Private To Move On Is To Grow

[Khael Vhijaric]

What am I doing here?

Khael could not control the negative thoughts that forced their way into his conscious mind, demanding answers he could not give, asking questions he could not contemplate. Beaten, bruised, broken bones still recovering from his fight with the Jedi, shattered psyche still recovering from that...whatever it was. He had spent a few months aboard the Solar Vanguard, mostly healing his battered body but also aiding his newfound allies in their endeavours. It was an interesting thing, to make what Khael was hesitant to call friends so soon after the destruction of the only family he had known his entire life. It still seemed that if he were to accept they were friends, something tragic would happen to them soon after. There was his reason for being here.

He was cursed. Undeserving of friends, family or hope. The only spark he still clung to, just as tightly as he now gripped the handrail of the transport shuttle's debarkation bay, was the visit from Runi Kuryida , coincidentally just before he almost lost his life to the Jedi. She had heard of him, through rumours passed by the members of the Enclave he had run into on Scarif, and tracked him down to offer her help. It was fair to say Khael had been an ass, too obstinate to admit to terrifying truths staring him in the face, too stubborn to back down from the suicidal mission he had set himself, too proud to accept that he was dar'manda.

He stepped out of the transport onto the soft earth, dawn still budding and casting a wan orange glow over the picturesque village of Resa. The pilot of the shuttle had agreed to ferry Khael to Resa from Tor Valum for no payment once Khael informed him he was there to seek out Runi. The pilot had asked no reason of Khael in explanation, which had brought a sigh of relief from the Chiss. - he did not know how people would react to his status as dar'manda, the longer he could keep that quiet the better. Khael had been dropped off outside of the village, however, and would have to trek several miles to reach the marketplace. With his jetpack, or had he been at his usual fitness level, that would have been a simple matter. He had refused to don his beskar'gam ever since waking up in the med bay of the Vanguard, however, and he was far from recovered. Instead, with his entire life stuffed into a few heavy duffel bags and sling-bags, Dha'kumura sheathed across his back, Khael began the long walk to the village centre. He should arrive just before mid-day, and would see what this shaman whose reputation preceded her had to say.

Khael didn't dare hope for much.

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Kestri was not a warm world. Resa was nestled near the Mountain Range which provided a little protection from the wind, unlike the plains, but it was hardly an enclosed valley. Snow and ice washed over the landscape all around the reclusive village. Homesteads were kept close and the village was not considerable in size by any measure. Neither was it practically non-existent, but the edge of town would be a fair distance for someone seeking to take a long trek toward its market and the Briirud that sat over it.

Guests of wind would come now and again, but Khael had not the misfortune to be swallowed by a sudden storm. Temperature and walking conditions, however, remain far from pleasant without the proper gear. A few paths had been carved through the area; though they couldn't be considered well maintained they were at least marked to help wandering souls know which direction to plod.

A short distance out from the village, with it tucked out of sight around a bend, a figure crouched upon a small outcropping of snow-covered rock over the trail below. It wore a long, bird-like helmet and was cloaked in many dark feathers. In its right hand was held a long wooden staff. If it lived and the temperature bothered it, the figure gave no indication of such. Little snow had accumulated atop its shoulders suggesting it hadn't been there long or was otherwise not as lifeless as it might first appear.

"What dost thou seek?" A voice intoned with no discernable source, though only the cloaked figure seemed visible from where Khael stood along his approach. A figure that remain as still as stone short of being openly attacked with the Dha'kumura worn on the man's back.

Khael Vhijaric

 

[Khael Vhijaric]

Khael had been slogging through the wind and snow for what felt like an age. At first his heavy clothing had felt like inadequate protection against the elements, but as he trudged further and further, he had gradually shed his cloak, then his thick jacket, left as he was now in just a mechanic's flight suit - the only thing on the Vanguard big enough to fit his bulk that still squeezed his shoulders and arms a little tightly - combat boots and a utility belt with a holstered blast pistol.

"What dost thou seek?"

Khael snapped his head up at the disembodied words, realising he had been too busy studying his snow-covered boots and thinking of his frozen toes to realise someone was directly ahead of him. Or something, from the aquiline helmet and dark, feathered clothing. Khael was sure the voice had not originated from the direction in which the figure stood, but as he glanced around there was no one and nothing else.

"I...I seek a Shaman. I was offered her help once, very recently, but I turned her away," Khael replied, speaking to the figure that may as well be a statue for all it moved. Khael took a cautious step forward, hands relaxed but ready to draw and fire all the same.

"Do you know how far I am from Resa, stranger?"

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Several moments passed with only the feel and sound of the Mountain's breath as it washed over the land.

"Thou seek a Shaman. And when thou find this Shaman, thy purpose will be fulfilled? To seek without purpose is a hollow pursuit."

The cloak of feathers billowed out behind the crouched figure a moment before it hopped off its perch and descended to the ground below. With the feathers settled back about their frame, the avian helm remain fixed in Khael's direction. Slowly, the figure turned partially aside and lifted its right hand in the direction of Resa. "Tis within sight around this bend, wanderer."

A moment passed. If Khael sought to move by, however, the figure would step in the way to bar his course.

"What dost thou truly seek, wanderer? Resa is a haven for those that seek to rediscover themselves."

Khael Vhijaric