epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

THE EARTHQUAKE

One day, early in the morning before the mechanical rooster at Amos Zephyr's farm even crows, there's a sudden rumble in the distance. Perdition's Rest shakes and the ground roils, knocking things off shelves and startling the mechanical horses in their pen. Look out the window and you'll see Qorral locals blearily stepping out into the street, murmuring anxiously amongst themselves: Earthquake.

Ever since the argecite mines started to dry up, the Qorral colonists have been turning to fracking in order to pull all available argecite out of the planet as quickly as possible. The technique has caused more and more earthquakes to shake the planet, though the fracking fields are far enough away from the town that damage is minimal.

However, the fields and mines aren't as lucky. The mayor rushes out into the street, his assistant and Sheriff Holladay flanking him, and asks for any willing heroes and adventurers (that means you!) to venture out to the fracking fields and assess the damages. Though the tunnels aren't being actively mined, there were likely miners and other workmen inside, so there will be rescue needed as well. Get your provisions ready and hop on the train: you're going to work.

THE FRACKING FIELDS

The fracking fields are a wide open swath of land peppered with looming, iron machines going on for miles. These machines are the Qorral's final attempt at scraping the last remnants of argecite from the planet before abandoning the colony and moving on for good. This destructive practice is causing obvious instability to the planet, but they don't seem to care. This is what their species does: seeks out argecite, mines it, and moves on.

The fields are dry and dead, with no plants around -- and now, after the earthquake, there are sinkholes. The iron machines are falling into the sinkholes, slowly being swallowed by the planet, with desperate workers trying to pull them back out. They could use the help -- but be sure not to fall in yourself.

Grotesque alien birds circle overhead, searching for the dead or the dying, workers caught in the collapsing earth. Save them before they're swallowed by the earth or swallowed by carrion birds -- and if you're too late, the locals would be happy to have their loved ones returned to them intact.

Also found in the fields is the Argecite Refinery, a massive factory filled with machinery meant for the refining of the crystal before it is to be shipped back to the Qorral home planet. The outside of the factory is surrounded by a 610cm (20 ft) tall electric perimeter fence, whose energy shorts out sporadically after the earthquake cracked the service box. If you're quick enough to make it through one of the gaps in electricity, don't relax quite yet -- there are malfunctioning guard drones throughout the facility, the earthquake rattling their sensors and making it impossible for them to tell friend from foe. The drones resemble dogs, though they are capable of folding their legs in for aerodynamic superiority when they take flight. They are equipped with energy lasers to destroy, sticky glue to slow trespassers, and a thin blade in the tail to poison attackers. The poison is quick-acting, causing hallucinations and fever, but it is not deadly.

Inside the factory, the machinery has collapsed in on itself from the earthquake; electricity sparks from damaged wires, dangerously nearby spilled oil drums or pools of standing water. Fire can start at any second. There are factory workers here that need rescuing, but also a variety of inanimate objects, including barrels of argecite, machinery parts, files, computers, etc. Anything that isn't bolted down needs to be moved outside of the factory before it explodes. Of course, no one is really keeping track of what's inside...

THE MINES

The Qorral have been digging in the mines since arriving on this planet 30 years ago, but recent efforts have shifted to fracking after the argecite veins slowly became depleted. The mines are still maintained by a skeleton crew of workers, making sure there is no build-up of dangerously flammable gas and patrolling the tunnels to look out for cave-ins -- which, after the earthquake, have happened in spades.

The tunnels are winding and deep, turning in on each other and ending in dead ends or sudden, steep drop-offs into the dark. There are workers trapped within, and some at Perdition's Rest have said that their thrill-seeking relatives -- typically teenagers -- have gone missing. It's possible that they have found themselves trapped in the mine, so it may be a good idea to look out for them as well.

And even deeper in the mine, there is a writhing, pale danger: sand worms, blind and hungry, wait in the dark. The earthquake has begun to drive them further up the tunnel, their tooth-lined maws open as they slither through toward the surface. Those focusing on the fields above may find a straggling sand worm or two, thrashing wildly in pain from the unfamiliar heat of the sun. This will definitely put a damper in the rescue and recovery efforts, so take them out as quickly as you can -- with as little damage to the fracking equipment, please.

OOC NOTES

Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ.

If you haven't already, make sure you check out the Bounty Board for side missions! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yup. From that high. [Having tried his best to never fib to Sakura, Ban came to trust in her inclination to want to help others and had been fairly straightforward to her when it came to exposing his methods in missions. Even so, it wasn't as if he had shown her all of his tricks. When Sakura lifted up one of the injured workers into his range--Ban drew Courechouse and charged his magical power into it.]

I've got yaaaa~. [He didn't hesitate. The moment the flicker of the barrier went off, he lashed his weapon forward. The four-sectioned staff extended through Ban's magic, cracking like a whip. It wrapped around the worker's upper body and dragged them through the air like a bullet into Ban's arms. Despite the speed and force of it...

They were fine. There wasn't any sign of whiplash or tension from the whip, itself. Ban added, to Sakura--]

I can keep doin' this~.

That's....that's amazing.....!

[Sakura. Was not expecting that. It seems Ban still has some surprises even after all this time together with ALASTAIR. But she won't complain, since it seems effective for now in assisting with getting the miners out safely. So she gives a nod before retreating back over to get another of them back to Ban's side of the fence.]

Okay, here's another one!

[With a whistle, Ban set down his quarry and took a step forward to give them a chance to run to safety. His hand lashed forward and another brilliant rose-tinted whip streaked through the air to intercept another miner brought up by Sakura's magic. His aim with the whip-like magic was incredibly precise, strong and at the same time--surprisingly careful. Another one of the miners landed in his arms, nearly instantly pulled into Ban's embrace.]

Got'chaaa~.

[He grinned, lifting his hand up to salute Sakura as she continued bringing up miners for him.]

You're doin' good work, missy ♪.

R-right! I think there's just one or two more now.

[Who also hopefully get ferried over without incident. Or mostly. By now she might be getting a little more tired the more she flies across the fence, but she still hasn't dropped any just yet. Not without being sure they were secure and Ban had them.]

[Ban hadn't noticed initially that Sakura seemed to be using up her energy to maintain her ability to carry all those people. He had dipped quite a bit into his magic to ferry over people with 'Fox Hunt' over and over again but he still had a lot to spare.

He raised one hand to stop her as she went to ferry over the next one.] Sakura--it's alright if you take a breather for a bit. Let your stamina come back a bit.

But I -- there are still...okay.

[A rest for a few minutes shouldn't hurt. The other miners were still safe on the other side of the fence where they could see them. So she agrees, flying down to Ban's side of the fence to sit down a bit.

Her knees all but collapse beneath her once she lands, her head drooping forward as she rests.]

We got most of them over now, right?

[Ban's expression, facing away from Sakura, was darkened. There were a lot of worms left over and he couldn't find King in the chaos to work with him. He felt King's presence but--that guy was obviously busy with another task in the tunnel. It was a poor time to be separated. Their stamina was extremely high and they had a high likelihood of surviving a cave-in. Ban would have to go in by himself.

Even so, Ban's came down and he ruffled Sakura's hair, turning to give her a smile despite the grim realization that he wasn't good enough to save everyone.

He didn't think he was good enough but there was no reason for her to think that he thought. A kid as earnest and hard-working as she was had no reason to think her efforts were inadequate. She deserved more credit than he did and he knew it. Ban smiled, reassuring.] Wouldn't have been able to do it without you, missy.

I'm gonna head inside, alright? But first--I'm gonna see if I can open up that fence a little so you could help some more folks out.

[She looks over to the other miners, who all seem grateful and thank her, asking if she needs anything. But she shakes her head at them, instead giving an almost sheepish look at Ban's reassurance.]

You're going to ope--wait, are you sure that's safe?

[He heals, and she can deal with injuries with her ALASTAIR healing, but even so. That still seems needlessly reckless when they have so few left to haul back over. At least, that she can see thus far.]

It's gonna be necessary. We still gotta haul out whatever supplies they managed to get before this went south. They also need that stuff to survive, right?

[Flourishing it, Ban brandished Courechouse after it was drawn from its leather and cloth scabbard. The sectioned staff glimmered as he readied himself to strike out at the energy shield. He wasn't even sure if he could keep it down long enough but with some effort he could probably damper where it would actually work.]

At the very least, it's safe for me~. I'm immortal, remember?

I hadn't thought.....I just wanted to make sure they were alright.

[But it is true. Ban isn't wrong - there's a reason these people work the mines. So she eventually gives a nod, as one of the miners comes to stand next to her, seeming to want to give some sort of support and keep an eye on her while Ban tries to get the resources they'd been mining.]

Hahah! Figures, you'd have that kinda reaction.

[Ban lifted his free hand out at that point and set it on Sakura's head, giving her a very familiar bit of a ruffle. Her reaction had caught him off guard if anything.]

You're not doin' a thing wrong, Sakura. Just remember--we're a team and I'll be lookin' to cover your back, alright?

A team. Y-yes! Right!

[A team. Well, that was always kind of the case right from the start. It's just been less often it came to fruition with some tensions or circumstances sometimes separating the recruits of ALASTAIR and all. But of course, as a team member, she has to do her part too.

Still, even as she closes one eye at the hair ruffling, the miners give something of a nod to say they'll keep an eye on her while Ban does his thing.]

EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

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