Private Kings and Queens

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"You could even use it for your Alliance ID," Valery said with a shit-eating grin, knowing he'd never do that. She then produced a small camera from her pocket and snapped a few pictures, just to make sure she had one where the lighting was good and where he wasn't blinking in the middle of the shot. Looking down at the results, she hummed approvingly and made a mental note to send him the pictures later.

For now, it was time for food and both of their stomachs agreed.

"Maybe we first have to hunt for our lunch," Valery joked with a smile. "We get a sword, a spear or maybe a bow and arrow? We'll find a Dragon, slay it and we feast." Sometimes, it was fun to let your imagination run wild, and Valery very much could. Though, she had a feeling that not all of this planet had such an old, almost outdated feeling to it. Thurion and his people roamed the stars as well, so there had to be more to Midvintir.

Something they'd explore soon enough.

"Most of the food here is very straightforward. Vegetables, fruits, meats, and they have potatoes as well. Or... some variation of it." Walking down the market, there were plenty of stalls where food was being sold.

"Do you want something quick and simple? Or sit down somewhere for a more proper meal?"

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

"You could even use it for your Alliance ID,"

"I'm going to steal your blankets out of whatever tavern we rent rooms from. You'll be singing a different tune when you're freezing tonight."

Gatz noticed that his one picture agreement turned into several pictures. He narrowed his eyes at Valery—borrowing her signature technique—but said nothing. As long as those photos didn't get back to anyone he knew, there was no harm in a few extras. And truth be told... if it made Val happy to have a few photographic reminders of their time here, then it was worth a little embarrassment on his part.

But only a little.

Valery mentioned dragons again, and Gatz fully expected another panic attack. But it didn't come. That was just as relieving as it was confusing, but it was better than freaking out in the middle of the street. He still didn't feel at a hundred percent, nor did he feel confident or particularly joyous today, but he figured that he probably wouldn't. Some things you just had to sleep off, and it was too early in the day to find an excuse for a nap.

"Let's save dragon hunting for another day." Gatz put on a small smile, "I'm not sure I'm up to the task today."

Maybe tomorrow he'd wake up and be fine. Today, he was struggling to keep his head above water. He was thankful for Valery being around though. If he'd been on his own, he'd probably have spent the rest of his day curled up in bed, mired in his own misery.

Exploring a new world with a friend was much better than that, even if he was still struggling to put a smile on his face. At least he was trying to get on with his day. Nobody would understand how much effort that was taking him, nor would they be proud of him for making it, but he knew it was a step forward from what he would have done in the past.

It was progress, however small. Today, that could be enough.

"We should drop our normal clothes off back at the shuttle first. Then maybe we should grab something small from one of these stalls for lunch, and eat while we work," Gatz suggested, "we can reward ourselves with a nice dinner tonight, after we've done something for these people."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"That's kind of mean," Valery said with a totally innocent smirk. "I'll send you the better pictures and I'm sure you'll agree with me." Probably not, but it was worth a shot. As silly as it was to have clothes that made them look out of time, the style wasn't actually that bad. She suspected that the clothes were handmade too, so they were going to last and weren't cheaply produced like much of what you'd find in typical clothing stores around Coruscant.

This was quality stuff.

"I don't plan to go after Dragons." Not without Kahlil, anyway — he had seen excited at the prospect. "Unless they cause trouble, it's not worth the risk. Right now, all we have are rumors about them." Which was her trying to say that she wasn't legitimately planning to go after them. Not now, but likely not at all.

Until they showed themselves.

"That's a good idea. That way we'll get something done before the sun starts going down, too." She imagined that the temperature dropped quite significantly here, the later it got. And jokes aside, she did want to be curled up in blankets by the time it was far below freezing.

"Let's head back."

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

"That's kind of mean."

"That's kind of the point," Gatz snorted, "painful consequences are the best teacher. At least, that's what Roche taught me. So I figure if I make you freeze, you'll think twice about poking fun at me!"

His small mirthful smile turned contemplative, as Gatz thought of the old Rodian. Despite everything that had happened—including being stabbed by the man—he still couldn't bring himself to hate his old mentor. As selfish as he'd been, the old man was the only reason he'd lasted more than a week on Nar Shaddaa. Without him, he'd have been robbed blind or just straight up murdered.

Instead, Roche had taken him under his wing and turned a frightened young man into... a drug peddler and a killer, which admittedly was really shitty, but at least he wasn't dead. Gatz wondered if he could both appreciate and denounce the man at the same time. Sometimes his life was so confusing.

But Gatz turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, "Valery, you know you're absolutely going to go after the dragons at some point. You can't resist the adrenaline rush it's bound to give you."

For all their similarities—mostly the stubbornness—that was one aspect in which Gatz and his best friend differed: she chased the high that came from intense situations, and he'd avoid it like the plague if he could. Unfortunately, he usually found himself right at her side, embroiled in whatever whacky bullshit that came her way.

But there were worse ways to live. At least he wasn't alone. He'd take Valery Noble-sized problems over loneliness any day of the week. It just... it would be kind of nice if he could stop knocking on death's door all the time, that's all.

Gatz followed Valery back to the shuttle. He was glad that she knew the way, because he'd absolutely gotten too caught up in sightseeing to keep track of their path through Midvintir. He'd had been looking for the landing pad for hours without her.

"So, should we head to the town square, like your original plan?" He asked, "grab some food from a stall along the way?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Think twice about it? I might think extra about all the ways I'll get you back, that's for sure." If he dared to try and make her freeze at any point, he wouldn't be safe anywhere in this Galaxy anymore. Not until she hunted him down and had her revenge for being cold. This would become a challenge, and no Noble ever backed away from a good challenge.

Especially not when it concerns payback.

"I do like a good adrenaline rush, but Dragons..." Yeah, he was probably right. Kahlil had already joked about getting her a dragon and something told her that it wasn't actually a joke. He was the kind of nerd who loved the idea of taming a huge, flying monster, and there was definitely something exciting about the idea.

Maybe Gatz would want a dragon too if they could be tamed?

Hmm, probably not.

"That sounds like a good plan," Valery said as they made their way back to drop things off. "I saw some food stalls with some kind of meat on a stick. Those seem like easy snacks for along the way. Maybe it's Dragon meat~" She teased, though it did make her wonder what a Dragon would taste like.

Maybe she'd have to catch one and find out-

Nope.

"I wonder what they drink here that isn't alcoholic or just plain water."

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

"Think twice about it? I might think extra about all the ways I'll get you back, that's for sure."

"But Master, revenge is not the Jedi way!" Gatz teased.

He was maybe starting to think that things could still turn out good today. Yeah, the start of the day had sucked, severely. Today probably wouldn't be the best day he'd ever had. But he could have been laid up in a hospital bed, or mourning over tombstones, or getting the shit beaten out of him. Instead, he was bantering with his best friend, and thinking about how he was going to steal a Jedi Shadow's blankets out from under her nose later.

Really, things could be far worse. He could have been alone. Instead, he was with a friend who was trying to help him keep his chin up. So why not do just that: keep his chin up. He couldn't do it for himself, not just yet. But he could do it for Val, who had sunk so much time and effort into him, and maybe that was good enough for now.

"Thank you, Valery," Gatz said, almost randomly, interrupting her musings on dragon meat, "I don't know what I'd do without you. One of these days, I'll manage to do something for you in return. I promise."

Valery also mused on what kind of drinks they had on this planet. Probably a lot of ale. And, like she said, water. While Gatz was fond of the former, they were technically kind of on duty, so he'd have to pass on that until dinner. So water it was. Unless they had, like, some kind of milk around here. So long as it was pasteurized.

"Well, I imagine it's a lot of wheat beers and ales here. So either you'll have to drink that and purge the alcohol from you—"

Naturally, as Gatz tried to discuss potential lunch options with Valery, that was when the screaming started, coming somewhere from the town center up ahead.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"I'll take off the Jedi hat for just a moment, then." She grinned and gave him a threatening stare, though one clearly meant in jest. Nobody was going to ever manage to steal her source of warmth in a place like this, so there was simply no need for revenge. If he decided to try his luck anyway, he'd be the one with a rough night.

She'd make sure of that.

Valery then continued to theorize about Dragon meat of all things, but blinked and turned back to him when he thanked her all of a sudden. She tilted her head slightly, surprised for just a moment, before she smiled, "I know, Gatz. Just don't feel like you have to do anything for me. With friends, I already just appreciate their company. It's worth a lot more than gifts and I don't ever want to feel like a friend owes me either." She certainly didn't want him to risk his life for her just because she had helped him out during difficult times.

If anything, she wanted him to do what he wished to do because they were friends. Not because he felt like he owed it to her.

Valery then turned back towards the market up ahead and pondered about the drinks. She didn't want anything alcoholic, but she wondered if they had something other than water. But before they could hope to find out, they both heard a scream echoing from not too far away. Valery spared Gatz a quick glance, and immediately began to run.

"It's coming from the town center!" She called out as she sprinted down the street. Another scream followed, as well as a cry for help, but nobody seemed to respond.

What was going on?

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz wished he had the time to dwell on Valery's words. Maybe some of them would have sunk in, and stopped him from feeling like a shitty friend who was always taking from her and never giving anything in return. Maybe he'd finally have gotten it through his thick skull that she didn't want anything in return except his friendship. Maybe he'd have even realized, at long last, that friendship wasn't like Nar Shaddaa; that it wasn't quid pro quo or be abandoned.

Unfortunately, as with most things in his life, any musings or lessons to be learned were interrupted by something outside his power. In this case: the shrill scream of a woman. Followed by even more screams.

Valery leaped into action, naturally, and Gatz was hot on her heels. It only took a few seconds for them to run down the stone paved road and into the market square. When they did finally arrive, they were greeted with quite the scene: a woman on the ground, red staining her dress, and a crowd gathered around her but at a frightful distance away—as if being near a stab victim meant they'd come down with a case of stab-itis.

Gatz pushed past Valery, and kneeled down next to the woman in question, immediately putting pressure down on the wound. She cried out in pain, but Gatz had long since learned: hurting was better than dying.

"Val, I've got her!" He looked up to his friend for a moment, "go do what you do best, and take care of the person who did this!"

Gatz didn't even know where to begin with that: canvas the crowd? But he'd already assigned their roles. Let Valery handle the conflict, that was where she really shined. And him? Well, he'd never been one to shine, but stabilizing a patient with a stab wound was well within his wheelhouse these days.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

As soon as the two Jedi made it to the scene, Valery spotted the woman down on the ground. Aware of his lessons with Amani, Valery stepped aside and gave Gatz the space to assist her instead. Valery herself had learned basic first aid, but she had no supplies on her, and no ability to patch her up with Force Healing. This was a task best left to Gatz, and she trusted him with it. Similarly, she knew he trusted her by going after the assailant.

"I'll be back!" She exclaimed before running off to follow her senses. Naturally, the attacker had no intention of staying anywhere near the crowded market or roads. They moved off to the side, and slipped into a dark alleyway, almost void of natural light and with no functioning lanterns. Luckily, Valery's Keshian eyes allowed her to slip into the darkness without any trouble, so no matter how far this person ran, she'd always find them.

<Gatz?> Valery communicated telepathically. <Once she's stable, catch up with me.> She assumed that someone there would call for the woman to be taken to a hospital, so Gatz wouldn't need to stay there forever. It was up to him to decide when it was safe to follow after her.

Soon enough, Valery felt the presence of the attacker getting closer. But who was it? Some random person who had stabbed this woman because of a personal grudge? Or was there more to it?

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

The knife had pierced her liver, and the simple truth was: that was far beyond Gatz's ability to heal. The best he could do was keep her stable, and keep pressure on the wound. But she needed medical attention, and soon. Given the right equipment and location, he could have done something to help her by hand, but they were out in the middle of the street and he had nothing on him. She needed a doctor and a hospital. Not a failed Jedi Healer and a stone paved street.

He poured energy into her anyways. It wouldn't close the incision, but it would numb the pain.

Moments later, he heard the telltale sign of an ambulance approaching—the sirens were a dead give away. Gatz was quickly rushed away by the paramedics, but that was fine by him. He'd kept he stable enough for them to get here. That left him with only one thing to do.

<Gatz?> Valery communicated telepathically. <Once she's stable, catch up with me.>

<'Stable' is a strong word, but she's in the ambulance. On my way.>

While Gatz tried to play catch up by using Valery's presence in the Force to navigate the confusing streets, the Jedi Master herself was quickly gaining on their aggressor. She'd corner him in the back of an alley: a tall man, dressed in dark clothes with a cloth over his face. He held both a bloodied knife and a purse in his hand, as he looked for another avenue of escape.

It wasn't until he heard Valery's boots slapping on stone that he spun around, brandishing the knife.

"Oi! Fuck off!" The man growled, "unless you want what she got!"

At the same time, she'd hear from Gatz, <hold on, are you on the other side of this building? Or are you in the building? Because I can feel you, but I can't find you.>

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

<Good job, I'll see you soon.> Valery had no time or focus to say much, so she kept it short. But she was very proud of how quickly he had acted, and regardless of how potent his healing skills were to address the injury, he had saved that woman's life with his actions. But there was more to do than that — they needed to find the attacker and apprehend them. She wanted to know why he had done it and figure out if there was more behind it.

She'd have her answer soon.

With her unnatural speed, she soon caught up to the man and stared him down as he looked at what he had gained from his attack. Had he truly stabbed someone for just a purse? Valery frowned and looked him up and down. The black robes, the cover over his face and-

Her eyes lingered over a strange symbol on his chest. What was that about?

"I suggest you put down the knife. It's not going to help you much." To drive her point home, she drew one of her lightsabers into her hand and ignited the blade of intensely hot plasma. Then, she raised her brow at him.

<I'm in the alley, but take the longer way around. We'll trap the attacker between us.>

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

<I'm in the alley, but take the longer way around. We'll trap the attacker between us.>

<There's an alley? Gah, give me a minute!>

Gatz was tempted to just jump to the roof of the building in front of him, but Valery directed him to the alley with a purpose. He only wished that this city was a little more modern, with infrastructure and roads that made sense, instead of the winding pathways he was trying and failing to navigate. He was a city boy, but this wasn't a city! It was madness!

He missed Theed.

By sheer luck, Gatz spotted the entrance into the alley—he only hoped it was the entrance Valery had wanted him to use. But, after a feet, he began to hear her voice as well as someone else's.

"I suggest you put down the knife. It's not going to help you much."

Gatz figured that was enough of a threat, but then he heard the telltale sign of a lightsaber's ignition. He tried not to snort, because surely Valery didn't need to whip out a laser sword to deal with some punk with a knife. Intimidation then? That wasn't very traditional, but Gatz agreed with the tactic. Kindness didn't work on everyone. It especially didn't work on the kinds of people who stabbed innocent women. Some pricks had to be scared straight.

"You don't scare me, Jedi," his face might have been covered, but the gleam in the man's crazed eyes made it clear that he was smiling, "death is the ultimate release! Kill me, and I will walk in the shadowed footsteps of my Lord!"

The man lowered his mask, revealing a mouth full of crooked teeth. He brought the bloody dagger to his lips, and licked the still wet blood.

"By the blood of a virgin, this body is sanctified!" He approached Valery, knife still in hand, arms outreached to the sky, "by the flame of your sword, I will be baptized! And my Dark Lord will reward me with life everlasting!"

Gatz stepped out from the shadows of the alley, dumbfounded, blue blade of his lightsaber humming in his hand.

"Valery, why don't we ever do anything normal?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I must disappoint. I'm not going to kill you," she said calmly, though her expression shifted into something visibly disturbed when he raised his blade and swept his tongue across the blood that still tainted the metal. His words — his devotion to this Dark Lord — it was immensely troubling. In an instant, Valery knew that he would not be responsive to rational conversation.

He needed to be stopped, but she didn't want to cause great harm or take his life. Subdued, she'd be able to learn more from him, and figure out if this went beyond an isolated incident.

Something told her that this went far beyond it.

"I'm only going to tell you one last time. Put the knife down. Now," Valery demanded, but the lunatic only further proved how pointless it was to talk to him. Gatz soon arrived to witness the same, and despite the grim situation they were in, Valery managed just a faint smile in response to his comment.

Her gaze then shifted back to the attacker, and without skipping a beat, Valery raised her hand. A telekinetic grip extended to him and she slammed his body against the wall to hopefully take him down. Or, at the very least, she wished to disarm him.

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

The cultist hit the wall with a thud under the pressure of Valery's telekinetic might. His knife dropped to the ground with a clang, but the man no longer seemed to care. Instead of anger or fear, he looked at Valery with sheer awe, as if he'd just beheld a prophet of his disturbing faith. When he got up, it was only to his knees, outstretching his arms in her direction once again.

An idea started to form in Gatz's mind.

"Yes! Yes you are the one I've been looking for!" The man was half crazed now, "you are who my Dark Lord sent me for! If I am not to be baptized in fire, then perhaps my purpose to to bring you before him, and only then will I be granted my eternal reward!"

"Wait!" Gatz interrupted, extinguishing his lightsaber, and reaching his hand over Valery's own to convince her to lower her own, "that is exactly why we tracked you down. We're interested in learning of your Dark Lord, and embracing the worship you so clearly understand so well!"

His speech, impromptu and insincere, was jilted and not exactly convincing. But the cultist was either too delusional, or too overwhelmed by Valery's presence to pick up on that. His face twisted into a grotesque smile, and it was easy to see genuine joy in the man's eyes.

“Truly? You could be our newest blood brother!" The man turned his gaze to Valery again, his eyes carefully scanning her from head to toe, before he let out a giggle, "and you... my Lord would have a very specific use for you."

This was either the best idea Gatz had ever had, or the worst. Probably the worst. But what was better: to take down one cultist, or a whole sect of them?

"I'm sure my friend here would love to join me in meeting your friends, and your Lord," Gatz nudged her with an elbow, "wouldn't you, Val?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery raised an eyebrow in response to the sudden shift in the man, "What the hell are you on-" Before she could berate him, Gatz stepped between them and lowered her arm. In response, her eyebrow went up even further. She only caught on to what he was doing when he continued to speak — unlike the cultist, Valery did pick up on the insincerity in his tone, and she immediately understood what he was doing.

He wanted the man to lead them to rest of his people.

"A blood brother, hm?" Valery looked at Gatz with an almost teasing grin, though she shut up the second the cultist mentioned that there was a use for her. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Valery's gaze narrowed a little and her hands clenched into fists at the idea of entertaining all of this.

But she decided against ruining this plan. It was too clever and she really didn't want to go through the trouble of trying to interrogate this lunatic instead.

"Yes, I'd love to," she said with a completely monotone voice. "Can you lead us to them?" she then asked the cultist.

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz didn't like the idea of being a blood brother, nor what the process of becoming such might entail. But compared to what this cult seemed to want with Valery, his fate was probably the less debauched of the two. So when she decided to rib him, only to get a vague idea of what they wanted her for, Gatz couldn't help the way his lips quickly twitched upwards.

The idea itself wasn't funny. But Valery trying to razz him just to get her own comeuppance was humorous, even if darkly so.

"Can you lead us to them?" she then asked the cultist.

<Come on Val,> Gatz nudged her mentally, <put a little more enthusiasm into it. We might have fooled him, but we're not going to fool his friends like this.>

"Of course! I was returning to them now!" He giggled again, "they'll be so delighted to meet you."

The man's focus was almost entirely on Valery now, as if Gatz himself was just an afterthought. Oddly enough, the too-old Padawan was a little miffed at that. Here he was, devising this excellent plan to take down the cult at the heart of its operations, and yet it was Val who was getting all the attention. And she clearly didn't even like the idea, even if she was playing along with it.

The cultist stood up, and moved a few steps to a grate in the ground. With a huff and a heave, he opened it up, and tossed the grate aside.

"We'll be going down now. We have to keep things underground, or else the authorities might catch on," the man gave a wide smile, as he brought a finger to his lips, "but now that you're joining us, that'll all be over soon! Soon the Dark Messiah will be with us, and he will lead us to the Dark Age, and Midvintir will be ours!"

The man jumped into the dark below, his giggles echoing off the walls of the sewer.

"After you," Gatz smiled at Valery, and gestured to the entrance, "I'll make sure no one sneaks up on us."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery felt his mental nudge but only silently acknowledged it. He was right, of course — going along with this plan would only work out if she was convincing. But the way this cultist looked at her and the way he spoke about her rubbed her the wrong way. It gave her the impression that something much darker was going on. Far beyond what she had initially expected, and now they had their sights on her for it.

She'd have to tread carefully.

"I'll be delighted to meet them as well," Valery said, her voice suddenly much softer and her smile almost genuinely warm. As a former Shadow, she knew perfectly well how to tell lies or play a role. This wasn't the worst she'd gone through, but at least those other times she didn't have to bring someone else into the dark pit with her.

But Gatz could hold his own. She trusted him.

"I can't wait to help make it possible," Valery told the cultist after he pulled away the grate and showed them the way to their hiding place. They'd have to follow along a little longer, but they were close now. The cultist jumped in a moment later, but Valery paused and looked at Gatz first.

"I have a feeling that what's waiting up ahead is far worse than anything that could sneak up on us." She smiled faintly, turned, and jumped down into the underground.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

It was stunning how easily Valery fit into her new role.

Gatz had been a scoundrel once, and a good scoundrel was a good liar. To play the game of Nar Shaddaa well, one had to be a chameleon, seamlessly blending in with the environment—and most importantly the people—around you. He had always been good at that. It was why he'd been offered so many jobs by so many different crime lords. It was how he'd smooth talked himself past so many port authorities, without them ever stopping to inspect his "goods."

He hadn't expected Valery to be any good at that. Gatz assumed that being a former Shadow meant skulking around in the shadows, and striking from the dark, as the woman from his childhood had. But the way Val's tone suddenly changed; suddenly became warm and inviting blew what all that out of the water. And as their new friend jumped down into the sewers, he could only gawk at his best friend.

"I have a feeling that what's waiting up ahead is far worse than anything that could sneak up on us."

"R-right."

Gatz shook his head, and fell into the deeps below.

He followed along silently for a bit, as the cultist lead Valery deeper into the sewers, using the raised stone paths to avoid the water. But, though he wanted the cultist to remain focused on Val, there was a question brimming within his mind—a question he thought Valery would most certainly like an answer to.

"Hey, so I was wondering... you guys really want Val here for something. What is it?"

"For the grandest of our rites!" Expectedly, the man turned to Valery instead of Gatz, "you are to lay with our Dark Lord, and from your union a child will be produced: with the form of our Lord, and your great power! Only through the Dark Messiah can we raze Midvintir, and build His great kingdom on its ashes!"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"We'll be fine," Valery hoped to reassure when they made their way down into the sewers. Her comment hadn't really meant anything beyond the fact that she felt creeped out. This cultist was strange and dangerous, but the people he served were likely far worse. If anything came after them into this place, it was either more cultists or others looking to stop them. In either case, the demon-worshipping people up ahead were the real trouble.

Walking along the stone paths, Valery scrunched her nose and looked disturbed. This whole place didn't just feel immensely dark, but it smelled as well. It was distracting enough to where she hadn't even considered asking the question Gatz proposed. But she was equally curious about the answer.

Until she heard it.

"I'm sorry, what?" Valery asked and quickly cleared her throat to keep the aggressive tone from blowing their cover. "I uh, look forward to meeting this Dark Lord. What can you tell us about him?" Valery asked to keep the cultist occupied. But while they walked, she turned her gaze to Gatz and looked a lot less comfortable than she did before.

But it was too late to turn back now.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz wanted to tell her that it wasn't fear that had made him stutter, just surprise. But something like that might have blown their cover, and so he kept quiet. Plus... he didn't really care if Valery thought he was afraid—she'd seen him broken and afraid. She'd offered no judgement, had made no move to take advantage of him in such a state, like his old pals on Nar Shaddaa would have.

There was no need to insist he was fine to someone who'd tell him that his fear—real or otherwise—was natural, and that it was okay to fear it.

Now, all that being unsaid, the cultist's reveal of what he and his buddies wanted Valery for was unnerving. Gatz had suspected it was something along those lines, considering the way the man had leered at her and fixated on her. But he hadn't expected them to believe she was going to carry and birth their messiah of all things.

"I uh, look forward to meeting this Dark Lord. What can you tell us about him?" Valery asked to keep the cultist occupied. But while they walked, she turned her gaze to Gatz and looked a lot less comfortable than she did before.

<Hey,> Gatz nudged her mentally again, <I'm not going anywhere. Whatever happens next, we do together.>

"He is Onyx given form! Midnight granted valor!" the cultist proselytized, "to look upon him is to bask in all things dark! His form is scarred from his many vicious battles, the proof of his earned Lordship! He is our muse, and our master, and the rightful ruler of all things! And you get to spend the rest of your life at his side!"

As they were led through the sewers, slowly getting further and further away from the heart of the city, the water seemed to dry up and the smell lessened. The cultist brought them to a stone wall, unassuming, if not for the slightest rectangular outline in the center. It was ever so slightly recessed from the rest of the wall, as if someone had sheered away a quarter of an inch of its surface.

That's a hidden door, Gatz, with his vast knowledge of smuggling, realized.