Ask A Pathway to Many Abilities

[Kaldar]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

The galaxy was a funny place. It was so massive that if you weren't specifically paying attention to history, you could just forget about entire planets. That was what Athiss was: a forgotten world.

Although it was within Sith space, it wasn't like Ziost or the Twin Worlds or even Dromuund Kaas. Maybe because it was in Sith space was why it was forgotten about. That and the fact that many records had purged it after it was quarantined during the Cold War.

But Kaldar had dug it up. It was all but impossible to destroy every record of a place, and from what he could find it might have the very thing he was looking for.

Raze had taught him how to manipulate people's minds, but he needed even more of that power. He needed to extend his potency to linger and enslave people to his will.

Was it even possible? It was difficult to say, but the rumors about it said that it was possible.

So Kaldar had traveled to Athiss, he had set the Shadow down near what he had picked up on his low altitude scans as some sort of old fortress, and he exited to see what he could find. There was no use in hiding that he was Sith out here, so he wore his armor with his lightsaber hooked to his belt, and already he could sense that there was someone else here. Another dark presence, though exactly who, he wasn't sure. Whether that was a good or bad thing would remain to be seen. Rival? Ally? Tool? None of the above? Time would tell.

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Long ago, Athiss had been a been home to one of the Kressh's greatest alchemists. His secrets, long since lost to the ages, were believed to be sealed in the tombs that dotted the surface. Strange reports of tomb raiders gone mad, aggressive flora and fauna, and deadly traps were all that ever left the world. But Vossari was not one to let little things like details get in the way of a good idea. If he could discover any of the ancient secrets that the bygone Sith rulers had left behind, this whole trip would be worth it.

The first few days were wasteful. Slow-paced conversations with the few traders that did inhabit the surface of the world revealed little about its secrets. So Vossari wandered through the wilds, covered in his environmental suit, as he searched through. Eventually, he had found something. Stone faces, weathered by the passage of time, guarded an ancient cave obscured by brambles and an intricate, stone door. No matter which way Vossari pushed or pulled it, no matter how he tried to apply the Force, the door would not budge.

He sighed, disappointed that he couldn't go farther alone, but excited that he had made some small step forward. Maybe they could go back to the traders, hire a droid or some mercenaries to help them scavenge? Or maybe...

Their thoughts cut off as a Haulcraft zoomed above their heads, settling out into the wastes some distance away. A boon from the Dark Side, perhaps; if not an ally, perhaps someone who could be convinced by promise of credits or plunder to help Vossari explore further. No sense in hiding it. He couldn't do this alone. To attract the newcomer to his location, he scaled atop one of the stone guardians and lit a flare. He waited, lightsaber holstered beneath his poncho, as he waited for whoever came next.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Equipped in his full armor, Kaldar spotted the flare and quirked an eyebrow. What, someone was in trouble? And signaling to a Sith for help? I mean, maybe they just didn't know who they were signaling... that was the most likely explanation, but Kaldar started making his way in that direction anyway. It was as good a starting point as any.

He made decent time hiking up the sides of the cliff and to the ridge where the mysterious person had posted up.

You lost or something? he asked as he looked a the poncho-wearing kid. He didn't look afraid or give off an aura of panic, which Kaldar took to mean there was more than met the eye.

His gaze dragged lazily behind his helmet before settling on a large door with etchings all across its front. He moved his finger in a "come on let's have it" motion.

Alright, what is it? Looter? Adventurer? Haven't you heard about what happens to people who go down into these places? he asked.

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari noticed the man as he approached, the HUD on his helm zooming in to his belt line to spot the lightsaber attached to his waist. Scary Black armor? Check. Lightsaber? Check. The lingering sense that this being before him emanated power far beyond his comprehension? Check. This was definitely a Sith, right? Even Sith couldn't trust other Sith, and with the world being such a death trap, Vossari would have to use caution to survive. An ally would go a long way.

He adjusted his poncho so that saber on his waist would be visible. "All of the above. I'm a student at the Academy, back on Umbara." He figured, even on a Sith tomb world, no sense in outright saying it just yet. "But, yeah, I've heard." He wiggled his fingers menacingly, as he prepared to recite travelers' folklore about the world. " 'Those who enter the Tombs of Athiss shall never returrrrrrrnnnn' or something like that." He wasn't stupid enough to ignore the warnings entirely, just naive enough to believe that the rules of scared grave robbers had little to do with him. "But, that's why I lit the flare. I need help moving getting in here."

At the edge of the horizon, an acropolis loomed above the scrublands and small trees. "I feel like this is an access tunnel for the Kressh Necropolis." The ornamentation was similar to what he had seen earlier. More than anything concrete, though, he had a gut feeling that something lurked beneath the surface of this great entrance. "How about you, though? What's got you here?" It wasn't well-tread territory for the Sith Order these days. Perhaps this wanderer had a mission upon the surface? "Maybe I can help. Maybe we could help each-other out."

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar didn't fail to notice the lightsaber hanging on the man's belt, though "man" was probably a strong word. He looked like he was either a fresh champion or an acolyte based on his age, and those could mean very different things for Kaldar. If he was a fresh Champ he might be trying to make a name for himself hunting the renegade Sith. Then again, who had even noticed that he was gone? Probably not Tempest, and no one else would care. If she even cared.

Still, paranoia reigned.

Umbara Academy. Ah, one of Azar's, he thought to himself. He gave a small snort at what he could only describe as a "spooky ghost voice" that the acolyte did when referencing the old tales. Except Kaldar had a pretty good inkling that while the tales may have been embellished, they probably weren't entirely untrue.

So he needed help accessing the temple. That made sense, he supposed, and his eyes flicked over to the entrance in question.

I'm looking for something, he said. Might be inside there, he said, motioning to the tomb in question. It seemed they had a common goal at least, which could make them at least temporary allies.

Although he didn't fully turn away from the acolyte, he made his way over to the tunnel entrance. Does your master know you're out here poking around? he asked. Although it was possible that the acolyte just didn't have a master, that, too, would give Kaldar information.

What're they going to think if you die out here? he asked. He wasn't painting a very positive picture of the kid's odds, that was for sure. Not that I'm above a little grave robbery, mind you, he added. There wasn't much that Kaldar was above, in fact. Nothing was sacred, and it was what made him such a dangerous opponent.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Man, this guy really talked about dying, huh? Vossari didn't ignore the latent threat, but he didn't have enough firepower to really do anything. "I think, if I died out here, my master would probably track down and kill who or whatever took me out. And if he died, then his master definitely would." It wasn't really a bluff. Karys had proved, on Thule, that he was willing to protect Vossari. Voss had every reason to believe Karys would gun for him, even if Vossari died in some stupid, self-involved stunt out here. He hoped Azar would do the same. "Or, you know, I die, get forgotten, the whole galaxy moves on, it's like I never even lived." They shrugged nonchalantly.

"A little grave robbery it is!" Vossari rubbed his hands together, like a sleazy speeder salesman when a family of five walked into the dealership. "I'm Vossari." He didn't offer a handshake. "You, uh, happen to know how to open this? The ornamentation is beautiful so I'd rather not just blast it open."

The round "door" didn't have any obvious form of entrance. Vossari stretched out his hands and concentrated on the door, attempting to gently pry it open. However, from its sheer weight, and the way it was foisted into the entrance of the tunnel, it would take a combination of power and finesse to pry it open. Voss wasn't yet experienced enough to have both.

He stopped heaving, and the rocks and dust settled. He exhaled, catching his breath as he spoke. "See what I mean? Won't budge."

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Your master's going to kill a ghost? Or a trap? he asked amusedly. There were plenty of things out here that could kill someone poking around, and those were probably the greater threat... probably. The latter statement... was probably more accurate and Kaldar chuckled, rather liking the response.

Fair enough, he added, going down to take a look at the door, first looking it over with his eyes and then reaching out to the Force.

He had heard about something like this at some of the old Sith temples before, although he had never confronted it before. It seemed it was a good thing that the two of them had stumbled upon one another.

It requires two people, he said. The idea being a master and apprentice, but... he shrugged ...we'll do, he said.

Can you sense the unlock mechanism inside? he asked, motioning to one side of the door where a Force-sensitive mechanism could just be made out.

Pop it, he said, motioning with his finger, and as soon as he sensed it, he would reach out and lift the door. The very heavy door. Yikes. But if they worked together, it should open and reveal the long, dark, creepy looking tunnel on the other side that definitely looked like it was a catacomb.

Ah, lovely.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari felt through the Force as Kaldar described it. Within his mind's eye, he could almost picture it. A tiny wheel with ancient gears, rust unfurling at the touch. Vossari grabbed it and pulled, and the clicker-clacker of locks unbinding after many years sounded. The ancient door yawned open to a cobweb-ridden tunnel of darkness. A shiver ran down his spine as a last gasp of air escaped from the tunnel, almost calling forth the spirits that no doubt lied within.

Vossari tapped his helm and swapped to an infrared vision. Nothing warm ahead of them - no sign of life at all. A built-in flashlight clicked to life, scantly illuminating the first steps down into the tunnel. Vossari paused. "Before we dive head first into the scary tunnel..." It practically looked like the gruesome death that Kaldar was referencing mere moments ago. "Is there a, uh, more intelligent way we could scout this out? You don't have any droids or...'dipshit hirelings' we could put on this task?" He thought back to the loony miners and grave robbers that dotted the planet like sores. Maybe one of those losers could pave the way, corpses on the road to victory?

Or maybe they muster their courage and stride ahead? That was, perhaps, the more becoming option, borne from a false sense of machismo driven by delusions of grandeur. Typical Vossari shit. This was different, though. Something radiated to him from within that tunnel. Something powerful, something terrible. He could almost, ever-so-faintly, hear a whispering, lurching, gnawing in the dank tombs beneath.

Kaldar, too, would feel something horrid teeming from deep within the tomb. Perhaps too faint to understand, perhaps possible for him to just write off as a nerve. Kaldar was the apprentice of Raze, though; he was a student and master of magickal and terrible things. Perhaps he could make sense of the tendril of fear that had gripped them both.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Hmm, Kaldar hummed to himself as Vossari asked about someone to send down there. That wasn't the worst idea, and Kaldar pulled out his EZPhone and tapped out a message.

Wait, you're not the hireling? he quipped, smirking behind his helmet as he waited. The message he sent was to the ID-21 seeker droid that he had purchased slightly before his mission to the shattered world.

The small droid floated over and Kaldar directed it ahead, sending it on ahead of him before motioning for Vossari to head inside.

He hit a button and his helmet swapped over into night vision mode as he began to advance into the tunnel, the sense of foreboding ahead told him that what they were looking for was likely here. Not because what he was sensing was that but because if this place radiated this much dark energy then it was likely to have the potent knowledge he was after.

They walked on into the darkness, and for the moment nothing... happened, which was good. What are you hoping to find in these tombs? he asked.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari scoffed at the hireling joke. Ha-ha-ha-ha pick on the acolyte as always. "I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're asking." History and recent events might disagree with Vossari's assessment, but we'll just keep moving. Vossari followed behind droid and master as they entered into the massive halls. From the inside of his hem, he could faintly make out the tunnel. A narrow passage slowly descended, and expanded, into a growing antechamber. The only light came from the open door to the tunnel, swallowed by the yearning void.

What did he want? His mind went first to Azar. The Kressh tombs, home of information and power on an ancient family he had a keen interest in. Vossari wasn't a devoted servant of the Sith'ari, or a husband, or a personal guard. He knew Azar had competing affections from men far more powerful, wealthy, and perhaps lovable than himself. He might not be strong like Karys or absolutely devoted like Trodai, but he wouldn't be counted out. He hoped to find some treatise on Kressh alchemy. Something that would make Azar's eyes go wide with excitement. "I'm looking for a gift. The Kressh are said to be master alchemists. I'm hoping, there was one ambitious and narcissistic enough to leave their notes in their tomb."

Vossari took another step into the dark. The dust on the walls, still covered in darkness, brushed off as the breeze from their movement disturbed halls left untouched for millennia. The trail of his helm's flashlight illuminated the now-massive sandstone murals that covered the hallway. Two dimensional figures of ancient Pureblooded Sith coated the hallways, showing a history of sorts. The murals conveyed the construction of nations, great libraries, notable battles, births and deaths. It was the story of a people. Yet, in this lighting, he could only make out a small amount of it. "What about you?" As he spoke, his voice echoed into the halls, reverberating loudly down the hall. Vossari didn't like that. He switched to telepathy. "Anything in particular you know about the tombs?"

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

"Pick on the Acolyte" was the literal pecking order of the Sith. It was a hierarchical group for a reason, and the low man on the totem pole was the acolyte. Or maybe the Hopeful, but they never even made it out into the field.

One? he said with a scoff. They all want to be buried with their secrets, he said. The Sith weren't known for their "generosity" or their willingness to share.

Kaldar just hung back behind his droid and acolyte shields, letting them take the risks because... well, he could. He was a master and it had its fringe benefits.

The rumors have it that there's an old ritual here that I want to recover, he said, seemingly unbothered by the echo of his own voice. He sought a mind-controlling ritual that he was going to take back and use on this Nagai partner, ensuring that his grip on the Nagai government and his alliance with them was permanent and unshakable.

The dirt and grime that clung to this place was the tale of millennia of waiting, and the further in they got, the more expansive it became. Massive rooms held up by giant pillars that were clearly designed for the glory of the buried being.

He watched as Vossari studied some of the ancient carvings, making no rush to get through the tomb "quickly."

Are you a bookworm, Vossari? he asked. The Sith came in multiple brands, and Kaldar often found himself trying to sort who was who. To his mind, they all had their strengths, weaknesses, and purpose.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

"You mean, a nerd? Hell no." Vossari felt like he defied categorization. He studied a lot, though. Especially now that he had traveled to Tund and held a mysterious Sith artifact upon his belt line. His method of study was a little more...hands-on. Experimenting with alchemy was something chaotic and complicated enough to hold his attention. The complicated Magicks of ritual still eluded him. Though, he knew, he would learn in his way in his time. "I just can appreciate the history here. And the importance of this moment. No one's been here in...whaddaya think? Millenia?" The architecture was amazing. He wanted to appreciated it.

Deep down, Voss was a nerd. He was so curious about the ritual Kaldar mentioned - it burned inside him. Bubbled up out of him. "Ritual? The Sith have a mind control ritual? How does that work?" He knew the powers of the Force to fragment the mind, to create illusions, and to penetrate the psyche. It seemed simple enough in theory, but in practice, to actually overwrite the individual consciousness of someone permanently...that was a feat that seemed expansive, powerful, and dangerous. Those three things.

The droid continued to float ahead - as the path led ahead dropped off, suddenly, to a massive chasm. It looked like a stone bridge had connected edges of the antechamber to one another, in eons past. Now, though, its stones had eroded into nothingness. A long gap stood between them and the rest of the path. "You don't think your droid could float us across...?"

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar chuckled slightly as Vossari mentioned that he wasn't a nerd very emphatically. Well, that answered that question, he guessed. And very emphatically.

At least. Probably more, he guessed, agreeing that it was amazing. You're not wrong, though. It's pretty amazing. Walking through history itself, he said. And it was theirs. There was no one else here, just the two of them and the memory of the ancients.

Even so, it was no mistake that Kaldar hadn't shared precisely what he was looking for. He didn't need anyone getting uppity ideas about stealing it from him.

No way, he said, glancing over at the droid. It was relatively tiny and its repulsorlift couldn't even support one person let alone two.

Go check out the other side. Look for a way to cross, he told the droid, and it began to float off into the darkness to leave the two of them alone. Kaldar walked over toward the edge, although not too close because he didn't trust his "friend" not to try to knock him off, and glanced down. It was deep darkness below, and there was no telling how far it went.

Guess we're going to have to climb down and back up again, he said before moving over to a massive boulder and gripping it with the Force, lifting it and dropping it down to the pit below. It crashed several seconds later, and Kaldar couldn't tell if it shattered. If it did, it wouldn't work so well as his insurance policy.

He moved over and looked for a hand and foothold before trying to climb down, making slow progress toward the ground below. The bottom was a pit with a variety of massive spikes to impale those who fell off, but off to the side, he saw another path.

It looks like some sort of... gauntlet to get out, he said, looking at pictures depicting monstrosities and traps to fight. Lovely.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari followed Kaldar into the abyss of this maze that was the Kressh tombs. "This place must be huge. There are so many directions, so many entrances, so much history." It seemed hard to believe that this was merely the final resting place of the Kressh line. Of course, Sith were known to be extra and the one Kressh he knew was, in fact, a prima donna...perhaps this is how all Sith wished to be buried. That sparked a curiosity. "Is this the kind of place you'd want to be buried? Not in the like...'killed by a trap and your soul haunts here forever.'" The opulence, the power, the necropolis of an entire noble lineage of Sith was both appealing but impossible to consider in scope. Vossari couldn't imagine having a whole family, an entire clan, buried with him. Wrean burial traditions here much for modest. At least, for his penniless family, they were. "Seems like a lotta work to build a pyramid just to be buried in..."

Vossari looked around as Kaldar drew his conclusion. "A gauntlet doesn't necessarily mean a deathtrap though, right?" Vossari tried to look at the positives as they surged forward. The ground shifted from solid slate to intricate, sandstone tiling. Vossari dropped to one knee to inspect it, impressed by the detailing and how well it had help over time. "The craftsmanship is magnificent." He noted, running a finger across the top to reveal a fine layer of dust.

Even with as light a touch as that, a pressure plate from within the tile activated. A single, ancient wooden spear with a fearsome, sharp tint sprung out of the tile. Had he been standing there, well...it would've been a wrap. Maybe this was a walking death trap. Vossari, very carefully, took a step back as he examined the tile floor. He began to notice repeating patterns on the tile. But he couldn't quite figure out the meaning of it all. "Any of this make sense to you?"

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar thought a moment about that question. Would he want to be buried here? He thought about the tombs of the great Sith Lords on Moraband and wondered. He didn't like to think about his own death, and a part of him refused to believe that it would ever come. But Sith had been seeking immortality for countless generations without success, right? But some had come close. Some had become ghosts and specters.

Part of me thinks I'm going to be dead so who cares... he said before snorting to himself. ...and part of me also thinks it would be fitting and hilarious to still be smiting people with traps 2000 years after I'm dead, he said. But then there was the real reason for Sith tombs, wasn't there?

But the fact is that these aren't just tombs, are they? he said. Why do we all come in here: to steal and build on people's work? Sure, their bodies are here, but the real reason the tombs are like this is because they want to protect what they built and learned from falling into impotent hands, he said. Only the worthy could make it through the traps and abominations. Kaldar had read the stories of Sith Emperors who had died trying to extract the holocron of Darth Kravos even hundreds of years after his death. It had taken Darth Sidious himself to finally liberate the device.

It definitely means death trap, he retorted, which was absolutely perfectly punctuated by the spear that sprung from the ground, and Kaldar actually laughed out loud. The timing couldn't have been better.

Watch what you're touching, he said before following Voss's gaze to the repeating tiles and symbols. It looked like ur-Kittat, and Kaldar cursed again that he didn't speak the language. He was really going to need to fix that, apparently.

I don't speak ancient Sith, he said with a shrug, pausing a moment to see if Vossari did. He was guessing not and began trying to work out an alternative to the puzzles itself.

Alright, well if it's pressure plates, then we can either trigger them to see which ones are safe or not or we can find a way to swing, levitated, jump, or climb across, he thought to himself. Of course, that was easier said than done, and his mind looped back around to the entrance way.

Two Sith. Master and apprentice, he thought to himself, wondering if that yet again played a role in this puzzle.

See how the repeating symbols always have matching symbols about the same distance apart on the opposite side, he said, motioning to two symbols that looked approximately the same. What if we each have to jump on one at the same time to advance? he said. Of course, this was something he'd rather test before just leaping out there, but it seemed a reasonable possibility.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari knew enough Ur-Kittat from the academy and from his travels with Azar & Karys to bumble around speaking it. But he certainly wouldn't bet his life on his skill in the Sith Language, which is what it seemed this gauntlet was asking. Kaldar's impulse seemed worth a shot, after a trial run. Vossari plucked two small pebbles from the rubble in the ruins to test the theory. He placed one on the tile, and a spear jutted out. He tossed a rock to Kaldar, offering the same.

Should they both set their rocks on the plates at the same time, a rumbling would emanate from beneath their feet. Yet, no spikes popped out. Mystery solved..? "Good thinking, man. Would've sucked to just get speared here." Vossari said, in a way that definitely wasn't tempting fate.

Vossari would wait for Kaldar to reach his dangerous hopscotch tiles, while Vossari approached his own. "Same step, every time, yeah?" He waited for Kaldar to move, attempting to time their steps perfects in sync. Each successful tile would cause a rumbling from beneath them. The Sith would sense no maliciousness from the sound; it almost sounded mechanical. Vossari supposed it made sense, as some kind of engine had to keep these traps active after all these years.

Eventually, should they stay in sync, they would cross the minefield of steps across the room. A stone door rumbled affirmatively, sliding open to the next chamber in the gauntlet. Dense fog rolled in from the next chamber. For a second, Vossari thought he could see beady, red eyes poking from within the fog.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Yeah, well that's always an option if we get stuck down here with no food, he said. The quick and easy impaling option. It was a grim joke, but Kaldar hardly shied away from those.

His guess seemed to be holding true for now as Vossari tested it and Kaldar nodded.

Yeah. Just remember: if either of us messes this up, we're both dead, he said, just a gentle reminder that it was in everyone's best interest that they be on time together.

Kaldar counted down and then leapt in sync with Vossari, making their way down the length - thankfully - without any issue.

As they made their way into the next room, the fog did little to put Kaldar at ease, and he reached to grab the lightsaber from his hip. The red, beady eyes seemed to glow from through the fog, watching them and their every step.

And yet, something told him that this wasn't a fight. That... he felt would come later, and it clicked in his mind. What were each of the Sith paths: the scholar and sorcerer, the assassin, and the warrior.

I think... we need to blend in through the fog. Evading... whatever those are that are hunting us, he said, though he kept his saber hilt in hand just to be sure... you know, if he failed the stealth part. He didn't want to find out what happened then.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari chuckled grimly at Kaldar's joke. So far, they seemed to be getting along swimmingly. There was a razor sharp intelligence that he could tell burned beneath his companion's helm - he was inquisitive, quick-thinking, and capable of taking a calculated risk. Vossari wondered why he hadn't seen this Sith before, but he supposed he hadn't met a lot of them.

"They designed the gauntlet for two, a master and apprentice." The gauntlet was designed for Sith - for Force Users. Vossari gathered the Force around them to wrap themselves in a misty cloak, the pair of them briefly shimmering out of reality. "Help me with this?" Their cloak would be stronger with the two of them together.

His HUD's monitors began to show strange indications in the mist, as the altimeter and zoom function began to chaotically buzz where the red eyes passed. Were the ancient technologies of the Sith so powerful? Or was there, as Vossari suspected, powerful magicks at play from beyond the grave?

Vossari trudged through the mist as cold, heaving breaths labored around them. The eyes were there - entering and fading into darkness seemingly at random. Vossari heard shuffling steps around them, more erratic than any hunting beast he had ever known. Vossari hurried to the end of the chamber, without looking back. Towards the end, he felt wind rush - something was right behind them.

He rushed through the end of the chamber to end that horrid feeling. As he turned his head one final time, he saw a bony, grey arm swipe at the pair of them from the mist, with long, ice-white talons.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar not only reached out in the Force to help cloak Vossari, but actually reached out physically, taking the other Sith by the wrist and combining their powers into one. Or at least letting them play off of one another.

Physical contact, it seemed, managed to amplify what they were already doing and lend to greater success as they moved forward.

The insidious presences nearby were enough to make Kaldar's skin crawl, but he had been around more dangerous creatures than this before. He crept through the darkened mist with both of them working together, finding their path slowly and carefully with all the subtlety of a Sith assassin. He supposed that was probably what he was at the end of the day, anyway.

As they reached the edge of the mist, things changed. The shift went from stalked and hunted to the open combat, and Kaldar could actually respect the seamless transition from one to the next. This precise danger was why Kaldar had kept his lightsaber in hand, and as the bony arm lashed out at them, his saber burst to life to deflect it aside, unfortunately not slashing through the arm.

The creature it belonged to was - as one might expect at this point - not just one monster but a pair, matching in their boney white, terribleness. A classic little abomination action and - hopefully - their last challenge before making it out of this pit of horrors.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

When the creatures attacked, During his time as Karys's apprentice, he had grown accustomed to having a powerful sword arm by his side. So when Kaldar whipped out his lightsaber, Vossari moved into a supporting role. He spread his hands apart, reaching into the heavy mist with the Force to separate it from the creatures. No sense in anyone hiding now. With the fog gone, the pair would see the rattling bones of other intrepid Sith and tomb-robbers who had graced the halls of this gauntlet throughout the millennia.

Vossari coiled the the mist between his hands, compressing the water vapor into its liquid state. Two watery tendrils formed and lashed out into the batlike abominations, coiling around their clawing feet to form liquid leashes in Vossari's hands. This stopped the creatures' scuttling while Kaldar struck at them.

While one fell quickly to a followup strike from Kaldar, the other broke free from its leash and lunged its horrid-looking stinger at Kaldar's legs. Vossari reacted swiftly, pulling the tail off track so it would swipe at one of the floor's skeletons. Green, pestilent acid poured out of its stinger, vaporizing the body on sight. Vossari whipped out his own lightsaber and struck at its tail, leaving the final strike to Kaldar.

After the battle, Vossari hurried out of the gauntlet to whatever came next. He had no interest in lingering behind here, seeing what other Demons the ancient Sith had created to torture tourists with. But they had done it: they had survived the gauntlet.

When they left the gauntlet, they were deeper into the subterranean matrix than ever before. The hall opened up to a massive cave, with a looming ziggurat in the center. The dark energy Vossari felt here boomed from that direction, as if it was all centered, focused, on that.

But, in this moment of respite, Voss couldn't help but be curious. This place was practically a gold mine for old Sith artifacts, art, history, and the likes. Even the stonework was of historical interest, the patterning, the dimensions...all of it, from a time when Sith were free to rule. Vossari cocked his helmet towards Kaldar. "Good shit. You were pretty quick with that blade." Quick enough to save Vossari from getting ripped to shreds.

"Is this what you imagined would be down here?"

@Phoenix