Log:You're hunting what?
You're hunting what?
OOC Date: November 7, 2020
Location: Hoth
Participants: Aryn Cole, Ban Iskender, Lofty, Narsai Ordo, Xeria and Hadrix Kora (gm)
The so called landing fields near Echo Base were behind the lot of them and old travel markers were fixed with beacons that would last a few days - an over-precaution - to allow the hunting party to find their way back. Necessary with the frequent snow-storms that sweep across the surface at seemingly random intervals combined with a landscape that begins to look utterly the same with little to no physical features to navigate by.
Well maybe the Talz can navigate on his own. Just a brighter version of Alzoc III out here.
It was dangerous hunting the apex predator of this ice ball. Either out in the open where they could burst from beneath the snow, or if fighting a pack they might encircle. Hard to judge if that's worse inside their caverns, burrowed into the packed ice and snow - home ground advantage for the hungry beasts.
Hadrix was leading the pack of hunters now stalking the snowfields, kneeling to check marks in the snow and even removing his helmet from time to time to taste something or even sniff the air before motioning on. <<"Closing in. Time to decide - find the den or see if we can catch them in the open... or fight them if they catch us out here...">> voice rumbling over comms.
It's a helluva way to bring the newly found Mandalore refugee out in the field.
Aryn walks with the aid of a spear. Using its blunt end, she balances against the ice and steps with snow boots. For much of the hike, she has been quiet. The ice on her scarf if from her breathing, which is heavy and labored. Wearing the gear she had and marching through snow was no easy feat. Well, not for her, at least. She was the shortest person here! Occasional glances angle to the party members in absent thought while they walk. When Hadrix's voice crackles over the comms with a choice, Aryn is not quite sure which would render the best results. <<"A den would make the fighting close quarters, I imagine. What say we draw one from a den and into the open? The best of both suggestions..">>
Xeria generally avoided being near Aryn as the hunt began, preferring instead to stay near Hadrix even as she looked up to survey the area. <<"The closer we get to the den, the more dangerous it will be,">> she points out. <<"Especially if they have young. Drawing them out might work, if we have a volunteer to act as bait.">>
The terrain was familier to the figure in red, if not a little sadly under-user of late. Among the snow and near the ruins of the Echo base a Reviver training outpost had stood, on this planet was where hopefuls had earned their armor...but those days had been distant of late and the Ordo Alor hadn't been back to the world since the passing of her older brother.
So far? The woman had been mostly quiet, following the group with her weapon at her hip and her features hidden away behind the visage of the T-Visor.
Ban Iskender trudges along at peace with the others, turning a green eye about the desolate landscape with an inexplicable fondness. <<"I would agree with her Highness: given our proclivity toward ranged arms, venturing into the den seems unwise.">> When Xenia mention volunteer bait, the gentleman adds, with dry humor, <<"Should such be necessary, I would be capable of such. Though I daresay simply approaching such a den may draw the dread foe forth.">>
Lofty plods along at the rear of the group with the large rifle in his paws. He is very familiar with Echo Base, and perhaps as familiar as one can be with the landscape, which shifts with precipitation and snowfall like desert sand dunes. He plucks a can of Fizzy-Bip from his insulated bandolier and cracks it open with a HISSSSS, then slurps the carbonated drink with his proboscis.
<"Den-spearing it is."> Hadrix nods and hunkers again to run his fingertips over a bit of snow, letting warmth bleeding through his gloves catch and carry away fresh powder in deeper tracks. Then there is the hiss and the slurping that stops him solid. Pausing. Then turning his head towards the big fluffy adorable guy and his four eyes... and proboscis... He's too damned cute looking to get mad at.
Hadrix won't admit it.
<"Ban, you should've been a Mando'ade - fancy talk or not."> amusement in his tone as he continues to check surroundings. Grumbling to himself as he can't find much more than the obvious <"Don't know about young. But definitely an adult..."> stumped for the moment and caught carefully pacing their path for the moment - looking to the others to see what they might find.
It's fortunate that where Hadrix's competence suddenly drops off, today at least, the others are more than capable of picking up the path. Aryn finding frozen taun-taun blood leading to the next, long, loping track. Xeria finding each to be fairly deep despite the hard pack snow, combined with the Talz's 'home field advantage' and natural talent for the hunt can confirm the way to take. Their trek following along a path moving into a shallow valley between snow dunes, heavy crested drifts like ocean curlers caught suddenly and rendered solid - all moving towards a hole that might be easily missed as a simple sink-hole in the endless white - caught by keen Alderaanian and Ordo eyes - careful burrowing noticed that was designed to further hide what served as a vent for fresh air to come in.
A half-gaped mouth ready to bite.
Aryn posts up outside the cave mouth, drawing an arrow and nocking. She does not draw back because that requires strength; strength she must preserve for when the beast is upon them. She lifts her goggles and looks to Ban. "If you are certain you wish to this, Ban..." She says, doubt in her tone but any further statement of concern or worry going unvoiced.
Xeria hangs back from the cave, her posture speaking to her alertness as her head slowly turns to scan the surrounding area. It is more blinding white than anything, but after a moment she points and tells the group, <<"There are ambush points. There, there, and that way. All good spots to watch the entrance."
"I take such as a compliment, sir," Ban answers Hadrix as the band discovers and draws near the lair. Ban had been admiring the landscape, murmuring, "At once as if sand, sea, and stone." Such musings are banished as the time has come for the hunt to begin in earnest. A short bow of his head and shoulders to Aryn. The noble soldier picks his steps down the slope toward the cavern mouth, at one point abruptly mosing his footing as snow had concealed an ice track, beneath. He slides a short distance toward the icy maw before a deft turn and thrust jams his spear into the ice, arresting his uncontrolled descent. A look back up at his fellows and a rueful shrug. He regains his footing and frees his spear, looking back below with wariness. <<The quarry is upon us,>> he notes as a rumbling reaches his ear.
Angry sounds and movement was generally a sign they were going in the right direction, but Narsai herself doesn't lower into the cave, instead she too posts herself near the mouth of the cave, hand reaching back to ease her weapon free.
<"Don't worry 'Princess',"> she finally speaks up, gesturing for folks to move forwards and giving a nod to the doctor. <"We'll try and make sure noone gets eaten.">
Lofty drains his fizzy drink can with a gulp and tosses it behind as litter. If the snow is light, it might serve as a bright trail marker for their return trip - like the boots of dead climbers on Chomolungma. But more than likely it will be swiftly covered by drifts. "Wampa very smart." He looks behind him, still only using two eyes because of the glare, then presses toward the cave. Some hunters prefer to wait out the Wampa; but wait too long and you have to endure nightfall on Hoth, which can be deadly even for ice-adapted creatures.
<"If they weren't they wouldn't be so good at killing people coming here to hunt them or test their survival skills."> Hadrix grins into the words, moving past Xeria towards one of the points that she had pointed out - giving her shoulder pauldron an affectionate shake and then as he passes near Narsai adds, <"Horribly mauled and potentially needing reconstructive surgery."> the red glow in the right branch of his visor winking off for a moment before a soft 'tonk' of his helmet against hers. En route to a hide - force pike extending and capacitors starting to hum to life.
Within the steep entry to the caverns, there is more movement and a 'hrufl' sound of massive nostrils pulling in air. A heavy footfall and then a sound that seems to shake the very walls with a palpable hunger. Another step. Snuffling and then a noise like thick blades dragging along sheet metal before a hulking figure that makes even giant Lofty look 'normal' sized begins to charge from the shadows.
Aryn watches Lord Ban and Lofty walk into the shadows of the cave, leaving Aryn to worry about her two friends. Narsai's comment earns a look from Aryn, who promptly replies, "There is no try." Meaning Aryn intended to do more than try to stop the Wampa from eating her friends. She is not able to devote more thought to this because Ban's voice crackles over the comms. He may sound calm, but she knew the difference and the nuance of his voice. Straightening herself and preparing for the inevitable, she stared into the darkness and raised the bow wielding arm, her off hand resting over the fletchings and carbon-fiber.
Xeria trots after Hadrix to the ambush point, readying her own weapon with somewhat obvious lack of familiarity when she gets there. <<"Introductions later?">> she asks with a nod toward Narsai before her gaze turns toward the creature's den.
Ban Iskender emerges from the cavern with much more grace than he had descended. As the wampa moves to strike, Ban has made use of his prior path to plant the butt of his spear in a gouge cut into the ice, leaping and vaulting with the long haft to gain more distance more swiftly than he could have gained by climbing on foot. Rising from the crouch he'd landed in, the dragoon whips the point of his spear back around to bear on the wampa, skimming the surface of the snow in a wide, arcing salute.
Lofty sees the massive Wampa in the cave and turns to flee. "Wampa!" he trumpets through his proboscis accompanied with some chirps and buzzes of the Talzzi language. The large Talz is surprisingly agile in the snow. He bounds and leaps out of the cave mouth and up the bergschrund, not yet turning to fire his massive blunderbuss which must be properly braced.
"No try," Narsai repeats, a murmer without the vocalizer of her helmet and a mote of amusement on her face. Where had she heard that before?
Xeria's question earns a nod from the Ordo woman before she spots the fleeing companions and the charging Wampa. Okay then!
A bolt loosed, but her shot goes wide, burrying itself into the ice.
<"I think you'll like her"> Hadrix comments quietly of Narsai to Xeria as things begin to go the way of Bait and Lead.
Finesse.
Well, actually there's a fair amount of finesse from the flying nobleman and the bounding talz. The arrow embedded in the snow detonates from the charge, flash-boiling it and creating a sudden cloud of snow flurries when the severe cold of the planet almost immediately re-freezes it. A fine curtain to be burst aside by the horned beast that erupts from the cavern mouth. Eyes like black pits and a mouth filled with teeth that nature has evolved to tear apart flesh both warm or frozen.
Immediately Hadrix assesses and his systems begin sending information tapped into his gauntlet, feeding information that Gripper mass transmits to huds who have them or via laser points emitted from her holo-emitters.
The big man though, he leaps with his pike out to slam the hyper-sonic vibrating end into the shoulder meat of the raging beast, electrical sparks arcing over its fur.
Seeing Ban emerge as he did reminded her that he was a soldier first, and a well trained one. Her worry for he, and Lofty, was ill placed. Both seemed capable of handling themselves. In haste, she drew back the nocked arrow and released. The arrow whistled toward the intended target but missed when the damned monster ducked under the cavern threshold. Aryn drew another arrow, nocking in smooth motion and drew once more, taking a little more time to aim now.
Following Hadrix's lead, Xeria uses her own pike to attack the Wampa. As one might expect for one so young with an unfamiliar weapon, she does not even scratch it.
Ban Iskender places himself squarely before the emerging wampa, seeking to draw its dark eyes while Hadrix and Xeria set upon it with pikes, and then following up with two swift thrusts at the beast afterward in a effort to pull the wampa's attention back. The first has little effect, but the second scores a dash of blood from the beast.
Lofty turns as others begin the ambush, bringing his Wookiee rifle to bear. He flips a lock with his claw and the orb igniter begins to charge. There is a loud BOOOOOOOOOM as a green bolt goes sailing past the wampa, sizzling into the snowdrift behind it. Lofty is nearly bowled over by the kick of the gun but holds steady. Then another BOOOOOOOOOM that strikes the Wampa's right shoulder.
Shocked and cut by hypersonic weapons, cut deep by spear and struck by energized arrowhead - blood is already flowing from the creature drawn from its burrow. But the wound most telling came in the form of the massive kashyyykian cannon fired. It damn near twists the hulk in half and turns it's battle roar into a howl.
A stumble step back, a hard 'GROPMPH!' sound and then the beast takes a wild swing for Lord Ban of New Alderaan - a man seeking scars and the intrigue of the courts that come with them! Instead he gets a snow-job tidal wave of powder from the Wampa when it's massive paw strikes the ground, cutting a half-meter divot there in the process.
<"Neck! Neck! Or inner thigh by the crotch! Hit the major arteries!"> Hadrix bellows as he manages to stab the beast from behind, putting method to mention as his pike sinks in, sending ichor spraying in a crimson fan around its' side.
A second arrow is released and this one goes high and wide, finding purchase in ice but not in the beast. Aryn cannot fault the beast for avoiding her projectiles, but now it was becoming troublesome if she could not disable their quarry. She feeds her arm through the bow, orienting it to her back, then extends the spear after freeing it from her back. Looking to join her kinsman in the fight, Aryn begins to close the distance to Ban to fight by his side.
Xeria is doing her best, really. She tries again with the pike, aiming for the neck as Hadrix said, but as the beast moves she only makes contact with one of its horns. She utters a curse.
Ban Iskender had seen the looming beast lurch for him, and had nimbly dishes to one side, taking nothing worse than a spray of snow in the wake of the wampa's violence. He repeats the pair of rapid thrusts, sliding his forward hand to maximize his reach in striking. "Quite, sir; might you persuade it to stand still that we might-" Whatever dryly amused bit of wit he had been prepared to offer is cut off as Lofty's shot sizzles past him.
Lofty fires his massive blunderbuss again! The force of the kickback causes a rare can of Gin-jang Berry Gusher EXPLOSION FizzyGlug to pop in its bandolier holster, staining his pristine white fur with a rainbow of sugary colors. But the shot hits.
The beast falls, thumping to the ground as the group end the Wampa. A good kill, but that hardly rendered the moon safe!
Deactivating the bow, the limbs of the weapon fold inwards before Narsai afixes it to her back and absently draws her Beskad from the small of her spine.
Just in case...
The explosion of the blunderbuss or the detonation of Fizzyglug... what is louder? What is more devastating?! The loss of such a sweet and rare delight of the galaxy? The damage the blast did to the great beast that had been drawn out from its den?
The voice of the Wampa is cut like a recording stopped, flash-boiled grey matter and glowing hot bone fragments bursting from the back of its head making it stand suddenly upright from the catastrophic damage to its nervous system locking joints and tensing muscles. A fraction of a second later it goes slack, tumbling forward to land on its face (as well as Lord Ban perhaps should he be unlucky). Almost like the finally to an interpretive dance dedicated to the end of strength when it rolls forward to hit with a thud that shakes the ground around it.
Behind it, Hadrix wipes muck and blood from his visor, laughing some and looking around until another howling roar comes from over one of the frozen snow dunes - the crest exploding as a figure that quite literally dwarfs the massive Talz erupts and begins to gallop down towards the hunters - eyes red with predatory rage.
The Big Mandalorian's shoulders lower some at the oncoming beast but apparently his mind is ever more keen when adrenaline flows <"Get to its flanks! Don't get in front!">
"Well struck, Lofty!" Aryn calls, planting her spear into the ground near their kill. Aryn is about to survey their sporting kill and thoughts go to how they intend to quarter it. She wanted her Wampa rug to tie the apartment on Chandrila together!
Such thoughts were cast aside when the sudden arrival of a much larger, and a much angrier Wampa began to charge toward them. "Oh.. Mother save us..Mommy's very angry." There was no sport in defending ones self from an apex predator, and to pretend there was led to death by angry Wampa.
Aryn casts aside her cape and draws her lightsaber to her hand, activating it the second her fingers grasped the curved device. Snap-HISS, and a sapphire blade extended. It was a rare moment of bravery, but Aryn charged forward to counter its charge. Her initial attack was a miss, but when Aryn took a knee and slid under a swiping paw, she slashed the wrist overhead generating a cloud of pink mist, but it was not through and through because of how BIG the Wampa was.
Aryn pursued it now, cutting deep and low near its right foot. She danced to one side, spinning from the momentum of the attack.
Time for a change in tactics, as clearly the pike is not working well for Xeria. As the beast comes barreling toward them she puts it aside, opting instead for a sword. Swords are really just big knives anyway, right? She does better with knives.
Aryn with her lightsaber does not go unnoticed, but there are more important things to worry about right now.
Ban Iskender gets flecked with gore in the aftermath of Lofty's decisive shot. With no chance of avoiding the splatter, he can only keep his composure and hope he makes it look good. "Ahem. Excellent shot, master Lofty-" be begins to commend, when the bellow of an even greater threat details his congratulation. "...Ah. I see." Shifting the spear into his left hand and holding the haft out to one side, draws the elaborate swept hilt of a sword in the right. A green blade sprouts with a humming screech and the soldier once more steps to intercept the incoming threat. "Come forth, my foe," he bids under his breath, smile briefly curling his lip at the sight of Aryn's assault. "Well struck, Highness," he commends.
Lofty raises his arms in celebration of the kill, but it is short-lived as he notices his precious Gin-jang Berry Gusher EXPLOSION FizzyGlug (which he planned to drink in celebration) has exploded all over him. He moves his bandolier and his paw gets all sticky. Suddenly there is an alert. The Talz turns his big game blunderbuss around to aim, and fires off a shot, but is knocked off his feet by the extreme recoil. His proboscis makes a deflated sound from the ground.
Well, just incase indeed! Things go from calm to bad awfully quick! The larger creature errupting from the snow had Narsai twisting her stance and rushing forwards.
Lightsabers ignite behind her, bathing the cave in green and blue, but the Mandalorian woman rushes forwards with shaped Beskar, slashing and striking across the flesh.
<"Keep moving!"> she calls, weaving and moving with the others to try and swarm the giant creature.
Recoiling and rebounding from injuries across its body - slashes of spear, sword of Mandalorian iron, plasma blast the size of most everyone here's head... But the greatest pain inflicted is with the solidified beam of burning light that cleaves into arm and then its leg. The Wampa turns and her bellow is renewed - a spray of hot saliva turning to icy hail aimed at the small blonde woman with the blue blade.
Injured arm hits the ground nearby, creating a shallow canyon in the snow that raises a nigh blinding cloud of snow and ice like the detonation of a high-yield artillery round striking before it's next swipe is aimed with the intention of cutting Aryn into quarters with claws the size of ax blades.
The howling rage of the alpha increasing as Hadrix - tossing method to the wind, sprints in a manner that has been witnessed recently by at least one of their party, cuts the distance to drive the head of his pike into the back of the beast's leg.
<"HELL OF A DAY! OYA!"> Boy is having the time of his life...
Aryn does not have a lot of time to react. She slides across the ice avoiding the weaponized spit, then scrambles by pumping her feet over the ice until she's back up only to realize she has to tumble again. This is done preemptively, because there was no way she saw through the mist of rising snow following the impact of one arm; that subsequent swing came from behind. When Aryn tumbled back to her feet, she deactivated her Jedi weapon and raised both hands.
All at once, she drew upon the great power of the force, marshalling its influence to project in a typically unseen way, though with the mists of snow a sudden kinetic gust of energy swept out from where she stood showing the others that she had stopped the Wampa's swing entirely. Not only was the attack halted, the momentum of the big beasts swing being suddenly stopped created a muffled cracking and popping noise of its bones splintering. If that was not enough, Aryn had stopped the beast from progressing any further. "TAKE HER DOWN!" She screamed, both her arms shaking whilst channeling this kinetic energy.
Seizing the opportunity that has been presented her, Xeria grips the sword drawn from frustration with the pike and lunges at the restrained and injured Wampa. With a mighty swing at the creature's thigh she slices through vital arteries that results in a final, mortal wound. What blood the creature had left in it quickly drains into the snow, turning it into a sticky red slush.
Ban Iskender holds his green sword at guard before him stepping the defend the slight blonde doctor after her expert roll before soaring a moment to marvel at Aryn's expression of will through the Force. The movement of fallen snow around the trapped beast is a small detail that sticks in Ban's mind as Xeria ends this second skirmish with a decisive cut. The rise of steam from spilled blood on the upward drifting snowflakes is another instant for future memory.
It passes. "A telling cut, mistress, well struck in truth," Ban hails Xeria's final blow.
Lofty slowly gets up from the snow, having fallen on his arse after trying to fire up a snowdrift. "Ug." He slings his rifle. "We carry wampas back to landing site? Or uh, slide them? Wampa meat very rare." Lofty had heard of Darkside station having a few pounds of ground Wampa meat in the freezer now and then, but these creatures could put out over 800 lbs of meat after dressing.
That invisible grasp? It's impressive! Halting the creature for a decisive blow was no small feat.
Narsai moves, twisting and moving to raise her blade upwards, but the rushing strike and decisive cut of Xeria's weapon has the Ordo Alor stepping back. A good blow, a good kill, Narsai draws back with a little nod of approval. Her weapon lowers, dropping down to her sode while she gives a little laugh.
"Quite the outing..."
Downed, major artery spurting out its last - the hunt was a shocking success - all considered for the sheer amount of destruction that could have been wrought by such a beast. Clever work by Jedi. Devastating work by Talz and swift blade work by the Mandalorian Alor all leading up to that final stroke by the recent Mandalore escapee.
The beasts were down - a multitude of thick fur to be claimed and shared amongst the hunters. Blankets, cloaks, jackets, rugs... Claws for arrowheads or decorative items. Skulls for the slayers to mount should they want.
<"Heiyuu is bringing the Woor'tra over - cargo-lift will be big enough to get these kills in so we can get them back... Can use my bay to clean and skin as well should you wish."> Hadrix chimes in as he retracts his pike back into the haft and locks it onto one of his bandoliers. Looking from figure to figure before turning his gaze towards their path of beacons - where the rumble of heavily modified engines starts to rise from with the lack of noise blocking terrain to dampen it.
<"Damned good hunt, burcya."> Burcya, friends.
Aryn lowers her hands, turning to regard Ban. "I am decided. The shade of its fur /will/ tie the room together." Blood spurts behind her from the dying beast.
Xeria grabs one of the horns and turn's the Alpha's head to get a better look at it. <"I've never had a trophy before,"> she says. <"But if I'm going to have a home of some kind, I guess I should decorate. Or at least furnish it."> She looks up at her companions again. She nods to Ban and says, <"Thank you. With Hadrix's instruction and the princess's aide I was able to make that blow.">
Ban Iskender answers with a wry note warming his oft stoic tone, "No doubt, Highness." An addendum is made, more quietly, before he deactivates the green blade, and turns to offer a short bow of the head to Xeria, and a second to Hadrix. <<"A most diverting venture, sir. It is once more a pleasure to stand at arms with you and yours.">>
<"As trophies go? This isn't a bad start,"> Narsai speaks up while sheathing her Beskad, a little chuckle escaping at Aryn's comment while she folds her arms at her armored chest. <"Perhaps next time, a visit to Dxun or Felucia? There's plenty more things out there that want to kill and eat you. You'll not want for a hunt if you know where to look.">
As for the meat? Well...the irony of the team chowing down on the carnivore wasn't lost on the woman.
