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

( billy hopes that maybe they don't have to do shit and they can just walk right into the saloon without anyone stopping them. it's probably way too optimistic but whatever, they've been through some shit already.

can't they get a break?

he sighs and starts moving, glancing back at jim to make sure he's still there, that he's doing okay. )

Look like you need about five drinks.

[ Jim's not too hopeful, either. If there are Bouldersnakes at the front preventing people from getting out, then he imagines they must've placed at least one by the backdoor, just in case. They probably don't expect the rest of them to come back anytime soon, what with the fight happening farther away. ]

More than. It'll have to wait, sadly.

[ Even ignoring the fact that there's no alcohol around for them to get their hands on, Jim wouldn't indulge now of all times. Once he's back on the station, though, he's definitely going to grab a bottle or two. ]

Yeah.

( billy thinks they gotta be getting close to the saloon or maybe he's misjudging it all. it's hard to fuckin' tell with this place now that it's just dust and blood. )

Look, we both survive this shit, we'll drink when we're back on the station. Drink until we fall down or some shit. I'm tired of this running for my goddamn life.

Oh, you're on. I'll dig up that good shit we talked about last time.

[ While moving and speaking in a quiet voice, it doesn't take them long to reach the saloon indeed. He pats Billy's arm and puts a finger over his own lips to make sure he's quiet, then gestures ahead. A few more steps, and he urges Billy to stop near a corner, where they're mostly hidden in the shadow. With Billy taking the lead, Jim motions for him to look around the corner, where he'll be able to see the backdoor and any possible Bouldersnake keeping watch there. ]

( billy takes a slow breath and then peers around the corner. he waits for a second and then tucks away again, glancing at jim. )

One guy.

( so, not terrible odds with the two of them but these things are tough and that one guy is bigger than the others that billy's gone against. )

I'll go out there, get his attention and you hit him with that gun of yours. Even if it doesn't knock his ass down, it should stun him and I can get him down after that.

[ Jim listens to Billy's plan, then nods. It's not foolproof, but right now it's the best they've got. ]

Alright. I'll be ready for it. [ He taps his own ear. ] Let's talk through the earpieces if we need to.

[ Before Billy heads out, he takes hold of his arm, tugging gently. ] Be careful, Billy.

Don't worry, I got this.

( smirking, he reaches over and gives jim's shoulder a quick pat before he slips off. he doesn't make a lot of sound as he moves, trying to give jim time to prepare.

once he gets almost within arms length, he whistles and takes off at a run to barrels into the guy to try and catch him off guard so jim has a better shot at him. )

[ He's not too worried, from what he's seen so far he knows Billy's a capable fighter, but still. He's sure to keep an eye on him all the while, just in case he needs Jim to intervene sooner, phaser already lifted from the shadows where he hides, ready to fire.

The whistle is all the warning he gets before Billy's slamming into the guy, sudden enough that he can't even call out for help. And then Jim's quick on the trigger too for good measure, not wanting to give him enough time for that. Three successive shots, just to make sure he manages to knock him out, and the heavy weight falls limp to the floor, stunned but not dead.

Still aiming at the bandit for good measure, he approaches Billy. ]

We should probably tie him up, or... something.

Yeah, that's...a good idea.

( he pats his pockets and then glances over at jim, frowning. )

You got any rope? String? I can use my boot laces if we need to. Just checking before I go unlacing the shit.

[ Jim looks around as soon as they agree on tying him up, holding a hand up before Billy unlaces his boot. ]

Hold on—

[ He finds some broken leftovers of barrels in a corner, and kicking around the sand, digs up what's left of the ropes that were around those barrels. He find one that's more or less intact and brings it back, so he can tie up the bandit, making sure to get some around his mouth too so he can't call out for help. ]

Help me shove him into the next building over. I don't want to leave him out like this.

Right.

( billy reaches down and grabs him by the legs, starting to just tug the fucker towards the building. he doesn't mean to be gentle since this shit's tried to kill them and they're leaving him alive.

that's nice of them.

once he and jim have wrangled him into the building, he sighs and nods back at the saloon. )

Come on, let's go.

[ Honestly, right now Jim is very inclined to agree with Billy. Considering what they've done to this town and to their own group so far, they are being very nice. Hopefully it won't come back to bite them in the ass, because Jim would never forgive himself for it.

With the guy safely shoved out of sight and tied up, he nods and leads the way back to the saloon, closing the door behind them once they're both inside. ]

You've got some injuries, [ He points out, gesturing to Billy's forehead. He probably has others, Jim figures. ] Mind if I patch you up?

They ain't that bad but...fine, all right.

( he supposes he should take care of things so he doesn't end up with some weird planet infection from this place. that'd be his fucking luck to die from some weird alien disease. )

Guess I can sit still for a few minutes and let you do that.

[ They might not be that bad, but he's already got Bones dealing with a serious infection in the wake of his (admittedly more serious) injury, so if taking a moment to clean some wounds helps prevent that issue from coming up with other people, then he's going to do it if he can.

He shoots Billy a flat stare, pulling up a chair and gesturing for him to sit down as he pours only a small amount of what water they have into a basin, bringing it over with the cleanest cloth he could find and a small box with a few medical supplies that Leonard was sensible enough to bring along with him. ]

Tip your head up for me.

( for once in his life, billy does as asked, sitting down in the chair and tipping his head up when jim makes the request.

he rests his hands in his lap, fingers pulling at his jeans idly while he waits. he doesn't think it's going to sting or anything but he doesn't want to risk getting startled or anything like that. )

Okay, go to it.

[ Wouldn't peg Billy as the type to do as told, it's true, but that's all the more reason for him to be pleased when he sits down when Jim says so.

His lips do curl into a vague smile when he sees the way Billy fiddles with his jeans. ]

Don't tell me a big burly man like you is afraid of a little sting.

[ He dips the cloth into the water, starting with careful dabs around the cuts on Billy's face, wiping any dirt and excess blood away. ]

I ain't afraid but it still fuckin' hurts.

( he can admit that he does feel pain. he doesn't jump or wince or anything. just curses under his breath and sighs. )

Keep callin' me big and burly, that might help. I do like compliments.

It doesn't hurt that much— just stings a little.

[ He gives Billy a slight eyeroll, not distracting himself from what he's doing. After cleaning his face, he makes sure to disinfect all the cuts, and only then does he pick up a small handheld device from the first-aid kit. ]

Alright then, big boy. Now's the time you sit really still for me.

[ For added security, he grips Billy's jaw in a gentle hold, he turns the dermal regenerator on and carefully guides the laser beam over the first cut, stitching the skin back together. ]

Motherfuck —

( he does sit still save for the movement of his lips. that's a strange feeling and it does pull and hurt but he knows enough not to go moving lest he end up losing an eye with whatever the fuck jim's using on him. )

The hell is that thing?

( fuckin' technology, he swears. )

[ Jim's lips twitch at Billy's reaction, but he says nothing at first, focusing on what he's doing instead. His work is slow but careful, working over the injured skin a few more times until he can see that it's stitched back together and healed to perfection. ]

It's a dermal regenerator. It's capable of healing some kinds of injuries, mainly superficial ones like yours.

[ Once he's done with the first cut, he moves on to the other, smaller injuries, his work faster there since there isn't as much to tend to. Afterwards, he brushes his thumb over one of those spots. ]

There. Good as new.

( it definitely feels really fucking weird but if it keeps his cuts from getting infected and making a small problem worse, than so be it. he'll let the tech do its work.

he glances down and then glances up at jim. )

Guess this doesn't work when your intestines are falling out of your stomach, huh? Too much to stitch up?

[ He just doesn't want to leave them open and Billy potentially making them worse, especially not knowing how long they might still stay stuck here, or how long the fight might last. ]

No— you'd need to use other tools for that first. [ His face pales a little at the question, the memory of Leonard's own injury still too fresh on his mind. ] But the regenerator plays a part in the last of it, healing any scar left behind.

Huh, helpful.

( he'd probably be a little less wary if he was around it more, he knows, but that does sound handy. he tends to just let his injuries heal while he complains but something like that could cut the complaining in half. )

Probably really good since it looks like anyone can use it and you don't need to be trained to point and shoot.

Well, there is some practice involved. I've been trained on it, actually, even if I might not be as skilled with them as an actual doctor. But they are fairly user-friendly, all it takes is a careful touch and a steady hand.

[ And having minimal knowledge of how injuries and human anatomy work; wouldn't want to make someone's eyebrow disappear, or something. ]

I got that. Not that I wanna have one of those but at least if you end up getting all smashed up, I know I could figure it out.

( if he doesn't sew jim's mouth shut by accident or something. )

But let's just try and keep ourselves in one piece, yeah? Better that way.

MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2

F Y I

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