Ask Nal Hutta Among the Dead

[Arla]

Now they'd reached the final answer, and Arla's demeanor didn't betray anything of her thoughts on the matter, though internally she churned them over. Her mother had always spoken highly of Raze even if Arla could tell it had always been layered with caution. Arla wouldn't say she knew much about the Dark Lord, but probably more than most. That still wasn't saying much, however.

Revenge, she said after a long moment, the word hanging in the air after she said it. It was the core of everything he had said, and it now made more sense. She wondered to herself if he had it out for the whole Order or just the one man. And she wondered if she should distance herself from him to prevent any fallout. Or report him to the Inquisitors for investigation about his loyalties.

On the flip side, Sith had been plotting to overthrow one another for generations. It was ingrained into the core of their culture, and if his feud really was only with the Dark Lord... well, more power to him?

Good luck with that, she said after a moment. An Acolyte with a dream to kill one of the most powerful and deadly Force-users in the galaxy was a situation where she knew who her money was on. Everyone dreamed of being on top, and most people died long before they reached it.

She leaned back against the wall, letting her head rest against it as she closed her eyes. The darkness was deepening and they'd need to move again the next day at first light.

I'm going to get some sleep, and you should to. The wards will make sure nothing sneaks up on us, she said.

---​

The next morning came without too much issue. Like clockwork, the Nightsister stirred when the first rays of light crept over the horizon. She jerked slightly as she did, having that moment for about three seconds where she was waking up in a foreign place and couldn't actually remember where she was. Then she saw Wodan and then she saw the crappy building they were in and it all came flooding back to her.

She let out a quiet, throaty grunt that didn't indicate her incredible pleasure about being here and then pushed herself to her feet before looking outside. More infected meandered through the compound and she found herself not really feeling like dealing with them either. Maybe they could catch this guy and get out of here before they had to spend too many more nights out here.

On the bright side, at least it had been indoors and in "relative" safety.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

The silence between them became tense for the Firrerrian, his hand gripping tightly around the spear at his side. Wodan tried desperately to make out the silhouette of the woman in the near pitch darkness of the room. Was she moving, readying an attack, he had to be ready. Calming his breathing he prepared his body for action, The Force gathered around him. Then her voice cut through the darkness, he almost leapt up at the sound. But something kept him still, was it patience or fear?

Even though Arla didn’t seem to fussed about what he just said, Wodan was still on edge around the nightsister. Her breathing slowed after some time, signalling that she had fallen asleep, but the Firrerrian kept alert for at least another hour before he finally let his body rest.

It was a fitful sleep, his subconscious still on edge, he woke half a dozen times to the Bayou outside, each time his eyes flicking over to Arla to see if there was a knife in her hand. As the sun breached the horizon light began to pour into the window, blinding the Acolyte, it took his eyes a mere moment to adjust, the blessings of his heritage. Light was his friend not the darkness.

Wodan pulled himself to his feet as Arla grunted to signal she was awake. The Acolyte was still a little on edge as the women walked to the window next to him. The AMS shambled across the compound, there looked to be around the same number as when they had gone to sleep. “Looks like we haven’t been sniffed out. Plans? Slaughterhouse next correct?”

The rooftop looked like their best chance to avoid most of the AMS, before dropping down and making their way out of the Compound proper.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla crouched on the balcony of the farmhouse, looking out at everything before them. In one way it was exciting: a whole bayou for her to explore, but it was laced with danger. In some ways even more danger than Dathomir because the danger was unknown.

If it weren't for the infected, this wouldn't be the worst place to go exploring, she said almost idly. Not that she wanted to live here, but it had its own excitement that it brought to the surface.

Yeah, we can head slaughterhouse, she said, but her voice didn't really carry the certainty that she would have liked. They needed to find a way to get ahead of this guy. If they just spent all their time playing catch up they may never find him.

Cutter's not a woodsman, though, she reasoned, So maybe he's getting help from someone, she said. Her silvery eyes didn't break from the horizon as she scanned over the infected that had wandered through in the night.

Check the map, see what the closest town is to here. Or outpost or anywhere he might be able to find some living people, she said. Her mind also turned to where they might find large clearings for any sort of ships to land supplies. All she could think was that they needed some sort of plan for actually finding this guy rather than wandering the deadly swamps.

It was at this point that her attention finally turned back to her actual partner and with that attention came the piercing gold-flecked silver eyes that fell on him as well.

You didn't sleep well last night? You seem very tense, she said. Was the Bayou getting to him? Malelings weren't always as strong willed so maybe the pressure was getting to him?

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan scoffed at Arla’s comment about exploring the Bayou, there were at least a dozen other biomes he would choose over the Bayou, the constant smell of Death and Decay would live with him for weeks if he ever had the chance to leave.

From the tone of her voice, it seemed that Arla was more of voicing her thoughts aloud than asking his opinion so he kept quiet until she asked him to check the map for nearby villages or outposts. Turning away from the balcony he headed back into the room, the cleared space on the bedroom floor would allow him to enlarge the holo-map making it easier to spot any hamlets in the dense undergrowth.

With a press of a button the room lit up with a light blue glow as the holo-projector displayed their surroundings. It centred on a single yellow dot representing the pair of Sith. To the East he could identify the Slaughterhouse the Crematorium a little further along the Bayou’s many waterways. His eyes flicked across the map, looking for something which would signal life; there was half a dozen small hamlets, but they had all been marked as deserted and overrun by AMS by the advance Recon drones sent ahead of the pair.

Wodan glanced at the Dathmorian for a moment as she entered the room and spoke, his eyes quickly turning back to the map on the floor. “Was taught to sleep light whilst behind enemy lines.” He replied with a matter of fact tone. It was a lie, but he couldn’t outright say he slept like shit because he wondered if she was going to shiv him in the night.

“Less tense, more alert. I don’t want to die here.” More lies, but at least hidden behind some truth. That was when he spotted something on the map, with a flick of the rise it moved North East just past the Slaughterhouse. “A small hamlet, looks like it's still inhabited by the living.” A small palisade was all that kept the AMS at bay, that and probably a dozen blaster rifles.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't seem skeptical of his answers, and accepted them without further inquiry.

Seems we have that in common, then, she said when he said he didn't want to be killed out here. She looked at the small area that he pointed out on the map and agreed it was probably as good a spot as any to go to. She had to guess that they weren't going to be too open to outsiders, and a part of her mind warned her not to even go there.

Yet, it was one of their better leads.

How are you with people? she asked. If she could make him deal with the locals, then that would be all the better for her. Otherwise it was probably going to be mind-tricks and a less smooth approach.

Let's go, she said, dropping down to the ground below. She moved quickly but quietly out of the compound, doing her best to dodge the AMS wandering lazily around the compound. A quick vault over a fence and they were back into an open field. It had once been part of the farmland, but it was now largely overgrown.

There were fewer AMS away from the compounds - probably because in the middle of nowhere there were fewer people to infect - and she was able to move a bit less cautiously.

Her mind turned to boredom and then to her partner as they moved, deciding that he was an odd one, and - unfortunately for him - once again placing him under her scrutiny. Not that she was doing it to be hostile or like an interrogator, mind you, but just because she was curious.

So what do you like to do when you're not slogging it through the swamp? she asked. He didn't strike her as one of the all brawn no brain types that she so often met on Dathomir. Malelings in the wider galaxy seemed... better than their Dathomir counterparts. More intelligent... sometimes.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

“Better than tracking.” He replied, his eyes still on the map ahead of them. “I am sure I can at least get something out of them.” With a flick of a switch the hologram dispersed as he turned to face the Dathmorian, as she disappeared off the edge of the balcony. Shaking his head, he walked over to the edge, spotting the women weaving her way through the long grass around the compound.

One leg then the other, the Firrerrian much less gracefully dropped down to the ground making a little more noise than his compatriot. A quick look round in each direction told him he had been lucky, no AMS had heard him and began their hunt for his brain juice. Taking a similar route to Arla, he wove his way around the outside of the compound before vaulting the fence on the outside. With a quick turn to check on the house before he left, he followed her into the Bayou proper once again.

They were moving quicker than the day before, Arla had shown herself talented enough for Wodan to not question their new pace and added noise levels as she guided them through the wetlands. Her question caught him by surprise, he had assumed they were travelling in silence to avoid detection like the evening before. “I don’t get much free time out of the Order or the Empire.” Wodan replied, pushing aside a fallen branch, normally if he wasn’t on some Force Aligned quest, he was leading troops in some minor conflict across the Galaxy. “Otherwise, I split my time between visiting my mother. Or just socialising. Been told time and time again, it's who you know not what you know in the Empire.” He continued, stepping over a dead tree. “Yourself?” After she gave her answer he would add. “What was it like growing up on Dathomir?”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She listened to what he said, weighing what he said with a stoic face that she had undoubtedly inherited from her father. He wasn't... hiding anything she didn't think, but something about his answer seemed off to her still. At least at first. He seemed to open up a bit more as he kept talking. She wondered about his family, surprised to hear that his mother was still alive. She'd assumed everyone in his family was dead after what he had mentioned last night.

Yeah, she said noncommittally, her mind turning to what he had said. Who you knew, she thought to herself. She wondered if she'd made a mistake trying to keep her heritage a secret. Though she could still keep it a secret and use her mother's influence to help her out, couldn't she? She supposed so. But the "best of both worlds" rarely worked out so well. You couldn't have your jogan fruit and eat it too.

Where does your mother live now? What does she do? she asked in follow up after snapping out of her own thoughts.

Dathomir was good. There's a lot of physical training: hunting, hiking, climbing, running. Drills with bow and sword - or for me saber - and, of course, training in magick. Shaman training and communing with my sisters, she said. Her time had been packed. In fact, coming to the Sith had almost been more freeing of her time. She was given more autonomy as a Sith in some ways than training to be the next Queen.

But it is limited. I love my home, but there's so much more in the galaxy. And so many different ways of viewing and doing things. I wanted... she paused, thinking about the role she may well inherit someday and why her mother had managed to unite the CLans of Dathomir ...needed to see more of it, she said, changing the word she had originally picked. Yes, this was for her, no question, but it was also for her people.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Thinking of his mother brought out more pain and anger, flashes of the life he had before he joined the Sith. The life that Darth Raze had put them into, filled his mind as he trudged through the Bayou. The Firrerian gritted his teeth, he could do without this emotion on a mission such as this and was tempted to close the discussion then, less he tumbled down a rabbit hole which could lead the pair of them to disaster. But Wodan had been the one to bring up his mother and Arla seemed to be the prying type so attempting to snap close the conversation was not going to go down well. He just needed to move the conversation on as quickly as he could.

“She travels from planet to planet, helping other refugees from Firrerreo. Our family had commitments to the people before the attack, we can’t back out of them now.” That was his mother talking, it had been drilled into him ever since that fateful day.

“Sounds intense. Although it looks to have done you good.” Her tracking abilities had gotten them this far and she had to have some skill to advance quickly to the rank of Champion. “What about your family, you mentioned your sisters?” He asked, as they moved from one wooded area and into a small clearing which had once been home to a small fisherman's’ hut.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla wondered what kind of "commitments" they had, and almost asked outright, but decided not to. It didn't sound so bad. Not that the situation in which the traveling had been started was good, but seeing the galaxy didn't sound... so bad. Not that she said that aloud because doing so would probably have been pretty callous, but the thought crossed her mind internally.

It did, she said. Most of the skills I was trained in growing up have served me well in the Sith. It was pretty much always known that I would end up in the Empire, so I was prepared accordingly, she said. All true. It wasn't entirely unique to her, either. Many of the Nightsisters were chosen to go to the Sith ever since her mother had taken over. It was just the way of things these days. Arla didn't really blame anyone involved, and many of her fellow Sisters - like her - wanted to go.

My whole Clan, she said. She chose her words carefully, but all truthful. She doubted he knew enough of internal Nightsister society to know what Clan she and her mother belonged to but she still chose not to volunteer the information.

I was raised around all of them as well as some hunter from other Clans, she said. While not all Nightsisters always got along, there was a unity among them these days that hadn't always been there in the past. There were still occasional Clan wars, but by and large, everyone got along.

They continued on for a while and Arla resisted the urge to pry further. After all, she didn't like it when people pried too hard into her business either. The next thing of note that they found in the swamps was... a child? She heard the sounds of the cry before seeing the young one, and knelt into a crouch without thinking. Her fingers touched the grip of her bow, but more out of caution and concern than intent to use it. What was a child doing out here? Was it from the village-thing they were going to? Was it from someone else hiding? Something seemed off, but Arla couldn't place a finger on precisely what it was.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Well that wasn’t very enlightening, it seemed that Arla had a personality trait many of their brethren also shared, which was very annoying to deal with. Wodan truly wondered if half the galaxy was this secretive on purpose, did they actually have something to hide, or did they just think it made them sound cool? Too many Sith seemed to fall into the later category in his experience, ‘My Whole Clan’ could mean three people or three hundred depending on your culture and was useful as a chocolate teapot when trying to find out more about the woman.

He knew little of Dathomir, only the basics like the old Empress came from there and they were tribal in nature. Something the little tidbits of information he had gotten from Arla over the past twenty four hours seemed to confirm. It was probably their way to not be so trusting to outsiders, so he let it slide. Allowing silence to fall on the pair as they continued through the Bayou.

A crying child suddenly ripped apart the silence of the swamp, it was only a little way ahead of them. The top of its head could just be seen over the tall grass, Wodan looked around in all directions. He couldn’t see any other living creatures, it was just the child alone. The Firrerrian spotted Arla, placed her hand upon her bow, the charge inside humming slightly to her touch. Wodan placed his hand on her shoulder as he walked up to her. “Cover me.”

Standing up from the tall grass, Wodan moved towards the crying child, his eyes continued to scan the edges of the clearing. Movement caught his eye, directly ahead of them, but in a flash it was gone, leaving just the three of them in the clearing. A few more steps and Wodan reached the girl, his weapons were all holstered, not wishing to startle the child.

As he stepped out of the grass he noticed that the child was standing on some kind of stone circle. “Hey, are you ok? Are you lost?” He asked, kneeling down behind the child. The kid startled and spun round to see him, it was a young girl, her white hair was matted and covered in sticks and leaves. Her purple eyes were red from tears and shot through with fear as she looked up at him. She was deathly thin and her skin was cut and bruised all over. But the most terrifying thing was around her wrists, a pair of metal chains, attaching the young girl to the stone tablet she stood on.

Fuck, their offering this kid. To what, a creature, a demon, fuck, the AMS. With that he heard the first sounds of the groaning dead entering the clearing.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's every muscle was tense and her heart was pounding. Something here was incredibly wrong. She could tell as much in the pit of her stomach even if she didn't know the "why" or the "what."

I will. Be careful and eyes open, she said quietly. He moved past her and toward the kid, and her senses dialed to eleven. Sephi hearing, years hunting, Force-attunement, and eyes scanning the area. It all worked in sync to give her the best picture of what they were up against. She could hear the moans of the infected, but to call out to Wodan would have been detrimental. She could only watch and try to maneuver to a better position, wondering what sort of situation these things might have transpired.

She was sickened by whoever had left this child out here. What had they hoped to gain? The infected weren't intelligent. They didn't know not to... and then something struck her. Maybe this wasn't for the infected at all. Maybe there was something else out here that was more intelligent.

That was as far as the thought got when she was unfortunately proven right. A sickening slopping sound filled the Bayou and the sounds of infected being crushed and tossed aside could be heard. She darted forward, moving into the clearing with genuine fear etched on her face.

We need to go. Now, she hissed quietly. Through the trees in the distance she could just barely make out... something the likes of which she had never seen before. It sent an unnatural fear through her like a piercing cold. Darker than even the darkest Sith she had ever come across.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

The fear inducing noise of something bigger and nastier than the AMS filled both his and the young girl's ears. She began to cry again just as Arla moved into the clearing beside the pair. There was an urgency in Arla’s action which would have roused the Firrerrian to action, no matter the horrid noises coming from the Bayou beyond. Turning to the girl he pulled out his blaster. “I need you to be brave ok.” With that he aimed the blaster into the chain cutting through the metallic bonds.

Hoisting the little girl up with his left arm, she was incredibly thin and almost weightless, Wodan could feel her bones easily through the rags she wore. “Hold on.” He said quietly to the girl. Without looking in the direction of the creature he began to make towards the edge of the clearing. Their best bet was towards the village, perhaps the added weight of some friendly rifles could keep the beast at bay.

“The village.” Wodan said a little louder now they were in the cover of the trees. The little girl gripped his neck a little tighter at the mention of civilization. “That’s our best bet.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

He pulled the trigger on the girl's chains before Arla could stop him. The sound of the blaster rang out through the Bayou, and it only attracted the creature more quickly. There was a guttural sound that was somewhere between scream and roar as the creature surged forward into the clearing, hunting the source of the sound and the girl who had been left for it.

Aren't they the ones that dumped her here?! she objected. She didn't know who else it would have been, but the creature was baring down on them now, and Arla felt... almost sick even being in its presence. It had a certain aura about it that she'd never come across before.

I'll distract it, get her out of here, she said, hearing the slurping coming closer. Oh yeah, you can distract it. Right, she told herself. If there was one thing she was good at, it was escaping in the foliage.

She darted through the bushes, hearing the crack of a tentacle snapping a small tree in two before she sent an arrow flying back at the creature. It didn't really... do much. The mouth in the middle of the creature's belly opened in another guttural cry and Arla just... wanted to be anywhere but here.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

If he was honest Wodan didn’t think about the noise of the blaster pulling more attention to the trio, the Acolyte's vision was clouded, concentrating on the safety of the child over the preservation of his own. As they reached the edge of the clearing, Arla voiced her opinion. “Probably but they are also the only things out here, which aren’t going to eat us at first sight.”

The village/settlement wasn’t the best option by far but in his eyes it was the only option, if they wanted to both continue this mission and save this kid's life. Wodan was about to protest himself about Arla splitting off from him, but before he could open his mouth she had disappeared into the brush.

Acting more on instincts than thought, Wodan began moving further away from the clearing and the beast. Trying to make in a rough direction of the village, problem with Arla distracting the beast, meant that the Firrerrian was without any insight on which direction was best in the Bayou. The guttural and disturbing cry from the creature sent shivers down both his own and the girls back as he continued to move through the undergrowth.

Whatever Arla was doing seemed to work as the sounds of breaking trees and angry screams were moving further away from the pair. Wodan spotted a small wooded hill to his southeast and made for the summit.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

If she had been honest with someone in that moment, she was completely terrified. She didn't remember the last time she had been this seized by fear, but it almost sent her into a wild sprint. She wanted to just get away. She felt wholly out of her league with whatever this thing was, and she knew that it was a monster of unnatural power and not fully of this world.

She leapt over roots and dove under branches, making quick progress through the swamp, but still she could see that the creature was behind her. You won't outrun it, gotta think of something else, she thought. Fighting hard to overcome the panic, she darted to the side and through herself into one of the bogs.

She pulled in a deep breath and sunk herself into the murky water. The top of her head and her eyes slipped deep into an overhanging shrubbery as she watched the creature tear on. She did her best to suppress her presence in the Force, compressing it down to a pinprick as she floated there.

She could now really see the creature. All the tentacles, the hooves, the... head? It radiated the Force, the dark side in a way she wasn't familiar with. It pressed onward, past her and she waited. She waited until she couldn't hear the creature anymore.

Only then did she fully emerge from the water, taking deep breaths and calming herself before backtracking.

Okay, okay... Gotta find Wodan and the girl. Kriff, I hope they didn't go to the village, she said. She did her best to wring her clothes out as she went, but the reality was that she was still soaked in filthy water.

She headed back to the clearing and looked for any sort of signs she could use to track the pair down.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Although the girl was skin and bones, Wodan was almost completely gassed as he neared the summit of the small hill. The thick humid air of the Bayou had been sapping his strength since sun up, the added adrenaline and sprint since the monster had appeared had almost removed the last of his endurance.

Panting heavily he pushed on, the thicket of trees thinning slightly as he reached the summit of the hill. The small half-clearing looked man made, though whatever was here had been reclaimed by nature a long time ago, small saplings grew where once giant trees had made their home. The ground was thick with ivy and assorted flowers, a few cut logs which had once been the foundations of a hut sat in the middle. Wodan made his way to the landmark, placing the little girl down on one of the logs.

It took a few moments for her to release her grasp from his neck, she hadn’t said a thing the entire time they were running, no screams, no cries, just pure silence. “I think we're safe up here?” He said to the girl, she just stared at him, her eyes full of fear. Wodan’s head continued to spin on a swivel, the crashing noise of the creature had finally begun to fade off into the distance. “We need to keep moving, but I need a little breather ok.” He continued, still with no response.

Taking a seat on the log next to her, the girl startled, causing the Firrerrian to jump back and away. The fear in her eyes almost destroyed his heart, what the hell had happened to her before he found her. “It's ok, I'll sit over here.” He said before taking a seat at the other end of the log. Swivelling his blaster rifle around from his back, he allowed himself a breather and hopefully time for Arla to catch up with the pair, she had thirty minutes before he pushed on to the village.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's trip back through the swamp was much quieter, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the creature was unnatural. It wasn't a normal beast found on this world, she just knew it. There was a lingering sense of dread that clung to the back of her mind.

She made it back to the sacrifice clearing with no sign of the beast nearby, and she found herself hoping the creature didn't have some unnatural sense of tracking as well... or didn't return to this area by chance right now.

She slew several infected as she made her way through, the tracks of a small-girl-laden Wodan easier to track in the muck than he would have been normally. She was slowly creeping up on the 30 minute mark when she would crest the hill they were waiting on.

Still quite soaked, covered in grime, and looking exhausted, she reached a hand up and brushed some soaking hair from her face and made her way over.

You both look like you made it through unscathed, she said, plopping not-so-gracefully onto the ground as she caught her breath.

I don't know what that thing was, she blurted out after a moment. But clearly the locals do. Or at least they have some concept of its existence, she said.

I don't know what we're supposed to do with her, she said, her tone more hushed now so that the girl couldn't hear. Any thoughts? Taking her back to the village that sacrificed her was a terrible option, but Arla wasn't about to adopt her either.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan was starting to become twitchy, Arla hadn’t returned and it was getting close to the timeframe he had given for her to arrive. Should he extend the timeframe? Who was going to argue? But how long should he wait, was waiting too long the wrong thing? The questions were floating around his head, when the Dathmorian broke through the tree line, the Firrerrian let out an audible sigh of relief when he spotted her.

Though he quickly scrunched up his nose, as the rather interesting smell which now covered the woman waffed towards him. “And you look like you took a rather interesting swim.” He replied, standing from his spot as Arla sat down and took a few steps towards her. Wodan was about to ask her about the creature when she beat him to it, when she mentioned the village his gaze flicked back to the young girl who still sat in the same spot he had left her.

“We can’t very well leave her out here and I doubt Command would be happy that we abandoned a mission because of her.” He rubbed the weak excuse for stubble that was growing on his chin. “Do you think your clan would take her in?”

It was something he had put some thought into whilst he waited for Arla to meet up with the pair. “She has seen some bad shit, a sisterhood like yours might be the only thing that can keep her alive.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Only option not to get slurped up by whatever that was, she said in response to his comment about her swim. She wasn't thrilled about it either, and at this point would have preferred to just leave. She was cold, wet, grimy, and tired. It was a bad combination.

Arla was taken off guard by the suggestion, and cast a glance over at the girl with a face that was dubious at best. A Nightsister? It wasn't unheard of for people to be adopted into the custom, but the girl had no sensitivity to the Shadow and she'd known a life that most certainly wasn't on Dathomir.

She mulled the question over in silence as she looked at the girl. She wondered if the girl would weaken the Clan, but there was really no way to tell just by looking at her. The girl had certainly survived some hardships, but not of her own doing.

Being a Nightsister can kill you too, she said. And without the Shadow to call on... it was unlikely the girl would survive. And more immediately, we don't have anywhere to take her while we finish our job, she pointed out. The issue of taking her to the Forgotten Valley could come after they figured out what to do with her for the next several days.

She reached up and scratched her head, letting out a sigh and seriously considering leaving the girl here just to fend for herself. It was probably a terrible thought, but Arla had other, higher priorities right now.

We need to find somewhere safe to leave her until we have this traitor's head. Maybe there's another village or settlement nearby we can leave her, she suggested. Or maybe we take her back to her parents and "make sure" they don't try something like this again, Arla said, shaking her head frustratedly.

Come on, let's at least get some answers out of this village, she said, pushing herself to her feet and tapping the lightsaber on her hip absentmindedly. She was going to get answers, all right.

She headed down the other side of the hill, the brush here being even thicker than what they had been combating this entire time before it began to thin. She saw signs of bladed tools that had been used to hack away at vines and branches, and she knew that meant they were growing closer.

Sure enough, on a small hill of its own, she could see a fort-like structure. Large palisade surrounded the entire area with ramparts lining the inside, upper portion based on the people she saw walking a guard-like patrol. They'd have their work cut out for them sneaking in, but it was doable. Alternatively, they could just walk right up to the front gate. She wasn't sure which was the worse idea.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

“Better give her a fighting chance as a Sister than leave her out here as AMS food.” Wodan replied to Arla, he honestly thought that Arla was truly the best option for the girl. “I doubt her parents want her back, they wouldn’t have let her or worse left her out here if they did. And I doubt forcing her on them is going to be effective, what’s to stop them chucking her out again as soon as we leave?”

Wodan shook his head, he shouldn’t be arguing the girl’s safety over the sake of the mission. But something in her eyes when he found her attached to the stone circle had made him instinctively protective over the girl. “Lead the way.” He said before walking over to the girl.

Crouching down next to her he tried to put on the least scary face he could muster, purposefully keeping his lips tight, pointed teeth were normally seen as a negative trait to most people. “We need to get moving.” He began speaking softly. “I will have to carry you so we can move quickly, ok?” The girl still didn’t speak, but she nodded understandingly. “Ok lets go.” With that he hoisted the girl back up and began following Arla down the hill.

Even though it was thicker than the middle of the Bayou, the hand cut lanes allowed them to make quicker progress than the morning. Soon they reached the village, a rather intimidating structure considering how flat and wet the rest of their surroundings were. Putting the girl down on the ground, she immediately grabbed onto his leg, her eyes latched onto the village ahead of her.

“I’ll go up first, if it's all good I’ll give you a signal and you can come up with the girl.” He said before bending down to talk to the little one. “I need you to stay with Arla, I will be back in a bit ok.” Again silence, but she quickly gave a nod before shifting over towards the Dathmorian and after a moment or two grabbed hold of a bit of her legging.

Standing up he unhooked his blaster and handed it over to Arla. “If our target is here, he will be wary of people carrying lightsabers, you have a bow but this will help you blend in more.” With that he turned away and headed up the hill, hiding his own lightsaber inside his small pack as he went.

“Who goes there?” The shout came about thirty feet from the palisade though he was sure he was spotted before that. Two men held blasters pointed at him whilst a third stood with it leaning against his hip. “Spice movers, our ship crashed out in the Bayou last night.”

“Who’s with you?” He shouted pointing in the direction of Arla and the girl. “My partner and someone we found on the trek here.” There was no point lying about the girl just incase she had come from the village. The three men began talking amongst themselves, Wodan’s senses were itching and his hand slowly began to move towards the pistol still in its holster. Was this going to work?

@Phoenix