EVENT ★ GHOST TOWN

[futurologists]

BONEYARD JUNCTION Thanks to efforts from your teammates, the path to Boneyard Junction, the abandoned town at the end of the rail line, has been cleared. The train will not go this far, so recruits will have to walk the rail from the next stop over at the Fracking Fields. Most of the danger has been removed, but there still may be a few straggling giant lizards or bandits along the way, looking for a quick meal or an easy robbery. The ghost town itself is smaller in scope than Perdition's Rest, with several familiar-looking buildings -- the mayor's office, the sheriff's office, a general store -- but the main difference is that the town is halfway sunken into the desert. The ground here is shifting and unstable, with sinkholes and quicksand a constant threat. Venturing inside the crumbling buildings, left to rot in the desert for the past thirty years, is equally dangerous; there's a good chance that upper stories will simply collapse underfoot or overhead, and many venomous, aggressive reptiles and arachnids have moved in since the Qorral moved out. The Qorral have not been back here since abandoning it, so there is a lot to scavenge, from tech to money or tools to toys, both businesses and residential buildings are ripe for the plundering. The bandits have been through here in the past three decades many times, stripping the town of many of its valuables, but determined recruits ought to be able to find secret caches or overlooked boxes. Those who venture into the lowermost parts of buildings, however, will find objects of the greatest value, though not necessarily monetarily -- familiar-looking tech, corroded with sand and rusted with age, is littered about basements filled with sand and debris, as if the further the buildings sank into the desert, something beneath the town rose up to meet it. Upon further inspection, the tech will react when placed next to jewelcomms, lights blinking and static-filled screens turning on: this tech once belonged to ALASTAIR, its age clearly dating it much further back than the Qorral's arrival on this planet. But before Audentes can investigate further, there's an interruption . . . AMBUSH There's a sudden cacophony of shouting and gunfire from all sides of Boneyard Junction as heavily armed figures storm in, on the attack. They aren't from Perdition's Rest. They could be bandits, but bandits usually ask for money first -- plus, these people seem much too well-equipped to be bandits. Their clothing isn't haphazard, their weapons are well cared for. If recruits survive the initial onslaught (better be good at dodging bullets!) and pay attention to the shouting that can be heard above the gunfire, the identity of the attackers may slowly become clear: they speak of salvation and digging deeply. These are the Deemers. Previously unseen and ostensibly peaceful, the Deemers are now showing themselves to be anything but. They fight recruits with a savage intensity, injuries seemingly not slowing them down. Their only weakness appears to be injury to the head, after which they will immediately disengage and attempt to flee. Though they shout about salvation as they attack with a religious fervor, they also occasionally say something about recruits getting too close to something -- perhaps something in Boneyard Junction itself. Jonathan Black, leader of the Deemers, makes an appearance, spouting fire and brimstone in an unnaturally loud voice that can be heard above the gunfire and screaming. Any attempts to confront him will be met with vicious attacks from his bodyguards, a pair of shrouded Deemer women who fight with curved swords. Eventually, though, one recruit manages to break through. Once Black is dead, the Deemers will fight with more desperation than before, now trying to flee rather than attempting to kill recruits. Any Deemers that are captured will not share information, even under torture; they will only babble about deliverance and redemption found through drilling deeper into the planet. After they are driven off into the desert (or disposed of in other ways), the rest of Boneyard Junction is free to be explored without interruption. Perhaps collecting more ancient ALASTAIR technology will bring answers. OOC NOTES IMPORTANT: After the Deemers have been driven away, upon return to Perdition's Rest, Miz Poppy and a vast majority of the saloon workers have mysteriously vanished. The remaining workers have no idea where they've gone. All entertainment at the saloon has been postponed. 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.

Comments

[cachemoney]

Uhhh. [It's not a bad question. It's a pertinent question, that's for sure, though Fiona isn't particularly certain what the answer is.

She takes a moment to circle around the legs, which are now confirmed to belong to some guy. It's good to put a name to a set of limbs, so:] Yeah, I'll... see what I can do. [Experimentally, she tugs on a foot to see how wedged in there he is.] What's your name?

[blessure]

[He yelps as she tugs on a foot and struggles to try and pull himself up further, not wanting to fall through the floor if he can help it. He hasn't the faintest what's below him, and Félix doesn't like the idea that he might end up with a broken ankle from it.

But instead of trying to help the woman seems more interested in drawing out the process, and he hisses in irritation.]

Must we have introductions now? Aren't there more pressing matters?!

[cachemoney]

[Whoa, rude!] Okay, fine, I'll just refer to you as Boots. Like, "it's fine, Boots, you probably won't die if you fall." Or, "calm down, Boots, living halfway between floors for the rest of your life can't be that bad."

[Fiona is kind of an asshole. Félix must be super glad she's the one who found him like this.]

I guess you're not really in there that tight, then? One sec, lemme come up to you. [It takes her a second to find the stairs, and she is cautious as she mounts them; if this guy fell through the ceiling (or... floor?), there's a chance she can do the same. Once she's at the second floor:] Helloooo? Where are you, Boots?

[blessure]

No, I'll likely just break something or land on you if I fall. [He retorts, charm wavering in the face of his predicament and the commentary from his supposed rescuer. Falling is starting to seem more appealing in ways.

At least she's apparently willing to try and help even with the teasing, and it isn't too long before he sees a shape that looks like it might be her.]

Over here! [It's then that Félix makes the mistake of trying to wave for attention and the motion dislodges him further; his call turns into a shout of fear as the wood creaks and he drops further, a desperate grab for another floorboard the only thing saving him.]

Hurry! [His fingers are starting to bleed from where the wood bites in, and while pain and blood aren't new to him, he'd prefer to avoid it unnecessarily.]

[cachemoney]

[Oh, shit! She can shit-talk later; guy falling through the floor is the more important thing right now. She doesn't think the fall itself would be that dangerous, it's not very far, but he's right -- who knows what he'll land on? Or what will land on top of him, for that matter; the splintering wood doesn't sound very good.

She darts over, crouching a little ways away so she doesn't weaken the floorboards even further, and grabs for his hands.] Hold on! I got you. [She's strong, necessitated by her lifestyle, but she's no super-man; if he's too heavy, she'll just follow him right through the floor. And be pissed about it, probably.]

[blessure]

[Félix grabs for her hand immediately, trying to pull on the grip with one while the other tries to leverage the floor around him as best he can. The boards groan threateningly and the jagged edges of the wood bite into his torso and hand as he struggles to pull himself up, but he does start to pull free...

Just before the flooring gives a dangerously loud cracking sound.

The noise sends adrenaline pulsing through him and Félix scrambles and throws himself towards the other woman, uncaring if he knocks her down in his effort to get free of the danger.]

[cachemoney]

[Fiona makes a surprised yelping sound as he bodily throws himself at her; she'd barely had the time to react to the cracking sound, and now she's flipped over onto her back, it's all very disorienting.] What even --

[She starts to push herself up, but the floor creaks alarmingly. She freezes, sort of halfway up on her elbows, eyes wide.] Ohhh, my god, we are in trouble, Boots. [At least he's out of the hole.]