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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Zhao hummed thoughtfully without saying a word at first. Sometimes he had to remind himself that Kaidan was in the military. It didn't automatically make the guy a killer in his own time, but he had no idea if that was less likely in Kaidan's time. He hadn't gotten around to asking for more detail.

He sat quietly as he thought whether now was a good time to ask or not. He didn't really want to outright come out and say "how many people have you killed" to Kaidan but it would be the easiest way to get an answer to his question.

"Yeah, you have a point. I didn't say I was going to hold back or anything. I was just thinking of...something else." Something specific. "But it won't be the first person I've killed here. Oh, wait. I guess it will be since everything before now didn't really count, huh."

He absorbed Zhao's words quietly. "So why don't you tell me what you're thinking about? Talk to me, Tianyou." He used the name Zhao had given as his cover; Kaidan had noticed how Zhao responded to hearing the name.

He closed his eyes at the sound of his name, and used Kaidan's heat as a distraction, laying his head on the other man's shoulder. It would have been easy to pursue another night of intimacy right then and there, going for the jugular (figuratively and literally speaking) before kissing his way up to claim Kaidan's lips. But he restrained himself.

"...Maybe I just don't won't you to see the worst of me," he confessed quietly. He had warned Kasuga when he'd had to flip that switch before, but could he do the same in front of Kaidan? He'd held back last mission for the same reason. But it would be easy for him to slip back into the role of a gangster boss with blood on his hands.

Kaidan reached out for Zhao's hand, twining their fingers together. This was a different sort of intimacy than what they were doing in his room, but an important kind all the same as far as he was concerned.

"All right," he said. "Do what you need to do. But if you get yourself hurt, I'm going to be really pissed off. So promise me you'll be careful."

"I'll make no promises but I will be careful. For your sake."

This sounded familiar--not making any promises but telling someone he would do his best for their sake anyway--but that was probably smart not to think about right now. Down that road would only lead to mixed feelings and confusion. He had Kaidan right in front of him.

"As careful as I can be in a storm anyway. I mean, if it comes to pass anyway. Which... knowing how this goes usually..."

For your sake. That was all he could ask for, really. And it was what he could give back in return. Kaidan gave a nod to show he accepted.

"A fight is coming," he predicted. "You and I have been in enough of them to sense it." He ran his thumb across Zhao's knuckles. "When those bandits come, we'll face them. You'll know where I am because of all the bodies I'll be tossing around."

Zhao chuckled softly at that. His eyes were still mostly lidded as they talked and he rested against the other. His concentration was on the feel of Kaidan's hand against his own.

"I'll keep an eye out so I don't get knocked over. Or to hit a moving target to make sure they stay down." He did so love a good tag-team combo.

"I'll set them up, you'll knock them down." He smiled warmly at that. They fought together before, but Kaidan was going easy on their opponents last time. He had no intention of doing that this time around.

Kaidan fell quiet, content to just sit close to Zhao. He would have to make a fire before going to sleep, but that can wait a little while.

With the silence fallen around them, it would have been easy for Zhao to make like a cat and fall asleep on Kaidan. He was perfectly content in that moment despite everything they were going through as a team on a mission. Business could wait till the morning, or at least until something else disturbed them other than themselves.

He tried to keep awake though. He played his free hand along the edges of Kaidan's glowing barrier, feeling that tingle against his fingertips again. It was almost soothing this time but there was still enough excitement left in how new it was to keep him awake (and maybe stray his thoughts a little). He shifted his head suddenly to reach up and peck a kiss on Kaidan's cheek before settling back down.

He felt the kiss, and the tingle that had nothing to do with his barrier that the kiss gave him. One bonus of his barrier is it made it a little harder to tell when he was blushing.

"Zhao." Kaidan hesitated, weighing his words. "You can stay if you want."

"Hmm. That's an invitation I can't refuse," he replied after a short second. It could have been meant to be an enticing tease, but with their languid position gone undisturbed it might have come across less flirtatious than usual for Zhao. He certainly seemed content to just relax against the other man for the moment.

"How long does your night light last?" He finally asked after another peaceful lapse into silence. Surely it wouldn't keep going after Alenko fell asleep, would it?

"I can keep it up for hours." Kaidan was smiling, both from Zhao accepting the invitation and from his biotics being called a "night light". Another reason why he liked being around Zhao was how he could make jokes like that.

"I'll build a fire before I go to sleep," Kaidan added. "I've had survival training and I know what to do."

Zhao giggled quietly at Kaidan's quick reply. Leave it to Zhao to take an innocent response and turn it into a dirty innuendo.

"I have a lighter if it makes it any easier for you," Zhao piped up in offer. It had to be easier to start a good campfire from a lighter flame than...whatever the hell way a survivalist did in the wild. "Do we need more material for burning?" There was a moderate bit around the area from Zhao's original attempt but he was still convinced he needed more for an easy start.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow at the giggle. What had he said to make Zhao laugh like that?

"A lighter would help a lot," he nodded. "And we have plenty of kindling with the town... like it is." Since there were no people, no one would miss any wood taken from any of the homes. He'd have to get some food and water eventually, too. The energy drinks would keep him going but were not the greatest substitute for real food.

"Good. Even with the scraps I pulled out it was a pain to get a fire to stay lit. Was drivin' me crazy. Figured I needed something else to get it going. I'll rely on your survival skills for that then, Kai-chan~."

Zhao would agree to finding more food and water. He only had a little bit of snake jerky left from previous hunts and he would rather save Staminan X drinks for a fight. He would also agree the energy drinks weren't really nutritious even if they would keep you going for a while. They'd need something more than that eventually though.

But for now... he was content to stay here with Kaidan keeping him warm. The rest could come later.

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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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