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

( he does manage to stop himself but just barely. there's nothing more to be gained from the bandit that he's beaten so he gets up and shakes his hand out. he's not broken it but it's still going to sting a bit. )

Fine, all right. Let's keep going.

( for now, they're being left alone so they can get moving without any more of these fucks coming up to them and distracting them. )

Come on, let's get moving. Or they're gonna see us as sitting ducks.

[She nods, smiling in relief as he agrees to move. She hobbles along at his side, hand reaching out to take hold of his once again. Not only does it help support her and keep her on her feet, but it offers her comfort in a time when she's absolutely terrified.]

I've never been around this much violence all at once.

[It's a soft admission, trying to explain the limp and the fact her head is busted wide open.

Her hand holding his is covered in fresh blood, and she glances down to realize that his knuckles are busted wide open. He's definitely used to this kind of violence, she realizes. And she's so grateful that he's decided to use that to protect her instead of turning on her.]

But you? You're impressive.

[Yeah, she'll be trying to make the mood light. Even if her ears are ringing and she's dizzy as all get out. It's better to try and make him laugh.]

Now now, don't give me compliments like that when I can't rightfully appreciate them.

( his voice is still sharp but lower and his hand is gentle in hers as they walk. he keeps his other one at his side, loose in case something does come out of nowhere so he can twist himself in front of her. )

I wasn't just perfecting my appearance and drinking a lot back where I came from. Special Forces, formerly. But they taught me well.

[Thankfully, the path so far seems pretty calm. She can hear chaos all around town, and knows it's only a matter of time before they turn the wrong corner. But she's grateful for the moment to just breathe and try and clear her head.

He's just given her some information about him, something that she mentally files away. A light nod of her head follows his words, letting him know she's heard him despite her disoriented state.]

You were a soldier.

[What does it say when everyone she cares about the most and is close to is a soldier? Now probably isn't the time to think about it.]

That must be why you don't seem to notice the fact your hands are busted open.

Something like that.

( he was a soldier. he wasn't anymore. now, he was something else. he glances down at his hands when she makes a mention of them and shakes them out before shrugging. )

Not the first time that's happened. Won't be the last either.

( skin on his hands was too thin to go punching fuckin' huge ass bandits like he'd been doing. )

Probably not.

[She easily counters, somehow finding it in her to manage a laugh.]

But when we get to the schoolhouse, I can try healing them for you.

[It's the least she can do, given that he's just saved her twice over. Thankfully, they're not too far off from the schoolhouse.]

What, you got some magical healing juju that I didn't know of?

( billy gives his hand another shake and then let's it go, pushing the pain away. being in the special forces taught him a lot and how to compartmentalize pain was one of the most helpful ones. )

They'll heal on their own, you know. Slap a bandage on 'em or something.

[She's too tired to argue with him about it, and just gives a nod of her head. As they hurry along, she winds up leaning against him more and more. She can't exactly figure out why she's still so dizzy and feeling more and more drained the longer she keeps running around. she should be fine.

She should be shaking this off. One of her bloody hands grips hold of his shirt to try and steady herself.]

Yeah, I'll slap a bandage on you and you can check to see if we need to slap a bandage anywhere on me. Sounds like a fair trade, in my opinion.

We'll see if you can even stand up when we get there.

( because he's about five seconds from just lifting her up and carrying her. )

You're fuckin' done, you know. You barely look like you're gonna be able to walk. Let me carry you there.

I'm not -

[She starts to stubbornly argue, but cuts herself off as she realizes he's right. What's more than that, she trusts him. So it shouldn't bother her to rely on him a little more than she already has.

Her mouth clamps shut and forms a thin line, and she gives a quick nod of her head as approval.]

I won't tell anyone if you don't.

[Her pride is on the line here. So is his reputation.]

I'm not gonna tell anyone.

( he gestures for her to come closer and steps up to try and get his hands underneath her legs and behind her back. )

Come on, I don't want you passing out right here. Wouldn't wanna drag you like you're a sack of potatoes.

[She lets him scoop her right up, and the second she feels safe in his arms she's leaning her head up against him. Maybe she's more winded than she let on.]

If that's your way of trying to call me heavy, I'll hit you for it later.

[There's too much pain coming from her side for her to bother trying right now. She's greatly concerned she's been stabbed or injured there and without realizing the severity of it.]

Is that a threat? That sounds like a threat.

( not that he's really that concerned. she could definitely probably hurt him if she wanted to but he's not that concerned especially right now. )

But no, it wasn't a way of calling you heavy. If I wanted to call you heavy, I'd just say it.

Oh, you'd love it if it was a threat.

[He gets a pathetically weak hit to the chest for that.]

See? I'm perfectly threatening. Or I will be once I stop bleeding and trying to use magic.

[Not that the two are connected. But they're both factors contributing to the way she's relaxing up against him, almost asleep with the steady motion of him carrying her as he continues along.]

I didn't even know you had magic that you could use.

( he says it quietly, without any judgment. he's still a little tense when it comes to people who are...a little out of the ordinary but he doesn't feel anything like that with her. )

You'll have to show me sometime. Unless it's something like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or some shit like that. That's boring.

I did offer to heal your hand.

[She points out, pleased to not hear any judgement or hesitation in his tone. For whatever reason, she feels a connection with him. And doesn't want him to pull away because she's dabbling with attempting to use something that's not natural for her.]

Sabriel's been teaching me. [It feels like she should explain to him.] But I'm not sure if I'm ready to keep learning.

Didn't know someone could just...learn magic.

( he thought it was something that you were born with or some shit. but he'll also admit to not really knowing shit about it and not researching it either. )

That something you wanted to learn or just thought you'd do for this sake of this place?

The second option.

[Which is a small, pathetic admission. She knows. But if there's anyone here that gets her desperation to try and be useful among the people with powers and super abilities, it's him. She doesn't shy away from the truth with him.]

I didn't know it was something I could learn until I was presented with the opportunity.

Huh.

( well, it's definitely not something he himself wants to do because of everything in his past but whatever, if someone else wants to do it, he can't stop them. )

Prefer a weapon and my own hands if I'm honest. Not really into the abracadabra bullshit.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

F Y I

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