Take Off The Mask

[Alric Kuhn]

He ran as fast as he could, his hand still gripping hers, tugging her along.

Alric could not have said why he was so fast, why he was so active, but the reason for it was plain. Though the Aspha had been applied to his back, the mold and its properties had spread to the rest of his body through the bloodstream, its effects taking a minor hold on other parts of his body. Though the pain was still throbbing in his sides, and his head still spun with thoughts that were not quite his own, he felt good.

Better than he had since arriving on Tatooine.

He ran, throwing the Gaderffii stick onto the ground and making a tight corner.

“This way!” He breathed to her, knowing that this was the way that the Sand People had lead him into the camp. A row of tents sat here, leather working material and strips of cloth lay everywhere. Hung garments and bags dropped by weary travelers that had returned home only hours prior. As Alric rushed, he reached down and snatched one of these bags off the sandy ground.

The thing was surprisingly heavy, and he could hear the slight sloshing of water along with the clanging of metal on metal.

The bag was slung over his back as he rushed forward. There was no time to search through it, no time to look what he had taken. His mind was moving too fast, seeing the opportunity they had. The Tuskens fled before them, running from Alric as he made strange threatening motions and sounds, dashing forward and swinging his arm wildly at nearby men and even women.

Panic could be heard, but it would not last forever.

He rushed forward, looking from left to right and searching for the speeder that Danger had mentioned. His head swiveled and turned, each time they took a left or a right he would halt for only a split second to search for the vehicle she spoke of.

It was not here.

“Where do we go?” Alric asked her as they approached one of the exits of the camp, two guards standing in place at the gate facing away from them, though clearly alerted to the panic within.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger wasn't one to wait. With her tongue clucking at her mouth, she would pause slightly, her head turning from left to right. She had to get her bearings. They were on the Wound, but where exactly?

To the left were the umber mountain range that jutted out like ragged chunks of earth. To the right, the deep crevice of the Would would hint at a perilous trek that could very well lead to death.

She gave a nod to the right.

"Go... GO!" she shouted at him, pushing him into the would. Was she crazy? Likely.

But the Wound was the one area that the Tusken Raiders wouldn't dare follow them through.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric didn't have to be told something like that twice.

He moved faster, still clutching her hand, still pulling her along, one shoulder occupied by that bag. He next few steps took him passed the two guards who jumped in startled surprise. The one on the right seemed to have another presence of mind to react, pulling at his long Tusken Cycler.

In a long, almost desperate attempt Alric reached out. His free had shot forward in an errant striking, punching the Tusken in the face while his leg darted towards the mans own. Two wild and quick strikes that saw the Tusken raider fall to the ground in a fit of confusion and anger, guttural screams echoing. The other man stood bewildered, dropping his rifle in pure surprise as Alric and Danger rushed passsed him.

They moved quickly.

Quickly into The Wound.

Alric didn't know what they would find there, he didn't know if there would be more Sand People, he didn't know if there would be monsters or just more desert sands. All he knew was that he and Danger had gotten out, and as they passed a cluster of rocks that partially hid them from view, he slowly began to feel relief.

Though it was not there for long.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Well the shock at getting slugged would only startle them for so long. Danger knew they were running on borrowed time.

"Just keep going! Climb down -- DON'T FALL OVER!" Well that was easier said than done, considering what manner of precarious of a situation they were in. Pebbles went scattering down over the massive crevice of the wound just as Danger would tug him back to prevent him from cascading over.

That's when the first blaster bolt came flying their direction. Instant ducking of her head.

"FETH!"

A volley of bolts went raining across the boulder behind them, charring black holes as they would skitter down.

"GO!"

Wasn't much of a plan as much a mighty dire necessity to get away without them following. Tusken Raiders were a supersitious lot. Only a crazed fool would dare rile up the ghost that lay at the pit of the crevice where they dropped their dead.

Fools or Demons.

She was willing to make them believe they were plenty of the latter instead of the former.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

She pulled at him, and he pulled at her. Their hands were still entwined in a tight embrace, and Alric found himself using that bond to remain standing as the pain shuttered through him. Every now and again his sides would throb, every now and again he would nearly fall to his knees, only prevented from doing so by Danger holding him up.

He did the same for her.

She would stumble, she would fall, and Alric would tighten the muscles in his arm and catch her. Pull her up and make sure that they could keep going, keep running.

They moved into The Wound, deeper and deeper. The Tuskens followed, but quickly they became weary. The sound of Tusken Cyclers became less frequent, the guttural cries of the Tuskens became hushed echos that resounded at Alric and Dangers back. The CEO of Titan Industries didn't stop. He moved until he couldn't move anymore, until the sun lay hidden beyond the edge of cliffs, and the sound of their pursuers were nearly gone.

Slowly they came to a stop, out of breath and struggling to stand.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger was out of breath. Her chest felt tight, and frankly with the kind of vices she used, the years of puffing down cigarillos were not a boon to her then.

It had been years since she'd ever had to make a quick getaway like that. Years.

Dusk would roll, but the waning shouts of the Tusken Raiders was a mixed blessing. While they could go deeper into the crevice for safety, it offered another set of perils. Low light, perilous perches, and a whole nuther set of critters wanting to take their pound of flesh.

That wasn't even including the freezing temperatures of the oncoming night.

She would fall back against the cliffside, catching her breath as she'd tug the collar of her desert gear loose from her neck. The adrenaline was pumping hotly through her veins, dulling the pain in her head somewhat for now. Though she was well aware she would pay for it later.

Her hand would draw from Alric's, pushing her mess of hair away from her face. Her green eyes would lock upon his hunched over figure, looking at him critically.

Well, at least he didn't collapse on me.

She was well aware the sort of fire his nerves would be feeling now. Likely for the next few days. It was different from sapient to sapient.

Still out of breath, she would breathed out, "You gonna faint on me, Kuhn?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric fell against the side of the large boulder that stood at their back. He slid down it, his head spinning and his side throbbing. The backpack fell to his side and Alric let his hands dip against his face. A loud sigh passed through his lips, though whether it was frustration, anger, or relief was difficult to tell.

A smile touched his lips.

“Well..” Alric said filling his lungs. “You are rather breath taking.”

The compliment wouldn't sound sarcastic in the least, though he was hardly focused on hitting on her at the moment. Instead he looked at the ground, letting his hands slip away from his face and touch the ground. His fists balled, and a smile spread even further across his face.

He'd never felt so free.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger shook her head, giving a roll of her eyes.

"You never quit do you?" there was frustration edging her voice, her attention drifting to the area around them. The temperature would continue to plummet, and they will need to find some kind of shelter before the dark of the night came upon them.

"Come on," she told him, pushing herself off the cliffside wall and moving forward. "We need to use what light we have." she went moving forward, carefully climbing over the rough surface of the boulder in front of her.

"There are plenty of bat caves along the Wound..." she needed to keep him focused and talking would do the trick. At least, hopefully enough to have him not slip in his attention and fall off to his death.

So she would move on, guiding him along. It was evident that the executive had never done any kind of outdoor hiking or traveling. Although he had the tan, it was clear it wasn't due to common hard work or labor. She would pause, waiting for him to catch up, muttering curses under her breath and generally appearing to be not too excited at his pace. Yet she would wait, extending a hand to help when he required, telling him where to follow her through and where to place hand and footholds.

Finally they would make it to a small ledge that would broaden. There, painted in the lingering vestiges of indigo and crimson rays of light, stood a gorge cut out from the cliff. Bats would flutter in and out, nothing Danger wasn't used to

Alric Kuhn on the other hand? Well that had yet to be seen.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The slums of Nar Shaddaa and Coruscant had worse creatures than bats, he didn't flinch when he creatures shot around him, though he did whisper when something within the abyss spoke to him.

“Don't trip bao bay.”

It jarred him, shook him to his core. The voice was a sinister whisper, a familiar sultry tone followed by a laugh shrouded in pink. He stumbled slightly, nearly tumbling over the edge of the gorge save for a hand that shot out and captured him by the straps of the backpack. As Danger pulled him back to proper footing Alric frowned slightly.

That had been the first time he'd heard a voice since they escaped the Tusken camp.

And it had been her voice.

Unease filtered through him, but he tried not to show it. He frowned, mouthing the words that had been spoke to him. Danger gave him a strange look, then shook her head again, motioning for him to follow along.

They entered the gorge, climbing along a steady near non-existent rock out cropping until they reached the entrance to a small cave.

In the waning light it was impossible to see inside, but Danger held a finger to her lips and stuck her head inside of the darkness. She listened, finding only silence, a good indicator if there was any that the cave was empty. The redhead was the first to go in, with Alric following close behind. The cave itself was narrow at first, Alric had to squeeze through the entrance.

Once inside it opened up into a large chamber, coming to a stop after a few paces. The ceiling of the chamber seemed to stretch above Alrics height, blackness forming there, making it difficult to see just how far the cave went both up and stretching further back. Waning light shot in near the entrance where Danger and Alric stood, and with his mind still on edge Alric began to speak to steady himself.

“We should see what I was able to snag from the camp.” Before the light completely drifted away.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger would turn her head towards Alric, balancing upon the guano covered ground as the waning rays of light barely illuminated their surroundings.

"See if you can find anything to light a fire in there," she'd drawl out. Her accent was a bit thicker, had a bit more of a healthy dose of Outer Rim whathaveyou. A grimace came to her. With the bats, she was already considering what they would need to to do survive. In that were the essentials; water and food.

The flying vermin who called this cave system home would have both -- to an extent. This far out would mean that the bats would be less likely to carry disease from settlements. Not that one couldn't tell a rabid bat from not.

If they couldn't find water they would have to settle with the next best thing; and while she wasn't fond of it -- blood did contain water in it.

"It will get colder as the hour passes." she'd mull aloud, narrowing her eyes to squint and try to make out their area. While the mouth of the cave certainly was large, on the inside it narrowed only to open up again. Most often than not, it could connect to the other cavern systems throughout the Wound. Krayt Dragons were known to make their home here.

Thankfully she hadn't heard anything that would suggest one was near.

Her mind was racing. They could spend the night here under shelter. It was unlikely that the Raiders would follow in pursuit. Her own supplies had been hidden away among the canyons due South from here.

One they got settled and the night turned dark proper -- she'll be able to figure out where they were without a compass. She'd lost that when they took her belongings.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“How cold?” Alric said quietly as he settled himself down in a squatting position over the backpack.

He was a stranger to this sort of survival. He had never been in the desert, never been stuck in a cave. All he knew was that he was without a shirt and his pants weren't well suited to this kind of environment. The nights he had spent here so far had been inside of a tent with warmth and fire next to him, Alric had no idea how to survive.

He had interrogated her earlier, a tireless unceasing line of questions about Tatooine, its environment, its history, and what this place was about. Oddly enough she hadn't seemed to mind, in fact she had seemingly encouraged it, pushing him to keep talking.

Perhaps he should have read more into that.

As she began to move about the cave Alric dug into the Backpack with the waning light. The first thing he pulled out was a large bundle of cloth, what appeared to be half Tusken garb, a tight bundle of some sort of cloth that would wrap around the torso, leaving space for the skin to breath.

He set that aside gently, then kept digging.

Next came a blaster, an old WESTAR-35 that seemed to be worn out by dirt and grim. Alric inspected it, checking its power levels and ensuring that it had not been clogged with sand.

He was not a great shot, but he knew blasters in and out.

Part of what he did after all.

Next came a water-skin, something that was met with a sound of joy from him along with a grin. He popped open the top of it and was pleased to smell nothing, meaning that it indeed contained water. He weighed it in his hands, finding it more than half full. Lastly Alric pulled a small metal cylinder from the bag that was accented with a guard of some sort.

Alric looked at the weapon swearing that it looked like the hilt of a lightsaber, only far more fancy. “So, we have some tusken garb, a Blaster, some water, and...it looks likes a lightsaber.”

He was weary activating the thing, he knew what lightsabers could do.

Despite that, Alric was well pleased, and as he looked at Danger it showed on his face. Apparently he had picked well when grabbing the bag.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"It's winter." that was enough to prompt a snort of debate from anyone who could ever imagine Tatooine having any sort of winter. But it did.

"Below freezing." she found a nice flat area, using her foot to brush as much of the dried guano to the side. That was one good thing about living in the desert, it would dry up fluids quickly under the baking Twin suns.

Her head would lift to catch him pulling out items. Green eyes quickly went narrowing upon the Tusken Raider outfit. "Put that on." she ordered, knowing he would need the additional layers for what would come.

She then nodded towards the lightsaber, extending her hand out. "Here.. give it." a bit of more. "Get me some rocks. Need to make a fire pit."

It was all about surviving the night now.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

It wouldn't be enough.

He realized that very quickly when she stated below freezing. Alric may not have been a master of survival, but he knew cold meant cold. Briefly he looked towards the Tusken clothes, then nodded. The Tusken robes were odd, and it was really only half an outfit, the outer more tunic layer of it being missing. Still, the cloth bandages felt rather good against his skin, at least before his nerves caught up with him and new waves of pain fell over him.

He winced slightly, but noticed that the throbbing was beginning to dull, not making breathing harder anymore. That brought a smile to his face, the end of pain would be welcome.

“Where the feth did they get a lightsaber?” Alric said as she placed the small cylinder in her hand and crawled onto his hands and knees. He began to search the cave in the dimming light, grabbing rocks that were larger than his fist and placing them in a circle. As he did so a voice whispered to him from the darkness, that sultry fluttering tone.

“Alric the outdoors-men. Adorable.”

He twitched slightly.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Me." came the revelation, her fingers curling round the metal cylinder as she carefully held it away from her and him. She grabbed it firmly, and one could imagine the Trade Queen appeared to be quite familiar with it. Her thumb settled upon the activation switch.

Snaphiss!

Instantly her face and the area around her in about a six foot radius was bathed in a glowing sphere of bright yellow light. Her eyes would wince a bit, pupils dilating in response to the bright illumination.

"They say that long ago, a vengeful desert demon came from the storm and slaughtered an entire tribe of Sand People..." she told him nonchalantly, her gaze flickering upon the humming lightsaber as she took a step closer towards his circle of rocks.

"...men, women, and children all fell to his glowing blade of light." She held out a length of scarf from her own robes, and with a quick jerk cut a piece of it off with the blade. She tossed it into the circle. It would serve as kindling. Poking the edge of the lightsaber onto the dry piece of cloth, she waited until the hot plasma began to ignite it.

"The Tuskens make ritual sacrifices to ward him off, putting stolen artwork, and other valuables, even Human sacrifices at the murder site.

It's a superstition set in place by oral history. I needed to feed off that superstition as a back up plan."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric watched as Danger ignited the blade and began to slowly stoke a fire, he could practically feel the temperature drop as he watched.

“I see.” Alric said mulling her words over, his head jerking over towards the whispers of the abyss. “I suppose there is some truth to it. There always is to legends.”

The fired sprang into life, and almost instantly Alric could feel the heat jump off of it. It felt nice, a contrast to the cold quickly settling into the cave. “Fiona used to tell me an old Tetan Legend, the Lost King. Empress Teta thousands of years ago had Kings, divided into dozens of different nations. The Lost King was a man that united the nations, brought them together, all save for one.”

His voice became focused, as if he was trying to ignore something.

“Oh bao bay, story telling? Really? You'll never get her panties off that way...oh wait.”

“He lead a crusade on that kingdom, at the age of eighty, ancient back then mind you, and lead his army. Hundreds of thousands of men brought to heel. Then, when crossing a river The Lost King fell from his horse and into the River. Never to be found.” He laughed. “They say that one day he would return, come back and lead Empress Teta to glory once more.”

The grin spread across his face. “Of course, the reality of the legend is that an old man fell into a river and drowned under the weight of his own armor, not that he disappeared because he was needed in the future.”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

He was certainly chipper. Then again, Danger figured that he was trying to keep himself busy. To fill the silence. She could understand that. Everyone needed something to focus.

The saber deactivated with a press of her thumb, leaving them within the glow and warmth of the fire. The smoke would be thick, and certainly not the best smelling considering it was guano as its fuel, but it would save their skins for the remainder of the night until come morn.

"There are truths, and there are legends touched with truth, and all can teach you something." she said plainly, looking up past towards the entrance of the cave. She slowly would step around their little fire pit and move to walk past him, heading towards the cave's entrance.

"The fire should keep the bats away -- but they are going to be dinner so I'll need to catch some. " she kept walking. "Keep drinking the water in sips -- you need to hydrate."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He looked at her for a few moments, wanting to argue, but he couldn't find the words.

“Danger.” He called out to her softly, taking the WESTAR-35 from the small pack and tossing it over to her. “Just in case.”

Alric didn't really need to tell her that, but he wouldn't be needing the weapon, or hopefully he wouldn't He doubted that she herself would need it, but it was better to have it and not need it, than the reverse. That was the way it was in the slums, and it applied here in the desert as well. He frowned though, for some reason he didn't like the thought of Danger wandering off on her own.

“Cute. Bet you wouldn't worry about me.”

The voice spoke and he frowned slightly, shifting his face away from Danger and towards the fire.

The heat was nice, but he could still feel the cold settling over him, still feel it set into his bones. The throbbing pain in his side seemed to increase as the cold set in.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger caught the WESTAR in her hands, the light of the fire giving enough illumination so she didn't drop it. She gave him a strange look, as if she couldn't quite believe he just did that. More so that he even bothered. Her brows drew together.

She'd linger for a moment, her profile to him, torso turned to him so. Her eyes took him in. The Tusken Raider overcoat, the messy mop of his hair, the haggard angles of his face behind the scruff of his jaw. He looked like shit. Smelled like it too.

Whatever she found in his expression only confused her more. She left with a curt nod of thanks, before turning to leave. She'd leave him to the warmth of the fire. For now, she had more pressing things to do.

Danger would carefully step out of the mouth of the cave to see that dusk had long since settled and the indigo of night would claim the skies. Carefully, she would tilt her head up to the side, right ear listening closely. Beyond the sound of bats that would come in and out, so far she heard nothing but the sounds of the night.

To a degree, the Wound's natural acoustics would be a better warning signal than she could hope for -- but it was also a double edged sword. Out here, she would have to be quiet.

As the seconds would tick pass, Danger would tip her head back. The first signs of the evening stars would drizzle the sky. Moonrise would come.

Without a compass, she would have to relay on the constants set on the heavens, and that is primarily what she was out here for. Carefully, she would trace her way through the familiar celestial points of reference in the sky.

Her supplies she'd left behind were due south. Now North would be...

She spent the next ten minutes or so situating herself. The other fifteen would be set in trapping two of the bats for dinner. Had she a chance and the light, she'd forage for what manner of edible flora she could find, but for now, things were very limited.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

While Danger was gone Alric simply sat and thought.

The game had changed once more, it had shifted. The board was now different, it was placed in such a way that he could actually play. This game of survival was different, it was more familiar. He did not have experience here, but in this situation he could learn, he could be taught. He had already begun doing so by asking questions, and when Danger returned he would ask more.

The game was different, but it was at least winnable.

Alric reach to grab the water bottle, hissing slightly as the pain rushed through his side.

His eyes pinched shut, and his hand wrapped around the neck of the water bottle. His pain was still evident, but at least it was getting better. Alric took a sip form the water, counting the minutes that Danger was gone.

Looking into the fire Alric frowned slightly.

“Poor little bao bay. Worried bout the Trade Princess.”

The voice taunted him, echoing in his thoughts. Alric knew that she wasn't here, he knew that Xo was far gone on Coruscant, but the voice was so real that it startled him each time. It grated him, and shook him each time. Alric shifted slightly, putting the water skin down and stoking the fire.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

The sound of Danger's approach would come about half an hour later. So would the unceremonious placement of dead bats beside Alric. At the very least, they were dead and not living. Though it was evident that they were fresh kills.

She doubted he was well aware on how to clean them; granted they were too small to really bother. As it was, what they would do would require a few flat rocks as makeshift plates and some time to char off the fur.

Wearily, she'd cross to the other side of the firepit. She didn't speak much, instead she simply did. It was much as one would expect from a paid guide or tracker who would simply do their job. There was no reason to socialize as long as they did what they had been paid to do. It was a stark contract to the normally sweet talking Trade Queen well used to using her ability of conversation to stimulate discussion to a more profitable venture.

Perhaps, the need to survive had simply reverted her to her true colors.

A few flat rocks were deposited alongside the fire, and a long dry stick from a thorny bush would provide a means of manipulating it.