Weekend Treasure Hunt 6: Starweirds and Ladders at the Spires of Hell

[Basaba Willamina]

Amphitheater

Basaba made it up, not sire if there were others but her visor blinked once... twice and then there were dozens of them. She looked at the things before her and eyes were wide opened. She didn't know what they were or what they could do but was staying right where she was while checking her bits of equipment. She had not brought lots of gear to climb and going back would serve no purpose. She had standard grenades sure maybe some protectorate anti force incendiary that could prove useful. Her blaster pistols and knives were great for solid objects but those things looked like smoke. She wasn't going to say anything just letting her armors active camo conceal her hopefully until more got up here.

 

[Talon Vosra]

Amphitheater


Talon looked at the huge safe and moved forward. his light saber came off his belt and ignited as he moved. He held the weapon in both hands as he closed to the safe. as he did [member="Basaba Willamina"] came into the area and he looked at the Mandalorian. The hordes of smoke like creatures began to descend on them and his saber began to dance. The humming blade struck and faught the creatures as they came. Their icy hands felt as if they would rip away the life of a being as they clawed furrows in his skin. His saber worked well, but he was greatly outnumbered. He gained a small reprieve as some headed toward the Mandalorian warrior. he found the first button and then the second. quickly as a flash he pushed them both only to reveal another lock.

He had no time to try it, however, for as soon as he had opened the first lock he was again swarmed. He fought and fought bravely, but for every one that disappeared two filled its place. He would not last long.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

A grunt would come first, then the toss of one leg as Aeron pulled herself up into the Amphitheater. Wild winds would toss her two-toned hair in various directions, causing the woman to squint beyond the goggles she wore. She was careful. Wary. There was something rather ominous about the place. Certainly shot a chill down her spine in forbearing.

The Icarii didn't have to wait long to realize why -- the Withering made itself known fairly quickly.

Time to figure out if Aeron believed in ghosts. Or not.

And apparently blaster fire didn't help much with them.

Feth.

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]

Talon pulled his second saber from his belt and began the work of not dying. It was hard work sometimes, and kind of tiring, but damned if he wasn't a fan of doing it as long as he could. His blue and yellow blades spun and hummed as the smokes were slashed at and soon they again began going after other targets and he quickly went to the lock. He placed his ear against the safe and slowly began turning the dial. He used the force to amplify the sound as he listened for the subtle click. It took time and time he didn't like to take when enemies could pop up and start swinging with a thought. Suddenly the sound of the first tumbler clicking into place sounded and he began turning the thing the other way. With luck it would be only a three tumbler lock or he would have to do this in parts.

He continued to turn the dial as a woman could be seen coming closer. The second tumbler clicked. He shook his hands and turned to fight the smoke again as they took more swipes at him The fighting lasted for several minutes as they left torn flesh and several gouges in his back and face. This was getting ugly. He finally found another moment and leaned down...which way was he supposed to turn the dial. He shook his hands again and amplified his hearing as he turned the dial. he could feel them coming for him again. The creatures screamed to his mind as his hand fought to remain steady. he tossed his small pack on the ground and started turning again the creatures were nearly on him again.

tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick THUNK...

He sighed and turned the small handle as he felt something slam into him pushing him half into the vault be fore he turned and stuck out a hand conjuring Force Light. He turned back to the filled safe and began shoving things into his bag indiscriminately as he hoped the force would give him a break.

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Basaba Willamina]

Basaba looked at Aeron as she came up and she was moving, her beskad and the blade coming out as things found her. Someone had charged in and went after the safe, she was there looking at Aeron and kicking through a gas before impacting one of them. Shifting things that kept moving around her... no not moving they were stationary except when they folded space around them to move. She spoke going onto an Omega channel. "Dar'jetii Kreelon, what are these things?" Her blade slashed into one while moving and she felt something slash into the armorweave section of the suit hooking the beskar as Basaba went up into the air and slammed down near the safe. Her eyes dazed for a moment before she rolled and was glad to see one was going for what he could. She fired the heavy blaster and got a nice screech. She held the blade and pistol at the ready while she looked towards Aeron and popped her neck ready for a fight.

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

[member="Talon Vosra"]


Well that was voice she wasn't expecting. But there was little time for words, the Withering Smoke were keen on getting what they could.

A few more bolts went down range as Aeron would back up into the Amphitheater, cursing left and right. What were these things?!! Oh no no... one was getting way too close --

BAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

She tried a thermal. That was by far the most successful, as the Withering Smokes would flee. She finally came up to [member="Talon Vosra"] who was popping open the vault.

------ Just as small withering horrors would come popping up out of the floor, their big toothy bucktooth mouths and large beady eyes making Aeron squirm.

She sent a volley of blaster fire at them, winding the Force to help guide it straight into the middle of the fray. Enter massive green exploding bits of goo everywhere.

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Basaba Willamina"] [member="Aeron Kreelan"] [member="Ashin Varanin"]

Talon closed his bag as the the toothy mouthed things came out of the ground. He didn't know what he had taken really but his bag was full and heavy enough so he tossed it over his shoulders and turned.

"Hurry and take what you want." He said igniting his sabers again, "I'll cover you as best I can."

He was already moving passed her to strike at a black wispy creature. He wasn't a greedy plant, he just wanted to have a chance for a cure. Power meant nothing, credits meant less and the prestige of finding treasure meant the least of all. He would cover them both as long as they were fast then he would have to start the trip....back down.

He swung and struck at the creatures unsure if the were being hurt or just disappearing as he swung. His green eyes scanned and flicked toward movement. He paused briefly as they locked again with pale glowing orbs. The thing paused and then his mind was split by the screaming of the ghostly creature. Claws bared it lunged forward and flew at him. He readied himself after a moment until the smoke like being began to attack it also. Evidently they didn't get along either as other creatures he didn't know the names of began to rise and converge of them.


"Ah...may want to hurry, ladies." Talon said even though whether the mando was female or not was debatable.

 

[Basaba Willamina]

[member="Talon Vosra"] [member="Aeron Kreelan"]

Basaba looked at the man and at Aeron as their weapons were doing more, or at least that bright flash of light had made a hole before they started coming from the ground. Her beskad slashing through another as she jumped backwards into the safe. She had space in the gunbelt and could clip some additional things while she was loading it up with less emphasis on taking the most valuable things and sticking as much as she could into the compartments before she finished and fired rushing out of the safe so Aeron could go in and fired a shot that got a dispersion of the smoke. The ground in some places was looking slick with water before the creatures appeared forming from it. The reapplied weight of her having stuff on her brought Basaba's attention while she nodded about heading down.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

[member="Basaba Willamina"] [member="Talon Vosra"]


Not that she was prone to greed, but concern over the Forcer made Aeron toss another thermal in front of another group of Withering Horrors before doing anything in the safe.

By the time Basaba gave the nod she was leaving, Aeron had dropped to a knee, swinging a small backpack to grab what she could. She didn't bother trying to figure out what it was, she just stuffed.

"You got something to carry your share in?" she'd ask over her shoulder. She hoped he did. Zipping her bag shut, she swung it back around on her back. Two blasters then were palmed within her hands.

"Get your stuff," she told him, as she took over sending volley after volley of red bolts down range.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

The Amphitheater

...he finally made it. After resting on one of the ledges he'd discovered further below Aethan had began the climb once again and inch by inch, foot by foot, he had made it the the top of the spires where the Amphitheater await. If the climb was that perilous, and it was, then he could only wonder what awaited him now that he was at the top. Unhooking himself from the safety cable he'd attached to himself during the climb he'd have taken a knee only a few feet away from the edge of the spire where a fall would mean a long ways down into oblivion and ultimate death. Looking around he took a moment to assess the situation and take a measure of the land before proceeding...

...the first thing he noticed was blaster fire, he wasn't alone here. which meant that someone was engaging hostiles up ahead of him. Expanding his mind via the force Aethan would be able to sense the others, at least two of them but maybe three he wasn't exactly sure on the number and there could have been more than he calculated. Aside from sensing the others he also sensed the Withering Horrors though in his mind they were altogether different, twisted, something he couldn't fully comprehend...

...now Aethan knew what he'd gotten himself into but he muttered..."No one said this was going to be easy."...and used the one thing he had to his advantage. Ambiguity. No one else knew he was here yet. He'd stayed down on a knee for a moment longer and then standing into a half crouch he kept low and worked his way around the Amphitheater rather then delving deeper into it. If there were other people here they were obviously drawing most of the attention to themselves and Aethan was more than willing to allow this to continue seeing as how he had no obligations or loyalty to these people...

...remaining low, using rubble and debris to hide himself as he drew closer, Aethan would have observed at a distance. Laying a hand across the lightsaber he wore over his right hip, clipped to his belt, he was ready to act if necessary however he also caught sight of an enormous vault which the others must have opened. Obviously this was his end game, he needed to reach the vault but the Withering Horrors were an odd problem however he wondered if they would follow the others when they made their escape. If even the majority went he'd be in a prime position to capitalize on what remained in the vault which was likely a cornucopia of treasure...​