Journey to Gamorr

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The Agrarian world of Gamorr in the Opoku system had drawn the attention of the explorer for a number of a reasons, prominent among them however were two: The world boasted an abundance of rainforest and virility that reminded him fondly of Ghul, and Gamorr was home to a race of repugnant and revilingly dull warriors of some notice who; as a species, constantly seemed to churn out mercenaries and guards for hire. It was an easy decision from that point onwards to at least consider a journey towards the planet, and the current location of the Patriot was near enough that the trip was only a slight detour from the original plotted course. Abelain hoped that it would only be a short while longer until he would be able to depart from what had gradually become a metallic prison, his lungs longed for air that was not recycled and for the open freedoms that the wilderness granted.

The Arue'tii reflected on what had brought them upon their adventure, on how a single step had started an entire hunt for an individual who had wrought bad will upon the name of Abelain's species and had thus warranted his own destruction out of a mixture of duty and spite. The hidden and secretive teacher who had been so respected had turned his back and become a horrific and destitute individual, prostituting himself to other alliances and coalitions in hopes of being accepted after having been branded traitor. Mullarus had sealed his fate in many steps however, and in the intricacies of dance had set the choreography of his destruction. He had granted his hunter a vessel of remarkable power, and a loyal and enhanced selection of soldiers, each one holding fire in their hearts at the spoken command that had ended their companions lives carelessly.

The furnace that would inevitably unleash upon Mullarus would have to wait however, much like coal tossed into a fire, it would take time to gradually become hot enough to singe the traitor; after all, they still had yet to find him. Patience was a virtue among most people, and the Arue'tii was no exception to the rule, and though he held to his silence for many long and exhaustive days, he could not help but feel his patience slipping away from him, all in the desire to finally engage and reprove the traitor for his actions with the judgement of Escalation. It would all have to wait, first there would be the visit to Gamorr, and perhaps the acquisition of mercenaries of some form to assist in the battles that Abelain would yet find himself drawn towards.

"Lt. Stall, would you kindly order our course set for the world of Gamorr." He spoke softly, obviously still locked in contemplation. The soldier saluted, responded with: "Right away", and turned his attention to the remainder of the bridge staff, ensuring that the orders of their Sith commander had been heard and properly accounted for. In recent times, the young Lieutanent had risen quickly through the ranks, and had become a mediator between the Arue'tii and the remainder of the command crew of the vessel, as well as the remainder of the crew. He had his uses in gauging morale, and giving advice based on experience in the greater galaxy, something invaluable to the still foreign Arue'tii.

The journey would take time, but Abelain held some patience yet.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Usually it was Tormax's brother who had all the bad luck. As he waded through the crowded streets of Gamorr, Tormax had no idea that wasn't the case. Though, since he was there looking for Andanian, it could go both ways. Despite his large stature, his newly acquired premium "Shaggy Cloak" which he received for a wicked deal of nothing by nicking it from a random post near where he landed, did good to hide him. It helped that the residents of the planet weren't too small themselves. He wasn't here for the people or the scenery however. Anybody with half a brain knew that the Hutts knew what you didn't. and if they didn't, you shouldn't know it anyway. It didn't take long for Tormax to realize the overgrown slugs were probably his best chance of finding his brother, since he had no idea where to start. So, he set up a meeting. He was able to do this because he used his charismatic skills to convince the moron messenger who received his offer that he was an Imperial Officer in need of information. It almost wasn't a lie! Almost.

Tormax had already thought up a plan on how to carry this out. He would use his brothers bounty as an excuse to wanting the information. The bounty was still up, Tormax had checked, but he doubted anyone would receive payment. Everything was looking good, except...

Where the Kark am I?

Despite having recorded where he had to go, he was not familiar with the layout of the area he was in. He had tried to ask directions, but the Gammoreans who he had asked either didn't seem to know what he was saying, or grunted at him. He had resorted to walking along the streets, since he couldn't find a map anywhere on his datapad. Oh well, he thought. The meet up isn't for another hour, I should find it before then. He had wanted to scope out the area first, but now finding it would be enough.

Surely nothing could go wrong whilst he walked.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The shuttle touched down upon the planet, it's whirring engine coming to a sudden death as it was shut down. The place they had landed seemed to be covered in rainforest, and it had been a wonder that the minor clearing had been available. It was far better for the minor shuttle to land away from the major clan fortresses, especially since it held the benefit of not aggravating the porcine inhabitants that numbered into the millions on this world alone. The journey had taken it's toll, and as the shuttle's door lurched open, Abelain found himself relieved to finally be out of the cramped metal box. The Arue'tii sucked in a deep breath of air, letting the new scents and the freshness of the forest air tickle his olfactory senses. The dirt underfoot seemed to be somewhat moist, as though it had only recently precipitated, though the clouds overhead suggested that it had not rained for the entire day. The obvious conclusion between such different thoughts was that the weather changed rapidly on Gamorr, an intriguing discovery for the explorer.

The Arue'tii had descended alone to the planet, leaving behind both his retinue and Lieutenant Stall. Stall would no doubt ensure that the operations of the Paladin were taken care of, and that all of the logistical difficulties that accompanied their extended expedition would be dealt with before they grew into problems. He had been only a Private when Abelain had first made his acquaintance, and since then he had served as a loyal assistant to the explorer, assisting him especially in many logistical tasks that would otherwise distract his attention from the search. The large amount of death from the experimental super soldier procedure had allowed for the Private to jump multiple ranks ahead, especially supported by the Arue'tii. It was no wonder that the majority of the remaining troopers despised their previous master, some of them had lost dear friends, and the fanning of the flames by the teacher's former apprentice could hardly help matters. Naturally, not every individual agreed with such things, there had been reports of a few soldiers abandoning their posts and even talk that some had joined with the traitor.

The crackle of sticks accompanied the lumbering Gamorrean as he trudged through the woods. In his hands lay a vibroaxe, recognizable by it's near constant humming. The porcine being was quite small compared to Abelain, standing at about 1.8 meters, however he held considerable girth and his body seemed to be rippled with muscle and fat. It was no wonder that the pitiful creature had such trouble creeping through the woods, especially with it's stocky appearance hinting at it's total mass. Tusks protruded from it's face, and sitting as a crown atop it's head were a set of horns, the left one apparently having been hacked off and leaving a stump that dwarfed the other horn. The Gamorrean continued it's approach, stomping through mud and splattering dirt and grime onto it's exposed feet. Abelain awaited it's arrival, not moving from his current position and instead taking the time to analyze the native, taking notice also of the furs covering it's body. There lay a long gash along the length of the uppermost fur, exposing the area of the ribs, and the Arue'tii thought that he scented the faintest hint of blood laying along the tatter; ample indication that it had once taken a fatal blow.

Finally, the inferior being arrived, glaring upwards at the Arue'tii with an apparent readiness to fight indicated in it's hefting up the vibroaxe. It spoke, expelling words in a guttural and crude mockery of Basic: "You in Obet land, what you want?" The Arue'tii leaned down slightly to stare deeper into the boar's eyes and to better hear it's voice. "I have come to explore, to seek and examine the various facets of this plac-" The brute cut in with a grunt, "You is sp'ahin on us!" There seemed to have been a reason that aliens were not recommended to go to Gamorr, and that reason become evident in the utter stupidity of the populace. "No. I have come to... learn." The boar grunted again, scratching at a strange animal attached to it's fat and green neck, "You wanna learn in Obet land, you pay or fight!"

The journey was going splendidly.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

After looping around many streets, Tormax finally noticed a sign with the words "The Brick House" etched onto it. He checked his datapad to be sure, and that was definitely the name of the pub they had agreed to meet up at. From a distance he couldn't really tell what it was like, so he walked closer to see if he could get a decent look at the surroundings.

An especially big Gammorean guarded the establishment. He didn't seem like a bouncer, just some extra security in case something really bad went on outside the bar. The street outside the tavern had many stalls with animal furs and meats, some minerals and such every now and then, but there were none near The Brick House' entrance.

Nothing out of the ordinary, he decided, so he strolled into the tavern itself. His contact was not a Gammorean, a detail that Tormax was happy about, so he knew that he had not arrived when only the porcine race was the only race he could see. His contact didn't tell him what race he was, only that Tormax would know who he was when he saw him. Once he was finished surveying, he went up to the bartender and ordered a malt. Once he was finished with that he went to the back corner table. He didn't sit here randomly, though. His contact made sure Tormax knew which table to sit at, and to be there alone by the time he arrived.

And so sat Tormax, drinking his malt, waiting for the unknown man to arrive.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The axe fell, picking up speed from both the added strength of gravity and the natural force of the Gamorrean. It hacked towards the shoulder of the Arue'tii, apparently not meant to be a death blow, but rather as an attempt at drawing first blood. That was something that Abelain had read within the records of Gamorr, it was one of their cultural practices to fight until first blood was drawn to determine a victor, especially since if one were to kill their opponent then they would gain nothing from it and further weaken their clan. Still, it seemed a hint strange that the porcine being would not attempt to kill him, as he lost nothing from the death and could only hope to gain a new shuttle. The explorer rapidly dodged to the right, attempting to dodge around the foe with grace, but finding that the mud which clung to his feet slowed his momentum down to a crawl. The weapon skidded along the edges of the shoulder, scraping at the periphery of chitin with a grinding crack.

The pain shot into his body despite the chitin being relatively unharmed. The brutish boar was quite powerful in terms of strength, even if he was more foolish than a rock. It almost seemed pleased with the blow, and started to lower it's weapon when it took heed that the blow had not actually drawn blood. It's eyes widened in surprised, and it hefted the weapon upwards once more with apparent shock. The Arue'tii responded blow for blow, the sharpened chitin on his elbow swinging through the air, and catching the savage in the hand. Blood sprinkled to the ground, and the boar elicited a guttural groan of pain, dropping the axe as it no longer had the strength to hold it up with only one appendage. The gash was significant, moving down the length of the hand and exposing bone to the air. "Okay! You win! You win!" It shouted out, apparently reminding the foreigner that the rules dictated the battle stopped after such an injury.

The boar pressed it's wound into it's tattered garment, brushing it against a particularly unsanitary piece of the cloth with no regard to it's cleanliness. The blood seeped into it, running a scarlet line down the clothing. A small creature of some form detached itself from the fat neck of the Gamorrean, moving slowly towards the wound and planting itself firmly near it. "Morrt is make better." The scent of blood being slowly drawn into the pet made it apparent to the Arue'tii that it was some form of parasite, apparently well liked by the Gamorreans. "So, you want learn in Obet land. What want learn?" It snorted, apparently already satisfied with the condition of the wound which would no doubt become infected.

The Arue'tii drew his blue eyes away from the odd sight, re-aligning them with the eyes of the Gamorrean and considering what the best question to ask would be. Finally after a brief consideration he spoke, "Who are you?" It was a simple question, and a common courtesy in most places, though it was a mystery as to whether the porcine beings contained courtesy. "Me is Stip, tusker." The word tusker seemed to be a rank of some form based on the slight pause. "You are a guard against the other clans?" The Gamorrean nodded, bending over to pick up it's vibroaxe with obvious pain, "Ya, and spahs, and others." The corruption of the word spy was evident enough in it's description, but the Arue'tii was curious about the 'others' that the boar spoke of, "What others?" In response the Gamorrean simply pointed at Abelain, it's chubby finger leaking blood onto the mud. "You is third other today."

This piqued Abelain's interest, and examining the woods, he ordered, "Take me to them."

 

[Tormax Ategann]

One hour and two malts later, the man arrived. He was cloaked, like Tormax, but he was also equipped with a rebreather that took up most of his lower face. Due to the lighting of the bar and the hood over his head, he could not tell whether the man needed it, but he assumed it was to keep his identity intact. From what Tormax could tell, his contact had a human shaped body, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about his size. It was like he was made to be in this line of work. The head behind the rebreather turned towards the table and locked eyes with the ex-Stormtrooper, though Tormax could not see the mans eyes.

He approached and sat down, across from Tormax. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Tormax said, "I was going to ask if you like my cloak, but it seems we both shop at the same place." No chuckle came from the man opposite of him. Straight to the point, hm? Tormax sighed and slid his datapad with [member="Andanian Ategann"] taking up the screen. "I need to know where this man is."

The two cloaked men probably didn't look too strange in The Brick House. One looking at the other, whilst the other stared at a datapad, saying nothing. After a minute of looking at the picture, the second cloaked man looked up at the first. Tormax had a hard time reading the emotions of a face he couldn't see, so he just waited, and eventually the question everyone in universe asks at least once was voiced.

"Why?"

"Well, as you know, I am an imperial officer. This man has a bounty on him, which you'll see if you swipe to the right. This man has wronged me, and he deserves justice. So, do you know where he is?"

The man picked up the datapad and swiped, and was silent for a little while longer. He seemed to be pondering. His arms were crossed beneath the cloak and Tormax could hear his boot tapping on the floor. He looked up.

"I do. For the right price."

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The muddy terrain of the landscape gradually shifted into something much more rocky and less sucking on the feet. It was evident that the pair of beings were nearing some sort of town, or perhaps a fortress of some form based on the structures that were perceptible. Abelain walked on, feet churning rocks and pebbles underfoot as he approached the main residential area of the Obet Clan. The snorting and vile smelling porcine creature ahead of him was serving as guide, albeit not a very good one, nor one who spoke much of anything of worth. All the stupid creature seemed to want to talk of was his current standing in life, and about how he needed to fight better so he could find a good sow and stop being just another useless tusker. Had the Gamorrean ever diverted his attention from directly in front of his snout, he probably would have taken heed of Abelain's total disinterest in the subject.

Instead, he was far more curious about the grand scheme of things, perhaps a discussion over the economics of the Clans or the current territory disputes which erupted throughout the lands. Maybe even a political lecture on who was currently top clan in the swine filled rainforests of Gamorr. Something else tickled at his curiosity however, the mention of multiple outsiders just inside of Obet lands. Apparently, it wasn't terribly uncommon for there to be occasional visitors, but Abelain wanted to learn what there business on Gamorr was, and whether or not they could be of some usefulness to himself. A strange idea lurked in his mind of hiring some of the mercenary soldiers here because; even if they were ridiculously foolish, they were hefty and strong beings.

Finally, the Arue'tii found himself entering the town, glancing throughout streets and taking heed of the vibroaxe armed guards scattered about, and the drilling soldiers taking turns hacking at large and sturdy logs. He also took notice of the various sows that sat at their shops, or moved about taking care of the daily chores that a clan of this size must warrant. A particularly fat one, with several of the strange and sweet smelling creatures known as 'Morrts' upon her neck walked by, wheeling away a large fungi of some form. "Where are the outsiders then?" He questioned, awaiting the Gamorrean boar to answer and lead him directly to his target. "Me don't know, just heard sows talkin'."

He supposed he would simply need to ask around. Spinning upon his heel, he began to walk after the sow with the wheelbarrow, hoping to catch her before she became enthralled in any sort of industrial or economic work that would otherwise divide her attention.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

"For the right price." Of course. Tormax had not forgotten about this. Out of everything this is what he prepared for the most.

"Well, as you can clearly see on the bounty post, he is currently worth 30,000 credits. 8,000 of those can be yours if you cooperate and tell me where he is. The payment will be sent once I've found him."

This time the man opposite Tormax laughed. "8000? 15000." Not a man of many words. Tormax had been expecting him to raise the price, and responded accordingly. "9000." The man didn't laugh this time, but instead seemed to grow impatient. "13500." They threw counter offers back and forth and eventually settled on "11000 Credits... Half when I get you the information, half when you get your guy." Tormax remained still, his poker face set in stone, despite being happy due to the fact he had expected a harsher price. "Deal."

Tormax had enough to pay him now, but insisted on not paying at all until he had been given the information. He didn't expect the Hutts to cheat him, that being bad for business, but he liked to be safe. The two shook hands, the rebreath equipped man wearing gloves that went up to his shirt arm. Even when he was closer, Tormax couldn't see the face of the man he was dealing with. Oh well. Fine by me, he decided.

Once they had exchanged contact information, and after Scorch, which is the ID the man apparently went by in public, explained the best time to contact him in the future, they both left. Tormax thought about getting another malt, but decided against it. Feeling so glad due to his potential progress in his search for Andanian, Tormax decided to go for a walk to calm himself. He hadn't shown it, but in that situation he had been very afraid of saying the wrong thing. That was why he had been so prepared

He didn't expect to stay much longer, but was actually curious about what all the Gamorreans sold besides food. He doubted he would buy anything, half because it wouldn't help or interest him, half because he needed to make sure he had enough money to pay Scorch. But who knows? He thought. Besides,

Surely nothing could go wrong whilst he walked.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The scent was only a tickle at first, something moving at the periphery of his range. Abelain stopped in his tracks, forgetting the sow who continued to move away with her precious mushroom. He focused on the scent, only to find that it had disappeared, having vanished from his range. Spinning upon his heel, he set off in the direction that he had spotted it, taking deep breaths of the air in an attempt to rekindle that particular scent so that he could examine it more thoroughly. A minute passed, and finally the smell had reached him once more, and he curiously noted it's familiarity. The Arue'tii had scented the blood of this being before, but he could not remember where. Casting a glance back at the boar, who stood dumbfounded, he made a decision to begin his search without the porcine creature's assistance. "Thank you for your services. I no longer require a guide."

The boar shrugged and stalked off, apparently going to enjoy a refresher of training courses involving hitting logs that swung on ropes. Abelain moved throughout the moderately busy streets, following the scent and passing by varying establishments until he came to a tavern or bar. There was another scent that could be felt from this location, one that did not match the Gammorreans, but it did not seem familiar and was thus ignored. The iron scent of blood finally culminated in a location, the trail left behind having been followed by the Arue'tii. In the moment that he laid eyes upon him, Abelain remembered who the individual was, and for a moment questioned why he was off of the vessel. The stories of traitors and deserters flashed into his mind with a spark, and the realization came that this man had left his post, and potentially knew where his prey resided.

Abelain walked down the street towards him, steps slow and grinding against hard rock and gravel. The sun bearing down overhead cast flickering streams of light down upon him, obscured partially by an occasional flag or taller structure. The moisture in the air felt calming in the throat, and the sensation of coming battle fluttered in his heart. The Arue'tii allowed it's chitinous 'smile' to shut, giving it both protection to it's mouth and a monstrous visage. Red cape flicked to his side in a particularly hefty gust of wind, and finally he spoke through the smile, words hissing with minor spite to Tormax: "Ategann. It has been some time has it not? Pray tell, where have you been?"

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Apparently, A lot could go wrong. Tormax was just enjoying his time, excited at the possibility of seeing his long lost brother, when all of a sudden a chilling, extremely familiar voice spoke behind him. Tormax immediately knew it was Abelain. The voice alone told him that. His blood momentarily chilled, then settled. No need to get terrified. You know Sith, at least somewhat. That doesn't help. Instead of slowly turning, Tormax did a 180 and faced the caped terror. There stood the former apprentice of the Sith turned Jedi he saved, possibly here to kill him. "Abelain. I must say, that cape looks as good on you as this cloak does on me. I don't know what's with people seeming to have similar tastes in clothes today, but I shouldn't question it."

It was strange to see Abelain amongst the porcine people. He was like a big root that stuck out of a mossy mess, though Tormax had some doubts he was much more concealed. Tormax eyed around them, and was a bit worried about the Gamorreans around them. Tormax didn't know if he was necessarily a good man, but he didn't want to put the citizens of the planet he was on in danger because of him being there. Abelain seemed to be alone, but that bugged him a bit more than if he was with a squad. Also...

Why is he here? I can't tell whether he came here for me, but that seems likely.... But why? Tormax kept his distance. "Where have I been you ask? Oh, here and there. Decided maybe the way of the One Sith wasn't for me when they turned me into this." After finishing his sentence he took off his borrowed shaggy cloak and threw it aside, making it even more evident how he had changed. "However, I don't think I've done enough to warrant an actual sith being sent after me. So, I've answered your question, now you answer mine. Why are you here?"\

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The hint of flattery elicited a derisive snort of humor from behind the 'smile' of the explorer. The Arue'tii flicked a casual glance around himself, ensuring that none of the porcine creatures were within arms reach of himself, and satisfying a desire to keep the natives out of any future conflict. It was not out of a respect for the beings, and an attempt at keeping them safe for their own sake, but it would be very difficult to apprehend Tormax if all of the brutish guards decided to alleviate him of his life. Not that such an event would be likely, though it was within the realms of possibility that a clever thrust might murder him. The sunlight glinted off of a particularly shiny set of new Gamorrean armor on a nearby stand, blinding the remaining stands to that direction for a brief moment as he passed through the weave of light.

Abelain's hand crept to his side, resting upon the hilt of the Sith vibroblade that lay there. The blade was colored black as night, and upon it were inscribed words in an ancient and archaic language, it rested silently, not yet awoken from it's shy slumber. The answer that Ategann gave was not quite satisfactory in that it left a majority of time cryptic, and only answered the existential question that had already found an answer; that he was not aboard the Paladin. Still, it was an adequate answer for what may have been a frightened individual, or even one who wished to keep their activities secretive in hopes of exploiting future activities. The enforcing of hidden agendas had been a time-honored practice, and it had elicited the use of agenda-breakers; torturers especially. Torture was not quite the method of operation of the Arue'tii, but he could not deny that it held it's uses in discovering important information from individuals that would otherwise bite their tongues.

The question that Tormax interrogated deserved an answer in recompense for the answer he had given, though for a moment Abelain considered giving an equally cryptic one to embody the sense of fairness, however he decided against it at the last minute. "You are correct in assuming that you are not important enough to warrant the presence of a Sith. In truth, I was simply exploring this planet in the hopes of locating any trail that would lead to my traitorous teacher. However, I have a new goal now..."

"Your immediate capture."

 

[Tormax Ategann]

"Your immediate capture."

Well, what else was I expecting? Tormax wasn't too surprised Abelain was looking for [member="Krux Mullarus"]. He was, however, surprised that the both of them had come to Gamorr in search of people. What a small galaxy. So, he thinks I know where Krux is, which I do, and he is going to try and capture me in order to find that out. Chances are, if he does capture me I doubt I can outlast any sort of torture, especially... Tormax didn't even want to think about Abelain knowing about the serums ability to heighten senses to the point of causing pain in certain areas.

Tormax made note of the sword at Abelain's side. Great, he has two weapons to kill me with, and I have nothing. Having left his weapons on the ship due to thinking he could handle himself with his fists, Tormax was empty handed. I'm at a big dis advantage... I'll have to run, but he has the force... Realizing he didn't have much of a choice, Tormax decided to walk back and forth, from one side to the other of the street, slowly. He mostly kept his eyes on Abelain, but he made it seem like he was simply wondering like an arrogant criminal when he looked around for things to help his situation.

"So, you're looking for Krux? Have a personal vendetta do you? I assume as much because why would the One Sith send someone trained by a skilled traitor to kill said traitor, especially when that trainee in question is still an Acolyte...? You are still an Acolyte, right? Bah it doesn't really matter. Even if I did know where Krux was, I wouldn't tell you, because you'll capture me anyway for desertion." After all of this chatter Tormax was able to think up a game plan. First, he stopped walking in front of a not so small market stall. There were more to the left of him, Abelain being on his right, but this one was perfect because it had nothing on it. He had the thumb and forefinger grip his chin, making it seem as if he was thinking on how to resolve the situation. After doing this, he started a sentence with "So, I think-" before gripping the corner of the stall and practically frisbee throw it towards Abelain. Let's see if he can block with his two weapons.

Tormax wasn't really a man of pride, so he didn't really think bolting off to the left immediately after doing what he did as cowardly. He thought of it instead as "not dying." So, off he ran, knowing his attack would not subdue his foe, but hoping it did enough for him to get far enough away from him. All the while he thought, Krux, you owe me a malt for this.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

Abelain observed Tormax curiously as he seemed to walk to and fro for no discernible reason. There was a possibility that it was simply nervousness at having been apprehended when he had thought himself safe from what he claimed to have been cruelty on the part of the One Sith, though the Arue'tii had a sneaking suspicion that it was a move in the part of a grander strategy obscured to his perspective. The eyes seemed to remain mostly intent on himself, however it also seemed as though he were searching for something among the market stalls. A flash of understanding ignited itself in the explorer's mind-Tormax was searching for a weapon to evade his immediate arrest and to better his circumstances to the action of fleeing. There was a certain cleverness behind that strategy, though it seemed moot based on their relative strengths and abilities, even with the serum giving heightened natural talent towards the inferior human.

When he spoke, Abelain listened carefully to his words, examining them for any distracting qualities before he truly heard the message. It was apparent to Ategann that Abelain was hunting down the traitor Mullarus on the terms of a personal vendetta. That was only somewhat true in the mind of the Arue'tii however. He was not hunting down the teacher for only his own pride, rather he was proving and honoring the pride of his species versus a challenge issued by an inferior race. Still, it was undeniable that Abelain felt a personal calling to the act of vengeance, and indeed had his motivations. The next part of speech delivered by Tormax was also fairly accurate, the Arue'tii would likely re-capture the deserter simply because it was a dishonorable practice.

Suddenly, Abelain heard the creak of wood and found himself staring down a hurled stall. He raised his arms protectively in front of himself, allowing the massive projectile to slam into them and protect his main body from the intense harm that such an attack would have wrought. The pain that shot up his arms was hotter than any fire, and he felt it surge throughout his system and erupt from his mouth in a horrific and abominable shriek of agony that threatened to shatter the tranquility of the land. He felt like falling to the ground, of curling his arms inward and nurturing them until the feeling left, but he could not allow such guilty pleasures.

With hand shaking viciously, he withdrew the Sith vibroblade and activated it from it's slumber. It's gradual shaking and humming noise seemed almost a comfort to the wounded arm, and Abelain found himself focusing on it and forcing the pain away. The arm steadied momentarily, muscles clenching within their chitinous prison as it pulled backwards and suddenly lurched forward. The spiraling blade soared through the air, it's humming becoming a battle cry as it streaked towards the midsection of Tormax, attempting to impale him for his wicked deeds.

The arms continued shaking.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

It was the humming that gave it away. Had it not been a vibroblade, Tormax probably wouldn't have been able to react. He heard the shrieks come from the alien behind him, and smirked. He was able to fun a far distance between the throwing of the stall and the throwing of the vibroblade, but not far enough to wear the blade couldn't reach him. The blade was about 1/3 of it's way to Tormax when he noticed the sound getting closer. By the time he turned around, the blade was 3/4 of the way. He was able to move sideways due to his enhanced reflexes, but the blade still swiped his right arm, not too deep but it produced more than a slight cut.

Tormax winced, and was about to move on when he realized something. Abelain had given him a weapon. Tormax wasn't sure if he intentionally gave it too him, only a bit too rough, or if it was a side effect of trying to kill him with it, but there it was. Tormax went over and picked it up. He swung a few times to test out the weight and to see how much it hurt to swing. The pain was there, but it wasn't unbearable. He looked over at Abelain, who did not seem happy. He came all this way... Might as well give him a fight.

He still was at a disadvantage, but he thought he had a better chance fighting than running. So, he turnt towards Abelain and started walking back. "I thank you for the weapon. I was simply going to find one myself, of course. You were a bit harsh on the throw though..." With that, he got into a defensive stance, vibroblade in hand, around 10 meters away from Abelain.

Let us see who is better. The mutated soldier, or the monstrous student.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

Abelain had his head aimed downward, tucking it into his chest in an attempt to deal with the awful pain still pounding through his arms. Those were tucked in as well, giving him an almost meditative look. Suddenly, the scent of freshly spilled blood tickled his senses and he knew that his weapon had struck, though the extent of the damage would not be known until he had arisen. Behind the 'smile' his true teeth ground into one another as he forced himself to stand, arms still shaking with violent agony in a manner that gave the impression of localized seizure. The Arue'tii cast his eyes upwards to watch his opponent, taking heed of his condition, and that he had picked up the weapon that had been hurled towards him. The soldier stopped himself at about ten meters of distance, forming up into a basic defensive stance that he had likely learned during One Sith basic training.

The arms ceased their shaking, coming under the reins of control as Abelain allowed the pain to remain, no longer attempting to force it away. Mullarus; before he had become a traitor, had taught that the Sith used their torment to gain strength. The Arue'tii would do just that, and he allowed the agony to wrap itself into his body, each movement sending more of it rushing through his arms. A quick examination would reveal minor spots of purple becoming visible upon the arms, a clear indication of some minor internal bleeding. That was acceptable, it would heal and was not serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention.

Tormax spoke, his sarcasm noted and then ignored as though his words were the braying of animals. It was curious that Ategann had managed to dodge the vibroblade, and Abelain knew for a fact that he was not Force sensitive. That seemed to imply that the serum gave advanced senses of some form, though to what extent he did not know. His hand purposefully fell to his side, grasping at the hilt of the lightsaber and withdrawing it from it's captivity. With a hiss of hunger, it ignited, painting the ground with a crimson glow as it angrily growled.

Abelain growled quietly as well, nurtured by the pain, and with startling vitality, began to move forward towards Tormax.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Let him come. Defense. He's hurt more than you, let him wear himself down.

These are some of the thoughts that went through Tormax' mind as Abelain made his way towards him. He wasn't sure how to feel. It was his first time fighting any sort of force user, and the sight of the glowing rod of death wasn't a comforting one, but Tormax was confident enough that he could hold his own. When it came to Abelain using the force, though... Well, let's hope hes more of a sword guy...

Tormax actually wasn't sure if Abelain was more hurt than him, it was hard to tell, but the stall he threw wasn't small, and no armor can stop everything. As for the vibroblade, Tormax wasn't even sure if it cut through the armor of the beast. If anything, there are more stalls around. I wonder if he has any splinters on his skin now?

His stance was indeed from his stormtrooper training, but unlike a lot of his fellow graduates, he had trained before joining the academy, due to having to wait for his little brother to be eligible to go with him. He wasn't a master swordfighter, but he knew more than StabStabStab. Meanwhile Andanian didn't even train when he was in the academy...

Realizing he was not focused, he shook his head and locked eyes with the coming threat. I have to be serious about this. No way I'm going to not see my brother again. Besides, how jealous would Andanian be if I told him I beat a sith...

Little did he know, his brother had quite a time with Abelain. He had known Abelain had tried to hurt his little brother, he would have thrown two more stalls by now.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

The Arue'tii drew nearer and nearer to Tormax with each moment of time that passed. The blade of crimson held in his hand found itself twirling multiple times in it's excitement at the prospect of battle, and the beast holding the weapon found himself hungering for the same feast. The glow of the weapon seemed to push back faint shadows from under many of the stalls, painting them the color of blood and sending them hiding under their wooden market barriers. It was curious that Tormax had taken the vibroblade, especially due to how ineffective it would be when it came to true combat. The blade was not sharpened enough to pierce his hide, and neither was it equipped for the duty of striking a lightsaber. Though, Abelain did not count the supersoldier out of the fight yet.

No, the fight would become brutal and messy, a perfect marriage to the social customs of Gamorr. The grunt of a boar behind the Arue'tii did not faze him, and he continued his excited march to Tormax. He drew back his arm and lashed the wicked blade of light at Tormax's shoulder, aiming to cleave through it with a horizontal slash. With his other hand, he aimed a harsh palm strike towards the human's nose, aiming to shatter the weak mixture of bone and cartilage of the inferior human anatomy. The snorting and grunts from behind were gradually growing louder, as a small crowd of Gamorreans; both boars and sows, gathered together to observe the conflict.

It was almost sport to them, the grunts and shouts that seemed to indicate that they took this to be a battle to the death. It would simply be a battle until Tormax lay at his feet, and then he would be taken, and knowledge would be extracted from his crude and inferior skull.

And when he was done, Abelain would consume the blood of his lifeless corpse.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Tormax remained still and patient. He watched the blade twirl as the monster approached. The blade in Tormax' hand hummed but stayed still. He wasn't one to show off by doing flips or throwing his weapon in the air. He was serious when he fought, which was not often until he joined the One Sith. Even then, his only fights was during training, and that one time when he "helped" kill Mullarus' grandfather. Tormax only then remembered that Abelain was there too. He also realized Abelain had not been inside the vision. He hadn't seen the darkness. He didn't lose anything.

This angered Tormax, but he didn't lash out, which was good as Abelain started his attack then. The lightsaber strike came toward him, and Tormax didn't know that some Vibroblades sometimes aren't lightsaber resistant. Luckily for him, Mullarus' old one was. He raised it and blocked the strike, and then saw the palm thrust towards his face. He was able to raise his right arm up and block the hit, which would have connected with the side of his face rather than his nose due to him turning and blocking the hit.

Stumbling sideways from the impact, Tormax swore and tested his arm by moving it. Nothing broken it seems but KARK that hurt. His arm was taking damage, but his slight healing factor was helping soothe the pain. Not by much. In retaliation, Tormax picked up a beam of metal from a box near where a stall used to be, around 60 centimeters long, and 5 centimeters wide, and charged forward. Don't attack with the blade... He could easily strike me if I try to hit him with it. Instead, Tormax went and swung the beam in his left hand towards Abelains head, keeping the vibroblade ready to block the saber.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Tormax Ategann"]

When the crimson saber clashed with a resounding hiss against the vibroblade, Abelain expected the duel to be over. The next moment, when Tormax still stood he glared confusedly at the Sith vibroblade. He had not known that it was capable of surviving a blow from the lightsaber, though that would explain why Mullarus had held onto the blade for such a long time. It was inconsequential; Abelain would still eliminate the threat and extract what he needed from the ex-stormtrooper. It was necessary that Ategann be taken from the scene alive, or else the Arue'tii would have fought to a fiercer degree, intent turned vicious stabs into painful jabs. The act of crippling or even maiming the man was not restrained by that ulterior goal, that much was clear by the intended target that he had struck towards.

The satisfying thud of his palm striking against the soft and weak flesh of the inferior being notified him of a successful blow. The human was pushed to the side by the sheer force of it, towards a collection of boxes and supplies. The Gamorreans cheered on the brutality with their ignorant snorts and grunts of appreciative blabber. The Arue'tii observed as Tormax drew forth a metal beam, wielding it as though it were a crude weapon. The metal club spun about, striking towards the chitinous head of the Arue'tii before it was promptly intercepted by a sideways lash of the elbow. The shriek of metal grinding against the sharpened hide pierced the air, and elevated itself above the noise of the crowd for it's brief lifespan.

It caused little damage from striking the protrusion of chitin that was the elbow, away from the vulnerable muscles that were beneath the hide on essentially the entire remainder of the body. Still, even with the majority of it negated it left a burning sting itching where the closest tendons had been crashed into the natural armor. The Arue'tii lashed out with his foot for the side of Tormax's knee, aiming to send him sprawling to the ground and raising up his lightsaber for a vertical blow towards the offending hand which still clutched the ancient Sith vibroblade.

"You turn my mood bitter with your hopeless resistance." He grunted from the 'smile', glaring into the human's pathetic eyes. "You are ignorant of your post in life, of the consequences of your actions. Allow me to remind you of something urgent, pitiful wretch." He growled gently, letting the angered noise arise from within his chest as he lashed out with his words, "You are vermin, the rat that thinks it stands a chance against it's tormentor, that snaps and shrieks angrily and conflicts with it's kind to prove it's worth but finds itself utterly destitute when cornered against it's superior. Continue feeding upon garbage, Tormax, we shall see which of us shall prevail..."

"The vermin or the predator."

 

[Tormax Ategann]

The blow to the knee connected, that was for sure. Down Tormax went to the floor, onto his knees, not exactly sprawling but graceful he definetly was not. His hand hit the dirt, and he heard the swing of the lightsaber and pushed himself backwards, sliding on his knees, losing the beam but the sword still in his right hand. The strike landed in front of him, missing his fingers by inches. Too close. With that he got up and watched as Abelain started to speak.

Unlike the being he was fighting, Tormax didn't take the comment with much offense. Surely the naturally armored giant alien would think himself better than an easy to cut fleshy waste of space. So, instead of retaliating in anger, Tormax thought about what to do. Already he had taken a beating, and his foe was unharmed, for the most part. Chances are he would slip up, and Abelain would cripple him, and then capture him.

Instead, Tormax decided to go back to a plan that worked well before. "Well, You know Abelain, the useful thing that all vermin have is definetely useful in most situations." He then stared at Abelain, right into his eyes. "They know when to run." With that, another stall, slightly bigger since he didn't really need to hide the attempt to throw it, soared through the air. However this time, Tormax decided to repay his opponent. He took the vibroblade and threw it. It flew like a dart, a activity he enjoyed partaking in when he drank at bars. However now he wasn't drunk. He didn't practice often with throwing knives, but he at least knew what end to hold it.

And so, again, he turned tail and ran the other way, hoping to lose Abelain by weaving through crowds. He wondered how effective that idea would be as he dodged past the inhabitants of the planet, most being quite shorter and different looking than him.

Oh well, what's the worst- God I need to stop that.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]