Hidden Amongst The Thicket

[Maiev]

Felucia ​

While Maiev had spent a majority of recent time onboard The Messenger, she still had her own personal matters to tend to. One of which was restocking some of her supplies. Generally that consisted of meeting up one a trusted contact to buy them in bulk. However, there were occasions when such a thing wasn't possible, and it required her travelling to the destination personally to collect the particular plants. Felucia was one such planet, its various native flora held several properties that were of interest to the Witch. But today she was here for one in particular; Nysillin. It's healing properties were highly sought after in the galaxy and as such always kept a high price on the market. In the past Maiev hadn't been to bothered buying it in bulk, but they usually consisted of less natural versions of the plant, which in turn meant it was less effective.

It was why she had come to Felucia, to track down and harvest some from deep within the planet's fungal jungles.

Though it wasn't her entire reason for coming to the planet. There were rumours of something darker lurking somewhere on Felucia. Which didn't come as much of a surprise given it laid near the edge of Silver Space and near the border of a dark faction.

She had landed her ship down in a small clearing, tucking it away out of sight. Her droid pilot 'Iggy' was left with the ship while she was away. With her sizable satchel slung over one shoulder, a couple blades at her side and a small orb of a robot hovering to her side. The Witch was shortly on her way into the depths of Felucia's jungles.

​

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

Felucia. A world of massive mushrooms, potentially carnivorous plants and strange alien Force-users. Way back, Firemane had helped the Silver Sanctum Coalition establish a presence on this wild, untamed world, protecting local communities from ravenous beasts. But those times had past. The paramilitary corporation and the Silver Jedi had had a parting of ways, so to speak.


It mattered not for the Felucians and the manifold creatures that populated this exotic world. The basics of their lives had not changed for centuries. It was a simple life, but generally untroubled by the concerns that plagued the greater Galaxy. Emphasis on generally. "You can see the blight as well. The Mother Jungle is disturbed. This evil is like a cancer eating away at it. It makes the beasts restless. The Jungle Felucians have become rabid," the chieftain spoke in a grave tone.


He was an Ithorian, a descendant of refugees who'd come to this world centuries past. His healing hands worked their magic on a man who'd been badly mauled by a wild animal. "We sent scouts into the forests, but none returned. The hunters believe it is a matter of putting down rancors. They are blinded."


A human girl with tanned skin milky-white, vacant eyes nodded. Long red hair cascaded about her shoulders, like a mane of scarlet. She was clad in somewhat archaic looking armour, with her helmet tucked beneath her arm. "Then I know where to go. I'll get to the bottom of this. If there's a dark force lurking in the jungle, I'll put an end to it." It sounded like the bravado of youth, but despite her youth these dead eyes did not belong to an inexperienced neophyte. Saving people, hunting bad things, the family business - and all that. There was a Firemane emblem on her suit. Soon she was off on her way into the depths of Felucia's vast jungle.

 

[Maiev]

She had forgone her usual robes for this little adventure. Her past experiences, dating back to her younger years in the Dathomir Wilds, had taught her a valuable lesson that dense terrains like Felucia's had the habit of snagging and tearing at those type of clothing.

Instead, Maiev had opted for a similiar outfit to when she was on Velusia, though with some slight differences. Boots, trousers, a short sleeved tunic, and light cloak. Felucia had a tendency of being quite humid at times, and her jacket was not suited for that. Albeit, the cloak she had on also had an equally large hood, that and it didn't necessarily flow from her body too much that it would snag against any loose branches or shrubs.

Lifting her left arm up, Maiev flicked her wrist datapad on and began inputting some commands. The little orb droid beeped in response as it hovered around her head.

"Alright, co-ordinates for the Nysillin are set. Notify me when you've located them." She looked up at the droid as it bobbed and beeped some more before it zipped off ahead.

<You can feel it can't you? There's a darkness lurking somewhere on this planet.> The spirit's ancient tongue flickered to life in her mind.

"I do. We'll need to be careful with any natives we may cross, especially the wild ones. If there's indeed a dark presence here then they'll be riled up." She could hear Kalax-Ra hum in agreement.

Maiev continued her trek onwards, following a route familar to her from her previous times on the planet.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


The jungle got a bad rep. It was wild, untamed and dangerous, populated by ferocious beasts. Jungle itself was as a term often equated with barbarity. The rule of the jungle stood for a merciless fight of everyone against everyone. By contrast, civilisation was peaceful, predictable and orderly. Elpsis remembered those distant days as a young Jedi Initiate, when a sanctimonious instructor had done his best to drill it into her skull that it was a Jedi's duty to defend what he defined as civilisation.


“'Jedi do not fight for peace. That’s only a slogan, and is as misleading as slogans always are. Jedi fight for civilisation, because only civilization creates peace,'" he'd said, quoting the ancient Mace Windu. Last she'd heard, he'd ended up going Sith. 'Civilisation' had shown its own darkness on Contruum, Metalorn, Manaan, the Subjugation of Kaeshana...No, the jungle was not her enemy. It was wild and dangerous, but there was also a purity to it. Nature was a fickle mistress, but not needlessly cruel.


But the forest was changed, for it was blighted. A darkness - not the primal darkness of the jungle, but something alien - had taken root, infesting the wilderness like a malevolent virus. Somewhere on this world, a darkess lurked, and it would spread, if it was not stopped. The blight reminded her of the corruption she'd witnessed in the savannah of Dahomey.


Clad in her archaic looking armour, Elpsis made her way across the dense terrain. Vacant eyes, which stood out in her tanned face like pearls of white, took in the flora. Words leapt from her tongue as she hummed a prayer to her goddess.


"Great White Wolf, blessed mother and guardian, whose voice I hear in the winds, and who gave me the breath of life, hear me.
You, whose fur warms me and whose teeth protect me from evil.
You, from whose loving care I receive nourishment and who endows me with the great gift.
You, who raised me from great distress and made me see the divine feminine.
For I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me see the beauty of your creation and never think myself above it.
Make my hands respect the thing you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Help me seek pure thought and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelmning me.
Make my wise so that I may understand the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Make me strong, not to be greater than my sisters, but to fight the evil wrought by the Black Wolf.
So when life fades, as the fading, my spirit may traverse the void and find peace in your eternal forest without shame."

 

[Maiev]

If Maiev were honest, none of her previous trips to Felucia had gone particularly smooth. And she certainly wasn't expecting today's to be any different. The first had involved getting lost in the planet's fungal forests, which had been particularly infuriating for the Witch. It seemed years spent within the Dathomir Wilds did not completely translate well into the more alien terrains like these. If it were perhaps Kashyyyk or Devaron, she would've been fine. Added to the fact she winded up running into a pack of the more wild natives. Kalax-Ra had been especially amused by that.

The second time had been nothing more than a consequence of the first. She had come back out of a desire to simply explore, to familiarize herself with the planet for any future trips she might embark on.

Like today.

As Maiev trekked on, her hearing picked up the faint sound of something that was being carried through the wind. A song perhaps, she wasn't entirely sure. Either way it was still an indicator someone else was close by, yet not enough that she could clearly hear any of the words. There was however a sense of familiarity coming from the spirit within.

"Kalax, do you recognize the tune?"

<Vaguely. I cannot hear the words, but there's a certain flow to it that reminds me of something else.>

"And that is?"

<I am unsure. But it is old.>

Well that certainly didn't help a whole lot, but it did help make the Witch more curious as she continued on.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


The humid, fungus-filled jungles of Felucia were not ordinary forests. The jungle itself was itself, radiating a presence. To Elpsis, looking upon the world through her metaphysical eyes, it was like looking upon the inner workings of a living organism. Huge, exotic plants and gigantic mushrooms dominated the landscape. The colours were bright, like those of a rainbow. Some of the animals appeared almost translucent. Yet even here there was evidence of corruption. Flowers and plants looked blighted, as if struck by some alien sickness.


The Firemistress knew it to be mystical in nature. The Force itself was out of balance. The creeping feeling of pure wrongness got stronger the more she wandered into the wilderness. Bending down, Elpsis extended her hand towards a spore plant. She did so cautiously, but nonetheless without concern for herself. A barrage of sickly green spores emanated from the plant, which looked equally sickly. She winced when one touched her hand, causing pain.


But she persevered, stretching out with her empathy to pacify the plant. The wound inside her palm closed almost as soon as it was opened up and a bright, white light radiated from it instead, healing the plant as the blight was slowly cleansed. The sickly colour was replaced by a healthier pallour, as life flowed through the decaying plant.


Smiling slightly, Elpsis got to her feet. As she did so, she sensed another presence close by. Two presences, to be exact. One felt powerful and ancient, the other more younger and human. Both felt like Forceful beings. Curious.

 

[Maiev]

After a few more minutes, Maiev found herself crouching down by a towering mushroom, her hands gently threading through the plants that rested at its base. Most of them were vibrant and full of colour, but a few of them were showing signs of decay. It was clearly unnatural, and as the Witch stretched her senses out with the Force, she able to easily pick up on the dark corruption that was seeping into it.

<You can feel it, can't you?>

"I can see it too, these were not like this the last time we were here."

However Maiev frowned, there was no order to how the corruption was spreading. It was only afflicting certain plants, and even then it almost seemed to refuse spreading to others.

Holding her hand over the corrupted plant, Maiev began chanting softly her words mixing in with Kalax-Ra's as her voice occasionally appeared in-between. The life force of the plant began to twist and shift in response, as if the spreading darkness was being scrubbed away. After a few seconds the colour slowly came back to it, as the murky corruption seemed to slip down into the dirt and slither away.

"Well, that confirms the rumours thens. Something if happening here, deeper into this forest."

A series of beeps jolted the Witch from her thoughts. She looked down at her left arm, where her datapad was attached, to see her little droid had managed to reach a harvestable source for the Nysillin.

Standing back to her full height, Maiev went to move on when she felt the presence nearby. Part of her wanted to push on, but her curiousity won out and instead diverted her path and headed towards whoever else was wandering the forest.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


There was no clear when it came to which plants had been corrupted. At least none Elpsis could perceive. Sometimes, only one was afflicted, at other times it seemed she had to look hard to find one that was not corrupted. She could spend her whole day healing, and she would only be fixing the symptoms. No, she had to go deeper into the darkness and discover the root of the problem. To correct the imbalance in the Force.


"I'll be back soon," she whispered quietly to the plants. "I'll stop whoever did this." Her Force senses flared, for she felt the other presences coming closer. It seemed that the other Forceful beings were heading her direction.


Rising from the ground and pulling herself to her full height, she faced the direction from where the presences were approaching. Now, the way Elpsis perceived other beings was a bit peculiar. A reactor explosion had robbed her of physical sight. Instead, she saw auras through the Force.


Those empty white eyes focused upon Maiev as she appeared on the spot. Elpsis' brow knitted together in slight puzzlement, for she only perceived one person...but two presences. Almost as if one body was shared by two consciousness. Possession? Immediately, her danger senses flared, for based on her initial examination, darkness slithered and seethed around the woman like a serpent.


[member="Tempest"] and Auntie Sio look the same, her inner voice reminded the empath. You're not a sanctimonious Jedi. Some of her best friends were what the so-called paladins of peace and justice would call darksiders. But it still paid to be on your guard, though she did not sense hostile intent. Perhaps the newcomer had been drawn to this place by the pervasive darkness, for good or ill.


"Hey there, you looking for something or just sightseeing?" her tone was casual, on first sight at least. Her lightsabre remained unignited, resting upon her utlity belt, whilst her bolt pistol remained inside her holster. Either could be drawn if need be.

 

[Maiev]

As Maiev entered the small clearing, her eyes were immediately drawn to Elpsis, recognizing her as the presence she had felt. Almost immediately she noticed the fact the woman was dressed in armour, and a quite archaic style too. It even peaked Kalax-Ra's interest.

<How interesting...you don't often see people wearing such things nowadays.>

The thought that occured to the Witch however, revolved around why the woman was armoured up. It gave the impression she was expecting to wind up in a fight sooner rather than later. Following that she noticed the redhead's confused look, as her blank eyes remained fixed upon her. Maiev felt a slight bit of discomfort as if the woman was peering into her, and for a moment was unsure the reason for it.

But then, even from this distance, it finally clicked.

"She's blind."

<And powerful in the Force. She's looking right at us.>

Kalax-Ra's emphasis on the 'us' did not pass Maiev's notice. Nor did she miss the slight build up of tension from the armoured woman.

"I came here to gather some Nysillin, I'm assuming that not necessarily here for the same?" the Witch said, referring to Elpsis' armour. Her tone equally as casual, as was her body posture in general. Albeit she was just as ready to reach for one of her blades if was required.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


Elpsis had deliberately modelled her armour after the archaic, somewhat romanticised image of knights of yore. Auntie Sio had teased her about it. But it fit the redhead's self-conception of herself as a paladin, who went where the Force guided her to right wrongs, smite evil and seduce comely maidens! However, in a way the old-fashioned appearance was deceptive, for it was made of phrik, a metal strong enough to resist the blow of a lightsabre.


Those blank eyes remained fixated on the newcomer. It had not quite clicked with Elpsis that some people might find it a bit disconcerting when you stared at them. Especially when your eyes were so empty. "Nysillin. I know the herb. So you're a healer then?" she queried. That reduced the risk of the dark woman having come here with malicious intent. Well, unless she wanted to perform twisted alchemical experiments of some sort.


"Welcome to the club, hun. I'm kinda one as well, but I'm not here to collect herbs. My goddess guided me here. You've felt the darkness? It's eating away at the forest," her tone was rather earnest and, for Elpsis, unusually serious. There was something odd about the dark woman. The sensation of feeling a second consciousness inside her had not abated. But she displayed none of the tell-tale signs of being a daemon's meat puppet.

 

[Maiev]

Maiev's brow twitched slightly, refraining from visibly frowning as she noticed the emblem on the armor. The Witch knew she recognized it, but it was slipping from her mind and the same time she was keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the woman's eyes rather than her chest.

Kalax-Ra however, had little problem recognizing it, able to focus on what her host couldn't necessarily see outside from the corner of her vision.

<It's Firemane.>

She mentally nodded. Even before she had joined up with the Vigil, she had done her due diligence and researched into the various groups, factions and governments that were relevant to her interests. Namely those that would see the galaxy torn apart, and those that would seek to oppose them. Albeit, not all of them were easily to look in to, not without drawing unwanted attention to her.

At least it meant that if Elpsis was a part of Firemane, then hopefully it meant they would be little conflict between them. After all, while Maiev used the darkside in equal parts to the light, it was always aimed towards exterminating those that were truly dark.

"I've seen it yes. Found some plants not that far from here that were corrupted. Tried to heal it, but I could only remove it and watch as it crawled back towards wherever it originated."

Maiev stepped forwards a bit, closing the distance and holding out a hand in greeting. "I'm Maiev."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


'Hi, Maiev. That's a nice name. By the way, have you been possessed by an evil spirit? Don't worry, I can help! I'm a trained exorcist...kinda. You'll be fine. Promise!' No, Elpsis did no say that. She realised that was probably not a good way to start a conversation.


The wariness remained, but she accepted the profferred hand. Her gauntlet had been retracted earlier, so Maiev would feel the younger woman's flesh hand. Being a pyromancer, Elpsis' skin was warmer than that of the average human. Her fingers were callused and rough.


"Elpsis. Elpsis Elaris. I'm with Firemane." During the hours she spent with diligent research, the witch might have heard of a [member="Coryth Elaris"], a renowned Jedi healer who'd left the order a long time ago and was now employed by Firemane.


"The darkness is not natural. It must be stopped. Or it'll spread across the whole forest and more will suffer. I'm going to find whoever's responsible and kick their arses. If they're beyond repentance, I'I'll set them on fire."


There was a fierceness to her tone, a bit at odds with her usual easy-going, carefree attitude. Redemption, in her eyes, was possible...but only within reason. That was something the Jedi had never understood. There was a flicker of something on her face as she looked at Maiev, as if she was weighing her options. "You wanna come along? Could use the backup and I can feel you got the Force."

 

[Maiev]

Within that brief handshake Maiev learned a number of things. The first being the sheer heat that radiated from Elpsis' skin. It was warm, as expected from being in the gauntlet prior, but it held an unnatural quality to it as though something was lurking beneath the flesh, ready to be unleashed. The Witch recognized it as a sign that the redhead was a pyromancer, and was very much hands-on if the roughness of her skin was any indication.

There was a flash of recognition in Maiev's eyes when Elpsis confirmed her suspicions about Firemane. That and she also knew the name. It rang a bell from when she researched the group there were a few names that popped up. 'Elaris' had also appeared at one point in the form of a one person. Albeit it wasn't the one standing before her, and the Witch wondered if Elpsis was the daughter of Coryth.

It seemed though that Kalax-Ra noticed something she hadn't.

<You should remain wary Maiev. I'm completely certain she knows of my presence. The fact she hasn't mentioned it...>

Could also mean she's just being polite. That was Maiev's thought anyway, followed with amusement when she heard the tone in Elpsis' words. Well, she certainly has a fiery attitude.

Maiev nodded her head in agreement, the corruption was a sign that something else was at work here. It wasn't natural, and meant someone was influencing it somewhere further in the forest.

"I agree, the two of us would make this eas-" Her words were cut short when a series of erratic beeps came from her wrist. With a quick flick of her finger, Maiev stirred the device awake to see an alert from her droid, it was under attack. "And it looks like we have our first lead, this way."

With quick turn of her heels, Maiev led the way back into the thicket and towards were her probe droid had ended up.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


Elpsis was an empath, but this gift - or curse - did not give her the power to peer into someone's mind and read their thoughts. In short, she remained deaf to the internal conversation between spirit and vessel. However, what she did sense were the conflicting emotions radiating from Maiev. One part felt more trusting and inclined to flight along side her, the other was more wary and guarded. Her conclusion was that the two consciousness were not of one mind.


Yet, in the end Maiev expressed her willingness to aid her. This might mean that if the spirit disagreed it still allowed her free will. Of course, for all she knew there might be a lot more behind this. Or she could have read the entire situation wrong. Elpsis was a seize the moment type.


"Ok. Awesome...then let's...," Elpsis was liberated from the burden of figuring out a plan when the dark woman received a plea for help from her droid. "That solves it. Let's go save your bot, hun," she declared. Time to kick arse for the white wolf.


Quickly, she hastened into the thicket after Maiev. Her armour was not the lightest, but considerably more comfortable than the old beskar'gam Auntie Sio had passed on to her shortly after she joined Firemane. So she did not feel like a total tortoise inside it.


It did not take long before they happened upon the droid. The small bot was being pursued by a pack of Jungle Felucians. The alien warriors' auras radiated anger and primal ferocity, making them appear almost beastial through the eyes of the Force. Their grey skin was mottled and sickly. The tendrils that formed their face were similarly twisted and had lengthened to the point where they resembled bizarre mutants spawned by an insane scientist.


Elpsis felt a stab of pity for these poor creatures. "You don't want to fight. Go," she ordered, pressing her will upon them. Her voice was different, for it was one of command. To invade another's mind was not something idly done. To do so casually and callously was a grave sin, but the intent was not to cause them lasting harm.


The concentration of a number of ferals would abruptly drop as they felt like their heads were spinning, they were overcame by a flood of nausea, dizziness and their perception of their assailants shifted. In their weakened state, they would not see Elpsis, but an enormous beast.


Some warriors did indeed take flight or just stood there, paralysed. But enough stuck to their guns, for the redhead could not compel all. So focused was she on her mental exertions that she did not notice the spear being tossed towards her. It made contact with a joint, striking her armpit. It shattered upon impact, but she winced. Blood dripped out of the small wound. With drawn Skullblades, the primitives charged the two women, yelling battle cries. The redhead raised one hand and a bright, blinding light emanated from it.

 

[Maiev]

It seemed non-lethal was the operative method for the empath, at least when it came to the natives anyway. Maiev had little issue with it, and in fact shared a similiar sentiment. More often than not it was always the native people and creatures that became the victims of whatever darkness had infested their home. Whether it was directly from the culprits doing, or as a side effect of their spreading corruption.

Either way, the one's truly behind this were certainly not going to be seeing mercy once they were found.

Maiev watched as Elpsis' commanding tone washed over the feral Felucians. She saw them buckle and cower, hands reaching up to clasp their heads as the nausea hit them. Then returning to look at the woman in question, their eyes widening in fear before they turned around and fled.

The Witch was impressed with the level of control Elpsis had, managing to spread her influence across the majority of the Felucians. But not all of them fell under it, and still had enough sense to attack. Maiev raised her hands up, ready to act but the spear throw had happened too quickly for her to react.

Then the battle cries echoed out, and Elpsis' blinding attack swiftly followed.

Maiev quickly crouched down, shifting her eyes away from the light but also moving herself closer to the ground. She placed her hands down, fingers digging into the dirt. An ethereal sounding voice began to speak through her lips, words spilling out as she connected with the very earth beneath them. Hidden roots shifted upon command, threading through the ground and bursting out to wrap around the remaining ferals. By the time Elpsis' light was gone, the Felucians were bound to the ground, their limbs held down securely.

"Nicely done," Maiev said. With their attackers now restrained, the Witch walked up to the closest one and crouched to its side. The Felucian snapped and growled at her, but that was all it could do beyond thrashing against its bonds. Carefully, Maiev began to examine the feral to get a better impression of how the corruption had twisted it.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


Not so long ago, Elpsis would have mowed the natives down without a second thought or a moment's hesitation. The empathic backlash would have pained her, but she would not have felt any real remorse. But she was different now and endowed with a greater appreciation of sentient life. Faith had taught her many things. The brainwashed natives were not her real enemy. That term applied to the evildoers who'd corrupted the jungle. They could expect no mercy from her. No more than a Sith, Moff or a Knight of Ren.


The dazzling blast of light robbed Felucian warriors of their vision, providing a temporary disorientation. Seemlessly, Maiev slipped into the breach. Words of power slipped from her lips. Elpsis could feel the roots respond to Maiev's command and rise from the ground to wrap themselves around the limbs of the Felucians in a tight, restraining grip.


Kind of hot, when you thought about it. "Same. We're kinda badarse together. I don't often run into someone away from home who can play with the elements like that. You're a witch of some sort?" she queried. The incantation and her earth magic kind of implied it.


She walked towards one of the bound Felucians Maiev was examining. The creature growled and hissed in anger, but it was an impotent rage. "Poor fella," Elpsis said feelingly. "Easy, we're not gonna hurt you." This did not convince the alien, who tried to bite her hand when she reached out to him.


"His mind feels like that of a...rabid animal. But it's not just a mental transformation. You see how his skin and tentacles look? Like a freak show out of a Sith's lab." This would make things more difficult. If they ran into a legion of mutants, nonlethal solutions might go out of the window. Especialy since the culprits probably had more than feral warriors armed with spears. "I can try and take a look into his mind. See if I find a clue."

 

[Maiev]

Maiev chuckled lightly at Elpsis' comment, their combined attack had done a sound job of neutralizing the corrupted Felucians without doing them any harm. Although it was both a blessing and a curse. For one, it kept them restained and unable to harm anyone; specifically herself and Elpsis. But it also meant they'd be constantly thrashing against the bonds and potentially harm themselves. As much as Maiev would prefer to let them go free, the look in their eyes told everything the Witch needed to know. If they even had a moment of freedom, they'd immediately try and and attack them again.

It made her frown, recalling her previous interactions with the 'Jungle Felucians' as they were called. Who were those that didn't belong to any of the established tribes, whether through preference or were just not civilized enough to live amongst the others. However, they had always come across as more territorial than outright aggressive. Get to close to their land? They'll growl and snarl, warning you to back away. Even if you ended up in the middle of their territory; as Maiev accidently did once, they'd rather shoo you away than try and do harm.

Which made this current situation all the more confusing. Was this their inner instincts kicking in, the corruption forcing it to the surface. Or was someone directly controlling them through it. Maiev gazed into the restrained Felucians eyes, to see if she could indentify any of the traditional signs; like a glazed look, but there was nothing.

The Witch bit her lip slightly at question. Internally she debated what to tell Elpsis, given the typical line of thought when you mention Dathomir is towards the more darker tribes. The ones that made the largest noise that stretched out across the galaxy.

<Be mindful of what you reveal, Maiev. She might be a like-minded ally now, but that may not be the same later.>

Maiev frowned, the empath had so far been quite receptive of her, that and it wasn't as if the redhead was oblivious to the darkness within her. So she turned to look up Elpsis and gave her a nod.

"Dathormirian, though I've spent many years now travelling around, exploring and learning other arts."

She listened as Elpsis described what she was sensing from the Felucian. A slight glower crossed Maiev's expression at the mention of Sith Alchemy. It was something she had encountered a number of times now, and she wished she could abolish it entirely. It was a twisted perversion of the alchemical art. Taking something natural, tearing it apart and making itself into something horrendous. But she didn't allow that thought to dominate the moment, and instead gave a nod in response to Elpsis' suggestion.

"That sounds like a good idea, if they're running on a type of hive mind, it might be possible to follow the connected string back to the source. Or perhaps there's some memories in there that will lead to a physical location."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


Elpsis raised an eyebrow. "Dathomir, huh? Does this mean you can teach me how to ride a rancor? Always wanted to visit the place and learn from the Witches. Woods, lots of wild life, matriarchy - sounds like my kinda place."


It was likely that her views were more than a little biased - and perhaps somewhat romanticised. Either way, she got a bit ooh-shinied by what seemed like a good of bonding. Realising that she'd gotten side-tracked, she flushed slightly and turned her attention back to the matter of hand. The glower on Maiev's features at the mention of Sith alchemy did not escape her attention.


She wondered if the other woman had first-hand experience with it. Perhaps she'd been a victim of the Sith? Either way, Elpsis shared her disgust. Perhaps the spirit would sense some of that. The redhead's father had been a vicious monster who enjoyed turning beast and man alike into twisted monstrosities.


"Right, I'll take a peek inside. If there's some kinda hive mind or the psycho alchemist left some sort of curse this may get...complicated," she deadpaned. Taking a breath, she pulled at the tangled web of power that was the Force. Whilst focusing, she began to chant. Her voice sounded very different, almost ethereal. The words that left her lips were ancient and powerful. Bit by bit, the layers that shielded the Felucian's confused, corrupted mind were stripped away.


Let me in. What happened to you? Who did this to you? The Felucian hissed and growled, then slowly became compliant. The metaphorical door opened, and she stepped inside Then suddenly Elpsis winced, as if in deep pain, when a force that could not emanate from the poor alien slammed into her mind. Suddenly there was loud noise, like thousands upon thousands of insane, alien voices screaming in unison. Confusing, horrible images of torture and suffering flooded her mind, hitting her like a brick wall.


Saliva dripped down the Felucian's grotesquely mutated tendrils as he began to babble incoherent gibberish. Let me in, Elpsis pushed on, refusing to be flushed out of his mind. I can free you. Sweat dripped down her face, whilst her nose began to bleed, but she pushed on, though strain was written across her features. Her normally dead eyes glowed faintly. In the deepest recesses of the alien's mind, she perceived presence. Concealed from her sight, for shadows cloaked it, but undoubtedly malevolent. Who did this to you?

 

[Maiev]

Maiev shook her head, an amused expression on her face. Rancors had been something of a contentious subject for the Witch. Dangerous as the beasts were, they were also native to Dathomir and as such she saw them as something that shouldn't be disturbed. But it was out of her hands, especially given the species was present on a few other planets. Still, it didn't sit well with Maiev that her fellow Dathomirians would go out of their way to forcefully tame and leash them.

<They're also rancors, Maiev. Big hulking masses of muscle that can be one hell of an ally if you an make a friend out of one.>

Kalax-Ra's point was fair, there were certainly benefits of having one of the beasts at your call. But it still came down to the methods used, even the more darker tribes on Dathomir used more invasive ways to dominating their minds.

She only hoped they didn't cross paths with one, knowing full well Felucia had it's own species of rancor.

While Elpsis was occupied with searching the Felucians mind, Maiev turned her attention to her little droid companion. The Agni Probe floated over to her, whining in its mechanical tongue.

"You okay, little guy?" She asked, receiving a monotone chirp from the droid. He dropped down into Maiev's hands, allowing the witch to examine his chassis noting some dents here and there. "Mhm, nothing too bad it seems. All right, get yourself back to the ship." The probe gave an affirmative beep before zipping off through the thicket.

With that, she returned to the red-headed empath. Maiev walked over and crouched down before her, concern etched on her face as she noticed the strain Elpsis was under; that and the bleeding nose. She was ready to physically pull the woman out if needed, but knew the balancing risks the empath was dealing with, they needed information but there was the danger of going too far. As was evident when the other restrained Felucians began to thrash even harder against their bonds, though the roots kept their hold. They were seemingly reacting to the influence that was being pushed into Elpsis' target. Or perhaps it was the work of whomever was controlling them, trying to force them to act.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


It was getting worse. Elpsis' headaches intensified. Her entire body seemed to shake and she was trembling strongly. The Felucian began to shake and convulse, as if going into a seizure. More gibberish escaped his mouth, but now he sounded almost pleading. He thrashed wildly. The redhead winced in pain, feeling so much of his anguish through the mental backlash that hit her mind like a freight tram.


Seeing - and more importantly feeling - the effect her mental intrusion was having on the poor soul, Elpsis started pulling away. It was her actions causing him to suffer. An intense feeling of guilt washed over her. But...she had to discover the source of the corruption, of the evil that had inflicted such torment on him. Guilt was joined by white-hot anger.


What was the right choice? Sometimes there were no right ones, no golden path. Please, she heard the single word inside her mind. I'm sorry, she responded mentally, as she pushed once again, pulling at the tangled web of memories. Resolution took over, banishing the cloud of mound that sought to overcome her. Her breathing intensified, becoming heavy and laboured.


He will die - and it will be your fault. Go, before you shatter his mind. This voice was...different. Ethereal. These were not her thoughts in her mind. Show yourself, she commanded, her mental pull becoming forceful. The dark presence was trying to force her out and cut the strings of life before she could find what she sought...but she was faster. In a flash, one image shot through her brain. She perceived a massive creature...a city...no, it was both. Everywhere she looked, she saw bestial creatures and figures wrapped in auras of darkness, chanting in unison.


Then it was all over. The Felucian gasped for breath one last time, saliva dripped down his tendrils and he slumped to the ground, dead. Thing was, Elpsis was still inside his mind when he breathed air one last time. To be inside someone's head when they gave up the ghost was a dangerous thing. Her entire body shook, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, then she collapsed to the ground.