Hard Knock Life

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin smirked, just as he had at the Jedi he now had his arm around. His gun did not waver from the red of the Gen'dai's eye. A Sithspawn super-soldier versus an ancient warrior-turned-merc. A fascinating prospect for a fight, from the Thirteenth's view of things. But he didn't feel great about leaving Sera there to get caught in the middle.

"Why, Barcu, I didn't think there was a Sith-born killer alive who doesn't know of the havoc you've wreaked over the past two years. They were almost like bedtime stories to me. But, compared to you..."

His eyes flashed in a momentary glimpse of the former experiment's insanity, reflected in the man before him.

"... I must confess, I feel like a monster."

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] | [member="Gavin XIII"]

"The Force does have its own sense of humor. It must, afterall, for here I sit, and all I was after this evening was a drink, and a walk, before my ship's departure. Oh, the things you see." Sera thought a moment, considering the idea of pressing her hand down on Gavin's gun to lower it, but she thought it wise not to tempt either one any further than she already had. Perhaps in the future a better manner of concealment for her twin sabers would be in order, though for the time being, it made little difference. Sera was unsure of the Gen'dai's motives, but he was anything but a positive influence on her evening. Something that huge would surely prove to be a difficult opponent if it came to be.

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

Barcu? No one ever called him that before, So why now? Each time Kezeroth heard his last name spoken it stern'd his jaw and made him gnash his teeth. His past was old and forgotten, He did not like it. He said nothing for the time being but made his slight annoyance sound by emitting a Deep consistent growl, After a sort time had passed he said " The only thing your going to feel soon enough is my Fist gripping your spine." he said malevolently, oh how his titles matched him perfectly. He moved his fingers in a position the was comfy to engage in combat if needed. The Jedi did not Concern him as much as the human did, he was Force Dead and had already pulled a move against Kezeroth whether he knew it or not.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]
[member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin's eyes gleamed at the prospect of a fight with this huge mercenary, and the realization that he had annoyed the man, somehow, made him smile even wider. His fangs now openly bared, a laugh rose from his lips. If Sera hadn't been right in the line of fire, the Thirteenth would have fired already. He put his mouth almost on her ear, to whisper.

"In ten seconds, I'm gonna shoot, and we're gonna start running. This guy is aggravating me."

He let his arm slide down to her wrist so he could pull her along easier. In his mind, he counted slowly.

One.

Two.

Three.

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Gavin XIII"] | [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

For the first time since she could remember, Sera was totally and entirely confused by what was going on. A minute ago, she was trying to prevent Gavin from killing someone, now, this Gen'dai named Kezeroth, or Barcu, or Mr. Malice, or whatever other hundred names he went by wanted to kill Gavin, and most probably her as well. It seemed he was deranged, or some combination of Dark Side wickedness mixed with years of scientific testing. Whatever it was, she felt it probably best to stick with Gavin, given that he appeared to have some type of conscious still in tact.

If I draw my weapons, even if out of the necessity to defend myself, this creature is going to lose whatever sense of pieced together control. But if I don't...He might just crush me with his enormous body. No, no weapons, not yet... Sera drew a wealth of Force energy in, in the event she needed to quickly move, or protect herself and, if needed, Gavin as well. Whispering to him, "Where do you propose we go when we start to run? This thing is a hulking monstrosity. You're going to shoot at him? While I agree that he is likely not going to reason with us by his stance, demeanor, and attitude, I don't know if it is wise to shoot him."

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin got that mad glint in his eye again, and instinctively squeezed the hand he was holding. An odd sort of reassurance, he thought, against an eight-foot-tall maniac who could probably snap Sera in half with a squeeze. Ah, well...

"Eh, running away without a parting shot isn't very appealing to me. Oh, by the way... Ten."

The Thirteenth let off a shot at Kezeroth, and grabbed the Twi'lek's hand to pull her into the alley behind him. Thankfully, the alley was far smaller than the huge Gen'dai physique would fit into.

"Anyway, we can get away through an alley or two. Going back to that hotel?"

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

Officially Kezeroth had no business here, he was on the planet to relax... but now he was relaxing. Harassing common folk hunting random jedi, Habits die hard. He only remained silent as he watched them whisper to each other, acting like they were not. Gen'dai had excellent awareness of their surroundings, if he could hear the boys gun click he could hear their words. Though wearing a helmet Kezeroth could recognize the look in Gavins eyes, the look of a Nexu ready to strike on its prey. The Gen'dai knew how the game worked he helped create it, the game of the hunt. If the two were stupid enough to confront Kezeroth in the open they would not stand a chance but if they used their surrounds...

Kezeroths hands were now rested on his wrist, One hand held a G-20 Glop Grenade and hid it against his chest. He was Ready for a move, he was cut off in his thoughts when a shot was fired forcing him to lean to the left to dodge, the Bolt glanced of his large upper shoulder. With his movement Kezeroth actived the grenade but kept it in hand cooking it for the two who now began to run. The Darkside came over the Giant in his slight hints of anger as chased them, [member="Gavin XIII"] & [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] had the head start. With a leap the Gen'Dai activated his Jetpack and rocketed upward looking over the ally way, he wasn't going to try to fit through it. Looking down he tossed the Glop Grenade quickly aiming it to land couple feet in front of them. If his plan worked once it made contact with the ground it would explode and encase all things in a sludge that would trap those nearby.

" Let us Begin!" he muttered watching them run off.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] | [member="Gavin XIII"]

"Gavin, I-" Click. Too late. Sera's eyes widened as she heard the shot ring out, seemingly unaffecting the behemoth. Suddenly she felt the tugging of her hand and was pulled straight up and nearly off her feet by Gavin as he ushered the two toward the alleyway. The pounding of the ground behind them indicated that stopping would mean death. This juggernaut was not some mere deformation taught to kill. It was a trained hunter, a monster of notoriety. Nobody can ever just talk anymore. Sera picked up the pace to match Gavin's as they rounded the corner into the alley.

She heard a blast of energy from behind, the familiar sound of fuel igniting. Turning her head she looked up to see the Gen'dai take to the air. That would make hiding here and using the alley as cover a bit difficult, and they were still a ways away from both her hotel and the hanger, not that it would matter, nowhere was safe now. His switch was flipped, she took note of the gaze in his eyes, and she yelled to Gavin "This is some kind of game to you two isn't it? Well, he's above us, and-" The Gen'dai threw a spherical object directly in front of their path. Schutta. Sera gathered a bit of energy and raised her hand, halting the grenade telekinetically as they continued onward through the alley, releasing the grenade once they were a safe distance passed. Sera shouted up toward Kezeroth as they ran, "Clever trick. But you'll need more than that! I don't suppose I could still convince you not to pursue us?"

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin grinned wildly at Sera, pulling her into another alley. Now, she understood! This was like playtime for the two monstrous men she'd met by that odd twist of the Force. With a laugh, the Thirteenth began blasting into the ground, hoping to find some kind of tunnel to jump into.

"A game is exactly what the hunt is to a hunter. I'm glad you understand. Grenades, though... Tsk. No fun. What say we find somewhere he really can't get us?"

Gavin's blasting was rewarded when the building they were hiding behind partially collapsed, leaving a narrow entrance into some kind of underlevel. He bowed, and nodded towards it.

"Ladies first, I guess."

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

The screaming sounds of his jetpack ceased when he pressed a button on his forearm, Landing with a thump his shoulder blaster lit up and hummed with a green energy. Linked to his Targeting system it was one of his favorite weapons to use since it was particle beam Blaster. The Gen'dai looked around searching for them, he was forced to wait till the grenade blew up and did its thing before he could proceed.. even though they were nearby, suddenly he heard the sound of blaster fire and his direction was made clear. Grabbing his power hammer Bone 'Crusher' from his back he moved in steady heavy steps, His targeting system searched and searched for a target to fire at. Kezeroth walked down the ally [member="Gavin XIII"] and [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] were now but stopped when he saw something from the corner of his eye. The Gen'dai backed up and examined the ally way.

With a chuckle he stared at [member="Gavin XIII"] and started to swing his power hammer at the walls, each swing demolishing the walling making easier for the Gen'dai to fit. Soon he would be right on them. Mean while his shoulder blaster aimed at [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] at and blasted a shot.

" Your heads will make excellent trophies..." he said laughing.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Gavin XIII"] | [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

Shaking her head to Gavin's explanation of the game, "This falls under the definition of insanity, I think. But we'll talk about that when we have time...This thing isn't going to let us rest for a while." While Gavin searched for whatever it was he was looking for by firing off his gun, the world around them began to shake, the Gen'dai slamming some magnificent hammer against the building, turning the impact point into rubble as he forced his way down the alley. Anxiously Sera prodded at Gavin, "Whatever it is you're doing, you need to do it fast. He is making his own pathway!"

Gavin's firing eventually paid off to open a narrow entryway into some kind of complex, but as she turned back to see the Gen'dai approaching rapidly, a small hint of dread overcame her. "Gavin...I don't think that's going to get us away from him." The sound of Kezeroth's particle beam blaster rang out. A petrifying yellow beam racing toward her, as he mocked them again. With nowhere to run in time, Sera quickly drew in The Force, erecting a Force Barrier around herself to stave off the blast that would surely have ruined her day. With that, she turned to Gavin and pushed him into the hole. "Go! Now! I'm right behind you!" She was confident she could fend off the Gen'dai, at least for a period, but she knew this monster was set to kill, and she wasn't interested in taking a life. Her sabers still latched to her belt, she climbed into the crevice behind Gavin. "I hope you know what you're doing, our friend isn't interested in preserving his surroundings."

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin rolled his eyes at the Jedi woman, and pushed straight through the Force barrier, grabbing her just as a rock the size of a speeder bike crashed down over the entrance to the tunnel. Another of almost the same size smashed down on the Thirteenth's back, cracking in half and causing him to cough up a puddle of blood mid-laugh. Forestalling any concern, he looked around. No light except for a very tiny crack in ceiling...

"Well, you wanna use your Jedi glowstick to light up this tunnel for us? Or am I throwing a flare down the hall?"

He checked inside his jacket to see how many flares he had left. Six. The two of them had better make those count, he thought.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

By the time the Brute Kezeroth made his own path it was too late, they had escaped. Looking down at the buried tunnel entrance Kezeroth grunted and kicked a large Rock over, he could see the tunnel through the crack but it would take some time to move it all. Standing up right he rested the pummel of his hammer Bone Crusher on the ground and reached over with this left hand to press a button by his neck. Kezeroths face mask retracted and folded back leaving his face to be revealed against the air. Grotesque and deformed much of his over all appearance was and his eyes held a fire of a glow, pure Hate. He stared at what he though was the two and shouted " Im not done with you yet!"

The Gen'dais body moved in a way that suggested he breathed in deep even though he had no lungs, His mouth opened slightly and focused summoning darkside energy to his vocals and bracing his body for a impact he suddenly took a rooted stance and released a Force Scream . The force behind it moved several rocks that buried the entrance of the tunnel but that was not its only purpose. With the crack going into the tunnel now slightly bigger the sound of the scream traveled inward to the tunnel bouncing about to damage the ears.

[member="Gavin XIII"]
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Gavin XIII"] | [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

Sera gasped as the large chunk of rock smashed atop of Gavin's back. Reaching to her side, she felt the hilt of one of her blades, "Yea, I'm on it." Sera ignited her green lightsaber, holding it low so not to accidentally cut into anything. She glanced down as she crawled past where Gavin previously was. "Is that blood?!" She exclaimed. "How bad is it?" As they continued crawling through the dimly lit area, she heard Kezeroth just outside, the bellow of his deafening voice shouted out, and Sera was nervous what exactly he had in store for them. "You really angered him, you know...I don't want to know what he does with his prey if he catches them. I suspect it is nothing short of appalling."

Not a moment later, the vibration of a monstrous Force Scream echoed through the crawlspace, bouncing off every surface as it traveled, aching for a way out. "Gavin! Cover your ears!" Sera shouted, but for all she knew she could have been miming. Her voice was empty, she heard nothing but an intense ringing. For all intensive purposes, she could have been standing next to a thermal detonator as it went off. Following the immediate deafness, a shrieking pain shot through her head as if she just got ran over by a speeder. Stopping for a moment she reached up and grabbed the front of her head, closing her eyes to try and focus as the ringing continued to plague her ears.

 

[Gavin XIII]

With an odd smile, Gavin pushed Sera's hands away from her forehead and reached out to cover her head with one arm. With the other, he searched through his jacket and found what he was looking for: A low-sensitivity, sound-activated, mine. If Kezeroth screamed again, he'd just be entrenching the Thirteenth and his new friend even deeper into the tunnel.

Gavin slapped the mine onto the top of the wall, where it curved into the ceiling, and did the same with another one. He primed them just as the Force Scream finished. All that he'd felt of the attack had been a ringing in his ears, and a faint sensation like he was underwater. He winked at the bewildered-looking Twi'lek, and his smile became a few degrees jauntier than it already was.

"I'm Force-Dead, Sera. Not much he can do but open up the tunnel to smash us to bits... But the next time he screams, this caves gonna fall down behind us. Let's get going."

He picked the Twi'lek and he now-deactivated lightsaber up, and began walking quickly towards the next hallway.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

Gnashing his teeth his scream ended, There was no point if only one of them was affected at the most. Moving his arm the commanded his face mask to close over his face again for protection and placed his hammer Bone Crusher back in its rest on his back. Turning around his jetpack screamed again and off he went toward the starport, there he could examin the area better and find a way to cut them off.

[member="Gavin XIII"]
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] | [member="Gavin XIII"]

The ache in her head was relentless. Blinking a few times as she rubbed the sides of her skull, she heard Gavin say something. Bits and pieces of his sentences were just about all she could focus on, the rest fell silently behind the ringing that still agitated her ears. Standing up as they reached an area with more mobility, she lifted her second saber from her belt, grasping it firmly in her hand as she looked back, half expecting the brute to come crashing through at any second. She motioned for Gavin to hand her back her green blade. After all, her training, saber style, and form were all more or less reliant on her ability to move around while wielding two blades, without one, she just felt naked.

"Do you have any idea where we're going? If we can get to the hangar, we can get aboard my ship and scram, hopefully before grumpy finds us again." Sera smirked under the cover of the darkness that engulfed this place. "Do you generally like to push people's buttons? Or just ones that are gigantic, scary, and unstable?" Letting out a soft laugh she shook her head, anticipating the answer she mouthed the word "Yes."

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin smiled at the Twi'lek, and handed back her lightsaber. Not like he could do much but stab himself with it, anyway. But his hand was shaking, he noticed... Why was his hand shaking? He reached for a flare, and managed to pop it to light the tunnel up, before he couldn't hear anything out of his right ear. He felt something thick running down it. His blood. It came dropping down onto the floor, and out of his nose, too. With a bewildered look at Sera, he leaned against a wall.

"I'm bleeding... Strange. From my ear, too. Interesting. I've never really bled before..."

He muttered something inaudible even to himself, and groped around in his jacket for a medpack. There wasn't one. Oh, hell...

"What an idiotic time for me to forget. Let's go. Nothing much left but to push a few more buttons, eh?"

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

[member="Gavin XIII"] | [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

The light from the flare flickered momentarily as it sprung to life, the sparks hissing at the air before silencing itself. The young Twi'lek Padawan looked over at Gavin as her hearing began to return, his voice was still quiet to her, but it was now audible. The glimmering light bounced from ceiling to floor, wall to wall, but the sight she focused her gaze on was that which Gavin spoke of. From his ear and nose was a steady stream of blood. "Gavin! I told you to cover your ears! Are you going to be ok until we get back? There's honestly not much I can do for you right now."

Sera grabbed him by the arm, tugging forward. "Let's go, we need to get you out of here, you need a doctor. There's something up ahead, it looks to be a ladder, perhaps it leads to a way out of whatever this place is. With any luck, your friend will have given up. What do you know about him anyway? I've never seen anything like...it."

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin felt Sera pull on his arm, and nodded at her, still smiling. He hadn't even felt any pain when the sound came through. The blast itself hadn't hurt him, but the noise had somehow caused him to start bleeding without noticing it. But the quiet sparking of the flare was only coming to him from the left side. He wasn't going to worry Sera about that, though. His smile widened into a wolfish grin.

"You're cute when you're concerned. I don't need a doctor. It'll heal by itself eventually."

That was a kind of blatant lie. The Thirteenth figured that he's probably be deaf in his right ear after this little adventure. But that was fine. Better than being blind on one side.

"And I know a lot about Mr. Barcu. He's a Gen'dai, with all the regenerative abilities and size to prove it. Used to run with the One Sith, and the Fringe, and now he seems to be freelance killing for fun. Kinda like me. A monster that got off his master's leash."

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]