Log:Hunting Trip

A Hunting Trip on Kashyyyk

OOC Date: June 24, 2024 (Optional)
Location: Kashyyyk - Shadowlands
Participants: Amaia Dara, Cadogan West, Kademir Taerok and Hadrix Kora as GM

"Ah, simply lovely... How exotic!" The Core Worlder whom had arranged the 'safari' was frequently failing to keep his voice low. Rarely kept his pace quiet and seemed incapable of not knocking, bumping, or kicking everything that could provide thumps and crackles along the path.

In the dark of the Shadowlands eternal gloom, figures move and eyes watch. Mingling among the tracking party one figure by name of Hadrix is trying to be unseen by all of them, especially the next time the poncey Eminence Kesst pipes up again in a stage whisper of "Do you think we'll see Kinrath? Or Kkorrwrot? Oh it would make such a delight to have one stuffed in my parlor."

Meanwhile the deep forest breathes, it watches, and the closeness becomes even moreso.

Trust a Dara. Always trust a Dara. "I think, that if you continue to keep your voice raised, we'll be delivering *you* stuffed to your parlour, after you've enticed some creature to jump out and maul you. So, unless you would like to spend eternity seeing your room from an entirely different perspective, I would advise using your inside voice. Repeatedly and often." While this might be the one who was funding this expedition, and Mai Dara did expect to be paid at the end of it, she had also been saddled with being His Eminence's shadow. And there was no one here to tell her to play nice.

Cadogan West divided his attention between the deep dark denizens of the Shadowlands, and the ponce who was footing the bill for the adventure. The young fringer found himself eyeing the core worlder with a mix of irritation, incredulity, and apprehension. At one point he had fallen in step beside Hadrix to verify, "He paid in advance, yeah?" Later on, he had adjusted the lie of a bandolier of grenades and checked the quick release on his blaster for the thousandth time, as he quipped, "Guess survival instincts are more like recommendations once ye climb high enough, yeah?" in a lowbrow Imperial brogue.

There's a moment of mental consideration from Kademir on commenting this individual is louder than he was as a learning foundling. Instead he keeps his opinion to himself and off his helmet vox. At this point he's assuming his job is to keep this Core Worlder alive more than actually taking something down. He's already shifted his E-11 into his hands on its sling and with stock extended. His helmet visor turns first towards Amaia as she speaks, and then silently towards Cadogan. Once more he chooses to keep himself silent. He's focused on taking silent steps, finally that visor turns back towards Hadrix and he opens a frequency. <<"Perhaps I should put my ancestry to use and scout ahead?... Quietly?">>

An exasperated harumph for Amaia and the stuffshirt shoots her a glare, "I don't pay you to chirp at me, tin-can. I pay you do escort and hunt. So if anything comes out I expect you'll show your mettle." A sniff and Kesst looks forward, nose in the air, haphazardly holding his rifle in some holovid simulacrum of 'ready'.

The thinner branches above shaking and leaves dropping down around the pathway. Something far off screeches in surprise, the sound cut short and changing to wet snapping sounds.

<"Half, the rest in escrow, pending survival."> Murmured to Cadogan by Hadrix before the big man's gaze turns towards Kademir, offering a small nod in answer to the question before a small up-tilt to the path ahead.

Somewhere near, above maybe, the warbling rattle of an arboreal repto-avian wavers through the echoless depths of Kashyyyk.

"Well, then I suppose it will be up to me to decide if showing my mettle includes keeping you alive. Noted." That almost made Mai Dara's voice sound cheerful through her helmet, as she stepped away, leaving plenty of room for snatching and grabbing of jumped up poncers. Her tone, when she spoke into the comms shared by the team, were much more serious. <<"Kybucks have been through. At least a few hours old. I see some traces of blood from an old hunt. Not long enough that the blood's fully dried. Trails lead off easterly and north-easterly.">>

Cadogan West nods once, checking in with the team, "Will have a look-see." He waited for their employer to glance away before slipping out of sight, and discreetly picking his path around the undergrowth after the spoor. His next communication is over helm comms, his voice a whisper. <<"Katarn tracks north-easterly. Clambered up a tree after a bit.. took his lunch with him, looks like.">>

<"Noisy things tend to get eaten first."> Is Kademir's addition to trying to politely educate the Core Worlder. Likely a lost effort. At the comms from Amaia, Kade nods as he comes to a halt. Realizing that nodding is ineffective in communication as the Core Worlders sound is at hunting there is a brief response. <<"Understood.">> Kade still chooses to remain in place and allowing everyone to pass.

The update from Cadogan also gets a nod of habit. There is a mental sigh at himself and Kademir responds. <<"Beware of falling objects, then.">> The Shistavanen gives everyone a few more steps as a head start before he moves completely silently by comparison to everyone else? and apparently everything else.

Rapidly flicking glowing orange eyes over his helmet HUD ammo and inventory displays. Kade's voice isn't a whisper, but it is a murmur even for the helmet transmission. <<"Something following. Heavy, but slow to mask itself from detection.">> Kade shifts the E-11 in his grip, and chooses to keep his head now turned to one side for over his shoulders as opposed to walking backwards with the group just yet.

"Once more of that and I'll relieve you of your employ and you can find your way back with empty coffers" Said with another sniff from the Eminence, not deigning to even look at Amaia as he states it, walking with the confidence of one in full assurance of their position. Taking big strides in expectation that he is safe and secure.

Even on Kashyyyk.

A snuffling from somewhere in the gloom comes. A creaking groan of the paths upon the branches and a cracking noise splitting the air like a thunderbolt before the quiet rushes back in to refill the void the noise had left in its wake. Hadrix simply looms along, doing what he was being paid for.

The larger target.

From the shadows another warbling sound, a staccato growl that seems to push like prevailing wind.

Well, that put paid to whatever indecision Mai Dara had had previously. She stepped back, allowing the employer, such as it was, to barrel ahead as she fell back, moving back towards the sound, quiet as a mouse. She sent data from her HUD to those who could see it. "Let's see if we can't flush this thing out." Sounds are rough, but Kade is correct there's something behind, but too infrequent and too forest muffled to pin point.

Cadogan West went still and silent when the unseen menaces of Kashyyyk loom in the wilderness around them. Choosing to keep communication discreet, he offers over comms, <<"Ye want that I toss a banger out blind? Spook out the little ones, or maybe draw a biggun?">> Belatedly, he grinned at Kade's advice to beware falling bits.

The normally happy-go-lucky Cheerful Kade has a brief uncharitable thought about gagging their employer to increase everyones survival chances. However, he's too busy trying to ensure he's not the closest snack, while trying to keep track of what's following them. Big doesn't make him happy. BUT! Maybe it's just a giant herbivore!

The HUD data received from Amaia, Kade answers with his own from earlier. <<"I'd reserve the grenade for the moment.">> Kademir isn't as quiet this time as he widens his own search pattern. He's flicking his left hand now to refine the data with a slicers touch. Then a firmer flick to send the data to the group with a comment. <<"100 meters back, definitely moving for us, just a rough pattern. Correction, behind me that far back. Lots of sniffing. Unrelated, while we're looking backwards. Someone should look upwards as a precaution.">> It is Kashyyyk after all...

thud.

Something like a heavy body falling somewhere, a sensation of shaking. Or is it hallucination born of shadow and silence.

Thud. THud.

A heartbeat. Like Kashyyyk's breath, the forest always has such. Whether one listens for it or no. The deep sounds have a cadence that persist in the same manner as house sounds when they're unfamiliar and refuse to let the nervous sleep. The shaking comes again, or maybe it's only the wookiee homeworld's pulse.

THUd.

Kesst turns, to walk backwards, sliding some on uneven ground while trying to maintain the vestige of 'knowing what he's doing' as he tilts his head to Cadogan's idea. "Well I say, if we're to flush the creature out...!"

Holding his rifle to, literally, hip fire - crimson plasma darts casting red glares against figures of people and tree alike as they shriek into the underbrush and then are drowned out by a roar that rattles bones and shakes teeth in one's skull.

The slow thud escalating into a pounding and then the shaking is unmistakable. Branches and foliage part before the rampaging hulk, six legged, stalked eyes and wide set mouth loosing a rolling roar that grows and shrinks like an overactive iris.

<"Kriff..."> Hadrix's head lifting to take in the nigh rancor sized beast bearing down on the group before he is diving, grabbing the Eminence on the way and rolling along the 'ground' while the beast charges past - claws digging gouges in the bark of the path-branch.

As soon as the beast's attack commenced, Mai's jetpack ignited, and she moved in concert with Hadrix, who barreled out of hiding to take down the client, as it were. She angled herself so that she was opposite where he ended up, wrist laser firing at the creature now below her. With luck, it would turn towards her and away from Hadrix. If nothing else, it might buy him time to stow the baggage.

"Ah, rekk me-" Cadogan muttered as their boss was the only one to approve of his flushing out the quarry notion. An ill considered shot from the hip later and the gigantic pursuer is revealed. A blaster bolt is fired which fails to harm the titanic creature. <<"Shooting this thing feels like slapping a bloody tree-" he muttered, bringing out an even smaller blaster with his right hand, for want of a thing better to do.

<<"What is that man -doing-?">> Kade is now getting a first hand education on just how stupid the general public can be. He owes his father a drink as a result. He was just grateful it was the tree that Kesst struck and not himself. Kade hears AND feels the personification of anger with all the stomping that is rapidly coming closer.

Unfortunate.

The Nikght Owl'd one takes to the skies, Kade chooses to stay down here for a little longer. The E-11 is snapped to his shoulder even as Cadogan's bolt goes flashing by. Kade's first shot lands solidly, the second... apparently its harder to hit the broad side of a barn, when the barn is stomping towards ones group rapidly.

Burned flesh and vaporized blood add their unique, metal, scent to the air and the creature rounds without seeming to notice the small craters opened in its' skin.

"Now! Watch the damage on my trophy!" Called from beneath the midnight purple armor of Hadrix as the pampered lordship smacks an open hand on the side of the big man's helmed head, "Off! OFF! I will have my glory!" Forcing Al'Verde Kora's head to an odd angle as he tries to push the mandalorian off of him in the worst understanding of leverage likely ever known.

The beast charges, stalked eyes swinging forward to binocular its vision, toothless mouth filled with grinding plates pointed towards Amaia who stung it most harshly, wide, pillar like legs stamping moon shapes into the wood, head lowering to bring the thick skulled crown of its head down with the intent of crushing bone and pulping flesh.

A cerulean flash coming from the heaped pile on the ground when the downed Mandalorian gets his pistol free, though he tumbles onto his side with the combination of Kesst's shoving and the power of the shot that threatens to dislocate his shoulder. A strike strong enough to knock the creature off kilter for a step.

Maybe enough to buy Amaia time.

Look. Mai Dara was a gunner, okay? These ground operations were not her jam. She had lifted off of the ground, but there simply wasn't enough room to maneuver without treeing herself, and so, she did not manage to avoid the strike of the monster's grubby mitt, which send her flying back, the trajectory arrested only with the sharp application of her jets. Which made sure she ended up trapped in the bowl of one of the big drooping trees and now skewered on a branch. She did, at least, manage another shot of her wrist laser, before she began the struggle of de-vining herself.

Cadogan West threw one pistol clutching hand up for balance as the rampaging monstrosity causes the branch beneath his booted feet to tremble. His balance holds, and the Tionese miscreant decides to bring both blasters to bear on the beast's head. "Let's see how thick that hide is there, ye big bleeder," he muttered, unleashing a fusillade of blaster bolts to distract from the now envined Mai. Noticing Mai Dara's predicament, he can't help a wry quip: <<"Whoever said Mandos don't grow on trees, yeah?">>

<"Did he just-"? Kadmir doesn't have time to question what just happened over -there- with Hadrix and the Spoiled One. There's a lot of moving parts to consider. Amaia getting knocked about but a hell of a shot. Cadogan getting into the fight with a flurry of bolts. Kademir can't really jetpack up, but he can to the side if he needs to. He assumes this things turning radius is awful... hopefully he lives through this test of theory. His two shots are far too rushed, but unnoticed in all the commotion was the kindling from his first shot. So when the beast comes down Dead, Kade just looks at the E-11 pondering that he scared the beast to death and forgetting he should... move.

Flames crawling across the pocked flesh, joined by Amaia and Cadogan's continued focus fire, the Walluga continues its rampage. For a time. Until the sheer bloodloss from the creature's elevated pulse geysers more than it can afford to lose.

Slamming to the ground in a heap, twitching, ribs expanding then falling still with a lowing growl that wheezes out as if from a bladder of air being squeezed a few more moments.

"Excellent! Excellent!" A sniff from the powdered 'noble', the man with the bankroll is dusting himself off with the aplomb of the one who is the hero of the day. Beaming at his own good work, Kesst looks about to the others, toothy smile and puffed out chest. "Well then, it will look roughed from one side... But I suppose it will do!" Walking away from Hadrix who is slowly getting his feet.

"So then! Let's get this hauled home, eh?"

<<"Big trees.">> Mai Dara was not a big girl, but she was, at least, taller than your average humanoid female. Which meant that it to a while to cut herself out of the vines she had been tossed into. She'd deal with the ooze later. Once she was sure it hadn't eaten completely through the metal of her armor. <<"A true hunter carries his own kill home.">> A few sharp bursts from her jetpack allowed her to fly back down to the ground. <<"I'm sure we wouldn't want to stand in the way of a true hunter.">>

"Nah, gov: you got it all wrong," Cadogan informs the ponce at talk of the trophy looking rough on one side. "See, if the old beastie hadn't a scratch, folk would set eyes on him and think he kicked off from old age, yeah? But with chunks blasted out like this? Anybody worth impressing with a dead git will know it took a bloody big gun t'bring down, yeah? Even better, if ye think about it." Cado knows the type. A sly grin is given aside to his fellow doers of the real work.

A glance towards Kesst and Kade's head just shakes. At least the tsk sound remains within the confines of the helmet. Kade needs to look down at the offended E-11 in his hands. He doesn't look down the sights, but the armorer does shift it to the right and then the left as he looks down the entirety of the weapon looking for fault or malfunction.

He's impassive about how Mai speaks with the client. He had it coming, it is unlikely he will ever realize it though. <<"Big is an understatement though. You can make literal tree houses here, tree cities really.">> Cadogan works a little bluffer. At least Kademir thinks its good bluffer,a nd likely to appeal to the Core Worlders sense of self-importance.

It is at this point the visor to the helmeted Shistavanen just slooooowwwly turns towards Kesst. He's fairly certain something fascinating is about to occur.

"Hmmm... Yes I can see that, quite right. The signs of my success stitched along the flanks... Quite right. Quite right."

A nod to Cadogan's assessment, a 'discerning' look on The Eminence's face. Already starting along 'the way back', Kesst beckons for the big man to follow, to continue his role as primary bodyguard. Confident in his safety as he has been since this expedition started out, chuckling dryly to himself. No art to his tread, only expectations it seems as he motions,

"I don't hire you to give your backwater opinions, tin-head. Get to hauling or you can note the forfeiture clauses in your terms of employment on this hunt." Called specifically towards Amaia, rifle slung and his step jaunty in the shadow of the metal plated mountain on his flank.