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

[Daisy shrugs once he takes the gun from her,]

Seems like a waste of ammo.

[She's willing to let their past go if he is, because holding a grudge right now seems like a waste of time. Daisy looks past them just in time for one of the other bouldersnakes tossing a knife in their direction and she's quick to throw up a hand, the knife bouncing off an invisible barrier. The bouldersnake falls to his knees, hands reaching for the knife that's now embedded in his shoulder.]

We should keep moving.

Keep moving to where?

( not that he's opposed but there's nowhere to go. they've been able to actually leave the fucking town to go to where? just outside where they've been attacked and beat up?

it doesn't seem like there's any good direction to go in but he cocks the gun, checks the ammo and the nods. )

Let's fucking go. Maybe we'll run into these bastards and I can shoot 'em for making me get my collar dirty.

To wherever the assholes are that are trying to steal the orb?

[Daisy offers helpfully as she adjusts her gauntlet so it fits a bit more snug against her arms.]

I don't know if you run into them yet, but there seems to be a few around here who can run really fast. Don't even see them until they've knocked you onto the ground.

I haven't been paying attention. Been kind of busy.

( with all this shit. he gestures at the bouldersnakes that are all over the place and rolls his eyes. )

Fuckin' orb is more trouble than it's worth. Fuckin' thing doesn't even tell jokes and serve drinks. Why the hell we going through so much for it?

What? You thought we could just waltz into the place and grab the orb without issue?

[He's been on at least one mission before, hasn't he?

Shaking out her arms and flexing her hands to stretch out the tight muscles she moves forward again, constantly looking around so she isn't caught off guard. Again.]

That's not what I said. But look at all this shit we go through for the fuckin' thing.

( he doesn't mind the violence, the people getting hurt, any of it but he doesn't really understand the reason for going through it all.

and yeah yeah, regret, what the fuck ever. he doesn't want to hear it. )

You think it's worth it?

I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

[There's an unspoken question that lingers in the air...

Is he willing to do whatever it takes?]

We're all here for the same reason.

( god, hero talk. he's heard similar things from homelander's lips though he knows all his were lies. )

Heard that before. And most people when they say it, don't mean it.

( he's not saying you don't mean it before you have a fuckin' fit, daisy. )

Lip service.

If that were the case here, most of us would be gone. Wouldn't we?

[She doesn't take it personal, but she doesn't believe that it's true for the people here. No one would go through all of these missions if they weren't desperate.]

Forgive me if I don't get all rah rah when people say shit like that. I've heard it before.

( not from her but still. )

A few people say it and mean it doesn't mean I'm gonna change my tune.

[Daisy rolls her eyes as she continues moving forward,]

Fine. Whatever.

[Done with the conversation, Daisy brings her hands up when one of the Bouldersnakes comes darting at them. Using her powers in an attempt to send them flying backwards, they somehow managed to keep their footing and only slide back a few feet before charging forward again with a blade in their hand.

Shit.

Daisy changes her game plan by using her powers to break their wrist with the blade in it. They let go of it and as they go to grab hold of their broken wrist, Daisy manages to catch them off guard this time and they go flying backwards.]

( really, she doesn't even need him, does she? whatever she can do and however she can do it, she's pretty fuckin' good at it. he still doesn't trust it but he can't do nothing about that now.

he brings the gun she gave him up and pulls the trigger, watching the bullet take out the leg of one of the bouldersnakes. he let's it go, letting him scream in pain before he shoots another and then darts forward, tackling him down and using the muzzle of the gun to beat him senseless.

not quite breaking bones with his mind but it works. )

[Daisy does a double take, not expecting him to use the gun in this situation. It'll keep them from getting up at least. She's about to continue when Billy starts wailing on them, even when they're already down for the count.

...So apparently he's always filled with rage just bubbling under the surface.

Normally she'd just let him do his thing, but right now? When there's so many of them?

Daisy sighs in frustration as she makes her way over to where they are.]

Yeah, I think he's got the message. Wanna save of them that rage for the others we've got to fight off?

Believe me, I got plenty more where that came from.

( these aren't who he really wants to be fighting but they're good enough. he's bundled all this up for so long that finally getting a chance to let it loose is exhilarating and cleansing in a way.

still, he does pull off the guy when she calls him out, standing up and rubbing at his knuckles. )

I can't go breaking their fucking bones with a flick of my wrist so I gotta make due.

I believe it.

[Daisy says dryly, remembering what it felt like to be on the receiving side of it. Noticing his knuckles she's good and doesn't make a comment about it, looking around to see if there's anyone else around. Rolling her eyes at the comment about how he doesn't have her powers.

Thank God for that.]

You check to see if he's got anything on him?

Not yet.

( but after kicking at the bouldersnake with the toe of his boot, he realizes that yeah, he's dead so he bends down and starts picking through his pockets. he comes out with a pretty sharp blade and some ammunition.

he holds the ammo up and shoves the knife down against his belt. )

Probably come in handy since there's a fuckin' fuck ton of these fuckers out there, isn't there?

[Daisy stands guard while he checks for anything useful, eyes landing back on him when he shows the ammo he's found.]

That the hand you shoot with?

[Daisy asks, nodding in the direction of the hand that he just used to punch the life out of that bandit.]

I go both ways.

( if they weren't in the middle of fighting for their fuckin' lives, he would have smirked or winked but he doesn't do any of that. )

I know how to shoot with both hands so don't go worrying about me and my ability to put a bullet in something. I'll get it done.

...Right.

[Moving out of the way to give him space, Daisy turns on the spot and tries to figure out her next move.]

Trust me, I'm not worried.

[Distracted she moves forward, doing a quick count of how many bouldersnakes she sees.]

Not sure those bullets are going to work on all of them.

[Daisy warns, briefly glancing at him.]

I got other things I can use once the gun's tapped.

( there's the front of a bayonet tucked into his belt and there's plenty of rocks and shit all around if he needs it. )

I can use my fists if anything else. I've done that before. So, don't go throwing yourself in front of me dramatically to take a bullet or some shit. I can handle it.

If you want to risk breaking your hand with no damage done to them, sure.

[He hasn't run into one of the enhanced ones yet, has he?]

Some of them seem to have skin made of steel.

What, don't chicks dig scars?

( he doesn't mean that seriously. he gives his hands a shake and then shrugs. )

Gonna do anything I have to to make sure they don't fuck me up and that includes possibly breaking my hands. I ain't dying out here.

Depends on the chick.

[Daisy says dryly, looking around so she doesn't have to deal with another sneak attack.]

So you'll just fuck yourself up instead?

[...]

Don't answer that.

( that actually makes him laugh before he shrugs. she doesn't want him to answer so he doesn't answer. )

The fuck do you expect me to do? Cower and hide behind people? Ain't gonna happen.

( okay, maybe he was going to answer. )

[Daisy rolls her shoulders, half out of frustration but also because after so many weeks of not being able to at least work out, she's sore.]

I'm not saying that, but you won't be able to do too much if you break your hands.

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

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CW: Broken bones mention

cw: violence

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