Log:Mandalorians: Exploring Below

Exploring Below

OOC Date: April 9, 2021
Location: Dxun - Japrael Sector
Participants: Mandalorians, Sumi Kora, Narsai Ordo and Hadrix Kora as GM Clan Kora

Back down into depths, with the shaft used for escape having been reinforced, widened and with support lines to allow those unwilling to descend via jetpack to quick-rope down into the tunnels escaped before. As left, the deep ruts in the stonework left by metal feet for centuries before power ran down or systems malfunctioned.

The space left before leading to a curving passage leading further down into cold depths with more ancient bodies run to skeletons and more droids frozen in their last paces. Even the guttering lamps fed from some dying, ancient, battery source having given out and now only the helmet lamps or torches carried by those exploring providing any light to see by. A sensation like eyes prevalent and cool, patience, inevitability firmly rooted in the darkness.

Darkness and the drip of water somewhere distant, the tinkling sound of a flow disappearing somewhere and the dragging shuffle of something moving somewhere in the depths.

<<"I still like living here...">> Hadrix's voice over the closed comms, inordinately calm and even pleasant in these surroundings.

Nothing like a little flying in tight quarters to shake off what might have been a concussion, but at least this time the descent had been a little more planned and a little less traumatic! Hadrix's comment has the Ordo woman smirking a little behind her helmet, a shrug of her shoulders given while she sweeps her deep green eyes across the space with the visor's vision enhancements to help her see in the depths.

<<"Well, it was good enough for my clan's ancestors. You can practically feel the history in the entire planet even without all our adventures here...">>

Of course, for Narsai there was more to the 'feel' of the so-called 'Demon Moon'...but with present company and a task at hand it didn't seem to bother her.

Sumi had iced her ankle and knees before coming back down here. Her fall had really hurt her, so taking it easy for a bit, at least until she could heal the damage, was really warranted and it gave her an excuse to paint the nails! Back in the depths, Sumi is much more cautious of where they walk, particularly about how the ground looks. The light on her helm is oriented to the ground, and she spots small depressions in the terra firma that run parallel with the walkway and are beside the droid ruts. These seem to indicate pressure toggles, where sections of the wall might slip open if they were not properly jammed and filled with adhesive to keep them so.

With no signs of electrical work, they really had to rely on the amenities their armor provided, which was hardly stretching to challenge for any Mando'ade worth their salt. <"With all the water dripping, one wonders what they used to keep back the pressure. Is it a lake that holds out to old engineering? A river? Typically caves grow warmer the further you go, here it gets colder.">

<<"I don't know if I can feel history, but I think I'm more comfortable where I know everything is out to try and eat me. Leaves little room for surprise.">> lumbering in the wake of the others, providing additional lighting with a torch space-taped to a shoulder pauldron and another held in one hand. <<"A lot of the deep scans still have trouble. a lot of rootwork and stone disruption. Could be a cistern that's ready to bust?">>

The depressions pointed out by Sumi avoidable to the others with her guidance, a raw musky stink wafting up the further down the group navigates with periodic breezes filled with an ammonia reek. Holes in the corridors, the edges worn dull by years opening near the floor in places. One running with a slow trickle of water, but the fetid scent coming more strongly from these holes.

All of it leading to another sharp turn, caused by what appears to have been a collapse in the cavern some time ago, creating a chasm some thirty or forty meters wide, maybe twice that deep, a thin run of water audible and the crack running another hundred to either side. Like a subterranean canyon, the opposing side terminating in a cliff face of soil, stone and roots with a narrow cavern mouth dead opposite the one they walk from.

<<"A couple of years ago, when my brother was leading the clan and the Revivers, we found a hidden cache here with some items very important to my clan...it was thousands of years old and the engineering held fine. Even some of the defen-...">> Narsai speaks, only to pause and take a knee and point with her armored glove to indicate the tracks she'd spotted.

<<"Something passed through here. Heavy, four legs and claws.">>

<"I always wonder when things important must be buried. Who are they keeping it from? Others.. or themselves?"> Sumi speculates in an oddly philosophical way while keeping pace with her companions. She steps lightly, with educated footfalls and disconnects her light to shine it down into the canyon below. <"What manner of curiosities linger below?"> She asks, not focusing on what's there but measuring the reaction from the pair she is with. Even if she couldn't see their faces, Mandalorians were attuned to other subtle motions made in armor.

When the light shines below it illuminates a thin creek running below, surrounded by fungus that respond to the light by bulging up and puffing out gasps of spores into the air, even as the main bodies seem to fall back and wither. Where the spores touch the water, bioluminescence in shades of blue and soft green begin to form setting off a chain reaction in either direction.

<<"The parts of the fort I've opened up just may be the beginning of a lot more. This place has markings dating back to Malachor, possibly earlier.">>

Some of Sumi's light and the natural glow showing heavy figures working their way up the chasm wall towards the trio, thick claws, stumpy horns and reptilian faces with maws full of long teeth. But sightless eyes and scales the color of muddy clay instead of the likely expected green.

The big man's reaction is to lean out further, staring down into the shapes and the glow.

<<"On Dxun? I think... our ancestor, Te Taylir Mand'alor might have left some behind. Preserving, like his title, in case Mando'ade were ever shattered again, so that we might rebuild...">> There was a little falter in Narsai's voice, fondness or significance perhaps taken from that thought.

Leaning to the chasm, Narsai closes her eyes behind her visor, a soft breath in and out passing her lips as she opened herself to the familier intensity of life on Dxun. Things had moved through, she could sense it almost like walking barefoot on wet sand...but it was the 'brighter' and bolder movement on her senses that had Narsai shifting, easing her weapon into her hand. <"Something's coming up, more than one. Probably hungry. Be ready!">

Experience tended to teach that most things liked to eat you on Dxun!

<"A hundred years ago, people preserved their title by having children."> Sumi chuckles despite eyeballing what was approaching. A subtle shake of her head and she steps back, hand pulling free and extending an electrified baton whose ending was shaped like a mace with serrated edges. A sudden clockwise spin of the weapon generates the charge needed for its length to crackle with bright blue arcs of energy. <"If they wish to feed, come then and feast. I have something they can take a bite from."> Rather than falling back, she held her ground and brushed her cape back.

Maws gnash and claws dig into soil to hook on stone, the beasts snuff at the air and continue their climb, narrowing distances while the try to close distance.

<<"Suppose they might be good for upholstery?">> even as Hadrix unlimbers the bronzium alloy cannon from his shoulder, checking the pressure orb setting before leaning to look out over the edge again. Spying what may have grown close enough to be threatening. <<"Four so far, if we feel like hunting them back.">> the big man lookout of across the chasm, as if doing mental math.

The deep cave boma seeming to lack for concern for anything other than the chance of a potential meal near to hand. The first of which peering it's head over the edge and hissing loudly before snuffling from several nostrils and heat pits opening wide.

And here they come!

The first snarling beast comes over the ridge and Narsai's beskad swings neat, a pair of swift slashes stunning and striking at the Boma's face making it rear back before Narsai's carried motion drives the weapon into the base of its throat.

A swift twist and her sword pulls free with a spurt of blood cast easily away by a little roll of her wrist before her target falls still at her feet.

The time for talking had ended, and when a head crested the plane of the edge, Sumi brought down her weapon. Two strikes find purchase on one Boma, sending it sliding right back down from whence it came. A third crested the edge in a flash to retaliate, but was rewarded by a smack from the angry weapon that cast it back out into the center of the chasm to fall back into the heart of the darkness. <"Well struck by all. Do more make the climb?">

A clear moment, but having gained the attention of the other creatures down below, head tilting for nose to sniff and hiss, a quiet punctuation to the explosion of Hadrix's long gun setting the cavern into sharp, green, relief. The last of the quartet blasted into halves before it tumbles down.

<<"More coming... but they're far down.">> looking down the sights of his weapon.

The cavern boma rumbling as they work their way up the side, allowing more time to consider option before they can get within striking distance.

<<"Jump across and move on for now?">> another quiet rumble on comms, <<"Or clear and proceed?">>

<<"Could be a nest,">> Narsai muses as she cleans off the single-edged weapon with a drag through the crook of her elbow. <<"Or there could be something down there. I guess it depends if we wish to risk them coming up behind us.">>

There's a look towards the others in consideration, but Narsai's weapon lowers to her side for the moment. <<"This is your exploration, I will keep you both safe regardless...">> that last is said with a grin to her voice, as if the pair needed help protecting themselves!

A glance is angled at the pair of them before Sumi wordlessly steps off the edge to go below. Her jetpack comes to life before she could possibly smash against the bottom and she waves the sparkling weapon out in front of her to see what foes lurk here in the darkness. It seems this is one of those rare opportunities where Mandalorians live up to their reputation, and Sumi has no intention of passing it up. All that's heard from her is laughter!

And right behind them Narsai leaps, that same elegant dive of someone extremely confident in their jetpack that was probably going to bite her someday.

But it is not this day!

Neatly flipping herself over, the Ordo woman touches down in her braced position, back to the others and completing the little triangle of death before the high-pitched down of glowing plasma erupting from her Beskar hilt adds a tint of purple to the crackling blue of Sumi's own weapon and a humming to the air.

<<"Clearly, those people do not know us all well enough!">> the Ordo Alor smiles, raising her weapon.

<"Today we live as warriors or die as such! To war, Mando'ade! Hahahaha!"> Sumi smirks when Hadrix elbows her, the action enough to move her to action. Narsai's weapon cast them in a den of purple with sparkling blue, and the occasional flash of bright green from Hadrix's rifle. It would be glorious, however this transpired!

Sumi steps off, smashing three lizard foe in a glorious flurry of angry, humming electricity. Each connection sends lizards flying into the dark distance never to rise again. <"AHHHH!"> Sumi screams, invigorated by the impossible odds of being surrounded and standing shoulder to shoulder with warriors!

Wet ground and a rifle that makes even Wookiees struggle is potentially a poor choice judging by Hadrix's skidding backwards while the bolt of his weapon detonates against the wall with a thunderclap that sends a tremor through the cavern and the big man is pushed into the thick of it. Dipping and twisting around bites and claws until the beskar iron chest piece of his armor is caught in one more's teeth, shaking him violently while sparking bodies fling past or slide across the ground.

The other beasts charge in, following scent and sound as tails lash and claws are turned towards Sumi and Narsai. Massive jaws filled with teeth trying to tear past armor and rend flesh for the sought after meal caught down here below. Absolute chaos and no sign of hesitation at the reek of electrical ozone, the crash of weapons fire or the dangerous thrum of a lightsaber. No single beast seeming to be alpha or otherwise, nothing established most likely until the end of the 'hunt' as it were.

Thrumming light and heat surges forward as Narsai weaves and ducks, one scratch against her armor marking the paint but otherwise unfelt when the Ordo Alor turns the beskar to make the impact skate along the surface.

Near weightless as it is, the lift of Narsai's saber sends the weapon surging through the first creature, splitting it partially in half and leaving its form still twitching as she steps forward and strikes two more down, slashes easily matching her stride.

Sumi is a flutter of cape and glinting armor as she twists, then spins, and leaps forward avoiding harm to her while inflicting harm on those that intended it. She smashes a Troglaboma into the ground causing it to crater and snap with broken bones snapping with disembodied and muffled noise. When she duck and spun, it was to come back up swinging full tilt, close-lining a lizard to the ground before following up like a lumberjack, bringing the 'ax' down with the finality of a brutal death.

Its as though when one falls more come to fill the gap left. Troglaboma fall, sundered and burning from lightsaber or electrified ax-bladed baton alike. A heaping pile growing around the trio as bodies are felled. Jaws hanging open, tongues lolling but a noted lack of flowing blood or ichor for the weapons selected for their ending. Only a renewed surge, snapping at armor and attempting to gain purchase on plates.

[ansi(#00D700,S)[ansi(#00FF00,H)[ansi(#5FD700,O)[ansi(#5FFF00,O)[ansi(#87FF00,O)[ansi(#5FFF00,O)[ansi(#5FD700,N)[ansi(#00FF00,K)

Another brief green comet that detonates against cavern wall, sending sparks and plasma flying as well as Hadrix back again to dig his heels in and open fire once more, catching a cavern boma along the flank, tearing it apart and spraying guts while he gets his bearings again.

Then there is finally blood, as at least one is blasted to pieces. But they keep at their deadly, raving, assault.

It's a symphony of singing light, crackling energy and snarling beast punctuated by Hadrix's heavy cannon, leaving sizzling flesh and splattered Troglaboma cast about the chasm the trio find themselves in.

Two more find themselves cut down, Narsai's swift strikes landing true while a third recoils away from her, having apparently learned the danger of a lightsaber from its effect on its kin.

Sumi laughed when she bashed one hard and sent it flying into the distance. The revelry was cut short during an attack that had her ducking and swinging wildly, smashing one Troglaboma twice, the second connection sending it to the beyond! Sumi continued to fight, boot-tread feet sliding over the loose ground as she contended with a group charging her. For a moment, it felt like Sana was with her again. She wanted to call out to her, congratulate her on the battle so far, and keep the competition alive. Instead, Sumi was quiet, devoting a concerted effort to avoid being hit and taken to the muddy earth.

Numbers thinned and primordial courage waning with the growing scent of death and the failing number of the pack's sounds. Pushed back, number nearly spent the creatures hop back, hissing, snarling and turning tail to run for their holes away from the light they feel instead of see.

Chased by missing explosions of plasma and light in the wake of far more successful and apt weapons of coherent plasma and crackling electricity. But it all goes quieter as the trailing shrieks and echolocative cries diminish into the darkness. Leaving only the thrum and hum of weapons wielded by warrior queens.

Narsai's saber is lowered, but the weapon remains ignited for the light it casts. A soft laugh given, the Ordo girl looks over the pair with a smile and bounces a little on the balls of her feet.

<<"That was good fun...">>

<"Go on, beasts, Ruuuun! Hahaha! New alphas occupy these corridors; you best remember."> Sumi keeps her weapon activated for now observing the hasty retreat before looking over their surroundings. <"Agreed,"> Sumi remarks to Narsai's estimation of good fun.

Looking a bit more in detail, Sumi points with her weapon, <"A larger cavern awaits through the path to the left, while the right hosts burrows for the beasts.">

Larger caverns and the corridor above left alone, the path seeking after the flight of the cavern beasts is taken and leads to burrow holes in the narrowing crack of the chasm cut by time and thin trickle of water in loose stone and soft soil. Yielding to a clank of metal beneath boots as they near.

The boma tunnels cutting further in and seeming to angle away - showing signs of something metal just within - requiring either equipment, labor crew, or other methods to shuck away the soil to exhume whatever it may be buried partially beneath and scuttled around by the sightless reptilians in their escape.

<"Something there, in the ground. It seems it might need some manner of digging equipment or even a small powerloader. Narsai, this task of exhuming what is buried... could you use your sorcery?"> Sumi had seen first hand the capabilities of such magic; it had been used on her, on others, and on things and everytime it possessed more strength than what man might muster.

A tense reach into her being to find the spaces between the pebbles and granules of soil. Coming with a small sound expressed of exertion coming from Narsai as one hand is extended and the wall where the Boma shivers. The rattle rasp of falling earth growing as the force is wended between gaps and expands them further. Shaving away ages that had falled around whatever was down here long ago.

The form beneath is a silhouette - but where the Bomas have dug in the past dead ending in what looks like a massive durasteel doorway and being revealed to have a series of manual wheel locks. Five in total. But in the midst of it all, what had looked like a hump of stubborn stone and dirt gives way further.

A curved arch of battered, pitted and eroded metal around the remains of emitters from beneath a cowl of sensor arrays with shoulder mounted blaster cannons. With an antiquated groan of gears and joints trying to remain frozen - the entity of awe and fear rears up. Gigantic clawed feet and a curving humped body with pointed tail and only a singular remaining stabilizer leg glares without eyes atthe trio.

A mechanical, garbled, shriek emitting and then it lunges forward.

When the droid rose from the grave, Sumi took a step back to take in the full magnificence of the weapon. Malfunctioning or no, they would need to take, repair, and keep this treasure! For now though, let's survive!

Sumi darts forward in an effort to bat down its weapons but it moves with the agility one might expect a war droid to move. She laughs, connecting only a single blow before falling back to take measure again. <"Do not group! One blast, and we meet the Gods!">

A rocket disconnects and launches from Hadrix's knee as he moves to space, trying to put meters between himself and the others - the munition ineffectively detonating against the hull, sloughing off rotting metal and exposing more beneath,

<"Dwang!"> apt. The next rocket has more of the same affect, splashing fire and shrapnel but with seeming no more success than the last, nor the explosive ball of plasma from his cannon that threatens to twist him in half as he is sent surging back to slam against the wall.

The relic, the monstrous testament to war from an age long gone. Threatening to come apart at the seems even as it fulfills its old program. Leaping forward onto its primary legs before the shockwave rods, some simply bursting and spinning away, begin to glow. A rumbling like a beast screaming filling the chamber before a coalescing beam fires towards Sumi, turning earth to slag and threatening to superheat bone and shatter armor. Unfocused, but no less deadly.

This wasn't the first Basilisk Narsai had seen, the droids Hadrix himself had witness proved that, but having even this ancient wrath pointed at her was...exhilerating and terrifying at the same time.

Twisting and avoiding making herself a target, Narsai surged forwards, a lightsaber once again meeting hardened war droid as it had thousands of years ago. But it wasn't in the hands of a Jedi, instead a Mandalorian and mechnaic who knew the workings and weaknesses of this artifact well.

Following after Narsai, and rotating in with a spin (after avoiding a near death experience) Sumi struck the Basilisk droid in its powerplant component and spilled it over in a crashing heap. She held her sparking weapon out as if following through with the attack. She eventually lowered it to her side though and made a sniffing noise that's heard through her helm. <"I expected more, but I get that this automaton is far older than anything we've seen in our lifetime."> A cursory look is paid to their surroundings then, ensuring no other dangers lurk beneath the cloak of shadows.

The reek of burning metal from Lightsaber damage mixing with the acrid tang of electrical discharge filling the air, the metallic beast practically fell apart as much as fell. Overloading current surging through failing and time chewed components. The fall of the old droid is almost sad as it tumbles down. The mixture of worthless and salvageable parts a mix bag.

<"I prefer this result. Imagine if it'd had managed to hit?"> looking at the unmitigated damage on just stone alone - some of the bigger rocks hit squealing with heat differential, some simply cracking or bursting as they cool. <"Knowing what they can do in prime condition..."> Hadrix turns to the others. He had seen some, once, in their prime and if they could see his face they might note he was paler than even his rarely sun-seeing skin normally was.

Behind where the droid had been standing sentinel the massive doors and their locks remains standing. A further mystery for the Mandalorians to explore at more leisure - knowing the dangers of these caverns better. Sigils of old clans are adorned on this old work. A besbe'haranov - a Kit Cache. Where the clans stored preparations for war.