Rumble in the Jungle [CIS Dominion of Haarun Kal]

[Vytal Noctura]

Location: In the Jungle | Outfit: Camo | Gear: Midnight's Kiss, Spear, & Hook Shot​

Motivation: Slaughter the 'Righteous'​

​

Vytal's green eyes narrowed as her body jerked from the sudden isolation. Black lips peeled back to reveal her teeth at the man's irreverence. Her diaphragm struggled to inflate the lungs to draw in air, but the essence that had flooded the area would not be silenced. Her right hand reached up toward the canopy. Silence fell over the jungle moments before the faint crackle of bark, leaves, and reed-thin branches shattered the illusion of peace.

A three-foot wide tubular mass shot down from above; it swung in toward Elias with a sling-like shape to yank him off his feet and into the air if he didn't dodge it. What could be roughly described as a large serpent perched high in the trees had its eyes on a mid-day snack.

Meanwhile, Vytal spun her upper body around and with her other hand commanded thick roots and vines to tunnel through the jungle floor. Their progress only known by the rustle of dead matter laying on the jungle floor, and the slight disturbance of tilled earth. They burst from the ground straight for the green-eyed woman that had so easily provided blood for the ground to drink. The darkness possessing the Nightsister would like nothing more than to bind the woman's limbs, disarm her of her weapons, and let its voice fill her head. What more could the woman want but to become one with the planet? There would be no distractions by needs of 'society.' No stray thoughts or unwelcome commandments by outsiders. Just her and the hunt. To cleanse and be one with her natural self.

A pale hand clutched at her throat for a moment before she ripped away the illusion and gasped for breath. For a moment the bright glow to her eyes had flickered, but it would not let go of such a useful vessel if it still moved.

"I know who you are," Vytal snapped as her eyes flew from one to the other. "I see you in the dark. Your desires. Your needs. Why do you fight against it?"

Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"] | [member="Elias Logain"]​

 

[Dirk Bannahan]

Location: Within Clan Lyriad | Near Dauntless Rendezvous Point
Allies: Clan Lyriad
Enemies: None
Equipment: Unarmed
Morale: Low
Post 1

Hot, soupy air, continuously hit her ashen face so thickly it was nigh indistinguishable from the touch of the dew stricken leaves flanking her path between the trees. From behind came the yowls of mixed combat. Armed intruders punching in those foolish enough to hold ground against a force that clearly outmatched their capacity to resist wasn’t something new to this tormented world.. This was a little different from the usual killing floor. Rae’s attunement to life signatures proved that few of the proverbial lights within the Force were winking out, if any. Still, it was hard to pinpoint anything thanks to the mire surrounding -shrouding, nay, choking- her senses.

Progress was slow, not because the former Ren did not know her way out and through the thick jungle after living with the Lyriad for the last few months, and not because the sunlight above hit her powers and capabilities much like a concussion, but because of the small boy trailing behind her.

It had been the chief's request just before the attack began. However, he was operating with the wrong assumptions -thinking that the invaders were just another tribe vying for territory before the monsoon season began. Seemed a good gesture at the time to respect his trust and help the child escape. After all, they did take her in for a time, let her feed on scouts from the other tribes, and best of all they asked no questions. Now, she feared they would not escape from these intruders clutches.

What to do? Leave the boy? Turn about, hold ground, and fight? She had no weapons to do battle with. It was possible she could catch at least one soldier but no doubt there would be platoons -this she guessed from the mixed arms fire.

Hopelessness was not far from her mind, but regardless she pressed on, clutching the boy’s hand more tightly as they navigated a thick bramble of dead tree trunks and bushes.

[member="Nathan Vance"] | [member="Maeve Archeron"] | [member="Luna Terrik"] | [member="Immortal Cyan"]​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Jungle Clearing
Wearing: Armor | Pathfinder Boots | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 10 Czerka knives | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives| Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | Knight Obsidian Sword | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Tags: [member="Elias Logain"] [member="Vytal Noctura"] +Feel free to join!

She had not taken into account that she wasnot the only creature who was strengthened by the blood of others in the scenario. It was a mistake – a noob mistake. A deadly mistake. With so little knowledge as to the nature of the curse that plagued Haarun Kal, she had not considered that the ground would be drinking the blood so greedily, absorbing it to its own dark ends. The Blood Hound was used to being the only Blood creature around; and now she faced the flora of this place, fed by the blood that she had shed upon it, coming to kill her.

Her weapons dropped to the ground, her control of them completely released as instead she raised both fists, ready to punch with ferocity anything that tried to come near her. The first, the second vines – easy. The next, not so much. One of them had made it to her face, the only part long with her hands that was uncovered by armor or helmets, and Scherezade could feel the blood trickling down both of her cheeks, and an itch on her forehead that she hoped was not another wound because fighting with your own blood in your eyes was always a drag.

There was a lull in their attacks – one long enough to hear the words that were coming out of Vytal's throat, even if the voice did not entirely belong to her.

The words began to form quickly in Scherezade's mind. By virtue of her upbringing – the one that had begun the day she'd been released of the pebble, her training included that of Witches. Not, the Dathomiri kind – for those, she had the inherited knowledge from her grandmother, who had burned years' worth of information into her mind. But Scherezade herself had studied for months with the Witches of Ryloth, who's approach to spell crafting was of a more simple yet equally effective kind.

Grabbing one of her knives from the floor, the Sithling quickly peeled back the sleeve of her armor, creating a deep cut that ran from wrist to elbow. The blood began to seep almost instantly, but it was not herself or the ground that she was worried about; tossing the knife now, she collected the blood and made the attempt to toss droplets of it at both Vytal and Elias; while the latter had not shown planetary curse signs that she could recognize, she had no way of knowing if he was actually safe.

"Blood that is my blood," she chanted, the Force gathering around her before her spell shot out, "Set them free. Release them from this Darkness as thrice you've released me!"

 

[Zef Halo]

THE JUNGLE​

OBJECTIVE: CLEANSE SOURCE OF MADNESS​

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXOd8uNnJQA​

​

Something cracked in the canopy taking his attention to it before he had to drag his body away from the swinging large and grotesque mass of scales. Elias lunged like a dart to the side and rolled away from becoming an appetizer for a Korunnai wingless dragon. He just stood up to see Scherezade cutting her arm and the possessed Nightsister speaking. With each words she uttered he felt the dark tendrils of the curse growing larger and smothering the very air around them. It filled the monster hunter involuntarily with dread.

"Blood that is my blood, set them free. Release them from this Darkness as thrice you've released me!"

He felt the Force swirling and gathering around Scherezade like a storm she summoned. A few drops of blood were sprinkled over his face and he spread it across his eyes. She chanted an ancient spell unknown to Elias but he saw it as an opportunity to end this and save them from this incredibly dire and fatal situation. Ignoring the aching pain in his bones, the monster hunter hurled himself in the incantation channeling his own powers of the Force into it. Images of memories not his own crushed his mind.

Ryloth, an elder woman, blazes of fire, Haruun Kal, darkness. The mentalist swam through the pieces of a puzzle seeking to devour him. Were he in his younger and inexperienced days as an apprentice to Emond Law, Elias would've been consumed and lost forever in a mind that was no longer his.

Now? He came on top.

The spell erased the small taint of the curse that sought to spread over him slowly but surely like an inevitable tumor. He turned his focus on the source of the darkness, the Nightsister and what controlled her. Elias recklessly hammered with mind the enthralled conscious of Vytal with the strength of Scherezade's spell which spread like wildfire across the source of the curse. He led the incantation through the darkness much like a spotter pinpointed the hunter's prey.

Channeling the Force with all that remained of his stamina, Elias mentally went all in.


[member="Scherezade deWinter"] [member="Vytal Noctura"]

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Location: In the Jungle | Outfit: Camo | Gear: Midnight's Kiss, Spear, & Hook Shot​

Motivation: Slaughter the 'Righteous'​

​

The blood touched her pale flesh, and with it drew the green misty gaze of the Waking Nightmare. So they refused to accept who and what they truly were? They clung to the trappings of civilization, and the restrictions placed on them by expectations of others. They rejected harmony with the world as it truly was rather than what they all professed to want it to be. So be it.

Two thunderous claps shook the jungle in that moment. Splinters of wood flew in all directions as the massive trunk of two trees cracked and then snapped clean through. Vytal's hands lifted to either side to direct the towering masses up and toward the pitiful wretches that sought to deny her. If they would not embrace the truth of their existence, then she would mercifully end their suffering.

"I will free you. For I am eter--" Her lips still as vertigo overcame Vytal's senses, a slight step forward managed to keep her from collapsing to the ground. The trees that threatened to move over the man and woman nearby dropped five feet, yet remained aloft suspended by the Force. "I cannot--" If anything the green glow that burned in the Nightsister's eyes seemed to grow brighter. "No," she hissed as her hands began to droop held out at her sides. With her head tilted back, she raged, "Embrace the darkness. Embrace--" Dathomir's name drifted on an uneven breath that passed through her black lips, easily overlooked by those not listening.

Ground shaking thumps shook their feet as the trees dropped to the jungle floor short of their mark. The towering lumber wavered and then fell away from the creatures they were meant to crush. "Why is it so green?" Vytal sunk to her knees before her upper body swayed and then toppled to the right. Arms splayed out on the ground, the Dathomiri woman's eyes gazed up at the sky unblinking. The glow of madness washed away in the combined forces of [member="Scherezade deWinter"] and [member="Elias Logain"].

Several seconds passed before the Nightsister's chest rose with breath. Slowly her dilated eyes began to spiral inward to reduce the light that assailed her senses. Consciousness was equally long in coming, her thoughts lost in a haze. There was a vague recollection of... battle? Of... belonging?

Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"] | [member="Elias Logain"]​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Jungle Clearing
Wearing: Armor | Pathfinder Boots | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 10 Czerka knives | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives| Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | Knight Obsidian Sword | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Tags: [member="Elias Logain"] [member="Vytal Noctura"] +Feel free to join!

Scherezade had no idea, no clue, that her blood had given Elias some of her memories. It was a good thing too, or she might have been entirely too shocked by it happening to even resume holding her focus on the potential worse fight that might or might not have begun to develop.

The trees that almost fell on them were noticed by Scherezade at the las possible second. She raised her arms, ready to deflect them through the Force, when they froze in place on their own. The Sithling blinked, her gaze switching over to where Vytal stood, now battling those who had taken her over on her own, and Elias was launching forward as well, though not with his body.

The smell of the Force was strong all around them, engulfing them all in a cocoon of power and potential madness. It took her – more moments than she cared to admit – to realize what Elias was exactly doing. Throwing her power in with him, Scherezade attempted to aid him in his quest to release Vyrtal of the hold they had on her. The two were not Battle Melded and she did not know him well enough to guess the specifics of what he was doing, but the Sithling knew how to lend power in more ways than one, and she fueled his hammering, giving him early all the strength she could spare in that moment.

She heard the words coming out of Vytal's throats, words that did not belong to her. Voices that had come from the women in the blood vision that she had seen, the same women that she knew nothing about, expect… Were these the women in charge for what was happening to the planet? But then why them? Why grant Scherezade the vision, why try to take Vytal over, and why leave Elias as a near-victim of circumstance?

It was not until Vytal dropped to the ground that Scherezade moved, now coming to comfort her as the sensation of those women began to vanish. It did not mean that they were done though. Probably, far from it.

"When I drank from the beast I saw a vision of blood," she said, not wasting time a soon as Vytal seemed to no longer be possessed. They could run checks when they were done, "many people, but five women stuck out. Five women who were looking at me as I had the vision. But then the beast attacked and I was snapped out of it. I think it's safe to assume that they had something to do with the voices coming out of Vytal's throat."

Rising to her feet and helping Vytal up if the Dathomiri so willed it, Scherezade looked at the other two. "So from what I know, they let me have that vision, they weren't intending on that vision to stop so soon, they're in charge of what's going on, and if we find their bones and smash it, we win." Proud smile beaming, she looked at them again, "unless anyone has other theories. What I know from other places won't necessarily hold true on this planet."

 

[Zef Halo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOsFQ-VUeMw​

​

In the physical world, Elias stood frozen with eyes closed like a sculpture. Only his shallow breathing hinted that he was still alive. Yet, his existence was somewhere completely else.

Within the twisted dimension of Vytal's mind, powerful forces clashed. A fathomless darkness seeking to consume everything in its path had embraced completely the Nightsister. It had spread its evil tendrils outwards across the jungle of Haruun Kaal. With each strike at it, hideous screeches echoed in his mind. Five silhouettes in the darkness grew clearer with each tendril of evil destroyed until Elias could make them as five women in tribal clothing. Just looking at them, he felt the sensation of choking but Scherezade's power pushed him onward.

The monster hunter pressed until the Nightsister's mind was cleared of the evil taint.

He snapped open his eyes in reality and the curses of the five women still echoed in his mind. Sweat rained down from his brow and he gasped for air. The energy he had used to battle a darkness he had never before witnessed nor even fought brought him down on one knee panting.

Elias noticed Scherezade's spread arms just as two massive trees dropped beside them.

Had they been a moment later late, they would've been crushed.

He looked up from the ground at Scherezade who spoke as she comforted the nearly knocked out body of the Nightsister before bringing her back up on her feet. The monster hunter's gazed with pain clearly painted on his face at Vytal. Elias had only been able to glimpse at some of the Nightsister's memories as most of her identity had then been consumed by complete darkness. From what little he grasped, he found out she had rather different views than the common Dathomiri Witch.

He then turned to Scherezade and slowly and painfully rose up to his feet while trying to steady his breathing.

"That is a possible theory. I saw them too. In the depths of her mind." Elias nodded. "I would've suggested the use of a powerful cleansing spell but it is too...Light-sided for the two of you."

That wouldn't work. It would feel like purgatory to those basked in the pools of Bogan. No.

He jerked his head at the Nightsister. "She may still retain some memories that are not hers - some leads we do not have to these five women."

[member="Vytal Noctura"] [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Location: In the Jungle | Outfit: Camo | Gear: Midnight's Kiss, Spear, & Hook Shot​

Motivation: Hunting in the Dark​

​

Vytal looked up at Scherezade for a moment not quite clear of mind. A soft growl followed as the defiant gaze of a Nightsister fell to the jungle before them. Thoughts and emotions from the past few minutes washed over her. A tempest of thought, desire, and sensation assailed Vytal with what had and what might have been. Perhaps she should thank these two for what they had done, but there was the lingering sensation... a longing deep in the Nightsister's soul. She would have wished for such communion with the Dark of Dathomir. But this was not Dathomir.

A sharp eye looked up at the huntress at the offer to help Vytal to her feet. A moment later the pale hand took the offer to rise to her feet. This woman was different than most. Grudgingly, the male was as well. They both seemed versed on some level with the mystical. Strange to find so many of such offworlders. Perhaps what the Sith did to Dathomir was not so unique after all, but then where had these two learned magick? Elias' ritual had not been of the Nightsisters, Vytal remembered that much from before.

It was Elias' turn for a snap of the Nightsister's eyes when he mentioned seeing something in her mind. The sound of this Vytal did not like.

When he mentioned the two women being incompatible with his magicks, Vytal's hand strayed along the pouch where the ichor had been. Had it reacted to the ritual? Or had the Dark of this world somehow called to the distilled essence of darkness? Not that it seemed to matter as Elias dismissed the idea of attempting the same or similar ritual again. Until Vytal better understood the strange Art of this world perhaps that was for the best.

"Tch," Vytal turned and strode off two steps, hands clenched into fists. "I know all too well the dangers of letting someone into your mind. How should I trust you to do and take what you will?" The Nightsister turned to face them, shoulders tense with the very thought. She had developed a technique of compelling people to do her will with a touch -- though it required ichor -- among other things. Secrets of the Fates of Midnight, a group of five Nightsisters that had left their home and begun plundering the spoils of the Many Stars to enrich home. How much would they unearth? And what could be worth this price? A 'lead' to five witches they saw?

"I--" Vytal clenched her hand held out before her as she stopped talking. Her brow furrowed a moment in contemplation. At last the tension in her body seemed to lift. "I will be your conduit to these Witches. They have touched me, so in turn I will touch them." With resolved step, the pale woman stepped back toward the pair. "If this will bring us closer to the source of this darkness, make it known now." Experimentation with the mind had involved exploring various facets, some even on herself at times. It was possible she could tap into the lingering connection and be the one in control this time. Unlikely the Witches would appreciate such an intrusion, but then they should not have dared touch a child of Dathomir.

Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"] | [member="Elias Logain"]​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Jungle Clearing
Wearing: Armor | Pathfinder Boots | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 10 Czerka knives | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives| Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | Knight Obsidian Sword | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Tags: [member="Elias Logain"] [member="Vytal Noctura"] +Feel free to join!

So Elias had seen it too. Yet how he had seen – and how deep he had gone into Vytal's own mind – that was much of a surprise. Scherezade said nothing, but she could guess that a Dathomiri would not particularly enjoy knowing that it was done, especially not by a male. The Dathomiri viewed them as inferior by their sex and some clans believed that they would not reach an afterlife if it was the hand of a male that killed them. And that was pretty much just the tip of the iceberg of what the memories her grandmother had burned into her mind had told her of them.

At the mention of a powerful cleansing spell, Scherezade's eyes lit up in excitement, only to be dimmed half a moment later when he branded them as 'too lightside'. She grumped, and then snorted, thinking it was all general foolery. Maybe the version he knew of cleansing was lightside, but there were so many different ways to go about it.

For a moment, Vytal gave her cause to worry; if she was going to get defensive, or even worse, aggressive, with Elias, it meant that getting off planet as fast as possible would be their only potential route. The Sithling had led enough missions to know when team work was the only thing that gave you a chance… And when turning around and running as fast as your legs could carry you was the superior option. And yet a moment later, Vytal offered herself as a conduit. She could hear the traces beneath her voice, of the lust of vengeance, for what they had done, for daring to sit inside her.

Scherezade smiled.

"I have had blood of this planet, and I think I can use that to help us clean all the blood on this planet," she said, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. It was all theoretical; she'd never actually done, let alone cleanse a whole planet based on the drops of a few. Hell, she'd never done a planetary cleanse, period. But maybe the blood was not the answer.

"But then again," she thought out loud, "we're three people and each of us offer a different application of the Force. Maybe we can pyramid it together to create something new."

Theoretics, again. They weren't in a place where they could safely experiment.

And the nagging tug beneath Scherezade's skin, that desire to hug the planet with every breath she took, it was coming back. Give in to it, fix it, or run away from it.

There were no other options.

 

[Maeve Archeron]

[SIZE=9pt]Wearing: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Caped Armour[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Wielding: Verpine Shatter Rifle. DL-44 Pistol. Armed with Glitter Bullets. Black Bag containing Explosives and Czerka Knives, and others. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Location: Inside Clan Lyriad, center of town[/SIZE]
Tags: [member="Nathan Vance"] [member="Luna Terrik"] [member="Kelsie Sylvan"]

[SIZE=9pt]"No, I sure as hell do not."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Maeve was glad she had pulled the extra battle buddy, because it would seem Valery had wandered off to goodness-knows-where. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Didn't need her anyways. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"Let's be in and out in time for dinner, alright? I'm pretty sure my rations have melted by this point."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Since no one else had offered any ideas, they'd just have to do it Maeve's way. Which -- for the record -- was almost always a bad idea. Quick and dirty, but not necessarily the most... reasonable. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The houses on the outskirts of the clan seemed run down and abandoned, worn by years of constant conflict and no stability. They seemed empty and unthreatening, so Maeve and Nathan proceeded deeper into the village. Surely the leaders would be found not far from the sounds of a riot that were coming from the town center, and Maeve said as such to Nathan. Breaking into a quiet jog, they managed to avoid attention and approach the village center. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]What they found was far from a peaceful protest. It was complete chaos, with children who looked to be as young as seven throwing simple rocks at windows and a militia trying desperately to keep the men and women back from what looked to be some sort of stronghold. "And that, Nathan," she said, pointing, "is where [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]we [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]need to be." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Pulling out her comm to check in with Luna, her attention was quickly drawn by a high pitched, warbling sound coming from the machine. It was a message from... Ashley? Maeve hadn't seen her roommate at the rendezvous point, so she assumed the other woman had stayed on the ship before the drop.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]She was wrong.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Rather than words, her comm flashed bright and dark. Once bright. Twice dark. A long bright and a short dark.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Crap.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Ashley was in danger. She was taken, she was taken, she was taken -- [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]"Nathan. Check in with Luna for me and go see what sort of hell you can raise inside. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]"Don't you dare get hurt."[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A set of coordinates flickered into her field of vision -- Ashley's coordinates -- and Maeve's HUD plotted a route for her. She broke into a sprint, not pausing while she rattled off a short message to her commander:[/SIZE] She quickly rattled off her destination coordinates and signed off, not bothering to listen for a response as the edges of her vision seemed to darken.

[SIZE=9pt]She had one thing she had to do. And she would not let another pay a price.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Ducking under a particularly dense patch of shrubbery, Maeve found herself back at one of the houses she had dismissed earlier as non threatening. Now, the only thing preventing her from setting fire to the whole damn thing was the fact that Ashley was probably inside. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]There will be time for that afterwards. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Pulling out her pistol, she needed only three shots at the hinges before the entire door gave way. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]"DAUNTLESS LEGION FORCES. STAND UP AND FIGHT."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It wasn’t really the regulation demand, but Maeve was a little beyond that by now. There were only two men standing on this floor of the small house, who seemed to be guarding a staircase and Maeve barrelled towards them as they began to open fire on her. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]One, two, three, four shots, [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]and the two men were on the ground, one dead and one soon to be. Barely pausing for a breath, Maeve ran down the stairs, expecting to find a much stronger resistance than she had fought upstairs. Freezing in her spot, she watched as a woman she didn’t recognize disposed of the last guard, adding him to a rather large pile of his comrades on the ground. As the woman turned to face her, Maeve suddenly realized…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It was her commander. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]She could not make out much in the dark basement, and so only one word came out of her mouth as she spoke to [member="Kelsie Sylvan"]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Ashley[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]?” [/SIZE]

 

[Zef Halo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PBo83bPyOE​

​

​

[member="Scherezade deWinter"] [member="Vytal Noctura"]​

​

Elias cautiously watched her reaction. No one ever liked someone else lingering in their mind, it was the most sacred place of any being in the galaxy. Be it a mindless beast or an Emperor. This is why he usually refrained from being so obvious about his abilities as a mentalist, even the best of friendships could be broken after such an incursion.

And the two barely shared any relationship for there to be anything else but an aggressive reply. Fortunately, considering his current weak state, Vytal changed her mind. Perhaps she sought a vengeance against these five witches more than making Elias pay for entering her mind.

Scherezade spoke next and her mulling over their next course of action sparked an idea he had seemingly forgotten.

"Very well." Elias nodded glancing at the two women. "The blood of the planet and the host of the witches."

It sounded enigmatic but the monster hunter would explain just as he unwrapped another scroll and tossed it at the ground before them. The parchment was of coal color and the rough edges of rock to the point it looked more as some eerie and alien form of mineral rather than paper. Upon it magma was engraved in a language that would most likely be very familiar to deWinter.

Sith.

To those with well attuned senses, the scroll of Sith Magic would emit an aura of uneasiness, power and darkness as fathomless as that of the curse. The monster hunter would not explain how he had attained it.

"Annihilation."

"Neither of you can touch the Light side to purify the planet, but both of you can touch the Dark to purge this curse from existence." Elias explained blankly, his eyes hovering from Vytal to Scherezade. "I can neither lean too much to the Dark, neither to the Light without...consequences." the disadvantages of meddling in the middle. "All I can do is try and prevent this purge from leaving a scar of the use of Sith Magic which would lead to other disasters."

He had been paid to remove the curse, not replace it with something possibly worse.

"The blood-" Elias abruptly coughed sharply. A familiar, warm liquid spread across his palm. Blood. The five witches were far too powerful than he had expected, delving into the mind of the possessed and fighting them had given a heavy toll. One that would drastically increase very soon and he knew that very well.

"The blood, draw a circle around Vytal." as if she had read his thoughts, or more logically - the words on the scroll, Scherezad dragged the blood with her hand in a nearly perfect circle around the Nightsister.

He then gazed at Vytal, his face solidified before her and his voice grew more serious than ever before.

"Scherezade will trigger the Sith Magic and you will join the flow of the Force to the Witches. She will give you the strength to destroy the Five Witches completely. I will act as buffer to keep the effects of the Sith Magic from scarring the planet but also to...help you not to be possessed again. You will have to trust me. I seek nothing more than the removal of this curse. Nothing. More." He meant it. Elias had no desire to delve into Vytal's mind any more than she did.

Silence.

"One final...thing. If I am to-"

die.

"If something happens to me, you will bring me to a man of the name of Emond Law in the Unknown Regions." Elias did not specify the fact that what remained of his mentor was simply his grave in former Lords of the Fringe space.

"Let's finish this."

--

It was the most painful and toughest challenge Elias had ever faced. The strength of both Scherezade and the Witches' powers nearly killed him. Vytal nearly succumbed to the Witches once more but the fire of a Nightsister's vengeance prevailed. The curse was completely annihilated along with the lingering souls of the Witches, while the effects of the Sith Magic were prevented from tainting the planet. What the trio had done was nigh impossible but it made them realize they were far stronger than they believed.

With the removal of the curse they were rewarded with a deep knowledge of the nature of the curse and the Witches' abilities. It did not come without a price - the eternal memory and truth of the existence of the curse. The tragic story of five Korunnai women who had lost their most precious - children - to a clan chief's betrayal. They died in a pact, sacrificing their lives in the pursuit of vengeance by cursing not only the jungle but the planet itself. A dark, but to some righteous, way to demonstrate motherly love.

For eternity, they were bound to carry this memory as if the three of them had personally lived and died the lives of these five witches. They would share their pain even in the Netherworld.

End.

 

[Luna Terrik]

Location: Outside clan Lyriad, Dauntless Rendezvous point.
Time: 1310 hours.
Equipment: Personal Dauntless Armor, SC4 Blaster, Tactical Recon Handguns
Post: 3
Tags: [member="Nathan Vance"] [member="Maeve Archeron"]

​

A few of the smaller squads checked in with the commander at her request, though most of them remained silent. In her mind, she imaged they were just continuing to radio silence that Luna had ordered earlier in the mission. While she would have liked them to give her an update, if they needed to stay silent to stay safe, that was definitely the option that she would like them to choose. Soon enough they would all be reunited, so hopefully the silence was them doing their jobs, and not dying horrifically in ways that could have never been seen coming.

Shrugging off these thoughts, luna began to step out of the main room of the housing unit, proceeding to where the commandos had dragged the dead bodies of the two warriors that had made their homes in someone’s house. When she turned into the corridor, she noticed it contained on to the end of the house, at which was a set of stairs going upward. Furrowing her brow and sliding her blaster into a ready position pressed up against her shoulder, the commander slowly began to make her way up the staircase, being sure to check her corners as she did so.

It was only a few steps up the stairs that she could see where they ended, being light coming from a doorway. A balcony, perhaps. Maybe a place that they could get a better view of the little village. After reaching the top, she found the door to the balcony to already be open, revealing Tien to already be crouched at the edge, scanning the area with a pair of micro-binoculars. As his commander crouch walked up beside her, she could hear him chuckle lightly, speaking in a whisper without taking his eyes off the city. “Figured you’d find this place eventually. Still beat you up here though.”

Luna couldn’t help the small smile that peaked at the edge of her lips, and was about to respond when her sergeant suddenly stopped scanning back and forth, focusing on one area and letting out a second whisper, “Target in sight.” Her eyes went wide, quickly looking in the same direction and turning on the binocular function embedded into her helmet. No surprise, Tien was right. The leader of the warrior tribe was there, in the middle of a circular clearing. However, he was surrounded by a group of other warriors that would most certainly recognize that their leader was suddenly dead sitting next to them with a gaping laser hole in his chest. Might be hard to miss something like that.

Though, if they took only one shot to do it, there was a good chance they could do it and get out. The warriors outside of their leader weren’t priority targets in any way, so they could leave after the leader was dead. With this thought in mind, Luna slowly raised her rifle, using the balcony’s edge as a stabilization devise. As she looked down the sights and focused in on the leaders head, she spoke a few words to her comrade on he right. “As soon as I fire..duck.” She knew, without looking, he would do what she asked, and before she truly focused in on the target, Luna toggled the comm unit in her helmet to send a message to all commandos. “Priority target confirmed. Taking the shot. Be prepared to leave quietly.”

With that, every fiber of her being was focused on lining up that one singular shot. Three deep breaths, in and out, as her finger curled around the trigger of her blaster. And on the third exhale, she squeezed the trigger, watching the warriors leader’s head pop like a watermelon. Even as the warriors surrounding their leader jumped back in horror at what they just saw, Luna still stayed crouching just over the balcony, quickly getting a few photos of the dead body for confirmation purposes, before quickly dropping to the ground when the sounds of the warriors rural alarm systems began to sound.

Quickly queuing up her comm for the entirety of the two squads to hear, she did her best to speak clearly in a concise time as possible. “Priority target eliminated. Repeat, priority target eliminated. We need to leave now. If you can make a distraction that will draw their attention away from the rendezvous point, then do it. You have the green light. Just keep everyone updated.” As it was sent, she nodded toward the stairs, and both the commander and her right hand began to descend, hoping to now escape the stirred hornets nest without being stung.

 

[Old Man Story]

It was the end of an era of darkness.

More specifically, many eras of darkness. War and discontent had festered in the shadows of Haruun Kal for generations before the Confederates came looking for answers, and many unsolved mysteries could not be put to rest. Mothers could weep for their lost young. Fathers could bury their sons. The somber end was a brutal, but welcome footnote in a chapter of Galactic History.

Deep, ancient hexes and magicks were often dismissed as anomalies in the Force, but with the coming of the Knights Obsidian and the aroused interest of the Mandragora, the horrors that once beset the world would find themselves put to question and held accountable. From the carnage, there was a hope for peace, and for the future.

The name Elias would not soon be forgotten, either. Thanks to the unassuming freelancer, the Witches had been able to do something they believed impossible. His reward was handsome from the coffers on Geonosis, and he would be welcome within the umbrella of the Confederacy for many years to come.

The others fought valiantly and put down their does with skill and valor second to none. The Dauntless Legion lived up to their name, and they helped to purge the shadowlands of Haruun Kal of dangers much less magical, but no less vicious than those their allies had put to an end.

The negotiations between the Knights Obsidian and the Koruuni were bland at best, but in the end, it was agreed that the arrangements being made were in the best interests of everyone involved. Despite his weaknesses as a politician, the Knight Commander was able to persuade the tribal leaders that a presence of their finest would help with security.

And so it was, construction was scheduled to begin after a fortnight.

Haruun Kal proclaimed for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the tribes came together to elect their first Viceroy.

Spoiler

While Haruun Kal has been liberated and embraced Confederate rule, others are still free to finish telling their stories and encouraged to do so. Thank you for joining us for this story, and we hope to see all of you jumping in with the CIS again soon!

 

[Nathan Vance]

Location: Dauntless Rendezvous Point

Time: 3 minutes behind schedule

Equipment: Project Peregrine Scout Armor, Modified BCR-X10 Sniper Rifle (converted to DMR), 2x Dauntless Modular Tri-Blasters (pistol config.)

Tag: @Maeve Archeron [member="Luna Terrik"]

"Primary target confirmed. I'm taking the shot." - Nathan heard his commander's voice over the comms.
"Hell is about to be raised" - Nathan thought to himself as he scanned his surroundings. He rushed off towards a small building nearby, using the scout armor's advanced thruster system to propel himself into a wall run, using it to climb onto the roof of the construction.

"I'm gonna lead them away from rendezvous. Will transmit coordinates once I get away. Just don't forget to pick me up." - Nathan spoke as he unholstered his BCR-X10. He aimed the rifle at a member of the tribe militia, readying himself to take the shot. A shot rang out around the area. The target had been eliminated. As far as Nathan knew, the commander never missed a shot. He was sure of her abilities as he was of his own. His finger pulled back the trigger.

A bolt of red energy exploded from the barrel, striking a militia member square in the chest. Another shot followed up, cutting through the man beside the initial target. The militia exploded into action, somewhat panickedly moving around and scanning the area in desperate attempts to detect their assilant. More bodies crumpled to the ground, massive holes ripped into their chests. 30 seconds had yielded 5 corpses. So far so good, but things were about to get much more difficult.

"Up there, on the roof!" - a man exclaimed as he aimed his rifle at Nathan's head, which was barely visible, peeking over the edge of the roof. Shots had been fired, and Nathan was forced into a rapid retreat, tossing his rifle to the side as he rolled back to avoid the incoming fire.

"My position has been compromised, I am relocating. Get to rendezvous and get ready to leave. I will join you all there shortly." - Vance spoke over comms in between deep breaths, as he dashed away from the point of contact, pulling out one of his tri-blasters. Chaos was everywhere. Hopefully that would be enough for the rest to get away and prepare a retreat.