Weekend Treasure Hunt 15: The Cursed Holocrons (Vitae Order vs Lords of the Fringe)

[Lucien Cordel]

Making a slow descent down the North wall to the pit

Lucien pressed himself Into the side of the wall not only was the path thin and treacherous but he also wanted to avoid being detected by technobeasts. He was deprived of advanced hearing so caution was his paramount priority. He indicated for Eli to push into the wall as well bellow them and on the otherwalls was a rabble of Technobeasts. The pair were making slow progress but lucien would take slow progress over the loss of his life. Lucien brought the pair to a stop as they neared a cave. In the corner of his eye he could see the decrepid remains of a camp. "Eli, do you have a lighter or other such incendiary device." He spoke into [member="Elias Truden"] 's mind. Lucien felt it would be far easier to burn the camp and risk it not being a technobeasts hive than to let compassion get in the way. Of course Lucien had his own lighter but he would rather not lose it, Eli could buy another he was paid enough.

 

[Asher]

Task: Making a slow descent down the North Wall to The Pit

The tiny walkway had me worried for a bit and if this was just the first steps into the expedition into this place then I dreaded the thought of what it was like inside the actual facilities. I had little idea where these things were but as someone ‘attuned’ to the force I relied on my lord to lead me there.

We made progress yet came to a halt as we approached a long forgotten cave. In the distance was a camp as seemingly forgotten as the caves. It was abandoned, but for how long had it been in this state? I knelt down to check the tents. Empty. It was like something out of a horror holovid and my head instinctively looked over my shoulder to check for chainsaw wampas.

There were none to be seen, only my boss. Though at times he too could be as equally terrifying.

Then I got the order relayed to me directly. I did not question his method of doing so, to torch the place seemed like a good idea and I quickly nodded in agreement. The sooner I could replace an image of horror with a burning pit of fire the better. I dug through the pockets of my jacket to reassure myself that I still had my lighter before I’d proceed to pile up the tents and flammables.

It was short work and before long I flicked the lid open. I tossed it onto the pile The smallest of embers came in contact with the fabric of the tent as the fire grew in size. Backing off from the crackling warmth I turn back to [member="Lucien Cordel"] and shrug. Without uttering a word I raised my eyebrows in a questioning manner and tilt my head as if to point at the cave.

We were going to go in there, weren’t we?

 

[Lucien Cordel]

A tenth of the way down the north wall at the mouth of a cave.

The Camp went up in flames but it seemed there were no technobeasts in that camp ... That ment they were deeper in the cave . No body whent to sleep in a technobeast hive and woke up untainted. Lucien watched the fire burn prehaps he had made a mistake fire would draw the beasts. However he supposed he would have to face them eventually if not at that time then in a non too distant time.

Eli gestured toward the cave. Lucien nodded . Sadly they were ... Unless of course @Elias Trunden could learn to fly in the next few secounds . Lucien took a torch from his pocket and turned it on. "Come Mr. Truden I don't think the beasts will wait long before investigating this fire. " he sighed rather wishing he was still in his office. Undoubtedly Eli felt the same.Lucien was dreading the return home Lucien had a feeling Eli would deploy the thumbscrews to get a pay rise. Sadly he would not be getting one.

Caution was the word as the progressed into the cave Lucien's light flickered around the room scanning for movment . Lucien drew his light saber. It's red glow adding to the light of the torch. "Elias ready your weapon it would be terribly inconvenient if you were to get bitten. "

One step, then another. this room was empty "if you find any corpses burn them" lucien didn't want them reawakening to get them from behind. Lucien looked around again then moved down a tight tunnel. "Stay close if you want to love" lucien whispered as they shuffled down the tunnel. He would have to think of a nice reward for Eli he supposed.

 

[Asher]

Task: Making a slow descent down the North Wall to The Pit

It wasn’t really like I needed a lot of time to think of the consequences of said fire. It would without doubt attract others, if not the technobeast then perhaps the local wildlife. For what it mattered I was thankful that [member="Lucien Cordel"] was in charge and not me. By which I clearly meant that he was the one to lead us ahead.

As caring as ever I did indeed notice his use of the word ‘inconvenient’ and not something like ‘sad’ or even ‘heartbreaking’. I let out a ‘Mhm’ at the notion of burning each corpse we passed.

“You are ever the master at encouragement, Lord Cordel.” I whispered back.

I would so ask for a raise after this.

 

[Bolt]

Zander spun, just in time to watch a large technobeast swing a bladed arm at his head. Sweeping himself under the blow, Zander performed an elegant back-flip that placed his feet above the beasts shoulder and against the rock wall. Slashing downward with both arms quickly, he cut through both beast's arms, then pushed off the wall, into a dive-roll ahead of its back. Rising to his feet, Zander called out softly, "Watch out! I ran into these things in my past life! They are infectious, just like Zombies!"

Moving with his Amphistaff held more firm, the oldest man of the group, in a younger body, deactivated his saber, stroked his staff's eyelid, then watched as it straightened into a rigid form of a bostaff length. Sweeping it in a one handed arm, the pole slammed into the beast behind him, dropping it finally to the ground, then continued its path as it spun around his body to be captured by the opposite arm and ladled into place in both hands.

Looking at his allies, he saw they were relatively ok on their ends, thus he called again, "I am going to try and move forward!" Vanishing from sight, amongst his loved Force Cloak, the one time Master dodged silently past another approaching beast. Slinking as quickly into the shadows as he could hope.

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"] [member="Ophelia"] [member="Cain Laatl"]

 

[Kyla Foy]

Ophelia went into the pit and they were going deeper and deeper within the darkness. Her light was most likely the first issue that the technobeasts could've been after. The altar of light would have to be destroyed to not be detected as quickly. Then suddenly the Techno beasts were appearing and she was told to stand behind her master. She quickly went behind Vulpesen and heard the creatures echoing once agian. They were speaking to her trying to corrupt her. The girl was getting the slightest bit of scared and her aura from bright white was changing into her rainbow colors once again. She shook for a moment and tiny jolts of lightning erupted everywhere around her body and went straight for the technobeasts. "Eeek!" Though her attack was seriously weak, this was her Aing-tii way.. The power of darkness was easy to use but it had its limitation but one that resided within the light with full might, would maybe even be weakened by the dark. [member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Progressing down a dark tunnel on the north wall trying to reach the pit floor

"Encouragement is for the weak or stupid , last I checked you were neither ..." Lucien said in reply. A subtle smirk playing across his face masked by shadow, he was torn occasionally between finding his assistants back talk amusing and infuriating and was eating up wether to buy Eli a drink later or having him flogged, Prehaps he would do both or more likely neither.

"Now quit whining and keep your eye out for the holocrons"

He and @Elias Trunden were going deeper into the rapidly thining and dececending tunnels. Lucien brought them to a stop as they neared an area of increased size. For now Pressed into a tunnel just wide enough for lucien to fit side on lucien first heated the grinding of rusted droids. That ment technobeasts. They were just over half way down.

"Mr. Trunden these beasts are not nice , don't let them cut you "

Then he continued. Softly shuffling along tring to be silent. He switch off his torch plunging them into an Erie semi darkness. The red glow of his saber their only light. One step, then another . The tumble widened they were under two metres from the room. The grinding was louder.

"Don't Kark this up" he whispered mainly to himself, he hoped both himself and Eli could get out alive. He had much left to do with his life and good assistants were so hard to find.

Lucien stepped from the tunnel . Eyes darting around . One beast two, three. His blade ripped through the air then through the torso of a beast. It didn't have time to strike him however the grotesque notices it made blew any further chance for suprise. Lucien kicked himself he had forgotten that some beasts released spores to infect their unlucky targets a blast of lightning vaporised the spores of the now dead beast at Lucien's feet but he couldn't let that happen again.

"Watch for the vapour some may release it can infect you just as fast as a cut and I can't stop it once you've inhaled it"

 

[Darth Vaildra]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"] [member="Ophelia"]

Hakora had been slowly making his way towards the compound with the dead silence bothering him and putting him on edge. He had never fought a technobeast, but heard they looked weak, but could easily kill an unguarded master or even a master in battle. Hakora knew he could not continue this alone and did wonder where [member="Dux Kotass"] was, but continued to the rally point with the Vitae Order. After a few moments of walking he heard lightsaber combat and rushed in to help finding members of the order. Hakora brought down his helmet and drew a katana running it through a techno beast that was sneakin up on the little girl, but he could not greet them because he had to draw another katana to fend off a second one coming at Hakora. What freaked Hakora out the most was the first technobeast he had ran through was still very alive and had turned to attack Hakora. Hakora ripped out his blade and began fending off the two technobeasts.

(Ignore privies weapons. I decided to change Hakora's weapons to two katanas and a short katana since a sword and shield just doesn't fit in this universe.)

 

[Asher]

Task: Traversing a dark cave to reach The Pitt

I smiled. Perhaps he was good at encouraging people after all. Neither weak nor stupid felt like a compliment yet it dripped from the tough love it hid behind. I accepted my own interpretation of the meaning behind those words as I shut up and kept my eyes peeled for holocrons. What they would look like was clearly beyond me.

The cave got thinner and thinner the closer we got to our destination. I tipped on my toes to make as little noise as possible. I had very much read the dossier. To say the beasts was not-nice felt like an understatement but I had most likely already angered the chief enough as it was. At least for now.

Then we came to a halt and darkness became reality. The hums and lights of my lord’s saber was all I had to guide me. Step for step the rusted noises of the monsters grew closer.

Before I knew it I was watching [member="Lucien Cordel"] cut down one of the beasts. The element of surprise had been used and vanished. As subtle as ever I stepped forward and fired a round at one of the remaining technobeasts. The shot missed.

“Got it. No inhaling the spores, getting cut or dying is to be done today.”

I continued firing with regular intervals. Why was it that firing these things seemed so much easier in movies?

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Task : Killing the guardians of holocron one

A beam of red plasma whent through another beast. Then flicked back to block a blade heading at his neck. A breath and Lucien's assailents was sent careerering into a wall. The body shattered against the rock. @Elias Trunden was less adept at firing a gun than he was at firing off numbers ... That would have to be fixed. Sooner rather than later. Lucien took a moment to ponder just how one could serve as the right hand of the commander of the military and yet be so inept at firing small arms.

Then the crunch of Lucien's light saber going through the remnants of a technobeasts mind, drew him back to reality. "Take a deep breath , focus , then fire ... You'll hit more"

A litter of bodies filled the floor. He was the karking man and he was going to nail this. Prehaps Eli would prove to be a man of eqaul measure. Of course his teenage jock fest remained wholly contained within his head, on the outside he remained the image of upperclassmen indifference.

Lucien moved forward into the chamber. An alter sat in the middle and on the alter sat the trash of a millennium but more importantly there sat a holocron. It was his for the taking ... Right after the last of these beasts were dead.

 

[Bolt]

Zander ducked behind a stone slab, exhaling while releasing his hold on his Force Cloak. Once it had been second nature to use such, now, while still easy to manipulate, he hardly had the power to hold it for long. Glancing from behind his cover, Zander spotted no further enemies, so decided to move forward again. The further into the tunnel he got, the darker the Force whispered to him. Something was ahead, just out of sight. He couldn't face it alone, but he hoped he would not have to.

Moving ahead, silent as death, thanks to his many years of training, Zander deactivated his saber. No need for a spotlight shining on himself. Keeping to a slower pace, he skirted around smaller rocks and the like, viewing the situation like another obstacle course to trek.

The closer to the darkness he got, the more he realized how dangerous it was to be by himself.

 

[Vulpesen]

Task: Book it to the eastern holocron

Vulpesen grinned as the technobeasts were halted from the attack, acting quickly to capitalize. Reaching into his coat, he then flung his hand outward, sending a set of five daggers into the heads of the monsters and cutting them off from the force that was controlling them. "Keep on moving!" He started to run forward once again, already getting a visual on what seemed to be a door to another room.

[member="Ophelia"]
[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]
[member="Cain Laatl"]
[member="Hakora Rhapsodos"](Looks like your on your own, so you should be free to move as fast as possible.)

 

[Kyla Foy]

Ophelia kept on following her master, sticking as close as possible unable to see within the dark, the actual true face of the creatures, but she didn't seem scared of it. She was laughing. This place had nothing in the dark-side compared to Malachor V, her joy would only help her further within the light side of the force, but then she stopped in front of the door which lead towards a new room, "Master... Something is there...behind the wall.." She pointed north east. She felt the echo's coming from the Sith Holocron. "It's saying bad words...but someone else tells me to not listen."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpsen narrowed his eyes a bit and called the daggers from the bodies back into his hands, then into his coat. "Alright then, we'll check it out." He shifted his position and started a quick pace, just staying slow enough for his padawan to keep up with him. "And [member="Ophelia"], find out what the bad words are telling you, but don't listen to them." He kept his saber at the read, prepared to carve through anything in his way.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

I have no intention of DM'ing this thread unless absolutely necessary; be sure to TAG YOUR LOCATIONS (eg, west wall, halfway down) and take a reasonable number of posts to get places.

 

[Asher]

Task: Guardian Slaughter - Holocron of Breath

Oh, hold my breath and then shoot? It was worth a shot and I raised the blaster in front of me. My stretched out arms and I nearly lock my elbows but it didn’t feel right. How had the troops looked during inspection? I tried to remember and mimic. Legs apart, slightly hunched and soft elbows.

I looked down the sights and pulled the trigger. The shot was a hit and so was the ones after that. Not with a hundred percent accuracy, of course but it at least made them flinch and twitch on occasion. Enough for [member="Lucien Cordel"] to take them down, at least.

Shot for shot it became a joint effort to cut them down. Granted, my lord did most of it. I was merely the observer to his skills with the sword in this. Testosterone pumping I felt like a little kid scoring their first straight-A’s or like an accountant that finished their paperwork. I was ecstatic and part of me didn’t want it to end.

But it did. At least the ecstasy did. One of the guardians came closer to me and slowly the panic grew. Shots became inaccurate before I eventually had to fall back to the blade. I tried to holster the gun but missed the holster completely and it dropped to the ground as I backed off. The beasts staggered towards me. It raised it’s blade, and swung.

I thrust to myself to the left to avoid it’s hammering overhead attack. A opportunity showed itself and I quickly jammed the blade into the would-be brain of this beast. It twitched up and became immobile and I tried to withdraw the blade to no avail. It was jammed in there pretty good. I took a few more deep breaths to calm my nerves.

Then the ticking started.

The rusty ticking of what was without doubt a trap setting off. I covered my mouth with my arm and flung myself to the side as the spores were unleashed into the air. The arm did not leave my mouth for a second as I made distance between myself, the blade and the beast.

Eyes shot out at my boss and I picked my gun up again.

“Too close, but I’m good, we’re all good.”

I looked over at the blade. All I needed to do was unjam it from that brain but I’d have to think on how to do that. Maybe Lord Cordel could zap the spores again? Hmm… Nah, he’d probably want me to solve it myself.

That sorta seemed like our policy on these type of things.

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Half way down the North wall - holocron one - breath

Lucien turned at The noise of the ticking. Just in time to watch the spores burAt from the beasts head. He turned away again covering his mouth, momentary concern for Elias. Lucien looked up again. Relived to see @Elias Trunden was still alive ... Lucien still required him. Lucien shook his head as Eli looked at the blade in the beasts head.

"No I'll get it "

Lucien stepped forward a short blast of lightning tore from his hand and incinerating the spores. Lucien put his saber away and removed a handkerchief from his pocket and pressing it over his mouth. Had he put less thought into form and more into function he might have thought to bring a gas mask. However Lucien's priority were clear and appropriate tie colour came before appropriate equiptment.

None the less the handkerchief did its job as lucien got close to the body. Lucien grabbed the blades hilt , then looked away and yanked the blade out.

"Don't go near that body"

Lucien looked around at the carnage they had made. Beasts littered the floor, mixed in among the decaying remains of the alter. Lucien moved to the chambers centre. There was the holocron.

"Elias check yourself for cuts , tell me if you find one no matter how trivial it seems." Lucien said into the holocron he was transfixed. He Took a few moments to ogle the holocron before putting it into Eli's bag. The first holocron found , the time had come to rest. Lucien slumped against the wall of the chamber with a sigh. He checked himself for cuts, then let his head lol back.

"You did well" He sighed

 

[Kyla Foy]

Ophelia was told by her master called [member="Vulpesen"] . She was told to listen towards the voices, but not let them control her. She had to learn to gain knowledge from them, understanding them but not necessary do whatever they say. The voices though were to get the people that try to invade for the holocrons. "If I do that, you would get very hurt...I won't do that..." She told her master after going into the next room and on the end within a corner on a table in a statue between the fingers of the figure, we could see the holocron, but within the room were once again a great amount of techno beasts.

 

[Asher]

Task: Small talk before moving on.

“Thanks.” I whispered underneath my breath as I hunched down and grabbed my knees.

To have your boss go get your equipment for you was the surefire way to feel like a kid again with the added side-effect of depleting any hopes of a raise. Pulling your own weight was important and having to let someone else take care of your business was shameful. No, I’d have to do better from here on out.

At the order to check myself I ran my hands down my jacket and found nothing. I patted my stomach and let my hands run down my arms. The sleeves were rolled up and I checked for visual cuts. Still nothing.

My hands ran down my legs and even then there was nothing. I was home free. The holocron was sent down my pack and we took a moment to relax.

“I’m clear, nothing to complain about.” I nodded. “And thank you, Lord Cordel. You were quite formidable yourself.”

[member="Lucien Cordel"]​

 

[Vulpesen]

The master shrugged and followed after the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder once they came into contact with the technobeasts. A low growl built in his throat as he gave Ophelia a small push with one hand and his blaster pistol with the other, indication a small wall of stone. "Hide. Point and pull the trigger on anyone we haven't met yet." His saber stayed lit at his side as he focused the force on himself, quickly disappearing from view. There was no reason to reveal himself until he had at least taken out a few targets.

[member="Ophelia"]