ximilialog | MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

INTRO • THE DREAM DEFERRED • YOUR WAKE UP CALL • FYI

// INTRO. WELFORD BRANSON  

It is barely past twilight in Scorpion’s Bend, the twin suns having just set, taking their light with them — but the moons delay, and so darkness lingers over the town as Lan Xichen’s conversation with one Welford Branson comes to an abrupt end. At the same time, all around the town, the team will notice the town natives around them stilling — some freezing in the middle of a sentence, a man with a fork in the air, a woman mid-step on the street, some youngsters with their mouths open in laughter. All of them become statues in less than a heartbeat; still, eyes vacant, like everything that made them seem alive has been taken away.

And then — a reverberating sigh, echoing heavily in the ears of all the Orbers. What follows are words, spoken by a chorusing voice now familiar to most of the team —

“Well now you’ve done it.”

The orb’s echoing sound is filled with disappointment, even annoyance.

Some may see that amidst all the frozen townspeople, an old man runs, clawing at his thinning hair. Some of you may hear his words, muttered, desperate:

“I don't understand, I thought 'twas just a bad dream, everyone was fine, don't understand, what in the name of the Eight could've done somethin' like this —”

The disbelieving mumbles trail at his wake, making it clear he does not know what is going on at all — in fact, you may have a better idea as to what has happened than he does. But as you turn to follow him, open your mouth to yell at him to stop... everything around you shatters.

The lights in the buildings grow dim and break; the smell of food disappears; the horses in the stables simply fade away. You notice that if you were wearing or carrying something you bought while here, it too disappears, your clothes turning to those you had on upon arrival, all equipment shimmering away slowly.

But perhaps most importantly… the frozen statues of people crumble into ash right in front of you. It may fill the floors of the now-silent, dusty and worn-down houses, or it may blow away with the harsh desert wind — whichever it is, sans the team, the town of Scorpion’s Bend is now devoid of people.

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// PART I.THE DREAM DEFERRED  

The town that now surrounds the team is very different from the one it used to be — the houses are quiet, filled with sand and dust; doors broken, tables turned over, drawers open and mostly empty, aside from anything not valuable. The beds in Thornbush Inn are ragged, insects of various sizes skittering along the floors. The Saloon is dusty, furniture broken, and a lone piano stands in the corner, half its keys having crumbled away. The door to the Mayor’s office is ajar, a banging sound repeating as it hits the wall in time with the wind.

1.0 In the corners of the Sheriff’s office, the school and the church, the embera slither along, searching for food; owl-shrews hide from the Orbers on the streets, while feathered coyotes howl at the five moons now lending their light to see the town’s destruction better. The team may be the only living humanoids, but they are not the only living beings in the town anymore; in the absence of people, animals have made the town their home. And coexist they must, now, to survive the rapidly dropping temperature of the night that has fallen upon them.

2.0 The next morning, as the moons disappear underneath the horizon and let the two suns bring out their scorching rays once more, the team wakes up to the reality of having to survive Scorpion’s Bend… with very little supplies. So search the empty houses, for they still stand; the fire that has burned away the people has not touched the buildings… but they have not been immune to the passing of time, or the harsh weather in the desert. You may find clothing, basic equipment, pots and pans left on a now-cold stove; but no valuables, no money, no gems, no jewelry, no weapons.

But amidst your search through the town, remember that what you need, first and foremost, is to find water and something to eat — it will not be long until the suns are high in the sky, and some of you are already in desperate need of proper nourishment, without being left to endure the scorching temperatures the days on the planet of Badrock bring.

3.0 But should you want to brave the heat, you’ll find it is now possible to leave the town and venture out into the desert. Out there, the rock dragons search for prey, while bald vultures circle above your head in groups of three or four, their shrieks growing in volume the farther you walk. If you show weakness, any weakness, they strike — and the dragons, sensing their chance, are not far behind.

And when you least expect it, the ground underneath you trembles, like a small earthquake is approaching you… and then you see it: from the sand, a whale surges up, then another, and another, arcing through the air like suspended there, before the sand swallows them once more. Should you get too close, you too may be swallowed underneath the sand; unless you’re very, very careful, or have in your arsenal something else that may help you to deal with these near-immortal giants that have swam across the deserts for hundreds of thousands of years.

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// PART II.YOUR WAKE UP CALL  

Time passes at a snail’s pace without the comforts of the town you were used to. Scorpion’s Bend is now a wasteland you must survive, and it clearly isn’t easy. Some of you might question whether retrieving the orb is still an endeavour worth pursuing after all of this, but the rest of you know that it is. That you’ve come this far and you’re nearly there; you just need to band together and form a gameplan.

As the suns begin to set over the horizon on yet another grueling day of scorching heat and rough, dry sand in the ghost town of Scorpion’s Bend, you might begin to hear a distant thunder that has nothing to do with an oncoming desert storm or otherwise. It rattles at the already weakened structures of the old Saloon and the General Store, bits of broken glass and debris vibrating with the raucous sound of clattering hooves, feet, and paws. And as the sound of the invasion grows louder – you’ll hear the unmistakable manic howling and bellowing in accompaniment: these are the Bouldersnakes that some of you have already heard much of.

4.0 The Bouldersnakes are not a group to be taken lightly, and have garnered the fearsome reputation that they now hold for a reason. Kicking up dust, they arrive like a cloud of chaos in different sizes, shapes, and forms. Some have the ability to shrink and grow in size to match their opponents in physical size and weight. Other Bouldersnakes are agile and quick; and others yet are superhumanly strong and robust – either way, they make for formidable opponents when you, yourself, have been weakened from weeks of a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The individual members of the Bouldersnakes are like a band of bloodthirsty brothers: from all walks of life and all colours and creeds, with a severe and mean streak to them, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

What goals, you ask? Should you listen carefully, their leader, riding a winged lizard-like creature, shouts to their underlings:

“Find it! This is where it told us to come to. We missed it last time, but no more! I don't care what we have to do, we're getting our hands on that thing!”

As it so happens, you are not the only crew in search of that elusive orb; the Bouldersnakes have been tracking down the whereabouts of this mysterious and all-powerful object themselves, burning through towns – quite literally – to get it. News that Scorpion’s Bend has seen a resurgence of life and might still be the resting place of the orb has the bandits seeking out the town again. Their first round through Scorpion's Bend about a year ago had them coming up empty-handed (save for a few bits and baubles), but this time they are determined to find what they've come here to find. Though if there’s anything left here to salvage... they’ll ransack as they please.

Whether you confront them head-on or they catch you in hiding, they won’t easily back down from a fight. It will be best to keep your distance if you can manage it, and hope that they’ll pass you by. But the Bouldersnakes have their weaknesses too: once maimed, they still bleed, and none of them are immortal, though they are notoriously difficult to kill based on their talents alone... and when they carry weapons, too, well — those not accustomed to battles may find it best to hide. And even for those with fighting experience under your belt, teaming up with your fellow Orbers and combining your shared skills will be your best chance at survival.

5.0 By the time the suns have disappeared and the moons have risen, the Bouldersnakes invasion will make the bandit attack from the other night seem like a childish tussle. The Bouldersnakes don’t play nice and have adapted to the harsh lands as ruthless survivors. They arrive like a wave, many equipped with weapons: guns, sabers, pistols and small knives. A few others have engineered their own specially crafted weapons made of metal and magic (in the shape of guns, blow-torches, and blades) that wield a special element harnessed from mined ore called ‘pulsefire’. It is this pulsefire, glowing a deep blue (like the hottest colour of flame), that has the capability to destroy all living beings and allows the bandits to systematically ravage unsuspecting towns down to ash, reap its benefits (either for the town’s riches and wealth, or and especially: for any supply of ore), and then leave without a trace.

The best way to fight against pulsefire is to acquire weapons of pulsefire of your own and best a Bouldersnake before they best you. (Think high stakes, noon-time duels of the pistol.) Of course, this is a very risky and very dangerous affair as one shot by pulsefire could mean your untimely demise and the element itself isn't easy to put out either, so it might be best to work in teams to strategically disarm and swipe a pulsefire weapon to use before they manage to overwhelm you.

NOTE: If your character is alive, your character will be vulnerable to the effects of pulsefire. Unliving things such as buildings and infrastructure will not be affected. Pulsefire has a slow spread-rate over unliving things, but its effects on the living are instant. Once in contact with the element, pulsefire quickly consumes the living body and spirit until it is turned to ash. Putting pulsefire out over unliving things is relatively easy, but once pulsefire has touched the living, there's little to no chance of making it out in one piece.

All through this, you must still remember your goal — it is not to stay in Scorpion's Bend, or even fight the Bouldersnakes, but to find the orb... and that means finding Welford Branson. How will you convince him to give you the orb, when all signs point to him not even knowing what it is, or what it has done? That is what you must decide... if you survive the Bouldersnakes in one piece, of course.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place ICly right after the end of the NPC thread.

• The voting for how to get the orb is now open! Please head HERE to submit your idea for how the team should proceed to get the orb, or +1 others’ ideas.

• The conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on February 13.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪

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[ ooc; if you are interested in participating in this, please read my plotting post and we can figure something out! ]

[ It was a shock to see the town change just like that. Everything they thought was there is completely gone and changed and it all hits Kaneki like a hurricane, unsure how to process it all, at first. He understand everyone is panicking, and with good reason!, no food or water to be found - apart from the animals around them, he imagines they are edible just like the snake were - it's natural that everyone is currently worrying over that particular issue.

It's Kaneki's too, but in a whole different way. Viveca had given him limited supplies for this mission and Kaneki believed he could make it work; he doesn't eat a lot, and he can hold back, right?

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

because after a month and a half, said supplies were gone. And Kaneki without his very particular and specific and (currently) extremely hard to get supplies is... well. Dangerous. He knows this. But he is also in extreme pain; ghouls feel hunger in much worse ways than humans do. It's so painful that Kaneki feels he is going mad, like his whole body is on fire and it's shutting down even his ability to think straight.

But what is worse, is that being close to people makes it worse. Their scent blinds him and makes him hungrier each second. Therefor, kaneki decides it's better to stay away from people; he isn't sure if that is even possible, but he will do his best.

he can be found far away from everyone else, just roaming around through the empty buildings, protecting himself from the sun (or the cold of the night, depending on the time of the day) and trying not to be seen by others. But if he is seen? Kaneki clearly seems to be sick - in pain - the way he holds on to his own arm or stomach, nibbling his finger hard enough that he breaks the skin.

And if isn't enough to keep people away? Well... things will probably get much worse if someone approaches him. ]

open starters for part i.
[there's no consolation to be had in seeing the town match the emptiness that Blue's psionic senses had been stifled by this whole time, and certainly no thrill in the matters of scavenging and survival.

he's running on borrowed time and limited resources as it is: he doesn't want to become the liability he fears he already is. there's only so much he can do, but staying in safe places and keeping the injured parties there company is at least one of them. he can offer a comforting presence to those he's with, as well as little peeks into what other orbers within his radius of detection are up to. free two-way psychic radio!]

[when he's not stowed away with others, Blue's been given the chance to help others scavenge...

...well, keep watch while others scavenge. the wild animals now roaming around are starting to become familiar presences, so Blue can be set on a safe vantage point and keep a mind out for any roaming too close, occasionally dipping into someone's mind to borrow their eyes and help look around.]

cw: emetophobia
[he can help prepare food as well, but...maybe not eat it. he does make a few small efforts just to give him peace of mind, but it...doesn't really work out. a few bites and minutes later he'll be doubled over on his knees, coughing it back up. sure kills the desire for an appetite.]

open starters for part ii.
[despite his shortcomings, here Blue can shine. these bandits may be alien in body and mind, but they're still perceivable. Blue can detect incoming bandits and help others get the drop on them...

...most of them. the ones with mental barriers are near as invisible as the ashen townfolk were, and he may need a sudden rescue himself before things get dire.]

I.1 Closed to Close CR

Kaidan had survival training from the Alliance, and when he felt the chill in the air he knew what he needed to do. Now that the illusion was shattered, there was no reason for him to hide. It was with a relief that he lit up his biotic barrier. It was the easiest of his biotic skills and required very little energy. But there was also another benefit: using biotics made him warm.

So he set out to look for food and water, keeping up the barrier so he would stay warm. When he rested he still glowed. Thanks to the weeks spent off-line, he had a decent stash of energy drinks that he could use to keep himself going.

While Kaidan wasn't going to advertise that he was now a good source of heat thanks to keeping his biotics going, if he did see someone he knew well shivering at the cold, he would catch their eye and gesture for them to come close.

“Here, I'll keep you warm for a while.”

Wildcard (open)

[If you want to do a thing with Kaidan, like search the town for supplies or hunt for food or engage in some fighting, hit me up here.

seraphjewel for more detailed plotting]

( 1.0 — the west can be a desperate place )

[ well, toto, erik thinks to himself, we're not in kansas anymore.

it felt like a completely different town. the change was instantaneous. the buildings shifted, the area became decrepit. if it wasn’t for the architecture, erik would connected it to the boroughs and neighborhoods he spent his childhood weaving in and out, always toeing the line of abject poverty. it feels a bit like robbing graves as he casually breaks down a few doors and starts canvassing for necessities. he didn’t find much in the way of food, but there’s enough clothing to be used as layers for the oncoming cold.

he manages to scrounge up needle and thread and mends a few, keeping them in a pile. whoever passes by, erik gestures to them. ]

Better grab some now. It’ll be a cold night.

( 2.0 — weapon station )

[ slipping into the gold jaguar suit, erik starts collecting the scrap and using the vibranium claws and strength-enhanced features to start fashioning out crude knives and little sacks with gunpowder. he has some which he usually carries whenever he goes into missions. moscow rule 2: technology will always let you down.

like with the clothes, he has them out in piles, grimacing as he sharpens a knife from a cutlery draw. ]

It ain’t perfect, but it’ll do. I recommend the smoke bombs. Better for a quick getaway. Not everything needs to be a blood bath.

( 4.0 — vibranium backup ) cw: murder, blood

[ normally, this is his element.

go in, dismantle, get out. the threat of pulsefire is unnerving, but erik’s worked in warzones. every fight is a potential ending. competence makes a difference but so much of a battle can be luck. you can do everything right and still end up dead. he died from a lucky move, after all. that’s all it took.

but also . . . he finds his appetite for a fight has dwindled. it’s not as appealing or . . . worthwhile anymore. he sees it in the eyes of the other station folk and he doesn’t like it, how quick and feral they get. how badly they seem to want blood. so he doesn’t race in, but he’s not a fool. a single person can tip a victory. he remains in the fringes, watching, waiting . . . and there, a break in formation as one of the bouldersnakes slips around, trying to corner the others. in his gold jaguar suit, erik launches at him, taking him by surprise and with a quick flick of his claws, erik tears out his throat. the bouldersnake gurgles and dies, quietly. erik stares at his hands for a moment, as if unsure of himself. ]

( wildcard )

[ got a different prompt you’d like to do? ping me on timmtams / pm this journal / hit up my plotting comment ]

Edited 2022-02-05 01:34 (UTC)

THE DREAM DEFERRED

[following the collapse of the illusion and ford’s escape, xichen grows quieter. while he does not hide, the warmth he’s cultivated and normally shown has melted away into a polite, distant calm. he cannot explain the not-quite-guilt and grief. it is not the collapse of the illusion alone, though he does feel that this could have been avoided, but a cumulation of things.

logic reasons that ford's mental break was inevitable, a matter of time. but xichen has lived under the weight of the expectation of his title, of zewu-jun, as if he were not a man but an idealization carved from jade and animated into life. not quite on the same level as the rest, elevated along with his brother. so he feels like he could have done something to prevent it.

in ford he sees himself mere months ago, knows the feeling of having his world ripped from under his feet. then there are the shells of buildings and the knowledge that this place burned like his home once had.

so the grief, guilt and quiet he slips into are not so simple. a mish-mash of triggers and memories, all brought on at once and overwhelming. this mission is, as some might say, fucking awful. regardless of the fact that the he is aware the opportunity to change a regret would never come easily.

still, he does not idle. during the day there are supplies to help organize, hunts to assist on when he learns the animals can be pacified for a short time with his songs. more importantly, ford branson needs to be found.

as the days turn to nights and the temperature drops if anyone who finds themselves in the same shelter as him and looks like they're struggling with the cold, will soon have company. kneeling close by, xichen pulls out a piece of paper from inside his sleeve and mutters a few soft words. the words light up and warmth radiates from the sheet, enchanted to last through the night. now there's no need for a fire, which may draw predators in from the streets.] This will help keep you warm for the night.

YOUR WAKEUP CALL

4.0

[war and battle are familiar to lan xichen, though each one brings its own twists and turns. no battle is easy, no enemy the same.

the advantages of having superpowers or abilities that enhance what they can do don’t give the orbers the upper hand here, xichen realizes that. the bouldersnakes are just as fast, just as powerful in some cases. they show up like a storm and it’s clear that they’re back for what they’d been searching for when they’d set this town ablaze, consuming ford’s treasures and all life with blue flames.

it was the orb itself. the reason why matters very little as they storm into town.

when havoc breaks loose, it’s clear on the first night that it will not be easy. luckily, xichen can hold his own in battle with nearly three decades of practical experience behind him. where his magic fails, physical training steps in. his fighting style coupled with cultivation means he moves quickly through the air, incorporating flips and spins to dodge any attacks from enemies with blades. the matter of protecting himself from guns though, well, any cover is appreciated because if an enemy approaches an unsuspecting orber he’s quick to trade sword for flute and push them back out of the way to give them time to counter.] Behind you!

5.0

[by the second attack, xichen feels the fatigue of the mission in his bones but there is no time to rest. magic works differently in all worlds and here, with his flute, xichen realizes quickly he is not able to utilize the full extent of his powers.

the pulsefire cannot be contained but it can be slowed, pushed back as it heads in the direction of an orber who’s caught in the cross-fire.. ] Move! [he jumps down from the spot he’d taken on a rooftop, brings his flute to his lips to play a melody that sends blue light which holds the flames back for just long enough before it burns through.]

WILDCARD

[ooc: if there's anything different you want to do or if you'd like a closed top level, feel free to reach out via pm or on plurk @ cloudrecess!]

Edited 2022-02-05 03:49 (UTC)

[ closed starters will be posted below in separate threads! ♥ if you'd like a closed starter for your character, please hit me up via PM or

nereids. ]

PART I: DREAM DEFERRED
1.0-3.0 🗡 EDIBLE SNAKES, AND OTHER MISC ANIMALS

[ the desolate, empty town doesn't really hit andy the same way it hits some of the other orbers. it's jarring and abrupt, but it's not like the people burned down directly in front of her, so she does her best to push it aside and focus on the new problem - the state of the town vs surviving out here. ]

[ she puts together a rudimentary firepit and ganks some of the chairs from the saloon to fill it up. once it's to her satisfaction, she starts up a fire with relative ease at dusk. she's not even thinking about how to do it, and soon enough the flames flicker to life. she pokes at it, sitting down besides someone. ] We can set up some places to sleep near the fire if the temperature drops too much. If we can't find blankets or anything to use for warmth, we might have to buddy up.

[ as for the food part of it, andy knows the snakes are edible but she also knows half the orbers have been reluctant, so she sets out exploring outside the town - but on the hunt. she gathers up a handful of her knives she'd brought from the station as well as her sword from itachi, preferring to keep the leftover ammunition for other potential threats. she squints out into the distance, glancing at whoever might be doing the same. ] Don't know about you, but I'm going to see what I can find for food.

[ an hour or so after she leaves, andy comes back and drops the corpse of a coyote near one of the fire pits and whoever might be tending it, or even just sitting nearby. it is not the first time she's come back from exploring outside the down with more protein. people complaining about snakes have no excuse with the new variety! she squats down beside it, turning it over. there's a wound in the neck, presumably from a knife but it's hard to tell, and she hums, pleased with the meat on its bones. ] It'll have to be skinned and gutted, but we should be able to cook the meat on the fire easy enough.

[ or maybe in the middle of the afternoon, in the distance... whales?? andy knows they were warned about sand whales when they arrived, but it's different to be able to finally see them first hand. she looks delighted even just watching them, munching on some sort of charred meat on a stick. ] Those I won't hunt, but I bet it'd be fun to ride one.

PART II: YOUR WAKE UP CALL
4.0-5.0 🗡 BOULDERSNAKES, AND OTHER MISC VIOLENCE
cw: violence, blood, and death

[ when word gets around about the pulsefire, andy is... perhaps more cautious than she'd been in other battles. she doesn't want to find out what happens if her soul is hit with it. assuming she still has one. ]

[ but even with that caution, andy fights brutally. they're tough to kill, but andy is too. the only real threat to her here is the pulsefire itself. their other weapons don't phase her. it's not that she actively seeks out the fight, but the fight has come to to them, and her natural style is efficiency combined with no qualms about killing. she cares more about her allies than these bandits, which is a step up from her first mission of barely caring about anyone else at all. ]

[ a few of them target the hubs where the orbers have hunkered down. not everyone here is a fighter, so she sweeps in and strikes back. the chokuto from itachi is handled masterfully, and she moves almost like a dancer on her feet. she jabs it into the stomach of one of them, then fires her gun at another in the distance. a third rushes onto the scene and targets one of the other orbers, but andy draws it's attention. ] Hey! Asshole!

[ the bouldersnake turns on her and charges with his own blade. they go back and forth for a few moments, andy parrying the blows effortlessly, even if she's panting from the effort. then she swings the sword in a fluid movement and slices the arm clean off at the elbow, the pulsefire gun dropping to the ground with the arm. she kicks it aside, then kicks the man over, throwing a kunai into his neck. only once he's dead does she look up at the bystander. ] Are you okay?

[ later in the day, andy finds herself a little bloodied up, but very little of it is hers. she harbors no remaining injuries, pausing for a moment to take a breather anyway. the lack of real food is making her tired, not down for the count. it's unfortunately a little short lived as another few bouldersnakes roll up, and andy stands up, taking point instinctively regardless of who else might be nearby. ]

[ one fires his weapon, shooting off a spray of the pulsefire. andy drops and rolls across the sand, dodging the first blow, but a second bouldersnake gears up his own blast danger fire. a little help would not be unwelcome. ]

PART III: ????
0.0 🗡 WILD SNAKES, AND OTHER MISC PLOTTING

[ tweak it or hit me up! plotting comment here, romanitas#5368 @ disco, or communism if you wanna chat about stuff c: ]

PART I. THE DREAM DEFERRED - Survival

The town was ruins overnight. It was like the fiercest sandstorm on Tatooine had ripped through and left nothing in its wake. Now it was really like home.

Cobb put his fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply to get everyone's attention. He drew himself up to his full height, hand on his hip and looked over everyone.

"Morin'," he said with his signature drawl. "Some of you folks know me, some of you don't. I'm Cobb Vanth. Before all this I lived in a desert just like this. We've even got the two sun. I know how to survive in this and we're all gonna have to work together to do it."

Cobb had no authority here and he knew it. These people had no reason to listen to him even though he spoke with confidence, like he had the authority to lead them. Those years of being Marshal Vanth could not be forgotten or left behind. He'd lead and it was up to folks to follow.

"First, the heat. If there's a house in these ruins with a basement, we're gonna wanna shelter there. It'll stay cool in the day and warmer at night." Tatooine natives built most of their homes underground for reason. "If there ain't a suitable basement, get whatever fabrics we can scavenge and string it up over any holes in a roof. And cover your skin. You'll burn fast in two suns."

It was counter-intuitive but light fabrics to block the suns from skin was incredibly important. Cobb hoped folks would listen. The burn would dehydrate them. Which brought them to the second biggest problem.

"Water," he said sharply, almost barking the word. "Is next. We need to find any water tight containers we can and go lookin'. Animals will know where it is. We follow their trails it'll either lead to water or salt. Just need a good group of people willin' to walk into that desert with me."

Because Cobb would never ask folks to do something he wouldn't do himself. He could track through the sands and gravel. He was confident they would find it, they just had to get started now.

"I've still got the snake traps I built before. We can still get food. Got plenty of good warm to burn and cook over. I don't know how many of you have lived lean like this but I have my whole life. It's gonna be unpleasant. But we will survive."

Cobb Vanth would make damn sure of that.

1.0

Roger had not had very much time to establish himself in the town before he had shut down rather unexpectedly. When he finally booted back up, the town was empty. Or at least, so it seemed. He had no idea how long had passed, whether everyone else had left him behind or something much more sinister had occurred. Whatever the case, the silence was unnerving.

He scans the streets, searching for anyone who could explain to him what has happened. As he walks, his blaster pistol is drawn, and his tiny spy drone scouts ahead of him wherever he goes. Yet his voice announces his presence as he walks, as he asks, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Anyone he sees with his spy drone, he quickly approaches with relief. However, he quickly pivots and points his blaster at anyone who approaches from behind him.

2.0/3.0

For some, surviving in Scorpion's Bend would be a challenge. However, Roger was a machine manufactured in the hot deserts of Geonosis, lived through the grueling Siege of Saleucami, and spent years inactive on the sands of Ord Telloram. He needs no sustenance beyond a supply of electricity, and his long shutdown made sure he was covered on that front.

So he does what he can to make sure the organics can survive. He hunts with his blaster pistol, he gathers, he scrounges up whatever food he can find. The he goes to the saloon, and prepares whatever meals he can there. They don't necessarily taste good, but they're enough sustenance to survive in the wasteland the town has become.

5.0

Roger isn't eager to fight the bandits, so he stays hidden when they arrive. However, he does reason that he can safely observe them and acrue some kind of advantage with his spy drone. Since pulsefire has little effect on nonliving matter, he reasons that there will be little risk to the spy drone anyway.

He is proven wrong rather abruptly when a bandit shoots the drone with a pulsefire weapon and immediately disintigrates it.

His attention returns to his own body, hidden in some closet somewhere, like waking up from a nightmare. But the sharp pain in his arm and eye linger, leaving him recoiling and grasping at his eye with his unhurt arm, his other arm simply going limp. Anyone who finds him not long after this sees the battle droid wimpering and nearly motionless, except for his continual clasping at his optical sensor.

[This is for closed starters, but if you have things you want to do with Yelena hit me up at

etceteras or PM!]

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● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

F Y I

Kaneki Ken // cw; cannibalism

blue - ota