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

a ) [clarke is on high alert from the moment the bouldersnakes come through to attack and for all that she wants to fight, she knows how dangerous it is especially with pulsefire involved so she leaves it to the orbers who seem to be more capable of that while opting to use her medical expertise to take care of those who find themselves wounded and also making sure she can get other people to safety.

she keeps herself prepared though being equipped with her handgun and a backpack full of first aid supplies with her. it is chaos out in the streets with the bandits and it feels like there isn't anywhere to really run or hide but that doesn't stop clarke either as she tries to make her way to safety. she eventually coming across a scene with another orber just as they've fought off some of the bandits and it's not long before she rushes over immediately upon noticing they are injured] Hey. Are you okay?

b ) [if clarke isn't busy patching someone up, she's trying to see how else she can help people which means making sure others get to safety. she carefully ventures through the streets making sure the bandits don't catch sight of her but eventually when she encounters another orber hiding out, she approaches to help them out] Come on— We don't have much longer, there's more of them heading over this way.

c ) [clarke has been lucky in her encounters with the bandits, holding her own pretty well so far with slowing them down by shooting at them but it was only a matter of time before it catches up to her. she turns the corner of one of the building and just when she thinks she is safe and has a moment to catch her breath, she finds one of them looming over her with their weapons pointed at her ready to attack, she just barely dodges one of the shots fired. she starts to run so there is enough distance between them that she can fire a shot from her gun but as it turns out she isn't fast enough as she finds herself cornered in a dead end. she just hopes that someone happens to be around to help her out of this because feels pretty trapped right now]

Edited 2022-02-07 03:55 (UTC)

[the bouldersnakes are not an easy match, no matter what one's level of skill is. they match their opponents, seemingly learning as they go. xichen's had
the element of surprise be on his side, luck in his favor.

he's managed to avoid senseless killing, focusing on keeping the bouldersnakes injured enough to do no more harm and ensuring other orbers are safe. it is when he's found a reprieve that he sees clarke running, chased into a corner.

wary from the battle as he already is, energies depleting, he cannot leave her to fend for herself. not when pulsefire may be in the mix. there's distance between them even as he moves quickly toward the alleyway where she's been chased. so xichen pulls out his flute and plays first. the music is jarring even amidst the chaos around them, its followed by a blue light that travels forward like a wave and sends the bouldersnake stumbling forward and tumbling to the ground and his weapon falling from his grip and rolling toward clarke!

it gives xichen enough enough to switch flute for sword and get close, ready to ensure the man knocked down cannot get back up. and for clarke to make a move!] Run!

[it is just when clarke thinks that this is probably the end for that she hears the very distinct sound of music being played which ultimately seems to distract the bouldersnake for a brief moment followed by the flash of blue light that sends him falling.

it happens so fast that clarke finds herself a little too dumbstruck to move at first seeing the sight before her but it isn't until she hears xichen yell out that she should run, she breaks out of her thoughts and from noticing the bouldersnake's weapon rolling towards her, she grabs it and gives a slight nod before she makes a run for it just out of the alleyway. she heads straight towards the empty building across from them while he can ensure the bouldersnake doesn't get up to start chasing her again]

[with the bandit knocked down, xichen is able to strike with his sword. the man is left not dead, but wounded and unconscious as xichen has a moment to catch his breath.

the fatigue is weighing on him and he is glad that he sees where clarke goes, for it is a relief to follow after her and find himself in an abandoned building instead of an area overtaken by more bandits. inside, he leans against a support beam, takes a moment to catch his breath.] Are you alright?

[and then, though he doesn't hear more shouting yet.] There are likely more coming.

[it had been pure luck that the building she came across was empty and there were no other bouldersnakes lurking nearby. she uses the time to take a breather while she keeps watch from afar where xichen is fighting off the one who had been tailing her.

it's not long after that xichen finds her again and she just gives a slight nod at his words] Yeah, I am. Thank you— for helping me out back there.

I know this means we need to find some place safer then. [she knows that it might be quiet now but it's inevitable that the bandits could find them again if they stay on the move. she turns to face xichen, looking him over with concern as she picks up on how tired he looks] Are you okay though?

Edited 2022-03-03 08:25 (UTC)

Of course. [it's natural to help others. that is what a cultivator does and even though he is more an administrator than warrior now, xichen is still a cultivator.

he takes a moment, closes his eyes and tries to cycle his own qi through crooked pathways. they can and will be fixed, when he has a moment to rest. that's all he needs, he tells himself.] I am alright for now and will feel better once the fighting is over. [not a lie, a deference.

a gentle smile, careful. he glances out the window, to see if they are still safe.] The old barn is out of the way, I think the fighting has not reached it. It may be the safest alternative.

[clarke looks a little skeptical at first but honestly his answer was pretty relatable so if anything she makes mental note to check in on him later. she figures it was the least she could do considering helped her out back there.

she follows his glance towards the window and gives another nod because even if the old barn was out of the way, getting to safety was important to avoid any further encounters with the bandits] Alright, well in the case we should get moving then.

[xichen nods, it is the best course of action. they need to get moving, get somewhere safer than this where they can have more than a few moments to breathe.] Stay close to me when we run out, I can cover you.

[he can keep ahead of any bouldersnakes that may appear, any danger than can encounter. then he can rest. it will only be a bit longer.]

[ with a thwip!, a web-line attaches to clarke's back and hauls her safely onto the roof. instead, it's gwen in the alley, rushing forward. ]

Not my sister, bitch!

[ dodging bullets, she jumps from the ground to a wall, and across to the next wall, sticking to both as if gravity has cut her a break. reaching the bandit, she lands a quick jab followed by a devastating cross. quickly responding to spider-sense's alarm, she backflips away. the ground where she stood craters beneath the bandit's slam. ]

[clarke doesn't even see it coming, she thinks she is pretty much done for when the bouldersnake has her trapped when she feel something latch onto her from behind pulling her up right onto the roof before she even knows it.

she is a bit disoriented at first but after a few seconds she does regain her composure and rushes to the edge of the roof, hearing the voice down below realizing it was unmistakably gwen who was now facing off against the bouldersnake much to her surprise. she feels an immediate settle in the pit of her stomach but as she watches, she looking impressed at how effortlessly gwen fights against the bandit, dodging the bullets and all it was like nothing she had ever seen before]

[ with clarke out of the way, gwen can focus on the big, hulking bandit with the— ] Small head.

[ no, seriously, that shit be fun-size. ]

Is a teeny-tiny head part of your species or are you a bodybuilding experiment gone wrong?

[ she bobs and weaves as she talks, which is definitely doing its part to piss him off too. he has strength on his side, but she has speed and spider-sense. every time it looks like one of his hits will connect she docks, dodges or sidesteps. she also has stamina; his breathing turns harsher as the fight goes on. ]

Seriously, man, [ she observes, ] I've heard of shrunken heads, but never one still attached to its body.

[ he says something that will not be recorded here for its extreme rudeness. but it's not the words gwen cares about as the way he says them. he's starting to lose his breath.

at the next blow, gwen steals his hat and runs. he races after her with an angry roar. stepping onto the wall, she vaults behind him, attaching her web-lines to his shoulders. combining her strength with his own impetus, she pulls, lifting him in an arc above her, and slams him against the ground. ]

[clarke can only just watch as the scene unfolds before her while gwen continues to fight against the bandit] Wow— looks like he's not getting up any time soon. [the words are mostly muttered to herself when the bandit gets slammed into the ground and really at this point, she is just waiting for gwen up to give her a signal or something so she can get down from the roof]

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MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

F Y I

PART 2 — 4.0 & 5.0 ▶ YOUR WAKE UP CALL

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