid stupid

[feelsgoodinyou]

Still chuckling under his breath, he 'tsk'-ed. "Stupid wish to make, host. Remember this body I'm wearing is still yours..."

[shiromadoushi]

"It's a copy," Bakura returned, scowling. "I didn't get any of your injuries when you nearly got yourself killed last time. I won't get any of them if it happens again."

[feelsgoodinyou]

"It's the original." He insisted. Hell, the least Ryou could do was to give him the credit of knowing when he stole something and what it was. "I'm coming from your future, chronologically speaking. You come back, I take over and go here. If one of us has to worry over carrying the other's injuries then it'd be me."

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura tensed. He didn't like any of the implications of that situation. "You're not in me and I'm not in you, it doesn't matter what time either of us are from," he said stiffly.

[feelsgoodinyou]

He laughed out loud again at that. "Still feeling like a rebellious kid, I see."

Stalking over, he stopped right in front of his 'other self'. Their height and physique were exactly the same, but he had a knack for holding himself in a way that made him bigger and more intimidating than he was with his black coat and posture that radiated the confidence of a hunter. "Of course I'm not you! But at the same time I am, at least as far as this vessel goes! Don't tell me that you feel nothing when you see your precious body being used like this!"

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura's shoulders hunched further up as he tried hard not to move away or back. He wasn't going to back down, wasn't going to show his weakness...

"Of course I feel something!" he snapped. "It makes me wish I had never put the Ring on to start with so you wouldn't have ever been in it!"

[feelsgoodinyou]

His expression flickered into one of annoyance. Had the fool not worn the Ring he would still vegetate within it's endless depths, maybe for eternity.

"As if you'd ever let something come over your precious Ring. You're just as attached to the damn thing as I was when I was alive!"

[shiromadoushi]

"Consider it the only thing we have in common, then!" Bakura returned, glaring.

No matter what anyone said, he wasn't going to acknowledge any similarities.

"I'll find a way to drive you out of it."

[feelsgoodinyou]

He scoffed an backed off. He was once again eying the water now.

"Ha! You'd have to find a way to make me rest in peace because I sure as hell aren't going to die anytime soon."

...Although he now wondered about what would happen if that ever were to happen. Would he just become part of Zorc at that time? That'd be unpleasant. Or would he find another thing to possess? Bah, not like there was any way to separate him from the blood and bones that made up the Millennium Item!

[shiromadoushi]

That had gotten him, hadn't it? Bakura's back straightened slightly as his double backed off. "I'll find a way if the other Yuugi-kun doesn't first," he insisted.

[feelsgoodinyou]

He snorted again as he started to get the diving gear on. "If he does he will also lose his own spirit. Do you think he'd pay a price like that just so that you can feel better?"

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura blinked. "Why would he lose that by defeating you?" he asked, genuinely clueless.

[feelsgoodinyou]

"Because my fate and that of the spirit in th puzzle hang together." That was a lie and it wasn't. The entity that he had a connection to and which was also sealed within the puzzle was Zorc Necrophades, not that puny no-name pharaoh. But that was a truth he would never reveal. "What do you think how I got into the Ring to begin with?"

Alright, all set. Now all he had to do was to place the mouthpiece between his lips and brave the cold water.

[shiromadoushi]

"I... had just figured it was because you didn't want to die... or leave the Ring behind..." Bakura admitted a touch awkwardly. "Like any other resentment spirit..."

[feelsgoodinyou]

The sheer stupidity of that statement was enough to make him turn back around and make a face at him.

"If that were true then there'd be a lot more spirits around than you could count."

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura blinked. "...why do you say that?"

[feelsgoodinyou]

He rolled his eyes. Could anybody really be that dense without intentionally trying to grate on his nerves?

"As shocking as it is, many people don't want to die or leave something behind that's important to them."

[shiromadoushi]

"But there's a difference between just not wanting to let go and having a strong enough attachment that you can't," Bakura pointed out.

[feelsgoodinyou]

"So there's a few hundred less. It'd have to still be way more than just two by those qualifiers."

[shiromadoushi]

"You had a goal, right? Something that you didn't get to finish... Something to do with the Ring and the other Yuugi-kun. Magical items being involved of course would make it all the much more than it would have been. You might have even sealed yourself into the Ring so you wouldn't lose..." Bakura pointed out with a small shrug.

[feelsgoodinyou]

"Ch.." He gave him a strange look. "If I could have done that I would have used the Items to live, not to end up locked into one of them for eternity."