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[Arla]

Arla looked back at him and had a very difficult time believing he was a thousand years old. Not with muscles like that. Reaper, on the other hand, looked back at Altair slowly, wondering how he'd come to that conclusion. He wasn't that old.

I'm not bound to this world, he replied, not really answering the heart of the question. He'd hunted creatures all across the galaxy, but the real question was about whether he could leave this life. He'd never really wanted to and now he had been in it for so long, sometimes he wasn't even sure he could.

We'll set it aside for now, she said, grabbing the syringe again and filling the other before moving them over to a safe and locking them up.

On the other side of the equation, Reaper had now decided that he regretted working with these two, and was already planning a way out at the first opportunity. They were the perfect example of why he preferred to work alone, and he was starting to think that being in a compromising position with them was more dangerous than just hunting the mare.

How about we get back to how to kill this mare, he said. And if we've got a bunch of restrictions about how we hunt this thing, I need to know up front, he said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was calmer now and he sat down across from Reaper. Nothing good ever came from working with people that despised you. He doubted Reaper would see them as anything but meat shields, but Altair would do his due diligence regardless, “Look,” He began, “We appreciate your help. You saved our asses back there and I did my best to cover yours as well. But a lot of this stuff is standard for you and not the norm for us, so you gotta cut us some slack.”

He thought for a moment, “As for hunting the thing, you said it’s susceptible to fire. You saw what I did out there - if there’s a way for you to blow somethin’ up with a shot, that’ll give me the sparks of a fire to improvise.”

Altair sighed, “I don’t wanna do more sacrifices if we don’t gotta. Otherwise, anything’s fair game,” He eyed Reaper, “What’s your no go?”

 

[Arla]

Reaper was glad when they moved on from the argument and settled back on the job at hand. He took a note in the back of his mind to be more than a little wary of his "partners" as they went forward, still uncertain of whether he would remain whenever they finally set down on the ground. For the moment, he'd try to avoid being killed in the ship and deal with the rest later.

He simply gave a nod to Altair's statement and proposal, deciding it was probably as good as he was going to get out here in the field. A mutual agreement not to stab each other in the back was all that most hunters could really ask for.

And there was no denying that Force-users had their own skills and talents when it came to this game.

No human sacrifices required, but we may still run into the other hunters, and they're not friendly. If there's a gunfight, I need to know you both can deal with that, he said.

He mulled over what was said about the sparks and his head tilted slightly to the side.That gave him an idea.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slug with a bright red tip, holding it up for them both to see. You saw what these incendiaries did earlier. I hit it with one of this, you can turn it into a full inferno? he asked. He had a hard time believing it would be that easy, but he could hope.

You have to burn the entire lair or else it'll come back, she warned. And you have to burn the lair first. And it's still surrounded by our dead, enthralled villagers, she said, looking to Altair. She knew the idea of killing them made him uncomfortable, but frankly they were already dead.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair nodded at Reaper, “Hunters will be dealt with,” He affirmed. He glanced at the incendiary rounds, “If the explosion is big, then yeah I can try to expand it out into a massive fire,” Altair trusted his abilities with inferno - it was one of the offensive Force powers he used extensively over his time as a Sith, “Set off the initial explosion, let me handle the lair. Can you focus on the villagers?” He wasn’t sure what Arla meant by enthralled but perhaps it was like AMS where they didn’t keep their original appearances.

He checked his chrono and looked outside, “Almost time. We should be coming up near the location, right?”

Altair hobbled over and injected a stim to kill the pain in his leg, “Do you know if the other hunters have a stockpile of rpgs or other explosives?” He asked Reaper. He doubted the man would know, but Altair was uneasy about the kind of artillery the other hunters were bringing.

 

[Reaper]

Reaper gave a nod to the assurance that other hunters would be dealt with, and he hoped that was true. He reminded himself again that he was putting a lot of (probably too much) faith in them, but there weren't a lot of other options at this point.

It should catch some of the mare's clothes on fire. Or anything else that's cloth-like in the area, he said. This was something that the more information his ally had the better.

Hard to say, he said with a shake of his head. Most groups don't have stocks of expensive gear like that, but there's no guarantees, he said. It was another unsatisfying answer.

 

[Arla]

Arla brought the ship down, looking out the viewscreen and seeing the... weird obelisk shape outside. Scanners are showing a lot of movement down there, she said, assuming it had to be the villagers.

She brought the ship down, and placed it in such a way that it was halfway around a hill from the obelisk. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she looked out, and couldn't help but worry about what they were about to get into.

I can draw some of the villagers away, but I'm not sure I can make a big enough hole that you guys won't still be attacked, she said, heading back and grabbing her bow from the cargo hold. Something told her she'd need it.

I think stealth is going to be our best option. It's lair will be dark, but while it's day out it won't be nearly as powerful during our approach, she said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair looked over at Arla, sensing her trepidation, “Hey, we got this,” He said with a smile, “Me and Grumpy here will clean house.”

He was feeling better thanks to the boost, and he began to call the Force to himself. He knew that he would have to rely on the Force externally quite a bit. These weren’t enemies where he wanted to get up close and personal.

Altair grabbed his wan-shen and had his gloves on. He popped on his helmet and nodded at Reaper. He walked towards the exit ramp. He intended to spring off without the ship actually touching ground and allow Arla to continue onwards.

“You ready?” He asked Reaper as he glanced over, “Truce until this is over. Deal?”

 

[Reaper]

Reaper grabbed his rifle and headed for the exit ramp as the ship set down, hitting the ground and bringing his rifle up in the next motion. He could see the hordes of walking beings meandering around the area, and he knew that they needed to try to stay quiet.

He swung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out one of the short swords, making his way behind several rocks before hacking at the head of one of the enthralled. True to Altair's assumption, they were much like AMS infected in many ways, though some had morphed into alternative and grotesque shapes.

 

[Arla]

The two men didn't have to genuinely sneak for long before the ship came back around. Floating not far above the ground, Arla strafed to the side and squeezed the triggers on the ship controls.

The laser cannons opened fire, tearing through the ground a decent distance away from the pair and drawing more than a few of the enthralled in the direction of the shots.

The enthralled seemed to burst to pieces under the blasts of the cannon, but everyone in the area would be able to sense the shift in the air.

The mare knew they were here, and it wasn't happy. A shrieking from within the obelisk rang throughout the area, and the thing that each of them would notice was that it wasn't just a sound... it was coming from within their minds.

 

[Altair Din]

“These things don’t infect you…do they?” He asked Reaper as they ran out into the field. He didn’t expect an answer - the man proved worthless in that regard - but it would certainly decide how Altair engaged. For now, he channeled the Force and punched them hard enough to bash faces in and make them drop. Whatever he didn’t punch, he snapped and twisted necks with the Force.

Thankfully, Arla began to provide the necessary diversion, all of the ‘villagers’ suddenly turning to walk in that direction. This was fortunate as Altair hesitated a bit when a little girl began to rush at him. She still had a teddybear clutched in one hand, clawing towards him with the other. The strafing caught her attention and spared Altair the task of destroying her.

The tiefling gritted his teeth as the wail of the mare exploded within his mind. He doubled down on his academy training on withstanding mental tortures if captured. It was painful, but he was able to use it to focus on where it was.

Fortunately, Reaper’s serum blood allowed him to track it and it confirmed Altair’s hunches. He followed the other man. Like Altair had told Arla before, many people had come out on expeditions but never returned. The upside of that was that there were speeders and other vehicles parked around the obelisk.

“Ignite the fuel tanks of each of those speeders so I can start the bonfire!” Altair called out to Reaper, pointing at the rows of vehicles. He wondered how valuable that fuel would be to hunters, but they had no choice but to use it.

 

[Arla]

No, they're produced by people who answer the Mare's call, he replied to Altair, and perhaps even that statement would send shivers down the Tiefling's spine for how close he had come to wandering out of that house and into the Mare's clutches.

Arla continued sweeping over the areas, cannons blazing as it tore through the walking dead. The splitting pain in her head, caused her to lose control of the ship for a moment and she was suddenly very glad for her droid who kept the ship steady. They need my help, she told herself with a shake of her head. She didn't trust Altair with the stranger.

After a moment, the firing stopped and she let the droid take the ship in the rest of the way, flying low and loud... low enough to almost nick the heads of the dead below.

The ship continued low and Arla moved to the ramp, dropping from it a small distance behind the two and bringing up her bow to send an arrow through the chest of one of the infected.

Meanwhile, Reaper raised his rifle and fired. It took three shots before the fuel tanks actually detonated, but detonate they did. The explosion caused a plume of fire and smoke to shoot into the air, and Reaper charged on, looking to get the door to the lair open so they could begin feeding the flame in... and hope the Tiefling didn't scorch him in the meantime.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair did indeed get a chill down his spine. He almost wished Reaper hadn’t answered. Altair had almost walked right out under its influence when he was half asleep. What if Arla hadn’t been there? What if she had also been asleep? He felt sick just thinking about it.

He glanced over when Reaper finally managed to make the speeders explode. As the hunter went to look for the door, Altair began to coil the Force around the flames to begin manipulating them. That was when he felt a pulse in his mind. The mare was angry and it began to realize what was about to happen.

“GET THAT DOOR OPEN NOW!” He shouted at Reaper, feeling pain surge through his mind. He had to work extra hard to keep his concentration with the Force. A few of the villagers started to run towards him and he panicked a bit, knowing he couldn’t focus on both defending himself and the fire. His head was in excruciating pain and it was a credit to him being a Sith Master that he was able to still resist. Unfortunately Reaper would feel the impacts as well and have to fight through almost immobilizing attacks on his mind.

“I CAN’T KEEP UP! OPEN THE DOOR!”

 

[Arla]

Arla moved after the pair, able to see Altair begin to stir up the flames and Reaper throw open the door ahead of them.

Light it up! Reaper yelled, leaping back and ducking behind a stone to avoid the literal flamethrower that was about to come their way.

In contrast to Altair, Reaper experienced the mental attacks, but it was the reason the hunters took the serum. As unpleasant as it was, he was still able to think and move and act as he needed. He swung up toward the top of the obelisk, drawing away the infected that had started to be drawn to the explosion. His rifle racked and fired over and over, cutting down the hordes with deadly precision.

For Arla, her mind was still being torn at. She could feel the strain and it was all too familiar. Like the creature that she and Vahl had unleashed. It was familiar and haunting, and she refused to allow it to happen again. If for no other reasons than pride and spite she drove forward, her head feeling like it was about to explode.

And then she did something she probably should not have done. She reached out and placed her hand on the back of Altair's head. The action bridged their minds, letting her power flow directly into him, but it brought with it a flow of thoughts and superficial memories that flowed both ways. She saw the farm where he grew up all that distance away and felt the care and compassion he had for those he worked with. There was a genuine goodness to it that she felt she didn't often see. She even felt his love for his new hound and the loss of his... was that a rat? All the same she could feel that same affection as if it were her own. It was a remarkably intimate action and one she would not normally have done without asking, but in that moment it was born out of desperation and pure survival instinct for them both.

She let him draw on her own reserves of Force-energy, putting herself on the line in a way that may well end up killing her. She didn't really know why she did it, but it was done.

 

[Altair Din]

“I…can’t..” Altair was having a hard time focusing. His vision was getting blurry. He wondered if he ultimately made the wrong choice by rejecting the serum. If this was happening to him as a Sith Master, he couldn’t imagine what Arla was going through. The tiefling gritted his teeth and focused as much as he could, the fire moving and swaying as he grew it from the original point of explosion. He knew the door was open, but it seemed near impossible to redirect the fire. He could hear the mare inside his head wailing like a banshee, unseen forces compelling him to abandon the attack and simply walk inside.

That was when something touched the back of his head and he felt a surge of strength pour through him. He wasn’t aware of his memories flashing in her mind, but he got some of hers. He saw glimpses of trees and fauna he recognized from Dathomir, he saw Ren shouting for some reason, he saw glimpses of the yacht. More than memories, it was the realization that this was Arla. While at first he would have pushed back against it, when he realized it was her, he allowed it in. He placed his faith in her just as she did to him.

His amethyst eyes got streaks of yellow as he channeled into the auxiliary Force reserves. The ground around him trembled and vibrated as he felt the Force channel through him in ways he had never experienced before. With a cry, he took a hold of the flames and directed them right through the door. The effect was far beyond what he could have done on his own - not only did the existing fire spray inside like a flamethrower, but he created more with the reserves from Arla. If she was still looking, she would see streaks of green fire coiling with the thick columns of fire that fed into the obelisk. Any enthralled would instantly melt against it, droves of villagers instantly dropping as they attempted to cross the fire barrier.

Altair started walking towards the structure, both hands poised in front of him as the fire grew and spread inside. He could hear the shriek of the mare both inside his mind and physically where Reaper would hear it as well. The mare pulled from his head, allowing him to focus once more. Altair didn’t ease off, hearing the obelisk begin to crack and protest under the assault. The shape of the building was such that it allowed the fire to surge upwards when it had no room to expand further. As a result, the fire devastated everything in its path.

Reaper would have seconds to launch himself off and away before he got incinerated. At this point, Altair was the only one that could tolerate standing anywhere near the building.

 

[Arla]

Arla was taken by surprise at how easy it was to lend her power and even her memories to him. It all flowed like water into him. She didn't need to see what was happening because she saw through his eyes. She saw the tendrils of green flame that flowed with the fire and poured into the creature's lair.

Reaper was forced to leap down, moving quickly and far away as the enthralled began to be consumed by flame. He turned back, rifle dropping slightly as he looked at what was being done, and he remembered just how dangerous Force-users could be. There was a twinge of jealousy within him that they were capable of such things simply by their essence of being.

Arla crouched down into a near-fetal position, maintaining the connection between their minds to allow him to finish it.

The obelisk erupted in a spectacular display of flame, shooting orange and green high into the sky.

She could hear the sound of the screeching within but now lessened. It was seeming to become more distant before a final screech filled the air before silence.

Arla nearly fell over entirely, placing her hands into the sand and breathing heavily before pushing herself back to her feet.

We're almost done, she said. We have to banish it before nightfall. The ritual is simple, she said, reaching up and rubbing her face. Now it was just left to delve into the lair and find the corpse and whatever else may lie inside.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair kept walking through the flames as he lowered them just enough to avoid having his hair burned off. He was furious and determined to kill the damn thing once and for all. From Arla and Reaper’s perspectives, Altair would disappear into the building entirely. The sounds of the structure failing and cracking could be heard as the obelisk threatened to collapse.

After a moment, the large figure of the mare was hurtling through the air. It landed with a heavy thud right by where Reaper and Arla were likely standing. Altair emerged from the fire, his torso entirely missing clothing and his pants half gone. His eyes were still yellow and he was still exhilarated from the rush of Force strength. With his horns, he manifested like a demon to walk towards the corpse of the beast that had terrorized the town and hunters for so long.

Altair came to a stop, glancing back only as the obelisk began to finally collapse. They were far enough to be unimpacted, but the entire thing broke and dropped. The impact flattened any remaining villagers that were scuttling in the proximity.

“Start the ritual,” He said quietly, just barely beginning to come down from the high of power he felt. It was similar to the rush he had on Mustafar. A rush that was dangerous.

 

[Arla]

Arla was going to go inside the building when it cooled, but Altair was already plunging inside. She moved up, trying to get close, but the heat was absolutely scalding even from here. She squinted, looking into the fire and hoping that he would... would be okay.

And then she saw him. Walking out of the flames and while some people may have thought he looked like a demon - fine, he kind of did - that wasn't what was on Arla's mind. Her mind was in a far more primal place as her eyes swept over the muscles and the way they flexed and moved as he dragged the massive, burned-out husk of a corpse out behind him.

Her eyebrows rose just a tiny bit her her silvery eyes didn't tear away from him for more than a moment. Yeah, yeah, she looked at the corpse, but she had to actually be shaken back into action by his words.

Right, she said, eyes now dropping back down to the creature as she moved over closer. She was joined by Reaper who held her up short, and before either of them said anything, he knelt next to the corpse, touching it with one hand and twisting his hand away from it and clenching down as if pulling on some unforeseen weight machine.

Immediately, the body began to shift and change, and Arla stepped back, nodding in the direction of Altair to indicate that this was fine. The body began to morph and twist, sending up a flash of lightning into the sky.

It'll only take a couple of minutes, she said.

And the other hunters will be able to sense it, he said. Whether they would arrive in time was another question, but he had no doubt they would be on their way.

Arla glanced over at Altair again, just... you know... keeping watch and making sure no one was sneaking up behind him. Very practical.

 

[Altair Din]

For once, Altair didn’t notice a girl gawking at him. He was too inside his own head and reeling from the surge of power. When the corpse began to shift and contort, the tiefling prepared to attack once more. However, the look Arla gave him calmed him and he let the two work on the ritual. Always having little interest in rituals and other activities like that, he instead walked back towards the ship when Reaper mentioned other hunters would be attracted.

“Be ready to bolt as soon as you’re done,” Altair called out over his shoulder, “We had a head start with our ship, but I bet the other hunters already started to give chase.”

He had a feeling Ice or whoever was already en route, just much slower than a ship. There was also the matter of Reaper - their job was done so it was time to part ways. Altair decided he would drop the man off where he pleased, but remaining here was sure to have him overwhelmed by the other hunters.

Altair kept a lookout, watching for any movement. After a while, he started seeing that familiar dust cloud. This time, he saw it coming from multiple angles. He immediately ran back to the exit ramp of the ship.

“Let’s go! Hunters approaching and I ain’t got energy for another fight!” Neither he nor Arla did at this point. The engines were already going and as soon as they boarded, he would take off.

 

[Arla]

It was just such a shame that Arla didn't have any clothes on her ship that would fit him. He would just have to remain shirtless until they got back to his ship. Oh the horror.

She kept her eyes sometimes on the horizon, sometimes on the banishing body, and sometimes on the ripped Tiefling to her left. You know, just the usual.

Her heart jumped a beat as he called out the approaching hunters, and she stopped once more to look back at the body as it compressed and banished into near-nothingness. The only thing that remained was a single kyber crystal with the stored essence of the creature: the thing that all hunters craved and sold, and the inkling of power that Reaper absorbed from his banished prey.

He snatched it up and they all piled back into the ship as it took off. She went to the viewport and looked out, seeing the hunters arrive just a bit too late. She let out a slight, disappointed sigh as she looked back at the lair. She wanted to search it and see if there was anything valuable inside, but the hunters would likely strip anything of value.

My ship's coordinates if you wouldn't mind, he said, dropping a beacon on the navicomputer for them as they flew. He probably should say... something. He wasn't technically out of the woods yet.

Some impressive osik, I'll give you both that, he said. What do you both get out of this anyway? he asked, seemingly the first time he'd asked a question out of curiosity.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was finally calming down from earlier, and he was glad to make a getaway. He gave Reaper a nod as he dropped the coordinates. It didn’t take them long to arrive at the location and Altair was pleasantly surprised when Reaper actually made some conversation.

“We prove the threat is gone and remove the Hutt from power,” Altair said plainly, “Claim the title of Daimyo,” He admitted. He didn’t really care for Reaper’s opinions on the matter - this was going to happen regardless. However, he did offer a datachip to the man, “If you ever wanna get outta here or need a favor, let me know,” Altair wasn’t one to not reward those that had his back in a pinch.

He already knew if he took up the position, he would have to cut some sort of deal with the Association. They had a big enough presence to where he couldn’t simply ignore them.

The tiefling waved goodbye to Reaper before it was just him and Arla again. The exhaustion hit him like a truck and he had to walk over to collapse into a seat. Altair was barely aware of his state of clothing, feeling drained from the ordeal earlier. He glanced up and gave Arla a tired smile.

“Thanks for your help out there,” He said quietly, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”