[Chapter Four] Harvester Of Sorrow

[Lief]

The Tomb of Freedon Nadd​

Dxun​

​

The murky, tropical heat of Dxux clung to his skin in the form of a thin sheen of sweat. Mask was forsaken, left aboard The Haunter, though he remained moderately armoured. This was a moon of a great many beasts, each of which would sink their teeth into him if they got the chance.

Right now, his only enemy happened to be the boggy ground. Jungles were not all fun and games. Not even remotely. There were flies which nipped at skin, an unbearable humidity, and acres upon acres of difficult terrain.

Kobe ran a hand over his brow.

This was the perfect place to hunt. He had realized that during his third day, when he'd brought down a young Drexl. He genuinely rued the day he might come into contact with a fully grown member of the species, they were said to be genuine beasts, capable of shutting out the sun with their great wingspan. No thank you.

Its meat had been flavorless, however, a waste of his time, though he was more than grateful for his life.

He was not here for them, though. No doubt he would find time to hunt their fellow beasts, but right now the sight beyond the tree line had taken his fancy. The reason [member='Darth Carnifex'] had sent him here in the first place. It had definitely not been to hunt for foreign delicacies, that was for sure.

The Tomb stood proud; it had suffered much over the millennium since its erection, and yet none had been able to wipe it entirely from its place within the jungle. Kobe's path was one of knowledge right now, he was looking to unlock arcane secrets... Specifically those tying to the ancient Sith practice of Alchemy.

Nadd was no such being, he had never truly embraced the art and yet others had for him. Who knew what wonders the tomb would hold.

All he knew, was that if he didn't get out of the Jungle by nightfall, the Stalkers would get him. Not a fate he wished on any.

Tomorrow the hunt could continue.

 

[Darth Imperia]

Vivienne hated Dxun with a fiery passion that any Sith might be envious of. Not because of the heat or humidity, although those things did discomfort the Nar Shadaa native. Nor because of the frankly ridiculous number of predators on the surface of the jungle moon - but once again, she'd be lying if she said that didn't make her at least a little bit nervous.

But no, what made Vivienne really hate this place was the way it felt. The Dark Side covered the jungle moon like a poison mist, suffocating and oppressive.

So, one might ask, why was she here? The answer was simple.

She had to be.

A particularly clever Dark Sider had led the Not-Quite-Jedi on a chase across half the damned sector, and, after a tense dogfight over Dxun, was forced to crash land on the moon's surface. Perhaps he'd hoped that his pursuer, out of some sense of honor or fair-play, would face off against him in a final duel.

Vivienne had not obliged.

The Darkling, whose name Vivienne had never learned, died immediately upon taking a direct hit from a ship-mounted laser turret to the face.

And that would've been the end of the Rogue's experience upon Dxun, if it hadn't been for one ever-so-irritating fact.

There was another presence on Dxun, undeniably Dark, one that Vivienne could just barely make out against the shadowy background of the moon's signature. It reeked of hate and rage, as she'd come to expect - but there was something more. Pain. Loss. Heartache. And it was pretty close, too, if her admittedly Novice Senses were to be believed.

Someone out there, no matter how Dark, needed Vivienne's help.

And failing that, she would need to make sure whoever was out there didn't have the chance to spread their misery.

With a resigned sigh, Bastra landed her interceptor in a surprisingly pleasant little clearing, and prepared to make her way into the jungle.

She was on the hunt again, it seemed.

 

[Lief]

Feet freed from the water clogged dirt, Kobe felt the smooth stone surface which outlined the tomb. It bore a little wear and tear, but otherwise remained in great shape given its age. He marveled at the structure, it wasn't quite so large as those found on Korriban but it dwarfed the ordinary kind. He tilted his head the other way, curiously.

Above the door sat just one word, etched into the stone and weathered with time;

​

Strange that one might showcase the contents of the tomb in such a way... It was almost as if they were asking to be raided. Not that the natives of this world had sense enough to read, the beasties weren't very literate.

He took a few steps forward, until the heavy doors were all that barred his passage, and lifted just one hand. The Force flowed through him, down to his fingertips and out into the immobile stone. With a disgusting sound, rock on rock, the heavy slabs of stone began to move, opening inward and casting a dim light to the tomb beyond. Inside the walls were completely filled with inscriptions, though the lack of light made it hard to decipher.

Narrowing his eyes, he stepped closer until the doors were behind him... Then turned full circle. A wonder to behold, truly. The darkside hung heavy here, clinging to every surface, lingering in every corner.

It was, in a word, perfect.

[member="Vivienne Bastra"]