Trouble in the Shadowlands

[Klesta]

So the vendor was more suspicious of Ravan than of me? she thought, while carrying the crate of 20 thermal detonators as well as the bag of bowcaster power packs, and looking around for a few beggars to guide them down below and other homeless Wookiees out on the street, while strapping four thermal detonators to her belt. But [member="Darth Exode"] may have realized that bowcasters will come from the Wookiee beggars she seduced, and that Yula will attempt to lure them to guide them down below, with promises of a better life, away from the slums of Northaykk, away from the Wookiee equivalent of an unemployment line. And Yula would be, in essence, recruiting the Wookiees that will be, in the future, alchemized rugs, while Ravana would be looking for that Wookiee to pet, before getting down to the Shadowlands, and also considering the salary she would need to pay the Wookiees for that job. Yula paid for the ammunition, that was a start.

"You there! I have work for you, well-paid, all expenses paid"

"<Really? I couldn't find work, I'll work hard>" the Wookiee beggars all told in unison.

"I need your help getting down there to hunt beasts" she explained to the Wookiee beggars before forming up with Ravana.

 

[Darth Exode]

Smirking, she just let [member="Yula Knezevic"] talk. She would be the brains of the operation, and Ravana would be the Carrot, leading all of these Wookiees to their doom. They would be fodder for the Terentatek, and the other beasts down below, like the Webweaver Spiders, and the Kinrath, and Ravana would lead them down there, like a pied piper, with them blissfully in aware that most, if not all of them would die. Depending on her mood.

 

[Klesta]

If I'm the brains of the operation, then Ravana would likely be using that big, sexy, well-trained brain of hers for other ends, she thought, while being reminded that the sheer amount of pleasure she got from using Drain Knowledge on [member="Darth Exode"] could only be possible if Ravana's brain had sufficient power to provide it (and the required power was rather similar to her own brainpower). And she was also being reminded in the Force of what one Darth Veles told her while he fed scoops to the Sith Inquisitor regarding Yula's betrayal of the then-Sith Order after the theft of the Jedi artifacts that took place on Yutan: Veles told me once that I had a brain and they [the other Sith participants on Yutan] don't, even though, at the time, he had more personal experience of those guys than I, while also being remembered that neither Veles nor her treated Sith-hood as an excuse for wanton evil. That stream of memories seem to be triggered by some Force-signal that let her know that she was to be, well, the brains of the operation. Meanwhile, the hired Wookiee helpers got their proverbial ducks in a row, collecting an equal share of bowcaster power packs as well as four thermal detonators, with Yula giving hers away to the final Wookiee helper. Once the party got down to the lower levels, closing in on the terentatek, Yula sensed that a pack of webweavers was lurking at the base of the tree. While being a good distance away from the pack, a Wookiee beggar began to give advice regarding the hunt for those creatures.

"<Our best chance at stopping the webweavers is to hit them from a distance: they are very dangerous up close. Do not let the webweavers close in on us>" a Wookiee beggar told the non-Wookiee women.

"Thank you" Yula told before laying in wait for one of the webweavers behind a tree.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana just stood there, smirking to herself as she watch [member="Yula Knezevic"] direct the Wookiees, while she stood back, allowing Yula and the Wookiees to do their thing. She had her Musk so that it enthralled the Wookiee, but also so that it didn't make them lose any of their concentration in battle, nor dull their reaction times, speed and reflexes, like she did to her enemies.

She watched the spiders crawl around, not fussed by their appearance, or the distance way from the spiders and her. The Wookiees where capable, she was capable, so she need not worry.

 

[Klesta]

If the spiders get too close, Ravana, you may attempt to use Force-fear, she thought, while using that to transmit a Force-message to [member="Darth Exode"], knowing that, if there was one advantage they had, it was the advantage of the Force. And also Yula realized that Ravana's intellectual composition is more suited for the life of a manipulatrix, a female version of one Darth Prazutis. With that said, when she sensed that the pack was on the move, one Wookiee threw a thermal detonator from behind another tree, and, from there, Yula used ballistakinesis to change its trajectory so that the thermal detonator lands in the middle of the pack, in a tight formation, taking out as many of the spiders in the resulting explosion. But the rearmost monsters, who were the only ones that survived the explosion of the Class-A thermal detonator, swiftly retreated back into the darkness of the foliage, not bothering with them for a while, as if frightened by the explosion. Then she decided to take it slowly, knowing that it's just the first round, while also calling in the hoversled droid for collecting the dead webweavers, hoping to alchemize their hides later:

"Tug droid, come in: we need to collect the dead webweavers" she whispered into the comm channel leading to the tug droid so as to not alert other predators while on the move to locate, and fight, the terentatek.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana just walked with the group, not bothered in the slightest by anything that was happening. As she walked along, she saw Kinrath and the like, hiding in the darkness, but she ignored them, in focus of attaining their goal. The only thing she did was keep her Musk going, and confusing the creatures in the shadows, while also keeping the Wookiee in line.

 

[Klesta]

She had to grant that [member="Darth Exode"]'s musk was effective at keeping Kinrath at bay. Not only she ignored the spiders, the spiders ignored the party while they tramped the forest of giant wroshyr trees afoot with five Wookiees in tow. Understandably Yula had to keep up with her use of Force-sight to be able to navigate the Shadowlands (and for piloting in night-time conditions, as well as in space) due to her being naturally struggling in the dark. And yet, in the Force, she could feel that there are paw marks that are quite different from Kinrath or webweavers that would be consistent with a rancor-sized creature; also the closer the party follows the tracks, the more Yula feels the presence of the dark side along the trail: they seem to be on the right path.

"We're edging closer and closer to the amulet"

"<And the terentatek, too>" a Wookiee commented.

 

[Darth Exode]

Nonchalantly walking along, Ravana's steps became measured and silent, but still quick, almost like she was gliding along the Forest Floor. Ravana began to sway with her steps humming a small tune, that somehow seemed to echo throughout the area, its melody was attracting, and alluring, calling out to something. She was obviously enhancing the song with the Force, and with Magics, if the fact that the Lavender Mist that she emitted in the Force was now visible to the naked eye, coiling around trees, around the Wookiees, who just thought it some strange Force Power, around the creatures of the forest, which made them flee, and it wafted ahead of them, in thin tendrils, seeking something out.

As a Roar was heard from up the path they were taking, Ravana turned to [member="Yula Knezevic"] and said, "Well... looks like we have found what we are looking for, my dear."

 

[Klesta]

It took a little bit of convincing on Yula's part to get another of the Wookiees to let her use one thermal detonator, especially since the Wookiees swiftly went into hiding behind a tree afterward. Rancor-sized creatures would find it difficult to swiftly turn around, let alone with the agility [member="Darth Exode"] or even Yula might have. Upon seeing the lumbering terentatek, with the necklace on its top tusk, closing in on them, Yula swiftly places a thermal detonator in one of the tracks, and covers it with the nearby soil, with a detonation delay of sixty seconds. Hopefully once the forty seconds after the soil has been covered, the terentatek will actually step on it, or otherwise be caught off-guard/balance. That, even though off-balance terentateks could still be threats, perhaps the necklace can fall off it. Problems are afoot, and poodoo will burst in very little time. In the few seconds Yula have to take cover, she barely had enough time to get to Ravana:

"The necklace is on the terentatek's top tusk" she whispers into Ravana's ear.

Meanwhile, the tug droid collected the dead webweaver bodies, but time was short: the effects of the musk on the nearby predators could only last so long until the predators could make short work of the beasts.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana smiled viciously, drawing a Lightsaber and activating it in the face of this beast tearing towards them. Unlike her usual Lightsaber, it was straight, a bit longer, and the blade was thinner as well. On the side of the hilt, etched there in galactic basic was "Indulgence". "How long until that thing blows' my dear?" Ravana was standing so that the thermal detonators were right in front of her, and was forcing her musk away from the creature, in an effort to see it enraged, and so that her musk did nothing to calm down the thing. It was obviously an ambush, drawing the creature into a trap, curtesy of the explosives.

 

[Klesta]

"10 seconds!"

Meanwhile, Yula watched as the enraged terentatek, hoping that [member="Darth Exode"] would step out of it at the right time, but stay close enough to act based on the anger and whatever injuries the beast would have sustained. Also, while the terentatek would be drawn to Ravana due to her dark side signature, the Wookiees would pelt bowcaster shots at the wounded terentatek. Or so they would do, knowing that the bowcasters provide more stopping power but only at close ranges and thus at the beginning the Wookiees would open fire regardless of whether the explosion would actually hit the terentatek or not. BOOOM! The terentatek lived but broke a leg due to the strength of the explosion of the trap. With one functional leg it was awkwardly charging towards the Wookiees on its right, while Yula exploited that moment to attempt prying the necklace from the beast's top tusk and wear it. She feels that her dark side energies have increased...

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana just stood there in amusement as the Terentatek flailed around in obvious pain, watching as it roars and throws itself around the forest floor, being pelted by laser bolt after laser bolt. "It looks like it's dancing." She remarked as it swung its head from side to side, trying to dislodge the woman crawling on it, as well as get rid of the pain from the bowcaster shots. "You're ok darling, just a little bit more, and you'll get the medallion!"

 

[Klesta]

[member="Darth Exode"] seemed to be somewhat amused as the dancing terentatek, dancing because it only had one functional leg, seemed to pry a Wookiee into its poisonous claws, while at the same time struggling to manage the pain of taking a volley of bowcaster shots at the knee of its only functional leg. Soon enough the poisoned Wookiee would die of its poisoned wounds, while the terentatek also beheading the afflicted Wookiee. Also, Yula was crawling on the terentatek's back, in an attempt to while taking care of not physically touching the tusks: they were just as poisonous as the claws of the monster, and so she should no more touch them without adequate protection, which she did not have on hand. Hopefully Ravana will stabilize the monster for just long enough for me to take out the necklace from the top tusk, she thought, while struggling to use telekinesis on the necklace because she is unable to properly focus her frustrations.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana readied her Lightsaber. But before she did anything, she stopped and stared at the sight before her, a puzzled look on her face.

"Why do you just cut off the Terentatek's Tooth, my dear?" She called out to [member="Darth Morzas"], who was on top of the thing. "The Amulet is probably Saber resistant, and that thing you are on is less so. Though, if you are not up for that... do you want be to cut its legs, or go straight for a kill shot?" She said, her Lightsaber at the ready again, a manic gleam in her eye as she watched the thing flail around like it was listening to Club music.

 

[Klesta]

All right, I'll cut the terentatek's top tusk, she thought, upon hearing [member="Darth Exode"]'s suggestion, with Ravana finally using her brain for something other than controlling musk. So she drew both black lightsabers, crossed in a X upon ignition and later pulling these sabers apart, and painstackingly cutting the top (center) tusk off: it was harder to do than on the same thickness of durasteel. Grace might want the hide, but there's nothing wrong with the tusk being exposed separately somewhere else in the compound. The terentatek was in pain after the center tusk was cut off its head, even though the tusk being removed from the monster didn't bleed by virtue of lightsabers cauterizing the cut. Meanwhile, the terentatek darted its poisonous claws to seize another Wookiee, which was crushed underneath the incoherent walk of the beast moments after. But not without landing the equivalent of a groin shot for a terentatek using his bowcaster.

"Now, move in for the kill, will you?" she asked, while the terentatek uncontrollably flailed and Yula fell off it all too quickly, with the amulet now falling on the ground with the center tusk.

 

[Darth Exode]

"Gladly, dear heart" and with that she took off at a sprint. Her musk now invaded the Terentatek's senses, making it rear it's head back, exposing the softer skin of its throat. Knowing her Saber was good enough to pierce it, she aimed there, using the Force to augment her strength and her speed, and drove the Saber into its throat. Then she hung there, dodging it's claws as it tried to claw her off of its throat, but that only made the wound wider.

Ravana pulled her Saber out of the beast and ordered the Wookiees to fire at its wound. It was dead after the first few volleys. "Well..." Ravana began, wiping gunk off of her arms with a smirk. "You said to go for a kill shot. Did I do good?"

 

[Klesta]

"That was precisely what we were asked for: once back on the ship we will skin the dead Wookiees and the terentatek onboard, and alchemize them once the process of skinning ends"

Two dead Wookiees later, the remaining three exploited the hole in the skin left by [member="Darth Exode"]: the terentatek ceased moving and died soon afterward. It was over: may the deaths of the two wookiee beggars not be in vain. Now, the tug droid will have to come with the hoversled and carry all the pieces: dead Wookiees, dead terentatek, center tusk, she thought. Yula as not strong enough to carry a dead wookiee, let alone a dead terentatek; while the other three Wookiees still alive were strong enough to carry one dead Wookiee each on their backs, time is of the essence by now for the terentatek body. Sure it will barely fit inside the ship and be loaded last once they arrive, back from whence they came, and as such they should be loading the dead terentatek last. Now, the Hapan wore the necklace that she pried from the inert center tusk, severed from the beast moments ago. Now she goes to tell Ravana and the Wookiees:

"Provided at least one of these three Wookiees survive, you may pet that Wookiee, and I'll make payments to the other two"

 

[Darth Exode]

"Then lead the way back to base, dear heart. I will see at the end of the mission whether or not I shall keep the Wookiee... or if it would be easier to have nobody to pay in the end of all off this." Ravana said when in hushed tones, when they were out of the Earshot of the Wookiees. When they re-entered earshot, she returned to normal volume. "Well... this day was... more eventful than I expected, though at the same time, I found it surprisingly easier than I thought it would be..."

 

[Klesta]

"The main reason why it was easier that you thought it would be is because of skillful use of your musk" Yula whispered into Ravana's ear.

While the remaining party tramped afoot back to Northaykk, the tug droid took the terentatek body back to the ship, [member="Darth Exode"] seemed to have slip some stuff that wasn't right. They returned from whence they came, with the musk previously used on the way in still being in effect, but also because some beasts realized that the party was able to kill a terentatek and, before that, a pack of webweavers. As a result, they now keep to themselves, hidden behind the path that leads back to the city. With this in mind, both ladies and the remaining three Wookiees made back to the treetop city as they all made measured, silent steps for a while, with Yula's Force-batteries being relatively charged due to her having made almost no use of the Force since she left the city. The hard part was to come: climbing a rope ladder with a dead Wookiee on their backs was not going to be easy for the Wookiees, and the ladies will have to go first. Then the Wookiee not carrying a corpse would go up later.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana just jumps up the rope, and waits at the top for everyone. Cause that seems like something she would do.