Into the Dark Maze of Darkness (OPEN)

[Kinsey Starchaser]

"...-nd three days from now. You have limited rations in your pack. All your weapons and armor are gone. If you arrive to the checkpoint you survive. I would say good luck---HeheheheheHehehehe-heh. But you'll need more than that."

Too-blue eyes blinked open. Kins winced as she lifted her head from the dirt-strewn ground. The last thing she remembered was having a training session with @Mullarus. And now she was....somewhere...with some strange, distinctly masculine, voice booming through some sort of voice-amplifier system.

Pushing to a seat, dark hair dripped down her shoulder. She pinched her forearm and winced. Nope, not dreaming in [member="Sage Bane"]'s zoosha-fabric sheets.

There were a few things she realized at once: gravity was heavier here, she couldn't feel the force, and she wasn't alone.

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Liam opened his eyes, and there was a woman next to him.

Strange. She looked too classy to be one of the women of the night that the Mandalorian was so fond of. He couldn't remember last night, either, and he knew he was too broke to buy alcohol, so that didn't explain the sudden amnesia and the pounding headache.

Also, they were outside.

What the kark was going on? Groaning, the mercenary instinctively reached for his holster for his blaster, but found both missing.

His blaster. His Mandalorian Heavy Pistol.

His baby.

"What...the...kark..."

Liam growled this out lowly in his thick Dxun accent. Someone kidnapped his child.

Someone was gonna die.

Slowly sitting up, Darkgear felt heavier. Maybe it was whatever he was drugged with, if he was drugged, anyway. The mercenary still knew little to nothing about this place, or why he was here.

Maybe that woman did.

He spoke up, mild irritation in his voice as he rubbed the temples of his scar littered face, trying to rub down a killer headache.

"Oy, lady...what the kark is goin' on?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

Waking up on some foreign planet in some weird maze trap with a stranger with a funky accent didn't stop Kinsey from being her bubbly-self. A brilliant-white smile flashed across her mouth as she looked at Liam. It was the same smile that made all species...even droids in some cases, warm up to the Starchaser. Sometimes melt.

"No idea," she offered him a calloused-palm. It was obvious she wasn't the type of girl to sit around all day and file her nails. "Kinsey Starchaser. Short story? Looks like we're in a maze. No weapons. Only way to go is forward. There might be others."

She shrugged and winced as she moved her head too fast. Looked like she and Liam shared the whole headache thing. The walls on either side of them rumbled with a creaking-grown as if being moved by two unseen monstrous cranks. The narrow passage-way they were in was about to get a whole lot narrower.

"Run!" She tugged on his hand hoping she wouldn't regret helping him later.

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Darkgear wasn't particularly enamored by the smile. Not at the moment, anyway. It was a nice smile, but he had much more pressing matters right then and there. He looked at the offered hand hesitantly before offering his rougher palm, squeezing softly.

"Darkgear. Liam Darkgear."

The walls groaned, closing slowly. Great. A trap. The woman, this Starchaser, tugged on his arm and they were both running away to the other side of the corridor that was shrinking...

"Ya know where we're goin'?"

Liam shook off the dull ache in his head and fought the urge to vomit all over the ground. Come on. He was made of sterner stuff than this. The Mandalorian wasn't at his top shape then, but his adrenaline picked up the slack as they both ran, trying not to die...

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

"No Liam!" She grimaced as the walls continued to lurch in on them. She was forced to move away from his side and step in front, quarter turning her body as the walls creaked closer. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she realized they might not make it.

Ewwww, don't want to be squished!

"Any ideas?" She looked up as she continued to sprint-shuffle forward, craning her neck for something - anything - they could use to stop the walls or delay what was looking like the inevitable.

 

[Liam Darkgear]

"There! That log!"

Ah, a deus ex machina. The wood was lying on the floor, covered in moss and dirt, slowly budging thanks to the closing walls. The Mandalorian picked it up with a grunt and a groan, hoisting it above his head and wedging it between the two unstoppable objects. Surprisingly, it worked for a moment, giving the two just enough time to escape.

The duo burst out of the gap just as it slammed shut, sending a thunderous echo throughout the land. Panting, Liam put his hands above his head, catching his breath before speaking.

"I'm surprised that worked."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

"Yeah, me too," she weaved on her feet, shoulder coming to rest one a wall that wasn't currently trying to squish them. A sheen of sweat glistened on her skin. Gulping down air to steady her breathing, she finally looked up. "But I'm glad it did."

She smiled. It was a Kinsey thing to do. Even though the smile didn't last long. She was stuck in this maze. Trap. Whatever it was. Something was blocking the force from her. And no Sage.

Craning her neck, she looked up the steep wall she was leaning on. "Mind giving me a boost? Maybe if I can get a decent vantage point it'll help us. And what's your story? Remember anything before waking up....here?"

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Liam looked at the wall too, getting in a position that would be easier for him to hoist this Starchaser up. His grey eyes looked over the woman as he crouched, sizing her up. Hm. Didn't look like much to the scarred Mandalorian, but he made it a personal rule to never underestimate someone. She could be useful in escaping...wherever the hell they were.

"Last I remember, I was passed out with a pair o' Twi'leks next to me. No, wait. That was the day before. All right. Last night I just slept after hittin' up a casino. Yeah, that's right. Then I woke up here. I wonder what the bloody hell's goin' on?"

The mercenary waited to hoist the woman up, carefully scanning his surroundings. There seemed to be movement in some bushes not too far away...

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

"Wow, just a pair, huh?" Blue-eyes rolled. Although his comment clearly reminded her of her lover, [member="Sage Bane"]. The Sith Lord probably would've had at least two separate pairs of females in his bed. NOT when Kinsey was there, too. Obvs. She'd kill him. Or kill them. Or both.

She scrambled up, as he gave her a lift. Finding a ledge, she pulled her way up to a lip that jutted out from a high wall. Stones like sandpaper rubbed against the back of her shirt as she strained on her toes to look out at the landscape. She called down to Liam.

"Looks like we're in an arena like maze. There are things crawling in the shadows further off." She frowned, a tinge of fear running down her spine like icy-Hoth water. Whatever they were, they were huge to see from this distance. Finger pointed ahead. "Looks like we gotta go that way. There might be something in the center. The maze looks like it goes on forever on the edges. Could be an illusion but not sure."

The wall rumbled and she slipped, falling right for Liam with a yelp.

 

[Liam Darkgear]

The maze wall began to groan and Kinsey fell down right into Liam as he caught her. His left arm was hard durasteel, painted red, and it hit her side hard as he broke her fall to the cold ground. Ouch. That sounded like it hurt. The mercenary let her down gently.

"You ok?"

The Mandalorian glanced around, checking for immediate dangers. Those bushes were moving even more and something began to poke out. It looked like a green body. Was that...no, it couldn't have been. But from the outline it sure as hell looked like cannoks. Darkgear growled lowly. Many of his scars were earned at a young age to those creatures.

The experienced soldier and jungle dweller crouched low next to the downed Starchaser, his head moving close to her ear as his whispered.

"Don't move, don't make a sound."

Hopefully they ignored them if they sat still enough. Cannoks had poor sight, but even though they were smaller and weaker compared to the other creatures of the jungle, they could still pack a punch in greater numbers.

It didn't help that they were unarmed. Darkgear could kill them unarmed...but not without taking some hits too.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

Her shin jarred against him as she fell. A yelp left her mouth as she tried to shake it off on the ground. Bushes moved. His whisper of warning met her ear, sending prickles of warning up her spine. Wide-blue eyes looked at the strange, beast-thing. For once, the bubbly-teen listened.

She didn't make a sound.

Unfortunately, a loose rock on the wall crashed right next to them. Two of the cannoks lifted their fat jowly-jaws and opened their maws with rows of razor teeth. With a bellow, they launched toward the pair. Jumping to her feet, she pushed Liam away and dove in the opposite direction. One cannok followed her and the other stampeded toward Liam. Picking up some of the fallen rock, she threw it at the cannok, getting one of its eyes.

"Chit, chit, chit."

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Yup, bloody cannoks.

One of the buggers charged Liam, snarling and snapping at the air near him. The Mandalorian crouched low and growled lowly, arms in front of him, ready to kill the beast with his hands. He made the first move, rushing the unlucky animal. Just one would be child's play.

Darkgear landed a quick yet devastating blow with his right hand, his human arm, right on the snout of the cannok. This stunned the foul jungle dweller, giving him an opportunity to get a hard hit in. With his metal arm, Liam threw a punch again, breaking the rows of teeth in the middle of the cannok's mouth on both the top and bottom rows. That gave the Mandalorian leverage to grab with both hands, and his left mechanical appendage took the lower jaw. With a hard yank, the jaw was ripped clean off, killing the beast instantly, splattering blood all over him.

What a mess.

Darkgear turned quickly, looking to see how his companion was doing...

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

She heard a sickening crunch behind her and hoped it wasn't coming from Liam. Footsteps carried her deeper into the maze and she sprinted ahead of the pursing beast. Unlike Liam, she didn't have a mechanical arm to use to her advantage. Just flesh and bones. And rocks. Lots of rocks. Scooping them up as she ran, she continued to pelt the beast.

It yelped behind her and staggered, crashing to the maze floor. Both of its eyes were bloodied and swollen. Whimpering, it shuddered a few deep breaths but remained still. The teen barely stood above even its downed form. Panting, she held a jagged rock above its neck. Arms tightened.

Instead of striking, her arms slowly lowered to her sides. She looked up at Liam. "We should go and continue deeper in. From what I saw we just have a few more turns and we'll be at the center."

Pocketing the jagged rock, she continued forward. Around the next bend they would find a wide-clearing made of water, not grass. The only way across would be to swim.

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Liam stepped next to the downed cannok and landed a hard blow with his mechanical arm, breaking his already weakened skull. Better safe than sorry. He went next to Kinsey and handed her the broken jaw of his victim, offering it as a measure of defense.

"Use it as a club. It has some heft to it. Well, lead the way. I'll let ya know if we're goin' in circles."

With that, the Mandalorian silently followed the woman in front of him, unbeknownst to him that they were going for a swim soon...

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Milo Tyranne]

[member="Liam Darkgear"]
[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

- Boom -

Milo Tyranne sat bolt upright, his diminutive form suddenly alert. Something loud had gone off nearby, and where previous stimuli had failed, the sound had managed to shake off his unconscious state.
What the kark was that?
The young Miln gritted his teeth, and with a low groan, brought his dexterous paws up to clutch the sides of his pounding head. He squinted his eyes shut...
And what happened last night...
The little rodentoid's mind worked slowly, each thought crawling its way through a fog of throbbing pain. His head hurt, like a hangover on proper Miln whiskey... the kind that aliens couldn't drink. Slowly, he began to piece his mind back together, and, reluctantly, began to open his eyes again, parting the lids only to slits in order to see some of the world outside.
As his head swam and throbbed, the young explorer began to recall a dream, or at least what he assumed had been a dream. He recalled booming words... something about 3 days, limited rations, all his equipment gone...
The world outside suddenly registered.
"...what?"
This, Milo knew, was not somewhere he had come by choice.
Towering above him, vegetation-draped walls of what looked like rough stone rose to either side, forming a long corridor with a roof open to the sky. The young Miln's nose twitched; he could smell the scent of the outdoors, though he could not recognize the planet.
Every planet had its own distinct smell, Milo had found, but this was not one he knew.
Slowly, alertness came back to him, and the rodentoid's training began to kick in. Shaking his head clear, though it only served to bring on another debilitating throb, he patted himself down, checking the inside pockets of his vest and sash.
Empty.
"Son of a WHORE!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Milo saw movement. Snapping his gaze over with prey instinct, he saw a small, brightly colored newt-like creature crawling on a simple canvas pack. It saw him, froze, and then slithered away.
Milo took the pack, and looked inside.
There were, as the dream had said, a few days worth of food and water in the pack. The Miln's ears drooped; they weren't even properly selected for his diet.
Suddenly, though, his ears perked again, swiveling to catch a very faint sound echoing along the corridor.
Slinging on the pack, Milo stood.
When in doubt, go toward the voices...

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Milo Tyranne"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

"That's really gross." Nose crinkled. She yanked a sharp tooth out instead of taking the whole thing and pocketed it along with her rock-shard. "Hope you can swim." Blue eyes that reflected the color of the lake gazed up at him as her toes kissed the edge of a wide lake. It seemed to be like the only way to go. The corners of her eyes caught the movement of a small creature but when she looked, she didn't see anything.

"I think we're close. If I saw things right from the tree, if we get to the other side of this expanse....there should be a way out."

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Liam looked at the water's edge almost hesitantly, as if he didn't want to go in there. A scurry went by his peripheral vision. Some sort of rodent. The Mandalorian looked at Kinsey and shrugged.

"I don't want to know what the hell's in there, but it doesn't seem like we have a choice."

The mercenary began to wade in the water, already up to his waist before turning around and beckoning for Starchaser to join him.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"] [member="Milo Tyranne"]

 

[King's Park NPCs]

At that moment a busted robotic voice came from nearby.

"Wait----don't go!"

The droid was shorting out and his head drooped. He was covered in moss and was severely damaged. He had burns from blaster fire and a hole from an apparent lightsaber attack. The droid possessed no weapons and sat there 'in pain'.

"I too wish to get out of this maze, can you help me?"

The droid extended his hand towards Starchaser, beckoning her to help him up. His head drooped again and shot back up with a jolt of electricity.

 

[Morningstaarr]

Staar had woken up, dazed and confused. He got up from the cold stone ground and look at his surroundings. A maze? He look around his surroundings and noticed that all of his gear was gone. Next to him he found a pack with rations. Not knowing how to get out he started to walk.

 

[Dayne Gehnt]

[member="Morningstaarr"] heard a yell from behind. "Hey! Wait up!" Dayne ran to staar. He said "look, I don't know what's going on, but I think we might have to stick together. The names Gehnt. Dayne Gehnt. You would be?"