JANUARY TDM/EVENT

[monstertruckers]

code

The storm drives the Convoy to the very summit of the mountains, before hitting a blinding pitch. The wind howls and drives snow in a way that promises to freeze everything… And there’s also a twist of smoke in the air, to further blind everything.

There’s one thing visible through the storm: a massive fortress clinging to the side of the mountain. The Convoy pulls up into the shelter. It seems this will be the best place to wait out the weather, even if the storm lasts for weeks.

It’s a cold welcome for new arrivals. The garage offers scant protection from the elements, and a winter storm rages outside. Snow, lighting, and thunder all blend together and do their best to break the windows and doors of the structure.

The storm itself shows no signs of abating, at least until several days have passed. So it’s up to the new arrivals to figure out how to survive the storm, find better shelter… And weather the strange changes foisted onto them.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

New Drifters arrive to a cold and half frozen garage, almost swallowed up by snow drifts. The Convoy is just visible through sheets of snow falling from the skies, and it is parked in the shelter of a nearby fortress. Getting out of the garage and reaching the fortress will take some work, though.

Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.

There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.

02: FORTRESS

The abandoned fortress offers some reprieve from the elements… But the prior battles have found a way to seep into the stones. Ice and Fire both have an effect on the surroundings.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.

In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.

03: START UP

After digging out, one can see that there are various cars surrounding the garage. Some of them parked directly outside and sheltered from the worst of the storm. But a few are further out, and will also need to be dug out of the snow.

There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.

…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

04: WILD ELEMENTS

Even when taking shelter in the fortress, the storms from outside have a way of seeping through the bricks. And trying to take root inside any Drifters. Cold mists and winds seep into the castle, along with fire traveling across the floors and lightning crashing against the roof.

Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.

Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.

These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.

05: FUEL PUMPS

The fortress also holds a network of pipes leading through the halls and connecting to the gas station. Text from the Convoy asks for at least a few Drifters to follow the pipes to their source, and activate them. Following those pipes leads to a chamber in the base of the fortress, with basins full of liquid.

Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.

But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.

06: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

The walls of Bastion reach an impressive 20 feet up and stretch for long distances… And have Husks merged into them, often in the hallways and occasionally in the rooms. The Husks clearly belong to either the Silver Tear or the Steel Wardens, given the insignias on them. Many of them are locked together, frozen in a fight. And their last words and thoughts are written on the walls in gold and silver script.

Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!

07: MONSTER FUSE

An element saturation isn’t the only strange thing in the fortress. Anyone who makes contact with the fortress stones will find themselves building a resonance with a fellow Drifter. This grows stronger the more time they spend in the fortress.

Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.

Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.

When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.

08: STORM CALL

There’s something outside that isn’t just the storm; it calls out in a howl that can make the blood run cold, and also pulls at one’s feet. Until it hits a point where the Bastion doesn’t feel like a restful place. Drifters who hear the storm call need to step outside and find the source; the storm itself isn’t particular on if they search on their own feet, or behind some wheels.

Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.

Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.

Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.

09: MONSTER CHANGES

Between the weird fuel, the teeth in the fortress, and hostile elements trying to force changes, new arrivals can quickly find their humanity getting worn away and new monster transformations taking place.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.

10: FROZEN HEART

At the summit of the mountains is a collection of freakishly tall and twisted trees. In their branches is a collection of frozen hearts growing like strange fruit. And further up is a massive object that looks like a deer skull with branching antlers. The ice storm flows from its eyes and mouth… And it shows no signs of ceasing without destroying the skull.

The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.

But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Fortress Library: Books and screens seem to have fused together. Assorted data about monsters is on display here; everything from hunting strategy to contradicting praise of their strength. (Read: all lore information from the monster pages is available IC.)

Dining Hall: This time around the gas station and garage are empty of supplies… But there’s plenty of preserved foods in the castle kitchen and dining hall. Though the hot dishes are almost painfully spicy, and the cold served foods can almost freeze a mouth shut.

Snow Fields: Surrounding the fortress are fields of snow, ready to bog down anyone who wanders too far into them. It would be next to impossible for anyone to make it far on two feet without the aid of a vehicle… Or the aid of a monstrous transformation.

Fire Snow: The storm can wildly swing between temperatures, from freezing to burning with how the snowflakes fluctuate. They can suck warmth out of a Drifter’s body on contact, or risk burning any exposed skin.

Armory: The Steel Wardens kept an armory and arena close by for sparring. Various weapons and armor are stored here; some antiquated, some modern and augmented with technology. And everything but the older models are badly damaged by the elements; frozen over and metal crackled, or half melted from fire. They won’t have much use as weapons, but could be used as metal materials.

View from the Peaks: When the storm clears, one can look out from the peaks and see what’s next. A strange, twisted landscape stretches out below the peaks. And beyond that is something on the horizon; a massive city reaching upwards, and the buildings intact and gleaming. Going back to the Convoy reveals a new update in the database: Nirvana is near. And will be reached in an estimated 60 days from now.


NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Comments

[saisdoesmatter]

Most of his work as of late has been helping tow people out of the snow and checking for stranded Drifters in the snow and ice, since his bike has been able to plow through it without any real issue. So as he's heading back - something twinges in the edges of his senses.

Raphael doesn't have the same sort of connection that the others do - he lacks the mystic or ninpo that the other Hamatos have talked about with him before. But what he does have as of late? A sense of foreboding that something's wrong for someone that he's close with. As of late - that means the other brothers.

Gritting his teeth, he kicks the bike into gear and guns it as fast as the thing can go, his eyes scanning for the trouble spots. It doesn't take him long to see Leo, swords out and the sense in the back of his head is screaming that there's trouble. A monster in the convoy? Maybe, but Leo's not moving yet, so what is it?

As he whips the bike into a mild slide, skidding past Leo to a stop, he's scanning the area as he hears Mikey cry out Vincent's name. Sure enough, there's Vincent - obviously carrying the Cerberus Donnie - but there's blood in the air. He swears he can smell it.

His senses scream that this is what's wrong. And all it does is make the anger peal from him.

"What. Happened." It was not a question.

[coffinturk]

Leo's command to stop is obeyed. Vincent only turns his head a fraction; just enough to acknowledge the first of those who rushed to confront him.

He'd expected this, felt the brush of telepathy against his mind before it was turned to the brothers. That Mikey and Raph rush up soon after Leo's appearance is both unsurprising and at the same time, complicates things. Vincent's answer is simple and to the point.

"Donnie went berserk. Had to take him down." There's no hint of apology. Neither does it seem he's trying to excuse his actions. It is what it is and he acknowledges 'necessity' means little when it comes to the concern of family for their own. He'll accept that burden, easily.

"...Find a monster for him to eat." Something has occurred to the gunman; in a way, he could be thankful for being stopped and surrounded by the turtles. "...And somewhere that can get messy."

There's no guarantee Donnie is going to wake in possession of his senses and Vincent knows well how hunger was intensified. The crimson and blue light in the vampire's gaze flickers as his gaze subtly shifts between the three, assessing their reactions. Despite his calm, he's all too aware of the tension.

[faceguy]

His brothers joining in doesn't cause Leo to so much as flinch from his current position. Having them fall in rank beside him is natural, as natural as breathing, and he doesn't even think about it.

When Vincent says he "had to take Donnie down," Leo feels his heart plummet, at the same time he grips his swords tighter. Vincent gives verbal confirmation that Donnie is still alive, but it's not quite enough.

"Not until you show me exactly what you did," he demands, pointing with his sword at Vincent. The rest can be handled after that.

[mystic_hands]

Mikey isn't surprised at all when Raphael races up on his motorbike. He knows Raph said he hasn't got Ninpo like they do but he's still a Hamato and Mike firmly believes that means it's still in there, somewhere, just unawoken. When they get an answer from Vincent, the box turtle feels his blood chill even further at the confirmation of who that is. He's been changed by this place, now, and if something got Donnie it could have done more than Mikey's seen yet.

"Ohmigosh, Donnie?!"

Where Leo and Raph are on edge and aggressive, Michelangelo is entirely the opposite. His first thought is, immediately, for his older brother. And, in his mind, Vincent is safe. Vincent did what he needed to. Without hesitation, he's going right past Leonardo and his pointed sword to rush over to both of them.

"Wh-What happened?! Why does he look like that?! Did he get stabbed, too? Do you have anymore bandages left? We should get him somewhere warm, Donnie hates the cold! Oh, Donnie, what did this place do to you?!"

All in a rush. There's no suspicion or fear of Vincent in him at all, only fear and worry for his injured brother, who he's already reaching out to, himself.

[saisdoesmatter]

He hates that answer but it's an answer. With the craziness that happens around here, it explains why Dee's in Vincent's arms and there's blood in the air. He's still frowning at the whole situation but Donnie's not dead. Vincent didn't just take him out like he could have.

After all - this place keeps pulling at their humanity, twisting and turning it into something else - leaving people bare and feral when it wins the fight.

Mikey's clear trust and questions refocuses him. He closes his eyes and takes a deeeeeeeeeeeep breath, letting it out slowly before reopening them, the green blazing a bit. Donnie's not dead. Vincent is still a member of the convoy. He did what he needed to do.

"Do we need it dead or alive?" He's talking about the monster. He remembers Donnie and him fighting one and it healed them after it took them down, but kiting a still living monster to the convoy isn't a good idea either. With his bike he can definitely tow something back if needed.

[coffinturk]

Hm. One more worried about Donnie than the details. Another, willing to set aside the hard bits to focus on other priorities in the moment. The third... Well.

"Not what I wanted," Vincent states to Leo. "The details can wait."

The man will not avoid them. It'll be clear soon enough on inspection. Someone's bound to notice, now that the brothers are approaching, that while two of the necks were pricked- not gouged- by the claws both of the man's hands now have, the central neck has two, much closer together and deeper piercing holes. All have by now clotted and started to scab. But while it's definitely clear that the fight was more restraint than gouging claws- and the metal gauntlet Vincent's wearing definitely shows signs of teeth and claw marks trying to scrape through- Vincent certainly did something.

Dried blood on his lips may be an indicator. He's usually a tidy eater, but Donnie had been struggling and he'd been a bit too eager.

"Donnie went berserk. Complicated. Not on me." Short, simple answers for Mikey's barrage of questions. There aren't any bandages on Donnie either; he'd been in a rush to get him down from the summit and away from further influence to render first aid.

"Dead. Live won't get past the shields." The convoy's shields keep out non-Drifter monsters. "Better to stay inside. Edward can help if he's around." The drider might even have a conveniently wrapped cocoon.

[faceguy]

“Mikey-“

Nope, too late - Mikey has already run past him. Leo scowls, but he lowers his swords as he comes closer, too. He doesn’t particularly like hearing “the details can wait”, but he lets it go for the moment. Even if he’s thinking Vincent should have just let Donnie gnaw on his hand…

“Fine. Dead monster snack.” He looks back at Raph. “Want to help with that?”

[mystic_hands]

The box turtle is trying his best to take in everything he's seeing. Not easy to do, given the fact that the three headed beast Vincent is carrying is apparently his brother. The wings were familiar and when Mikey gets his newly clawed and scaled hands into the fur that's stained and matted with blood, delicately, the bond the brothers share tells him just how much it really is Donnie. It feels... wrong, though, too. His brows furrow, deeply, and he frowns.

"Leo." his voice is clearer and suddenly the seemingly very young turtle sounds much more his age. "He doesn't feel right. Something's really wrong."

Mikey has always been able to sense these things, even before their Ninpo was fully awakened. He moves his hand to put it on the center of Donnie's now fluffy chest, his face crinkled in deep concentration and worry. He looks up at Vincent, blue eyes bright and sharp.

"My van." he says, simple and direct. "She's out near the edge and her heater still works. I don't have much, either, so if Donnie wakes up mad, he can't really hurt himself or wreck anything important in there."

He looks over at Leonardo and Raphael again, the worry in him more than obvious, but taking care of his brothers this way is what he does.

"We'll get all the details from Vincent, don't worry."

There's an edge to Michelangelo's tone, something sharp, something Leo likely recognizes as his fierce and no-nonsense 'doctor' side. It's a reassurance to his brother that while he might be focused on helping Donnie, first, this is gonna get properly explained as soon as possible.

[saisdoesmatter]

Being on his bike still means he hasn't seen the punctures on Donnie - otherwise he'd recognize them from plenty of horror movies and a touch of experience - but Raph has a different priority now. With a glance to Leo, he nods. "I can handle that. Might take a min to find one but I'll cart a dead one back."

As much as he wants to rev the bike and go off, he waits for a moment as Mikey and Vincent are talking. Mikey's right there to check on Donnie and ultimately, he trusts the other turtles despite them not being the direct brothers of his own world.

There's also a seriousness there that he hasn't seen in this Mikey, but it brooks no nonsense, so he nods. "Regroup at Mikey's van? Got it. I'll be back as soon as I can."

And with that, he settles back, switches gears, and directs his bike away and back out of the convoy. Once he clears Leo, he shifts gears and floors it, kicking up dirt and snow as he gets to go hunting.

[coffinturk]

The shift from very young and worried boy-teen to serious, hardened and no-nonsense order only brings a single blink from the tall gunman. He adapts to it; no less because whether or not Shinra's medical and scientist staff have any remains of an extant moral compass, they came in all shapes and sizes of gruffness.

And he's dealt with plenty as a member of the Turks. Not all injuries could be healed by materia or potions. There's a certain tone and presence with Mikey right now that Vincent finds at least faintly familiar.

"Suit yourself." He won't argue about the van either. It's not going to be his problem to clean up if Donnie wakes up hungry and decides to make a messy meal out of what Raph brings back.

"Leo. Cover Mikey." Although the words in that particular set would appear as if an order when written, the tone indicates advice. Raph doesn't seem to need help, Donnie's out and in an unknown state. Mikey is in 'doctor mode' and has proven capable.

But he's also new and doesn't know how bad this can get. Leo does. Vincent begins to walk in the direction of the van without further hesitation. He takes to his own orders well enough. He'd prefer to not have Donnie wake up in his arms and be bitey. There's been enough of that.

[faceguy]

"Raph-"

Nope, he's already gone. Leo hadn't actually meant for him to run off on his own, but too late now.

Raph is gone, Mikey is doing whatever he wants, and now Vincent is telling him what to do. This situation went out of his control so fast - no, it was never in his control, and Leo feels the sting of it like blood in his mouth.

Okay. Fine. He can cover Mikey. It's not like he needed to be told. Especially not the guy who put his brother down like he's some kind of unruly dog.

He doesn't say anything, just falls in line to go to the van. Seeing Donnie passed out in Vincent's arms, covered in blood, sobers him up again.

(It also makes him want to attack Vincent, his new instincts screaming at him to retaliate. He keeps his swords out.)

[mystic_hands]

When Vincent tells Leo what to do and then starts to move, Michelangelo puts one hand on the taller man's arm, one hand still in the fur of Donnie's chest. He's surprisingly like steel. Not forcing but he isn't moving, either.

"No, hold on." he says, firmly.

He looks over at Leonardo, eyes bright and worried.

"He's gonna wake up scared and hurt, Leo. You're the person he trusts the most so he's gonna need you the most. You hold him."

Mikey very rarely tries to take charge of things. He's not a strategical sort and he's not a genius and he isn't interested in being the leader. But when it comes to certain things, he will step up and stand his ground. Taking care of his family has always been his place and, here and now, are where his skills are needed.

He looks back over at Vincent.

"You can keep an eye out and explain yourself while we take care of our brother." he says, voice steely, "We're gonna hear it from Donnie's side, later, we can get yours now."

There's an unspoken warning in there, one Leonardo will probably pick up on. Cause while Mikey doesn't say it, his whole demeanour says "and you better hope your stories match up."

[saisdoesmatter]

Sorry, Leo - but he's got a mission to hunt for a clear meal for Donnie and as soon as they have something to feed the soft shell, the better off he'll be.

Queue the hunting montage! Complete with Akira-reference bike skidding and angry demon-turtles ready to throw down as he gets the attention of something to kill.

But no one is around to witness it so back to your regularly scheduled fretting over Donatello Hamato.

[coffinturk]

Don't worry Mikey. Vincent pauses at the request, needing little added incentive. His response to the correction is to nod. There are a lot of good reasons. This... connection between the brothers versus Donnie's 'attacker'. And... the fire that might ignite in the cerberus's confusion and fight or flight instincts on awakening.

Well, Leo might also suffer from the primal terror fire has been causing Vincent as an undead but the gunman also knows he's not at his best right now. More of that could be disastrous.

That it would make it so Leo can't stab him while he's explaining what happen really is a distant third. Though it's still there in the back of his mind.

He sidesteps so Mikey's hand in Donnie's fur is not disturbed too much and half turns to present Leo with his unconscious brother.

[faceguy]

Leo pauses too, absolutely not wanting to fight with that argument. Finally, he puts away his swords, then holds out his own arms to take Donnie.

Somehow, just having Donnie in his own arms now instead of Vincent's calms him down a lot. Though he doesn't like at all how still and bloody Donnie is.

"He's probably not going to remember much," he says, to caution Mikey. "He usually doesn't when he's in Dog-atello mode. He might just have hazy memories of getting in a fight."

This is about all he'll say in Vincent's defense. If his and Donnie's stories don't match up, it might not be Vincent's fault.

"And he'll be upset with himself if he hurts either of us," he adds, turning to Mikey now, "so whatever you do, don't let him get you with his teeth or claws. Even if you have to get him with the chains."

That would probably be the safest thing, without injuring Donnie worse. Too bad they don't have any of his tranquilizer darts...

"And... try to send something calming through your ninpo connection. If he's not totally gone, he'll feel it."

[mystic_hands]

Leo might not realize it but Mikey can actually see how much having Donnie in his care makes the slider more at ease. Oh, it doesn't make it better, by any means, but there's a subtle difference that Mike takes quiet note of with his own level of relief. Leo and Donnie have been inseparable their whole lives. There's a reason they and the whole family considers them twins. They were also the only two brothers here for a long time and have had to survive out here, together. That would have only made stuff like this even more important.

The comments from Leo surprise him, though, and Mikey blinks, brows lifting sharply.

"Wait... this isn't the first time he's been like this?!" he asks, startled. That's news to him! But then, of course, a lot of stuff is news to him since he hasn't been here for very long at all. He nods, though, his brows furrowing now, instead.

"Okay. Hopefully having us right there will help... somehow." he says, looking a little despondent, but then he sets his jaw again. "If I gotta, I'll hold him still, though. It's just like having to get him to take a nap after working for three days straight! Only... with more heads... and more teeth... and stuff..."

He looks glum for a second or two and then shakes his head, sharply, as though shaking it off.

"Y-Yeah! I can definitely do that." After he says it, though, he turns and looks over at Vincent, his expression a rather fierce frown.

"Soooo... what was happening that made Donnie go berserk? What was he doing? We're gonna need all the deets."

[EPIC DEMON MONTAAAAAAAAGEEEE]

[saisdoesmatter]

Getting away from the protective bubble that the convoy puts up is one thing. It's another to find something that will be the right size to be able to bring back on his bike. But when there's one of the turtle brothers in need of it - most likely the meat, or blood, rather than the healing that he's seen happen when something dies... then you have to be picky.

He's glad that his bike is tough enough to just barrel through snow and let him seek out what he's looking for - a space where he can disengage to start hunting. Raphael himself is already brimming with the urge to fight something and having the task at hand only makes his blood boil faster, the liquid fire of his veins glowing and extending down his arms as he parks and starts to stalk the nearest thing that he deems worthy enough to die for Donatello's sake.

It doesn't take long for a monster to engage. He doesn't even care what it is - he's already on the offensive to take it out, both with sai and fire---wait what? Fire? It'd have bothered him more that it was another shift but with how rushed he is, the fire appearing with every attack as he wills it into existence to help take down any ice afflicted creature.

Blood and smoke remain in the air as he takes it out, ripping his sai free and dragging it back to his bike, leaving red streaks behind him in the snow. It takes an attempt or two to get it on the back of his bike with its size being roughly the same as him, but he's back in the seat, kicking it back into high gear to head for the convoy - mainly Mikey's van as he knows that's where the crew will be.

After all, Donnie's bound to be starving when he wakes.

[coffinturk]

"Mm. A few months now." Vincent confirms Leo's words. But that's a story for another time unless they want to delay the details of what just happened recently. To him there is something more important to consider as they continue to the van.

"Ninpo?" He muses the word. "...Maybe that's what it was." There is a short pause. "I think he used it." To reach out. And if that connection can help keep Donnie calm, it's worth having mentioned it to the two.

But now, he won't delay any longer. There's a story to tell and at the moment he's the only one that can do so. Vincent lets out a soft sigh and begins. His statements are simple and to the point.

"The source of the storm is at the summit." They probably already know it. "Donnie rushed close. One of the targets he destroyed sent shrapnel into his body." There will be signs of that on the canine torso come to think. But between feathers and fur and other small holes, they're just a bit more in the mix.

"I signaled my position and he fell back. But something was wrong. He managed to communicate that before succumbing. So I intended to restrain him." Vincent won't hesitate to explain what went wrong. But even so a slight pause seems necessary before he continues.

Something that implies discomfort. Perhaps even guilt, though his expression remains carefully impassive so as not to imply he's looking to justify himself or offer an excuse.

"When I did, he ignited in flames. Since arriving here," at the fortress, "I've been vulnerable to that element. It triggers... fear. Between that and the my goal, it seemed rational to heal through the fire as long as I could endure it. And I needed blood to do that."

The clear, bleak truth need not be spoken as where this irrational logic loop led the gunman. It's enough to Vincent that he stated his awareness of his mental state now that the moment's over. He doesn't add that the battlefield itself amplified the growing instability between the thoughts of a man and monster; not only to Donnie but to himself.

Of course healed through or not, Vincent's face is drawn and... well, it was already pale before, but the eyes seem rimmed with dark circles if one were to look closely. Whatever power the blood gave him merely allowed him to survive a battle of attrition.

"I was able to stop." He almost didn't. "Donnie fell unconscious. I brought him back here immediately. That's all."

[faceguy]

Leo nods in confirmation to what Vincent says about how long Donnie has been able to turn into a dog. "He doesn't like doing it, though," he adds. "He's not able to think clearly, and you know he wouldn't like that."

But now it's time to listen to Vincent's actual story, and Leo doesn't like any of it. Particularly the part where Vincent drained his brother's blood like a juice box. Even if he was at risk of being hurt by Donnie...

Some rational part of his brain knows that Vincent was just doing what he had to to protect himself, but the rational part of his brain hasn't been fully in control since they reached the mountains. He has to take a second to breathe and hold on to Donnie.

"...The fire thing is new." He glances at Mikey as he says that. "But we were talking about it back in the fortress. That he has something going on with heat." And Leo with the cold, but that's not important right now.

He cuts his eyes back to Vincent.

"How much blood did you drain? Because we don't exactly have the equipment to do some kind of blood transfusion around here, in case you haven't noticed."

[mystic_hands]

Mikey looks down at the beast that is his brother for a moment as Leo's carrying him, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Shrapnel?" he echoes, looking over at the long scar on his newly scaled forearm, "If it was like the weird teeth looking stuff that got me, who knows what the heck it did. It probably hurt real bad, too."

They're gonna find out when Donnie wakes up, that's for sure. While Vincent is explaining what happened, Mikey silently points to the side of his van where the sliding door is, still listening. He's in the midst of pulling said door open for Leo when it really strikes him what Vincent and Leo are talking about. Blue eyes snap up to blink at the tall man in red, brows lifted.

"Hold up. Needed blood? Drain? Like... like vampire drain?" he asks in shock, looking over at Leo as well before he looks down at the furry form of Donnie, too.

"Did you turn Donnie into a vampire on top of everything else?!" he squeaks.

[THE DEMON RETURNNNNNNNNNNSSSSS]

[saisdoesmatter]

Gunning it back to the convoy as fast as he can, the demonic turtle doesn't waste any time to sight see or worry about anything (or anyone) else on his path to return with the food in tow. His bike isn't as fast as other's, but he's pushing it as much as he can. He can't be late with the prize, especially if Donnie needs it.

He knows part of the lingering anger is not knowing what happened to Vincent and Donnie, but it'll have to wait. The others will give him the cliff notes on it when they can. Right now there's snow to kick up as he turns sharply, not wanting to risk the protection shield to fizzle the dead critter he's got. Instead, he's cruising around it toward where the van is.

Luckily for him, the crew is there, most likely getting answers. He shifts gears and turns again, skidding past the shield as he checks to make sure the monster isn't fried as he passes. Nope! Still there, still dead! Good for him. He adjusts and heads for the others - making sure to slow when he gets there so not to bean them with anything his bike is kicking up.

He parks, kills the engine, and hops out - veins glowing still as he lets out a breath of smoke as feverbright green eyes glow as he focuses on the others.

"Dinner is served."

[coffinturk]

"Mm. Seemed to cause a frenzy. Something about the air was driving hunger. Not something we haven't run into before." Only for a moment does the gunman's tone turn a little dry, brought on by remembered issues with this world's impact on the mental state. It isn't the first and won't be the last, probably.

There is another world, when it came down to the moment both turtle brothers reacted to his true nature, that some of Vincent's dry humor might have come into play. This was, unfortunately, not the time nor place and the man himself is not in a humorous mood. Perhaps later. Leo first.

"Mm. Not for lack of searching." Vincent dedicated himself to trying to find such things; not least something that could preserve and store blood bags for emergencies. He'd not succeeded and it annoyed him. But he continues.

"I don't know exactly." He wasn't quite himself and he's found he can take a surprising amount of blood from just two tiny fang holes. The strange war of blue and red in his eyes briefly becomes more intense as his gaze falls to Donnie's unconscious form.

"But... I can tell. His heart's still strong." He can practically see its pulse in the warmth of life. "He's lost blood. But not so much he won't recover with food. Rest." There's... a way in which Vincent's gaze lingers that might be worrying, but for the fact that he quickly jerks his attention away and steadily focuses it- less intensely- on Mikey. Yes. Exactly like a vampire.

"I..." Vincent pauses, a small frown furrowing his brow. Surely not. "...Probably not. Nothing else came back." But still how this place is, who knows how it happens between Drifters. Even two vampires weren't the same here.

"If so, then I've got another sin to atone for." There's a deep, heavy way he speaks of that which implies the pain he's holding back, his concern for the situation leaking out of the stoic mask.

....About that time there's the sound of a familiar bike speeding back. Should be expected and yet that doesn't mean there's no danger following in Raph's wake or, with how things have gone at the Fortress, the turtle himself. So it's probably no surprise that Vincent easy swiftly into a ready stance, his hand dropping so as to be able to draw his gun quickly if needed.

As promised he'll protect.... ah. Dinner's here. Well maybe things are fine. Though he eyes the smoke warily, knowing that could be vapor from the cold air or sign of fire. And he really dislikes fire right now.

[faceguy]

Leo hadn't even considered the possibility that Donnie might be a vampire himself now - that'd be just one more problem on their giant list of problems - but he decides not to borrow any grief there. If Donnie is a vampire now, they'll cross that bridge when they get there.

At least Raph's back, too. Having them all in his sight again makes Leo feel better.

"Okay, good," he says, looking at Raph and then back at Mikey's party van. "Let's worry about atoning for sins later. We have to see how he's going to be when he wakes up. Then we'll treat the shrapnel wounds."

So saying, he'll clamber inside Mikey's van.

[mystic_hands]

Mikey's brows furrow at the way Vincent says 'probably not'. It's an honest answer, though, and Mikey does his best to take it as it is. This place messes with everything, he knows, and they're just gonna have to take things as they come. He nods, setting his jaw again to push back the worry, and gets the van opened for Leo.

It's obvious that Mikey has tried to find ways to make the van a little more comfortable for staying in. There's a careful pile of what looks like cedar tree branches with a slightly battered salvaged blanket spread over it so it's somewhere softer than the hard floor to lounge on. He looks at Donnie, who's still unconscious, just letting his hand pet in the thick fur again for a second.

"It's not a lot but I can get her running and crank the heater." he says, half to Leo and half to Donnie, himself, even if he can't hear him. He blinks up when Raph returns and hops off his bike, his brows lifting and his eyes widening a little at the change in how he looks. Is that new, too?! He doesn't know... but it doesn't seem to be hurting Raph any at the moment, at least?

"We might wanna leave that out here until Donnie wakes up." he says, "Otherwise I... think it's just gonna leak all over the floor..."

He hops up inside the van, himself, but he ducks into the driver's seat, instead, so he can get the engine running and get the heat going. It's not great heat but it's at least a little bit of warm.

"I don't have any first aid stuff in here, though... Do you guys know anybody who's got some?"

[saisdoesmatter]

If the glow to his arms is bothering him, he doesn't show it, huffing once to clear the smoke from his lungs as the hellfire that sprouted when he was hunting isn't necessary right now. It's not hurting him either, which surprised him, but perhaps he was destined for this lingering demonic form. He's fought demons before - what else is new for a ninja turtle?

When Mikey mentions leaving the dead critter out here so it doesn't bleed all over the floor of his van, he nods to him. "You got it, M."

He lets them handle getting Donnie inside, ready to guard for any other issues if need be, but he glances to Leo and Vincent.

"Can I get a recap of what happened? Bullet points work."