First Reply The Voices Guided Me

[Luka Felcado]

Rain-soaked streets suddenly seemed empty. Those who didn't subconsciously clear off quickly joined those who did up on seeing her, if not upon hearing the rattling of chains and screeching of durasteel on ferrocrete.

Luka Felcado arrived on-world via a stolen Luxury-class Yacht, surviving on the remains of a slain Hutt she found within. Jo'Han Felcado had guided her to the ship, had left the corpse within so she wouldn't starve, helped her locate and fit him into an icebox to bring with her. Now he guided her here.

The rain-soaked woman was frail, eyes clearly sulphuric from corruption, looking around wildly. Mouthing incoherent words to the burden she carried. Dragged behind her, wrapped and hand-pulled by chains, was a freezer-box screeching against the street with every step.

Within was what remained of Jo'Han Felcado - everything but his head. She needed the head to make him whole. He told her himself. At least just the head so he could speak again, so the others could hear him too. So she could find the boy again.

Her boy.

Where had he gone?

She quietly wept, a sound drowned out by the rain and echoed scraping.

The Starport customs wouldn't allow her to carry her brother in the icebox, even though she tried to speak to them, to write at least as her voice failed her. It wasn't her fault they drew their weapons, they didn't understand she was trying to help. They didnt have to die, but they insisted on threatening to take Jo'Han away from her.

She was not going to lose anyone ever again.

The street continued to clear out ahead of her, shops closing and pedestrians quickening their step.

All except for one.
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OPEN (First Reply)

 

[Ersethy]

Wearing: Darkspawn Raiments

Armed with: Dauntless Blade


It was a relatively weak example of an alchemical weapon, but the darkness controlling the flesh of a creature shaped like a pale skinned redhead in a dark, sparkling ritual gown knew it was all this particular worshipper had been able to offer.

A prize seized in war, stored for years. The First of the Force Spawn, Ersethy, accepted the gift from this weak servant, a Mawite that served the forces of Thomas Barran .

The fragment of the Darkness that served the Dark Three, and kept the ancient flesh of this body from rotting away as it should have millennia ago cut open her forehead with a sharp nail and white blood leaked out as she blessed the Mawite warrior, a man covered in ragged, tattered armor, with many shrunken heads kept as trophies on his belt. He had sought her out of his own accord. Ersethy had VERY few rules or standards. But the one rule the Darkness that puppeted the flesh calling itself Ersethy had was to NEVER harm a sincere worshipper. More so the one who brought an offering.

"This vessel blesses you in the name of the Darkness that powers it..." Ersethy hissed in an almost delicate manner as she painted the white blood into a crescent shape on his forehead, the wound on her own sealing back up. "Kill at your pleasure."

The Warrior, silent and scarred and reverent at the blessing of blood on his forehead, nodded and rose, not wanting to take up too much of the Mawite Priestesses time. He departed the alley that dripped red from the bodies of recently slaughtered innocent's, both old and young, killed in grotesque ways. She had been on a minor killing spree since coming to this world. She was topped off enough with the suffering of others that she was in no danger of not being able to maintain cohesion. The flesh, running off the script of the imprinted hive mind it had in its previous life, delighted in vexing the authorities.

For now, the flesh vessel was in a rare moment in-between slaughters as it exited the alley looking immaculate, it's gifted sword sheathed and strapped to it's back, and sensed a surge of darkness in the streets beyond, saw people clearing out as she saw a dark side presence dragging something.

Curious, and Bold , it walked towards her.

Such hate and sorrow The hive mind that made up Ersethy said to Luka Felcado , not moving from the street.

Excellent breeding grounds for the Dark Side. Tell me, young one, who are you?

 

[Luka Felcado]

The screeching halted. Death lay further ahead. The bringer of it stood before Luka, addressing her.

Felcado heard the voice of her brother, muffled from within the durasteel vessel she dragged.

"She wants to take me from you. Don't trust her. Don't trust anyone yet."

Luka nodded, heeding her brother's warning.

Excellent breeding grounds for the Dark Side. Tell me, young one, who are you?

Somewhere in Luka's fractured psyche she registered young as a compliment, being the 44 standard years old herself.

Every attempt she had made to speak since awakening had failed, but she tried anyway,
"L-L... Llluu.. uuu." Her brow furrowed, runaway frustration building. "Luh-Luuuoa". Her jaw and her lips wouldn't cooperate.

Her grip on the chains tightened. She surpressed the sudden urge to scream in frustration. She looked to the box for guidance, but Jo'Han was silent. Why didn't he speak? He could explain everything he could speak much better than she could.

Her breath quickened, shoulders rising and lowering out of volatile emotion and sudden panic. She turned back to the presence that approached her, on a precipice of instability.

"Mmmmuh... mmmai"
Once more her voice failed her. Unable to communicate.
My brother.
My brother needs help

The headless corpse in the chain-wrapped vessel remained silent.

​

Ersethy​

 

[Ersethy]

Ersethy observed passively as Luka Felcado struggled to even speak. The Coffin she was dragging seemed to be the locus of her torment...

The flesh briefly considered the organic notion of just trying to take a peak inside but the Darkness powering the flesh that should have rotted to dust millennia ago decided against it. She was able to read Luka's mind regardless.

The Flesh that stood in its spliced together body didn't normally help people, but the Darkness in her knew that sometimes, people could be led further into its clutches by giving them exactly what they sought.

The pale red head approached.

"Your brother does indeed need help..." Ersethy replied, feeling nothing from the body. Luka's insanity was quite evident.

PERFECT.

"Perhaps we can be of assistance..." Ersethy replied. "We are Ersethy..."

The flesh paused at slowly approaching authorities. With a flick of its eye, the Darkness inside the flesh entered their minds and made them turn back. It normally would have killed them, but Ersethy knew the last thing Luka needed was a commotion.

"You are attracting attention. I can help you, but not here..." The flesh said, the Darkness moving it's lips.

Ersethy turned.

"I have a haven not far from here..." The Darkness made the flesh of Ersethy say. She did a gesture of silent magic, which would make Luka's coffin much easier to carry.

"We can discuss it there...unless you feel like risking your brother in these streets, follow me..." Ersethy said firmly, turning promptly and heading to a new destination deeper in the lost alleys of the city, the will of the rotting miasma of Darkness in her making her turn aside the minds of the still curious as she walked with crisp authority, stiletto heels clicking on the streets...

 

[Luka Felcado]

Somehow, this other presence seemed to understand what Luka failed to voice. It seemed to coax her as if she were a stray. She... She was a stray. She and her younger brother both.

The tension in her shoulders loosened slowly, as her wide, sulfuric eyes grew less manic for a moment, pausing, cautious. This presence of Ersethy was the only thing that had understood her, and the only thing that had offered to help Jo'Han.

The other presences began to wander away, also giving the feral woman room to breathe—until the burden of her brother's vessel grew lighter suddenly.

She was not clear enough of mind to understand it was assistance, or happening through the force. She felt a change in weight from from the chains and immediately turned away from the presence that offered to help - to the fleeing security and screamed, "NO!"

The only thought in her mind was that nothing would take Jo'Han from her again; a wave of the force accompanied her scream, ripping through ferrocrete, durasteel, and flesh indescriminately in a cone just beyond the coffin. A repulsive, destructive force that belied the extensive training she had become broken.

Luka's mind cleared slightly. There was no one taking the vessel from her. It was merely lighter.

"We can discuss it there...unless you feel like risking your brother in these streets, follow me..."

"Hh-hu... ull."
A frustrated breath.
"Y-ye-eh-uh-ss" she struggled to mutter, abandoning speech and cautiously nodding instead, following the presence away from the destruction that was just wrought from the volatile shell of Luka.

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