Objective 4 - Get eaten by a sarlacc (okay maybe don't) - Challenge Accepted!
Nearby - No one.
The creature was fighting every step of the way. I allowed the troopers to take care of him while I gathered my energies from the ambush. I spent alot to keep these three alive for the time being. If there was still a Jedi Master held here in stasis of some kind, I wanted to prepare myself to fight them should it come down to that. In all honesty. I wanted to capture them and learn of how they had evaded capture, as well as possibly on to how they lived for so long here on their own. And maybe, just maybe turn them. Not really over to the Sith, but add them as an ally. Already having both Caleo, and Kinta, this Jedi master would be a good addition.
However, as soon as I saw the little hut that would have been where they lived, I knew that there was no chance.
The hut was caved in, and the roof that had once stood so defiant against the trees was fallen. Portions of walls had old burn marks and even saber cuts. There had been a fight here, but the fight was so long ago, the various fungi and grasses now covered everything. Taking a few steps up into the what was the main room, the troopers held onto the creature back down at the base of the stairs. I looked around quickly. Delving into the force a bit to see if there were any energies that I could feel. Slowly I could feel a very faint one. Very old though. Might as well follow it.
Turning around, I nodded my head once. The private was about to slice open the creatures throat. I raised my hand to stop him.
"Release him. Follow him to their hive. The Sith may use them to create new Sithspawn, or use them as slaves."
If I couldn't find the Jedi, then I may as well have something to come back with. Private nodded his head with a small smirk. Knowing this would look good on his record. However, it then changed to curiosity. Looking over to me, he released him while the other two seemed to wait a moment before following the creature into the forest. Careful that they shouldn't be ambushed again.
"And where will you be going?"
"The trail is old and long dead from what you see here. However, I need to follow it to see it's conclusion.... Alone."
Nodding his head a bit, he gave me the standard salute and then started to follow after his comrades. I however turned around and looked through the rubble. Seeing old rusted parts of something left behind on the table. Bowls and plates for eating. However, there were enough for two or three people. Maybe for guests, but having most of them into what would have been a sink didn't make any sense. There was something more to this. Taking a firm grip of the pommel of my sword as it rested within the sheath, I walked on past the razed shack, and followed the path of the force.
Walking through the forest alone seemed a little daunting. Being completely alone when I was usually accompanied by Lucem or Kinta. However, with the latter being back on Kro Var with my sister, and Lucem was gather information from the holocrons I had. Still, I had to do this. Even if I was alone, I didn't want to troopers to know anything about my various ties with other factions. While I was with the Sith, I never worked directly for them. I worked with them more so. If they would be so easily replaced, then I would. However, at the moment, they cannot be.
Walking up through the jungle, I came upon a clearing. Opening up, this fell down an almost sheer cliff down into the center of a giant hole. One that seemed to bring on a sense of Deja Vu. However, I continued on. Sliding down the steep slop. Reaching the bottom, I didn't see any signs of fighting like I had at the hut. If there were any left over, then they would have been covered or removed long before I came here. Looking down into the pit I saw a mass of flesh. Pale and immobile, I didn't think anything of it. I moved around the area. Searching for the source of the force. Looking through the grass around me, I saw something glinting in the sunlight.
Getting down onto my hands and knees, I pushed aside the grass to see a bronze colored ring around a metal cylinder. Smiling ever so brightly, I started to dig into the ground. Unearthing what was a lightsaber. Upon touching it, I felt a surge of lighting hit me and a flash of images coming across my vision. A Togruta. Dressed in Shamanistic clothing. Powerful within the force. Her name ringing out to me in my mind. Shaak Ti. The name sounded familiar, but not enough that I could recall why.
The vision of her facing someone wielding a lightsaber charged with lighting. Fighting with such rage and ferocity. Only for it all to end with a lightning surge. Looking down at the lightsaber. It was very dirty and had a little bit of rust. Very little just on the surface. I could tell simply by scratching the surface to feel no give or potential breaks. Thumbing the lightsaber on, the brilliant blue lightsaber blade ignited. I could feel my heart leap out of my chest. I knew exactly what I should do with this. Turning it off, I clipped it onto my belt and started to walk away. That was until I heard a rummaging behind me. Turning around just in time to see a massive tentacle lashing out at me.
It then began to drag me deeper into the crater in the center of this opening.
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I woke up with scratches over my face, and hands. My head hurt. The pounding was causing so much pain to me. It was something I never really want to go through again. Looking over me, I could barely see in the darkness. Feeling myself up to make sure I didn't break anything. Feeling the back of my head, I did feel flakes of dried blood falling off. I likely hit my head when I was first dragged by whatever it was.
Thinking back, I had tried to fight the tentacle that pulled me towards the center, but then I smacked my head on something, and then blacked out. Looking around, I could hear a soft grumbling sound. the ground was sticky and was causing my hands to itch. Lifting my hand up into the darkness, I ignited a small flame. Just that much blinded me for a moment. Taking a second to adjust to the light, I found that I was inside some kind of large sack. Sitting in a puddle of some unknown liquid. Upon further inspection, I found rotten plants, and decomposing bodies that had flesh slowly pealing away from the bone.
I was inside a massive stomach.
This was not good. Feeling myself, I still had my sword, and the lightsaber. Shaking my head, I needed to get to work. Walking towards a large gathering of skin that was about my chest level, I slowly grabbed a hold of the skin and flesh with the force. Pealing it open enough for me to slide through. However, the opening was closing and I didn't want to fight it. Releasing my hold, I didnt know if I could focus on keeping it open long enough to let me through without crushing me. I tried to think of any way that I could get out of here.
And that is when it hit me.
When the body rejects food, it either passes it through its system, painfully, or it can regurgitate it. Smiling, I used the flame that I had created to grow larger and larger. I then threw the ball of flame upon the corpses and into the liquid. Using the force to keep the flame hot and burning even through the liquid. Causing a massive boiling post. The groaning of the creature became louder and more frequent. I smiled brightly as I burned into the creature. Eventually hearing a small roaring sound, and I could hear the intestines and whatever else down the rest of the path begin to curl up. Hearing massive wind from a vacuum, I held my breath with an adiabatic shield.
Jumping up into the bile and stomach fluids that were being drawn from the stomach. I too, was released from the prison of the creature. Being flung a couple dozen meters into the air. Using the force, I guided my descent to the ground. Covered in dirt, bile and whatever else. I shook my head. Checking the lightsaber to make sure I still had it before walking away. Slowly making my way to the hutt, I found that Private was there.
He heard me. Turning around, I shook my head with the bile soaked hair flinging out of my face.
"Don't ask. Just get whatever you have to the ship and lets head home."
[Exit]