Within The Dark

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"Not like you couldn't have hopped in." He pointed out to her. "Let's just get going."

Val said plainly. "There's still cultists about."

By now word had probably spread that the two outsiders had returned to the village. While the town wasn't tiny, it was still pretty small. News traveled fast, and the tiny blue dwarf and her giant of a companion likely drew more attention than they even realized.

Val followed Ryssa out the door, moving through the lobby of the Inn and heading back out towards the street. A part of him wondered if at one time the cultists had held enough sway to rule this place. The murals back in the cavern had certainly made it seem so, but this village...well it was so off, so different than what he would have imagined. Of course the Cult had lost power, but he would have expected Moridin's following to have a bigger impact.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Ryssa shot his back a flat glare.

"Yeah, I must have forgotten about that." she said in a dry quip. "Must have slipped my mind in between being chased down and concussion grenades." Tempers were short it seemed for them both. With circumstances being as they were, in hindsight it would have been understandable. At the present time, however, both were apparently wearing each other thin.

Since she still had to check out, the Changling went straight to the front desk. There she offered a half smile and handed over the speeder key as well as the one for her room. She paid in credits. Ryssa learned a long while ago that it was best to leave as little electronic trace of yourself as possible.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"Well you were in the refresher so long I thought you had." He said in reply, standing behind her and letting his gaze fall on the inkeeper. The man offered him a smile, but it was very clear that he recognized the tension that was currently carrying between the smurf and the giant.

His eyes flicked through the crowd within the inn.

There weren't many people inside right now, the nice sunny day driving most people into the streets. Ryssa seemed to recognize that as well, glancing at the people before heading out of the door at the inn. Val ducked to get outside, following her into the street as they both headed towards the crowd. He frowned slightly, eyes slowly darting over the people that seemed to stream alongside the street. His lips thinned, and then slowly his gaze fell onto someone standing at a street corner.

For half a second he stopped.

"Poodoo." He said quietly and then caught Ryssa's arm. "Right corner, alleyway."

As soon as he spoke, every single person on the street suddenly stopped. The women, the children, everyone. They stopped where they were and slowly turned towards Ryssa and Val.

A chill ran up his spine as their eyes set upon the two of them.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

There were few times a shiver ran down Ryssa's spine as it did then. It was like ice had shot down through her veins and everything just had an utter sense of wrong with it all.

Add into the creep factor of well over a dozen pairs of eyes, both organic and inorganic, suddenly made the Changling feel as if she no longer had to really worry about ditching the guy.

Now it was about ditching everyone.

"Ahh..." She took a step back, swallowing hard. That sense of forebearing and fight or flight kicked in.

"You seeing what I'm seei --" she was abruptly cut off by the fact that they all suddenly in unison took a step towards them.

Shit.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

There were thirty eight of them.

Val hardly had time to count all of them out before they took another step, but he knew that there were more than enough to take even him on. He frowned slightly, every muscle in his body tensing. He was still irritable from what had happened in the Inn, and this...this wasn't good. His fingers turned white as he gripped his hands into tight fists, his eyes darting from person to person as he tried to spot the easiest way out, the easiest way to get through the crowd.

Then he noticed something, a third of the crowd was composed of children.

His heart skipped a beat as they all took another step forward, several of the men, and even women, drawing what looked like weapons. Time seemed to slow, his eyes jumped towards the cultist at the corner of the alleyway. The man simply stood there, staring, his eyes alight with a subtle glow. "We-we can't."

Val could hardly speak. He couldn't harm children, he...he couldn't fight kids.

Another step.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

We can't do what?! Of all the times Val decided to blumber over his own words, he had decided on this one?!

It was as if the guy was out of his element. Throughout all this time he seemed to have a decisive thought process on how to deal with everything. Now thirty eight bodies come over in unison and he flips out?

Okay, to be fair not exactly what Ryssa expected, but mob mentality wasn't new to the Changeling. The only difference was that this held no inkling of it being at all normal.

"Run." she whispered under her breath. Feth it. Spaceport.

"Run!" she didn't hesitate after that, turning on her heel, Ryssa began to run. Here's to hoping that they didn't have a random cultist doing the same at the spaceport.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

For half a second he was paralyzed.

Then he burst forward.

Val had no idea what was happening, had no idea who was doing this or why. A part of him thought that maybe the entire village was in on it, another part thought it was the cultists, and still another thought perhaps it was the gauntlet that they were carrying. In truth though it didn't matter, what mattered is that they were surrounded, enclosed by a bunch of crazy cultists that either wanted them dead or captured. Val barreled forward, overtaking Ryssa in an instant.

A man stepped forward and slashed a knife.

Blood splashed out from Val's forearm as he knocked against the blade, pushing the knife away and letting it glide a shallow slice into his skin. His other hand coiled and struck the man in the face, throwing him down but not killing him. He half turned. "Come on!"

She was smaller than him, but she had to push herself or they were both dead.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Things just were teetering out of control. Up to a minute ago, her biggest problem had been to try and get rid of the manbun. Now she had thirty-eight other reasons to try and pull the slip on instead of Val. The rumble behind her spoke of heavy footfalls amongst others. Crap, they had come after them.

Blood splattered, the Changling stumbling as a knife came her way. Westar-34 came out to land a few quick shots to the legs and arms. She wasn't of the hesitating type like Val when it came to survival and self-interest.

Unfortunately, it was all starting to pile up.

"JUST GO!" she yelled out, moving backwards as she brought the blaster up to send a few pot shots out and clear the way. They may or may not be innocent. Maybe they were being used as puppets. Or maybe the townfolk were in it all along. Didn't matter.

What did is that the cultists had kicked it up a notch.

In a way Ryssa never expected them to.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

A part of him wanted to leave her behind, wanted to just make a run for it. He didn't need to die for this gauntlet, he didn't need to stay here, he could probably make it into the mountains and survive there until this all blew over, but...well the memory of what she had done for him was still clear in his mind. Despite her rudeness, despite how short they had been with one another, despite the mistrust that they both held, she had saved his life.

That counted for something.

A heavy sigh wracked his chest, and then he turned.

The transformation was sudden, almost instant, but as Val spun on his heal his demeanor changed. His back hunched slightly, his eyes glazed over, and then he stepped back into the crowd. Val moved as fast as he had within the caves, half a blur as he stepped in and began to tear into crowd. Cracks of bone rang out as Val quite literally tore people away from Ryssa, a disturbing silence ringing out after each splintered limb. He reached her, and then, his fingers wrapped around her side.

"COME ON!" His voice boomed as he yanked her from her feet.

A blade caught at his side, but he ignored it, stepping forward and breaking through the crowd once more.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Everything had become a blur. Panic had set in as the crowd had swarmed around her, pot shots taken here and there to try and keep the crowd back. Just when it felt as if she were going to be overtaken, a massive force went about knocking people left and right.

The changling gave a start, and if she hadn't recognized Val then, she'd have likely shot him as well.

There was no time to register anything. A large had roughly yanked her along, the painful grip bruising her skin but effectively saving her life, as the woman who had almost struck her with a knife caught air instead.

"To the spaceport!" she yelled out at him, air sawing in and out of her lungs. Short legs struggled, and she sent another few pot shots down range. Two bodies fell, tripping over the children and women who were trying to get at the pair.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

There wasn't really any time to think anymore.

They had few options, and she was right in her call. The Spaceport was the only option that they had left. Either more villagers would be there to stop them...or they could get away. It didn't matter anymore, all that mattered was getting out. Val ran as fast as he could, his feet slipping as they quickly rounded corners. A stroke of luck passed and they managed to make it the next few blocks until the stout little building of the spaceport came into view.

"There!" He shouted.

"What's your ship look like?" Val assumed she had a ship...hoped she had a ship. "We have to go!"

Behind them the crowds were getting thicker, whatever was contorlling the villagers, driving them...it had kicked into second gear. More and more people had started to chase after them, no longer moving slow like zombies, but rushing forward in a great tide.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The Skygazer would be sitting on one of the larger landing pads. It was a VT Nephilim, the sleek black design distinct against the other standard CEC, Silk Holdings, or Haven Shipyard vessels. Most used it as a bounty hunter's vessel, but Ryssa had bought it for its advanced sensors and for its ability to be modified a bit more to her liking.

"The Nephilim!" she shouted out to Val, grunting in pain as she stumbled along. Her arm came up, and a quick tap brought up a small encrypted display that allowed her to access the slave circuits. The changling had learned a long while ago that making a quick getaway would give her precious seconds to stay alive. Even remote start ups.

The engines on the Skygazer gave a roar, the rumbling sound echoing off in the distance to give Val an idea of which one. The starport itself was rather busy, and thankfully, there weren't actually people seemingly under the thrall of the cultists. The chaos that would ensue as those possessed clashed with ordinary civilians would be enough to give the duo a distraction to flee.

Maybe...

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val made a B-line for the ship. "Nephilim?"

He sounded confused, but he realized what ship she meant.

Nephilim were part of an old tale, a story, they were Angels of a sort, servants from the old stories. They were dark things, not exactly evil but messengers of darkness. His lips thinned as he half turned a corner, facing the craft and quickly realizing that the name was more than apt. With its engines a bright glowing blue there was a certain accent to the craft that...well it drew the eye. He frowned for a moment and then quickly rushed forward again.

Behind them he could hear screams.

"Kark!" He yelled out as he stormed aboard the ships open ramp. "What the kark is going on?!"

Women were nothing but trouble. All of them! Nothing but trouble!

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Ryssa didn't even bother to answer. Instead, she ran up behind him, her hand reaching out toward the console by the entrance and slamming the large button there down. Hydraulics immediately started to hum as the ramp came closing behind them -- but not before a man went jumping up to catch the edge and try to wiggle in.

Ryssa had already moved on ahead, not even bothering to check on her because, in her mind, they needed to get out of here FAST.

Her heart was hammering in her throat, breath straining her lungs. Shoving everything aside she headed straight for the cockpit, where she would find her seat and fling herself there.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val turned and kicked the man in the face.

It was swift, and probably a bit harsh.

He went stumbling back, falling onto the ground just as the ramp slammed shut. There was a loud hiss as the compartment pressurized, and then val turned. He felt the engines begin to rumble, and his heart skipped a beat. Val wasn't exactly sure where the cockpit was, the ship sprawling a bit too far and he hadn't seen where Ryssa went. Instead he simply reached up and grabbed onto a metal hook that was located in the cargo-bay. A rumble ran through the ship, and then he felt a sudden jerk.

The repulsor lifts kicked in, the engines shifted, and the Nephilim quickly drew itself up and off the ground.

A crowd quickly gathered at the base of the starport, a surging of the mob that had earlier tried to kill them. Val couldn't see them, his fingers wrapped tight around the cargo-hook as Ryssa pressed the ship forward and the up and out of the starport.

His fingers turned white with how hard he gripped the hook.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The freighter gave an abrupt turn port. The wind and dust burst through the opening of the ramp before it finally sealed shut. The entire ship shuddered as it hit the upper atmosphere, a red glow forming over the hull as the heat spread across the dark metal.

"Here goes nothing." Ryssa muttered under her breath, a muscle in her jaw twitching as she accelerated the Skygazer past the planet's atmosphere and into the black. A quick tap of her cerulean fingers across the NavComputer and she set course for the Tion Hegemony. Lianne.

"Brace for hyperjump!" her voice called out over the comm, and then the sudden jerk and thrust forward sent the freighter burning bright white lines into space as it made the jump.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Where were they going?

He had absolutely no idea but in truth he didn't particularly care either. All that he knew was that they were getting away from here, and that...well that seemed more than okay with him at this point. The cultists would be left behind, they had the gauntlet...at this point Val couldn't really ask for more.

A frown settled on his lips though.

What had happened in that village? What the hell had been done to the villagers? He'd never seen anything like that. A frown turned on his lips as he felt the sudden jerk of hyperspace drag them away from the system. An odd pit formed in his stomach as he held onto the brace above, his fingers slipping slightly as the jolt caused goosebumps to run all over him. Eventually the sensation passed and he was able to hold himself upright without hanging onto the hook.

"Alright." He said quietly. "Where are you?"

He still had no idea where anything was on the ship.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

If Val was expecting Ryssa to even hear what he was saying when she was elsewhere on the ship, then he was gravely mistaken. Shut inside of the cockpit, the Changling finally managed to breath a temporary sigh of relief. Cheeks blew out as a great whoosh of air fell from her mouth. It felt as if her heart was still going on overdrive, pumping her blood at a frantic pace as adrenaline shot through her veins.

It took a moment for her to try and settle down. Glancing down at her hands, she caught sight of the tremble that shook them. Fisting her hands, the archaeologist did her best to gather her bearings. What was that? What had been all that? Was it at all tied to the Cult and how did that even happen? From what she gathered the healers only depended on the natural properties of the water; since when were did they have the ability to mass control others? And if they were responsible, just what else were they able to do.

It troubled Ryssa. Troubled her greatly. This contract had now gone beyond overdrive into the ridiculous. Reaching down beside her, she pulled out the gauntlet. Eyeballing the artifact, she murmured to herself.

"What in the Nine Hells are you?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val sighed.

There was no telling that was inside of this ship or where anything was. The craft wasn't massive by any means, but big enough that you could stumble around in it for about an hour before you actually found what you were looking for.

He poked his head around the corner. "Nope."

That wasn't it.

Slowly the massive Viking began to move around the ship, poking his head into different rooms and finding nothing. Eventually he stumbled upon a closed door, though its location within the ship clued him to the fact that it likely wasn't the cockpit. He frowned for a moment and then touched the small panel. The door slid open with a loud swoosh.

An eye brow perked.

"Ah." Val said as he found Ryssa's bedroom.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Her bedroom didn't have anything revealing. It was a rather basic design. A bed at the far right, two wall dressers and a small desk. The far more interesting aspects would be what was scattered about. A few knickknacks here and there, some of which appeared to be quite old. Perhaps some sort of artifacts from previous archelogical sites. There were a few maps lining the walls. A closer inspection would reveal them to be ancient starmaps of the old hyperlanes. Beside the desk would be the largest piece of furniture beyond the bed itself; a bookshelf with glasteel doors. Its contents were composed of various filmsi tomes along with far more delicate artifacts. There was even an ancient Corellian flame lightstatue. It glowed softly, the red flame almost pulsing like a redheart.

The sudden thrust of the ship had toppled over a book and a few pages from her desk. The bulk of it contained information on the planet they'd just left. There was also a large pile of notes from previous research put into finding this particular location. Most of this was already in her electronic files, but as this was her ship Ryssa never considered that anyone else would rifle through them. A singular name had been written along with more notes; Aredenas Kane.