revivalproject | The Beast of the Webby Hole

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The Beast of the Webby Hole

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?))

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"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Flying spiders would have been another problem to worry about if Cal wasn't the one behind the Force flinging. The clone inhales sharply as he stumbles backward, catching himself heavily on one knee to keep from falling over. His mind reels, quietly frantic as he quickly takes stock of what he has on him, and looks up–

Among the shrieks, a strange noise runs through his helmet, around him. In front of him. And it does nothing to prepare him for the sight he's now beholding.

The Force is mysterious. He knows that. But this? This is something new.

"Echo, now!"

The ARC Trooper's eyes flicker, his thoughts clearing the second the former Padawan shouts. Like clockwork, each movement is automated, going from normal to lit rag to catching fire to burning, legs pushing up and off of the ground to take a different stance, staying on the balls of his feet and ready to run.

"–Fire in the hole!" His arm pulls back to propel the molotov cocktail at the spidery fray, throwing it as hard as he can.

Preoccupied with holding the spiders back as long as he can manage, Cal has to trust that Echo's throwing arm is good. But then that's what all this boils down to, right? It's like being in the thick of a battle, where troopers and Jedi learned to support each other in order to see things through. Before...

He shakes his head, feeling the drain from his use of the Force, and he has to relinquish the hold he has on the spiders as he feels the ranks from behind starting to run against the others. Behind them, light blooms as Echo's molotov cocktail bursts into an eruption of flames, and Cal shuts off his lightsaber, turning on his heel to tackle the ARC Trooper down as spiders go flying and burning with it.

Compared to earlier, this flame appears to spread a lot faster with a tight cluster of spiders packed into one area. Not like he's going to complain about its effectiveness, but having them fly up and out towards them from the explosion leaves very little room for reaction.

Much like any other battle he's trained for or have actively been in, any action taken provides an equal or greater consequence in return. Whatever the outcome, whatever the mistake.

Echo instead finds himself tackled to the ground, meeting it roughly as the edges of his armor plates dig into his blacks and against his body. "Thanks," he says, glancing at the fiery mess that could have included them. No time to be dazed, though. The clone tries to get back up. "Are you alright, Cal?"

Regrets are had, but it beats getting burnt. Cal groans as he rolls off of the uncomfortable pile that is an ARC Trooper, BD-1 hopping off of him as the padawan opts to lie on his back for a moment.

"Ugh. Yeah, think so. Definitely could have gone better," he murmurs, but he makes the effort to push himself up. He looks over at the smoldering pile of spiders, still twitching with stragglers that either got up on one side or the other. Lowering a hand to BD-1 so the droid can scramble back up onto his back, Cal staggers to his feet as he tries to catch his breath. The smell of cooking spiders is certainly something he can do without, and he wrinkles his nose.

"Looks like that's taken care of most of them, or it's scared off any more from coming down this way. We should probably take advantage of that while we can."

"Sorry," Echo apologizes, even though Cal initially made the decision to tackle a fully armored clone to the ground.

Getting up isn't too much of a problem, looking away from the young man and his droid friend to view what was left of the spiders they've manage to toast. He's lucky to have the helmet.

"I'm all for it," he sighs. "Although it would be nice if they just spread the message along to leave us well enough alone."

Cal shakes his head. Not his fault. He steps cautiously towards the burning pile of spiders, wrinkling his nose at the stench as he checks for anything still moving. His lightsaber springs forth again to cleanly slice through a creature that tries to leap at him, partially charred.

"Seeing as how they seem to be reacting to something, I don't think that anything will convince them for very long," he says as he starts down the tunnel, making sure it's clear.

Despite Cal being further away, Echo flinches out of habit, holding his breath once the charred body drops while he takes a second look. Another one twitches, swiftly meeting its end with a plasma bolt through its head. He then exhales once he's sure it's never going to move again.

"Just like the others..." The clone glances down at his blaster to check the cartridge, frowning at the fact that something has been setting the creatures and several of their group off nonstop. Boots step over stray legs in the meantime, finally finding some ground that isn't covered in spiders. "Did we have any other plan aside from figuring out where all of these guys were coming from?"

"Not really," Cal admits. "But finding out if there's some kind of origin point for these seems like the easier thing to do. It's hard working out what might be causing such a reaction, and by far the spiders are a bigger problem for sheer number. Even with all the animals around, none have threatened anyone unless we've run into them directly."

The spiders though? They come up every night and there's hardly any getting around them. "If they came up at any time, we'd have our hands even more full. As it is, I can't help but shake the feeling that something's not right."

"Concerning other animals, I haven't run into any of them. Residents with animal-like features, on the other hand..."

If seeking out the nest means adding more scratches and dings to his armor, then Echo will do it. The spiders on their own were already a bad sign, but when a Jedi says something's not right, it's best to trust their intuition.

It's his turn to pause, looking past Cal not too long after he speaks. "–Hear that?"

"I had to help Jon when his winged cat was acting out, but for the most part she stayed in the library rather than go after us."

Since his lightsaber's still on, Cal takes advantage of the light it sheds, although he tries to keep some distance from Echo in hopes that it'll lessen whatever effects it might be having on any tech the clone's carrying. It's at Echo's question that he pauses, head lifting as he listens then.

"...that can't be good," he says, casting a look at Echo before he continues forward again.

Echo meets Cal's gaze for a brief second despite the fluctuation in his HUD, watching as he moves on ahead. "Jon sounded worried," he says once he follows, getting the next bottle ready. "I offered to look for her, but he didn't want anyone else getting hurt."

The noise grows louder the closer they get, the shadows wavering within reach of the lightsaber's brilliance. Legs. Eyes. All of them swarming together, spreading apart, several of them charging ahead with fangs bared.

"Incoming!" The clone jerks the blaster upward, shooting plasma bolts at them.

"Rightfully so. She was acting up without any reason so far as we knew, and had no idea what to do to help her." Cal had been bothered that he couldn't do anything except leave her alone, but that seemed the best choice considering alternatives would mean someone getting hurt.

Echo's shout is unnecessary but heeded nevertheless as the padawan brings up his weapon, shifting into a familiar stance. It melts away just as quickly in favor of jumping into the offensive, darting ahead as Echo begins to fire. He slashes at one as it takes a hit and fumbles from the clone's blasterfire, then steps over and dispatches another. None of his movements are wasted, and with more spiders incoming he doesn't need to go too far between creatures, but it's getting a little crowded.

Cal throws his hands forward and the spiders fly back as though buffeted by a great wind. While the ones in front are unbalanced he begins to pick at them, hoping Echo knows when to take his own shots as well.

He's never worked that closely with the Jedi – not directly side by side like some of the clone commanders and captains do, but he's adapted fairly quickly considering they've all been thrown through a spider-filled loop. And accidentally shooting an ally would be the worst thing to do right now.

Where Obi-Wan's style is refined and fluid, Cal's is the complete opposite. Rough, but practical and savage where it counts. Between attacks and the blow back, Echo does what Cal expects of him, aiming and firing at the others still suffering from the effects of the Force, some of the screeches cut short with each shot taken.

It's a lot of slap and dash with traditional forms and intuition. You didn't really have a chance to practice while you were in hiding for five years, and Cal had to relearn a lot of things on the fly. The rest has been improvisation, and in no small part so far as he might believe, the Force.

His attacks are raw and yes, savage, flickering between familiar forms, abandoning the usual follow-throughs in favor of fluidity and necessity. Besides, the spiders aren't fighting with a lightsaber, and there's nothing to counter except for legs and fangs. He doesn't look back as Echo picks off creatures before they get to him, and in turn Cal tries to make sure none get past him to trouble the ARC Trooper.

Still, they're only two, and while their combination of offense and defense is formidable, there's still a lot of spiders to deal with. Cal cries out as his arm takes a hit, fangs grazing his left and earning the spider a blazing blade of light in the face. The padawan retreats a few steps, teeth grated, but he continues the fight despite the burning in his arm.

Power in numbers, as they say. The same can be applied to enemy droid armies whenever Republic forces became severely depleted.

One big difference is they didn't have mouths to bite onto people.

"Cal!" Echo strikes his blaster across a spider's head, shooting it and another one next to it before one more jumps on him. He braces himself as fangs scrape against his pauldrons, leaving noticeable marks as the nozzle of the blaster finds its way under its mandibles.

As its body writhes and topples over, the ARC Trooper wastes no time in lighting the bottle. His other hand lifts the blaster again to make sure the former Padawan is clear of any more surprise attacks. "Get clear!"

The moment Cal finds some space to breathe thanks to Echo's assistance, he moves, throwing himself into a tumble to get further from the blast radius. He winces as he pushes to his feet and turns, panting as he watches for the ARC Trooper. BD-1 clings tightly behind him, beeping his concern.

For the moment the padawan holds back on trying to use the Force. It's been exhausting enough trying not to get chewed on too much by so many spiders, and if he can only manage one more thing once Echo throws that molotov cocktail, he wants to reserve his strength for it if it's needed, whether it's to hold back flames or pull the clone to safety.

"Clear!" he shouts.

"Fire in the hole!"

With the clearance, Echo winds up, hopping back, then stepping forward as all of his strength goes into the pitch. The bottle violently whirls into the roiling cluster, the brief shattering noise instantly turning into shrill screeches and shrieks once a a giant flame begins to spread and engulf the creatures.

Boots scuff against the sewer floor as the ARC Trooper runs as fast as he can, not bothering to look where the cocktail lands or at the resulting flaming mosh pit it creates.

Once he sees Echo moving away from the burning carnage, Cal starts to distance himself further as well. Maybe having a flaming roadblock will keep any more spiders from coming this way. The sounds are terrible to hear, but at least for the moment they can catch a break.

"...we might have to find another way around," he suggests, keeping his weapon handy but deactivated as he looks at Echo. He looks at his wound, still throbbing, but thankfully he doesn't feel any numbness that would suggest poison.

The sound of the clone's own breathing is caught within his helmet, temporarily blocking out the screaming in the background. Once they're far enough away and sure that they're not being followed, he slows to a jog, eventually stopping to catch his breath.

Echo hears Cal's suggestion about an alternate route. Although he nods, his focus stays trained on Cal's injury now that his HUD has cleared up again. "We have to get you some armor," he frowns. "Are you going to be okay?"

"A little late to worry about that," Cal says with a crooked smile. It doesn't stay on his face long as he looks down the tunnel and the ways that branch off some distance ahead. "I'll be fine. Just need a moment to recenter myself."

It's an unspoken request to keep an eye out while he tries to meditate for a moment, closing his eyes as he takes the time to calm down and catch his breath. He's not really experienced in healing through the Force, but for the time being he can at least try to lessen the pain.

After a few tense minutes, the padawan breathes out as he opens his eyes again, lifting his head. "Whenever you're ready..."

The Beast of the Webby Hole

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