MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● 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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Comments

[majorbiotic]

More of those weapons out of the hands of the bandits was fine by Kaidan. He acknowledges the dibs with a nod and moves forward. There are more than enough targets for them to choose from. Kaidan is still going to be cautious about actually using his weapon, though. He doesn't want the pulsefire to get out of hand and hurt one of the Orbers.

The next bandit he sees, then, will not get shot by the pulsefire weapon. Kaidan does raise it like he intends to use it, and he hopes just the sight of it is enough to make his opponent hesitate. If he sees that hesitation, even if it's only for a few seconds, he takes immediate advantage. He encases the bandit in a stasis, freezing the bandit in place. It will only last a minute at most but that should be enough for Rosianthe to come in and take the weapon.

[callada]

He sees the freeze and reacts quickly from his hiding spot. He's kept pace with Kaidan, moving parallel across the street as he ducks in and out of cover in search of opportunities. This motionless Bouldersnake is certainly one, locked down before they can fire that exotic weapon.

It's also an opportunity to disarm one of them without killing them, which he's all in favor of. He's there in a moment on his long legs, at once snatching up the gun and tucking it into his belt, and then noiselessly whipping the butt of his pistol against the Bouldersnake's skull. Hopefully that'll put them in a nice doze while he and Kaidan and the rest of their crew in town clean out the more immediate threats.

Rather than dropping his silence to talk, Rosinante just flashes Kaidan a quick victory sign with his fingers, then turns to head back into the shadows between buildings - but his retreat is cut off by an arc of blue flame as a pair of Bouldersnakes spots what they've just done. Only one is armed with a pulsefire weapon - a saber that trails the fire in its wake. The bandit himself, tall with shark-like teeth, snarls as Rosinante backs away and gets his hands back on the gun he's just stolen. The second Bouldersnake is a lithe, graceful thing with two revolvers and a whole lot of electric-green hair.

Good thing most guns across worlds work mostly the same. Rosinante takes his new toy in one hand and his familiar pistol remains in the other, and he points both at the green-haired bandit. The saber he can probably keep his distance from, but that still leaves him and this Bouldersnake in some sort of standoff as they size each other up.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan has to just hope Rosiante is disarming the frozen bandit-- he's busy watching out for any others that might be coming up. There is enough fighting going on in various places that the bandits are spread out, but he is still on the alert in case any of them notice one of their comrades frozen in place. He thinks one might be turning their way so he quickly lifts the bandit up with his biotics and throws the creature. Hopefully that's a good enough distraction for Rosianthe to finish what he's doing.

He turns back to check on the other. Kaidan sees the two bandits and Rosianthe in a stand-off with one of them. Kaidan immediately turns his attention to the other. He still doesn't use the pulsefire weapon-- though more because he still isn't sure what will happen when one is fired while the opponent is holding another pulsefire weapon. So instead Kaidan taps something on his omni-tool and fires a cryo-blast at the bandit. It doesn't freeze the bandit's whole body, but getting blasted in the face by super-chilled ice is enough to make it stagger.

Which then leaves him open for Kaidan to reave. He's still half paying attention to Rosianthe in case the guy needs back-up, but Kaidan wants to be sure the one with the pulsefire blade is incapacitated.

[callada]

Well damn, that omni-tool lives up to its name, doesn't it? Not that Rosinante can really watch Kaidan out of more than just the corner of his eye. But the cryo-blast not only freezes the one bandit, it sure startles the other. The electric green creature (sort of like a living, furry vine, Rosinante thinks - they're an eclectic bunch, aren't these Bouldersnakes?) fires too wide when it swings backward, and Rosinante immediately reacts by pulling both triggers.

The bullet is faster, but he misses too - he's a good shot, but the thing opposite him is so willowy that it's hard to hit. The pulsefire, however, can't really miss. Its bright blue flame sears through the thin green form and rapidly reduces it to a blackened, wiry twig.

Disturbingly effective stuff, but Rosinante doesn't have time to reflect on that right now as he switches his attention to Kaidan and his opponent, ready to lend a hand if it's needed.

[majorbiotic]

Kaidan sees the blue fire but doesn't lose focus on the bandit he's fighting. The reave is doing its job of hurting the bandit enough that it can't heal from its injuries, and causing it enough pain to drop the pulsefire weapon. Kaidan decides to take a risk and move it with his biotics, nudging it out of the bandit's reach and in Rosianthe's direction.

But he's hesitating in actually putting the creature down. However cruel and horrific their actions were, however furious he is at what they did to the town and its people, he can't quite bring himself to do the same. He debates on this, weighing out the scenarios in his mind. Kaidan approaches the bandit, still holding it with the reave, and slides out his omni-blade.

And stabs down at whatever works for a chest in the creature. Presumably still a killing blow, but a hell of a lot more merciful than the pulsefire.

[callada]

The Bouldersnake's blade slides toward Rosinante, and he stops it under his boot. He only bends down to pick it up once it looks like Kaidan has the situation well under control, and slides it through his belt, then keeps his pistol trained at that final enemy until it really looks like the bandit won't be moving any more.

The others in town have given them a wide berth as they seek out easier targets, and that gives them a moment to catch their breaths.

"All good?" he asks as he pushes the pulsefire pistol into the holster at his hip and keeps his own weapon in hand.

[majorbiotic]

"Yeah," Kaidan acknowledges, sliding the blade back into the omni-tool. He's glad now that he took the time to learn how to fight with blades back during that mission with the mafia families. He takes the moment of rest to look around the battlefield and see where they are most needed. How much longer will the fight last?

"Taking these guys out is fine, but what are we going to do with the pulsefire weapons? I don't feel right keeping them with us."

[callada]

"Well, I'd rather hold onto them than put them somewhere these guys' friends will just get them right back. Besides, it helps us even the playing field. Keeps our people safe, having equal weapons on our side."

But he's sympathetic to the intent behind Kaidan's question, that's for sure. The creature he burned to death died fast, and maybe it's honestly more humane than being shot, but the overwhelming deadliness sure does bother him too. At least if someone's shot in a way that doesn't kill them, it gives them time to surrender and get treated.

[majorbiotic]

Yes, he agrees that holding onto them is better than risking the bandits getting the weapons back.

"I meant for after all this is over. We should try to find a way to destroy them before we leave for the station." Something they can discuss in more detail when they aren't fighting off the bandits.

[callada]

"Why not take 'em back? Might be useful to have on hand. Those people in the lab might learn something from them."

But as he says so, he pats down the body of the bandit Kaidan had killed to make sure there aren't other weapons stashed on him, then heads back for the nearest side alley and beckons for Kaidan to follow. Standing around in the open for long is asking for trouble.

[majorbiotic]

This is the sort of discussion Kaidan is dreading. He shakes his head, not wanting to get into it right now. He's hoping that most of the Orbers agree that such a substance is too dangerous and they need to get rid of it. He'll bring it up once things have calmed down.

For now, he follows after Rosianthe, keeping an eye open for bandits.

[callada]

Finding cover against the side of a building gives him a chance to reload his pistol and listen to what's going on around them. Clearly, fights are breaking out around town, and the plumes of smoke indicate that there may not be much town left if this keeps up for too long.

"If they raze the place, we won't have anywhere to hide. Dunno how many losses they'll be willing to take before they'll back off, but hopefully our side's finding ways to keep up," he says as he watches gray ash drift slowly down onto the street from one of the burning buildings.

[majorbiotic]

There are surely enough fighters among them that they'll be able to handle the bandits. Kaidan glances over at the burning town with a regretful twist in his heart. As if the place hadn't suffered enough.

"I think," he says at last, "we just need to keep going until someone finds Welford and the orb. We can't keep fighting forever, and the orb is our best way out of here." He didn't really like the idea of leaving any of these bandits around to hurt another town, but he liked the idea of the ore in the mines being used to make more pulsefire even less.

Welford and making sure no one could get to the ore had to be their main priorities. If they could take down a good portion of the bandits, that would just be a bonus.

[callada]

"Better hope someone's got a good lead, then. Dunno how far he can really get in all that desert, but it's the sort of place a person could vanish and never be found," he grumbles.

Yeah, so he's frustrated with the situation. Can't help it. It's so hard to make progress in these situations and so the best he's left with is to fight on and hope someone else will pick up that orb eventually without them all getting scattered to the wind and sands.