Ask Darkest Skies

Darth Tempest

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While she managed to maintain a relatively level head, Vahliri couldn’t control the way her lips tugged upwards and into a wide smile when Renfry threw in that compliment. It was no secret that the half-Annfyn viewed the former Empress as a role model within the Sith, and the fact that she was not only meeting the woman - but was getting on well with her - left Vahliri feeling positively giddy.

She stood behind and just to the left of Arla, listening intently as the two Nightsisters spoke. The vast majority of the magick discussion was above the half-Annfyn’s head, except for a vague of what wards were and what they did. As a result, the half-Annfyn only nodded along during the entire exchange. She didn’t miss the concern that laced Renfry’s voice, and that fact really didn’t put any of her own concerns at ease.

Her attention snapped back to Renfry when the farewells were spoken, her expression once more growing bright as a Life Day Tree. “So do I!” The half-Annfyn said brightly, idly running a hand through her dark hair. “I would love that. Thank you again, My Lady, for the help.”

Once the transmission ended, Vahliri finally turned back to Arla - unable to mask the surprise that spread across her features. Without warning, she reached forth - grasping the woman by the shoulders as if they hadn’t only met a few hours prior. “You’re mother is Darth Andruil!?” She said excitedly, smiling at the Nightsister. “You could have warned me! I’m pretty sure I had my mouth hanging open when that transmission came through,”

She shook her head a bit, finally releasing the woman. “Okay, that’s cool as hell,” The half-Annfyn promptly glanced over to the transmission message that was forwarded through, likely containing the incantations the former Empress had suggested.

“How long do you think it’ll take to forge them?” She asked, glancing back to Arla. “Any way I can help get it done?”


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Yeah... she said, almost pained in saying it. Vahl practically oozed child-like giddiness, and Arla just... didn't want this getting out.

Vahl grabbed Arla, but she didn't seem to think anything of it either. You can't tell anyone. Okay? she said, silvery eyes taking on a piercing intensity. Promise?

As Vahl mentioned warning her, Arla snorted slightly. What? 'Oh and by the way, I'm calling the former-Empress, Queen of Dathomir, who also just happens to be my mother,' she said, shooting a side-eye glance at Vahliri.

You wouldn't have believed me anyway, she said.

She felt her comlink buzz and pulled it out, glancing at the picture of the bottom of a page from her mother's grimoire. All the notes and drawings were handwritten many years ago and the pages were worn with age and use.

Her eyes slid over what was written as she made mental notes of what they would need.

Not too long. Do you have two necklaces or something that you don't mind having... permanently changed? she asked. It was Vahliri's ship, surely she had something like that, right? Arla could only hope.

She would have to make due with what she had since she was lacking any old parchments or specialty inks, which would also make this more difficult.

I'll meet you outside and I'll start carving the runes, she said, heading out to do just that and carving runes into the dirt similar to but different from the ones they had used to protect the ship.
 

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Vahliri paused for a brief moment, arching a brow when Arla very seriously asked her not to tell anyone. Of course, it only took the half-Annfyn a split moment to realize why the Nightsister would want that information closely guarded - an entire multitude of reasons that included her own safety amongst them. After a moment, the half-Annfyn merely clasped a hand on Arla’s shoulder and smiled a bit.

“Of course not,” She nodded, entirely genuine in her tone. “It stays between us and that’s all. Promise.” There was nothing more to be said on the matter.

The half-Annfyn blinked a few times when Arla shot her some side eye, critisizing the idea of warning her ahead of time. “Mm,” She starting, nodding a bit. “Good point, yeah. I probably would’ve thought you were full of shit.” The half-Annfyn couldn’t help but grin a bit, nudging the Nightsister.

When Arla asked about the necessary reagents, Vahliri paused for a long moment before nodding. “Yeah, I think I got something.” The half-Annfyn took in a breath and rose from her seat. As the Nightsister went outside, Vahliri stepped out of the cockpit and entered the lavish apartment of the yacht - striding over to the jewelry box that was sitting on a end table of her bed. She retrieved two items before turning on her heels and exiting the room,

It didn’t take her long to find Arla once more, stepping down the ramp to where the Nightsister was at work. Her eyes briefly flicked over to the runes that had been carved around the ship - a bit of concern lacing onto her features as she observed the glow was.. Fainter, than before. And at a far more progressed rate than either of them had planned. As it turned out, Vahliri’s rune work was a bit more sloppy than even Arla had anticipated.

“Take your pick,” As she stepped up to the Nightsister, Vahliri presented two pieces of jewelry. An amethyst necklace dangled from a platinum chain in her left hand, glinting ever-so-slightly against the low light. The second was a simple golden bracelet - accented with a few emerald gemstones along the wrist. “One for us both.”

She sat down beside Arla in the grass, watching the Nightsister for a long moment. “This spell,” She began, glancing up, “How does it work?” There was genuine curiosity to her words just then, eyes flicking towards whatever work had begun.
 

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Arla felt a slight relief of her anxieties as Vahliri promised not to tell anyone her secret, and she hoped the other girl would live up to it. But everything she'd seen from the other Champion so far led her to believe that she would, so she forced herself to relax a bit.

Arla smirked when she said she would have thought she'd made it up and then quipped back. You know, you're talking to royalty. Have a little respect, she said.

She snickered and headed outside, getting to work carving two sets of identical runes on the ground. She glanced over to her comlink repeatedly to make sure she'd gotten all of the angles and curves just right before she was satisfied. Then she double and triple checked them.

Are you familiar with Words of Power? she asked. It was a concept quite common in alchemy, but in her experience, alchemy was a dying skill in the Sith.

She placed a hand on each of the the runes in turn and spoke a single word. Droh. As she spoke the word, it echoed in the air and through the Force, channeling energy into the runes she had just laid into the ground. Her eyes flicked momentarily over to the runes protecting them and the ship, wondering how long they were going to last for before they gave way. But now wasn't the time to worry about that. Cah. Dume. she said, finishing the sequence and these words, too, resonated in the Force.

She took the golden bracelet for herself, but laid them each on a respective rune.

I'm going to channel that energy into each of these objects. Once they're primed, they'll provide a dispelling effect. Basically, whatever it is won't be able to come within about five feet... in theory, she said.

She channeled the energy of the runes, the planet, and herself into the objects, chanting in Dathomirian as she did. The entire ritual only took a few minutes, but Vahliri would be able to sense the energy perfusing the items almost immediately.
 

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Settling onto the jungle grass, Vahliri crossed her legs and knitted her hands together. Amber eyes flicked just ahead, watching intently as Arla began to carve her intricate runes into the damp earth. The half-Annfyn had seen.. Vaguely similar symbols in a variety of tomes back on Korriban, but Magick had never been her area of expertise. It was one field in which her knowledge was lacking, and the half-Annfyn progressively felt the call to delve further into every bit of information she could get her hands on.

“Uhhh.. Vaguely?” She said in response to Arla’s question, offering a small shrug. The half-Annfyn knew the fundamental concepts but likely couldn’t name any specific Words or the power that was infused behind them. Instead, she watched as the Nightsister went to work. A sense of genuine curiosity danced within her amber eyes, and Vahliri made a point to memorize the words that were spoken by Arla during the course of her ritual. She felt the energy that suffused into the Runes on the ground, as if storing a portion of her own energy for later use.

The half-Annfyn’s eyes followed the Amethyst necklace for a moment, lingering on the gemstone before flicking back to Arla. “‘In theory’ is like.. Very not encourage. Just saying,” She said with a tilt of her head, squinting. It was clear she was somewhat joking - but also not, cause It was still out there and they really needed these wards to work. For the rest of the ritual, Vahliri was silent - listening to the song of Dathomirian as the ritual was conducted. She felt the energies of the Force as they surged through the air, scintillating all around them before flowing into the pieces of jewelry.

It only took a few minutes - but once the ritual was complete, both of them would be able to feel the energy that flowed into the necklace and bracelet respectively. “Well.. It certainly feels like it worked,” She glanced over at Arla, giving her a nod. “Good shit, Arla.” She said, giving the woman a playful nudge.

And with no time to spare.

As soon as they both donned the jewelry, the sound of rustling would become clear within the brush just up ahead. The familiar sight of tendrils began to emerge from the dense vegetation - coated in ink of midnight black that stained and soaked deep into the earth. They slithered across the ground - they had felt the surge in power through the Force.. But were blind now that the ritual had ended. They could not pass beyond the barrier of the runes that surrounded the ship, and they didn’t try to. But they lingered nearby - searching for any sign of movement or presence they could latch. Any consciousness they could invade or mind they could twist.

It was clear they weren’t leaving. Arla and Vahliri needed to reach the mist-shrouded isle, and they would have to pass right by It to get there.

Just beyond the brush, both of them would be able to make out the slender, twisted vistage of the creature. Far closer than ever before - and yet somehow still shrouded behind the fog and mist.
[/justifty]

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Okay, it'll absolutely work to exactly five feet, she quipped back sarcastically. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite an exact science, but she was was confident enough to bet their lives on it. She trusted her mother and she trusted her mother's knowledge of this sort of thing.

Welcome to the fringes of the Force, she said. It was a slightly dramatic but exhilarating statement. These were the things that no one had done, no one had explored. It wasn't all categorized or well understood. It was subjecting the Force to your will in ways that others couldn't even imagine.

She slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and took a deep breath. It was time to test her creation, and that meant putting herself on the line.

You know, I heard a story about how architects used to be forced to stand under their bridges when traffic took them for the first time, she said. Guess it's time to test my creation, she said, walking up to the edge of the runes and pausing.

Here goes nothing, she thought to herself and stepped across. She could, of course, see the black tentacles all along the ground but she continued onward whether or not Vahliri would join her.

In fact, she went so far as to walk directly at one of the tentacles and as she reached only a few feet away it recoiled, slithering back into the jungle at her advance.

Well, that's a relief, she said under her breath as she took another deep inspiration.

Okay, off to the mountain top?
 

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Vahliri didn’t hesitate to aggressively roll her eyes. “Yes, absolutely, thank you.” She said, her words dripping with complete and utter sarcasm in response to Arla’s own. “That makes me feel so much better already,” The half-Annfyn couldn’t quite help the smirk that tugged at the corners of her lips ever-so-slightly as she spoke, but she was at least somewhat serious. These wards really, really needed to work. Her brow raised ever-so-slightly when Arla made her dramatic statement, though she said nothing about it. All the same, the half-Annfyn’s curiosity was sparked and likely would result in some studies if they survived their little expedition.

“Does the story mention anything about the innocent bystander stuck with the architect?” She asked with a grin. Without another word, the half-Annfyn slipped the necklace on - feeling the faint aura of energy that radiated out from the piece of jewelry. The moment Arla stepped outside of the ward, so did Vahliri - almost wincing as she crossed that boundary.

And yet, to her slight surprise - nothing happened.

Vahliri watched as It didn’t even seem to recognize them, and its ethereal appendages almost recoiled away from whatever warding Arla had cast. Vahliri blinked a few times before proceeding to stroll right alongside the Nightsister. “Never doubted for you a minute, babes.” She said with a grin. With adequate protection, it didn’t take the pair long to retrace their steps - following the path once more right into the village and towards the docks. The mist-shrouded isle was their destination - the source of It and whatever else lurked there - and there was no getting around it now. The villagers, unsurprisingly, didn’t come out to greet them - though both Arla and Vahliri would catch a glimpse of Hagra glaring at them through a crack in her blinds. “I’m starting to get the feeling they don’t really like us..” She muttered quietly.

“Looks like this is our way out..” Vahliri said as they approached the docks, eyes flicking onto a rowboat equip with a set of oars. It was their only real route onto the misty isle.. And so the half-Annfyn - despite her internal loathing - didn’t hesitate to climb into the rowboat. The wind whipped at the water all around them, sending sea-spray up into their faces as the vessel slowly but surely began to leave the docks and carve through the water - approaching the island ahead. The closer they got, the weather seemed to worsen - making the prospect of sailing back all the less likely in current conditions.

“What do yo–” Vahliri began, only to pause due to some shuffling behind her. The half-Annfyn immediately scrambled backwards, drawing the hilt of her lightsaber from her hip. Before she could ignite it, however, the half-Annfyn watched as a familiar face rose up out of an empty fish barrel left on the boat.

“Hellooooooooooo~” Wilbur rested his chin on the rim of the barrel, flashing his unsettling smile towards Arla and Vahliri.


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Arla not only felt good that they weren't going to die, but she also felt good about her success. Creating the amulets, getting them out of a jam... until she reminded herself that it was really her mother who had gotten them out of the situation. Those feelings of inadequacy began to claw their way back into her thoughts.

Easy, she said, trying to exude confidence that she wasn't really feeling. It hadn't exactly been easy but they had made it. Or at least they were on their way to making it.

Another slurping slither of the tentacles pulled her mind quite aggressively back to the present and she focused her attention on it as they made their way back into the town. She could sense more than see all the eyes on them. There was a distinctive way that fear seemed to cling to this place. It was an old and primal fear like one that they had all been born into rather than taught. She wondered just how long this place had been like this and how long It had kept them all trapped here.

You practically drop-kicked one of their kids, of course they don't like us, Arla said, shooting a scowl in her friend's direction.

They loaded into the boat and Arla was of almost no help. She didn't know the first thing about sailing but she made some concerted efforts to look like she was helping while she was, in fact, not really helping.

It seemed Vahl must not have known much about it either because before long they were breaking out oars and Arla... well, she didn't really want to do that either.

I'm sorry, royalty doesn't row, she said, trying very hard to stifle the grin that was pulling at her lips. They didn't get to say much more before Vahliri was jumping around the boat like she'd spotted a spider.

What the kriff Vahli- she said, jumping out of the way herself and almost falling out of the boat only to turn and spot Wilbur.

Wilbur! she shouted, face brightening up for a moment on seeing him before growing more serious.

Wilbur, this is dangerous, you should have stayed back at the village, she said, her voice taking on a more serious tone before her eyes flashed back to Vahliri. That look of "you freaked out over this" was easy to read on her face.

I knoooooow, he said. But you ladies seem to know so much and I thought you might be able to put me back the way I used to be. That if I came with you I might be able to be normal again, he said.
 

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Vahliri absolutely was not playing around when she sprang backwards and away from the fish barrel. Her hand flicked down in the direction of her lightsaber, and the half-Annfyn was prepared to cut the barrel into a thousand, smoldering pieces with a few elegant strokes of her blade. Perhaps Arla’s wards weren’t all they appeared. Or It was simply stronger.

And then Wilbur popped his head out of the barrel - smiling and happy as could be.

In an instant, Vahliri’s hand fell away from her belt - expression flattening into one of utter bewilderment and fading patience. She blinked at the sight of Wilbur, glanced back at Arla’s judgmental glare, and proceeded to offer the Nightsister a very colorful hand gesture in response. She didn’t really care that Wilbur was in full line of sight - as the kid had frankly seen much worse in his short lifetime.

Why you kiddddinggg me?!

The half-Annfyn couldn’t help but exhale through her nostrils. She wasn’t going to openly admit that Wilbur was starting to grow on her - but Arla definitely would see the way her expression softened ever-so-slightly, even as her arms folded over her chest. They couldn’t get rid of Wilbur at this point - but bringing a kid into this mess? Not to mention her own skepticism about the boys hopes. She glanced over to Arla, silently questioning if such a thing was even possible with Magick.

“This place is dangerous,” She said very simply, her voice a bit softer. For the moment, the half-Annfyn didn’t look as if she was prepared to dropkick the little demon child. “You stay on the ship. You stay hidden. We will go onto the island and bring you when.. It is safer, to try to fix you.” As Vahliri spoke, the boat gradually came to its halt - pressing into the beach of the misty isle. Both Vahliri and Arla would immediately be able to feel the darkness and dread that hung over the place. It made its home here. This was its true domain - and they had walked right into it.

“Here,” Vahliri reached for her belt, unclipping the entire pouch of rations she carried. Dried fruit, nuts and jerky - along with one of her two waterskins - were passed along to the child. “Plenty of snacks while you wait for us,” She smiled, stepping off the boat. Without another moment of hesitation, Vahliri pulled her saber - glancing to Arla. “A hedgemon’s quartet. Around the boat.”
 

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Arla saw the way Vahl's eyes seemed to soften a bit at seeing Wilbur again and hearing what he had to say. Fortunately, her Sephi heritage meant she managed to suppress any sort of external expression of that humor... for now.

She also saw the way Wilbur looked to her as Vahl said that he had to stay in the boat. Arla put on the same stern face that her Mother gave her when Arla was pushing boundaries. Don't look at me, you heard Vahliri, she said.

Truthfully, Arla didn't know if fixing him was possible. It was certainly outside the scope of her current skills, but that didn't mean there weren't possibilities.

Despite the dangers of the island that they were now on, when Arla saw the other woman hand over the rations and smile to the young man, she couldn't help herself. As they moved away from the boat and Vahl grabbed her saber out the moment she looked at Arla's face she would see that it held the absolute smuggest of smiles.

That smile, however, faded when she suggested putting down a quartet. Arla looked around at the ground around them and shook her head.

On the sand, it'll never stick. We'll have to be quick. We'll keep its eye fixed on us. Keep it blind to all else that moves, she said. Hopefully it would work. After all, they were the ones that were going to be going up to invade its layer.

She cast a glance up at the rising mountain above them and took a final steeling breath before taking her first steps up. The Force here was almost stifling, and though she knew it was always her ally, it didn't quite feel like it here. It felt like the Force responded to someone else's call.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing that she saw was that there was a path leading up the mountain as if people travailed this way frequently. Though who and why, she didn't know. And still no signs of the tentacles. Somehow that made it worse than if she had just seen them.
 

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Vahliri exhaled tensely through her nostrils - dark brows immediately furrowing in frustration. She knew Arla was the authority on all matters magical - and she didn’t question the Nightsister’s judgement. But that certainly didn’t mean that the half-Annfyn liked what she was hearing, either. Her amber gaze flicked back towards Wilbur, briefly lingering on the creepy but otherwise harmless child. She watched as he took the snacks happily, unhinged his jaw, and proceeded to crawl back into the fish barrel - fluted ears picking up on some happy, childish mutters about it being his ‘secret base’.

“Then we need to move,” There was a bit of firmness to her tone, reflective of the seriousness in their objective. “Kid is probably a homing beacon for that shit, so.. We’ll need to make some noise.”

Without another word, Vahliri pushed off from where she was standing - her attention turning to the clearly paved, mountainous path. It was clear others had the pilgrimage to the island - and whether that was voluntary or as victims was entirely unknown. The Force was palpable as they ascended higher along the steps - an almost overwhelming darkness that made every inhale of oxygen seem a bit heavier. As if invisible hands pressed down maliciously onto their chests. It was awe-inspiring and terrifying power, and it brought about faint pangs of anxiety from Vahliri. Pangs that manifested in the way she reached for her saber out of instinct.

“This place is ancient..” She muttered quietly, gesturing to the ruined structures and crude markers that lined the path. All of it eluded to whatever lingered in this place, it had existed there for centuries.

Minutes passed, and the route was entirely without incident. Not a single sound. Not a tentacle to be seen. Nothing but eerie, awful silence with every step across every cobblestone. And the unshakable feeling that they - somehow - were not alone.

As they began to approach the top of the path, however, Vahliri and Arla would suddenly feel far less alone than before. The mountainous pathway gave way to a mist-shrouded, ruined alter at the top of the peak - a pyramid-shaped structure located at its very center. Bodies uncountable - everything from skeletons to fresh corpses - were artfully laid across the ground, arranged into a variety of patterns and spaces like some sort of macabre, abstract painting. In almost an instant - the very air around them shifted. It grew cold to the point of drawing frost from their breathes, and that sickening sensation in their bellies only worsened. As they reached the peak, the pair had properly entered its lair. And there was no hiding from it once they had.

Even through the wards, it was clear they were being watched. It saw them clear as day - just as they had wished. Without warning, Vahliri and Arla would feel the Force surge around their artifacts - aggressively crushing down against the jewels before shattering each into a thousand, tiny pieces. The pair has clearly underestimated what they were up against, and no meager protection was going to help them here.

The mist around them parted - and the pair would be able to feel the presences that emerged before they were even visible. Slowly, dragging footsteps echoed - until the trio of monstrosities finally stepped into view, unholy noises emulating from their fleshly, tooth-lined mouths. It hasn’t shown its face yet - but it instead sent its servants forth to deal with the pair. It’s creations.

It’s children.
 

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Arla pressed on with Vahliri, offering no argument against them moving quickly and loudly. And so they did. They moved on toward the top of the mountain, traveling the winding path as they did.

Arla wasn't particularly given to fear, but she could barely make herself push forward. She could barely make herself put a foot in front of the other and she could barely overcome her desire to just suggest they leave. She may well have done just that if it weren't for the fact that she knew she couldn't leave. Something here had bound them both to this place and until that tether was broken, there would be no freedom.

Mother, maybe I should have had you come, she thought to herself. But no, she was determined to make her own way in this galaxy. If it killed her then she would join her sleeping Sisters on Dathomir.

The strangest thing was that her anxieties and fears almost seemed to dissipate when she saw the mangled bodies. Not because it wasn't horrifying but because it was physical. It was a very tangible danger in contrast to the overwhelming and oppressive sense in the Force.

That was until the amulets crunched under the weight here and Arla suddenly realized the two of them were already dead. They had no chance against this creature whose power was so far above and beyond their own. It was, itself, a despairing thought once again.

She was almost thankful for the sickening, disgusting creatures that emerged against them because, once again, it was a tangible foe. Arla's fear wasn't the physical, it was the power behind them.

Of course, those horrible things and their squelching sound almost made her turn around and bolt as well.

One of us needs to try to find a way to stop this thing, she said. And one of us needs to stay here to fight this, she said. Except both of them were already very much in the creature's eye, which meant sneaking off would be almost impossible. Stealth was out and brute force was out, what were their options now?
 

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Even if she couldn’t see It, Vahliri immediately could tell they were outmatched by the entity. Amber eyes snapped down to stare at the shattered remains of their artifacts - pulverized and destroyed as if they were nothing but fragile, pointless trinkets. The Darkness surged aggressively through the air around her, and the whispers that had been driven had suddenly began to claw at the edges of her mental defenses. Arla would be able to feel it just as well, and there was no denying that time simply wasn’t on their side.

They would break before long. And they needed to act before it went that far.

Beyond the mists, Vahliri could make out the vague outline of the pyramid-shaped alter - just barely visible with its dark silhouette. More than sight, however, Vahliri felt the alter. She felt the Darkness that swirled around the structure and the essence of life - from the very planet itself - that had been stored within the stones like some sort of battery. She had no idea its function - perhaps it housed the Entity itself in its full glory.. But she knew it was key to something.

As if to make matters worse, Vahliri watched as the trio of hideous, twisted monsters arose from the mists - long, tooth-lined tongues lulling out of their triangular mouths. It was clear that the creatures were not born of natural means - likely the very creations of the entity that lurked there. Without a word, Vahliri’s saber snapped into her right hand - crimson blade igniting snapping to life. The half-Annfyn knew they couldn’t overpower the entity itself. She knew they were going to lose..

But it simply wasn’t Vahliri’s nature to go down without a fight.

“The altar,” Vahliri said, lifting her blade into a defensive guard. “One of us needs to get to it,” She glanced over at Arla, giving the Nightsister a look. Only one of them was really qualified to figure out what the was. The half-Annfyn, on the other hand.. She’d be stuck providing a distraction against the minions.

Just as she began to step forward, Vahliri’s fluted ears flattened to the sound of a blaster going off just to her left. Without warn, two bolts of yellow plasma streaked through the air - striking true against the head of one of the creatures. It blew off gore-y chunks and ichor from the creatures and did little else - but it promptly drew the attention of all three. Emerging from the brush, Haggra stood with a rifle propped against her shoulder - her face scrunched up in irritation. The older woman was decorated in a variety of runic symbols - ones that Arla would almost certainly vaguely recognize, or know from similarity what they meant. Blood had clearly been their ink, and the only real question was whose.

With another distraction, Vahliri didn’t hesitate, reaching out with the Force - sending a concussive blast directly into the chest of one of the creatures. “Go!” She barked back to Arla.


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Arla knew that it was the only logical course of action, but that didn't make it a good course of action.

Vahliri's lightsaber lit in her hand, and Arla nodded. Don't die! she shouted and darted off in the other direction looking to loop around the weirdos in order to get to the altar itself.

Blasters went off and even Arla's somewhat stoic tendencies as a part-Sephi were overcome as her mouth dropped open upon seeing Haggra. It was a welcome but unexpected turn of events. Haggra was followed a moment later by more of what Arla had to assume were local villagers bearing weapons of their own. It would be overstating it to say that Arla now felt optimistic, but she at least felt better than she had moments ago when death was a certainty.

Her eyes swept over the runes but she was pretty much still in a full panic. She recognized some of them but for the life of her couldn't put together anything into a coherent plan. Instead, she had a voice shouting in her mind "you're going to die, you're going to die, you're going to die" which was entirely and completely unhelpful.

Think, Arla, she hissed aloud at herself, the fear being quickly replaced by anger at herself. Anger for panicking, anger for giving into fear, and she focused that anger into a mental laser.

She pulled out her hunting knife and slit open her hand, letting blood began to pull in her hand before smearing it in a mixture of symbols along the altar.

She began to chant in Dathomirian, invoking the power of the Spirits, the Shadow, and her Sisters to flow through her and into this place. She may not have been as powerful as It, but her Sisters were.

This, of course, only further angered It and even more of the squelching creatures began to emerge to waylay both Vahliri and the villagers.
 

Darth Tempest

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There was no small part of Vahliri that was loathe to admit it - but damn, was she actually happy to see Haggra, the decrepit old bitch crone was followed by a multitude of other villages with blasters and clubs and pitchforks, each of them bearing tunic markings across their skin as some form of primitive protection against the Entity. Even a quick glance would reveal that.. It likely wouldn’t last. It was the most basic of magic and hardly something of note, and the power of the being there eclipsed it entirely. But it didn’t need to last long. Only a few moments of relief might be enough. “Don’t just stand there - fucking attack!”

As the concussive blast flowed from her fingertips, Vahliri sprang into action - charging straight towards one of the disgusting creatures. She darted to the left - just past the swing of it’s elongated arm - and proceeded to carve her blade in an upward arc - slicing through several inches of flesh, just short of removing the limb entirely. It screeched in pain, immediately whipping around to attack her in response, but the half-Annfyn was already in the move once more.

As for the villagers? There weren’t entirely so lucky. Several blaster bolts found their mark and pierced flesh, and were only really successful in hurting and making the monsters angrier. Letting out a terrible noise, the Sith monstrosity darted forward - driving it’s claws through the open mouth of two men at once - piercing down all the way through their bellies before flinging them aside. Another pounced an unsuspecting villager, swallowing his upper body in a single bite.

Arla, meanwhile, would find the highest degree of success with her ritual. As the Shadow and power of her Sisters billowed forth - aggressively bearing down onto the alter, the Nightsister would feel the very earth beneath her feet quake. The Entity recoiled and screeched, and it’s pain manifested in the aura that drenched every corner of the island. Hairline cracks formed across the surface of the alter, all signals that her plan was working.

The Entity, however, wouldn’t let her off to easily. At once, it redirected its focus onto the Nightsister - attempting to worm its way into her mind while still commanding its other servants. She would feel the oppressive influence upon her and the way it attempted to drive her into insanity. She would see the same darkness befall a villager nearby, and witness as the man - without so much as a bit of hesitation - lifted up his own rifle to blow his brains out by firing two rounds beneath his own chin.
 

Arla

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Arla continued to chant her ritual, the power of Dathomir flowing through her even out here. She silently yearned to have her Sisters of the Forgotten Valley with her, supporting her and channeling their own focus, but they were not.

Cracks began to form all along the altar as if it, too, were being placed under incredible strain. The cracks seemed to glow, a mixture of red and green fire that physically showed the battle going on not only within it but also within the Nightsister.

She could feel It worming into her mind, it's power tearing at her until tears began to well in her eyes. It wasn't just despair, but physical pain. It pushed against her mental barriers until she felt like her head was going to explode.

After several moments, Arla's chanting became louder until it was yelling and finally a guttural, pained scream of agony. She let that anger fuel her, pouring into the ritual until the altar seemed to erupt. The fissures that had developed all along its stone face burst, and the altar exploded, casting stones of all sizes across the room.

Almost immediately, the attacks from the Children stopped and It's presence seemed... very, very distant. Not that Arla was aware of any of this. As the altar exploded, the Nightsister collapsed to the ground unconscious. The strain of the ritual, it seemed, had very nearly killed her, but she was still breathing and would come to in time.
 

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There was no reprieve throughout the fighting between Vahliri, the villagers and the Children. The creatures fought with frenzied and animalistic ferocity - their sole purpose in creation to protect the alter and the essence of.. Whatever the Entity truly was. Even then, the answer to that question wasn’t clear whatsoever.

While the half-Annfyn didn’t relent against one of the Sith monstrocities - even managing to piece the tip of her saber through its skull - the other two tore into the groups of villagers - slashing and devouring them without discrimination. It was only due to their numbers - sheer and overwhelming amounts of men and women who had taken up arms - that the peasantry wasn’t dispatched immediately. Blasters, blades, clubs, pitchforks - every weapon and common item imaginable to bear. It wasn’t enough. Not for long. But they didn’t need it to be.They only needed to buy Arla enough time to work her magic (heh).

It wasn’t until Arla began shattering the altar that the air around them began to drastically shift. In almost an instant, the temperature dropped to frigid levels - while the air itself drew stale and stiff. It was as if a new weight pressed the air from their lungs. It was reflected even more drastically in the presence of the Force - as if something impossibly powerful and ancient had descended upon them. But it was a familiar presence. It was the very same as the Entity, only it had swelled in its presence a hundred fold in a mere instant.

Something had changed. A variable that none of them had considered and that filled Vahliri with an overwhelming sense of dread. What had they set free?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Vahliri felt consciousness snatched out from under her breath - an oppressive presence that slammed against the mind and caused her to drop like a sack of potatoes. Just like Arla, she drifted off into darkness. And somehow, that was a fate better than anything suffered by those still standing.

That darkness spread, enveloping the villagers and the very Children that fought for it. With merciless strength, the Entity sapped the very life from those who had fought for and against it - causing the villagers to wither and its own monstrosities to fall apart, the very energy holding them together drawn out. Haggra, already in the twilight years of her life, dropped into little more than a skeleton contained within a loose sheathe of skin - eyes glazed over white. Such was the fate of every single one who had come to fight.

And then it was gone. In the blink of an eye, the Entity was unbound and a thousand miles away - retreating into the star-lit void beyond. There was no hint where it went. No trail to follow. Only the distinct absence of its presence from the immediate area. And while Arla and Vahliri wouldn’t be conscious to witness it, the pair would be forced to endure the visions that haunted their unconscious slumber.

As real as if they’d been standing there themselves, the pair would witness the altar being constructed during an entirely different area - smooth stone and structures that had clearly aged in the moss-covered structures of present. They would see the six Force Users - bearing all the trappings and marks of the ancient Sith - and the ritual they channeled to behind the Entity and its familiar presence to the planet. The rational - that the lowly-populated planet and its people were a necessary sacrifice, forced to endure its cursed presence - would dawn upon them.

Hundreds of years passed in a blink, and the pair would see how the Entity - over the course of a millennia - turned its prison into irs domain. Trapped and anchored to this plain, it lowly but surely spread its influence across every corner of the planet. Forgotten by the Empire and Arcanists who bound it. They would see cultists from several generations that had come to serve the presence bound to the altar - feeding it upon the essence of sacrifices and supplicants. They would see how it leeched off the very Nexus of the world to extend its reach. How it used its own prison to keep itself anchored to the planet despite the attempts of countless Jedi, and used that prison as a battery for itself.

And then they would see it broken. Freed from its shackles after a thousand years - the Entity retreated from this plane. It drew in every bit of strength - from its own creations and those unfortunate victims - and simply.. Was gone. Had it gone further into the Unknown Regions? Perhaps. Or perhaps like the parasite it was, it would seek out the next source of power to feed upon. It was impossible to say. But by the time Arla and Vahliri awoke, they would be left with nothing but a hunch. A whisper of its intentions that took them into the stars unknown.
 

Arla

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Arla had a sinking and horrifying feeling when she finally awoke from her dream-filled sleep that they had done something terrible. Not intentionally, of course, but inadvertently. It made her want to curl up somewhere and cry, not because of the lives lost but because of her own failure. She had worked so hard and tried so much, and everything on this mission had been a failure.

The amulets were destroyed, they'd released rather than banished the monster, everyone who fought with them was dead. And it was all her fault. She'd failed utterly, and the impact of that seemed to crack that normally steely resolve she had. At least internally.

She pushed herself back to her feet, and her face remained in its normally neutral state as she went over to check on Vahliri. The other woman was still breathing and coming to, and Arla took that as a good sign at least. It was a single good thing to come out of this whole fiasco. And the two of them were free... at least on the surface. She sensed they could leave, but there was no joy in it. She found herself grieving ever-so-slightly for Wilbur. She hoped he would find peace beyond the Veil because the two women he had placed his trust in had failed him miserably.

But at least they were alive, though she had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be their last run-in with It. It had surely left them alive for a reason, and she shuddered to think what it was.

Come on. Let's go home.
 

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Even after she awoke, Vahliri remained eerily silent.

Somehow, the half-Annfyn knew without a shadow of a doubt what she saw - what she experienced - wasn’t just a dream. And it only took a single look at the Nightsister to reveal that.. She’d seen it too. The vision real - as real as Vahliri and Arla were flesh and bone. And the Entity.. It had wanted them to see it all. To see exactly what it was, and to live with the knowledge of what their decisions had wrought. There was no victory to be found. No cause for celebration - only the haunting thought of what they had unwittingly unleashed upon the Galaxy.

“It.. Isn’t over, is it?” Vahliri said after a long pause, walking alongside Arla - following the very same trail they’d hiked only hours ago. “It left us here for a reason.” They were living and breathing, when they truly had no right to be. Though she couldn’t place it.. The half-Annfyn simply had an intuition, a mark upon her soul, that drew her further out into the Unknown Regions. Perhaps that was where It had fled, but Vahliri somehow knew that the Nightsister could feel it just as well.

The rowboat was left exactly where they’d parked it on the sands, and for a moment Vahliri almost hesitated to get closer. She.. Simply didn’t want to lift the lid of that barrel. She didn’t want to see what had become of Wilbur, and for whatever reason felt the twist in her stomach at the thought.

Before she could consider it more, however, Vahliri’s amber eyes flicked to stare as the barrel teetered a bit. And against the odds, Wilbur popped his head up out of the barrel.

“Hellloooooooo,” The child called out in his familiar voice, staring back at Arla and Vahliri. There was almost a somber, sad tone to his voice - as if the child could feel what had happened on the mountain above. It wasn’t entirely clear why the boy was alive - perhaps because he had done as he was told and stayed out of the fight. Perhaps for the same reason the two Sith were.. But he was.

Interestingly, both would be able to see how Wilbur’s appearance gradually - slowly but surely - began to return to its natural state. If Arla studied it closely, she might recognize it as a spell not so dissimilar to the flesh-shifting magicks of the Nightsisters. The changes were magical in nature, and without the presence of the Entity and its presence gone, there was nothing left to keep Wilbur twisted the way he was. All the while, the boy just.. Smiled.

The pair had succeeded in their task for Wilbur. But what had been the cost?

Vahliri finally glanced over at Arla and Vahliri. “Yeah.. Lets get the hell out of here.” Almost certainly with a new passanger with them.


@Phoenix
 
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