Faction Ring the Alarm! [GA/NJO/Ask for Invite]

[Jack Wright]

(Tags: Reina Daival , OPEN)

It was only halfway through the shaft, a new obstacle revealed itself. Rather roughly!

A slimy tentacle ripped through the stone wall, grabbing the Jedi Knight around the abdomen and pulled with enough force that sent him reeling, Jack released and rolled over stone in a water-compirsed chamber, the world spinning around momentarily. Reorienting, bubbles of disbelief flowed out both ends of the rebreather, witnessing the creature responsible for the ambush.

Yellow in appearance, with a bulky hide and ten tentacles, narrow slits eyeing the would-be prey as it swam by the chamber's ceiling. An octomorph, just what he needed to deal with.

Bzzt

The blue saber ignited in the darkened terrain, a source of light that would no doubt attract any sea creature, particularly the monsters. The octomorph wasted no time, lashing down with two spiky appendages, forcing the young Knight to divert to his right, stone shattering from its wake. A very hungry beast, clearly!

Guess miners weren't good appetizers, Jack managed to press both feet to a wall, hazel narrowing above the rebreather.

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Velusia
Objective: Mine Diving!
Tags: Jack Wright
Outfit​

Wait. Wait for the right moment to strike. Reina brought her harpoon back as soon as she saw Jack get grabbed. She could have lashed out here and now, but she didn't trust herself not to hit Jack. That would be mayhem. Fresh blood in this water would probably only throw the creature into more of a frenzy.

So instead she moved off to the side, making sure that Jack was keeping the attention of the creature. The glow of the lightsaber should be more than enough to be a distraction as she shifted through the water, using gentle amounts of the Force to propel herself sideways. Not only did she have to dodge the beast's attention, she had to dodge the stones falling from the impact. Come on. She had to stay focused. This was a bit bigger than what she used to take down...


Avoid the hide...That was her main focus. Jabbing out with the harpoon against that hide wouldn't do much damage. Reina would have to focus on what she assumed was the creature's eyes or it's mouth. And so she waited, nestling herself up against the wall, ready to propel herself at the creature once there was a good enough opening.

 

[Jack Wright]

​

(Tags: Reina Daival )

The octomorph launched another spear-like tentacle, shattering wall stone when Jack leaped up from the spot, evading the impact, swfitly followed with just flipping over mid-swim when an appendage speared below, left hand planted against the slimy limb. Hurling himself upwards in momentum.

Slamming his saber down, yet even with force the cut was superficial; the hide far too thick as Jack would quickly discover, hazel eyes widened until a swinging appendage slamming into his left torso, flinging him for the upper corner of the chamber. The octomorph bubbled viciously, four tentacles launched in pursuit of the winded Jedi Knight.

Who immediately threw both hands, the Force halting the the tentacles at bay. In that struggle of wills, Reina was given an opportunity, its slit eyes fixated on the struggling meal.

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Velusia
Objective: Mine Diving!
Tags: Jack Wright
Outfit​

Every fibre of Reina's being was screaming at her to lunge. To try and find an opening herself. It was how she used to work by herself. She didn't have a team to work off when she went diving. But now she did. She could trust Jack. He was capable enough not to get himself killed, and capable enough to keep the beast's attention on him.

So she waited, until she saw her moment. As soon as the tentacles were suspended in the Force, Reina launched herself off the wall using the Force. With the tip of her harpoon aimed for the eye. Even if it didn't managed to kill the beast, it was going to be disabled enough that it would be a lot easier to try and deal with it.

As she reached the beast, Reina summoned the Spirit to the palm of her hand, focusing as she then pushed the Harpoon straight at the eye with a push of the Force! Learning how to use and manipulate the Force had been a blessing for her now.

 

[Ezorea Zethussaln]

Ezorea barely had time to react. The moment Valery's warning shot through the Force, she twisted, narrowly avoiding the beast's snapping maw. Water churned violently around her, the pressure of the creature's attack sending ripples through the wreckage. It was massive, far larger than she had anticipated, and its sheer presence sent a shiver down her spine.

Valery's lightsaber slashed across the creature's snout, a brilliant arc of violet cutting through the abyss. But as the beast recoiled, its guttural snarl reverberating through the ocean depths, Ezorea noticed what Valery must have realized in that same instant—the blade had not cut deep. The hide was too thick, too resilient. This thing was built to take damage and keep coming. And worse still, it was angry.

Ezorea's heart pounded as she kicked away, dodging another strike from the beast's thrashing tail. The Force screamed warnings in her mind, urging her to move, to evade, but it did little to provide an answer to the burning question rising in her thoughts—how could they stop this thing?

A jagged piece of metal drifted past her, dislodged from the wreckage by the beast's rampage. She reached for it instinctively, fingers brushing the rusted edge before dismissing the idea. A crude weapon like that would be no better than a lightsaber against something this resilient. There had to be another way.

The beast's many eyes gleamed in the darkness, tracking her every move. It was intelligent, too intelligent for mere instinct. It wasn't just lashing out blindly; it was hunting. And she was its target.

Ezorea steadied herself, inhaling sharply. She had never attempted this before—not like this, not under these conditions—but if they couldn't kill the beast, perhaps they didn't have to. Perhaps there was another way.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with the Force, trying to pierce through the roiling waves of aggression that radiated from the creature. She had calmed animals before, smaller creatures, ones whose fear and pain she could soothe with gentle nudges in the Force. But this was different. This was no frightened animal. This was a predator, one that was enraged, one that saw her as prey.

The darkness split.

For a moment, she felt it—felt the raw, burning fury that drove the beast forward. Hunger. Territory. Pain. So much pain. It had been wounded before, hunted before. Its rage was not mindless; it was a response to something deeper, something buried in its very being. A lifetime of surviving in a world that sought to kill it at every turn.

Ezorea flinched as the beast's emotions surged into her mind like a tidal wave, nearly knocking her from her focus. It was too much, too violent, and she had never encountered something so overwhelming before. Her concentration wavered, and in that split second, the beast struck again.

A blur of movement—Ezorea barely managed to twist away before the beast's tail came crashing down where she had been moments before. The impact sent debris spiraling in every direction, the force of the current nearly throwing her off balance. Ezorea gritted her teeth. She had to try again.

Reaching out once more, she pushed deeper into the creature's mind, this time bracing herself against the onslaught of emotions. It thrashed against her, resisting, its instincts screaming at her intrusion. But she didn't let go. She couldn't. She focused past the rage, past the pain, searching for something else—something that wasn't just fury.

The beast snarled, its body tensing as if sensing her presence beyond the physical. Its multiple eyes flickered, a moment's hesitation. It knew she was there.

Ezorea seized the moment, pushing calm into the chaos, willing the creature to see her not as an enemy, not as prey, but as something else. The Force swirled between them, an unspoken connection bridging the gap between hunter and hunted.

For a fraction of a second, the rage dimmed.

Then the beast roared, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through the water, shattering Ezorea's fragile hold on its mind. It was too strong. Too angry. And she wasn't skilled enough to fully break through. Not yet.

The moment of hesitation cost her. The beast surged forward, maw opening wide. Time slowed.

Ezorea braced herself—

Valery Noble

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Reina Daival )

Bulls-eye!

Jack had to wince just a little when the harpoon tore through one eyesocket, and then exited the other, ink-coloured blood collapsing along with the falling beast, joining the rubble on the submerged, stone floor. Sensing its life force ebb away, Jack de-ignited his lightsaber, throwing Reina a thumbs-up-

Only for a final tentacle to lash out at the end of its life, slapping said Jedi into the ceiling, the force of which flinging him through stone and upon an upper floor, landing hard besides the hole on his back. Jack groaned inside his rebreather, able to hear himself again; as this room had yet to be submerged in addition.

Lightsaber hilt landed harmlessly, rolling at his side.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: underwater gear | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery held her position for as long as she could, watching as Ezorea reached out — not with her blade, but with her mind. Through the Force, she could feel the younger Jedi reaching for the predator, searching for something deeper beneath its rage. The currents of emotion shifted around them, tension rippling through the water like an unseen storm.

For a moment, it almost did work.

The beast hesitated, its monstrous form coiling as something in its mind wavered. For the briefest second, Valery thought Ezorea had done it. But then the rage flared again, snapping back like a rubber band stretched too thin. The creature let out a deafening, guttural roar, shaking off Ezorea's influence with primal fury.

And it struck.


Valery immediately moved in response. The Force surged through her body as she twisted, her form becoming a blur in the water. In an instant, she was there — her arms wrapped tightly around Ezorea, yanking her away just as the beast's massive maw snapped shut around empty water where she had been mere heartbeats before.

The pressure of the near miss sent a powerful shockwave through the currents, rattling through Valery's bones as she propelled them both back, twisting mid-motion to keep Ezorea shielded against her chest. When they finally slowed, Valery loosened her grip just enough for Ezorea to catch her breath, her smirk breaking through the tension.

"That was close," she murmured, her fiery gaze flicking between the younger Jedi and the thrashing beast. "You alright? We have to figure something out."

Ezorea Zethussaln​

 

[Ezorea Zethussaln]

Ezorea's chest heaved as the close call left her breathless, but she quickly regained her composure, lightly pushing away from Valery's protective grasp. Her eyes glinted with a mix of determination and frustration as she turned her focus back to the beast that now thrashed violently in the water, its rage unrelenting.

"I'm fine," Ezorea replied through the Force, her voice steady but sharp with the weight of her failure. "But that... I almost had it. I almost reached through."

Her fingers twitched as the Force surged around her, a pull, a hum, like a heartbeat that resonated deep within her. She could still feel the beast, that raw, untamed fury pulsing in the currents, like a predator trapped in a cage of its own emotions. It had almost broken, almost faltered, but now it was too far gone.

Her eyes narrowed as she reached out again, not to control, but to understand. She dug deeper into the Force, searching for the threads that bound the creature to its fury, trying to find the faintest trace of what had caused it to lash out. Her mind reached beyond the storm of anger, delving into the primal darkness that clouded its senses.

"There's something more here," Ezorea murmured, her voice quieter this time, almost to herself. "This isn't just rage... it's fear, desperation. It's... trapped."

Ezorea glanced at Valery, uncertainty clouding her thoughts. She struggled with the decision — was it time to end the threat, or could she find a way to calm the beast?

"Val..." she said, her voice tinged with doubt. "I'm not sure what to do." Admitting it felt like a weight on her shoulders, but the truth was clear — time was running out, and people were depending on them.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: underwater gear | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery steadied herself, her fiery gaze locked onto the thrashing beast as it roared once more, its rage shaking the currents around them. The moment of hesitation had passed, replaced by renewed aggression, and in an instant, it surged forward again. But Valery didn't move to strike. Not yet.

Instead, she turned her attention to Ezorea, watching as the younger Jedi struggled with doubt, her connection to the Force wavering between understanding and hesitation. She could feel it — Ezorea had reached something deep within the creature, had felt its desperation, its fear. That meant there was still a chance.

And Valery believed in her.

"Try again," she urged, her voice firm but steady through the Force. "I know you can do this." She pivoted slightly, her body ready to intercept if needed, but she held back — giving Ezorea the space, the trust, to make the attempt. The young Jedi had already cracked through the beast's anger once before; that meant there was a way inside.

"You said it's afraid, that it's trapped." Valery's eyes flicked between Ezorea and the charging predator, her muscles tense, but her faith unwavering. "Show it that it doesn't have to fight."

The beast barreled closer, its massive form cutting through the water like a torpedo of primal rage. It was now or never.

"Trust yourself, Ezorea," Valery murmured, her smirk returning just slightly. "I do."

Ezorea Zethussaln​

 

[Ezorea Zethussaln]

The sea beast loomed before her, its massive form coiling through the water, a living shadow against the dim glow of bioluminescent reefs. Its eyes burned like distant suns, locked onto her with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.

She could feel its agitation rippling through the Force—a storm of instinct, fear, and fury. Her previous attempts had only provoked it, her efforts to assert control met with violent resistance. This time, she had to reach it differently.

Ezorea closed her eyes, tuning out the chaos of the currents, the distant echoes of destruction above. Instead of pushing, she listened. The beast was not mindless; its thoughts were raw but ancient, steeped in memory and pain. She extended her presence, not as a challenger but as something softer—something patient.

The creature's mind bristled against hers, a wall of distrust thick as the ocean depths. She didn't push through. Instead, she let her presence settle like the tide, a steady rhythm of calm. The way a mother would soothe a frightened child. The way the sea itself whispered to those who learned to listen.

She reached out, palm open, fingers drifting in the water. No commands. No pressure. Just an offering of peace.
The beast's massive body coiled, tension rippling along its ridged spine. Its thoughts lashed at her—flashes of harpoons, nets, explosions rocking the deep. Pain. Betrayal. Loss.

Ezorea inhaled slowly, then exhaled, letting warmth pulse through the connection. I hear you. The words weren't spoken, but they carried through the Force like a current. I see what they've done to you. But I am not them. The beast stilled. Not fully, not yet, but enough. Its great eye flickered, considering her now instead of simply reacting.

Ezorea reached deeper, threading memories of her own into the tide between them. Not just peace, but understanding. Of battle. Of loss. Of fighting against chains unseen. The creature's thoughts roiled, testing hers, but she did not waver.

The tension between them hung on a blade's edge. The sea held its breath.

Ezorea kept her hand outstretched. Let me show you there is another way.

The sea beast's massive form shifted, its writhing tentacles slowing as the tension in the water eased. The anger in its mind no longer crashed against Ezorea's presence like a raging tide—it had softened, curiosity threading through the space where fury once ruled. Its great eye flickered again, the glow less piercing now, more searching. It hovered in place, muscles still coiled with instinct, but no longer moving to strike. Bubbles escaped from its gills in a slow, steady stream as it observed her, as if weighing the truth of her silent promise.

Ezorea held her position, her breath steady, her hand still outstretched. The connection between them remained fragile, but it was there—no longer a battle of wills, but a thread of understanding, tenuous and real.

We are not your enemies. The thought drifted into the beast's mind, carried on the same current as its wariness and pain. You have fought for so long. But you don't have to fight us.

Ezorea pressed forward, her voice within the Force quiet, steady. Do you wish to help us? Or do you seek a way out of this chaos?

The currents swirled, the water thick with anticipation. The beast did not answer immediately, but it did not pull away either. It was thinking. Deciding.

Ezorea held her breath and waited.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: underwater gear | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery didn't move. Not because she couldn't — the sea beast still loomed dangerously close, its enormous bulk casting flickering shadows across the ocean floor — but because she didn't need to. Because Ezorea had it. She felt it before she saw it — the shift. The sharp, biting tension in the Force slowly unwinding into something deeper, slower, like the tide retreating after a storm. Rage receding. Fear uncoiling. And in its place… calm.

Valery's eyes flicked to Ezorea.

The younger woman floated with one hand still outstretched, her body relaxed, her presence in the Force not demanding, not controlling — just offering. Trust. Kindness. Peace. The massive creature let out a deep, resonating sound that pulsed through the water like a whale's song, low and mournful. Its great eye blinked slowly. Then, it moved.

Not to strike — but to drift past.

With one slow, deliberate turn of its serpentine body, the beast began to swim away. No longer surging with fury or thrashing with pain. Just moving, deeper into the dark, toward a part of the ocean where it could be left alone. Or… maybe not alone. Maybe just free.

Valery exhaled slowly. Her lightsaber, which had remained unlit but ready, eased back to her belt with a click. She turned toward Ezorea and smiled — not just with her mouth, but with her whole being. There was pride in her eyes, sure, but more than that, there was respect. Real, earned respect.

"You did it."

Her voice was quiet, almost reverent beneath the water. She swam closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on Ezorea's shoulder.

"That wasn't Force power. That was empathy. Courage." She gave her a gentle squeeze. "Like a Jedi." Valery's smirk finally broke through again as she added, "Also… very good composure, considering you were nearly eaten."

She winked.

And for the first time in what felt like hours, the weight of the ocean didn't feel so heavy. Because something had changed here. Not just for the sea beast.

But for Ezorea, too.

Ezorea Zethussaln​