[ASK] The Bitter and The Cold

[Viabuck]

Location: Ziost
Time: Dusk

---

​

It was almost genius when it came down to it. Where better to go to test those who would seek to follow his ways than a world as harsh and unforgiving as the teacher which they sought? The sun was going down and with it, the temperature, soon the already unbearable landscape would become potentially lethal and those were the conditions that he expected his students to ultimately endure in order to prove their worth as apprentices of one of the most famous (self proclaimed) Sith Warriors in the galaxy.

Having taken the time to borrow a few surveillance probes from the Sith academy, Jorath had set them out across the wastes in order to monitor the activity of the three whom he anticipated the arrivals of. Armed only with the coordinates which would place them in the center of the wastes, they would be nearly two miles from a destination which he so nicely worded in his letters to the three of them.

'Potential Acolytes and Probable Failures

I have sent you to this location with one simple objective. Come and meet me. You are free to use anything which you've brought with you with the exception of any kind of vehicle or beast. As you arrive at the coordinates provided, you will seek out my location which is a memorial to a broken man and a reminder of what we must not allow ourselves to become.

As a word of caution, you might notice the temperature getting lower as time passes by and the sun sets above you. You've got about an hour to safely make it inside of the temple before the temperature drops to where -very- few species will find themselves to be too comfortable outdoors.

You might also notice that there should be three of you. I will only be taking on two apprentices and one of you has already been chosen. In preparation for the dangers you will face with the unpredictability that comes with being my student, if my chosen apprentice does not arrive in tact, I will kill anyone who does manage to make it through the trial. You are more than welcome to try and eliminate your competition but be warned that choosing the wrong person may lead to your undoing.

Best of luck.

Jorath Baylor'

With the letters having been provided days in advance and preparations being made, Jorath had taken it upon himself to arrive some time ahead of schedule, traveling through a hidden passageway found in the wreckage of a statue of a long dead Sith Warrior whom Jorath had affectionately chosen due in part to the fact that it's subject was the Gatekeeper of the Holocron that had instructed him in his time as an Acolyte. Beneath the ruins, a shrine of sorts had been created which would lead anyone who entered through a series of hallways which displayed fading murals of warriors of the past, some of which led to dead ends and some of which would lead to a central chamber. The entire complex seemed to radiate heavily with the dark side, something which would perhaps serve to draw someone with any capacity to sense it into it's immediate vicinity.

Positioned in the center of the chamber a throne of stone could be found, oversized even for the seven foot tall four hundred pound armor clad man who sat within it, drumming his gauntlet covered fingers upon the arm rest, a bored look on his face as glanced around the empty chamber, momentarily glancing over the statues that lined the pathway leading up to the throne, impatiently awaiting the arrival of his would be students.

"I really should have just beaten the hell out of all of them and picked the first two to stand up.." he regarded quietly in lament of the time that he would have to wait to see his efforts pay off.

Spoiler: OOC

As a note, I don't expect/want you guys to kill each other but keeping it interesting in regards to making it to the temple would be appreciated. This threads gonna be used as a meeting between your characters and mine and let me see how well you guys will click with me.

 

[Asinine Soup]

"So, let me get this straight," so begins the inquisition of a certain red-headed crusader, tapping a fingertip in mild condescension at the datapad relaying the message sent to Crusader Jorath's aspiring Apprentices, "you invited them all the way out here...just to potentially kill all three?"
Lillieth Sunsinger held a mild gaze of displeasure upon her brow, a soft biting fog of ivory frost accompanying her words within the cold tomb of a forgotten Sith.
"More importantly," she continues, voice echoing and reverberating within the vast room absolutely vibrant with Dark Side energy, as one would call it, "you have me here to sit in the cold with you for...likely no reason at all."

A pair of amber-risen optics untainted by the corrupting power of the Dark Side rise from the letter sent to a chosen trio and unto a certain Jorath, seemingly bored upon a throne. Fitting, given his personality, in a way.

Here upon Ziost as the gray of the skies matched the gray of the snow, ground, gravel, and tombs that lie beneath, Lillieth's demeanor could be described within the same shade of gray.
She emits a sigh of mild displeasure, once more, as she refrains from talking her partner's ear off. Though the longer the pair waited for the 'show' to begin, the more antsy she becomes. And the more antsy she becomes...

"'C'mon, it'll be fun' he says. 'A gettaway on Ziost sounds pretty cool, right?' he says - which wasn't a lie, either."
With a whip of her wrist, she gently tosses the datapad on the behemoth of a Crusader's lap, moving to cross her arms at that point, having dressed the part of a Sith Inquisitor. The cold of the planet didn't help the metal engravings that adorned the fine cloth and ebony shimmersilk that wavers down her body, shaped within her frame and as appealing as it were protective, smart, and prestigious.

"I really should have just beaten the hell out of all of them and picked the first two to stand up.." Jorath says in his typical tone tainted with mild boredom and aggravation.

"You really should've considered that before dragging us in this Stars forsaken tomb." Lillieth coos as artfully as it were unnecessary.

 

[Intratec]

The sensation of Ziost's sun on pale skin had at first felt bittersweet. The Imperial Speeder's low hum a stark contrast to the rattling of bars, of screams in anguish or the insane. Prison. Prison had made her miss such simple things as sunlight. However dim and repellant as the sun of Ziost was it's light was welcome. When the Guards had come to her cell that same day, four days shy of the anniversary of Clan Renelo's suicidal attempt at running the Imperium's Blockade on the Mandalorian Sector. Their little gunship had been brought aboard one of the Star Destroyers, and while the group of four had fought. Every one of them eventually had gone down to stun rounds.

But they had not done so quietly. In the end it had been overwhelming numbers; Stormtroopers to bring her to heel after laying waste to a score or more of Imperial Naval Personnel. Perhaps that had been why the crazed woman had come to see her days after, or it had been their contest of wills at the beginning of the Imperium's attack on their gunship. The woman had ended up making her a deal.

'Kill me, or become a Crusader and win your freedom.' It had been almost mocking. Daring her to try.

'The alternative is to die.' There had been more to it of course. Her life traded for a life. One of her comrades, a member of her Clan to go free in place for her servitude. She'd agreed, but after that initial meeting there had been nothing. No word. No visitation. The woman had gone and gotten herself killed. While Seda had been left to rot in an Imperial prison long forgotten, locked in a Duratseel and Phrik box with the criminally insane and tortured for company as well as their jabbering screams for conversation.

But here she was. On a world as cold as a ever there was one. The Trooper kept on driving, his eyes on where he was going; the other three had weapons at the ready. Word had finally come but from another mouthpiece. Not from Mira, but from a Crusader. Seda had been notified days in advance. Even so, she was still somewhat haggard. There had been many a sleepless night. The Guards seemingly delighting in waking her. Withholding meals on occasion out of spite. But they'd never killed her. Even when she'd harmed them in turn. The word of a dead woman had kept her alive this long. Only for someone else to try and lay claim.

They'd looked as if they'd kissed a Hutt when she was taken from her cell.

Now she sat, manacles about her wrists and ankles. Her armor once more fit snugly in place before leaving. Even her weapons had been brought albeit secured in a lockbox.

Raising her hands a little, one of the soldiers nudged her in warning as the driver was tapped on the helmet once causing the Speeder to slow to a stop. Those in the front seats had hopped out first with weapons trained on the armored Mandalorian while the other two assisted her in vacating the vehicle.

Two of the Soldiers led her away, a third bringing up the rear with the lockbox containing her weapons.

"Right," One spoke after covering a short distance. "You know the coordinates. Your weapons are in the box which we will open via a transponder signal once we're away. Same for the Manacles." All he received in response had been silence, a slight turning of the helmet so that the 'T' shaped visor came into sight. Even if she was small, the armored getup unnerved them. Beaten, bloodied and weakened as they had been. A Mandalorian was dangerous, unpredictable.

The look passed as Seda returned to staring off in the distance while the three made their way back toward the transport. All it took was the tell-tale hum, and whine of the repulsorlifts that they were away. True to their word the manacles, came off and the box unlocked. Glancing over her shoulder as they sped away, she then knelt down and rummaged in the box to only come up with one of the wrist gauntlets. Affixing it to her right wrist, Seda turned about while raising it. Her helmet's built in rangefinder clicked and warbled at her as it brought up targeting data. Range, velocity, estimates on travel path.

Moving her arm a little further to the right, the device atop her wrist beeped, then droned readying for launch. And behind the visor, her eyes had narrowed to slits. The MM9 clicked and whurred as it powered down in a seemingly dejected fashion. And so the rummaging continued after turning her back to the Speeder and its passengers. It would've been simple.

"No."

That single word had stayed her hand. They had done their job. And had caused her no harm, not even an unkind word had been uttered toward her. They'd left her in blessed silence throughout the trip. Their reasons for doing so never known.

Vibroknife in its sheath, Thermal Detonators and EMP Grenades on her belt. And almost reverently the twin DC-17 Hand Blasters found their way to two thigh-mounted quick draw holsters while the crushgaunt slipped on easily. Soon everything was in place.

Satisfied, the Mandalorian leaned toward the box one final time. Only to pull it closed. The soft crunch of armored boots upon grey gravel and snow marking the remainder of her passing.

 

[Enigma]

Ziost was unlike any world Kai had ever stepped foot on. In fact, it felt like a swift punch to the gut upon initial landing. However, being on Nar Shadaa had managed to help the young teen quickly get his bearings. Luckily, being a stowaway had its advantages your name never appeared on flight manifest. Stepping out onto the landing platform the young teen quickly he made himself scarce. Kai gotten found out by unluckily choosing a sith apprentice as a pick pocket victim. It was only because of his potential as a member of the Sith that stopped his master from ordering Kai’s death.

Kai had learned quite a bit in his first few weeks here but knew he would rise not farther at least initially without a master to lay the ground work. However, when he requested one and received details that required him to march away from the city and that two others would be attempting to kill him is when reality finally hit Kai. He really had sold his soul for his own survival and now his life was in jeopardy again. As he loaded up on the transport that would escort him to his test starting location; Kai began to feel awkwardly ill prepared for his trip. He was only sporting some rope and a vibroblade leaving his pet wolf Aiki in his quarters.

One of the soldiers apparently noticed that for himself and only because he was so young began to feel sorry for the young boy. When they dropped him off; the man would toss the boy his blaster rifle stating that it was only a week’s paycheck. Kai smiled for a moment before waving them off; he wore typical traveler’s robes with an overcoat to draw over his head. If what the letter he received was true; he’d have to be weary of the other contestants but Kai initially figured that if he focused purely on making it there first the other two would get caught up fighting.

But then again; the man who would become his master obviously wanted to see a display of skill. So Kai decided he would use the blaster rifle first as he opened himself up to the force. His force sight came to him as it felt more natural than his normal eye-sight. Luckily, anything besides a droid that could harm him would have a force signature and he hoped that would give him an edge if one of the other contestants attempted to sneak up on him. Still nothing would be gained if you didn’t make any sacrifices so with that thought in mind Kai began his journey.

 

[Painus]

Reem Va stared out the transpariglass window, watching the blue miasma of hyperspace ungulate around the transport shuttle, carefully contemplating the task set before him. He had been an Acolyte for but a few weeks and already he was receiving challenges of survival in order to try to earn his place as a Crusader's apprentice. A scowl crept its way upon his lips as he re-read the message over and over through his head. Had he not proved himself in surviving where none other had before? Why must these Sith toy with him with such inane games and childlike challenges?

"Approximately forty five minutes until we arrive at our destination. Prepare to drop out of Hyperspace." The generic voice of the Imperial pilot resounded throughout the transport. Reem continued to think of the trials ahead and who the other two Acolytes might be. Surely they had to be formidable warriors, else they wouldn't have been selected for this challenge. Scowl quickly turned to grin as he pondered the thought of meeting one of them on the field of battle.

"You are more than welcome to try and eliminate your competition," he spoke to himself, "if my chosen apprentice does not arrive in tact, I will kill anyone who does manage to make it through the trial." His grin faded slowly as he rolled the thought around in his mind. He yearned to prove himself in battle, but to harm the chosen apprentice would be dire. He resolved to handle the problem when he came to it and instead spent the remainder of his time attempting to meditate on the Dark Side. Over the past few weeks Reem had become more in tune with his Force sensitivity, spending a good deal of his time in meditation.

After a few minutes of this self-reflection, Reem stood up and looked out the transpariglass window once more to watch the marbled sapphire of hyperspace rapidly refine into elongated starlines, before finally transfiguring to the bleak emptiness of space. The mottled black and white background of the void was quickly replaced by the sight of Ziost. A planet teeming with dark power, the adopted home-world of the ancient Sith filled Reem with an unusual sense of power. He craved such power, lusted to harness it for his own gain, yearned to use it in conquest of the galaxy in the name of the Sith.

"We're currently in position and are preparing to make our descent. Approximately ten minutes until we've landed," echoed through the ship-wide intercom system, waking the Feeorin from his thoughts, prompting him to make his way to a seat and strap in. Va's stomach lurched as the ship entered atmosphere and gravity took hold of the formerly weightless transport shuttle. Turbulence shook the vessel like an airborne earthquake and as suddenly as it started it had ended. The ship steadied and made its way to the ground. Feeling the ship touch down with a slight jolt, Reem undid his harness and made his way to the boarding ramp. Pulling his hood up and onto his head the acolyte made his way out of the ship, taking in the frigid air of the planet.

Ziost wasn't entirely foreign to him. Rather, the climate wasn't; being raised on Odryn had exposed Reem to extreme climatic differences, a trait that he had found useful for this particular endeavor. Within moments he had found himself being escorted by a contingent of Stormtroopers, whom did not appear quite elated with the mission. After all, Reem stood several heads higher than and weighed twice as much as the majority, which made his figure all the more imposing.

Just as quickly as he had arrived Reem had been loaded onto a landspeeder, escorted by the Stormtroopers on speeder bikes. He knew his destination, like the Stormtroopers, and merely sat in silence as he waited. In minutes the speeder slowed to a stop and Reem was ushered out. The hum of the vehicles quickly faded from hearing as he found himself alone, armed with only his robes, his vibro-ax, the lightsaber at his side, and his experience in survival.

He looked to the horizon for but a moment before setting off, the only reminder of his presence being the imprints of his boots in the snow.

 

[Viabuck]

Oh Lillieth..

There were times, although few and far between, that he regreted his decision to consistently have her at his side. In regards to their recent travels, it seemed that any location that he took her to that didn't carry with it some form of entertainment or a wonderful climate, it seemed as if his partner would be absolutely inconsolable, the years of pampering and getting her way having led to the at times, unfortunate, woman that she had been molded into. If only there was a way to soothe her and let him enjoy the activities which he had taken it upon himself to plan.. Albeit it a bit hastily.

Oh wait..

"Oh come on now, Lil'." he would start, his head turning in her direction, looking at her with the makings of a faint smile upon his face, clearly working hard to bury his hints of annoyance deep below the surface of his demeanor. Ignoring the fact that a light had begun to flash on the projector next to him, he figured it would serve him best to soothe the savage beast, lest he continue to be nagged because of what was generally considered to be a poorly formed plan to test his would be apprentices.

"I don't -actually- plan to kill them.. I'm just trying to prevent them from massacring one another until they arrive.. There should be at least -one- survivor, even in a worst case scenario.." he started to explain, his tone carrying with it the implication that he felt he was explaining only the most basic of things, pausing his explanation of his recent actions only to tap a finger down on the center of the flashing red light, a holographic projection of first the Mandalorian who he had admittedly taken a great deal of interest in.

Some of the most infamous combatants in the galaxy, if there was anyone that he would like to take under his wing and mold into a true Sith, the girl whom he had identified as Seda was a top prospect. The idea of taking what could already be considered to have the potential of being the perfect killing machine and improving upon that with his own knowledge and abilities? It was almost everything that he could have hoped for.. And yet the other candidates also held their own potential as followers.

Motioning through the hologram which had been providing him with a direct feed of the armored woman, the next image to be displayed would be a teenage male, younger than the other two candidates and truthfully nothing at all like anyone that Jorath would usually have chosen as a student and yet that was why the invitation had been granted to the hybrid youth. Perhaps the notion of taking a blank slate and building it to be more like him over time would be what it took to ignite his desire to grow as a Sith and to continue to strive.. Yes he was a good candidate for one of the two positions as his Apprentice and yet.. There was one more.

With the simple motion of a finger, the imposing Feeorin, a being which according to the intelligence he had gathered stood even taller than himself, would be displayed. Now -this- was a choice made mostly out of the truest desires to take something like himself and build upon it... Plus diversity and what not. The idea of tossing in a non-human would certainly pay off.. And yet that wasn't the main focus. The raw power that the male had the potential to generate.. -That- was the selling point.. But alas, he had limited himself to two, opting to match the number that his partner would end up with..

"Plus.." he would say, breaking up the monotony of scrolling through holograms, paying a look over in his partners direction, his eyes being pulled away from the projector, still intrigued by what his potential Acolytes were doing, but more so seeking to assuage his dear friends concerns with his decisions. "I would have been terribly lonesome if I hadn't invited you along and I do value your opinion, even in regards to the selection of -my- followers.. They'll be on -our- ship afterall.." he went on before looking back to the projector, deciding to try and bring the three together with a small bit of interference.

Without further adieu, the three camera mounted probe droids would suddenly open a small hatch up their tops, suddenly launching a flare high up into the sky, announcing the general vicinity of their respective Acolyte to anyone who may have been watching. It was time to see whom among the crowd was curious and who would simply trudge onward in an effort to find his current location. The way that they would handle themselves in this particular situation might provide a bit of insight as to how they would fare under his mentorship in the future.

 

[Intratec]

She had kept up the steady pace, not slowing as one hand went to the belt about her waist. The small click and snap of one of the pouches had almost been a comfort. Seda was in her own skin again. Two small, clear cubes popped out of their wrapping, which soon found its way back into the pouch lest she leave a trail. The Ration Cube disappeared underneath the helmet, and had been quickly chewed and swallowed. The other, a Protein Cube also met the same fate. Both had been tasteless yet their texture had left much to be desired. Gritty, if semi-gelatinous yet nutrient rich in the various vitamins, minerals, proteins and caloric values needed for such excursions. Probably why they'd been used since the Clone Wars, and yet a thousand years later they still had the same taste.

A sip from the straw attached to the water-bladder in the torso armor rinsing her mouth of the grittiness.

Continuing her trek, the Mandalorian did revel somewhat in the vast openness before her. Twisting her head this way and that, looking as if to make sure this wasn't some foul trick. It wasn't. But, a short ways off in the distance a bright red star leaped into the air leaving a trail of smoke. A flare. Looking from left to right, she saw two more, one on either side.

So that's their game.

The Mandalorian growled, one of the Hand Blasters soon pointing down range, the Magnoculars and Rangefinder of her helmet looking for whatever had shot off the flare. But never once did she slow her walking as her hand twitched a little at whatever perceived target her helmet systems picked up. Once they began the deep monotone warbling, she held from firing. Merely wanting to discover what had set the thing off. Shooting it would let the others know one of them was armed. And if they'd half a mind, and could judge the distances. Was a fair shot. No, best to save such things when needed.

The Reflec coating of her armor would serve its purpose here. Make it harder to find her, but not impossible.

The temperature was dropping gradually, the HUD informing her from a small meter to the lower left of one of her eyes. It still wasn't cold enough to engage the climate regulator of the armor yet thankfully. Yet her pace quickened slightly. Her stride becoming longer, not a run or jog, but brisker.

 

[Asinine Soup]

Lillieth's speech and complaint die in the cold of the temple room as the holoprojectors cast light unto her face, reflecting within the amber of her eyes. Gathering she's making it worse than what it actually is, the girl simply folds her arms and bends her hip, casting a final, soft, ivory-coated sigh into the room. What she could gather from the prospects were as simple as what she gathered from Jorath's intentions regarding training them.
"There's folly in doing as we're doing, I know you've gathered as much," she starts, hand falling to the shoulder of her first true friend and ally, "the Dark Side doesn't exactly promote what we've done, forming partnership, let alone gathering a pair of Apprentices."

She had her own reasons for what she does, and the prospect of leading her rag-tag group further toward the Dark Side of the Force than she had the sense to venture could prove mistakenly arduous. The rule of two was in place for a reason. The strength of one to be lusted and overcome by the strength of a student, so the strength and hatred that fueled the Dark Side could become more and more immense in time.
Those were Darth Revan's teachings - a Darth, one who accepts the title also accepts the proclamation of one's superiority and the challenge they cast unto their peers.

They welcome their death.

With a dismissive wave of the hand as her thoughts go astray, Lillieth relays a smirk. She could delve within the Dark Side, though she had yet to give herself to its power. Control, she sees, is a pristine strength that Sith seldom have.
"It's wise to always stay in control, Jor," she finally states, eyes finding the trio on the holograms once more, blinking in their appearances.

A commando. A tall, hefty creature. A normal looking male, at first glance. She couldn't help but grin.
"then again," she finally concludes," that's why we've one another, hm? To better one another...to maintain control."

When it came down to it, who would reach to snatch the power? Time would tell, as it surely does.

 

[Enigma]

Kai began to feel the temperature drop even within his heavily clothed figure. The fact of the matter was that though built; he had not fully matured into his grown man physique yet. And the fact that street orphans typically didn’t have the top level of nutrients provided to them at all times. But Kai did not believe in excuses now that he’d found the first piece of his original heritage. He was of the Dependus family; notably once a Jedi family of warriors and scholars but that begged the question of how did his family fall so far that their heir lived majority of his life unaware. Every once in and while Kai would give his force sight a rest not that he truly needed too but he mindful of droids that may be set to attack.

Still, his pace never faltered as he was used to not having transportation whenever he’d go out of his hometown to scavenge for scraps for his mother. She was another reason why he was damning his soul by joining ranks with the Sith. His adoptive mother worked herself to the bone to provide for him and his brothers and sister. He was the oldest and so it was on him to provide for them and his mother. He figured as long as he could hold on to thoughts of them; he could survive this hell and maybe even conquer it. Yeah, he conquers anything this Sith Crusader threw at him because he was a Dependus and because he had no choice. No option but success when dealing with the sith; at best you might get shocked with lightning and Kai was kind of vain when it came to his looks.

“Well at least I haven’t run into any crazy Sith yet.” Then almost as if he summoned the droids himself; he watched as the presumably marked each of their locations. And by general common knowledge they’d all meet each other near the end anyways. Since they were all headed for the same location; it would either be an all out three way battle or maybe someone would stray off and things would escalate. So without much thought Kai instantly allowed himself to withdraw himself back within his force sight. He wasn’t sure what the other two warriors intended to do but he’d remain vigilant through the force. Besides, this wasn’t the first time his life has been on the line.

 

[Intratec]

The desolate landscape continued in all directions. Small outcroppings of frost smeared rock jutting out here, or there framed against a slate gray sky and mixture of gray and pure white snow covered ground. This world was deceptive. She'd heard rumors amongst the cadre of troopers, and naval personnel when they'd departed the prison station to make their way here. Life was present. Animals stalked the land or in the skies, feeding both off themselves, unlucky sentients or whatever withered shrubs could be found. But there had been more. Whispers of indigenous populations of Red Sith, Massassi, Warriors. Of course most had guffawed and brushed such off as wild rumor. It had made them pale a little however.

None of this concerned the Mandalorian. If they came with blood on their mind, she would fight. She would kill, and then continue on her way. Her pace had remained a steady, quick stride while the meager concentration of proteins, nutrients and other life sustaining substances within the quickly digesting 'meals' began replenishing reserves long since near depletion. When the message had come down, the Guards had, withheld meals for days out of pure spite. All she'd had to assuage her growing hunger pangs being water.

Her muscles strained under her determination and sheer force of will to keep going. There had been worse times than this. Her Verd'goten, the rite of passage into adulthood had seen her in the wilderness for near a month with naught but a knife and clothes on her back. Those first days had been similar. Sleepless nights, no food, just water and the little fire to keep warm. In the end Seda had not only survived, but thrived through stubbornness and using what she'd learned. But that was then, and this was now. There were no forests in sight. No Shatual to trap. And thankfully, no Mandalorian Wolves to contend with. Just temperatures dropping and the ever present snow and ice-crusted ground.

Another sip of lukewarm water, her skin goosebumping underneath the armorweave jumpsuit as the wind whistled through and past her. And like some human-sized beast, she shrug and shook her shoulders and arms to be rid of an invisible layer of snow. The action loosened tightened muscles, and warmed her slightly before she continued on as if the windchill hadn't any effect on her. Yet teeth began to chatter, the goosebumps remained and she continued her refusal to warm herself with the suit's systems.

 

[Painus]

The tundra extended for miles everywhere Reem looked. Vast expanses of craggy cliffs, stretches of desolate ice and stone resting in all directions, untouched by the pollution of civilization. The only sounds permeating the dense silence were the gentle whispers of the wind and the distant howling of beasts escaping the frigid outside. The sun was setting quickly, though this hardly bothered Reem. Warm breath escaping his mouth in thick, ivory clouds that soon dissipated, the stalwart Feeorin trudged on.

After all, this was just like home.

For some time he maintained this constant pace, pausing for but a moment to stare into the darkening sky as several flares were fired up. The others were still alive. Good. The Feeorin hardly wanted to have marched through these wastes for nothing but a lightsaber to the gut for the chosen apprentice dying. That is to say, unless he was the chosen apprentice. Even if this were true, it was simply more motivation to continue onward. If anything, he was excited to be doing this.

Reem's mind was filled with idle thoughts as he pressed on, running through different scenarios in his head and contemplating the events of his past. He thought about his crew, his family, his friends, and how most of them had abandoned him, were killed, or simply ignored. He thought he should feel some form of sorrow over this, but inside there was nothing. No anger, no sadness, no regret. There was nothing holding him back now, nothing to stop him from growing in power, nothing to lose except his life. The road to power came with lots of lanes, he simply hoped he steered in the right direction.

Onward he moved as nature played its symphony for him. Animals howled, snarled, whimpered, and cried; the wind whistled its melody, playing for the surroundings a bleak tune; the vegetation - what little there was - rustled gently against the zephyr while the ground beneath his feet crunched with every step. For a while he had enjoyed this tune in silence, his determination to arrive before the others his powering force.

Ahead, the rock formations had begun to take an unusual shape. For several minutes Reem passed this off as his mind toying with him, but he felt... off. His mind soon began to nitpick the formations, analyzing them for what felt so unusual. It wasn't until he began to see ancient Sith etchings on the monoliths that dotted the environment that he realized he was getting closer to his goal. This discovery filled him with a newfound sense of motivation and he picked up his pace, his gait growing to a trot. The musical of nature sped up as the ground beneath him began to crunch much more frequently.

Good thing too, for it was getting dark.

 

[Intratec]

The sun's light was fading. And with it, Seda's skin began to prickle and goosebump more against the increasingly cold temperatures. Trudging along as she had been, it had not just been about speed. But also to allow the blood to pump and flow. To raise her core body temperature above normal. Practical, adaptive, Mandalorian thinking. And it was just plain common sense. To rely solely on one's armor to provide was a common enough mistake amongst denizens of the galaxy. Even some Mandalorians. But to be true Mandalorian while relying on one's armor as if a second skin, it was also to be smart, to adapt as a hunter. Know your metallic skin's limits and not get it, and you riddled with holes. Such could have been applied here. There had been no need for the comfort her suit's ability to warm her, or cool her skin before now. And even then with some reluctance she'd activated the climate regulator to maintain her current lower than norm bodily temperature. Stubborn to the end.

As she felt the gentle tickle of heat repelling the cooling sensations threatening to overtake her, Seda continued plodding forward. The almost barely perceptible feeling of being watched had threatened to cause her to stop and look. It had been minute, there then gone with the snap of her fingers. Ignoring and resisting the urge to do so, the Mandalorian continued forward. Stopping only allowed herself to grow colder; to alert the one who'd 'spied' to know someone had felt an intrusion. Neither knowing which had done it, nor really caring so long as they steered clear of her she was fine with them.

Her vision had begun to dim as the light continued its waning retreat, but her sight compensated. No need to use thermal or nightvision. Not yet at any rate.

As cold as rumors had made Ziost, Seda had been curious. Could she survive its wintery embrace? To adapt to, or conquer the elements had often been one of the keys of survival. Food, Shelter and of course Fire had their roles. As did water. Yet the climate was fundamental.

Her head shook. No, best to save such a thing for another day and time. When she'd regained some of her vigor because right now even she thought death was a certainty in this wild land.