A Shadow's Blade

[Samka Derith]

Virgillia mountains​

​

It had been two years since she had last set foot on this ground. She stroked the lightsaber at her hip affectionately. This is where she had made her own pilgrimage to earn the final component of her weapon when she was just fourteen years old. There was a Knight there to guide her, to make sure she didn't die retrieving it and to brief her when she arrived. The Knight which aided her had been a tall masked man, he spoke little and actually intimidated her so much that she'd sought to escape his sight by running deeper into the caves, preferring to face the perils within than keep being in the Knight's company. It was foolish of her and the Knight showed himself her ally by helping her fight the cave's most dangerous predator after she had obtained her crystal.

Today that was her role. She was the Knight.

Everything was prepared now. Sam laid the landing beacon in front of her to signal the hopeful Acolyte to her location. They would be landing soon.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

I had been pacing in my cockpit for a majority of the time I had been in the air. My Imperial ship was thankfully equipped with autopilot, which was supposed to let me meditate during long flights. That was not the case today, as I had energy bubbling up inside of me, ready to explode outward at a moment's notice. My excitement was unbearable, I just couldn't wait to find the crystals for my double bladed lightsaber. Thus, my pacing was that of an impatient person, who couldn't speed up time no matter how hard he tried.

A metallic ding sounded twice from the console, causing me to leap towards my pilot's chair mid-stride. In my urgency I clipped the chair's armrest, and was brought to one knee as I stumbled to the console. Peering up from my position, I hit the button that would lock on to the beacon which my ship had detected. Sighing with relief that my journey was close to an end, I settled back as comfortably as I could into my chair, resuming manual control.

I approached the location of the beacon quickly and, sighting my instruments to make sure I wasn't mistaken, started a gradual spiraling decent.

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

She couldn't help but smile as the ship landed before her, Sam felt a familiar presence inside. It was that of the Defel, [member="Thresh Sken"]. They'd met before but now she was promoted and stronger as a result.

There was a fixed grin to her face as Thresh's ship landed with the clanking of machinery and hiss of opening doors. The shadow emerged from the ship, only the accessories he wore marked him as a living being.

"Hello, Thresh Sken. I did not expect our paths to cross once more in such a fashion but I am glad nonetheless." Sam stood motionless in one spot, holding her hands in front of her as she spoke. She was wearing her dark, tight fitting military tracksuit today. As much as she enjoyed her more higher class attire, today did call for something more practical.

"I was recently promoted to the rank of Knight," she explained before the question could leave Thresh's lips. "An appropriate measurement of my growing power," she added, "but with this role comes certain duties to nurture those less experienced, such as yourself." If she was arrogantly talking down to the Defel, it was unintentional yet an undeniable part of her personality.

"Come," she gestured for the initiate to follow as Sam turned and walked towards a dark hole in the mountain's side.

 

[Thresh Sken]

I walked brisquely down my landing ramp, more than eager to get started. I wore light combat clothing, designed to allow me the twists and turns and movements that wielding a double bladed weapon required. My short, shadowy person spotted a figure waiting nearby, herself ready for combat. Samka Derith, someone whom I had met in a recent training session. She had impressed me with her fluid movements during melee combat and power within the Dark Side of the Force.

"Hello, Samka Derith" I responded to her greeting. I bared my teeth in a smile, canines peeking out between my lips. I nodded my head in response to her. I understood what she meant. This was part of my journey to get to where she was now. I respected her for her position, something I was striving to achieve myself. She was not knighted without due cause, in this case her experience and control over her Dark Side powers earning her a well-deserved promotion to a full-on Knight of Ren.

I had brought my double-bladed vibrosword in preparation for the journey, and I swung it now by my side as I walked behind [member="Samka Derith"] into the looming black maw of the cave.

 

[Samka Derith]

She smiled as she pulled up to the cave entrance, she couldn't help it. [member="Thresh Sken"] was one of the few people she could literally look down on due to the natural shortness of his species. It was a little empowering for her, so used to others towering over her.

Sam gestured to the caves, "these are the Equatorial Caves. Two years ago I came here to do the same thing as you." Sam pulled out her lightsaber which was clipped to her robes. "This is the result." Her lightsaber ignited with the familiar hiss before disengaging again. "By now you should have found all other components needed to build a lightsaber, the kyber crystal is all that remains." She was quoting the proper procedure for such thing, speaking in a very scripted way. "Deep within the caves you shall find what you seek. Are you ready Thresh Sken?"

She waited for his response before continuing, "I am not here to lead you but to keep you safe. You are to find your own path, reach out with the Force and it shall guide you in the direction you need to go." She gave a friendly smile, breaking line with the script for a moment, "In other words you should follow your instincts. This is the test that shall prove if you are worthy of a blade. If you have questions, now is the time, if not..." Sam pointed to the forbidding black spot in the mountain rock. A small entrance disguising the elaborate system beneath. "Lead the way, acolyte."

 

[Thresh Sken]

I listened as [member="Samka Derith"] named the caves, and showed her personal lightsaber that she had gained from it. I looked at it enviously, hoping to be able to accomplish the same task myself this day. I looked up to Samka Derith as she asked me if I was ready. Oh, how I was. I was so ready.

Trying to keep a demeanor appropriate to what I thought an Acolyte should exhibit, I responded with no small amount of restraint, "I am ready." I smiled as Samka Derith simplified things for me. It was a gesture of the kindness she was showing me, and it had not gone unnoticed. I just needed to remember: Follow my instincts. Trust the Force. It will guide me.

One comment rang in my head, though. She was here to protect me? What dangers could possibly lurk in the caves that required a full Knight of Ren to accompany an Acolyte? The dangers must be great indeed to have a Knight along, but still... How came they to thrive here in the first place? It was an ominous statement she had made, one I hoped would prove to be false. Otherwise this trip be more adventurous and full of trials than I had thought to prepare for.

I shook my head once to show that I had no questions and glanced at the dark hole Samka Derith pointed me to. It looked so small... But looks can be decieving. The small entrance was undoubtably concealing the caverns from those who were not welcome to explore them. I exhaled deeply, letting all my apprehension fade away. It was time to find those crystals.

 

[Samka Derith]

Sam followed [member="Thresh Sken"] into the cave entrance. She was grateful that she could sense the Force within him, otherwise he'd be very easy to loose in the darkness. The Knight of Ren glanced around as they found themselves in the first major area of the cave. It was still within sight of the entrance and a few cracks in the rocks above let in enough light that they could still see reasonably well. The area was large with a big drop in the middle, a risky fall but one that could pay off as the crystals lay deep in the cave's depths. A dangerous short cut. The most obvious ways forward though were two pathways. One on the left and another in the centre. There was also a small crawlspace in the right hand corner. Sam smiled remembering that was her chosen path years before, simply because she didn't think the scary knight following her could fit through it. She was larger than she was at 14 years old but Sam was still confident she could squeeze through if need be even if crawling on one's hands and knees was undesirable.

Sam glanced at Thresh. The choice was his. From which way did the Force call him? If any at all.

 

[Thresh Sken]

I stood in the middle of the cavern, assessing my options. Left, straight, right or down. I closed my eyes and opened myself to the Force. I walked to the passageway right in front of me. As I moved, I felt like I started wading through water, my movements becoming more sluggish and my pace slower. Nope I thought, and moved back to my original starting position.

I closed my eyes again, reaching out, feeling to the extent of my range. My feet moved to the edge of the hole in the cavern floor. I opened my eyes and peered down. No bottom in sight. But I felt as if something were pulling, tugging me down into the murky depths of the unknown. I gulped and looked back at [member="Samka Derith"]. "Down here" I said. I glanced back over the edge again. How am I going to do this? I thought.

I Force Pushed some loose gravel down the hole in the floor and heard them clatter at the bottom a few seconds later. So it wasn't too far... But would be damaging if I dropped in an unaided free-fall. I Force Pushed down the hole, shaking some rocks loose near the top. They too fell down the hole and clanged when they hit the bottom. This time, though, a slight breeze brushed me as the Force Push rebounded off the floor at the bottom. Suddenly an idea hit me.

Maybe... I didn't finish the thought. I jumped into the maw of the hole and used the strongest Force Pushes I could muster, flinging them into the ground and feeling them buffet me as they rebounded back up. It wasn't as effective as I had hoped. They did slow me down, but only in short, sporadic intervals, and no great reductions of speed at that. But I tried to keep my cool.

I could sense the floor rising up to meet me, and I loosed one more Force Push before I tried to right myself in midair, positioning so I could roll when I hit the ground, hopefully taking most of the energy out of the fall from jarring me too hard.

I hit the ground hard and immediately tucked and rolled, trying to disperse the force from the fall. I slid to a halt on the rocky floor, splayed out facing the ceiling. My legs hurt a little from hitting the floor the hardest and I had some small cuts where rocks had managed to stab me, but other than that I was fine. I got to my feet and looked up at what little light I could see above me, waiting to see wether Samka Derith would follow in the same manner as I did or not.

 

[Samka Derith]

The teenage girl watched silently as [member="Thresh Sken"] moved around, feeling his way through the caves before he started experimenting with the hole in the cavern floor.

"Down here!" He called to her as he looked back over the edge.

Sam huddled beside the dark, seemingly bottomless hole in the floor and peered over the edge just as the Defel was testing the depth by shifting gravel around. A clever idea, many others would simply jump in and hope for the best. Just because the Force called from a certain direction didn't mean it would keep you safe from all harm in the way.

A moment later the Defel jumped in, using a series of pushes to help break gravity's punishing momentum. She smiled as she could feel faint traces of the Acolyte's pushes even from at the top of the hole, pushing her fringe from her eyes like a breeze.

She followed a moment after, once she was sure he'd moved so she wouldn't land on her companion. For her a leap was all that was needed. Her training in speed and flexibility meant she had virtually mastered the art of the Force jump, a plummet of a thousand feet was harmless. Well perhaps she was not at that level just yet but she was strong enough to take no damage from this distance.

Sam landed upright in a gymnast's pose, a force of habit, and took in the new surroundings. It was now much darker, the main source of light was the hole they'd fallen through and they'd be leaving that behind soon enough. A mist surrounded their feet. Sam knew from experience that it would only grow thicker to the point where it would cover the entire pathways.

"Unharmed, I presume?" She spoke to the Defel, who was practically invisible in the dark now. "Which way now?" There were only two directions to choose from, not counting climbing back out. Would it be forwards or backwards?

 

[Thresh Sken]

I watched as the shadow of [member="Samka Derith"] alighted on the ground in front of me. I was finishing brushing rubble out of my fur, the uncomfortable stuff. It was amazing her mastery of the Force to where she could practically float down and land gracefully, without taking, or at least appearing to take, any amount of effort at all. "Just some bruises is all" I responded to her inquiry.

My ultraviolet-spectrum eyes scanned both ends of the corridor behind my visor. I reached up and gently unstrapped it from my head and put it in my pocket. I rarely ever took my visor off. It would be damaging to my eyes if any other spectrum was observed in medium to high light levels. I shook my fur out, it had gotten uncomfortably matted staying pressed against my neck for such a long time. My eyes now revealed, they shone with a red glow whenever light hit them at the right angle. Vision less restricted, I could see farther down either side of the tunnel than before. The right path curved away, while the left one went on until true blackness enveloped it.

I turned down the right path. There was an almost tangible pull now, a hand around my chest, drawing me forward into the depths of the unknown. I started forward, my vision gradually fading out as we neared the corner.

 

[Samka Derith]

​

They'd made good time getting to the cave's depths, Sam reflected. They turned the corner and found themselves in a large foreboding area covered in a layer of mist. Torches on either side of them now provided the only source of light as well as confirming they were on the correct pathway. Sam remembered this room from her own trial. It was just as cold, damp, musty and smelling of excrement then. She also remembered something else... She glanced through the mist at the bottom. It was difficult to see anything at all but she could swear there was a flash of red and the patter of movement. Closing her eye and reaching out with the Force Sam could suddenly feel them everywhere. They were still here. Just like two years ago.

She looked forward at [member="Thresh Sken"] wondering if the Defel walking just a little ways ahead of her was aware in anyway of what was about to transpire. Sam stretched her limbs and reached for the blade at her belt, ready to ignite at a moment's notice. She did not utter a word or send a signal of warning to Thresh. This was all part of the test after all. If he wanted a lightsaber, he'd have to survive or at least prove worthy of her help. She'd try not to let him die but if the shadow was incapable of defending himself, he was unworthy of a balde of his own.

Crawling all over the cavern walls were the predatory insects, Laigrek. Half the size of the average human, they acted as a swarm. They waited as the intruders came deeper into their domain. When the Defel had gone far enough, they attacked. Hissing, spitting and clicking their mandibles, the ravenous insects came from all directions. Above, below and the sides. They were eager to devour the sentient beings here.

Spoiler

OOC: I'm back from holiday so let's get this going at a quicker pace, shall we?

 

[Thresh Sken]

Ah, light again. It felt good to be able to see. You never really realize how vulnerable you feel without your eyesight until you don't have it. I looked up in wonder at the cave as it's walls disappeared into the blackness above us, melding with the shadows until they were one.

I kept walking, admiring the beauty of the underground structure, still following the tug I felt. As my gaze drifted in front of me again, I heard the faintest scraping sound. My ears twitched, trying to locate the source of the sound better. It sounded like... like it was getting louder. Quickly. My hands dropped to my double bladed virbrosword, adopting a defensive stance. I heard the slightest movement of clothing behind me, which I assumed was [member="Samka Derith"] drawing her own weapon. Maybe. Or she could let me alone to deal with whatever this thing was, as a test of sorts.

I snapped back to attention as a long scythe stabbed the path in front of me. It was climbing up a sheer cliff! I looked further down the path and saw strange creatures rushing to meet me. They had six appendages, two of which looked like their preferred means of attack. I watched as gradually a swarm built up in front of me, more of the creatures joining in rushing my position from the side of the path. And they seemed to never stop coming....

WUMPH!

One of the creatures had fallen from the ceiling! It righted itself and threw its two claws at me. I cut off its first leg that stabbed at me easily enough, and then impaled it through the head. I spared myself a glance at the ceiling. They covered the surface, looking like a writhing carpet of black shells. And they were coming for me, too. I braced myself as I was met with the front of the swarm directly in front of me.

I twirled my virbrosword and cut off the legs of the nearest beats to me. I Force Pushed them back into their fellow creatures at an angle that led off the cliff. I didn't wait to see wether they ever hit the bottom or not. My senses were overwhelmed by the sheer number of primitive minds surrounding me, sans the one bright one that I recognized as Samka Derith behind me. I couldn't dwell too long observing them through the Force, however, because the creatures were surrounding me now. I sustained a few cuts here and there, not anything to be worried about, but the pain getting more distracting with every slice.

I started to back up, hoping to put my back to a wall or even to the tunnel I had come out of, which would make the creatures only able to attack in pairs. I grimaced as a claw bounced off my collar bone, cutting deep into the skin that covered it. Looking at the creature that had just inflicted the wound, I extended my hand towards it and squeezed the air. The creature's shell cracked, and eventually caved in, killing it instantly. The revenge brought me a moment of pleasure, broken only by the need to duck beneath an incoming swipe.

I looked behind me. Only twenty more meters to go before I reached the wall. Twirling with my double bladed sword I pressed on through the sea of bugs, weaving in and out between strikes, trying ever closer to reach the wall.

 

[Samka Derith]

Sam watched as [member="Thresh Sken"] struggled with the insects. He was showing some skill with the duel weapon he held, many of the insects had fallen to his vibrosword yet he was taking damage. Igniting her lightsaber, Sam parried and sliced her way through the wave attacking predators. She gracefully dodged and weaved seemingly effortlessly through the horde yet in truth it required immense concentration. With so many foes it was very difficult to predict where exactly the next attack would come from yet somehow she managed, slicing the heads and limbs from several attackers before flipping over to the other side of the Defel.

She felt Thresh reach out and crush one of the laigrek with the dark side and smiled approvingly. He was learning. With that, he had least earned a break. Sam fired off a bolt of lightning towards one of the creatures attacking the Defel which crackled and spread from one creature to another. The pain passed through each of them and was enough to send them retreating back into the depths for now. She was surprised it had worked the first time but it was a tried and true method of disposing the horde of ravenous insects who roamed the caverns. At least for a while.

Sam marched up to Thresh, "They'll be back shortly, we don't have much time. Show me your wounds," the young girl demanded and without waiting for consent, brushed her fingers through the Defel's fur. She silently inspected the cuts and scraps there before nodding and releasing him, satisfied that there was nothing serious there. "This is their domain, the longer we stay here the more likely they'll return in greater numbers. Quickly, from which way does the Force call to you?"

 

[Thresh Sken]

I stopped my hacking through bugs to watch as bolts of deadly Sith Lightning leaped from one creature to the next, instantly frying them. I looked on in awe and fascination as the power [member="Samka Derith"] used continued its arcing through the bugs, causing them to retreat. That was a nifty trick. I would have to learn it sometime. I was finally free from the horde, at least for a moment, and Samka Derith appeared next to me. She assessed my wounds, and I shrugged. I wasn't bleeding badly. It wasn't too much to worry about.

I nodded my head in understanding. I shuddered to think about what would happen if we got caught by surprise from all angles... I looked around the cavern again, trying to find the source of the tug I felt. A glimmer in the darkness ahead of us caught my eye. "This way!" I said excitedly. I started running at a sprint, feet slapping the floor as fast as they could, sustained by the Dark Side to keep the unrelenting pace up.

I neared a wall on the outskirts of where the light from the torches could reach. I had been off the path for a while now, forging my way across rocky terrain. Still running at a full sprint, I felt a warning in the Force. I stopped as quickly as I could, feet sliding against the rocky ground to brake myself. I soon found out that the direction I was traveling in ended in a sheer cliff. I looked over the side, and saw only darkness. I looked up again and saw a beautiful crystal shining at me from the wall across the small chasm, calling out to me. I needed to get to it.

I bared my sharp teeth. There was no easy way. I looked harder at the wall, hoping that there was something I could grab onto. About four feet away was a ledge, only a couple centimeters in width but enough for my feet to fit onto. I set my vibrosword down. This was too tricky of a maneuver to attempt with something in my hands. I crouched low, hands outstretched and ready to grasp the nearest thing to steady me. I gathered the Dark Side around me, letting it flow through me, and leaped.

My right foot hit the ledge first, followed closely by my right hand which hit the wall. It flailed for something to hold tight to balance me. My left foot landed safely next and my left hand grabbed the corner of the rock that the ledge was set into. I ended up with the right half of my body hanging off the ledge and my left half hanging on for dear life. I let myself hang until my momentum was burned off, and hauled myself the rest of the way to the ledge. Now I had a steady grip. I looked to my left and saw the crystal pulsing with a faint red light, calling out to me to grab it. But how to get to it?

I swung my right foot out and over, so I was hanging over the cliff edge, with the rock wall meeting my back. I looked to the left. There was the crystal, glowing, tantalizingly almost out of my reach. I stretched my right hand out, arm straining and fingers outstretched. They brushed the crystal, and a feeling of power washed through me. Power of the Dark Side. Eagerly, I reached out again, this time getting a firm grip on the crystal. I yanked down, and the crystal came off the wall into my hand. The momentum swung me back onto the ledge, where I stood staring at the shining blood red gem in my hand. It emanated energy, and I could feel it assailing me. My senses felt heightened, my attachment to the Dark Side magnified. It was a Qixoni crystal. I held it out in front of me, showing it to Samka Derith. My fangs were bared in a smile, excited at this first find in the dangerous cave. "Look at this!" I said with pride. The taste of power that I experienced through the crystal I held in my hand was invigorating. And it made me only want more of it.

 

[Samka Derith]

"That way apparently," Sam murmured under her breath as [member="Thresh Sken"] hurried excitedly off. Watching the Defel Attempt to climb above a sharp drop, ready to help steady him if necessary. She still wasn't sure what to make of the creature, he was eager and had potential, yes, but she couldn't help but wonder if he had the stomach for the duties the Knights of Ren held for him. So far he seemed, earnest, humble, admirable and fairly pleasant to be around. How would he cope when asked to burn villages or torture prisoners? Sam struggled to see him partaking in such regrettably necessary actions. Perhaps she'd have to devise a test for him at a later date...

Jarred from her thoughts, Thresh had returned to her, proudly waving a crystal in front of her face. "Hm," she looked upon the red crystal with pleasant surprise. "We're not done here, are we?" Ordinarily that would be enough but she'd seen his choice of weaponry, the duel blade. For that multiple crystals were needed and that likely meant going even deeper into where she'd retrieved her own crystal.

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Not yet..." I answered warily, glancing around. The longer we were in here the more dangerous it would become. I gently slid the glowing crystal into one of my inner pockets. I didn't want something this precious to get lost. I prepared for my dismount, a leap back across to the ground where [member="Samka Derith"] was standing. I swung my right leg and arm in and out, in and out, trying to work up some momentum to aid me across the chasm.

As I pushed against the rock on the final swing backwards, I felt a crunch beneath my left boot. Uh-oh... My left foot slipped off of the narrow ledge I was standing on and flailed out into the chasm. My left hand briefly held on by the fingertips for just a second before slipping loose. I let out a throaty yell as I plummeted down, down into the darkness.

I needed to get myself under control. I had already wasted precious seconds flailing around, now I needed to get my bearings and prepare for... impact. I winced at the thought. I windmilled my arms around so that I thought I was facing the direction I last had seen as down. Now what? What would a Knight of Ren do? The answer came to me, told as I had been many times over. Use whatever gets the mission accomplished. The mission. Survival. I reached out into the Force and felt the cave walls out of my reach. I used the Force to push against one of the walls and propelled myself to the other, nearer one. My back scraped uncomfortably against the wall, little cracks and jutting stone pressing against me. I reached my hands above my head and, preparing for the worst, tried to grab on to the next large chunk of stone available.

My fingers slammed onto a ledge and I pulled my body up as best as I could, drawing one the Dark Side to push through the pain and give me strength. It was still a jarring impact. I was pretty sure one of my shoulders was dislocated, and the momentary flash of pain was enough to break my concentration so that I started to fall again.

Luckily, the drop was much shorter now. My body fell onto the ground, creating a mini crater. Drawing on the Dark Side heavily, I slowly got to my feet, trying to get my bearings. As the ringing of the rush of the wind in my ears faded, I heard strange noises echoing from all around me. Clicking and clacking, unnatural chattering. Shrugging my shoulder, I adopted a shifting defensive stance with my hands, ready to lash out at the nearest thing should it approach me. My vibrosword was still at the top of the ravine. But I thought it only fitting. A new beginning, as it were. The clearing of space for a weapon that would mark me as a Knight of Ren. And maybe allow me to join their ranks.

 

[Samka Derith]

"Thresh?" Sam called out from her position on the cliff's edge. She'd watched the Defel tumble into the depths below and made an attempt to catch him but it was too late. Kneeling over the darkness he'd fallen into, Sam could still sense him so he was alive at least.

She bit her lip contemplating her next move. Sam was unsure whether or not that part of the cave had been excavated or not, if things were dangerous before they got far worse now.

With a sigh, Samka decided she'd be a poor protector if she left the Defel alone down there and looked for a way down. There was no easy path so instead she had to rely on the mixture of acrobatics and the Force to break her momentum against the cavern walls, bouncing from one to another as she descended into the darkness.

"There you are," Sam said landing just a few feet away from [member="Thresh Sken"]. "Try not to loose your footing again, the next fall may not be so gentle."

A sudden clicking noise came from behind and a creature emerged from the mists. It appeared to be another Laigrek but this was was much larger and darker in colouring. With an angry hiss a short burst of flame erupted from the creature's mandibles as it slowly advanced towards the pair. This was the more dangerous sub-species, the Deadly Laigrek.

Sam took a small hop backwards so that Thresh was in-between her and the giant insect, this was his challenge after all. Realising the Defel had lost his weapon, Sam whispered in his ear, "You are never unarmed, never defenceless, not when the Dark side flows through you. Channel your rage and let this mindless beast feel your power."

Sam stepped backwards into the shadows, eager to watch the show to come.

 

[Thresh Sken]

I heard as [member="Samka Derith"] alighted next to me, graceful as always. I grinned darkly in response to her: "I will try my best" I said.

I turned around as a loud noise came up behind us. I had never seen a monster like it before, nor, I hoped, would I ever have to see one again. It belched fire from between its arthropodic mandibles, a short spurt that probably meant it was hungry for dinner. Samka Derith retreated out of my field of vision, and I heard her whisper in my ear:

You are never unarmed, never defenceless, not when the Dark side flows through you. Channel your rage and let this mindless beast feel your power.

That was the last I noticed of Samka Derith as she slid into the background, leaving me as the sole option for the beast's main course.

I faced it head on as it clicked across the rocky ground towards me. I tried for a simple, methodical approach first. I Force Pushed each of its front legs out from underneath itself, causing it to crash unceremoniously into the ground. I called on the Dark Side to increase my speed, and in the next instant was on top of the creature's back. I grabbed one of its flailing limbs and tried to jam the sharp part down into the chest cavity, but to no avail. The armour was much too thick to be penetrated from my angle and position. The Deadly Laigrek regained control of its legs and threw me off its back. I landed lightly after flipping once in the air, a little acrobatic move I had seen Samka perform. It turned to face me now, clacking all the while with its mandibles. I backed against the wall behind me, both hands clenched like I could beat the Deadly Laigrek with my fists. It was certainly an option, but not my best one, I thought. Taking a deep breath in, I concentrated on the Dark Side, remembering what Samka Derith said:

The Dark Side is my weapon. I gathered all my rage at how foolish I had been so far, falling twice into deep caverns without any regard for my safety. I gathered all the anger I felt at governments for abusing their constituents, making the galaxy a dangerous place. And lastly, I drew anger from the fact that simple-minded Laigreks had been able to wound me in the cave above. All that anger and rage I drew on, using my newly obtained crystal to help focus my emotions. I reached out towards the Deadly Laigrek, fingers extended. My eyes narrowed in intensity as I felt the power building up in inside me thrashing around, yearning to get out. I held still as the creature crept closer, its last short breath of fire singing my fur. My fingers were quivering now from the energy I had built up. The feeling inside reaching its peak, I let out a guttural yell as blue lightning escaped my fingertips, the ends attaching themselves to points all along the Laigrek's body. The cave was lit up brightly from the lightning as the Laigrek writhed underneath the assault. Even after it stopped moving I couldn't stem the lightning coursing from my fingertips, releasing all the pent up anger on this beast.

As the light in the cave flickered and died from the last vestiges of lightning moving through the Laigrek's shell, the remnants of my scream echoed hauntingly through the corridors. I collapsed to my knees from the exhaustion of such an onslaught that I had wrought. I bowed my head to hide my grim smile. It was the first time I had summoned Sith Lightning at will unaided by someone or something else. Breathing heavily, I allowed myself a moment of respite. After resting for a minute, I slowly got to my feet and looked at the downed Laigrek. Such would be the fate of anything else that got in my way this journey.

 

[Samka Derith]

Sam reemerged from behind [member="Thresh Sken"], her hands help behind her as she marched up to the Laigrek corpse. "Well that was impressive," she said, eyes never leaving the body of the insect as she spoke. "My words are more motivational than I thought," she said mostly as a joke but there was a hint of pride in her speech.

Looking back over the Defel, Samka gestured to a small gap in the cavern. It was barely large enough to crawl through but Sam knew where it led to. The faint sound of running water could be heard through it. "I think you're ready, if you can keep up a performance like that. Oh I hope you don't mind getting wet."

Crawling through the tiny gap, the two would be back in almost pitch blackness but a river of running water was barely visible in front of them. "This leads to the central chamber, where most of the crystals are," she explained. Sam knew she was leading more than before but the Defel had earned it, the Force had clearly been awoken within him and he'd already retrieved one crystal. "After you," she nodded her head to the river.

 

[Thresh Sken]

I was drooping noticeably in posture now from tiredness, back slumped and head hung slightly, but looked up when [member="Samka Derith"] spoke. "Yes they definitely are. No chance of Battle Meditation, hmm?" I said, joking back at her. "I don't know I just felt something... Click. It just felt right, drawing on the Force this time."

I didn't mind getting too wet, so long as I didn't get absolutely drenched. Then my fur would take forever to dry out and it would be just miserable. I crawled through a tiny hole in the cavern, the light disappearing as I journeyed forward. I sensed the tunnel opening up above me, so I climbed to my feet, the rushing of the river in front of me clearly audible. I surveyed the expanse of the central cave, the crystals glinting in the darkness when the scant light rebounded off of them into my retina. I walked closer to the river to give Samka Derith some space to climb out.

I looked left upstream, and right downstream. There wasn't any increase in light in either direction, so I closed my eyes again. I reached out for the Force, this time coming easier to me. I embraced it, and let it guide me. I turned and looked left upstream. That was the way to go. I started trudging next to the bank of the river, looking over my shoulder at Samka Derith as she caught up with me. "So where did you find your crystal?"


OOC: I'm so sorry I've been so long!! I had a post written up but my browser refreshed and it got deleted and RL caught up with me for a few days, so I'm really sorry about the unexpected silence.