SWRPF Archive Leá Monde

OOC: apologies... not had access to a computer really the last few days. should be more active starting tommorow.

IC: Anengy Facefoot/ Under Leá Monde
The Mines/ Second Fork

Vic had basically just told them to shove off... so he could follow someone who wasn't even there. At least Anengy didn't think that there was anyone there, as they weren't precisely visible. Sending out a tendril of thought through the Force, she scanned the area. Nothing had changed, it was the constant darkness all around pervading everything, but no signs of life in the immediate vacinity beyond them.

She saw Kara move and physically try to stop Vic again, telling him that there was no one there. The feelings pouring off of him were an amazing sense of longing, pain of loss, fear and hope. Not a terribly good comibination, and it didn't really do the Balosar's state of mind any good. Quickly she shut off any connection to Vic, and the surrounding area.

Joining Kara in trying to hold him back, she said "There isn't anything there. Use the Force Vic, feel! Whoever it is, isn't really there." There was a not of desperation in her voice as Vic continued to carry them a bit farther down the tunnel... If worse came to worst, she could just use the Force to restrain him. But that meant opening herself to this place again.

TAG: NEM, DESPISED, XAN, WINGED

:snoopy

 

OOC: Sorry for the delay, I was in London for a wedding and there were flight delays, no computers, blah blah all the usual nonsense. But I'm back, and if you'll allow me, I'll hurry you all on towards the first of many important confrontations!

Mineshaft, Second Fork, Right-hand Path

Vic continued to wander down the dark tunnel that appeared to lead back around into the mines, trying to catch up with the apparition that only he could see. The other Jedi, confused and cautious, followed after him.

Taking advantage of her hypnotised comrade's slow pace, Kara managed to maneuver herself physically into his way, but Vic just pushed on past. His touch was not rough but it was firm- clearly his mind was set and outside distractions barely entered his consideration. Anengy and Kimara also attempted to halt the relentless march of their fellow Jedi, but to no avail. It was looking as if they would need to use the Force to stop him.

Before they could take such measures, the Jedi realised that they had quite unexpectedly arrived at the end of the tunnel. The path had stopped very suddenly, and in the darkness they had almost not noticed. They were overlooking an enormous underground chamber, a huge circular pit with several levels constructed with wood and metal. The strange arena-like setting was lit by wall-mounted torches. It had clearly been an important part of the mine- a complex system of pulleys and lifts still seemed to be intact around the sides.

No doubt to Vic's disappointment, there was no sign of his departed wife. There were, however, two very real and very alive figures that would be of immense interest to all the Jedi.

Down below in the very centre of the chamber, looking directly up at the Jedi with strangely calm and expressionless faces, were Sydney Losstarot and his right hand man John Hardin.

Tag: Xan, Trimaj, Despised, Nemisis

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

"See who?" Kara said, her voice displaying her confusion. Vic did not pay any attention to her as he continued to move slowly down the path. Kara rushed in front of Vic, halting his progress. He looked at her, his eyes emanating the same emotions that he was through the Force, desperation, guilt, fear. A new one entered as the younger Jedi stepped in front of him: anger. "Vic, there's no one there!"

"Get out of the way," Vic said desperately, attempting to move past her. He did not want to resort to using physical harm, but he would not hesitate to do so if necessary.

"There isn't anything there," he heard Anengy say from behind him. "Use the Force Vic, feel! Whoever it is, isn't really there." They were obviously blind. Not only with their eyes but with their minds as well. Vic did not need to feel, he saw her, she was real. He would continue on no matter what.

"I must see, Kelia," he said, finally maneuvering his way past Kara. Almost suddenly, the path ended and they came into a large chamber lit simply by torches; technology from thousands and thousands of years ago. Vic was thoroughly confused. He looked below him and saw no signs of his dear beloved. He did, however, see two individuals that he had not expected to see. Sydney Losstarot and his follower, John Hardin. Suddenly, it all made sense. The Sith had manipulated Vic with a simple illusion. Vic felt ashamed that he had so easily fallen for it.

Though, he did not falter through the Force. His feelings of fear, desperation and longing to see Kelia were replaced with anger and a determination to make the Sith pay for what they did to him. Brining Kelia "alive" like that was painful, but they did not know the meaning of pain. Vic ignited both his lightsabers, and began a slow decent down to the two men standing in the center of the chamber.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, DarthXan318, Trimaj, Despised1

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Back in the mines

Frustrated, Kara gritted her teeth as Vic just pushed on past her. Who was Kelia, anyway? With an exasperated sigh, the Zeltron fell in step behind him once again. She would rather not use the Force to compel a fellow Jedi to stop, but perhaps if the three of them grabbed hold of him -

Before she could continue that train of thought further, Kara realized that they had quite abruptly reached the end of the tunnel. Suddenly they were overlooking an enormous underground chamber, a huge circular pit with several levels constructed with wood and metal. It was lit by wall-mounted torches, giving it a strange arena-like air - but what exactly an arena was doing in the middle of a mine was not of any particular concern right now. No, of more immediate concern were the two figures in the centre of the pit: Sydney Losstarot and his right hand man John Hardin.

The mix of emotions radiating from Vic gave way to something new: white-hot anger. Kara was already turning to him, uselessly reaching out once again, when the Jedi Knight ignited both his lightsabers and stalked forward into the center -

"Vic, no!" Kara said loudly. "It's a trap, it has to be!" For there was no other explanation for it, really: whatever Vic had followed down here had to have been an illusion cast by the two Sith. And why would they have lured the Jedi down here, if not an ambush of some kind?

TAG: WJ, Nem, Trimaj, Despised

 

IC: Anengy Facefoot/ Under Leá Monde
The Mines/ Second Fork, Right Path

Vic had simply pushed past them again, and that really left exactly one option if they wanted to stop him. Sighing, unwilling to go that extra distance quite yet, she fell into step behind him muttering to herself about stupidty. She was still exceedingly uptight due to the claustrophobia, but she was also learning to deal with it quickly. Being stuck down here made it a necessity.

In a rather surprising development the path ended in an arena. Blinking at the sudden shift of venue, Anengy found herself wondering who would build an arena in this type of place. It felt old, far older than the city itself.

What didn't help the sudden shift was the two individuals who stood non-challantly in the center of the pit. Sydney and John Hardin stood there completely silently, unmoving. The sight of them changed all of the emotions that Vic had been feeling into a raging river of anger. He started down towards the floor, while Kara called for him to wait as it was obviously a trap. Anengy had had more than enough by this point, and reaching out with the Force literally picked Vic up into the air. Her voice took on a vaguely regal tone as she decided that she take the role of senior Jedi more seriously. "That's quite enough of that." Hopefully it would give Vic enough time to think about what he was doing rather than simply reacting. It was oddly similar to her own breakdown in the cave. I wonder who this place will attack next.

Turning to look into Losstarot's gleaming blue eyes, there was something decidedly odd about this situation. The two men registered in the Force, but after the not there Kelia this could still be something other than what it appeared. Deciding to try a somewhat direct approach, "Losstarot, where's Joshua?" Odds were this wouldn't really get them anywhere, but if they responded it was likely that they were, in fact, really there. And then what? That would greatly depend on the response. Somehow she felt a request of some sort was about to come.

TAG: NEM, DESPISED, XAN, WINGED

OOC: hope that's ok with everyone, and that i'm not making an assumption i shouldn't about the arena winged. if so simply call it void.

:snoopy

 

OOC: No problem with the arena thing, Trimaj, your character is free to make whatever assumptions they wish. I'll leave it to nemisis though to decide whether your attempt to lift him into the air was successful or not.

---

[blockquote][i]The Arena, Mineshaft[/i]

[b]Vic Horkin[/b] descended, brimming with anger and fierce determination, both lightsabers in hand and ignited.

[i]"Vic, no!"[/i] cried [b]Kara[/b] loudly, keeping at a safe distance, along with [b]Kimara[/b]. [i]"It's a trap, it has to be!"[/i]

[b]Anengy[/b] decided to take the matter into her own hands, reaching out with the Force and attempting to stop her comrade by lifting him off his feet. [i]"That's quite enough of that,"[/i] she said.

[b]Sydney[/b] and [b]Hardin[/b] watched impassively, apparently unfazed by the reactions of the Jedi before them.

[i]"Losstarot, where's Joshua?"[/i] demanded Anengy of the two cultists.

"Where indeed is young Joshua?" replied Sydney, smiling. His voice was soft, melodious...almost hypnotic. "You are strange creatures. Closed off to your emotions, blind to your own hearts...body and soul are one, yet yours are separate, like the child and the knight in his storybook. Is this Jedi training? Or do you shut away your souls out of fear?"

The cultist leader took a step back, and suddenly rose into the air, hovering a few feet above the arena.

"This is my game," he announced. "I run, you give chase. I am the hart, and you the hunters. But this hart has laid a few snares of his own..."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling, and began chanting something in a strange, arcane language. On the ground below, Hardin sent a Force Push of surprising strength slamming into all four of the Jedi.

Battle had begun.

[b]Tag: nemisis, Xan, Trimaj, despised[/b][/blockquote]

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~The Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

"Vic, no!" Kara yelled as Vic moved forward towards the two Sith in the middle of the arena. "It's a trap, it has to be!" She was right, and Vic was only flooded with more emotions as the realization dawned on him. He felt disgusted at himself for falling for this trap so easily. He had felt the Dark presence as he continued to follow Kelia, but he ignored it, too consumed with hope and desire to think about the consequences.

Vic halted his progress, but felt a wave of energy enclose around his body, almost like a fist, lightly lifting him into the air. He almost tried to fight it, but felt no immediate danger from the invisible fist, and realized it was one of his companions who was doing lifting him. "That's quite enough of that," he heard Anengy say. She did not set him down, as Sydney began to speak.

"Where indeed is young Joshua?" Sydney said in response to Anengy's direct question. The question was foolish, there was no way that Sydney would directly come out and say where the young boy was. "You are strange creatures," he continued. "Closed off to your emotions, blind to your own hearts...body and soul are one, yet yours are separate, like the child and the knight in his storybook. Is this Jedi training? Or do you shut away your souls out of fear?" The cultist stepped backwards and, to a non-Force user, it would appear as if he began to fly, as he used the Force to lift him into the air. "This is my game. I run, you give chase. I am the hart, and you the hunters. But this hart has laid a few snares of his own..."

Vic, still up in the air because of Anengy - he decided not to let himself free as he was too enthralled with what Syndey was saying - was not sure exactly what the man was speaking about. He certainly did not understand what Sydney was saying as the man looked to the ceiling and began speaking in some language that sounded very old, almost ancient. Vic felt a surge through the Force as Hardin gathered the Force energy around him and sent it sailing towards the Jedi. Luckily, Vic was unaffected, now using his own Force powers to help keep him hoisted into the air, almost mirroring Sydney's current position. It appeared that the battle had begun. It was a bit sooner than Vic had expected, but he knew it was inevitable.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, Trimaj, DarthXan318...Despised?

 

IC: Anengy Facefoot/ Under Leá Monde
The Mines/ Arena

Anengy was almost surprised when Sydney started speaking, expecting some other deception. Thus far that was what the Sith had been so good at after all. Another surprise was the smoothness of his voice, the almost hynotic effect. Thankfully she'd heard it a few times on her home planet by people who played confidence games. It gave her an advantage, even though this seemed to have a touch of the Force behind it.

His words cause her danger sense to rise, but having no clue as to what was going to happen she dared not break the situation in anyway, which meant Vic remained in the air a short distance away from the rest of the Jedi.

Losstarot's words were insulting, slimy and very intriguing. But that was what a Sith did, and rising to the top of that heap meant he was only better at it than most. The fact that he called himself the hart in this instance sent chills down her spine. More like a kraty dragon. Then he rose into the air, parodying the position of Vic.

Hardin finally made his presence known as he gathered energy about himself. Vic took control of his own levitation, which allowed Anengy to grab her saber off of her belt, where she had placed it. The Force push came at them with the power of a wave. The Balosar ignited her saber and brought it up from the ground, imbuing it with the power of the Force she cut through the wave causing it to pass to either side of her. At the same time, since it was effectively the same power being used, she sent a wave of her own. This one's purpose was two fold: To launch Vic at Sydney so that he might be distracted from whatever nefarious thing he had planned as well as keeping Hardin from being able to do anything to Vic while he was in mid-flight. It was up to Vic to control where he went though, as Anengy had other things to deal with.

Immediately following her slash/push she leapt down to the sand and charged John Hardin, hoping to draw his completely and undivided attention. An overhand slash of her purple blade at his neck should take care of that. She could feel the dark energy of this place pushing her towards being aggressive, which at the moment was exactly what the Balosar wanted.

TAG: NEM, XAN, DESPISED, WINGED

OOC: if you have any questions about the saber thing, i've seen it in a few books so it is possible.

:snoopy

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

Vic could feel through the Force - or perhaps it was just the connection he shared with his fellow Jedi - that Anengy had something planned. He felt the fist around him loosen and he braced himself, aware of what was to come. The wave of energy hit him like a hammer, but he was ready for it. In fact, he aided with a push of his own that lessened the hit from Anengy. The two pushes added together made for a powerful throw that sent Vic flying through the air directly at Sydney, who was in the act of performing some ritual. At least, that is what it appeared he was doing.

As the Jedi Knight sailed towards his nemesis, he held out one of his lightsabers, as if in a stabbing position, and held the other one back in case he needed it for defense. If he felt no immediate danger, he would use it as a means for slashing and, hopefully, killing his opponent. It felt weird for him to think these thoughts of killing, but this was a necessary death, one that would tip the scale of this mission into the Jedi's favor.

If all went according to plan, Vic would hit the unsuspecting Sydney. Hopefully he was too caught up in his trance to feel the Jedi flying towards him. Even if he did see Vic coming, it would distract him from whatever it was he was doing. Hopefully the Sith wasn't aware already and ready to counter this trick into a killing blow. And, perhaps of even more concern, hopefully this was not just another illusion.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, Trimaj, DarthXan318...~Despised~

 

OOC: Hey guys! BTW, generally through this game I've been very pleased with the posting. Proof that posts don't have to be overly long to still be high quality.

Despised has got in contact with me to say that his posting will be sporadic for a little while, so it's okay for us to just nudge him along if necessary.

In other matters...I've been experimenting with the idea of somehow incorporating music into games to make them more atmospheric. In the end I decided that I'll simply choose appropriate tracks to accompany certain scenes, and if you want to listen to them when you post/read, you can do.

So for this scene, our first confrontation with the enemy, I feel an appropriate track would be Lord of the Castle. Around 1:40 is my favourite part but I suggest you just wait and let the track play.

---

[blockquote]
[i]The Arena, Mineshaft[/i]

[b]Vic[/b] braced himself, and just about kept hovering in response to [b]Hardin's[/b] Force push. A moment later, he felt the touch of his fellow Jedi propel him forwards, and he strengthened it with a driving push of his own to send himself soaring forwards at an immense speed, directly towards the levitating [b]Sydney[/b]. Vic held out one of his lightsabers as he sped through the air, intending to stab straight through his foe, ready to bring his other saber up defensively if need be.

But as he approached, merely a few inches from contact, his target vanished. There was no sign, no smoke, no flash. Sydney simply disappeared. And Vic continued his trajectory, gathering speed and now heading directly towards the unpleasantly rocky wall...

Meanwhile on the ground, [b]Hardin's[/b] feet scraped along the dirt as he tried to keep his balance in the face of [b]Anengy's[/b] counterattack Push. Barely a moment later he had to deal with the Balosar at close quarters, only just bringing up his crimson saber to meet the aggressive overhand slash of her purple blade. He allowed Anengy to battle him slowly backwards, making no attempt to attack but instead displaying an impressive talent for the defensive maneuvers of Form III.

In the air, high above the conflict, gazing down with piercing blue eyes, Sydney re-appeared, floating near the ceiling. He began to chant, his voice loud and terrible.

"GYLDA-MEUNTES-HAATIS-MOTA-FEHRTES-RATIS-ALPA-KILMOTA, Emperor of the Shade, descend from the Dark, honor sin-soaked contracts of kinship, [i]lend your beast unto me[/i]!"

A black mist began to seep into the arena...

[b]Tag: Xan, Trimaj, Despised, Nemisis[/b][/blockquote]


OOC note: Don't get too frustrated if Sydney seems tough to fight! He will appear to be literally godlike for much of the game. [i]There is a crucial story reason for this.[/i] Don't worry, you'll have plenty of other antagonists to slice and dice before this is over!

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

Vic was ready to collide with Sydney as he rapidly approached the Sith. However, to his surprise, Sydney vanished out of thin air. He did not move out of the way. He did not duck. He vanished! It was unbelievable. However, Vic had no time to look back and see if what had just occurred was real; he was headed straight towards the sharp, rocky wall. With the velocity he was traveling at, there would be no way of avoiding the wall. Though, he would be able to lessen the impact with the aid of the Force.

The Jedi Knight attempted to slow his flight down as quickly as possible by using the Force. And, at the last second, he thrust his arms forward, both of which were still holding his sabers, and threw a Force Push outward. He was hoping that this would accomplish at least one of a couple of things. The first, the force of the forward push would cause Vic's body to slow down. Secondly, he hoped it would shard off any sharp rocks that could penetrate his body on impact that would kill him instantly.

All of this happened within moments and Vic hit the rock wall, the sound of the impact echoing throughout the arena. Blazing pain shot throughout his body as he fell to the floor meters below. The fall to the ground was nothing compared to the impact he had taken moments before, but it still hurt nonetheless. He attempted to stand, and was met with yet more searing pain. He was, however, able to stand without aid. He immediately set to work on healing his wounds, as blood poured from his side, which took most of the impact. This would most certainly put him at a disadvantage, but he hoped the Force would provide sufficient healing for him to perform fully in combat.

While these events occurred, Vic remained oblivious, not only to his other Jedi companions who were battling it out with Hardin, but to Sydney as well. He had appeared out of thin air high above and mumbled more unrecognizable words before he spoke in Basic. "Emperor of the Shade, descend from the Dark, honor sin-soaked contracts of kinship, lend your beast unto me!" Suddenly, a black mist began to appear, coming from seemingly nowhere. Vic, still deep in his trance of healing, was unaware of the mist until it washed over him. He stood, feeling a little better than he had before entering the healing trance, and held his sabers out in front of him, ready for what was to come.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, DarthXan318, Trimaj, Despied1

 

Apologies for the delay, all - and I probably won't be posting again until Friday-ish, too. A bit swamped IRL. Feel free to move Kara around as necessary, etc etc.


IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

It came as a shock to Kara when Losstarot spoke. His voice was soft, melodious...almost hypnotic ... and for a moment Kara almost understood how this man had become the leader of a powerful Sith cult. This was the kind of man people would follow - would want to follow.

Kara was shaken out of her musings when the cultist leader took a step back and rose into the air, hovering a few feet above the floor of the arena. "This is my game," he announced. "I run, you give chase. I am the hart, and you the hunters. But this hart has laid a few snares of his own..."

Just then, Hardin let out a powerful Force Push that took Kara completely by surprise. The Zeltron let out a startled curse as it lifted her up and backwards, slamming her against the wall of the arena -

She must have blacked out for a second, because the next thing she knew Anengy was duelling Hardin in the center, Vic was across the room and Losstarot was floating near the ceiling. The Sith leader was chanting loudly in a voice that made the hair on the back of Kara's neck rise. "Emperor of the Shade, descend from the Dark, honor sin-soaked contracts of kinship, lend your beast unto me!"

Kara scrambled to her feet, drawing upon the Force to steady her and brushing hair out of her eyes; her hand came back bloody. Great. Vic was bleeding too, she noticed, from a wound at his side - and was it just her imagination, or was the air darkening -?

No, it definitely was. A black mist was seeping into the arena - and whatever it was, if it had come at Sydney's behest, it couldn't be good. And she had agreed to this adventure - with another muttered curse, Kara drew her lightsaber and ignited it. Come then, she thought, striding into the arena to stand with her fellow Jedi Knights. Oblivion awaits.

TAG: WJ, Nem, Trimaj, Despised

 

OOC: sorry for holding everything up, wasn't online much yesterday.

and not really how i figured things would work out... sorry nem.

IC: Anengy Facefoot/ Under Leá Monde
The Mines/ Arena

Anengy couldn't tell how things had worked out with Vic, but she had felt a sudden blaring of pain into the Force. That could have been from either Kara or him, however. Neither one of them concerned her at that moment, as John Hardin was holding everything she threw at him at bay with a display of brilliant defensive swordsmanship. [i[At least I'm driving him back.[/i] It would have been immeasurably embaressing if he could have just stood there.

The ferocity with which she attacked increased, the aggression she had allowed in starting to take on a mind of it's own. The darkness was seeping in through her, and it had completely removed all fears of the enclosed spaces. She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that blasting a hole in the ceiling could be accomplished with little difficulty... ascending it would be a minor inconvieniance, so onward she fought, pushing Hardin towards the wall behind him.

It was due to the intensity of the duel that she completely missed Sydney starting to chant again in a language of some ancient species. Sith, most likely. However his sudden call to some allie or another did get through her aggressive haze.

Suddenly, she Force sprang away from him, nearly to the other side of the Arena, and tried to see what might be coming for them. The black mist was not what she'd been expecting, and she had no clue what to make of it. I sure as hell don't want it touching me though. Unfortunately, that was when she noticed Vic rising from it right after it had immersed him in it's foul feeling fetidness. "Vic! Get out of that stuff, we don't know what it does." Hopefully nothing, immediately, and hopefully Hardin wouldn't attack the wounded Jedi. Thankfully they would have Kara to help them now, but Sydney could attack whenever he wanted as well. All in all, this was turning into a nightmare situation.

TAG: NEM, XAN, D1, WINGED

:snoopy

 

OOC: No worries Trim.

The Arena, Mineshaft

Vic had managed to make his way back into the Arena despite his injuries, and both Kara and Kimara now stood beside him. Anengy also joined her fellow Jedi, using a Force-assisted leap to spring away from her duel with Hardin.

The mist gathered in the north of the arena, concentrating itself around one particular spot. Slowly, as if rising from hidden depths below, a creature began to emerge from the ground. First came its head, enormous, reptilian and yellow-eyed. Then its wings, scaly and black, fully unfurled and outstretched towards the ceiling. Its arms were long and thin, with foot-long talons at the end of them. Its legs were squat but strong, and were further supported by a huge, hideous tail that seemed to slither along the ground of its own free will.

Dark, fierce and magnificent, a wyvern stood in the arena.

If the Jedi were to look up, they would see that Sydney had disappeared altogether. Hardin remained, and in one simple jump he soared into the air and landed atop the dragon, his arms and legs draped around its scaled neck. It did not seem to mind his presence. Indeed, at his apparent behest (for he was whispering into its ear), the dragon breathed a gigantic fireball directly at the assembled Jedi.

Tag: Xan, Trimaj, Despised, Nemisis

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

"Vic!" he heard Anengy cry. "Get out of that stuff, we don't know what it does." She had a point. The mist was probably some sort of Sith Alchemy that Sydney performed that could have severe consequences when it contacted the lungs. He wasn't going to take any chances, and immediately got as far away from it as possible, walking as fast as he could - which wasn't as fast as possible due to his injuries. Soon, the other Jedi joined him and they watched as the mist rose in the north area of the arena. Suddenly, as if spawning from the rocks and dust on the ground, a beast appeared, and it did not look friendly. It looked like a true monster, a dragon of sorts with wings, talons and a tail that slithered like a snake.

"This is not good," Vic said. He had no idea how they were going to handle this, especially with the Sith to deal with as well. However, upon looking up, he saw Sydney was gone while Hardin lunged on top of the giant beast, reminding Vic of the ancient beastriders that he had read about during his studies. Vic returned one of his lightsabers to his belt, realizing two would have no use against an animal this size. One could be used to deflect anything that may be sent his way, while has open hand was free to use the Force at his will.

Vic looked to the other Jedi. "We have to work together on this one," he said, devising a plan that would lead to the demise of this dragonlike creature. If they stood together, as a group, the creature could easily kill them all at once. They needed to split up, use any form cover as they could, and use meld with one another in order to kill this thing. Perhaps, if they killed the beast, they cold take Hardin with it.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, Trimaj, DarthXan318, Despised1

OOC: I apologize for the abrupt ending of my post, I wanted to leave it open for others to do what they want as well. Also, Winged_Jedi, maybe you already mentioned this, but I couldn't find it. What exactly is within the arena? Is there plenty of cover? Little cover?

 

OOC: There's not much in the way of cover. A few rocks here and there dislodged in the Great Quake, they're large enough to crouch behind. That's about it.

 

OOC: sorry about the wait. every time i started on a post, i had to stop for something or another.

also: oy vey... dragon and no real cover. fried jedi tonight.

IC: Anengy Facefoot/ Under Leá Monde
The Mines/ Arena

Ever noticed how a situation tends to get hairy? This was one of them, and it just kept getting hairier. Vic had scrambled out of the black mist, and made his way, limping, to the other Jedi's side, their sabers blazing their myriad colors into the arena.

No matter what one expects in this kind of situation, odds are that you never guess right. Jedi or no, you could never have expected to see the rather large lizard that proceeded to come out of the mist, in what had otherwise been a solid arena wall. It made one wonder if this was even truly something that could be hurt by them. Anengy had no question about the creature's ability to hurt them, as it's claws looked fit for rending, teeth that could snap through bone and a long tail that could crack like a whip resulting in a broken bone or three. Then there were the horns above it's eyes, a malicious intellegence visible in those eyes, and a wicked sense of power felt through the Force. As if that wasn't overkill already there was the wings that could knock one over, the foul breath and smoke that roiled from it's nostrils. All in all, this was turning out to be a very bad day.

Vic proceeded to have the understatment of the century, and put one of his blades up figuring that it would be of little use against such a large beast. There was a sense of something lacking, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was. Of course, the Balosar's life might depend on it, but there was little that could be done about it as the beast before them was truly mesmerizing. "You don't say... any other brilliant insights?" Her Anengy's voice was slightly breathless, and it wasn't precisely meant in a biting manner, even if that's how it came out.

One suprise, two surprise... of course there had to be a third. Third times the charm after all.

Next thing they all knew Hardin had jumped astride the beasts neck, like some beastrider out of legend. This can't be happening. How can one tame such a beast? Yet there it was before them, living, breathing... and spitting a fireball straight at all of the Jedi.

Vic had said they had to work together, which implied surrounding the thing. Suddenly this seemed like a very good idea, but they had very little time to coordinate for the moment should they all wish to survive.

Simply leaping the thing wouldn't help most likely, as the resulting explosion that was the likely result would catch one. Muttering to herself, not having the time to confirm what Vic said to the others she leapt as far to the side and forward as she could, trying to catch the edge of the arena off to the right side of the beast that threatened to engulf them with it's monstrousenss.

Calling to the survivors, "Surround it! It's our only hope!" And should one of them have been caught in the heat wave that had effectively helped carry her up to where she'd been aiming, adding in a blast to the back as she hit the wall, odds were there was nothing left of them. In which case they were suddenly a very large amount more trouble.

TAG: YA'LL

:snoopy

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

Kara stood with the three other Jedi, warily watching the black mist. Rather than envelop them as she had half-expected it to do, however, it seemed to be flowing to one end of the arena. Slowly it began to coalesce - and from its depths emerged first a scaly, reptilian head, then wings, then arms and legs and a tail. The Zeltron Jedi sucked in a gasp: a huge dark wyvern stood in the arena, as magnificent as it was deadly.

"This is not good," Vic said. No kidding. "You don't say..." Anengy replied, her voice slightly breathless. "Any other brilliant insights?"

Kara ignored them both; Hardin had vaulted up to the wyvern's neck, and as her gaze followed his path she couldn't help but notice that Losstarot had disappeared. More sorcery? she wondered. Or was he never here at all?

No time for that. Hardin whispered into the beast's ear - or what passed for an ear in a wyvern, anyway - and it sucked in a breath and breathed a huge fireball at the assembled Jedi. Reflexively, Kara threw herself into a Force-assisted sideways roll - just in time to avoid the fireball, for the resulting blast wave turned her roll into an ungraceful tumble into the far wall.

Anengy had survived as well. "Surround it! It's our only hope!" came her yell from somewhere across the arena. Muttering curses under her breath, Kara scrambled to her feet and took stock of the situation. Sometime during her roll she'd had the presence of mind to shut off her lightsaber to avoid skewering herself - Kara almost relighted it, but then it occurred to her that there was no need to hold up a glowing target for Hardin to aim another fireball at -

Hardin. That was the key: he was controlling the beast, somehow, for it had only fireballed them at his behest. Kara had no doubt the wyvern would continue to fight until it was somehow slain - she dearly hoped a beast created of shadow could be slain - but taking out the Sith should put a large dent in its lethality.

So it was with that in mind that Kara warily circled the arena - perhaps if they all attacked at once, there would be an opening to leap up to the wyvern's neck and engage Hardin directly.

TAG: Everyone!

 

The Arena, Mineshaft

The Jedi separated, darting in different directions and encircling the gigantic dragon. They had avoided the first fireball, and now their strategy was simple- surround the beast, attack it simultaneously and find an opening.

The dragon roared as it tried to keep its fearsome gaze on all its enemies. Hardin hissed once again into its ear, and the foul creature began turning on the spot, stomping around 360 degrees. It swung its enormous tail as it did so, whipping it around the arena in an attempt to strike each of the Jedi.

As if that wasn't enough, the dragon also poured fire from its mouth, breathing it downwards in vicious trails of flame as it spun round.

Tag: Xan, Trimaj, Despised, Nemisis

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

Their plan was working - sort of. The dragon roared in frustration as it tried to keep its eyes on all four Jedi as they darted around it. Hardin hissed once again into its ear, and the creature spun on the spot, breathing fire and whipping its enormous tail around in an attempt to strike the Jedi.

Got you, Kara thought.

It was a reckless, slightly insane plan, but Kara was rather counting on that to make it work. The dragon spun away from her, bringing its tail around to where Kara was - at the last moment the Zeltron Jedi ignited her lightsaber and leapt at it. Her Ataru style of fighting emphasized mobility and among other things, she had learnt how to accurately jump onto a moving target - well, now she'd find out how effective it was.

Kara was aiming to land at the base of the dragon's tail, where it connected with its body. If she could pull that off ... well ... the next step would be to find a way to get up to the neck and engage Hardin directly.

TAG: All

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

Vic was glad to see that he and his fellow Jedi had successfully avoided the fireball hurled at them by the giant dragon. Though, Vic felt himself slightly embarrassed by his companion's reactions to his words. He did speak the obvious, but how was he to know that the other Jedi were not scared into shock with their minds erased of all thought at the sight of the beast. That sort of thing happened all the time, and he was only trying to help his fellow Jedi. Within the second, Vic wiped those thoughts from his mind as he took cover behind a fallen rock. Unfortunately for him, Kara, Anengy and Kimara, there wasn't much cover for them to hide behind. The cover that was there would provide little cover, and could easily be smashed to pieces by the beast. So, the situation was not good. However, the fact that the Jedi had scattered, like Vic had originally suggested, gave them a slight advantage.

The beast began to twirl around, stomping on the ground as he turned 360 degrees in order to stomp, crush and thrash his tail about at the request of the "beastrider" - the role that Hardin had taken on when he leaped onto the dragons back. While the beast twirled, he also spat fire from his mouth, resulting in a three-pronged attack, something that put the puny human and his near-human companions at great risk.

Vic had perhaps the greatest disadvantage: he was still not fully healed from his giant Force-assisted flight that had turned out to be a bad idea. This proved to be a challenge as he had to avoid the beasts' tail, feet and fire. He was able to catch a glimpse to see what the other Jedi were doing. The only Jedi that caught his eye was Kara, who lunged forward in an attempt to get on top of the beast's tail as it came close to her - only one talented in the Force could pull off such as that, but Vic had no time see if she had succeeded. He hoped she did, for that would prove to be quite a distraction for the dragon. Vic readied himself behind a small fallen-stalactite, preparing his own maneuver. If Kara was successful, Vic planned on running forward and getting underneath the beast. It could prove to be foolish, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

TAG: All

 

The Arena, Mineshaft

The dragon spun away from Kara, bringing its tail around to where she waited, poised and ready - at the last moment she ignited her lightsaber and leapt into the air. Her jump was accurate and highly successful, and she landed on the base of the tail, clutching for a grip on the creature's scales. She managed to steady herself within moments, clinging on tightly. The back of the beast was heavily scaled, and it would certainly not be impossible to climb right to the top. Unfortunately for the Zeltron Jedi, Hardin had spotted her from his vantage point at the head of the dragon. He leaned downwards and reached out his hands, hurling arcs of lightning at Kara's head.

While its rider was thus distracted, the beast began thrashing about, clearly trying to dislodge Kara from its tail. As it flailed wildly, it reared upwards and exposed its underbelly for the briefest of moments...but perhaps enough to invite Vic or one of the other Jedi to dart forwards and attack.

Tag: nemisis, Xan, Trimaj, despised

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Arena, Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

Vic let a sigh of relief wash over him when Kara had managed to grasp on to the tail, succeeding in her plan to climb aboard the beast as well. He then saw Hardin hurl lightning at Kara. Unfortunately, he was unable to see what happened next as the dragon thrashed about even more wildly than before. This time, the beast reared up on it's hind legs, revealing the underbelly of the giant beast. Vic assumed it was one of the most fragile and vulnerable spots on the beast. Without a second thought, he rushed forward, ignoring the stinging pain that shot up his leg as he ran, assisted by the Force. With his blade lit, he lunged, again assisted by the Force, and attempted to shove the blade into the beast's underbelly. As he soared through the air, the thought came to him that this beast could have hide that was impenetrable, which would prove to be very bad to Vic. He only hoped that this plan would do the trick. If it did not kill the beast, at the very least, he hoped it would be injured.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, DarthXan318, Trimaj, Despised1

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

So far, Kara's plan was going perfectly. She managed to land exactly where she intended, at the base of the beast's tail, and its heavily scaled back was surprisingly easy to grip. It would not be difficult to scramble up to the top, even one-handed -

But her move had not gone unnoticed. At the dragon's head, Hardin twisted around and flung out his hands, hurling arcs of lightning at Kara's head. Hastily, she swung her lightsaber up to block the dark energy - fortunately she had already been holding her lightsaber up and away from her body, so it only took a split second for her to bring it in line.

At the same time, the dragon reared up and began thrashing about in a vain attempt to dislodge its newest passenger. Kara was more on its back than its tail, but even so it was like trying to hold on through an earthquake. The Zeltron Jedi swore as her feet slipped and she thudded down against the hard scales, the beast's thrashing flipped her around onto her back as she vainly tried to hold on with one hand. Her lightsaber swung in a wild arc.

Oh, fantastic plan, Kara thought darkly, stubbornly trying to stay on the dragon. If she didn't get hurled off completely, Hardin would blast her off - unless - maybe if she could get her footing, she'd be able to do something to get herself out of this mess.

TAG: All!


Hmm... Kara's lightsaber might have hit the dragon here when she slipped, or she might've gotten a faceful of Hardin's Force lightning and fall off entirely. Shall leave that up to the winged one.

 

The Arena, Mineshaft

Vic darted forward, trying to ignore the pain throbbing in his leg. Lightsaber lit, he dived underneath the dragon and lunged, attempting to shove the blade into the beast's underbelly. The attack was more successful than he might have expected. His saber tore through thick scale and soft flesh, driving deep inside and causing a black pus to seep out over his hands. Before he could tug his weapon out, the dragon roared with pain and jerked violently, knocking Vic backwards into the air with swipe of its claw (though leaving his saber embedded in its stomach).

Kara, meanwhile, was only just managing to hold on to the beast's back. She had managed to block Hardin's initial bursts of lightning with her saber. As the dragon thrashed around, she slipped down the rough scales, attempting to hold on with one hand and swinging her saber in a wild arc, slashing the beast's left side. It roared with pain. For a moment it looked like Kara might manage to maintain her hold. Hardin's lightning was passing safely above her head- clearly he didn't want to accidentally injure the dragon by aiming too close to it.

However, the beast's violent reaction to the stomach wound caused by Vic was enough to throw Kara off completely. She lost her grip, and tumbled to the ground. Fortunately, her ignited saber had dragged along the dragon's skin as she fell, gouging a long red wound down its back and tail.

The dark creature continued to stomp about, clearly enraged by its injuries. The violence of its thrashing was not just a danger to its foes- atop the beast, Hardin seemed somewhat precariously placed. His legs were beginning to slip. It struck the Jedi that perhaps, with the slightest push, the cultist would be forced off...


Tag: nemisis, Xan, Trimaj, despised