Ask Dangers in the Night

[Elidan]

Elidan had stopped in Malastare totally by accident. His ship needed some emergency repairs and the planet was the closest one for him to stop by. At first he thought that it would be a quick visit, with him hoping to leave as soon as his vessel was repaired. However, the problem ended up being more complex than he expected.

More exactly, it was going to take two weeks. He had survived the first one, now there was the next one.

The Knight was now dining in a cantina in the city of Pixelito. He had been spending most of his time here, trying to find anything distracting to save him from the boredom. Elidan tried to find people that he could heal, to show that he could be useful. Unfortunately, the locals weren’t very welcome with him.

Some chased him away with sticks. Sticks!

In his attempt to distract himself, Elidan even bought an entrance to watch a pod racer, something that he never thought that he would do before. The half-Annfyn couldn’t wait for his ship to get ready.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

A Jedi's work was never done. In this case, that work meant going out to Malastare because of concern about some wild animal attacks. Wild animal attacks that were a bit unusual. The people who had been attacked weren't eaten or dragged off, but just left there dead.

That wasn't the normal hunting pattern of anything in the area, and animals hunting for sport were a dangerous prospect. Even more concerning was the idea that maybe it wasn't actually animals doing it but maybe some sort of serial killer or the like. Whatever it was, it had fallen to Vanya to find it.

When she'd set down on planet, she'd been surprised to hear she wasn't the only person in the area with a lightsaber, and although the reports hadn't sounded like Sith - indeed they sounded more like Jedi - which made Vanya decide to go seek them out.

She pushed her way through the crowded podrace, told she was looking for someone "elf-like with long hair." Well, on a planet full of Dugs and Gran that made picking him out of the crowd pretty easy.

A few moments later, she spotted him and he was familiar. She didn't think the two had ever actually had a conversation before, but she had seen him in passing at Jedi gatherings before.

Hi, I've seen you around before but I've never actually met you before. I'm Vanya, she said, giving a little awkward wave.

 

[Elidan]

Elidan was in his seat waiting for the podrace to start. The half-Annfyn was holding a flier with information about the racers, including their age and stats. Apparently, it was used by bettors to decide which one of them they were going to bet. Since he had interest in betting, the Knight simply used the paper to know who the racers were.

He soon noticed that there was rivalry between a Gran and a Dug, with their fans also screaming against each other. In fact, the crowd was split between the supporters of each other. With Elidan standing in the middle, not sharing fanatical feelings with any of them. He would not be surprised if a fight happened after the race.

The Knight was already seeing himself breaking it.

A familiar voice brought him back to reality. Elidan immediately turned, seeing Vanya waving at him. He smiled and waved back to her. The two never interacted much beyond the time that she saved him in Corellia. However, he knew how to be friendly with people. Especially with war heroes.

“Hi.” he signed back to her. “I know your name. You are very famous.” the half-Annfyn smiled, before offering a hand for the Dathomirian to shake. “I’m Knight Elidan. Are you taking a break from the Crusade here in Malastare? Or did your ship need repairs like mine?” the last part was a joke, but he didn’t know if she would understand this way due to the sign language.

His cheeks got red with the idea of Vany feeling offended.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

This was all a very new experience for Vanya, and it was... kind of icky. She scooted her way through the crowd, and by the stars, every step of the way smelled like people drunk as a skunk. Overwhelming scent of alcohol filled the whole stadium and it was so loud.

By the time she got to the seat next to the other Jedi she was already really not sure about this whole event, but she needed to get out and try new things, and this was a new thing. She felt like everything she touched and saw was going to give her some weird new disease, though.

Alas, Vanya did not speak sign language, and she gave a flick of her eyes toward the droid as it spoke on Elidan's behalf. She would get comfortable with droids someday but that wasn't today it seemed.

She chuckled slightly, almost a little bit uncomfortable and her cheeks took the faintest bit of greenish tint to them as he mentioned her being famous. She still wasn't really sure how she was supposed to respond to that. She'd become one of the faces of the Jedi, and it was... weird. She wasn't even a very "good" Jedi.

She shook his hand and slid into the seat next to him. She had little care for where people fell on the Crusader-Traditionalist split, she cared about people doing things no matter what name they did it in.

No, I actually came here because there was a concern about some attacks in the area, she said before frowning and realizing something.

Do you need a ride somewhere? she asked as he mentioned that his ship wasn't working.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan pretty much shared Vanya’s opinion about this entire situation. The loud sounds of the crowd were painful, even more to someone with keen hearing like the half-Annfyn. The smells were also terrible, being a mixture of sweat with alcohol that made the Jedi struggle to not vomit.

He was pretty sure that people already vomited somewhere.

If it wasn't for the fact that Elidan was trying to experiment new things, he would have left this place a long time ago. Honestly, the half-Annfyn would have never entered this place to begin with.

The Knight immediately noticed how Vanya’s cheeks got green and concluded that it happened because his words had embarrassed her. This thought was enough to make a faint shade of pink because he felt ashamed for embarrassing a war hero. Now the two Jedi were staring each other with blushes in their faces.

It wasn’t the first impression that he wanted to cause.

Vanya’s voice broke the awkward silence, leaving Elidan grateful. He widened his eyes when she mentioned the attacks. The half-Annfyn had heard something about it when he was having lunch early that day. “No, I’m waiting for my ship to get fixed. It’ll take a few days.” he explained. “I heard about these attacks. Are they caused by animals? They seemed so strange.”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya tried not to linger on the awkward moment. Perhaps the two of them were going to be a little bit too awkward for each other, although she had to admit that Elidan was... nice. Sure, there were plenty of nice Jedi, but there were plenty of people who weren't, too.

She glanced back to the droid as it translated, finding herself not sure whether she should look at the droid or the Jedi. What was the proper convention here? She was not all that great at that stuff, and she felt like whatever she did was probably going to end up being rude.

She almost blurted out asking why he didn't speak, but that would have been really rude, wouldn't it? Still, she was curious.

Yeah, it's really weird, and it makes me uneasy, she agreed. She'd only really heard a handful of rumors and none of them were that helpful.

I'm going to head out and take a look around the area. I could use some help, she said, looking around at the place they were in.

It almost might be more pleasant than this place, she muttered under her breath.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan noticed the way that Vanya stared at his droid, immediately noticing that she felt uncomfortable with it. The half-Annfyn frowned, thinking deeply about what he should do. He didn’t want his fellow Jedi to feel this way while talking with him, but this was the only way that they could communicate. Well, he could type his words in the Datapad and show it to her.

However, it would make him feel uncomfortable. Perhaps even a bit humiliated. As if he wasn’t allowed to use an important way of expressing himself, being delegated to struggle with a device simply to express himself, a right that was basic to all sentient beings.

He couldn’t do it with himself, even to avoid making someone feel uncomfortable.

The half-Annfyn wondered what type of animal could be attacking and leaving a Jedi like Vanya feeling uncomfortable. He contemplated going with her as backup, deciding to do it when his keen hearing allowed him to hear her whispered comment. Indeed, tracking a wild beast through the jungle seemed to be more appealing than staying at this place. It would be more silent and smell better.

A grimace appeared on his lips when he saw a Gran vomiting in a corner.

“I’ll go with you.” Elidan signed, before jumping out of his seat. He didn’t want to stay here any longer. “Can you tell me more details about these attacks?”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya's discomfort around droids was consistent over her years, although despite that, she didn't actually say anything about it. Droids were a part of life in the galaxy. Always were and always would be.

Let's go, then, she said, perfectly happy to be moving on from this place. She heard the faint sound of the speeders zooming around the track time and again. It was a dangerous sport and ended in death too often it seemed.

She started making her way out of the stadium as they continued to speak.

Not much, to be honest, she said with a shake of her head.

Half dozen attacks over the last two weeks, most of the bodies mangled and destroyed almost beyond recognition, and seemingly no one has either seen what did it or seen evidence that the bodies were actually eaten, she said. In other words, it didn't sound like a normal animal.

In the meantime, they had the opportunity for a chat.

Soooo, how'd you become a Jedi? she asked. That was like... a normal conversation topic, right? Yup, checked out.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan followed Vanya out of that place, right on time that the race started. The screams became even louder and the mood of the people in the audience got more violent. The half-Annfyn was pretty sure that a fight would soon start and he didn’t want to be caught there when it happened.

The first vehicle exploded when they crossed the exit of the stadium.

It was really a dangerous sport.

The half-Annfyn paid close attention to Vanya’s explanation about the attacks. It vaguely reminded the Knight of a surplus killing, where a predator kills more prey than they can immediately eat and abandon them. However, even in these cases the animal would still eat something. The fact that they were also mangled didn’t match the way of acting of any predator that he knew.

“It’s really strange.” Elidan signed, now understanding why his fellow Jedi had decided to come investigate. “Maybe it’s a serial killer? They could be trying to pass themselves off as an animal.” he shrugged, maybe it was a bit far-fetched. But, if he had learned something watching the CSI series and reading about real cases was that these maniacs were capable of anything.

He scratched the back of his head, the story of how he became a Jedi was a long one. “Well, I was left in an orphanage in Chardaan when I was a baby. The only thing that I have from my parents is that necklace.” he showed the object to her. “When I was three years old, the people of the orphanage saw that I made a ball float to my hands. They called the Jedi, and I was tested and sent to the Temple of Ajan Kloss.”

Ajan Kloss. It had been a lifetime ago, but he could still hear the scream of his friends while they were cut down by the Sith. If he closed his eyes, Elidan could still see the scene. “You are from Dathomir, right? I heard that it was there when Renfry was killed.” his hands were shaking a bit, still affected by his memories of the traumatic event that left him struggling to talk. An event that had Renfry’s fingerprints all over it.

“How did she die?” he asked, not sure if the answer could give him any satisfaction. Even if Renfry was tortured a thousand times, it would never bring his friends back. Elidan had let it go a long time ago, but he still wanted to know. A small part of him, the one that used to laugh with his friends and sing in the now corrupted gardens of Ajan Kloss, and that was now crushed by the loses of his life, still hoped that she had find peace in her last breath and perhaps even regret.

Sometimes he was such a fool.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

I thought that, too, she said, nodding as he mentioned a serial killer. She had hunted someone similar out on Drearia, and it still left memories in her mind that still periodically appeared in her dreams. Horrors performed by one person on another, and no matter how much she saw of it, there was always something new to shock her.

She bit down on her lip without even realizing it, her breath coming with more difficulty as she remembered the things she had seen. Horrors and evils that made her skin crawl and made her eyes sting with silent, unshed tears.

She shook the thoughts from her mind. There was no point in dwelling and ruminating on the evils she had seen.

She listened intently to his story, and like so many others it was tragic. People who had lost everything, bent on payback or justice or something else. People called it what they wanted, but there were more than a few Jedi who devoted their lives to vengeance under other names.

The mention of the Nightsister Queen brought up memories that Vanya rarely spoke of.

I was there when she died. I fought her, she said, probably the first person she had told about the incident.

I took her arm and the Imperial Grand Marshal dealt the final blow, she said. It felt like a lifetime ago now since that had happened. Many had felt she was a traitor to their people for siding with the Imperials, but most from her Clan understood. It wasn't out of any great love for the Empire but out of a desire to purge her world of the touch of Raze, his Queen, and the Sith.

She died fighting, she said. She had fought the woman and even helped kill her, she'd lost Sisters doing it, but there was a certain measure of respect she had for the woman.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

He noticed how Vanya reacted with the possibility of a serial killer being responsible for the killings. She was visibly affected by it, and Elidan immediately regretted having mentioned that possibility. The half-Annfyn placed a hand on her shoulder. “Whatever it is, I know that you are going to stop it. You are an incredible Jedi.” he smiled, trying to comfort her. He also believed in that, since it was due to her leadership that they were able to win so many battles.

“I see.” knowing how Renfry died brought no satisfaction to him. It would not bring his friends back to life. “When I was a child shortly after the attack on Ajan Kloss, between depression and panic attacks, I dreamt of killing her to avenge my friends.” he confessed, staring at his feet. Elidan felt ashamed for ever having those thoughts.

“With the passing of years, I realized that it was pointless. They would never come back, and there was no purpose in executing revenge because they were in peace as part of the Force. These feelings only fueled rage and I would not be better than her if I decided to pursue them.” it took a long time, but finally realizing it made Elidan feel at peace. “Now I can only wish that Renfry could also be at peace.”

“Anyway, enough of that conversation.” he signed, trying to change the subject before he started crying about the depressing events of his past. “How did you join the Jedi?” Elidan was curious. Since Vanya said that she had worked with the Great Marshall, he expected that she would have more affinity with the Empire.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Wanting to kill her just makes you a person, she said. There was a world of difference between thinking of something and acting upon it. To want vengeance for the death of family and friends... that was just the natural way of being a sentient person. To be human, so to speak.

How Jedi interacted with those thoughts was a hotly debated topic and at the core of being a Jedi. For Vanya, who was raised a Nightsister, she had been taught to embrace emotions but not to let them consume her. To embrace, control, and eventually let go of them. Her views were contentious in the Order at best. Big surprise there: Warden Vanya had contentious ideas.

Vanya gave a nod as he spoke of finally coming to peace with his thoughts. Anything she would say would be small and empty. Vanya knew that Renfry had found peace with her ancestors, and despite going out to war against the Nightsister Queen, she didn't bear hatred in her heart toward the woman.

I think you both eventually found peace, she finally said.

The change of topic, as it turned out, might not have been as much of a change of topic as he had intended.

Years ago, my Clan was conquered by Raze and the Queen, she said. She hadn't been born yet but she knew the stories well. The Singing Mountain had long been the antithesis and rival to the Forgotten Valley.

The Nightsisters allied with the Sith, spreading darkness and cruelty. When we finally threw off that cloak, I decided I wanted to change what was spread. What my people were known for by the few who knew them. To push back the evil that had spread unchecked for so long, she said. And thus the Crusaders were born. Warriors who did just that. She sought for allies and found the Jedi.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan remained in silence, thinking about what Vanya had said. She was right, he could have thought about killing Renfry, but never have acted to turn them into action. This was what separated him from the Sith, not allowing himself to be consumed by these thoughts.

When Vanya started talking, Elidan immediately regretted making that question. Obviously that it would be related to some traumatic event, one that was caused by Raze and Renfry. He shouldn’t be surprised that most of the Jedi these days had their lives touched by their hands. Even after dying, their legacy of destruction had remained in the scars left in their victims.

“You are doing a great job.” Elidan signed, a small smile appearing on his lips. “If it wasn't for you, I think that the Crusade would never have happened. People are calling you the Savior of Ithor.” her actions are making her pretty famous around the Rim. The half-Annfyn had heard the stories during his travels. After Corellia, it would be a matter of time until the Core Worlds also knew about her.

“I never was a warrior, but I want to help too.” Elidan didn’t have much interest in lightsaber combat, even if he wasn’t terrible at it. “So, I’m doing my part by traveling around and healing people. Sometimes I also visit planets where battles happened to take care of the wounded or help rebuild. I hope that other Jedi that didn’t join the Crusaders would do the same.” however, since they lacked leadership, it was difficult to organi\e anything.

“It could be a good start for both sides to work together.” Elidan signed, showing off his hopeful personality. However, it made sense in his mind. The schism in the Jedi Order wasn’t that absurd and could be mended.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya smiled slightly at his compliment, her cheeks once again turning just a shade green as he said it.

Thank you, she said. In truth I feel like I'm just running around putting out fires as they spring up with a spray bottle or something, she said, snickering slightly at the mental image. It wasn't quite that bad but it certainly felt like she was a under equipped fire droid.

There's a lot of things that need doing off the battlefield, she said. I'm horrible at politics and not much use with healing or rebuilding either, she said. She knew a bit about growing crops at least and had a good connection to the green ur-Spirits, but she seldom found herself growing and nurturing things these days. In truth, she'd always been more warrior-huntress than farmer and beastmaster.

She thought for a moment if she really had any other marketable skills as a Jedi other than fighting. She was much more Knight than Jedi. A Crusader, you might even say. She didn't regret it, but she did sometimes question it.

I was upset when so many wanted to stay with the traditional Order, she admitted after a moment. But I've come to realize that it's no less - maybe even more important - what most of you do than what I do, she said. She got all the glory for herself on the battlefield, and she certainly wasn't afraid to get up in the faces of the traditionalists that called her a bloodthirsty, warhungry non-Jedi who was a step away from the Dark Side, but people like Elidan... made her realize that most of them had the same goals, didn't they? Non-Crusaders had come out to fight on Corellia and against the Killiks. They were all still Jedi.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Vanya’s smile left Elidan smiling too. She was cute when blushing. That thought made him want to punch himself. All the time that he thinks that someone was attractive, the half-Annfyn ended up making a fool of himself due to a ton of different reasons. From people seeing him only as a brother to some already in relationships. He has no luck with that type of stuff.

This time he wasn’t going to think about the cuteness of others. With his luck, Vanya probably already had a husband, a nice house, a loth-cat and two children waiting for her. Okay, he probably exaggerated this line of thought, but she probably had a boyfriend. Or girlfriend.

“Maybe you need to change the spray bottle for a hose.” Elidan signed, releasing that it probably sounded stupid. “I mean, you could change tactics. Maybe you could establish a military alliance between the Crusaders and planets that are also tired of being threatened by the Sith and Exalted. They could unite to fight against them. Seek more spray bottles to turn it into a big waterspout.” now it was his time to blush. “Sorry, it’s stupid.”

“Healing is my thing, but I’m not good with diplomacy.” he pointed at his throat, stating the reason. “Selective mutism.” they walked near a bush on the sidewalk. There were some flowers and buds, with one of them having fallen and was hanging from a twig.

Elidan noticed it and picked the bud. “I can also do it.” the half-Annfyn used the Force to make the bud blossom. “Plant surge. Grandmaster Voran taught it to me when I was still a Padawan. Sometimes I help local farmers recover their production after the conflict ends.” he twirled the flower in his fingers, before offering it to Vanya. “For you.” a pink shade appeared on his cheeks and the desire to punch himself returned. Now how he was going to justify it? “A tiny gift for all the effort that you did to protect the Galaxy.” that was a quick recovery, he could tap on his own back for that one.

Her words made Elidan reflect about the future of the Jedi as a whole. “I’ll do my part to make both sides work together. The non-Crusaders need to see that you aren’t warmongers.”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya snorted as he mentioned a hose instead of a squirt bottle. Yes, that was the goal more than he knew. The Crusaders were raising an army and ships. Bilbringi's alliance was a powerful tool for expanding the war efforts.

Vanya frowned in confusion as he reached the end of his suggestions and then apologized and said it was stupid.

Why? she asked. That's pretty much exactly what we're doing. Unless you're saying I'm stupid, she said, looking at him deadpan. She was toying with him a bit, managing to hold her straight gaze for a moment before biting her lip to try to hold back a grin.

She listened as he talked about his healing, and there was a part of her that was a little bit jealous. Well, maybe jealous wasn't really the right word, but she had great respect for healers. They were perhaps the most Jedi of the Jedi and everyone loved them. They changed people's lives for the better and there was no death and destruction left in their wake. She wondered if the healers resented the Crusaders for the destruction they caused that the healers had to put back together.

She took a deep breath in to wash the thought away.

She watched him pull a flower from the tree, causing it to grow more and speaking of the former-Grandmaster. Voran was an enigma to Vanya and not in the best way. She was one of those that Vanya had so verbally denounced. She wondered at what kind of relationship Elidan had to the woman.

Her thoughts were pushed aside yet again as he handed the flower to her and she smiled warmly.

Thank you, she said, tucking it behind her ear as they walked on. It was a planet so largely devoid of life, dark and open mining fields it was nice to have something that wasn't dead and empty.

I appreciate that, she said. Hopefully in time our actions will speak to the rest of the Order as well, she said.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan's face got pale when Vanya asked if he thought that she was stupid. The possibility of having offended the other Jedi made the half-Annfyn feel terrible, because he hated when his actions ended up hurting others. “NO!” he screamed, before releasing that they were in the street and people were staring at them. “I mean, you aren’t stupid! You made the Jedi do something useful after years of doing nothing! You are really amazing, cute, brave and…” he stopped babbling after noticing how the woman was biting her lips.

“And you are toying with me.” Elidan crossed his arms, while looking at her with a hurt expression that only lasted for a moment. A large smile appeared on his lips. “I think that I should have seen that coming, but I meant all that.” then he noticed that he was talking. It was becoming more common for him to engage in conversations, in the past it would take a long time until he was comfortable enough to do that.

Sometimes Elidan wondered if there would be a time that he would feel entirely comfortable to talk and would never use sign language again. It would be a bit sad, like losing an important part of himself.

He smiled when Vanya accepted the flower. “See? I was right, you are cute.” his cheeks got pink again, before turning away. “The problem is that not everyone has the vocation to war or to rule sectors, some of us want to study the Force, others to do diplomacy, or take care of the archives and some only want to heal people.”

“Maybe it was time for a total reformation in the Order, and turn it into something where all these parts could co-exist and not oppose each other.” he shrugged. Elidan was only a Knight, understanding these things could be beyond him. “Perhaps not the best example, but look at the Sith. They reformed themselves from the rule of two to what they are today. Even if I hate to admit it, they are doing well. Meanwhile, we remained with the same structure for centuries and suffered a schism.”

“I think that we could rethink several things, like the role of Council, for example.” they don’t have any leadership at the moment and still didn’t know how to replace them. “Sorry for talking too much, but I had these thoughts for a long time and never had the chance to talk with someone that could understand it.”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

She watched as he realized that she was teasing him just a bit, seemingly flustered over himself.

Yes, just a bit, she admitted.

I'm cute? she repeated, not sure how to take such a compliment. She wasn't sure exactly how to react to that.

Uh... thank you, she said, looking a bit deer in headlights at the statement. Wait, was he talking? He could talk? This only raised a lot more questions in her mind and being Vanya she kind of - probably rudely - blurted them out.

Wait, you talk!? Why all the... uh... sorry, that was rude, she said, realizing it was, in fact, probably very rude. But also now she had questions.

She thought about what he said about the Rule of Two and the Sith and she thought about what Ezra had once said to her about knowing about your enemies and what they wanted. It wasn't wrong that there were things they could learn from the Sith, but there was a great deal of danger in such thoughts. She already knew that her Crusaders often drew too close to that path anyway.

I don't have the answers either, she admitted. She wasn't sure anyone did. The Jedi had been fractured, but she had some hope that they would be drawn together again somehow.

Their conversation had passed the time and they arrived at the scene of the first crime not long after.

I hope you are not squeamish, she said, but if he did healing and any sort of battlefield healing at that, then she was sure he had seen horrible things. Maybe not worse than the mangled and twisted bodies that were strewn about the area, but at least bad things.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”Uh..” Elidan said, having finally noticed that he had called Vanya cute two times now. “Yeah, you are cute. A lot, by the way.” the half-Annfyn’s cheeks got pink again, while he scratched the back of his neck. He should think twice before saying some things, because now he couldn’t even give her a good explanation.

Thankfully, Vanya changed the conversation to the fact that he could talk, saving him from embarrassing himself even more.

“Yes, I can talk. It’s a long story, but I can tell you later.” they already had talked about traumatizing events and Elidan really didn’t want to bring those up so soon. After they finish dealing with the attacks, the half-Annfyn would tell her the whole story. “It’s a psychological condition, but I got better with therapy.”

He remained in silence when Vanya said that she also didn’t have the answers. He wondered if there was anyone in the Galaxy that could give them the answer necessary to solve all the problems of the Order.

Then, the two Jedi arrived at the first crime scene. Vanya’s warning already left Elidan prepared for what they were going to see. “I’m not. I had seen very bad things before.” he said, flashes of his friends being cut down by the Sith came to his mind. “I’ll be fine.”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Oh, well that's good, Vanya said as he mentioned he got better with therapy. She had never been the best with things like "empathy" and "comforting" and "knowing what the heck to say." So, she picked a nice, neutral option and didn't press further to make him relive any more trauma than she already had today. It seemed she had a tendency to bring out... something in people.

Okay, she said. Saying "good" would have been a little backwards, but at least she knew he wouldn't lose heart or lose his head at the sight.

There were three bodies in total... she thought. The pieces of them were strewn all over the street outside of a local cantina. The neon lights of the building somehow made everything worse as they flashed to light up the dead pieces, highlighting them as if to say "look at us."

She had seen plenty of dead things before and plenty of mangled things, but the thing you never quite got used to was the smell. The scent of rotting flesh that hung in the air even now was stifling and gag inducing. She almost gagged audibly as she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.

The bodies were torn into pieces, the body bearing marks that showed clean cuts. Huge, deep, clean cuts that weren't animal claws or teeth. No, this was something else.

@LouJoVi