SWRPF Archive Leá Monde

OOC: sorry for the no post. be one either tonight or tommorow. my computer access got kinda shot for a bit.

:snoopy

 

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

Vic was glad to see that his lightsaber actually did penetrate the skin. The saber burned right through the rough hide deep into it's belly, causing some sort of black liquid - blood or pus of some sort - to seep out all over Vic's hands. The seepage was accompanied with a horrid smell that was quick to reach the Jedi's nostrils, almost causing him to vomit. He held it in though, and attempted to dislodge his lightsaber. However, the beast reacted too quickly to the Jedi Knight's attack, jerking violently. The jerk caused Vic to go flying, the black pus making his hand slip free of his lightsaber. He fell to the ground several meters away without one of his lightsabers, landing on his injured leg once again, making it burn as if it were just stuck in a pit of fire.

The Jedi, who now grabbed his other lightsaber from his belt, managed to get out of the beasts path as it thrashed about more violently than before, obviously angered by the attacks from Vic. With a quick glance, Vic seen Kara flying off the tail of the beast. Though, her attempt was not in vein; she managed to injure the beast as well, slicing a long gash along it's tail. So, now both he and the female Jedi had injured it, which really angered the beast. Vic managed to catch a glimpse of Hardin, the Sith who was controlling the beast. It appeared that he was losing his control over the beast as the thing continued to stomp around more violently ever second. An idea came to mind right away as he seen the Sith nearly lose his grip over the beast.

Vic began channeling the Force inwardly, gathering enough of the Force to send a strong burst of energy towards his opponent. With a thrust of his hand, the power that he harnessed was unleashed outwards towards Hardin. He put just enough on it that would reach the Sith and, hopefully, send him sailing off the beast. Perhaps, then, the beast may trample Hardin in his frantic frenzy.

TAG: Winged_jedi, DarthXan318, Trimaj, despised1

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

For a moment, Kara thought she might manage to stay on. Hardin's lightning was still arcing too close for comfort, so close she could smell the rank ozone that it left in its wake, but it was passing safely above her head. Clearly he wouldn't risk injuring the dragon. Her foot scrabbled against its scales -

The beast reared violently, ending any thoughts of holding on. Kara lost her grip completely and tumbled to the ground, her lightsaber dragging along the dragon's back as she fell.

Instinctively, the Jedi called upon the Force and twisted in midair, landing in a crouch instead of an ungainly heap. She straightened - just in time to throw herself to the side. A huge clawed foot crashed down where she had been just a moment before. A quick glance upwards confirmed that she had scored two long, red gashes in its hide, one along its tail and another on its left side. Now it was clearly enraged, trampling about violently - and she was practically underneath it. Oh, not good.

Kara dodged another foot, automatically slashing out at it before her brain caught up and pointed out that she should really get out from under the pain-crazed beast and stop aggravating it further with flesh wounds, because she wouldn't do anyone any good as a Zeltron flatcake. She aimed one last slash at a leg, then spun - dodging another foot - and sprinted out from underneath it.

TAG: You peoples~

 

The Arena, Mineshaft

Vic began channeling the Force, stretching out a hand and unleashing a strong burst of energy towards Hardin, hoping to knock the man off his mount. The cultist's head swung around, madness and fury blazing in his face as he sensed the attack- but it was too late. Hardin's defenses were not raised in time, and the blast hit him square in the chest, sending him flying from the dragon's head and falling to the ground like a ragdoll.

Meanwhile, the dragon continued to thrash around violently. Kimara and Anengy were knocked aside by vicious strikes from its claws- the two Jedi scrambled away at the edge of the arena, nursing their wounds.

Kara dodged the beast's enormous foot, slashing out at it but this time not making contact. She aimed one last slash at a leg as she spun away- and this time she felt the momentary resistance as her blade met flesh, and sliced satisfyingly through it. As she sprinted out from underneath the dragon, she glanced back to survey her handiwork...and saw that she had managed to cut the dragon's left foot clean off. All that remained was a bloody stump.

The creature roared as black pus oozed out of its wounds, and returned to breathing fire, sending streams of flame from its mouth towards the Jedi. Without its left foot and without its rider, it began to lose balance, swaying on the spot, threatening to collapse.

Hardin, meanwhile, had gotten to his feet, and was staggering towards the edge of the Arena.

Tag: nemisis, Xan, Trimaj, despised

 

OOC: sorry guys, haven't had a computer i could use since i last posted. will get something up tommorow, god willing. should have my computer back in the next two days as well, which will make things vastly easier. thanks for your patience.

:snoopy

 

(Ehhh.... Sorry guys. I be just passin' through, lookin' fer a good Rp to anchor onto. I saw something about this being a short one, and with only a few people allowed. Be ye needin' anymore hands, or do I keep lookin'? Many thanks. -Pirate.)

 

OOC: Insanity_Pirate...check your PM box my friend.

I will post for this tomorrow hopefully.

 

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

Just as the Force Push left Vic's hand, the Jedi felt a surge of anger flood the Force as Hardin saw the attack. However, the Sith was not fast enough to avoid it, as the Force Push hit him straight on, hurling him off the giant beast. The Jedi allowed a smile to cross his face, just before he had to dodge a stream of fire. Apparently, while Vic was concentrating on the Sith, Kara was concentrating on the beast, and had hacked one of its feet off, sending the giant thing into a sort of panic in which it continually shot fire from its mouth.

Vic stood when he felt it was a good time to take a look around without getting charred by the fire-breath. Beyond the staggering beast, which looked as though it would fall at any moment, Vic could see Hardin stumbling towards the edge of the arena. A thought crossed the Jedi's mind, as he yelled out to his fellow Jedi. Whether they could hear him, he had no idea, but he continued anyway.

"Throw a Force Push at the beast at the same time!" he screamed, hoping the beast would topple over and crush it's former rider, Hardin. He concentrated the Force energies around him once more, and began to count, "one, two..." He thrust his hand forward, sending another powerful Force push forward, this time at the beast, as he yelled, "three!"

TAG: Winged_Jedi, DarthXan318, Despised, Trimaj

 

OOC: The posting has slowed quite a lot but no worries, there's no rush. There's lots of storyline to go, so if you guys are still having fun, let's keep going!

Thanks for taking care of our wandering pirate there, Nem.

The Arena, Mineshaft

"Throw a Force Push at the beast at the same time!" screamed Vic, his intention to topple the dragon over, and crush Hardin in the process. "One, two..." He thrust his hand forward, sending another powerful Force push forward, this time at the beast, as he yelled, "three!"

Whether the other Jedi joined him in his attack or not turned out to be irrelevant- the beast was so unbalanced that it required only the smallest of pushes to collapse it. It began falling, slowly and majestically, wrapping its wings around itself, roaring helplessly into the air. Beneath it, Hardin looked up, eyes widening.

The cultist, who had been stumbling previously, somehow found the energy to move, darting out of the creature's shadow.

"AHCRIMORA!" he yelled, and a strange dark fog appeared in front of him, hanging in the air. He leapt into it, and the smoke enveloped him at once. He vanished. The dragon finally crashed to the ground, and did not get up.

The battle was over. The Jedi, though exhausted, were all still standing. The dragon beast lay on the ground, shuddering and trembling violently. The strange misty portal through which Hardin had escaped was still floating in the air, inviting the Jedi to step into it, and pursue their foe.

Tag: nemisis, Xan, Trimaj, despised

 

Yeah, DRL has been attacking me too. Apologies.


IC: Kara Dysar

Arena, Mineshaft

Kara skidded to a halt a few metres out and spun, lightsaber raised and ready to defend against some new attack - then paused, surprised. She'd cut the beast's left leg clean off. She hadn't realized it; had felt nothing more than a brief physical tug as her blade met flesh. Had been too focused on getting herself out of there to be aware of the damage she was doing.

The Zeltron felt a burst of unease - of course any damage was good damage, but for her to be so inattentive -

No time for internal recriminations. Two things: Hardin had fallen off the beast and was staggering to the edge of the arena, and the creature was still intent on roasting the Jedi with its fire breath. But its pain and the absence of its rider sent its aim wild, so all Kara had to do was duck the closest jet of flame - and even that was more to save the discomfort of being blasted by hot air than anything else.

"Throw a Force Push at the beast at the same time!" Vic screamed. Kara instantly grasped his plan; she thrust a hand out, focusing the power of the Force. "One, two...three!"

The dragon toppled over. For a moment Kara thought they had won, but - Hardin looked up, eyes wide, and somehow found the energy to get out of the way. "AHCRIMORA!" he yelled, and a strange dark fog appeared in the air in front of him. The cultist leapt into it and promptly disappeared, just as the dragon crashed into the ground.

Kara didn't spare the fallen beast a glance. "Come on!" she yelled to the other Jedi. This was their chance to get Hardin: he was hurt and retreating, but there was no telling how long the portal would remain open. Summoning a last burst of strength, Kara jogged quickly to the dark portal and leapt into the fog.

TAG: All


Kinda leery about how sensible this is, but it's IC, so if anyone cares to stop Kara before she goes through...

 

OOC: I was rather hoping someone would do that.

The Arena, Mineshaft

"Come on!" yelled Kara, beckoning her fellow Jedi. As Zeltrons often did, she acted on impulse, leaping into the portal in pursuit of the cultist foe. The smoke wrapped around her legs and arms, and she vanished.

Unfortunately, the portal vanished with her.

The smoke disappeared completely before the other Jedi could reach it, and Vic, Kimara and Anengy were left standing in the Arena beside the twitching, half-conscious dragon. There was no sign of their comrade, and no apparent option but to head back out of the Arena and onto their previous path.

Tag: nemisis, Trimaj, despised

---

[i]Unknown Location[/i]

[b]Kara[/b] felt no particular pull or tug as the smoke wrapped around her. The Arena disappeared, and the world transformed into a void of black and swirling blue light. It felt rather like she had jumped into the air and simply forgotten to land. She hovered, motionless.

And then with a harsh jolt she crashed to stony ground, falling heavily on her rear. The smoke disappeared, leaving her with no apparent way back.

As she rose to her feet, bruised but not badly hurt, her surroundings swam into focus. She was no longer underground, for a start.

She was standing in the middle of an old, uneven, yellowing, cobbled street, lined with withering yet still green trees. Stone buildings stood all around her, houses and halls and huge temples with spires reaching towards a sunny blue sky. She could hear a stream running somewhere close by. A pile of droid parts lay in the shade; a rusty, abandoned speeder gathered dust beside a hut; birds chirped merrily.

[b]Hardin[/b] was nowhere to be seen, but it appeared that Kara had found her way inside the city proper. She was standing within the ancient walls of Leá Monde.

[b]Tag: Xan[/b][/blockquote]

 

Bah, I really should stop playing characters that don't look before they leap.

... horrible pun, sorry.


IC: Kara Dysar

Somewhere

Kara had half-expected to feel some sort of jolt, or perhaps suffocation, but there was nothing of that sort. The arena fell away and she found herself suspended in midair, as if forgotten by gravity, suspended in inky darkness and swirling blue light. Pretty, she thought. It was almost like what Kara imagined being in deep space would look like.

All too soon reality returned, as did gravity. Kara crashed into the ground hard, landing ignobly on her behind. Oof. Grimacing, the Zeltron rolled to her feet and glanced around, waiting to see the others emerge from -

The smoke cloud was gone.

And she was alone.

Kriff.

Perhaps that hadn't been such a good idea. Kara closed her eyes and counted to four; her teachers at the Academy would feel vindicated, she thought ironically. Think, they had always said, don't act on impulse. She had always argued, with the glibness of youth, that she was merely following the will of the Force as they always said to do anyway. Only now did she truly appreciate the difference.

Kara opened her eyes and looked around. She was in the middle of a cobblestone street lined with trees and stone buildings, all bearing obvious marks of age - but the trees were still green, the sky was a cheery shade of blue, and in the distance she could hear running water and the sound of birds. Only a pile of droid parts and a derelict speeder marred the eerily picturesque scene. It was almost as if the place's inhabitants had just up and left, for no reason whatsoever.

A sense of unreality descended upon her. She was in Leá Monde.

Despite everything, Kara began to grin. She might be alone in the middle of a city supposedly crawling with Sith and Imperial Knights, but it was a rather nice city nonetheless. Besides, this was exactly where the Jedi team had been headed, anyway. She had just taken a shortcut.

First things first. Where to from here? Kara had followed Hardin here, but the Sith was nowhere to be seen. She could call upon the Force and attempt to track him through that - but that might also advertise her position. Losstarot might be playing some strange game with stringing along the Jedi, but he might not be so 'charitable' if he discovered a lone Jedi was inside. And there were still the team of Imperial Knights to consider.

So, dusting herself off and drawing the Force tightly around her presence, Kara set out to explore. Perhaps she could find some trace of Hardin, he couldn't have gone far; or one of those stone buildings would have something interesting; or the speeder would still work or could be repaired with some droid parts - she wouldn't know until she had a look.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Horrible puns are not only welcome, Xan, they are encouraged.

Inside the City

Kara dusted herself off, and set about exploring her surroundings. Upon closer inspection there was no hope for repairing the abandoned speeder, and the pile of droid parts had long since rusted beyond use. The stone houses were closed up by magnetic seals, though glances through the windows revealed nothing more than deserted rooms, no doubt empty for decades.

The young Zeltron wandered down the path through the rather picturesque streets, following the sound of the running water. After a minute she rounded a corner, and saw a stream running through the city, about thirty metres ahead of her. On the other side of it stood a tall tree; underneath it were four humans, dressed in crimson armour, black capes, and with lightsabers clipped to their belts.

The Imperial Knights.

Kara recognised them from her briefing. Duane, tall and stocky. Grissom, pale, thin and long-haired. Samantha, with her lithe frame and beautiful face. And finally Guildernstern, their respected leader. Muscular, sandy-haired and bearded, proud in his posture and bearing. The only two Knights missing were Tieger and Neesa, who were presumably engaged elsewhere.

As Kara drew carefully closer, she noted that the four Knights were currently too distracted to notice her. They were gathered around a young Sith cultist, no older than eighteen, who was slumped on the ground before them. They appeared to be interrogating him. If she was careful enough to avoid detection, Kara would probably be able to move in close enough to eavesdrop. Alternatively, she could attempt to sneak past and continue exploring the city.

Tag: Xan

 

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

Vic let a feeling of relief wash over him as his Force Push tilted the beast on it's side, rendering it motionless. Though, the Jedi caught a glimpse of Hardin just before the giant beast landed on the ground; the Sith had conjured up some sort of portal like and jumped into it, vanishing into thin air. Vic could only stare in disbelief; he had no idea that such things were possible. The Force was a mysterious thing, but how could it possibly fabricate a means of instant transportation like that?

Kara, however, was not stunned by the portal at all. "Come on!" she yelled, running towards the portal. Vic ran after her, attempting to stop her, but it was too late; the Zeltron Jedi had managed to jump through the portal. Vic lunged toward it as well, but was met with nothing but air as the portal vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He fell to the ground with a sickening thud that sent another wave of pain throughout his body, adding to his already aching leg.

The only human left within the room got to his feet and took a look around. There was no other exit - the only way out was the way they had entered. Vic looked to his companions, shrugged and began to leave the arena, cautiously walking around the half twitching beast that was lying seemingly unconscious on the ground. As he headed towards the exit, he extended his awareness outward, searching for any sign of Kara. He was not exactly sure where to look, but he had to try, to give him a sense of where she had gone. He remembered briefly that his companions had mentioned another path as Vic headed down this one when he thought he saw his former lover. Perhaps he should try there first.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, Despised1, Trimaj

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Inside the City

A glance was all it took to confirm the speeder was junk. Even if Kara were an expert mechanic - she wasn't - she'd have to replace half the engines and the pile of droid parts had long since been reduced to bits of rust. So much for that. Ironically, the magnetic seals on the building doors still worked fine, although from what she could see through the windows there was nothing inside anyway.

Now what? Kara glanced up and down the street thoughtfully. There was that sound of water ... and most human or near-human civilizations centred around bodies of water. With that in mind, she set off in that direction.

Not a minute later she rounded a corner - and immediately darted back. She had found the stream, all right, but across on the other bank were several humans dressed in the distinctive garb of the Imperial Knights. Cautiously, Kara edged back around and took a careful look: four Imperial Knights (only four? Where were the other two?) gathered around the slumped form of a Sith cultist.

It was undoubtedly an interrogation. Kara took a step closer - and paused, thinking. If she was caught eavesdropping it would end very badly for her. The four of them weren't paying much attention to their surroundings, it seemed, but that didn't guarantee anything ... and there was no telling where the other two were. Tieger and Neesa could be on lookout for all she knew.

Caution and curiosity had a brief battle, and curiosity won. Kara inched closer until she was within earshot, staying under cover as much as possible and watching them carefully for any sign that they might notice her presence. If she was spotted, well, Kara was rather counting on the stream to slow down the Imperial Knights if they chose to come after her.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Okay, Xan, a fairly long update for you, but it is quite an important scene. In keeping with my earlier idea, if you want to listen to my recommended music for the scene, it is Isao Tomita's version of Neptune, the Mystic (from Holst's Planets Suite).

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

Kara carefully made her way closer, taking cover behind an overturned speeder near the water's edge. On the other side of the stream, the Imperial Knights continued their interrogation of their prisoner. Grissom, pale and thin, led the questioning. He kneeled down beside the young cultist, who (from the sound of it) seemed to be coughing blood.

"Answer wisely," said Grissom sharply, "and you may yet live. Tell us where Sydney hides."

"Save your breath, knight," hissed the cultist. "You fools think the Dark will bend to you?"

"We serve the Emperor, scum," replied Grissom. "We are not here to bend, but to cleanse."

Kara heard the sound of spitting in response, and peered over to see Grissom wearily wiping it from his face. It seemed that the young cultist was still defiant even in the face of four Imperial Knights.

"Enough of that," snarled Duane, reaching down and striking the young prisoner hard across the face, causing the boy to whimper with pain.

"Now," continued Grissom, "There is still time. We may yet show mercy."

"...Go to hell," replied the cultist eventually. Grissom sighed. Kara heard a lightsaber ignite, and hum through the air before being switched off. She peered over again, and saw that the young cultist now lay on the ground. His head had been separated from his body.

"So end all who serve the Dark," announced Guildenstern, leader of the Knights. "Grissom, Duane- head into the Snowfly Forest. It lies in the north of the City. Samantha and I will investigate the Temple of Kiltia in the south."

Grissom and Duane nodded, hurrying away into the city streets, leaving Guildenstern and Samantha alone beside the stream and the dead cultist.

"How curious it is," said Guildenstern, peering down at the corpse. "This wretch is as dead as can be...yet at nightfall he will walk the streets once again."

"The evil of this city is beyond my imagining," replied Samantha. "What kind of Sith magic prevents men from dying?"

"They do die," said Guildernstern. "But it is an incomplete death. Their bodies rot and crumble into decay...but their souls wander the city eternally. At night they take the form of the undead, foul creatures of darkness and sorcery. Trapped between the netherworld and this one, they yearn for life. It is a horrible existence."

There was a long silence, as the pair considered this.

"...Will that happen to me?" asked Samantha at last.

"You will not die here, my love," replied Guildenstern, embracing her. "I promise you."

The two kissed, and left.

Kara watched them go. She had never met Imperial Knights before, but had heard they were lightsiders, and much like Jedi- save that they served the will of their Emperor, rather than the will of the Force. But their actions in killing the cultist did not sit easy with her. At least she knew more about them now, should she have to face them in combat.

The Zeltron barely had time to process all of this when she heard a voice ring out from behind her.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, Jedi."

She turned to see two Imperial Knights. Both were human, one a dark skinned and tall man, the other a red-haired, violet-eyed woman. Tieger and Neesa. The pair had managed to sneak up to within twenty feet of Kara without being sensed. What she sensed from them now was disturbing- coldness, arrogance...and a burning hostility that could only mean one outcome...

Tieger ignited his lightsaber, and Neesa followed his lead.

Tag: Xan

---

[i]Mineshaft[/i]

[b]Vic[/b] led [b]Kimara[/b] and [b]Anengy[/b] out of the Arena, and back on to their previous path. The stunned trio had just foug

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Mineshaft - Leá Monde~

Vic could not stop himself from wondering where Kara had transported to. He worried that she was in trouble now - that portal could have taken her anywhere: off planet, straight into the hands of Sydney and Hardin. If the latter were the case, she was most likely...He could not finish the thought as he moved into the catacombs. He had seen this room earlier but payed no attention to it. Rather, he decided to follow the Force apparition that was his wife which subsequently led them to that heated battle, which also led to Kara's disappearance, which could have led...and it'd be all his fault.

The Human Jedi shook that thought aside as he approached the open doorway. It looked as though it had been broken through; rubble that had apparently been the door lay scattered on the ground before it. If Vic could remember correctly, the briefing had said that the catacombs would lead to the city. So, their trek through the mineshaft should be over now, but Vic was ready for everything. Hopefully, this would lead them through to the city. Being the optimist that Vic was, he was hoping Kara would be waiting there for her fellow Jedi.

Vic looked behind him towards Anengy and Kimara, both who had not said a word about Kara vanishing; it was obvious they were having the same thoughts as he was. "Let's go," he said, stepping over the rubble cautiously, ready to take on whatever was in store for them.

TAG: Winged_Jedi, Despised1, Trimaj

 

OOC: As Trimaj and Despised have been away, I will simply proceed for now and they may catch up when they return. This is another important scene, and the recommended music for the duration of this encounter is The Polar Region (from KOTOR II).

Cstacombs, Sanctum of the Dead

Vic led the way into the Catacombs, Kimara and Anengy in tow. The three Jedi were quiet, contemplative and clearly shaken by their experience thus far. Fortunately, their current surroundings seemed devoid of any foes, save for a few annoying bats.

They walked carefully through the first few rooms without incident, peering through the cobwebs and the darkness. The path was rather linear and straightforwards, until they came to a particularly large chamber where the ground had been split down the centre, presumably because of the earthquakes.

An enormous chasm had formed, preventing the Jedi from reaching the other side of the room and progressing. It would perhaps be possible to leap it using the Force- but none of the three Jedi present had ever attempted a jump of that size before.

Far more interesting, however, was the man who was standing on the other side.

Clad in dirty-yellow armour from his shoulders to his feet, he had clearly just landed using the jetpack that was strapped to his back. He cradled a large repeating blaster in his arms, and a deadly assortment of grenades were attached to his belt. His face was thin, and bearded.

"Greetings," he said, smiling thinly. Despite the fact that he stood on the other side of the chasm, the room carried the sound easily, and he did not need to talk loudly to be heard. "The Jedi investigators, I presume? I had heard your number was four."

Tag: nemisis, Trimaj, despised

 

I knew it.


IC: Kara Dysar

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

Well. That was interesting. Kara watched them go with a thoughtful look; so those were the Imperial Knights. How long had they been in Leá Monde? They certainly knew more about the lay of the land than the Jedi, which implied that either their briefing had been more complete - and if so, where had they gotten their information? - or they had had longer to explore.

Or they had interrogated more cultists like this one. There was no doubt in Kara's mind that the dead cultists at the mineshaft entrance had been the work of the Imperial Knights. At any rate, Kara now knew that she would only have to look out for the undead at night - at least, wherever there was no sunlight. It was daytime, but the corpses down in the mines had animated just fine.

She was still mulling it over when a voice rang out behind her. "It's rude to eavesdrop, Jedi."

Kara spun. There, not seven metres from where she crouched, stood two humans - one a dark skinned and tall man, the other a red-haired, violet-eyed woman. Tieger and Neesa, the missing Imperial Knights. The pair had managed to sneak up to on her without being sensed, but now they were radiating coldness, arrogance... and burning hostility...

Tieger ignited his lightsaber, and Neesa followed his lead.

Kara rose, her lip quirking into a tiny half-smile despite herself. She was ... almost surprised. Almost, because they had managed to sneak up on her, but not quite - she had expected the last two to be around somewhere on lookout. Not that that was any help to her now.

Deliberately, she did not draw her own blade. Not out of any misguided attempt to appeal to their sense of mercy or fair play - if they could execute their Sith prisoner, they would have no qualms striking her down - but because her orders were to avoid conflict if possible with the Imperial Knights. And because she didn't want to fight them: their Orders had their differences, but here their objectives were the same.

"I suppose," she said, "it's not worth pointing out that it's hardly eavesdropping if you're talking in the open."

She was stalling, of course. Kara kept her eyes on the two Knights, ready to defend herself if they attacked instead of replying, but half her attention was devoted to searching her surroundings for a getaway route. Or a distraction.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Yeah...you've got all the luck just now Xan.

My recommended music for this scene is, rather appropriately, Tieger & Neesa (Vagrant Story OST).

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

"I suppose," began Kara, stalling for time, "it's not worth pointing out that it's hardly eavesdropping if you're talking in the open."

"You're right," replied Neesa, slowly advancing with her partner Tieger. "It's not worth pointing out."

With her eyes on the two Knights, Kara wasn't properly able to scan her surroundings, but noticed one or two things. Firstly, she was being backed towards the stream. The water was running quickly, and it would perhaps be possible to ride downstream if she could find a suitable platform. The overturned landspeeder behind which she had been hiding before had a few fairly large, loose panels that could potentially serve that very purpose...

Alternatively, she could attempt to distract the Knights. Neesa stood in the shade of a hut with crumbling stonework...indeed, the walls of the building looked so ancient and battered that another quake would cause it to come crashing down. Another quake- or a firm push from the Force.

Before she could consider one of these options, the young Zeltron felt a sudden, fierce pressure on her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. Her natural empathic senses were overwhelmed by ugly waves of anger and hatred.

Both Tieger and Neesa were using the darkside to try and choke the life out of her.

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Catacombs - Leá Monde~

The three Jedi walked quietly and cautiously. Fortunately, there was not much standing in their way, only a few bats that Vic had to bat out of the way with a swinging arm. Eventually, the group of Jedi came to a large room with a giant hole in the center, a crevasse of sorts that mirrored that on the surface - the one that prevented them from directly entering the city forcing them to go underneath through the mineshaft. It was much smaller than the other one and it seemed like it might be possible to jump across. However, Vic never jumped that far before, and he would bet that the others had not either.

Though, his attention was quickly taken away from the chasm. On the other side, a man was standing in yellow with an assortment of weapons strapped to his armor. Vic could still see the trail of smoke that had come from his jet pack. This had to be Jan Rosencrantz the bounty hunter who had expressed interest in the mission of saving the boy. Though, obviously he was in it only for the pay, and could care less about the boy, or anything that stood in his way of his money, including the Jedi.

"Greetings," he said with a smile. "The Jedi investigators, I presume? I had heard your number was four." So, the man had done his homework on the mission. Vic wished he knew more about the man, but the briefing did not give any clue to who this man was besides his name and the possibility he had a military history with the Empire. Besides that, this man was a total mistory.

"Indeed, we decided to...split up," Vic lied. "And you must be the bounty hunter called Jan Rosencrantz?" The Jedi did not want to have the small talk - he wanted to hurry and get across in order to find the boy and then find Kara. "We need to get across."

TAG: Winged_Jedi

 

"Luck", sure.


IC: Kara Dysar

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

At least the Imperial Knights were willing to talk. Sort of. "You're right," replied Neesa, slowly advancing with her partner Tieger. Kara backed up warily, her hand twitching to the lightsaber hanging on her belt. "It's not worth pointing out."

Kara, busy scanning her surroundings, didn't bother responding to the obvious threat. No obvious footpaths presented themselves - at least, every route was an obvious footpath, and the Imperial Knights would know the city better than she did. No chance of losing them on foot, then. The stream was a promising option - she couldn't tell how deep it was, and didn't really want to risk cracking her head on the stream bed if she could help it, but the overturned landspeeder had some loose-looking panels that might serve as a makeshift raft.

But before she could do anything, the young Zeltron felt a sudden, fierce pressure on her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. Gasping, Kara reeled sideways and half-crashed into the speeder, her left hand automatically flying to her neck - but she already knew it would do no good, for the obstruction here was not physical -

Anger and hatred flooded her senses. Tieger and Neesa, Kara thought distantly. She was feeling what Tieger and Neesa were feeling, just like how she had felt the darkness in the mines - but it was hard to remember that, to separate her emotions from theirs, through the steadily rising need to breathe.

Kara's eyes narrowed, her gaze focused past Neesa's shoulder on the crumbling, ancient hut there. She had noticed it earlier, but had not seriously thought piling rocks on them counted as "avoiding conflict" - but now - now she didn't really care whether she hurt them or not. Choke me, will you? she thought darkly. Summoning as much of the Force as she could, Kara made a fist and yanked, doing her very best to bring it crashing down on the Imperial Knight's head.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: My link in the last post for the recommended music was wrong, I accidentally linked to another theme (The Minotaur). Here is Tieger and Neesa, as intended.

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

Kara reeled sideways and half-crashed into the speeder, her left hand automatically flying to her neck, knowing that she was struggling in vain.

Finding it difficult to separate her own pain and emotion from the hatred and anger being poured into the Force by her two foes, Kara decided to fight back. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed past Neesa's shoulder, and a second later she made a fist and yanked mentally at the crumbling hut beside the woman.

The darkside seemed to flow easier here, unexpectedly amplifying the power of Kara's attack, so that the stone did not simply crumble, it ripped out from the wall at a furious speed, bludgeoning and battering Neesa, who barely had a moment to respond. Tieger whirled around in surprise. With both Knights distracted, the grip on Kara's throat vanished completely.

Unfortunately, there was no time for the Zeltron to breathe in relief or to survey the damage she had done to Neesa- within seconds, Tieger was attacking, his saber jabbing violently towards Kara's neck, madness in his eyes.

Tag: Xan

---

[i]Catacombs, Sanctum of the Dead[/i]

[i]"Indeed, we decided to...split up,"[/i] [b]Vic[/b] lied in response to the stranger's query. [i]"And you must be the bounty hunter called [b]Jan Rosencrantz[/b]?"[/i]

The man grinned, and bowed theatrically. "At your service."

[i]"We need to get across,"[/i] continued Vic.

"I see," replied Rosencrantz. "Then it appears, I would quite literally be at your service. Usually I would not tolerate such a request. However..."

He removed his jetpack, and held it out, gesturing for the Jedi to guide it over using the Force.

"I do not particularly like this," added the bounty hunter. "But Sydney wishes for you to enter the City, and he will not explain to me his reasons."

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

 

IC: Vic Horkin
~Catacombs - Leá Monde~

"At your service," the bounty hunter replied, confirming Vic's initial thought that the yellow-clad warrior was, in fact, Jan Rosencrantz. After the Jedi bluntly stated that he and the other two Jedi needed to get across, the man spoke again. "I see. Then it appears, I would quite literally be at your service. Usually I would not tolerate such a request. However..." Jan removed his jetpack and held it outwards. No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could toss it over the hole, so he must have been gesturing for Vic to grab it through the Force. The Jedi did so, grasping hold of it, lifting it into the air and bringing it towards him.

"I do not particularly like this," Jan continued. "But Sydney wishes for you to enter the City, and he will not explain to me his reasons." Vic almost lost his grasp on the jetpack at that statement. According to the briefing, Rosencrantz was on this mission in order to find the child for some unknown employer. Why, though, would Sydney Losstarot, the leader of the Sith Cult, be speaking with someone who wishes to take the boy back? Vic hoped his hesitation was not noticed, and continued to bring the object towards him.

When the jetpack arrived, he replaced his lightsabers with the jetpack, and slung it over his back. He had never used one of these before, but trusted in the Force and activated the jets. It sent him sailing into the air with more power than he had expected, but he gained control of himself and hovered over to the other side, landing gently on his feet. However, he tried to nonchalantly grab his lightsaber in case the bounty hunter tried something. There was something very suspicious about the man, and Vic did not like it.

Keeping an eye on Jan, Vic - his saber still in hand - took off the jet pack and hurled it to the other side with a Force assisted throw, knowing that Kimara or Anengy would be able to grab it. He turned to Jan, giving him a semi-respectful nod. "Thanks," he said as he turned his body towards his companions, keeping his eyes on the bounty hunter.

TAG: Winged_Jedi

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Tircolas Flow, Leá Monde

The grip on Kara's throat abruptly vanished. She sucked in a grateful breath -

But that was all she had time for. Abruptly Tiegar was there, his saber jabbing violently towards her neck, madness in his eyes. It was all Kara could do to dive out of the way, away from the ruined speeder, and even then the lightsaber burned the skin off her shoulder. She let out an involuntary gasp of pain.

Her training took over. Kara twisted in midair, turning the dive into a roll, and sprang quickly back to her feet. Her lightsaber was already in her hand - she did not quite recall drawing it. But now she saw she had made a tactical error: her manoeuvre put Tiegar between her and the speeder. Now a quick getaway was out of the question. She would first have to drive Tiegar away from the speeder before Neesa recovered - one way or another.

Chillingly, that thought did not distress her at all.

Kara ignited her lightsaber. With two quick steps she closed the distance between her and the Imperial Knight, bringing her blade down in a double-handed overhead swing.

TAG: Winged


My impression of where everyone is, in quick-n-dirty ASCII art:

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[Speeder] T K