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

[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.