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

[coordination]

[ In that way.

...

No, it's not hard to connect the dots there, as much as Yzak simply doesn't want to connect them, as much as his mind first tries to shut the thought down completely because that what he does when he simply refuses to face something so heavy.

Yzak notes the way some of Blue's bangs stick awkwardly to his face from the wetness of the tears, hand not supporting him reaching to brush them aside and out of his eyes properly. It lingers, thumb lightly swiping under his eye to dry some of it. Wow, it's almost like when he has no choice but to get serious, he just forgets to get awkward or flustered about this kind of thing. ]

Doctor McCoy's office is right near here. If you think you should see him once you relax a bit.

[firstroar]

[as humiliating as it is to feel this low, Blue is still consoled by the gentleness. struggling alone is bad enough, and struggling while worrying others is its own kind of bad, but...well, he could argue it's because he's Mu, and being alone has its own hellish qualities, but even humans feel better when someone is taking care of them when they're unwell!

his head tilts into the hand, eyes closing as he breathes out a faint, affirmative sound.]

Yes. You're right.

[coordination]

Then, I can take you shortly.

[ He goes quiet after that, simply ... staying as is for a couple of minutes, letting Blue lean into his touch. The action helps calm him down, too. Yzak hadn't quite realized in the moment how ... unsure it was, until it was over. Blue's sudden turn, the way he went so limp in his arms, the alarm and not knowing what was happening and if he was going to...

Oh that thought is being very violently severed before it finishes.

But now, he feels his own heart start to calm the longer he stays there, feeling the warmth of skin against his hand. And eventually: ]

Can you keep upright on your own for about a minute?

[firstroar]

[it's anchoring for both of them in their ways; as unpleasant as it may be to be the source of such concern...it's also a consolation, accepting the compassion. were he a younger man, Blue would be less keen on relying on Yzak or anyone - more secure in his own power, more rooted in his biases... his fading is humbling in many ways, and not all of those ways are ultimately bad.

his eyes don't open right away, but eventually:] I can. yes. [but he's not that excited to stop the moment...even if it ought to end. still, he lifts his head and slowly sits up...and back against the cushion with an exhale.]

[coordination]

Okay.

[ Reluctantly, he pulls away and stands when Blue sits back. He's quick like he said he'd be, simply going back into the kitchen area to, for now, clean off his boots and fetch a glass of water and a small handtowel for Blue.

He returns and offers both to him, taking a seat on the edge of the armrest of the sofa.

And then he says, somewhat belated: ] I'm glad to hear that you liked it. [ You know. The food. ]

[firstroar]

[when Yzak gets back, Blue's head is tilted back, eyes closed, dozing a bit, more aware of the raw exhaustion in his limbs. it's not even the despised state of weariness that compels him to try and move more, either: this is his mind and body coming to a consensus that sleep would not be so bad.

even so, when Yzak comes to sit, he opens his eyes, lifting his head and gradually accepting what's offered, wiping his eyes and face first before taking careful sips, eyes wincing as he gets reacquainted with that acidic taste in his mouth.]

There's still more I want to try... More like that. I've been introduced to so many sweet things...hot chocolate, cookies, dango... But there's still so much more.

[coordination]

[ Perched there, he listens to Blue, watching him take the sip of water and clean himself up some. There's more relief there, pulling him further away from the distress earlier.

He takes a moment to reply. Because what can he say to that? Of course from this alone he doesn't know for sure just yet what awaits Blue where food is concerned. All this could have been was a one off event. Yzak isn't blindly, positively optimistic (you definitely will), but he doesn't wish to despair, either (sorry bud this ain't lookin good). So he falls somewhere in the middle. ]

Good that a lot of us know how to make things that aren't as sweet, then.

And I tend to lean more in that direction myself.

[firstroar]

[he gets a couple more small sips in before resting the glass on his lap. he exhales, eyes closing, and leans against Yzak's side.]

Even just sitting and watching you make those things... I want to do that. [his mouth tugs a bit on one side.] But not here...not this awful, dead place.

[coordination]

[ Yzak looks down when he leans against him, his foot on the ground shifting just enough to keep himself comfortably in place there so Blue can relax as long as he feels like. ]

That should be easy enough to arrange. Obviously. [ O B V I O U S L Y. ] That, and I can make much better than what I just did with such limited items! [ Because he's gotta add that.

All the same, the thought of that, while so simple, sounds ... nice, to him. Because... ] It would probably be less boring, having company for that for a change, too.

[firstroar]

It's...a part of what makes the act worthwhile. [a beat.] That's what Sabriel told me when she was cooking for us. That it even...makes the food taste better when there's company.

Maybe that's not scientific, but I'm still inclined to agree.

[coordination]

[ He's saying this to a guy who collects good luck charms and dreamcatchers as a hobby. Yzak makes a small, humming sound. ]

She has a point, saying something like that.

And, it's nice to hear 'cooking for us' regarding her, without an additional 'and burning it'.

[ There's some amusement in that thought. ]

[firstroar]

[Blue breathes out a soft, amused sound.]

No, she...did not burn anything when I sat with her. Not like poor Newt's cookies.

[coordination]

[ Yzak makes a face that basically says "ugh those poor fucking cookies." Rest in burnt little pieces.

But then he continues on. ]

She sure did when she tried to do it, once, after our very first mission.

[ Wow someone's a nark. ]

[firstroar]

Then...her practice took her a long way, because the stew she made for me was very good. [he didn't even throw it up!]

[coordination]

[ wow RUB IT IN!! ]

That's partially thanks to me and my own stellar talent!

[ Sorry he's like this,

Though after he says that completely egotistical bullshit, his thoughts become fond, admiring, warm when he thinks about her. ]

Of course, it's also because she's an adept teacher herself. Not to mention the intricacies of the Charter magic she's taught me are so deep that picking up something like cooking after mastering something like that was probably a breeze for someone like her.

[firstroar]

[it's that warmth underneath the puffing-up that keeps the gentle smile on Blue's weary features.]

The both of you are...indeed very remarkable talents and minds. [that's just plain fact.

what is also fact is that this current positioning is less-than ideal; Yzak's all the way up there! and he can't hold his hand...because he's got water here. actually, that reminds him to straighten up a little and make himself have a couple more sips, if only to make it look like he's actually drank anything at all.

for a moment, he leans a little with the intention of maybe bending and setting the glass down on the floor but thinks better of it, instead holding it out to Yzak.

quietly:] Thank you.

[coordination]

I've had that sort of discussion with others, before. Though we're all here for a singular reason, it does appear that us who were called here with the offer possess quite the arsenal of talents.

[ Saying that, of course, means Yzak has to admit that that includes Athrun, which he always hates to do. Even if he knows it's not only true but Athrun himself is a bar that he's always trying to clear - and he does, sometimes, but it's always so back and forth between them with Athrun always just staying ahead overall by that bit much more.

He reaches down to take the cup from Blue with a nod, hoping that the water will at least help.

And, you know, stay down.

Yzak leans himself back to stretch his arm out and plop the glass atop a dusty, splintery table about a foot behind the sofa. ]

[firstroar]

[Blue watches him put the glass away, feeling a bit of impatience in him despite his exhaustion.

it's what prompts him to ask:] What other...tasks must you do today? Besides the cooking.

[coordination]

[ He tilts his head as he looks down at Blue. ]

Other tasks?

[ A quick glance to the nearest window, trying to glean an estimate of what time of day it is by now. Still pretty early. ]

I'm heading out later in the afternoon. We need to extend the reach of our search, and there's no other way to do that than to go out for an overnight to cover more ground in the morning. Hopefully that means tomorrow night when we return, we'll actually have found something useful out there.

[firstroar]

[he closes his eyes, sinking back against the back of the sofa as Yzak explains. there's a little ache, knowing Yzak will have to go put himself in danger, but that's exactly what everyone else is doing.

that in mind:] Who is...going with you?

[coordination]

[ Yzak's hand slides a few inches over the back of the sofa near him, hovering in a bit closer. ]

We're still solidifying plans there. Which directions to cover, who's going where - to have the highest chance of even finding a trace of this guy to follow up on. [ A handful of the usual suspects who can handle that sort of excursion - but not all of them, lest this area becomes vulnerable. ]

But otherwise, the cooking was all I had to do for my share of the prep for it.

[firstroar]

[he makes a quiet, affirmative sound to that, but doesn't follow it up right away.

eventually, though:] Wake me up...if I fall asleep before you leave. So I'll know you've gone to do that. [and not, say, been called to an emergency or something else wild has happened.]

[coordination]

[ ...

(cute) ]

Understood.

[ Answered like he's taking an order, before he assess whether or not he has room enough to slip down off of the armrest next to Blue - he wanted to give him some space while he sipped at that water and cleared his mouth.

And then after he does that, there's another small stretch of silence before he says, randomly, with zero context. ]

... white chocolate.

[firstroar]

Hm-?

[the thought is sudden to Blue, given that he was following that line of thought Yzak was on about sitting down. he blinks slowly and lifts his head.]

White...chocolate?

[coordination]

[ He crosses his legs, turning his chin up some, like a man of cultured taste as he elaborates. ]

What you said before, that you've tried. Hot chocolate, cookies, dango.

I know those sorts of sweets aren't your preference, but I'm just letting it be known ... white chocolate is, in my opinion, vastly superior to all of those things.