Private Needing A Hand Or Two

[Alina Tremiru]

​

It was good she was looking away. Made it far easier to hide the smile that'd formed at his words. Darth Strosius was too kind for his own good, especially among the Sith. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the usual tension between their fellows. "You make me feel happy. Safe." She'd of said more, but the warehouses came into view and the tracker started to beep. She nodded her head towards one of the buildings.

"There. Let's go find us some vampires."

 

[Darth Strosius]

A smile settled on his face again, even if the rest of his face had flushed slightly. Something to look forward to at the end of this, he supposed. He jumped slightly as the tracker started beeping, idly glancing at the warehouses below as he searched for a place to land. "Sangnir, here we come." He muttered under his breath as he spotted a decent area to land.

Soon enough he was hopping out of the vehicle and looking around at the warehouses curiously before looking back at Alina Tremiru . "How close will that tracker get us to them?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

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"It'll react as we get closer, but it'll be loud. Better to leave this behind just incase they don't know where we are yet." She was already putting the device away. Ahead was the very decrepit looking building that was their goal. No sign of movement, no sign of life. She frowned a little. Couldn't be any more creepy, huh?

"Remember, they can't heal burns well. Keep your lightsaber handy."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Fair point." Alisteri understood the benefits of stealth just fine enough, the element of surprise was by far his most used technique. It had certainly saved him a lot of blood in the past. He eyed the decrepit building ahead warily, glancing back at Alina Tremiru for confirmation. The hilt of his lightsaber slid into his grip easily, just waiting to be activated.

"So how do we go about getting in? A skylight? A backdoor? Or do we go in the front and see who tries to stop us?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"We could do any of that. But if they already know we're coming, it might go a long way to come in without being a threat, y'know?" They were here for her to become one of them, after all. Honey often worked better than vinegar. Once they were landed she'd get right out of the speeder, lifting her head to look over the whole warehouse. Looking for signs of life. Nothing, so far.

"You can still leave, you know."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He shot his friend a slightly concerned look but sighed, slipping the lightsaber back into his pocket for the time being. "I see your point. I still won't hesitate to decapitate at least one of them if they prove to be difficult though." The hairs on the back of his neck stood up just looking at the warehouse that they were soon to approach. Alisteri had some concern about this, and a very bad feeling to boot.

Another confused look was shot Alina Tremiru 's way at her last remark, almost looking insulted as well. "I am not letting you go in there alone. I'm here with you Alina, no matter what happens. You can't shake me that easily."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

A much brighter smile formed as she nodded to Darth Strosius . "Together, then." Deep down Alina knew he'd still come along, but it didn't feel right not to say something. They were Sith, they weren't supposed to stick their necks out for one another. The smile faded once her gaze fell back on the building. Into the lion's den. She took a breath before pushing open the door.

The rundown exterior compared little to what was immediately in sight. Bright burning candles lit up an extravagant interior. Well designed, well maintained. For a moment Alina hesitated, taken back by the contrast. And the figure that stood before them. A human, well dressed, bowed a head towards them.

"We've been expecting you. Do come in."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri simply nodded in reply, his gaze fixed on the door before them with the occasional glance behind them. The last thing that he wanted was for them to get surrounded after all. Even with the two of them, it would be a tough fight in that case. The usually-masked acolyte found himself taking a breath as well, his hand resting on the weapons in his pockets as Alina Tremiru pushed the door open.

A look of confusion crossed his face as his gaze ran over the surprisingly fancy interior before resting on the figure that was in said interior. He shot his friend a wary look before gesturing to the man before them. "Guess they were expecting surprise guests after all. Ladies first."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina nodded slowly before following the figure inside. She glanced back to Darth Strosius just to make sure her friend saw it too. But the surprise on his face, he must of. She smiled nervously. "No turning back." She fell silent as she walked behind this greeter, eyeing him suspiciously while looking around the room they were in. A large hallway. Entry way?

Reminded her of home, honestly.

"The master was quite surprised to hear the call. Well, it wasn't much of a call but a slaughter, wasn't it? I'm sure you have many questions. I'll have to ask you hold onto them for now. What I can tell you is, yes. The Sangnir are real. And my master has taken an interest in you two. Not many can kill a ghoul so easily."

 

[Darth Strosius]

His first step into the warehouse after Alina Tremiru was a hesitant one, as if he suspected to walk right into a trap. Thankfully there was no trap. Not an obvious one at least. Alisteri was quick to fall in line behind his friend and the strange man, eyeing the entrance warily. The last time that he had been somewhere this fancy it was for a party that he was very underdressed for.

Truth be told, he felt a bit underdressed now as well. As odd as that notion sounded.

An eyebrow was raised at the mention of a 'master' from the greeter, his curiosity was sufficient piqued. "Ah yes the ghoul..." He had no idea what that was, but evidently they had killed one. Probably one of those thugs from earlier, they weren't real impressive ghoul or no ghoul. It was something to look into later, whenever he had time to stop by an archive or a library.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina's mind went to a similar place as Darth Strosius 's. They likely killed this 'ghoul' when they killed that trio. She made sure to walk beside her friend, eyes now forward to where they were heading. A large set of double doors were ahead, where this butler stood still before it. "My master is right in side. Do be sure to mind your manners, he's not a very patient man. His interest in you isn't enough to spare you. Otherwise, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

The doors opened, revealing an extravagant dining hall. There were many seated all around the table, wearing all manner of clothing fit for nobles. All their eyes fell on the pair, glowing red and orange. There was no actual food on the table, but plenty of goblets filled with what looked like blood. Sure enough, given what she knew of them, it was very likely to be blood.

At the far end of the table sat a shorter human, smiling kindly with bright yellow eyes. He beckoned the pair over. "Not many know who we are. Secrecy is important. Who are you? And what is it you want of us?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Of all that Alisteri had experienced in his time as a Sith Acolyte, this odd place gave him the worst feeling. Everything in the back of his mind told him that what lay beyond those double doors was either dangerous or would be an inevitable fight. He sincerely hoped that his senses were wrong. He almost shot a glare at the butler as he spoke, his hand curling a bit tighter around the lightsaber in his pocket. He didn't care much for being 'spared' by anyone, as if these Sangnir would be all that much of a threat.

And then the doors opened to reveal a whole dining room full of them. Chit. That's quite a few more than I was expecting.

He did his best to keep his expression neutral, even as his gaze swept over the various dinner guests and their...drinks of choice. One could only guess where they acquired that much blood, and Alisteri wasn't too fond of guessing. For the second time today he took a reluctant step forward into the room, glancing at Alina Tremiru as what he assumed to be the host spoke.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

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"To become Sangnir." There was no need to beat around the bush now. Alina kept her eyes on the figure, this head of the house. Unwavering. Unflinching. The man smiled, pointed fangs showing, as the table around him erupted with laughter. "I'm sure that was your desire, at one point. Now, however.." He trailed off. Already a number of warning bells went off in Alina's mind as her gaze rapidly looked around the room.

Only to find she wasn't standing on anything. And falling. A simple flick of a switch sent the floor below her and Darth Strosius away. Blackness took over her vision as she landed somewhere deep down. Pitch black. Something crunched underfoot, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Ali!? Where are you?" Of course it'd been a trap. Why wouldn't it of been? They compromised whatever it was these Sangnir were trying to accomplish. Enemies. She cursed under her breath as she flicked on her saber.

The room was bone. Not the walls, but where they were standing. Endless amounts of bones, picked clean.

 

[Darth Strosius]

He said nothing as Alina Tremiru responded, his gaze flickering around the room warily. Alisteri didn't much care for how these Sangnir were staring at the pair of acolytes, something about their eyes gave him a very off vibe. Their gazes were those of a predator staring at trapped prey. And then they all started laughing.

A scowl crossed his face, about to pull his sabre from his pocket right as the floor beneath them suddenly disappeared. Something to note: Alisteri hated the feeling of falling. What he hated even more was landing on his back on something that was evidently pretty crunchy yet solid enough to hurt. "...ow..." Was his only response, groaning as he sat up and rubbed his now aching rear. He was quick to hop up once his friend had ignited her weapon however, recoiling at the sight of so many bones.

They were remarkably clean, and he didn't bother guessing how they got that way.

"So I know you said that you didn't want to kill them but..." He pulled his own lightsaber from his pocket and activated to provide more light as he looked for a way out. "...I think I'm going to kill them. All of them. Then, I'll pile their heads up and bowl them into this accursed pit that they dropped us into!"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

She let herself smile at that pledge of violence. While she still wanted one alive, she agreed with Darth Strosius . They were going to pay dearly for this. Another crunch of bone. But it wasn't from either of them. Her eyes widened as she brought the saber around to try and light up whatever it was that made the sound. Movement. Shadows. Something was there.

It'd been a long time since Alina felt this kind of primal dread. But immediately she was taken back to Korriban. Sunken faces. Shriveled bodies. Lumbering out slowly, just into the light. A large black cloak was the only thing covering it's body as it's bony and clawed hands reached out for the pair. Undead. Husks? Fitting removal system.

"First, we have to survive.."

 

[Darth Strosius]

His head whipped around at the sudden sound of cracking that neither of them made, almost too eager to try and kill something. Whatever things were stumbling towards them however, seemed to be dead already by his guess. Alisteri was almost fascinated by them in a morbid way. More curious as to how such creatures were even made than anything else. Said interest wouldn't stop him from cleaving them all in half however.

The usually-masked acolyte looked at Alina Tremiru and smirked, gesturing to the creatures before them. "These things? I'm sure we can take them. The question is..." He gave her a quick wink.

"Which one of us can kill more of them?"

With that he sprung forward to try and plunge the blade straight through the nearest enemy.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

It was true fear she felt, and yet, Darth Strosius felt no such response. She didn't look away from the shambling corpse that was making it's way to her, but the challenge brought her back. She wasn't the weak girl that had to run from the horde of zombies. And those in the tomb happened to be quite fast. She took a breath, then grinned.

"I imagine this is their dumping ground. They were foolish to send us down here, huh?"

She joined him immediately, her red blade flashing through the near corpses with ease. They seemed to ignite from the heat, turning to ash in mere seconds once struck. Her grin returned. This was just exercise for the slaughter above to come.

 

[Darth Strosius]

A small look of surprise spread across his face for a moment at just how easily he put down the first undead, by now used to long duels with talented opponents. These creatures seemed to have only one talent however: they could die quickly. And that was something that Alisteri intended to put to use. They were a bit sluggish both in movement and reaction time, but they could sneak up on him if he wasn't careful. Throwing himself into a crowd of them tended to make that happen.

Still, he was used to being outnumbered by now.

His strikes were precise and fierce, intent on slaying the undead before them as quickly as possible. He wanted to conserve his strength for the fight ahead, so all of his attacks aimed to kill. "That makes three!" The usually-masked acolyte called out to Alina Tremiru , having just cut another of the creatures straight in half before spinning around to cut into one that had managed to get behind him.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

This was nothing like Korriban, that was now certain in her mind. Her blade flashed easily though these husks, sending their bodies into lifeless ash as she weaved through them. It was as if they were moving in slow motion, her eyes easily tracking their movements. "Six!" Her blade ripped through another. "Seven!" Seven was the last one she saw. She paused, not even out of breath. Matukai had increased her stamina greatly. Not that metal limbs tired. With the threats seemingly gone she still kept her saber up. A light source.

"How many did you get?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Five."

Alisteri found himself surrounded by what was left of said five husks, idly poking one with his foot to ensure that it was dead. He had cut them down as they came, nearly slaying one with each strike that he had made. In truth, while it was fun cutting through these creatures, he was a bit underwhelmed by it all. These husks, those thugs and that ghoul, even the Sangnir seemed little more than overconfident nobles to him. Well, overconfident nobles that had a taste for blood of course. He was beginning to doubt that they were little more than that.

He wasn't about to admit that though, still holding onto the hope that Alina Tremiru could find some way to heal her arms. For her sake, he was prepared to hope for anything. "You're still faster than me, I'll have to train a bit more." A small wink accompanied his remark, holding his sabre up to try and look for some sort of passage or a way out.

They had a date with some Sangnir after all.