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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ not at all put off by the grumbling and "hmph"-ing, ] Sorry, I'm all backwards today. Let's chalk it up to "sudden ash town", and I promise to do better.

[ no matter that she suspected the town had been burnt. actually seeing it… ]

I'm Gwen. Or Spider-Woman. [ she motions toward her suit. ] Either or is fine. I was gonna ask you about shade, but if the heat's making you uncomfortable that won't work. [ she trails off, biting her lip in consideration. ]

Edited 2022-02-04 17:35 (UTC)

It has been an emotionally charged day, I grant you.

[ He's still gonna be huffy about his bodily autonomy, thank you. ]

Spider-Woman. An interesting title. I assume because you excrete webbing like an arachnid?

[ A beat. ]

I am overly warm, a touch uncomfortable. I don't see how I can help you with shade, though in any case...?

[ "excrete." oh, my god, man. ]

No, see— [ okay, no. focus. desert. heatstroke. clearly the priorities.

gwen squeezes the bridge of her nose and exhales. ]

Never mind. We'll circle back to that. My question was more if you minded people sitting in your shadow, but if you're also sweltering that's not really fun or fair for you.

[ she snaps her fingers. ]

Hey, do you think a reflective cover might help?

I am Megatron of Tarn. Just Megatron is normal.

[ A belated introduction. ]

I don't determine where people choose to sit. If I happen to do a decent job of providing a touch of shelter from the sun, then by all means.

[ Standing on his shoulder, Gwen can no doubt hear the loud hum of fans or some other machinery that seems to be moving air around inside of the massive cybernetic form. Gotta stay cool somehow. ]

A reflective cover would be useful and more comfortable. I doubt you have one in my size, though.

[ somewhere, harry osborn is crying in envious nerd. ]

Sorry, fresh out this morning. But I can make you one.

[ first, a disclaimer: ] I've got a limited amount of web fluid cartridges so it can't be whole body unless you happen to know where I can find the ingredients to cook up a few more. But I'm pretty sure I can get you a hooded shawl to keep the suns off your head, at least.

The brain module is the component most susceptible to heat damage.

[ Megatron muses aloud. ]

If you have something that would keep some of the sun off, it would be appreciated. Though hopefully something I can take off in a hurry if I need to transform?

[ The longer Gwen stands on his shoulder, the more noticeable the sheer heat of the metallic plating she stands becomes. It's not uncomfortable, but it probably feels akin to standing atop a hot blacktop. ]

Yeah. You can just take it right off.

[ gwen considers settling on his shoulder to weave, but quickly discards the idea. imagine reporting to mccoy for burn treatment on her ass. she would rather walk into the desert and die.

she points back at the building she waved at him from. ]

I'm going over there to make it because I'm feeling the heat. Give me a bit.

[ gwen jumps off, landing lightly on the roof. sitting down, she starts to weave. the web-shawl grows quickly, but with megatron's considerable size, this will be a project™. as she works, she again mentally thanks tony stark for the cartridges. ]

Of course.

[ Megatron settles down to sit in the street. He doesn't lean against the building, because there's no way it would support him. He does manage to get a little bit of shade, however, by hunching up some. He watches her weave with interest, though, apparently fascinated. ]

...It's an artificial webbing, then?

Synthetic, yeah. I'm not excreting anything, I want that clear. [ please never use that word again, megatron. at least not around her.

looking back down to her work, gwen explains, ] My web-shooters filter moisture from the air to make the thread. Of course, this place is arid as fuck, so Tony figured out a formula and got me some fluid cartridges.

[ she stops a little abruptly, head bent low. it's still rough knowing he's gone, particularly after peter informed her tony was returning to die. she didn't know him very long or very well, but… it fucking sucks. ]

Understood. I assumed incorrectly.

[ A synthetic compound. Fascinating, really. He'd ask how it works, but he doesn't want to distract her too much from the work. ]

Very helpful of him.

[ The abrupt stop feels familiar. He's seen it before in other conversations, the weight of something private, personal. He tries his best to continue. ]

I get the feeling that these aren't usually used for weaving, though?

Got it in one. I’ve made things before: web-wings, nets, emergency parachute… First time working on something this big.

[ and she works fast. the material, really a big scarf, pools immensely at her feet, the individual threads solidifying upon exposure to the air, yet remaining malleable. #comics. the hooded scarf is pure white and shiny, reflecting the light depending on how gwen tilts it.

megatron about to be the flyest-looking giant robot on this rock. ]

It's an impressive material. I hadn't thought humans had the technology for this sort of material.

[ He reaches down and teases at the edge of the ongoing garment with finger and thumb. Hm. ]

This isn't Cybertronian, though.

[ Megatron is still working with the multiverse idea. The only two multiverses he's been to both had Cybertron, okay? ]

Nope. Good old human ingenuity. We can be a surprising bunch.

[ remind her later to ask about cybertron because that sounds incredible. harry is definitely crying somewhere. standing up, gwen shakes out the shawl. ]

And voilà! Would you like the honors or should I?

So I've learned before, to my detriment.

[ Megatron reaches out to take the webbing garment with one hand. ]

I think I can manage myself--

[ So saying, he drapes himself in the shawl and ties it into place. It does help alleviate at least some of the heat of the twin suns, at the very least. ]

I must look ridiculous.

[ the way she’s itching to snap a picture right now. ]

In these circumstances, I’m pretty sure “ridiculous” is letting your brain fry.

You look fashion-forward. [ she makes a square with her fingers, viewing him through it. ] Trust me, RuPaul sees you, he would lose his mind.

[ in which direction, though— ]

[ Do it. Megtron needs more humbling. ]

You would be correct on that point, of course.

[ He looks down at Gwen, looking very much like an old man peering over his glasses as he peers downwards. Look at his little shawl. Well, not so little. ]

Who is RuPaul?

[ why does no one here catch references. that's half of her language rendered incomprehensible to those around her. ]

Soon as we're back, I will badger Viveca to get a season of Rupaul's Drag Race. We can watch it together.

[ more importantly: ] The threads will eventually deteriorate. When that happens, text me, and I'll weave you another.

[ and she will snap a photo. for posterity. ]

Forgive me. I'm only familiar with a very few of Earth's cultural touchstones.

[ He does sound genuinely apologetic. Sort of. ]

How long does it take for them to dissipate, then?

I owe you specifics as this is a new formula I'm working with. [ she squints. ] Let's call it a day? At least it should hold out through the hell hours.

[ her head tips as if listening to something only she can. ]

I'm getting a call, sorry, man. If it tears or something, text me. I'll swing over and repair it.

Thank you.

[ Megatron doesn't quite smile, but he almost does. ]

Don't let me keep you. Off you go.

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MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

F Y I

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