Saga Wild Knights: Grasping an Ancient Fire (Obi-Wan, Siri, Garen) - Digital Specters/Completed 5/5

Still no real answers.

 

Kynstar?Thanks!

Jedikma?Oh, so you're going to pull an oe and start nagging too?

honour?Don't you wish you didn't remember that?

Neo Paladin?Nope. Ben'al was never one for subtlety.

Noi?Not you too! I guess I better get to working out the next volume.

jedi7?Patience. The answer is coming. Someday?.

Sickly One?That's rich coming from the one person who is spoiled rotten on the WK/Tale stuff. And you hate me? What else is new?

ObiLegolas?Nope, that wasn't the one. Caedo's name came up in Gift of Warmth, a holiday challenge story I wrote that also tells a lot about Ben'al's history.

PK?Lady Kavara did the writing.

ca tron?Were you really expecting any?

Trust me, you are getting close to real, hard facts. Really close. Probably more facts than you really wanted to know. But that is for another day. Thanks all. Hopefully a new posty tomorrow, but it might be Friday before it happens.

 

Chapter Eighty-Eight

The darkness swallowed Qin'Xui Quim Ji as he lumbered forward through the tunnel, leaving his companions far behind. Garen watched as the last of the great Draigon vanished, but he made no move to rush after him. He was content to take his time, remaining safe within the pool of bright azure cast from his lightsaber.

Holding his weapon toward the floor, he studied the tracks left by his friends who had passed earlier. They were trampled under Quim's large paws.

Yet, unlike the musty air that vaguely smelt of sulfur, and the thick coating of ash, the footprints were fresh. It would take years, centuries even, to wipe their memory from the floor.

?It is a good thing Draigons can see in the dark,? Maka Koth said as he approached from behind. He activated a wrist strapped lightrod that illuminated the corridor like a massive torch. The white glow burned for meters in both directions, dancing along the glass-like surface of the rounded walls.

Garen winced at the sudden brightness. ?I know very little about Draigons,? he said. "He is far older than I ever imagined."

The pirate drew close and walked alongside the Jedi as they traveled down the corridor. ?He claims to be about 2000 years old. At least, that is what he told me.?

"Somehow I doubt he has a reason to hide that truth."

The angle of the corridor deepened, taking them further into the rocky face of Tobos, closer to the heart of Tyrian. The air grew thick with stirred ash, clouding the bright light. Drawing a hand to his face, Garen stifled a cough in the sleeve of his cloak.

"Do you believe him?" Koth asked.

"What?"

The pirate seemed unaffected by the thick air. "Do you believe that Quim was a Jedi?"

"How can I not?"

"Are you Jedi so full of faith that you just accept his word? How do you know he is not lying to you?"

"I do not, but I also know that he speaks of a familiarity of the Jedi that outsiders could not."

Koth laughed.

There was more, but Garen could not quite put words to it. He never felt a Force signature; the Draigon was as blank as the weakest being in the Force. Yet, he could not dismiss something old about the Draigon, something that felt like the archives and the deepest, darkest corners of the Jedi Temple. There was no doubt in his mind. "I just sense it," he said firmly. "He is quite loyal to you."

Whatever grievances the pirate briefly had with the Draigon, they seemed to have been lost as warm laughter echoed of the corridors.

Koth laughed. ?Yes, he is. I shall forgive the omission in information in an hour or so." He opened his mouth as if to speak again but said nothing.

The glow of his lightrod illuminated the open doors. A small part of Garen felt terrified at what awaited him in the shadows. Koth caught his attention as the pirate ran his hands over the dark metal. Shifting one of the doors, he revealed the Thamite to be as thick as a clenched fist.

?This could fund a thousand wars,? the pirate whispered.

?Wars? You want revenge on one man, not the entire galaxy.?

?We made a deal,? Koth said coolly, brushing off the concern that had filled the Jedi's voice. "This is not one of your artifacts. It is mine to do with as I please."

"How many lives will you take in the process?"

Glancing back over his shoulder, Koth smiled. "You have my word that innocents will not suffer. My wrath is for those who deserve it."

"Like all those at Selvax?"

"Smugglers and pirates?"

"What about that Twi'lek girl? The Y'Beggar who died when you attacked their guard stations?"

"The red one?" Koth asked. He smirked. "She must have done an excellent job of fooling Jedi. There is little about her that is innocent. I'd think I did the Y'Beggar a favor dealing with her." He returned to his study of the doors. "The guard house, well, they shouldn't have tried to stop me." There was a pause. "We will finish this, Jedi Garen. Both of us will walk away happy." His spoke with warning, "Or I will see that you and your friends get plenty

 

"He is quite loyal to you."

Whatever grievances the pirate briefly had with the Draigon, they seemed to have been lost as warm laughter echoed of the corridors.

Koth laughed. ?Yes, he is. I shall forgive the omission in information in an hour or so." He opened his mouth as if to speak again but said nothing.

Very interesting! Just why is Quim so devoted to someone like Koth?

Now back to more important things. Where's Ben'al?

 

Well Koth is getting back to normal it seems. A thousand wars indeed.

I'm enjoying the progress.

 

Koth is quite cold hearted about the twi'lek girl.

I have to wonder about Quim's devotion to Koth, as well. Maybe a means to an end?

Looking forward to more.

 

Yet, he could not dismiss something old about the Draigon, something that felt like the archives and the deepest, darkest corners of the Jedi Temple.

I really liked that imagery.

I am also wondering why Quim is so loyal to Koth. I guess I will have ot be patient.

 

I second o_e - how can Quim bo loyal to a dangerous murderer?

 

Don't you wish you didn't remember that?

I wish it was different.


Like everyone else, I'm curious about the reason for Quim's loyalty.

 

Excellent chapters!

 

Bad man. Me not like bad man.

 

Moldy-One?I'm beginning to think you have a Ben'al fixation.

Neo-Paladin?He's not ambitious or anything.

Jedikma?Hmm, interesting thought.

Noi?Patience is the key word of the day.

PK?Answer will be?eventual.

honour?But what is done, cannot be undone. At least, (I hope) you'll come to understand why everything happened the way it did.

Zebra3?Thanks!

ca tron?LOL!

You will be happy to know that not only do I have tomorrow's post ready as well, but I have started the first draft of Tale3. It will be a very short volume, sort of transitional, but I think it will set the stage for many bad things in the future.

Thanks everyone!

 

Chapter Eighty-Nine

Strength seeped out of Siri's legs and she sank to a large boulder in the center of a vast atrium surrounded by gateways to more tunnels. The floor was littered with stones of all different sizes, loosened from the years of abandonment and the constant rumble from Tyrian's depths.

She was tired, but not in a physical way. Her mind, her very spirit, seemed to have withered from overuse.

From her vantage point, she cast her lighrod about, bouncing the light across the veiled mirror finish of the walls. In the beam, she caught the Draigon searching the wall. His paws were smearing away the dust.

"Small mercies," Quim whispered as he brushed a paw over a panel. All around them, lights built into the walls high above offered up a dim glow. It was not enough to fully illuminate the chamber, but more than enough light to reveal the many obstacles that filled it.

Deactivating her lightrod, Siri leaned back and looked around. Bordering each tunnel gateway were large statues rising up. They were faceless, robed figures holding swords before them like ancient guardians.

There was something threatening about them.

Something dark.

?How did you know where the light was?? she asked.

Quim turned and looked at her for a moment. ?I have been here before.?

?Just like Ben?al.?

The Draigon seemed to perk at her words then glance about the chamber. ?Where did he go??

Words seemed unimportant as she looked to one of the gateways and tipped her chin toward it. She could have followed. He had bid her to follow but something whispered that she should wait. "I do not like this place."

"I imagine not," Quim said.

The sound of footsteps drew her attention across the chamber to the archway that she had entered through a short time earlier. Garen appeared. A soft smile escaped her at the sight of her friend. She thought she had spied worry in his face but it quickly vanished.

"I suppose Maka is trying to figure out what to do with the Thamite," the Draigon said wearily.

"Yes," came an almost bitter response. The Jedi paused in the doorway and looked around before settling his gaze on Quim. "You could have lead him here anytime."

The Draigon grunted. "I thought this place would have been taken by Tyrian by now. I had hoped it was a fool's crusade."

Directing her lightrod across the floor, Siri illuminated the rubble spilled into the chamber from several collapsed corridors. Only the entrance and two chambers remained open from what she could tell. "There is nothing here but dust and broken idols. Whatever shrine this had been has long been stripped of anything valuable." She raised her sapphire gaze as Garen strode across the chamber following Ben'al's footsteps.

"Where did Obi-Wan go?" he asked.

"There," she said waving her hand toward the black corridor.

Approaching the archway, Garen held his weapon out, igniting the blue blade and illuminating an empty corridor. ?What is down there??

?A place of darkness and pain,? a static charged voice filled the chamber.

Startled by the interloper, Garen spun about as Siri leapt to her feet, weapon in hand. Siri took in a sharp breath as she watched Quim and Garen back away from a shimmering blue figure that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He was tall and humanoid with a long white beard, and dressed in ancient robes.

Garen held his weapon up defensively. ?Who are you??

The old Jedi smiled. ?You may call me Dormus, my friend.? His long, curly beard covered much of the front of his tunics, but did little to hide a warm smile. ?I have not had guests in many, many centuries." He glanced about at the three beings in the chamber, pausing on Quim. "What brings you here??

?We are looking for treasure,? Siri said before stealing a glance down the corridor Ben?al had vanished into.

Dormus seemed to glide across the floor, before stopping next to her. He stared down the darkened corridor. ?There is only grief there, child. There is no treasure in riches to be found there. In fact,

 

Holy forcemonkeys! The Jedi slaughtered the Sith and the current Council knows about it and wants to make sure it never comes to light!

This has to have some impact on Garen and Siri. Maybe not a good one. And I wonder what Ben'al is off doing? Looking for something in particular is he

Very powerful chapter Red.

 

Garen laughed. ?Since when is the site of a slaughter considered sacred??

Right on Garen! I'd be laughing sarcastically as well.

Great chapter! More of Quim's pass sneaks out. how sad, how sad indeed to have been the one to order such. Poor guy I feel for him.

Great chapter!

 

Garen laughed. ?Since when is the site of a slaughter considered sacred??

But he forgot the most important detail about the slaughter: it was a slaughter of SITH. Sith are bad people, very bad people and ones you don't want coming back from the dead. Especially Jathra.

Great post, Red!

 

Interesting... and yet I'm not shocked by it. It's a cold hard thing, but kudos to you on not pulling any punches. If they were in a place where the conclusion was foregone, then the only question is how to achieve the conclusion as cleanly as possible. Quim has shown his integrity such that I belive he was faced with this dilemma. In a place like that the right choice is sometimes the one that makes you feel the darkest.

 

Interesting that the Jedi slaughtered the Sith.

I have to wonder what Ben'al is looking for, too.

Great post!

 

"I never said it was acceptable. What was done could not be undone."

Gosh, what a weight for Quim to be carrying. Yes, slaughter is not what Jedi do, but then they don't know the Sith from the Tale timeline. There was a sense of desperation from the Jedi.

I also wonder what (or who)Ben'al is looking for.

 

The Order has grown soft- that was War! Something that they are going to have to learn again quite soon.

I find it very interesting that Mr. blue ghostie doesn;t know the whole story- when did he arrive? After the slaughter? SInce Quim ordered it, can we assume that he was the ranking master at the site? Are you going to answer any of my questions?

 

Though I shouldn't be, I guess.

"...What was done could not be undone."

Indeed.


?Since when is the site of a slaughter considered sacred??

Well.... I'll let you take us down that road before I wander into trouble.

 

Moldy-One?Yup, that's the gist of it, Forcemonkeys and all.

Kynstar?Yup, poor Quim.

ObiLegolas?Ah, but Garen doesn't really understand that. He's lived a sheltered life compared to the Jedi of old.

Neo-Paladin?Thanks!

Jedikma?Don't worry, Ben'al will show up shortly.

Noi?Hmmm

PK?Nope at least not yet.

honour?Ah, here we go with those trust issues again. Well, I hope today's post helps you.

New posty up now. Another one, probably Thursday. I'm sick and I'm sure it is oe's fault so I was lucky to have already prewritten the post or you all would be waiting.

 

Chapter Ninety

Siri had heard enough. Quim's words had left a chill in her that she could not shake, even in the warmth of the tunnels as she traveled deeper, following Ben'al's footprints. A small part of her wondered if she would ever shake the words, or the feeling of darkness that seemed to pervade every shadow of that damned place.

Every step grew a little more hesitant, fearful of what she might find ahead. She nearly turned back, but then realized that it would only compound her fears. She could not erase what she already knew, but maybe she could try to understand it.

Still, this was all more than she wanted to know. Why did the Council sent them on this mission in the first place? It should have been given to masters or someone who understood what they were getting in to.

All around her the darkness seemed to move, unafraid of the glow cast by her wrist-strapped torch. If she let her control slip, just a little, she could imagine the tortured cries of those left to starve and suffocate in the sealed chambers. What mercy as that, she wondered.

Almost without warning, the tunnel opened into another dimly lit chamber, much smaller than the one she had left behind. Rising from the center of the ashen floor was a massive stone slab of the glassy black rock. It sat upon a wide base that was littered with ash and fresh footprints. Steps from each corner stood tall black lanterns, a pale white glow emanated from their fogged glass. The lights danced, teasing the darkness that swam around the far edges.

A small smile of relief escaped her when she saw the form of her friend sitting wearily at the edge of the bier. ?This is a terrible place,? she said softly. Turning back, she glanced at the walls and the corridor entrance wondering why this chamber had remained unsealed.

When she turned back, Ben'al was staring at her. "No," he said softly, "this is merely a place of endings."

"You justify what happened here?"

He shrugged and turned to look at two wrapped figures lying side by side on the bier. They were humanoid in shape, but obscured by thick drapes of faded, decomposing colors of Jedi cloaks and centuries of ash and dust that had filtered in.

Something chill wrapped itself around Siri's spirit.

?I have missed you, Amare,? the warm, living visage of her friend said softly, reaching out and brushing the back of a finger across the cloth near the head of the closest figure.

It was not Obi-Wan Kenobi's eyes that met hers; it was the cold distant gaze of a specter from generations past.

"Here name has been forgotten by the Jedi." Pain. "Erased from their history and replaced with the name of the Sith she became. They called her the greatest betrayer of the Order, for her fury, a thousand Jedi died.?

?Caedo,? Siri whispered.

Fire lit his aura. "Her name is Amare!" he roared, his voice echoing off the smooth walls. The darkness seemed to retreat under the heightened glow of the lanterns, though brief. The fierceness of his response made Siri back track a step. Just as quickly as it had exploded into existence, the rage subsided, and the void filled with grief. He reached out again, brushing his fingers over the fragile material. "She was a Jedi, a mother and my wife." There was a pause. "She was the last of my kills." He motioned off toward the darkness that shifted at the edges of the chamber. ?I was ordered to kill her by the High Council, but I did not do it for the Jedi. I killed her to protect Risa. She would never have stopped until she found our daughter.

"I had to protect her." There was a pause as he drew up his hand and studied it. "It seems in that I have failed."

Rising from the slab, he brushed his hand along the edge of his cloak, drawing it back and revealing the Prak'sha at his hip. The weapon glowed in the poor light as he held it up in silent examination. As if it were merely trash to be discarded, he tossed the hilt toward Siri who easily caught it. "Take it. I no longer have use for it." A beat. "Promise me that the weapon will serve n

 

Ooohhh!! I thought Ben'al might be looking for Amare when he went in there. He still loves her.

And what is on that disk?

Great chapter!

 

Call her what you want Ben'al, she was still a Sithwitch.

Have no clue what's on the disc. And he's leaving soon?

"I had to protect her." There was a pause as he drew up his hand and studied it. "It seems in that I have failed."

Do I not get that scene I requested?

And you're sick because you're evil.