soul_logs | [OPEN] Mission 156

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[OPEN] Mission 156

Characters: Open to participants who signed up here.
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA
Rating: Various.
Time: March 27th, late morning.
Description: The second of the three Madness emitters outside Death City is the target for this mission. Bundle up, everyone -- it's gonna be a cold one.

The mission begins late in the morning, to allow the mission-goers as much sunlight as possible in the warmest part of the day. Not that it'll help much… Temperatures are well below freezing already -- unnatural even for early Spring in the mountains -- and a howling snowstorm threatens to blot out the sun, beginning up the mountain where the slope just begins to rise sharply.

The slopes themselves are fairly barren: a windswept-looking tree here, a cabin that may have once belonged to the snow patrol there, maybe a Madness-crazed bear or mountain lion. Those braving the storm are lucky enough to see five feet in front of their face in these conditions!

Those brave few who manage to make it to the top (enduring falling temperatures and defeating the corrupted fauna and hulking kishin yeti along the way) may come across their goal at the very summit of the half-mile-high mountain: the Madness emitter itself, in the eye of the storm… And one last obstacle: the Witch guarding it.

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Considering the success of the last mission and how the madness training had gone, Hughes was fairly certain that if they played it safe and stayed in areas of low madness, things would go smoothly. After all, firing a gun was far from difficult for Roy, and Roy did not seem to be hugely affected by Madness as of yet.

In preparation for the mission, Hughes had switched into his weapon form and was currently attempting to scan the area despite how odd it felt while being carried by another person. He was still trying to understand how exactly the system worked, but there was nothing entirely comprehensible about it. It anything, it seemed like some sort of magician's trick in a fantasy novel.

The silence from Roy began to make him antsy, though, and so, as usual, he decided small talk was the answer. "So, how about that snow? You're not getting too cold, are you?"

It was no less weird to be aware that the gun you were holding onto was actually a live person as well. Still, it wasn't the first time they managed to work together like this, but he wasn't really all that certain he'd really ever get used to it.

When the quiet was broken by the questions, Roy pulled his attention off the scenery around them briefly to glance at the weapon he held. "I wish we didn't have to be out in it, but I'm not that cold yet. I kept Briggs in mind when dressing for this mission. How are you doing?"

He wasn't sure just what Hughes could feel in this other form, but the follow up question was only natural, even if the man to whom it was directed to wasn't exactly in any sort of form which could be considered natural.

Hughes chuckled faintly. "Can't really feel it, actually. I mean, my physically body is gone, so it's more or less impossible to. Not unless my nerves are attached somehow. I could feel it if I split forms, but there's no point in doing that with you holding me. That, and it's also nice to not have to worry about being cold."

"Madness all right for you so far?"

"I imagine it is." He paused, letting his gaze return to their current setting once again. "I'm fine so far."

"All right. Just keep you guard up, and don't lose focus. And for the love of sunny skies and no rain, let me know if you need my help fighting off Madness."

Hughes gauged their surroundings briefly before speaking up again. "I can sense a couple animals afflicted with Madness up ahead. Do you see them?"

It took a moment, but he spotted the canines heading down towards their general direction. "Yes. It looks like a pair of coyotes. Though, they don't seem to be coming directly towards us. Should we take them out? They might end up going after someone else if left alone." Or they could decide to come around after them from behind, to them, it might look like a 2 vs 1 situation. He kept his attention focused on them as he waited for Hughes advice on the matter.

"Go for it. Can you get the shot from here? We might need to get closer for a clearer hit because of this weather." Better not to take risks, after all.

"Might be best to get closer before trying." He didn't want to end up trying to take them out, and miss. It would possibly just end up in making them mad and turn the situation worse than it needed to be. At least they didn't appear to be interested in coming after them currently, though, that might change depending on how his efforts toward taking them down went in this nasty weather.

He moved closer toward them as they continued to descend and as they continued to close the remaining distance, brought the gun up to try taking at least one of them out, if he hit where he was aiming, it should hopefully drop the animal dead in its tracks.

"Steady, ace." Roy had pulled the trigger a bit prematurely, but Hughes leveled out the weight of his Weapon form a little to direct the shot more properly. "Deep breath before pulling the trigger, remember? Hurry and get the other one before it gets away."

Though Hughes could actually pull the trigger himself and redirect the barrel to aim at the other coyote, he had not actually told Roy he was capable of doing either of those yet, and this was hardly the time to tell him about it.

A brief nod was the only response to the words. He took the advised breath, ignoring the way the cold bit into his throat and chest in doing it. A moment after, a second shot split the air causing the fleeing animal to collapse before it had gotten too much further down from them.

Hughes whistled faintly despite his form. "Nice shot. You still handling the cold all right?" Always concerned, as usual. "We should get closer to make sure they're really down for good. Might have to fire a few more shots..."

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm fine." The ache in the chest from purposely breathing in all of that cold air would ease with time, and his clothes and coat were doing a decent job still of keeping the rest of him reasonably warm. The only thing really feeling the cold would fingers and face and there wasn't much he could do about that really, so why complain needlessly about it? He'd worry more when he couldn't feel the cold.

The suggestion was a good one and he carefully approached the first, shooting it once more before getting too close. Just in case it was waiting for such a stupid move before trying one last attack to try taking its killer with it. Once he was reasonably certain it wasn't going to get back up again, Roy turned to head for the second one.

Hughes remained silent while Roy checked so that the man could concentrate.

Roy shot the second animal again after he'd gotten close enough to be certain it would be a fatal one, no matter what sort of shot the first had been. Once the echoes from that had begun to fade, he moved closer to get a better look.

Straightening up, he looked around them and then further up the mountain before them. "Should we stick with this height, or go a little bit higher now? I'm fine with either right now."

Edited 2012-10-22 10:34 (UTC)

"I don't think going higher would be a wise choice." Rather, he was fairly concerned that Roy was not ready enough for that. "There will likely be more around this area if we already encountered some. Let's just make sure nothing escapes for now."

Even if it meant they would not be seeing much action, it was definitely better than either of them losing control and falling to madness. One thing was starting to bother him, though...

"...but are you sure the cold is okay? Your fingers are starting to twitch. If they're getting too cold, then your joints could lock up."

Roy nodded silently at the suggestion of sticking to this level of the mountain, walking away from the corpses of the animals. At the question, he paused and flexed the fingers of his free hand. "Yes, I'm sure. Though, if it'll make you feel better, I can stick them in my pockets to warm them up some."

"I don't think it'd be a really good idea to put your hands in your pockets. Not out here anyway." They could get caught off guard like that. "You don't have a spare scarf do you? You could wrap it around the base of your hand. That way, at least part of your right hand could stay warmer."

Since Hughes was going to be staying in his Weapon form and did not need his own scarf, he could offer it to Roy if Roy needed it.

Hughes had a good point, even if it was quiet now, that didn't mean it would remain quiet for long. The scarf idea was good, except for the fact he didn't have one spare. "You're right. However, I don't have a spare to use like that."

"You could use mine? I don't need it, y'know. I'd just have to switch back real quick for you to get it from me."

Simple as that.

Roy glanced around the area, listening as well as trying his best to scan the region to be certain they weren't about to be jumped by more animals. The snow and wind made that rather hard, but as far as he could tell they seemed to be in the clear for now.

"All right."

"Okay, hold up."

And with that, he slipped form Roy's hand and changed back into his human form. Hughes started unwrapping the scarf he had worn from around his neck, though the weather made him a bit slower than he would have preferred.

Roy paused as Hughes changed back to remove the scarf. While waiting, he kept watch on their surroundings, but it was sound that ended up warning him about the bear cub that abruptly came running out of the storm toward and then passing by them. Considering he was weaponless, the fact it kept on running was good for them. If it hadn't continued on...

His attention shifted abruptly to the man beside him. There was something not right about this situation, and he was almost near certain it was the man with him. The man with him wasn't Hughes, no, that had just been the most convenient appearance to use in order to get close to him, to put him off his guard, so that he could sabotage him and then watch him as he fell during one of these missions. It nearly had worked too, but he'd caught onto the trick now. Just because he was lacking a weapon and alchemy, he'd show the little freak he wasn't going down easy.

Turning back toward 'Hughes', he swung a fist at the man's face.

Hughes had just been moving to hand the scarf over when the fist crashed into his cheek. What had happened did not cross him until he recalled that a bear cub had just run by and the Madness affecting it could have afflicted his companion. He stumbled back to catch himself from the punch and narrowed his eyes.

"Roy. What do you think you're doing." His voice was sharp, almost commanding, despite the plain statements. He had no idea if he would get through to his best friend, but at this point, the only thing he could do was try.

There was no use in telling Envy that he'd already seen through his little act and that trying to keep the act up wouldn't work. Though he could imagine what it might look like to someone who didn't know just what was actually going on here. He'd just have to finish this before someone showed up and interfered.

He swung again, aiming to shut him up one way or another, one fist going for the face again, while the other was aimed lower.

Though Hughes managed to dodge the face shot, the lower shot hit his gut hard. "Urk!" He winced and stepped back again.

Shit. "Roy!! Snap out of it! The Madness is affecting you!" He did not want to actually hurt Roy. This was not good. Retaliating was out of the question. His friend had clearly lost it, but fighting him would not help that much would it. Perhaps if he tried resonating...

He grunted as he felt Roy's soul reject his wavelength. No, this definitely was not good at all. Hughes had to question why Roy had suddenly turned on him of all people, especially so adamantly, but there was no real point in asking. Was there? He decided to give it a shot. "Why are you doing this?"

[ Maes Hughes & Roy Mustang | Lower Areas | Closed ]

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