MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● 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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Comments

staying warm - open

[bossily]

[She's out of her element with the survival that's expected of them here. Still, she tries her best to spend her days finding tools and food, but her primary focus is on obtaining water.

It's at night when she has the hardest time, though she realizes that's likely the case for everyone. There's people that manage to build fires and others that have found safe places they can gather and crash in an attempt to rest. But Clara's mind is going quickly, never slowing down so she can sleep.

She's sitting, wrapped up in a thin old blanket that had been given to her. There's a fire not too far off, but she's keeping her distance so people without a blanket can get warm. It's after she spots someone nearby that she opens her blanket, inviting them to come inside and huddle close to her for warmth.]

Come here. I promise I'm not likely to bite.

[blackfire]

（ there's an old cauldron over the fire, and contributions from the gathered have made something of a stew. it's not especially well flavoured, but it's edible, and itachi brings her an old tin cup of it as he sits down beside her, holding it out.

he does not eke under that blanket, but she knows his aversion to physical proximity just the same. ）

We need to consider a stronghold. The mayor's or the saloon would serve. Something centralized, with enough room for medical treatment and triage, and we may need to consider burning the buildings around it so that bandits can't have staging grounds, or cultivate sightlines on us or easy access to the rooftops.

[bossily]

[She's not surprised when he doesn't move under the blanket. There's no need on her part to press him to join her, the exhaustion from everything finally having caught up to her. So the cup and the stew inside is appreciated, and she takes a slow sip so her stomach won't become upset by taking in too much all at once.]

The schoolhouse.

[the answer comes to her quickly.]

There's only one way in and one way out. And any bandits that may come through town aren't likely to try looking for the orb there. The clinic's not too far off, and I'm sure we could make use of the church that's right next door somehow too.

[underneath all her energy and that bubbly exterior she works so hard to project at all times, there's a calm focus and determination. she hasn't lost sight of the orb being the end goal, but knows that protection from the elements and preserving life are of the utmost importance.]

[blackfire]

Mm.

（ it's a noise of soft agreement, reconsidering what he knows of the city's layout. he had been concerned the schoolhouse was too central, but what she says is tactically sound. ）

I'll go prepare it tomorrow. If we reinforce the walls with earth jutsu, it will be that much more secure. Though one way in and out could be disadvantageous should any noncombatants get cornered, there.

（ one ninja tactic is to cut off all avenues of escape, and burn houses to the ground. he's done it himself. ）

Let us hope it does not come to that.

[bossily]

Yeah.

[she breathes out a sigh, knowing hope is only going to get them so far. But if it means keeping everyone going, she'll have enough hope to keep them all covered.

She takes another slow drink of stew, eyes closing briefly as she enjoys the fact that it doesn't taste like dirt. When her eyes open again, it's to glance over at him.]

We'll have to make sure to find enough people willing to stand guard. Do you think you'd be able to find anyone?

[blackfire]

Yes.

（ the character of the ximilia's crew is that most of them seem willing to help out when needed. ）

I will ask. If others are busy, I will do it myself. I can use clones if necessary.

[ruinously]

What if I want you to bite?

[ He winks as he settles down beside her, a shitty little blanket in his hands that he'll drape around her shoulders, in addition to the one she's got. ]

Sounds like more fun to me.

[bossily]

[Dean manages to pull a laugh out of her, and she leans over to bite at his fully clothed shoulder. It's a playful nibble more than anything meant to hurt. And hopefully it'll make him laugh too. They could all use a bit of laughter right about now.]

I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you to be careful what you wish for.

[ruinously]

[ He does laugh, surprised but pleased that they both seem to be in better spirits today. ]

I've heard that before. I ever tell you about the cursed rabbit foot my brother and I had to destroy?

[bossily]

You definitely haven't.

[Which means of course he's now obligated to tell her the entire story. He earns a little nudge to prompt him to spill the details.]

[ruinously]

It was a mess. This chick, Bela, had hired these two idiots to break into our old mans storage unit and steal it. If you touch it, it gives you impossibly good luck.

Like I mean, you can't lose. You can't miss. Every lotto ticket is a winner, every shot is a bullseye. It's crazy. But...

[ He chuckles, thinking back, remembering Sam's absolute uselessness when he'd lost the damn thing. ]

If you lose it, you have awful luck. Kill you dead kinda luck. Sammy had it for a while, and when he lost it, I thought I was gonna have to lock him in a padded room til we took care of it. It was ridiculous. The kid couldn't catch a break - he'd step in gum, he lost his shoe down a gutter, he kept tripping, it was a mess.

[lateness]

Well, I promise you I wouldn't be very tasty anyway.

[ The Doctor smiles in amusement, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. This has been a rather difficult time for all of them, and it's frustrating to be helpless. The Doctor isn't used to being helpless, and he certainly isn't used to being stranded without his TARDIS for as long as he's been now.

Still, he is glad to see Clara, he always is, and doesn't hesitate to join her, hunkering down beside her and adjusting his rather long limbs into a more comfortable position. He lightly bumps her shoulder. ]

You know — I've been wracking my brains all day trying to come up with some very clever plan to save us all from this abandoned town. I think I even dreamed up a pot roast.

[bossily]

[She can see the frustration, realizing that while it echoes her own, there's something far more dangerous about the Doctor feeling it. He's just as prone to recklessness as she is, even when things aren't feeling like one big whimsical adventure any longer. She thinks to how he had taken on the old god back on Akhaten without a moment's hesitation. There's a worry he might try doing something like that now, simply to not have idle hands.]

Can you imagine how a Sunday roast would go over right about now?

[Her laughter doesn't quite reach her tired smile or the exhaustion in her eyes. But he's managed to pull some happiness out of her anyway, and that's something to be proud of.

She scoots in closer to him, leaning over to rest her head against his arm.]

We'd save the day singlehandedly, Doctor, you and I. We'd have to call it a miracle roast. Maybe Welford would come out of hiding, just from the smell of it alone.

[lateness]

[ The problem with Clara Oswald — and truth be told, it isn't actually a problem at all — is that she knows him. She knows him too well. She can see uneasy way he navigates this new-but-not-fun situation and know exactly how he feels about it. She can hear it in the way he speaks how impatient and frustrated he is to feel like the situation is so far out of his hands, he's feeling utterly useless. She can see how he might wind up doing something reckless and stupid because of it — but because of that gift of hers, she's also the one person who might be able to convince him from doing exactly that.

He tips his head to rest against hers when she leans in, looking out over the rather depressing landscape they've found themselves in. Now that the illusion is well exposed, the place seems so grim and miserable, and they've still got no idea where the orb could have gone; where Welford could have taken it. ]

Oh, but we really could do with a miracle roast right about now. [ Especially if it baits the Branson man. ] I don't suppose the coyotes I heard earlier would make a very good meal though. Besides, all I've got is a screwdriver — not exactly an oven, is it.

[bossily]

Mmm.

[She makes a sound that's in agreement with his assertion, not liking how it makes him sound like he's full of doubt about his cleverness and his ability to save the day.]

Really isn't.

[No, the screwdriver isn't an oven. But neither was the Tardis, and they had turned it into a perfect place to cook her christmas turkey. Of course, she can't bring that up to him. He hasn't lived through that yet. So her hand seeks out his, holding on tight.]

If we were still in our little home in the saloon, I'd make the best roast.

[But they're not in the illusion any longer. The home they had built together the past weeks is gone now, along with the marriage that came along with it. She had been all too happy to indulge in their little life, and she supposes she's sad it's gone now.

They're still the Doctor and Clara Oswald, but no longer need to be Mr. and Mrs. Doctor.

But that's just fine. They'll be the Doctor and Clara Oswald and navigate the rest of this mission together. Which is why she shifts focus, choosing to discuss a plan of action instead of pretending a roast will solve all their problems.]

I was thinking of trying to lead a group out toward the mines to find him. A screwdriver could come in useful for that.

[lateness]

[ It's a much preferred plan anyway, the talking of things they actually can do rather than the things they wish they could if things hadn't all gone so terribly ... awry. Wishes can't be made true, no matter how much one wants them to — at least not without some sort of action and a little bit of thinking.

The Doctor straightens a little to look in Clara's direction. ]

When I went to the mines the other day, there really wasn't anywhere to hide. Are we certain that's where he is? Where he went?

[calmness]

[it takes until the evening for xichen to feel grounded again, settled after the collapse of the illusion and his own frantic communication to the network. it takes gentle reminders that he is human, that there are certain things when set into motion cannot be stopped even if one is standing in the way.

it takes friends. a concept xichen has always treasured, held on to desperately in the past. yet since his arrival on the ximilia, felt himself a danger to those near. his own friends, dear to him, lay in a crypt together after he'd set them on a collision course.

something in him is thawing here, forced by the whirlwind of everything this mission has drawn to the forefront and teammates worried for him checking in. by friends checking in. it is a wonder to have so many, to stand on even ground where at home it had been so difficult to connect even when he'd stood with open arms few felt like they could bridge the gaps of status, of protocol and expectations.

clara is easy to find, once he is in the church. there is so much of her that reminds him of meng yao, before the titles, power, and desperation had swept him up too. xichen makes his way over, walking quietly through the cold space until she sees him.] I am not sure I can handle another blow tonight. No matter how small.

[he attempts teasing, though the words are soft and not quite playful as he settles down at her side. there is a heating talisman already activated, tucked into his sleeve and the warmth permeates the space around them so the blanket is enough to keep warm.] Thank you for your kindness earlier. [he pauses.] And for allowing me a moment to grieve without having to explain it then.

[bossily]

[She feels the warmth immediately when he sits down, and glances up at him with a look of surprise. She shifts a little closer to him to get warmer, making sure to keep the blanket wrapped nice and tight around them. ]

You don't have to thank me.

[Clara reassures him, giving a shake of her head. Giving someone time to grieve is a kindness that everyone should be capable of being granted.]

You also don't have to explain things now. Not if you don't want to. I know what it's like to need the privacy to grieve.

[She had needed that time recently, and isn't sure she gave herself the proper peace and quiet to mourn the loss. While her story is different than his, as all stories are, loss is such a fundamentally universal concept that most everyone can understand it on some level.]

[calmness]

[while the blanket isn't needed, the proximity is appreciated. even with the touches he's exchanged with her, with others, this is the sort of proximity he has missed the most.

this comfortable closeness, sitting near someone you consider a friend. it makes the memory of loss more stark, a painful thing that is too near to the surface after ford's frenzy and xichen's own panic.] I don't have to but I still wish to thank you.

[to thank her, to explain.]

When I return home, if I succeed in changing my regret, it will be to Seclusion. It is both a punishment and a self-imposed family curse but then... [he shakes his head.] Then I won't have anyone to speak to or listen as I explain. I will have plenty of privacy then.

[and that is a terrifying thought too, even if he knows it is the right thing to do.]

[bossily]

[His admission makes her swallow roughly, if only because it's a terrible fate to have to endure. Seclusion is absolutely miserable. And she's worried she's going to face the same thing, in a manner of speaking. What good is being able to live forever if she can't do it alongside the person she loves?

She can't go back to her old life on Earth.

She only has exile.

Which she isn't afraid of, she's willing to endure. But that doesn't mean she wants it hanging over her head the entire time she's here.]

So explain it to me now. I'm here, and I'll listen.

[If she can't do anything else for him, she'll listen to his story.]

Tell me about what it is you regret.

[calmness]

Maybe it will help me make sense of it all. [because xichen can't no matter how much he tries, cannot figure out why it went wrong though he understands the how of it all.

where his faults fed into it, where meng yao slipped to the temptation that was recognition and the power of having zewu-jun of all people on his side. of having xichen on his side, when xichen had no one else to turn to.] I will understand if you judge me for it. [at home, he is jin guangyao's fool now after all.]

My regret is trusting someone and lifting him up, giving him the recognition and power he had so desperately wanted and I could easily grant to a friend.

[he shakes his head, knowing that out loud it sounds like such a strange and small thing at first. he looks up at the ceiling, brows creased and voice wavering.] You see, so many people would be alive if I had not so desperately tried to hold on to that trust and that friendship. If I hadn't been willfully ignorant along the way and foolish enough to believe that I could stop every collision he was set on.

[but people do desperate thing when they don't want to be alone, don't they?]

[romancekiller]

[ clarke had been on her feet most of the evening helping others whether it was handing out blankets or making sure they food in front of them from from whatever was being cooked up.

she was all about making sure everyone else was taken care of that she doesn't take the time to sit down herself out of habit more than anything else. she is making another round again when she hears clara call her over from where she is sitting all bundled up near the fire and despite her own reluctant, she does come over and settle down next to her] Yeah— alright. I guess I could use a break.

[bossily]

[Clara smiles as she wraps the blanket around the both of them.]

Someone told me that I can't keep working hard to take care of everyone if I'm barely able to stand. So I'm imparting that wisdom on to you.

[There's a soft laugh as she says it, clearly not putting much value into the words. She doesn't expect Clarke to either. Even though she knows they're true. But they're the type of people who are willing to pass out from exhaustion before they stop doing what needs to be done.]

When's the last time you slept?

[romancekiller]

[clarke finds herself looking half amused, her expression softening as she quietly laughs at that too, knowing that clara is most likely speaking from experience especially since it is a trait she had noticed they both share. she's definitely heard the saying before most commonly used by her friends and her mother but for as much as she should heed the advice, old habits like this were often hard to break.

clarke always has the weight of the world on her shoulders, having to bear the responsibility of taking care of her people. she had walked away from it only to find herself right back where she started and over the last several months with these missions with this team she's found herself being part of, it is no different] Yeah, I think I've heard that before too— I appreciate the wisdom, guess I could use the reminder, huh?

[she lets herself feel the warmth of the blanket around her for a moment, arms crossed and her expression flat as she considers the question] As for sleep— well. I've tried to rest for a few minutes here and there but that's about it. [it's not for the lack of trying though because she has trouble sleeping on most nights]

[bossily]

Lean against me. You can rest now.

[She basically insists, giving a little smile and a nod of her head. It's not like Clara has any plans to go anywhere else. So if she can help Clarke get some much needed sleep, she's happy to do it.]

I'll wake you up in a few hours, and we can switch off.

[It's a quick addition to her offer, since she figures Clarke won't want to take a kindness without offering one in return.]