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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I'm not wasting them, I'm sharing them. We can split one, I don't need much anyway.

[ He's not necessarily used to rationing to this extreme, but he has done it before. Not taking any more argument from Dean, he opens one of his packets, breaking the bar in half and holding one up for Dean to take. He's stubborn enough that it'll just stay there until Dean takes it. ]

Funny how that works during missions, right? [ He smiles a bit. ] Mostly trying to stick to my cover. Not that it seems to have made much of a difference in the end. Since Welford disappeared, I've just been focusing on finding supplies, making sure people stay alive. I'm... fine.

[ There's no time for them to not be fine, anyway. ] You?

...Alright.

[ He'll relent on the half-bar suggestion, because he's tired and cozied up and not in the mood to make an argument out of it. ]

Yeah, I hear that. Last one I was kinda new, so I mostly just...wandered the creepy castle on my own for days.

[ that had been SUPER FUN. ]

I'm fine, too.

Edited 2022-02-21 22:05 (UTC)

[ Good, because Jim's had enough arguments with people thinking they're being some big damn heroes by starving themselves, and he's not ready for another one. He takes his own half of the bar for a bite, little dedication to it as he chews and swallows. It still feels strange, eating anything at all. ]

Days? [ His eyebrows raise. ] Had no idea it took you that long to find someone.

[ He studies Dean's profile. The 'fine' doesn't sound too convincing, but it's about as convincing as Jim's own, so it's not like he can question it. He understands all too well, if anything. ]

You're used to this kind of thing? Survival, or missions, things like that.

[ He almost asks if Dean was a soldier. Reminds him of that, in a way. ]

[ It's too exhausting to argue it, and while Dean is kinda used to this sort of thing; being left on his own to fend for himself with limited funds, finding creative ways to make fifty cent macaroni because that's all they had money for and Daddy Winchester was late coming back, that doesn't mean he isn't freakin' hungry. So he takes the offered half and bites it, chews for a minute, and swallows it down. ]

It was wild. Found a room full of burgers and beer, so there's that.

[ it was totally fine, being alone. great. fantastic. ]

Yeah, kinda. Survival, especially.

[ Jim's not entirely wrong - he was raised by a fucking lunatic bastard obsessed with his revenge porn monster-ghost-demon killing spree who happened to be an ex-marine. ]

[ It's a small relief to see Dean eating. Jim just doesn't want anyone passing out from starvation, which at the moment is a definite possibility, so even if they're all hungry to different degrees, half a bar is still something. Enough to keep going for the time being. ]

Ah. Yeah, think I heard about weird rooms like that.

[ Well, not that Jim didn't find weird rooms of his own, but nothing that produced some wild amounts of food or anything like that.

He gives Dean an assessing look, then asks, curious more than anything. ] Army?

I wasn't gonna say no to burgers and beer.

[ Did he eat them? Sure as shit. Did he know better? Yup. At least there weren't any consequences. Scott free burger, hell yeah. ]

Ah, no. My dad was a marine, though. He pretty much raised me to be a soldier.

[ There might've been consequences to helping himself, but the same could have been said for any food they found anywhere else in that castle. They had no choice, though, not when the alternative was starving, so he doesn't judge Dean in the least for having eaten whatever food he was presented with. ]

Sounds, ah... a little strange? [ He's nothing if not honest, at least. ] But maybe it's just the time I come from.

Yeah, it's...it's not the norm. Some shitty stuff happened in my life, and my old man..

[ He pulls a face. He can be honest with Jim, he's been honest with half the crew so far. It's not like he's been keeping what happened to him much of a secret. People here tend to believe him - it's back home everyone would think he was a wackjob. ]

Well. He kinda lost it, I guess. He was obsessed with revenge...man, I shot my first gun when I was six. I was a first grader being pulled out of school to go shoot guns. Who does that?

[ People do come from all sorts of different worlds here, so it's a little easier to believe everyone else's stories. Plus, Jim was already used to contact with different cultures himself, so he has no reason to question the veracity of what Dean tells him.

He does have plenty of reason to look shocked by it. Granted, he knows the opinions of weapons used by civilians at all varies wildly from world to world, and from time to time, and to him it's just a wild notion and a long dead custom where he's from. But even so, he imagines that most people in Dean's world would too be shocked by a six year-old kid shooting a gun at all. ]

Christ, Dean. [ He lets out with a breath, reaching over to grip Dean's arm in a gentle squeeze. ] That's... horrible. I'm so sorry.

It's, you know. It's how he coped. I'm not, I'm not making excuses for him. Did that long enough. But I guess I kinda get it, you know? The lengths you'll go to to avenge someone you love.

[ Is he any better? Sam died and Dean lost it, completely lost it - went and sold his soul to a demon to save him a year after his dad did the same damn thing for Dean.

Winchesters, always trying to sacrifice themselves. ]

Anyway. Enough of my sob story.

[ Jim listens in silence, a slow nod, understanding that Dean isn't trying to make up apologies for the sake of his father's actions. But it sounds like a terribly complicated situation, and Jim is in no place to judge, even if he were the type to. ]

I don't mind listening to you. It's okay. You don't have to, obviously, but if you ever wanna talk— [ or yell, or vent, or anything, really. ] Just want you to know that you have someone to lean on.

[ Probably not just him, he's sure, but he's offering anyway. ]

Didn't have a happy childhood myself, either, [ He admits with a faint smile. ] But I never went through anything like that. Mostly it was just me getting myself into trouble.

[ He used to, a lot. Make excuses. He'd defend his old man til the cows came home, get in fights with his brother about it, with anyone who talked shit. But -- that year he had an expiration date, when hell loomed over his head like a storm cloud, there'd been some come to Jesus moments. Screaming at his demon self, my father was an obsessed bastard!, realizing the truth in his own words, finally admitting he didn't deserve what happened, what his dad dumped on him, to go to hell. ]

Thanks. I appreciate that.

[ Leaning on Sam was different - they were too codependent to see outside of their periphery. But Jim isn't judgmental, doesn't seem to think Dean weak, not good enough. Doesn't tell him he's not strong enough or that he's a shitty hunter.

Fuck you, Sam. ]

Did plenty of that, too. [ He smiles a little, picking at the blanket. ] What kinda trouble'd you get into?

[ Jim had something of an opposite journey; going from blaming his father for all the things wrong in his life and the universe at large, to learning through experience what his sacrifice had meant, in the grander scheme of things. There's still the remains of bitterness that he never got to meet him, but that's more of a general feeling, aimed at nothing or no one but unfortunate circumstances that neither him nor his father or Starfleet could have done anything about. ]

Mm, slaps on the wrist, mostly. A few night spent in a cell, waiting it out until someone came pick me up. [ His mom, Frank, whoever. He usually preferred the cell. ] You know, totally normal teenage stuff. Starfleet wanted to expunge my record, but I told them to just leave it.

[ Dean snorts a soft laugh, glancing over, brow lifted. Life's funny, especially his. Like it's all just some big...cosmic joke, God in the distance having a good laugh. ]

Man after my own heart. I'm pretty sure I'm legally dead at this point. Does that mean my record goes away, I wonder...

[ Jim wouldn't say Dean's life is a joke at all, far from it. Maybe to some higher being with a heartless and cruel vein, but then Jim doesn't believe in higher being, so. Fuck that. ]

Ah, no, I don't think you get off that easy, [ He smiles a little, not even a little surprised by Dean's admission. ] Makes two of us there, too. Well, I was clinically dead for a while. Pretty sure it wasn't actually pronounced. Not sure it counts.

[ Counts to him for sure, traumatic experience that it was. ]

No? Damn. That's a shame.

[ Counts for Dean too, that shit is traumatic as hell. ]

But you're good now. Obviously.

Yeah, I'm good. Full recovery.

[ Just in case Dean thinks he's dead back home or something. ]

And you?

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MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

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dw definitely ate this, sorry man

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