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

[blackfire]

（ 'a widower'. hm. he was not aware that they were married, but perhaps it is a common thing for spouses to serve together in their world. shinobi, generally, are discouraged from serving on units with siblings or spouses — too much risk of wiping out a generation, and some kekkei genkai are too valuable to a village to lose.

in any case, it is a thought for later. he listens for jim's footsteps, counts off the seconds he's in the air and the thud when he makes it to the other roof and then he does the same.

his landing is not quite perfect — he stumbles slightly, reaching out to steady himself on jim's shoulder. ）

We can't risk climbing down a building's façade, it will make us easy targets. Two buildings over, （ he points with oddly unerring precision for someone whose vision is limited to vague impressions of shadows and light. ） there is a roof access panel. If you give me a moment I may be able to lure them away with a clone.

（ he can't manage a shadow clone, or even one of his crows, but the base bunshin jutsu isn't that severe of an expenditure. if he can catch his breath, perhaps — ）

[winscenario]

[ It's neither common nor uncommon, but Jim doesn't go into the finer details, that they've literally just got married a few days ago, that they weren't even together as a couple back in their world. They've decided not to make a big fuss of it anyway, not when they've all had so much to worry about.

And if before wasn't the time to talk about it, well now certainly isn't either. He worries more about seeing Itachi make his way over safely, and he's ready to catch him if necessary, even resting a hand briefly on Itachi's side for the moment it takes him to steady himself. ]

We can do two buildings. They're close enough in height.

[ It might not be easy for Itachi to leap over, but options are scarce at the moment. They can't afford the luxury of a safe, fullproof plan when they're literally running for their lives. Which is the same reason why he doesn't even spare the time to be shocked by Itachi's suggestion, despite his clearly debilitated state. ]

However that works— if it buys us enough time to get there, do it.

[blackfire]

（ he nods — perhaps the clearest indication of how worn down he is is the fact that his hand stays on jim's shoulder to support himself as he forms a hand seal with the left. the clone — which is nothing more than an illusory projection, something required to graduate the shinobi academy as a genin — manifests like a desert mirage. it bolts off in the opposite direction, dropping to the ground and sprinting away, letting itself be seen just long enough to catch their attention. by the shouting of their opponents, it seems to have worked at least for a moment, but he can't say for sure if that means all of them took chase or only a few. ）

It won't last long. （ he's already counting down in his head — they have at best fifteen seconds, and that's hoping that none of the bouldersnakes are able to hit it with a bullet or pulsefire shot. his fingers clench on jim's shoulder, readying himself to stand entirely under his own power, and then he releases him with a little push in the direction of their next destination. ） Go.

[winscenario]

[ Jim's never been the type to mind contact for any reason, so he says nothing to Itachi's hand on his shoulder, fine with letting it linger there for as long as he might need the support. At least he's not falling over just yet, and he does manage to conjure that mirage, which has Jim staring as it takes off running, garnering the attention of the Bouldersnakes. All of them, hopefully. ]

Right. Taking off now.

[ Knowing Itachi is paying attention, Jim runs towards the edge of the building again, leaping off to land on the other. The roof there is less even, and rather than call out to Itachi and risk getting heard, he sends the message over their earpieces. ]

Careful. The roof of this one is slanted.

[blackfire]

Thank you.

（ clever of him — he wouldn't have thought to use the earpiece in that manner. he makes the necessary adjustment and leaps with jim's warning in mind.

in another world, the jump — while not perfect — would have served him. unfortunately much of this town has gone to ruin in the wake of its abandonment. though he lands as lightly as a cat, it's in a spot that's soft and spongey, weak with rot. it throws him off, balance made precarious by the need to stay silent and hotly at war with finding his footing. if he scrambles for purchase against the roof, it will surely draw attention to their position — and the clone, he knows, has just been destroyed, that vague peripheral awareness of the chakra snapping like a taut wire.

falling is the only thing that doesn't endanger both of them, so rather than fight he lets himself topple backwards, hand already at the pouch on his thigh for a kunai and wire. he flings it backwards, more certain of what's behind him than what he had landed on, and the kunai thunks into the wooden frame of the building. the wire is too thin to take his weight comfortably, so when the arc of his swing smacks him into the building's side and he feels it cut into his hands, he lets it go and drops the remaining distance.

he lands heavily, crashing into something he hadn't even realized was there, an old wheelbarrow of some sort. even though he lands on his feet, he tips the entire damn thing to its side, ending up sprawled briefly on the ground. the noise is loud enough to wake the dead, and he grits his teeth as he pushes himself to his feet, drawing another knife.

if jim has any sense, he'll keep going.

(then again if there is one impression he's gotten from the man, it's not that he has an overabundance of self-preservation.) ）

[winscenario]

[ Stupidly, Jim hadn't even thought to check the integrity of the ceiling. It's only belatedly, when Itachi's foot lands a certain way, that he realizes his mistake. He tries to reach out, but it's too slow, too late, and he lets out a surprised breath as he's helpless to watch Itachi swing down into the building, falling with a too-loud noise that's bound to get their attackers' attention.

If either of them hoped, even for a second, that they wouldn't hear it, that hope is soon gone as the voices grow louder with their approach. Jim groans, quiet as he crouches near the fresh hole in the ceiling, peering in. ]

Fuck.

[ He doesn't have the tools necessary to leap that far down without injuring himself. That said, he's absolutely not leaving. Instead, he waits until the group comes barreling into the building, for the time being letting them approach Itachi. Waiting, one second, another— one of the Bouldersnakes is big enough that leaping down on them should be easy enough.

And so, with a deep breath, he does just that, landing clumsily but clinging with an arm around their neck, with the other aiming and firing his phaser at the others, if only to keep them away from Itachi. ]

Get up! Run!

[blackfire]

（ the bouldersnakes close quarters around him and he readies himself for a fight he may not win as he hears jim's voice. he pivots towards it — there may be nothing in his expression to display it, but he is most assuredly irate at having been followed. one survivor is always better than none.

(it reminds him of kakashi, who was so stalwart about leaving no one behind.)

jim's voice came from high up — the second floor? but without having ever been in this building, he can't take unnecessary risks regarding anything he can't immediately feel his way around. he hears a thud to his left as jim's weapon strikes one of their enemies, and assured that direction is safest he steps towards it, finding the fallen bouldersnake with one foot. he hauls the body — dead or unconscious, he does not have time to check — up to use as a shield, angled towards breathing he can hear.

to jim, via their earpiece: give me a video feed of what you see. Running will likely not be an option. he may not be able to see, but the earpieces broadcast in the mind. he can adjust, and this is no time to be prideful. ）

[winscenario]

[ Yeah, well, Itachi can be as irate as he likes. For what little they've interacted so far, he really should've been expected this from Jim. There's no way he'd have just left without him, or left him behind to get maimed or killed.

Even if Jim may not be much of an opponent, he wreaks enough chaos that the group's focus scatters, and they're no longer as focused on attacking Itachi. Downside is, Jim's only human, and the guy he's clinging to is huge and strong, even if the reach of his own arms is limited enough that he doesn't seem to be able to grab him and get him off.

He's struggling a little on what to do next, admittedly, especially now that he's lost his phaser, so Itachi's idea comes just in time for it. Immediately, he sends Itachi a feed of what he's seeing in real time, so Itachi will now realize that Jim isn't on a landing or a second floor, but actually clinging to the neck of the biggest of the Bouldersnakes, barely holding on as the massive alien shakes around wildly, trying to get him off.

You know, a little help would be very much appreciated. ]

[blackfire]

（ he absolutely expected it — but one can hope for the best possible outcome and still decry the worst!!

he's accustomed to looking through the eyes of his crows — so adapting to the video feed and the angle, and moving based on what he sees rather than what he feels or is experiencing is not new to him. he is quick to move, darting in with a knife (the only weapon he has left, now) to disable jim's opponent — quick, sharp cuts to the tendons at the back of its ankles.

cruel, yes — but efficient.

to jim — drop!

or, yk, get crushed, whichever james happens to prefer. either way, he'll try to catch him — the fall from that height isn't like to do any significant damage, but it will result in a moment's vulnerability it's better to mitigate. ）

[winscenario]

[ Jim's impressed by how quickly Itachi adapts; even to a skilled fighter, which Itachi obviously is, the difference in perspective must be odd and jarring, yet he moves with impressive ease and speed, not even hesitating for a moment.

He's just grateful for it, really. And yeah, he doesn't need the warning to know that he has to get off of the alien before he ends up under him. There's a good clearing on the ground and he aims towards it as he pushes himself off the bandit, knees curled up and ready to land on his side and roll over, only to be surprised when he feels Itachi catching him and considerably cushioning his fall. ]

Thanks, [ Quickly spoken, as he gets to his feet in a rush, spotting his phaser some feet away and immediately trying to make a run for it before one of the other bandits stops him— ]

[blackfire]

（ but jim's path is cut off almost immediately but a shot of pulsefire — it misses him narrowly, and itachi cuts their feed briefly, instead choosing to mentally reviewing the footage he had seen through jim's eyes. now that he's looking the other way and going the other direction, it's less useful — but the enemy's positioning is static enough that he can still act on the most recent transmission. even without shunshin, he's fast — and he gets to the approximate location where one of the smaller gang members had been. they betray themselves with a sharply indrawn breath, and itachi turns, steps into the sound. one flash of his knife and their throat is slit, the hot tang of acrid blood in the air. as they fall, he jerks the pulsefire rifle from their hands and throws it to jim, transmitting the word catch to him simultaneously.

they no longer have the luxury of refraining from killing. if they do not strike first — and hard, they will not make it out of here intact. itachi does not want to be responsible for mccoy's husband dying. frankly, the thought of repaying the doctor's kindness with such a misstep makes him faintly nauseous.

he links back into the video feed in time to see someone materializing out of the shadows behind himself, which is an oddly disorienting thing — but even as he reacts to it, he already knows he isn't going to be fast enough. the woman grabs him by the hair (when was the last time anyone was close enough to do that?) and kicks out his left knee, which buckles with the weakness of old injury. she has a gun to the back of his head — normal, he thinks, not pulsefire. deadly at such close range, and he has no chakra left for even a simple kawarimi. she barks something at jim about surrendering peacefully — he expects the other man is savvy enough that he doesn't have to tell him they would die anyways.

just how quick is james kirk on the draw, anyway? ）

[winscenario]

[ Jim barely gets the time to think before Itachi's throwing the weapon at him. He hardly saw him move, with how fast he was, and now he stutters as he reaches out to grab the weapon that's tossed over at him, eyes wide when he realizes what it is.

He's not going to use it. That's the first think that comes to his mind, actually, but it's a thought that flashes so quickly, there and gone, only to be replaced by the sudden shock and panic of watching as Itachi's caught and held at gunpoint.

Jim prides himself on his good reflexes; even better after the blood transfusion, not that he's ever told anyone that. It still feels like he's just a helpless spectator with how quickly he situation escalates, and any reluctance he might've had about the weapon on his hands is gone and replaced instead with quick action taking over, in the heat and urgency of the moment.

He lifts the gun, aims and fires even as the bandit is halfway through one of her yelled sentences. The blast goes right over Itachi's head and hits her square in the chest, followed by the pained scream as the shot burns her from the inside out, the sight equally gruesome until everything is consumed and there's nothing of her left.

There are still at least a couple more Bouldersnakes around them, but Jim hardly seems to remember that, breath sharp and panic rising quickly, hands shaking but at least not dropping the weapon yet. ]

[blackfire]

（ he has been party to more deaths than he would ever willingly recount — though the tally is held unflinching in the back of his mind. but something in that curdling scream makes him grit his teeth, even as he ducks forwards to get away from her body as it burns.

he acts because there is no choice — it is that or die. the other two are dispatched quickly, quietly — while their shock at the death of their comrade is fresh, and then he is making his way to jim's side based on a triangulation of the shot and his breathing. he reaches out, touching his elbow and using it as a waypoint to slide his hand down to the gun jim is still holding. he abhors physical contact — a long-distance combatant, he rarely touches someone physically unless it is an act of violence — but it can be a grounding thing all the same.

he tries, very gently, to disentangle the man's fingers from the weapon. ）

Jim. （ he does not often forego honourifics without purpose. ） We need to move.

（ they cannot remain here, surrounded by death and evidence of the fight. ）

[winscenario]

[ Whether it is because Itachi's quick or Jim's just too stunned right now, he doesn't actually realize that all the Bouldersnakes are down until he can hear the last one fall to the floor. But it's the hand on his elbow that snaps him out of his shock for real, a quiet sound leaving him as he startles and looks up.

His eyes are wide, not that Itachi can see it right now. It doesn't take much to get him to release the weapon, in fact he seems all too eager to let it go, not particularly caring if Itachi catches it or if it just drops to the ground. ]

Right, [ He mutters distantly, looking around at everything. The blood, the bodies, dirt stirred up into the air. It still smells of ash and something burning.

He swallows down the panicked knot in his throat, then nods, standing more upright. ] Let's get out of here. Come on.

[blackfire]

（ what more can be done? they did not come to this place in advocation of conflict, but they knew it was possible all the same. cutting a swath through those that stand in opposition to his goals is nothing new for him, and by the way jim rouses and readies himself, nor is it one for him. those newly come to conflict tend to lose themselves in the mire.

his mouth quirks down at one corner. it isn't quite sympathy, but it's close. ）

Please, lead the way. I will follow.

（ there is a brief silence. then: ）

Thank you. You saved my life.

（ cold comfort, but it's true. ）

[winscenario]

[ True enough, Jim might have hoped to avoid conflict, but when things started leading to this, he'd prepared himself for the worst. That doesn't mean the worst isn't still going to overwhelm him, but at least he's got enough experience and presence of mind to not get stuck in a spiral of horror and panic. ]

Don't mention it.

[ Said with a small breath. Cold comfort indeed, but it's all the reminder he needs. Itachi's safety was the sole reason why he took that shot, and he's not sorry that he did it.

Quietly, he starts leading them out of the building, walking his way around the bodies that weren't burnt to ash. Once outside, the streets are empty and eerily silent, and making sure Itachi follows as he walks close to the building fronts, headed towards the saloon. ]