[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

[withinsights]

Hawkeye did his best to ignore the eyes on him, to shake the feeling of being watched like he was caught in a sniper's crosshairs. He knew where it was coming from of course, and years of fieldwork left him itching to draw his bow, turn, and release the arrow he had nocked and ready, but he'd come close to injuring with friendly fire twice already and didn't need a third incident because of paranoia.

It didn't make it any easier to relax, at least until he swung his gaze around to take in the other operative. A kid, by the looks of it. Late teens, looked like he knew how to defend himself, even if he looked terrible unarmed.

Hawkeye lifted his chin in greeting. "Hope you've got a weapon of some kind on you if something comes through here."

[ih8spiders]

The feeling that he was being measured and judged made him defensive for all of a handful of seconds, then he let it go, breath whooshing out in a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.

"Nothing that can stop a kishin egg," Kurapika admitted as he reached for the kunai and pulled it out, holding it where the other man could see it before returning it to its sheath. "But I can at least serve as a distraction and buy time for a partnered pair to get here." Or for the other sentries to let loose with their own weapons, even though he doubted that any of them would be able to deal any significant damage to a rampaging kishin egg.

"You're new, aren't you?" he asked carefully. The bow and arrows were an odd choice--and they were normal, inanimate weapons, as far as he could tell. Anyone who'd had to stay in Death City for a long enough amount of time would have learned how much more effective a weapon partner could be by now.

[withinsights]

Hawkeye could appreciate a good knife, but it was far from his first choice as a primary weapon because that meant close range combat, and he preferred staying out of reach of sharp teeth, talons, and other knives where possible.

"Better hope it isn't one of those Kishin things that come through here, then." He said, returning his eyes to the cavern entrance. He'd cover the kid as much as possible if so, but armed with a single knife, he seemed frankly suicidal.

"What makes you think that?"

[ih8spiders]

Kurapika shook his head as he followed the man's gaze to look at the same cavern entrance. "The only hostile things that might come through here are kishin eggs, witches, or our own allies turned against us, and you'd better hope that it's none of the latter two." And then he looked back up at the older man, eyeing the bow and the arrow shafts with curiosity.

"That's how I know you're new, by the way you talk," the blond added almost apologetically. "You don't know the enemy yet. And I've never seen you before now."

[withinsights]

Cute.

"Guess I'll have to work on that, then," he said with a quick smile that felt more forced than it should.

Wouldn't do him any good to stand out over the next few days if he wanted to accomplish anything. He imagined that if Natasha had arrived, she would've slipped under the radar as a native acting like she'd lived there her whole life in no time. He'd seen her do it before and right now he had to play his spy card a little more heavily than he'd like.

"So you been here awhile then?"

[ih8spiders]

"Nine months," Kurapika answered lightly--or as lightly as he could, anyway. He was starting to get sick of the reminders of how long he'd been here compared to everybody else, even though most of the reminders came in the form of these harmless questions.

"So if you have questions about what living in this world is like, I can probably give you satisfactory answers," he added with a small laugh.

[withinsights]

"Well it's always good to have a reliable source of information," Hawkeye said carefully, sensing the bit of underlying resentment. "I'll have to take you up on that once we're out of here. Buy you coffee and everything."

And maybe he was a little unsettled if he felt compelled to make plans after the mission already. He took a hand off his bow to reach for his gun and offered it to Kurapika.

"Ever use one of these?"

... *w*

[ih8spiders]

"No."

Kurapika was startled enough by the sudden offer that he accepted the gun almost immediately. The weight of the weapon was unexpected, but not too heavy for him--he held it easily in one hand, but with the awkward unease of someone not used to holding firearms.

"I'm trained in hand-to-hand, so I've never had use for one," he added by way of explanation, although that didn't stop him from curiously looking the gun over. Not that he'd never seen guns; the mafia in his world used guns, and the men he'd worked with depended on them so much that they were woefully lacking in all other disciplines. So he knew enough to keep the muzzle pointed up and away from any target--there were normal people here who would most certainly die if he accidentally shot them.