The Dust of Centuries

[Riamah]

As Ra walked away slowly she felt almost pity for Drogh. She let out a sigh and turned back around. Why? She had no idea, but it felt wrong to just leave him there to die. She knew what it was to feel alone, like nobody cared and even she didn't actually care for the man, he shouldn't die alone.

When she reached him, he had already passed out due to blood loss. He was still alive though. Tearing off some of his wretched cloak, Ra attempted to wrap his wounds enough to stop him from bleeding out more. She then sat down away from him, but close enough she could watch and see if he recovered enough to wake up.

One of her knives was in her hand in case he woke up violently.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

Drogh woke up, his eyes feeling like they had millions of weights down on them, his bones and body felt weak and old. The darkside had kept him from going to far deep once again, forced to stay in this terrible place, coming to his senses, his rage and dread feeling him up like he was devouring a animal, only to be confronted with some thing he'd really not see, her. Drogh was to weak to fight her, if he could Drogh would have charged hear, tearing that pretty face off, but he simply couldn't, groan of effort was put in to get up and perhaps kill her, yet it was followed with a whimper of depression. Drogh mustered the remnants of his power to lift him self upright, sitting down barely holding him self together. Was she mocking him? Out of arms reach to walk circles around him? Taunt him for his weakness? Drogh felt the darkness in her, that light didn't shine so bright, but it was still there, glaring at him, Drogh completely and utterly cursed with the Dark side, all shades of light destroyed long ago, and this little girl held onto to what she could. Drogh felt truly weak, but not humble, not some how humbled by her attempts to save him, not humbled by being beaten. He was bitter, yet there was no point in trying to spit spiteful words,

Drogh focusing his weary vision on her, he said said. "So kind of you to say." He muttered a small weak cackle, his dead empty eyes glaring at her with all the malice remaining in his body.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

It took a while for Drogh to finally wake up, but he did and Ra actually let out an internal sigh of relief. For a couple of reasons, one her attempts to save his life had worked and two he didn't jump up and try to kill her. Giving him enough to recover, a few days or a week and she was sure he would do it again. Her knife she held, slid back up in the sheath on her arm and now they sat looking at one another.

"I still don't even know your name."

She couldn't help but chuckle a little. Third time meeting trying to kill each other and yet hardly more than twenty words had been spoken between the two of them.

"If we're going to have any sort of relationship, even that of enemies, we should know who we are trying to kill. Call me Ra."

Not standing up to gloat or tower over him, Ra remained seated so they could almost look eye to eye. Besides, if she stood, her cut stomach would probably start bleeding again. That was certainly going to leave a scar.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

Drogh looked at "Ra", his cold dead eyes locking onto her like a hawk. Drogh was surprised to hear these things, did she want Drogh to kill her? Let him live? Was this a game to her? Drogh just smiled with harsh intent, "How stupid are you?". Drogh paused for a moment, glaring at her with his cold eyes ever more, never relenting to stop staring. "If you want to kill me, you should of left me here to die, but you didn't." Drogh began to readjust him self, crawling upwards to a crooked stance. He stood with a odd limp, barely holding him self up, looking more and more wraith like as his filthy blood-stained cloak covered his entire body. Finally Drogh deiced to ask of a simple thing. "Take me with you, I have no where else to go, and I don't want to die here." Drogh couldn't help but sound at least some what vulnerable, he had all but been almost crippled in a fight and Drogh still gripped to life rather desperately.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Drogh stared at her. At first it was like a bird of prey as if once he got into a prime position he was going to dive on her and rip her shreds. While the stare didn't change much, it took on a more calculating look, like he was probing her for weaknesses. Ra listened as he spoke to her, his voice harsh and cold. Maybe she should have left him there to die, but she just couldn't.

When they had met, he had been the stronger of the two...even the second time, this time though she had prevailed and when it came to a time it could have ended, she let him live and likely saved his life.

He moved to stand up weakly and while Ra moved slower than normal, she watched him closely. Her gold eyes looking to see if he moved to attack her again. Joining him in standing, his next words shocked her. He requested she take him with her.

Keeping her face as neutral as she could, Ra would look at him before speaking. His other words she didn't reply to. He tried to hide how weak he was, but she knew how badly he was hurt. Right now he was no match for her, even though she too was hurt.

"Come on. Let's get cleaned up."

While she didn't think he would try anything...yet, she kept her hand on her knife just in case.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

Drogh saw the caution like mud on her face, it was difficult not to see. Yet Drogh knew he stabbed her, she was bleeding right in the gutt, yet she did little to stop the bleeding. Drogh was thankful that the light prevailed in her, as he could easily exploit it. The girl had made a mistake, the mistake countless make, underestimated Drogh. Drogh is filthy scum, a petty criminal with no future and a past he wants to forget, but Drogh is a ghost, and ghosts don't die. Yet she carried a blade close to her, just in case. He still had his blaster, gun beats knife and if Drogh didn't forget that, it might have been her begging for mercy, but in his stupidity and rage, Drogh let his emotions get the better of him.

Drogh barely knows Ra, but he knows a few things, she her self is not very smart, letting in a violent psychopath that tried to kill her several times with no real reason. Her kindness was the delusional kind, or was it some thing else? Did Ra see some thing in Drogh? See some kind of potential, or was her pity that strong? Unlikely Drogh thought, yet regardless of reasons this is some thing Drogh would exploit.

"I still have my blaster." Drogh reminded Ra. His tone was harsh and cruel, it had no sense of thankfulness to it, it wasn't a mere reminder, it was threat. Drogh was confident that he kill could Ra. Her knife wont block a bolt to the face, her pathetic staff wont do much either. While Drogh held his tongue there after, he limped along dragging him self, following Ra.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

With the training Ra now had with using the Force, she could tell Drogh was considering options he may still yet have to kill her. Rolling her eyes mentally at his own stupidity, she slowed her steps to match his. Not once did she let him get behind her or in front. They were going to go side by side out of the temple. If he tried anything again on the way out, she wasn't going to hesitate to finish what was started so long ago and leave him to die this time.

He reminded her of the blaster he carried and her hand not holding the knife, caressed the butt of the blaster she collected at their last meeting.

"Do you think you scare me?" Her voice was as emotionless as his was cold.

While she didn't limp like he did, they both were dragging their steps as they walked.

Ra knew he could use the Force, why hadn't he displayed any of his abilities. She had some of hers, so he knew she could as well. Her training also followed both paths of light and dark, so could just as easily choke him to death as heal some of his wounds. She was getting tired of following the path of the Grey, yet no side called to her. Until that happened, she would remain half in the light and the dark.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

Drogh didn't respond to Ra's empty words, nothing more but drool coming out of her mouth to Drogh. Ra was smart enough to stay behind, yet she couldn't go behind, forced to walk side by side. Drogh took his time, as much time as he could afford him self that was. Drogh began to take in the place they were in, the old crippled building, lost any value it once held. Now it was nothing more but for vermin to ground around and peck at the filth that was left behind. The broken and shattered walls that cloud around them like a maze. The bent and broken selling, ready to collapse at any given moment. The floor that has crevices running down them. This was a true ruin, yet some still came here for what ever scrap might have been forgotten or left.

It was poorly lit, Drogh had a dim flashlight he gripped onto, flashing it about. Drogh didn't expect anything to jump out, yet the way was fogged with these shattered walls.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Her stomach had stopped bleeding, but she would need to get it stiched up as soon as she could. Which also meant taking her new companion along, he was in no condition to run and if he tried, she would stop him. Ra knew she couldn't trust him any further than she could throw him and had to remember that.

What had he been down here searching for? Was it an accident that he had even found the old temple? Her guess was that. Getting an answer out him was unlikely though as he had fallen silent again.

When he reached to get a light, Ra had tensed up and almost drew her knife. When she saw it was a light, she shoved the hilt back up her sleeve but kept her hand on it. She expected him to shine the light in her eyes to blind her, but that had yet to happen...

She followed the path of the light as it travelled around the area near them. As before, Ra could see the beauty hidden by the ruins and would have liked to have seen it when it was alive.

"This was where I came in."

Pointing down a partially hidden tunnel that would only be large enough for them to pass single file.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

"After you." Drogh said with a flat tone, looking at her with his cold eyes, Drogh knew she wanted him to go first, but Drogh could be difficult and would not budge in the slightest. He extended his thin arm, like how a servant might open a door for his master, yet this was drowning in a crude sarcasm. Drogh hated Ra, she was wounded and weak, pretending with fake sighs of power, the weakness was showing and Drogh was like leech to weakness, latching onto it.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Having walked this path on the way in Ra was familiar enough with it that she chose to go first, but walked backwards to keep her eyes on Drogh the entire time. To turn her back on him was something only a stupid person would do. The mutual distrust was thick around them. After the path turning several times along the route and taking her time in moving, she reached the end of tunnel.

Stepping out, Ra stood up straight and waited to see if her wounded companion had followed her or if she had left him behind. His wounds had been patched up as well as she could have made them so she knew he wasn't going to die if he had run off. If he had followed her, when he came out of the tunnel he would see her standing and waiting for him.

He was like a type of bug that wouldn't die. Drogh kept showing up in her life. Why though? What possible connection could they have? He always seemed to show up at certain points in her life. They past two had been just prior to something major happening. Maybe the Force had brought him as a harbinger of change. Perhaps something was going to happen in her near future and he was the sign for it. Time would tell and Ra waited to see if he was going to appear.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

The madness ached in him, stirred like boiling cauldron. His hate and anger powerful, the darkside gripping him, controlling him, But fear was always lingering, the cold chill down his spine, never ceasing, never ending. Drogh knew what he had to do, this women was a disease, yet an addictive one. Odd, isn't it. Drogh hated Ra, yet is oddly drawn to her. Wanting her to die, yet never to cease. His hate was from here, a catalyst for his power. Drogh could use her, a vassal for his power. Drogh was seeing it now, he was blind for so long, kept in the darkness, as the darkside gnawed at his bones. Drogh wanted to run, kill her, yet a greater part of him wanted to follow her, so he did just that, following her into the darkness. Unexpected, yet forced. @Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

All the times Drogh and Ra had met, they had tried to kill each other. Why she helped him this time, she had no clue. She did know though he was somehow important in her life. He needed to be kept alive. In the temple after thoroughly defeating him, she had then saved his life. He owed her a debt and that would not be forgotten. Even now though, Ra didn't hate him. More she almost felt pity for the poor creature.

He moved slower than she did as they trekked through the tunnel, Ra lost sight of him at the last turn and exited the tunnel to wait. The ancient walls were fragile in some places and the roof appeared to want to collapse. Careful to avoid having them fall on her, Ra did her best to not bump anything. The end was in sight and she hurried her steps.

As she got close to the end, a rumble started just a few steps behind her. Her eyes growing wide by a fraction, Ra knew this tunnel was going to collapse. Now worried about saving her own skin, she turned around to face the entrance and the debris starting to fall. Gathering up the Force, Ra used it to empower her steps and she dashed out of the tunnel moment before she would have been sealed inside.

Turning to look, it had finished falling and was now sealed shut. Drogh would not be coming out this, but somehow Ra knew he lived. They would meet again someday and the cycle would begin again.

[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

As the rotten world fell around him, brittle stone finally collapsing around Drogh, threatening to swallow him whole and devour Drogh in the stone belly of this broken beast. Drogh the darkside yanking him, as he ran with all his speed to avoid the collapse, darting out of the dark crept, as the stone crumbled around him. Drogh was spiteful, that vermin women, of course a trick, a trick to kill him, how could Drogh been so weak? She was a liar, those shattered walls fell by her twisted force, Drogh would certainly not take this lightly, if they ever meet again, Drogh will be out for blood, as he always is.

@Ra'a'mah