The Beast of the Webby Hole

[out_of_order]

WHO: For those braving the depths...
WHERE: The sewer systems of Temba
WHAT: We goin' spider huntin'
WHEN: Near event end
WARNINGS: Spiders and violence. As it should be.


The nightly routine that those dwelling in Temba have had to endure hasn't been without effort of trying to determine how to get to the bottom of the situation. During the day they at least have some reprieve, taking advantage of the longer daylight hours, knowing all too well that they'll have just as long to endure come the darkness, and the many-legged creatures that swarmed with it.

The Archivist had been the one to suggest that the creatures have always existed here, but while no one has seemed to figure out what has drawn them out, it hasn't been impossible to find out where they go to take cover from the harsh hours of day. It only makes sense that they retreat below ground, and with experts in reconnaissance and tracking such as the Mandalorian and Echo, the most likely location where the spider-like creatures congregate has been narrowed down, but how much of the underground passages remain accessible is still largely unknown. Still, somewhere in the knotted network of tunnels, something lurks...

It seems most ideal to start early in the day, before any of the creatures make their way up and clog the tunnels come nightfall. Anyone able and willing is welcome to join the group gathered to venture down into the dark, dank sewer systems. At least the smell isn't bad. The tunnels branch off, and it isn't advised to go down any alone.


((OOC: Feel free to tag in or start different threads if you have particular people to team up with or if you're open for anyone coming along, etc. I left the option of separate tunnels so things don't get too crowded with people, and also if anyone's gunning particularly for whatever big surprise there may be, or if people just want to help thin the spider ranks. Also if anyone just wants someone to NPC spiders IDK, uh, let me know I guess?))

Comments

OTA

[out_of_order]

It's been quiet so far, but Cal has a feeling things will change soon enough once they get into the deeper, danker tunnels that are well below ground that daylight can't seep through cracks and collapsed ceilings. The underground network already proves to have a few dead-ends, but at least BD-1's been mapping things out as they go along. Getting lost is the least thing that the padawan is worried about, however.

At least he's prepared to fight. The baton-like hilt that hangs off his belt at his side is shiny and new, but it's proved functional, if not without some...concerns. They haven't seemed harmful at least, but all the same, Cal's cautious about drawing his new lightsaber unless he absolutely has to. Which undoubtedly might be sooner than later...

[happybeeps]

Down a bend Cal hasn't got to yet there's a sudden eruption of noise, feet splashing, gun firing, and under it all- a string of binary as BB-8 screams, rolling out of the tunnel just shy of a clutter of spiders. He skids to position himself behind Cal, chattering hurriedly and pulling out his arc welder to spark threateningly at the spiders.

"Buddy?" Poe calls, jogging out after him, kicking stray spiders from his heels and firing at them.

[out_of_order]

Cal senses the spike in panic just before the sounds reach them. The hilt of his lightsaber finds its way into his hand as he dashes ahead, and he very nearly skids himself as he stops when BB-8 comes into view, screaming. He at least doesn't have to tell the droid where to go, and his concern about the whereabouts of the pilot who's usually with the rolling droid comes with a mixture of relief once the man emerges not long after.

"He's here!" the padawan shouts as he kicks at some of the spiders that have followed the droid, tossing others back with a brief gesture of his hand. He glances over his shoulder at BB-8. "-you might start to glow, just a heads' up."

With that strange warning, Cal ignites his weapon, the thrum-hiss accompanying the yellow-tinged glow of blade of light that springs forth. He strikes out at the spiders, slicing at the spindly legs and only moving once he's thinned the ones that have gotten ahead of Poe before moving to help with the ones that have tagged after him. Behind him, BD-1 glows like a strange droid-shaped lantern.

[happybeeps]

The droid gives a questions whir, followed by a chirp of surprise as he lights up. Poe blinks in surprise, gaze jumping between the glowing droids and the lightsaber, very nearly bowled over in his awe, shooting a concerningly large spider before it was able to bite him. It's left him covered in spider guts, and he makes a face as he looks up at Cal.

"Where can I get one of those?" he asks with a nod towards the saber, reaching for a hand up with a grin. "Look at you."

[out_of_order]

Turning back towards Poe once it looks like they're for the moment in the clear, Cal reaches out to help the man up. He smiles a bit himself, glancing at his weapon.

"Tony helped me pull this together, just in time, it seems. Been long enough without one."

He looks between Poe and a glowing BB-8. "You two all right?"

[happybeeps]

"We're better now," Poe admits, giving Cal a grateful clap on the shoulder.

"There's a whole mess of them back that way," he nods to the way they came from. "I may have slightly over estimated the damage I could do on my own."

[out_of_order]

Cal grins faintly at that. "Glad we ran into you guys when we did." He looks in the direction Poe does, nodding slowly. "...there are a lot of those things. I'm just glad they're not as big as the ones on Kashyyyk."

BD-1 gives a stuttered beep at that, shuddering. "Heh. Yeah, wyyyschokks were much worse, although thankfully they didn't swarm like these guys." Even dealing with one was a handful. "So do we keep going or..?"

[happybeeps]

Poe struggles with the answer for a moment, trying to think tactically rather than rushing headlong into danger like he wants to.

"...We might to better to regroup," he admits reluctantly, "I want to believe between the four of us we could take 'em out, but if we get more hands and come back those odds only improve."

[out_of_order]

That's not a point Cal's going to argue, and he offers a nod at that. "Agreed," he says. Better to know and acknowledge their limits. "At the very least, we know we're heading in the right direction." Definite plus considering the size of the city and the unknown expanse of the sewers beneath it. Narrowing the possibilities of where to find the spiders' lair is still going to be helpful.

[hulkintraining]

Teddy isn't keen on exploring the dark, narrow tunnels that branch off in seemingly infinite directions. If anything it sounds like a good way to get either cornered by an enemy or lost. The tight space also limits Teddy's Hulkling form, forcing him to do away with the extra height, body mass, and wings that usually accompany his shifting form.

He carries a firearm in his hands, turned to the side to avoid it pointing at anyone, and resting carefully against his stomach. The gun is another thing he's not enthusiastic about in such tight corridors, but it sure beats trying to punch each spider creature individually. Coming upon another forked passage, Teddy sighs and glances at the opening of each passage.

"How do you want to choose this time? Flip a coin?" Eenie Meanie Miney Mo got kind of old after the first couple of split tunnels.

[out_of_order]

Guessing at tunnels earlier hadn't seemed to make much difference considering there'd been no real way to tell otherwise, not that Cal hadn't made the effort. He does so again once they've come to a stop at this next split, closing his eyes, trying to sense anything. Really, how difficult could it be to locate a horde of angry spiders?

His eyes open as the sensation wells up like a smoldering volcano. Maybe they've finally gotten close enough to get a better heading. He raises a hand, pointing down the right. "That way," he says.

[hulkintraining]

Teddy blinks in surprise, his lax posture suddenly straightening. He knows that Cal hasn't been having much luck sensing anything thus far, making their movements so far a game of chance. One that hadn't been very fruitful...up until now.

"You sound pretty sure. Did you pick something up?"

He steps forward, taking the lead, and enters the tunnel on the right. If they do run into any spiders he'll be able to fire freely ahead without worrying about hitting his companion. He keeps his pace slow, eyes scanning the floor and walls of the tunnel as he goes. There's nothing. Until...

"Do you hear that?"

[out_of_order]

Cal's response is a slow but solemn nod, and as Teddy takes point, the padawan is close behind. He's taken his lightsaber into hand, preparing for anything.

"...yeah. Not sure if I should feel glad about it or concerned," he replies, forcing a smirk. They had, after all, come down here to find spiders, but the task is hardly something to be enjoyed. The closer they get, the less he has to focus to sense the presence of many lifeforms just beyond...

[hulkintraining]

The sound continues, coming in their direction, growing louder the closer it comes. It's a harsh noise, like something scraping against the hard surface of the tunnel. Or several 'somethings'. Eventually the source of the sound draws near enough that the ground in the tunnel begins to shake a bit. Whatever the source is, it's big and heavy.

Teddy faces his firearm forward, readying to take a shot as soon as he sees the shadows ahead begin to move. After a moment the shadows break away, revealing three wolf-sized spiders skittering towards them quickly on their thin legs.

"Both is good. But I definitely like this better than wandering these tunnels aimlessly."

He fires off his firearm at the closest spider leading the group. It goes a bit wide, hitting a leg instead of its body. But with several other legs at its disposal it barely pauses in its pursuit. The other two spiders, meanwhile, scatter, diving in opposite directions.

[out_of_order]

"Agreed," Cal concedes as his the blade of his lightsaber springs to life. The faintly yellowish color still throws him off a little, but he's not exactly using a kyber crystal so he supposes that's to be expected. Hopefully anything metal that Teddy may have on him won't be too distracting as they start to glow with the saber's activation. Even the droid on the padawan's back begins to glow, but BD-1's become accustomed to it, if a little hyper.

As Teddy fires, Cal moves to the side, trying to give him ample space as he sizes up the spiders that skitter their way. He goes for the one closer to his side first, lunging forward as he swings down the glowing blade, cleaving off half of its legs before he shifts angles and cuts outwards through the spider itself. Turning, he sees the other leap for Teddy and holds his other hand out as though to 'catch' it in midair- which he does by unseen means, pulling it instead into the line of Teddy's fire and the other yet oncoming spider.

[hulkintraining]

The firearm in his hands lights up in a faint yellow glow, but Teddy ignores it, his focus captured by the approaching spiders and the danger they bring. He fires a couple more shots at the lead spider, managing to cripple it and slow its approach.

He barely notices the other spider approaching from the side before Cal has it caught in midair, guiding it into the path of his gun. Not hesitating, Teddy fires on it, hitting it several times in the center of its body.

"I hope they're all this easy to take down."

[out_of_order]

Cal wastes no time in dropping the dead weight so he can turn his attention to the spider that Teddy had slowed down, slicing through it in a broad upswing.

"Only when they aren't coming in seemingly endless waves," Cal points out. "I just hope that we've thinned them out enough the other nights past." It's a big city with an equal expanse of underground, possibly, a thought that the padawan doesn't want to dwell on.

"There'll only be more up ahead, but maybe we're getting somewhere." Whether that's a good or bad thing though, he's not sure.

[on_repeat]

Sooner happens to be the option that occurs between those pauses, interrupting the eerie silence of the sewers with strangled screeching and a sudden burst of heat down another one of its long and winding corridors.

Even in the dark, Echo is bright enough to spot; he's busy dashing out, one hand holding tight to a bottle with a rag sticking out of it while the other jerks upward as he turns and shoots a few rounds behind him.

"–Aim's off," comes some self-critique, filtered words echoing off of the rounded walls. Another two shots are fired in succession as he backs up, glancing Cal's way to make sure he isn't getting flanked by any surprise spiders.

[out_of_order]

Driven out of reflex, Cal draws his lightsaber, the yellow-tinged blade of light coming to life with a snap-hiss. BD-1 beeps in alarm at the noise coming just beyond, and soon enough they both see the ARC Trooper as he runs towards them. As Echo moves to join them, Cal closes the distance.

"How many of those you bring?" he asks with a brief glance at the other bottle the clone holds. He can hear the scratching of multiple limbs that herald a fresh surge of the spidery creatures, and he waits until half a dozen round the bend before he thrusts a hand outwards to push them back with the Force, sending them tumbling into their oncoming brethren. Cal's moving ahead before they can get a chance to regain their footing, his blade sweeping outwards, spiders screeching at the light and then in pain once it makes contact.

[on_repeat]

"Started with six," Echo says as the HUD starts to intensify behind his visor. His eyes narrow, but he continues as if this is normal. "Only four can fit in the pack."

He's ready for the spiders to reach their location when Cal suddenly drives them back, the ARC Trooper holding his own ground in the midst of the action. This is the first time he's actually seen the young Scrapper fight. With a lightsaber. With anything at all, really. The delay isn't meant to be there, and being aware of it snaps him back to his senses to follow and provide backup fire.

[out_of_order]

"Better make them count then," Cal nods, knowing that's most likely the trooper's plan.

He's not used to fighting with someone else at his back, but he trusts Echo to take care of things in his way while Cal meets the spiders directly. There's really no place for particular lightsaber forms when you're fighting swarms of creatures that come in from all sides, but he's careful not to overextend himself, working his way as methodically as one can in such a situation.

There seems to be no break in the amount of spiders that come as they continue to pour around from deeper in the tunnels. Cal's trying to keep some space between himself and them, and behind him BD-1 glows brilliantly, not unlike when he'd been at the caves in the beach. It serves to keep some spiders from trying to outflank him, but they're still driven enough to come at the padawan from the side. He turns, trying to push them back, but it leaves his other side unguarded, legs batting at him and making him lose his balance.

[on_repeat]

Cal's reply almost reminds him of something General Skywalker would say, and it pushes him to do exactly that.

Not like they already have enough pressure on them in the spider-filled moment.

Even the smallest distractions like a glowing BD unit works alongside lightsaber slashes and plasma bolts, spider legs wildly thrashing in the air before going limp on and over the others still making their way toward the two. As he kicks away another freshly-deceased creature, Echo sees the former Padawan stagger, pivoting and practically tackling the thing so that he can shoot it point-blank.

[out_of_order]

Hitting the ground, Cal deactivates his blade before he can have a nasty accident, twisting around with the intention to fend off the creatures who doubtlessly would attempt to pile on him. He sees a flash of white as Echo rushes in, and as he takes care of the one spider, the padawan quickly pushes to his feet and thrusts his blade as he reignites it, stabbing into another.

"Thanks-" he says over his shoulder, backing up by the ARC Trooper with another warning sweep of his lightsaber.

[on_repeat]

Echo socks another spider in one of its eyes, jumping back as it flails and tries to bite at him. "Anytime!" he calls out, sounding a little too enthusiastic just as he's struck by more spider legs.

His visuals are out of whack again, but he remembers where Cal is. He can almost feel the creatures skitter past, trying to stay away from the bright beacon the young man has in hand. Grappling with the one that continues its assault leaves him to attempt shoving it toward the light so that he can have his hands free to light up the bottle, boots scraping against the ground to find purchase.

It hisses, struggling to bite, to get away, colliding with its equally threatened brethren and back into the trooper in confusion.

[out_of_order]

It's hard to tell if they're actually doing any good, and Cal can't help but wonder just how many of these creatures there are as he continues to strike at them. He pauses in his attacks to push back with the Force again, give them some breathing room. Hearing BD-1 squawk in alarm, the padawan looks back to see another few spiders bumbling into Echo, and stretching out his hand, Cal yanks the clumsy spider away, hurling it towards the tunnel walls.

Seeing what Echo's meaning to do, Cal throws his free hand outwards and towards the main body of spiders that have started to resurge from being pushed back earlier. Instead of shoving them back again, the creatures seem to slow, but only the ones at the forefront. Still, it should buy them some time.

"Echo, now!" he urges.