Event Dive into the Unknown

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan grimaced.Nothing helpful about this place they'd all come to and the landscape was simply ominous and strange. As much as he enjoyed figuring out the hows and whys and reasons of any given thing, this was something dangerous.

His boots carried him along with the others, fingers tapping idly against the helmet he kept in hand against his hip. The ship caught his attention and he paused, brows raising at the sheer age of the vessel, but he didn't recognize the exact model beyond 'old' given his personal preferences. It must have landed like they had for whatever purpose and been left here. Morgan turned away after a few moments and kept walking. Maybe it could be safely retrieved if this 'Entity' was dealt with?

Morgan turned to look when he heard Emryc's voice and saw he'd been pulled away by the old ship. An amused smile came over his face. Of course the half-Sephi was interested in the antique craft. The Firrerreo's presence brushed against Raze's in lieu of waving saying as the group began to separate out and golden eyes examined the passages laid out before them. He trusted Raze and his companion could handle themselves.

There was work to be done. Morgan considered each path carefully. A path of runes, a path of darkness, and a path that seemed all too ordinary. He glanced at the acolyte who hesitated in front of the dark path. "Keep in contact. This place cannot be trusted." Morgan stepped up behind Malou. Even the limited light of the outside reflected off his pupils like a hunting cat's, his other senses natural and not alert to movement in the black.

"Shall we go?" Stolas began to make his way into the shadow-filled and most mysterious path on the right, striding with a light and even pace. Exploring on an ominous planet in a cavern filled with darkness, why, it almost like a game.

@lizziie

 

[The Storyteller]

While Renfry pulled out a notebook and began painstakingly copying down every rune she could find in precise detail, the others had begun to spread out and go their separate ways.

---​

Outside at the ship, Raze would be able to continue to look at the ship and his further glances would reveal that one of the hatches on the top of the ship was unsealed by snow and ice if he chose to cut his way through. What he would find inside or nearby was a mystery, but he may choose simply to pass on into the cave with the others. Either way, he would begin to feel the winds blowing over the plains, bringing a deeper chill to him as he stood there.

---​

Malou and Stolas headed off toward the darkest tunnel. The light would slowly fade behind them, and while that may go unnoticed by Malou, even she would begin to sense something shift as they progressed further.

The darkness could not be banished away and even her senses in the Force seemed to be diminished. It wasn't just darkness that they had walked into but rather an all-enveloping void. Their sense of direction was gone as well as all visibility. They would begin to feel as though their movements were slowed and restricted. Cold would run over their bodies the likes of which they would have never experienced before. To push forward or turn back was now the decision that lay before them.

---​

Down the central path, Bir would find that the lights continued to elude him, but many splits lay ahead. It was a confusion of corridors and to his left he would hear a crumpling as if rocks were falling over each other. To his right he would catch a glimpse of something or someone as if there were another being down here with him as yet all but unseen.

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou couldn't decide if she was relieved by Darth Stolas' presence, or unnerved by it. She went with relief, as she was already unnerved enough by the atmosphere around them. No matter how he might have felt as they ventured into the tunnel, he exuded a quiet confidence in his words which, at the very least, helped to calm some of her nerves. She had nothing to worry about when a member of the council was leading the way, ...right?

The further they went into the tunnel, the harder and harder it became for Malou to see. It was not an issue of light; the Force seemed to weaken and weaken until she could only see steps in front of her from the Force she carried with her. She was rendered just as blind in the Force as she was with her own two eyes. Her steps became heavier--like lead had materialized in the soles of her boots--the further they went, and a bone-chilling cold settled into her skin. The acolyte began to experience a strong sense of fight or flight from the changes in environment as her heart rate began to increase.

"I cannot see." She would continue to move forward, but she would inform Stolas of her predicament. She did not know if he had any amount of visibility. The acolyte would reach her hand out to find the wall opposite of Stolas, and when she did, she would drag the tips of her fingers along it as they walked. The stone was cold. Everything was cold. "Can you?"

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Amon Aldinari]

Amon couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at Red's remark about his reaction to his friend's appearance years ago. "Oh yes, because just painting your body a color easily translates into researching players and the right bets. You didn't even know what the app was called." This had been his pastime before he had even been a Sith and it would be a fortress he would easily be able to defend every time Red brought it up. It had been his living and a subject he knew extensively, there was always a trick up his sleeve and even one in his back pocket when it came to fantasy.

It was about to be dropped but then Red couldn't help himself and made a bet on one of Amon's own players. The young man just stared at the half-Sephi for a brief moment before shrugging nonchalantly, "Deal, easy money. It will be highly enjoyable when I wipe my asshole with your face. I hear your currency is made out of good material." It was a 50/50 on who had the better odds and the two would just have to wait each day for practice reports. The Sith still had quite some confidence still on his side.

The rest of the group entered the unnatural cave, the stillness that he had felt growing thicker and thicker with each step toward it. But before he could reach any farther, Amon simply noticed that Red had walked off and toward the abandoned ship, leaving the group to their own devices while they explored. He casted a glance toward the cave and then to the ship, quickly debating which to do. At first, his thoughts aligned to the cave as that had been the original mission but he realized he simply didn't know anyone else in the group besides Tia and she had given him a present to think about with the ash stains on his pants.

Deciding to follow his friend instead, who also couldn't get in trouble, Amon spun on his heel and made his way toward the ship. He eventually caught up to Red and would stop shoulder to shoulder with him as his gaze would roam up and study the impressive ship. Without saying a word, Amon pulled out two cigarras, finding them a reasonable shield against the eerie feeling the location gave off. One was handed off to Red and the other was placed into Amon's mouth as he lit it before tossing his zippo lighter to his friend.

"Don't worry, you won't bore me with the details." He said sarcastically as a puff of smoke escaped with his words. Amon already walked toward the ship as he knew how Red suddenly liked to take off.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Bir Vuul]

Left. Then right. But wasn’t this just where he was? Turn back. Go left. There was the light! Wait; where did it go? Bir’s frustration grew with each passing moment, with each turn he took though never feeling as though he had made any progress whatsoever. As he continued his adventure, deeper and deeper into the twists and turns of the cavern passages, the voices and murmurs of his fellow Sith continued to dissolve into nothing. No, he was now entirely alone. Alone and lost.

”Always the fool, always the fool. Yes, a fool you are, dear Bir,” the Kel Dor mumbled to himself as he pushed on, doing his best to try and remember which turns he had taken so as to have a clear idea on where to go should he need to turn back. Unfortunately, his growing annoyance with both himself and the confusing tunnel system began to submerge his already broken psyche further into lunacy.

Approaching another fork in his path, Bir came to a stop in a huff of anger. He had had enough of this game. Scrunching both eyes closed behind his goggles, he decided it was time to let go of his anxieties over tapping into his talents and caled upon the Force, letting the power he possessed guide him. Yet just as he was about to find his center and begin to reach out, the crumbling to his left snapped him from his near-meditative state, his lightsaber snapping through the air and into his left hand with the blade hissing to life only to see… nothing.

”Gahhhhh!” the Acolyte roared, slamming his metallic right hand into the walls of the tunnel with such force that the section began to crumble around his enclosed fist. ”What is this place?! Where am I?!” Bir continued to holler, his rage slowly dominating his madness and instilling in him something of a sense of clarity though with no more of an indication on where he was than before. It was then that he felt as though there was something watching him from the other section of tunnel he had not yet explored. Glancing over his shoulder, he could swear he saw the shadows of… What, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was another Sith, also lost and unsure of where to go next?

Bir would turn on his heel and began to hastily pursue the shadow, his lightsaber still ignited in his hand and at the ready to sear through whomever it was that stalked him if they proved to be a threat.

”Come back! Yes, back to Bir!” he would demand, his tone oozing with frustration and anger as the soles of the fucking boots he forced himself to wear slapped against the rock floor with each step.

@Phoenix​

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Her wrist-link had started to buzz with incoming data from bringing the woman to a pause while the rest continued toward the cave. The readings that graphed on her holopad were nothing near anything she had seen, spikes and dips in places that were not even possible as slowly she turned to look back at the ship that they just had exited and then back to the ominous skull cave. The group had already moved ahead and she stood in the cold and mist that seemed to grow heavier around her. The redhead huffed as she looked back down at the holopad, entering a code to reset the numbers and for it to take a new reading.

Tiamat sighed and slipped the holopad back into her pack when she realized she was not going to get a reading she could understand. She frowned as she realized the group had quickly disappeared within the cave and in the faint foot prints lead to the crashed ship told her others may had gone to check it out. Her brow furrowed in thought and then continued to the cave where the Force continued to feel...unnatural. And not in the sense of the dark side that she was familiar with, nor the intensity of when she was in the nexus, this place...was well, she was certain no one was sure what was happening here. She glanced at her wrist link, watching as the numbers flickered and blinked, her senses feeling just as off as her devices.

She saw a figure ahead, but no one else, "Renfry?" she asked, crossing her fingers that it was her and not a ghost. She wasn't ready to deal with ghosts or spirits.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Stolas]

The two Sith entered the shadowed pathway, Morgan just two steps or so behind the acolyte with strides even and steady. He gave off the apparance of confidence, cautious but calm, even as the dark and cold began to steadily envelop them.

Weight bore down on him that reminded him of home, the way he walked shifting from the usual light steps. An unnatural chill came over him and the burning fire within rose up to meet it and keep him at least from shivering. The light behind them faded and whether through the Force or his own eyes, Morgan's sense of his surroundings was restricted.

"Only you." And with the cold sapping their heat Malou's form was nearly blending in with their surroundings. Their ideas were the same, slender fingers finding the rough stone to the Councilor's right. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of their footsteps, the gentle movement of skin on stone, smelling the scents in the cave before them, felt the movement of the air against his skin and clothing. If there was something that meant to hide here, he would try to sense it with what he still had to use.

"If you have a fear of death, acolyte," he said in quiet and even tones, "Sharpen it to wrath when it comes to call."

@lizziie @Phoenix

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Do I fear death? It honestly wasn't something that she'd ever spent any amount of time thinking about. Sharpen it to wrath? How could she turn fear into wrath? What about the possibility of dying might cause her to become angry? It originally sounded strange to the young acolyte, but it didn't take her more than a moment to realize what death meant to her. Whatever this was, it was a test of her strength. She refused to let whatever this thing was kill her. Turning her fear of death into wrath, it turned out, would not be an issue.

"I understand." Malou continued along, fingers dragging across the wall until suddenly they disconnected from the stone. She stopped immediately. She knew the tunnel had not curved, because her fingers would have traced the curve. Malou stepped back and returned her hand to the wall and felt for the change in direction. The stone cut away at a sharp angle. This might be a cavern...

Not exactly keen on calling out to listen for an echo, Malou drug her foot until she felt a rock against it. She gave it a solid kick and waited for the sound of it hitting the ground to appear.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Despite his misgivings and the terrible pit in his stomach that came with proximity to the cave, Jaikus continued into the cavernous maw alongside the rest of the group - only sparing a momentarily glance for the ship that so-enthralled Raze and his companion. The Marauder casually drug his fingers along the wall of the cave as they walked, the talon-like nails of his gloves catching against every groove and divot in the stone. After chasing that eerie glow around seemingly every corner, the narrow channel finally widened into a larger chamber – that eerie blue glow illuminating three separate pathways to continue.

A choice was ahead of them, and Jaikus was less than pleased by the prospect. If this Entity was half as powerful as Andruil described it to be, then dividing their strength in three different directions only imperiled them further against what was to come. Still, a decision had been made and there was no arguing it at this point. The only thing left to do now was pick.

The Axxilan watched Malou and Stolas vanish down the darkest of the three paths, citrine eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded the pair before flicking to the left. The central passage, the one chosen by Bir, appeared to be entirely plain when compared to the others. Still, something about it made the Marauder’s skin crawl. Recent experiences had made the Jaikus weary of such places as this, and it seemed unlikely in his mind that the central passage was half so benign as it seemed at first glance. Or perhaps Bir just wasn’t his choice of company? Either way, the Marauder summarily decided against that path as well.

With the other two passageways eliminated, citrine eyes naturally turned to the path that curved to the left, the walls lined floor to ceiling with runes of ancient origin. As Andruil had, Jaikus picked out a point on the wall and began to closely inspect the symbols and marking, running a hand against where they had been chiseled into stone.

As was to be expected, most of the symbols were as foreign to the Marauder as they were for Andruil, the origin of who carved them and their meaning remaining a puzzle that he was unable to piece together. Despite their undecipherable nature, Jaikus still made a point to copy down as many of the different symbols as he could on his data-pad, keeping them archived for later use. Perhaps they would come in handy further into the cavern, and if not, the Marauder still intended to research them further once they had concluded their business on the planet.

Tucking the datapad away back into his pack, Jaikus narrowed his eyes once more and started to walk deeper down the rune-lined passageway. He hadn’t the slightest clue what lie ahead of him, moving forward was seemingly his only option.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s eyes narrowed. He prided himself in doing extensive research and making calculated bets. He had known about fantasy Huttball long before he had ever met Amon. However, that wasn’t what came out of his mouth as a sharp quip to his friend.

“Pretty sure your girlfriend wanted to find out if the paint went all the way down to my dick,” Emryc pivoted and shifted quickly as he spoke to avoid the inevitable punch coming from Amon.

No one suggested Emryc was a lesser fan and got away with it. No one.

The Sith Lord walked towards the ship, swiping the cigarra and lifting the helmet flap to draw from it. The Force coiled around him before he sprang up into the air and landed on the top of the ship. Emryc drew out his saber and began cutting through it. The top panel fell off and he glanced into the pitch dark inside.

“Looks sketch in there,” Emryc muttered as he exhaled a cloud of smoke, “All right, Curls, I’m flipping a coin. Heads I go first,” The Sith Lord took out an ISC coin that had Governor York’s (@Isen )face on it, flipping it in the air. He slapped it down and grinned behind the helmet, showing Amon the coin. He politely gestured for Amon to jump in first.

@Orbit

 

[The Storyteller]

Malou and Stolas progressed down the tunnel, consumed by the darkness. Where moments ago the Force had neglected their call, they would still feel a presence near them. Its precise form and shape - or indeed whether it even had a true shape - would be elusive to them.

The darkness would continue to be stifling, forcing the air from their lungs and perhaps even sending them, choking to their hands and knees. It continued to pour into their minds, threatening to suffuse their very beings, turning them into an extension of itself.

Out of the darkness, a voice would be heard by the pair. Its words would be foremost heard in basic, but they would hear echoes of the words in every language they understood. The voice was deep and unnatural, twisted in a way that no machine or man could willfully mimic.

Wrath. You speak of wrath as if you could know anything but fear. You are insects toying with power that is beyond your minds to grasp. Turn back.

@Mr. Teatime @lizziie

---​

The hatch that greeted the pair of huttball enthusiasts was carved open after only a few moments. The interior of the ship was filled with an odor of must. They would be thankful that the icy weather had stifled the more profound of the smell.

The passage they entered was one of the main corridors that ran the length of the corvette. They were near the cockpit already only a few dozen meters away while one could assume the engine room could be reached at the other end of the corridor, though it was well out of sight in the darkness that swallowed the hall.

Rooms lined the hall on either side and a thick layer of dust covered the corners of the hall.

@Sreeya @Orbit

---​

As Bir stumbled through the central corridor, his pursuit of the something would give him a momentary glimpse of a short, hunched form. A wild lock of gray hair or fur could be seen for but a moment before the thing slipped around another corner again.

As Bir rounded the corner, he would have to watch himself. A small drop off of only around eight or nine feet led to a second ledge below where his quarry appeared to have vanished. While an easy enough drop to make, slipping off in a full sprint was as likely to break an ankle as not.

From the ledge, he would be able to see a small tunnel just below leading back in the direction they had come from but at a lower level than the path they had used for entry. Inside the tunnel, Bir might even believe he could see a pair of small, beady, yellow eyes reflecting what little light there was down here.

@Tulos

---​

The deathly wisps of wind that Tiamat felt would, fortunately for her, subside once she reached the main room. She would find that Renfry was still studying the rooms within and looked back to see the redhead Sith approach.

The Nightsister gave a quick, distracted wave in her direction before turning back to her work.

Have you seen runes like these before? she asked as the other Sith Lord drew closer. They are... not normal. They almost give off their own power even though they are mostly not anything I can read, she said before catching herself. You can almost understand them anyway, she said, more to herself than to Tia.

Stolas and Malou went right, Jaikus left, and... she shrugged indicating she had no idea what the name of their stowaway was ...I don't know, coo coo ca choo was talking to himself in the middle one, she said, motioning to the various tunnels in the event that the redhead wanted to continue exploring with the others. Not everyone found this work as interesting as she did.

@GABA

---​

Down the left-most path, Jaikus would seem to have little by way of confrontation. He would snap pictures of the runes, puzzle over their meaning, and continue on. The runes would continue to line the wall the entire way, but if he was observant, he would notice the symbols begin to change. Where they began as simpler symbols and shapes, they would begin to superimpose on one another, running along as if a single message.

He would feel himself drawn to look at them, everything else beginning to fade into the background. As if craving a drug, he would have to resist. But did he want to? As he looked for longer, he would begin to feel as though the Force was closer to him. Things that had eluded him would begin to be clear. The ways the Force connected living beings. As he had once passed from ignorance into knowledge when he was first introduced to the Force and taught to use it, so he would have the same sensation again. As if he had never understood even a fraction of the Force until now.

@Altaris

 

[Amon Aldinari]

Amon knew that his comment wouldn't slide and earn a reaction, that's why he said it. Red followed up by commenting about Amelia years ago and it got a slight one from himself. It was a bubble of anger that popped as quickly as it formed before returning to the regular flow of his emotions. Being quite possessive, it was words that easily found his way under his skin but it had also been years ago and wouldn't have been as big as a sting as it would have been. Both of them still knew how to push each other's buttons.

If Red had stood next to the young Sith still, a punch would have most likely come but it was being worked on after the amount of trouble it had gotten him throughout his life. The two of them had broken out into fights before, multiple times and both had ended up with bruises or sometimes even worse. One of the reasons he suspected that he was still alive was because Red knew Amon couldn't help himself sometimes and also the fact that both of them respected the notion and traditions of street fighting, using only fists to settle a problem/debate and leaving it after that. "Pretty sure we were both curious about your commitment."

They both jumped on top of the ship, the ice making the landing difficult but doable. At first, he was going to search for a panel but there was too much ice. Red then cut open their own entrance before offering to flip a coin who went first. Amon opened his mouth but then his eyes glanced down into the veins of the ship. It was tight and constricting hallways and a wave of uneasiness washed over him. No remark was offered and after the coin was flipped and revealed who won, Amon just cast a glance toward Red and then back to the hole, "Great..."

His friend would be able to feel that it wasn't terror that radiated from, just uneasiness and uncomfortableness. Amon usually worked through it but it took a moment. After a few seconds, he scratched the bottom of his nose with a swipe and tightened his lips around his cigarra. With a single step over, he dropped down easily into the ship and landed in a crouched position in the hallway.

Amon remained in the position at first, ready to jump out if anything happened. But, he glanced around and stood up slowly, calling back up without looking, "It's good." There were signs on the wall and with a wipe from his gloved hand, he was able to read the word, "Bridge."

Grey eyes would swing over to Red once he joined him down below, a shrug offered afterward, "Blackbox?"

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Bir Vuul]

Bir’s breathing became increasingly rapid as he chased after the mysterious creature that seemed to call this cavern home, but he never broke stride. Yet no matter how hard Bir pushed himself, albeit not using the Force to accelerate his movement due to the amount of turns this never ending maze seemed to provide, he could not seem to close any ground between him and his ‘prey’. It certainly was proving to be a much more elusive quarry than the poor womp rat that resided within his belly.

Rounding another turn, Bir felt his feet slip off the edge of the tunnel floor as the sudden drop came into view. Casting his metallic hand outward in search of something, anything to grab onto and prevent his fall, he would feel his fingers dragging across the stone until finally they found a protrusion that was sturdy enough to hold him and his weight. Just as it had during their descent into the world’s stormy atmosphere, the section of Bir’s shoulder that transitioned from flesh into metal ached from the sudden jolt but he was ultimately able to hold himself in place for the moment.

Scanning his surroundings, unsure of where the beast had gone, Bir finally noticed the landing below him. From his current position, dangling from the tunnel system he had been lost in, he could not get a good look at what existed beyond the entrance to the shaft. All he could see was darkness, until finally a reflection of light revealed what looked to be two yellow eyes, peering up at him.

Perhaps he should have been afraid? He was alone and lost, after all. Ah but it seemed he was always alone, left to survive in his madness. This was no different than any other day and his insanity silenced most forms of fear he was to experience. Most.

Perhaps he should climb back to the tunnel above and return to the others, telling them he had found another series of tunnels that lay lower within the cave? Would he even be able to find his way back? Likely not.

No, Bir decided to push on. His saber still in his left hand, his right keeping him from falling to the ground below, the Kel Dor would place both feet on the cavern wall behind him and focus his attention on the landing ahead. He would need to use the Force if he wanted to make the jump given his current circumstance, and use the Force he did. Propelling himself across the short cavern, his arms would swing wildly until finally his boots touched the tunnel floor, his momentum forcing him into a roll.

It took Bir a short moment to regather himself, the darkness of the new tunnel much more than what he had grown accustomed to. Igniting his blade once again, Bir held it ahead of himself as he pursued the yellow eyed creature that had eluded him as he muttered incoherent and nonsensical profanities, his pace somewhere between a jog and a steady walk.

 

[Darth Stolas]

If Firrerreo had hackles they would be raised. The black was a heavy like a weighted blanket, chilling and choking as it dried to drown them. While none could see the councilor's skin shifted sharply toward silver tones and the fire in him roared to life at Malou's side, an implacable fury fed by everything else the man felt.

It kept him standing when he knees wanted to bend and forced air back into his lungs when the air was difficult to breath, defying what it could of this strange being's influence. A Drast did not kneel before a challenge. They stood tall before the storm. In mixed tongues Morgan heard the voice speak, fangs bared instinctually at the unwanted intrusion of his mind. Every word was turned over and examined as his eyes could see no expression and his ears could pick up no depth and shift of tone in the unnatural voice. Even as a chill ran down his spine he remained stubborn and determined.

'Turn back'. A genuine warning, or an expression of its own fears? His senses searched for the shadowy presence that seemed to be near them. If this place was trapped or warded that meant it hid something that didn't want to be found.

"I find your words vague and unconvincing. What is this place?" The hint of a low, throaty growl rumbled through his voice. He did not like this at all, but thus far he was not deterred. If he was not so stubborn and ambitious a person he would not be here in the first place.

@lizziie @Phoenix

 

[Asminys]

The sudden lurching of the ship left Asminys unable to get any sort of snide remark in return to Darth Raze's insult. Asminys caught himself by the backs of the chairs and held on tightly. As the others began to file out, Darth Asminys began to follow, but felt compelled to do something. A vague, insistent thought in the back of his mind drove him back to the cabin, to the armor there. Donning the armor and mask, Asminys spent a final moment starting at his legs. The armor's undersuit came to a sealed joint that connected to the place where he ended and his new legs began. A memory of pain and a sweeping jedi saber arose unbidden.

Unwelcome.

Darth Asminys shook his head. He was wasting time. The others were likely well ahead of him by now and he could not abide being 'last'.

Springing to his feet and making his way out of the ship, Asminys abhorred the way it felt to walk on these foreign legs. He could sense the others out in the distance, but he could not run to catch up. He could run, and run he did, but the legs upon which he ran were dead and muted within the force. He could not channel his anger into a faster step or a jolt of speed. Instead he plodded nearer to the group as they entered the cavern, and arrived at the split in the cavern as the others had chosen their routes.

Closing his eyes in the juncture, Asminys reached out within the force, his mind racing down each tunnel. The Councilor Andruil and Lady Tiamat lay to his left, as well as another Sith further down. To his right he could sense nothing. Nothing but darkness. A flicker of the vision mode on his goggles revealed more of the same, so he focused his attention on the center path. Reaching out with hand and mind, Asminys felt the crazed acolyte's presence, his aura sickly in the darkside. But there was another presence, lurking further ahead in the cavern, unfamiliar to the Sith Lord.

He strode forward in a light run into the center tunnel of the branching tunnel system. Eyes scanning the tunnel walls as he ran, Asminys caught the scuffs in the dirt and rock left by Bir's feet. He was not shocked to find another set of scuffs that the marauder ahead was now following. He increased his pace as his eyes and feet followed the tracks through the dark tunnel. Not out of concern for his fellow marauder...

He just wanted to be the one to do the killing, if killing was to be done.

Coming up on Bir as he dropped down below, Darth Asminys did not break his run. He had one chance at this and he would hit it running. The hunt was on.

Skidding on metal feet as he approached the lip, he would do a slight hop over the lip of the edge to drop down on the ledge he had seen the other sith leap down from. Spinning to land facing the entrance of the new tunnel below, Asminys eyes settled on the back of Bir's head as he dropped. Thoughts of coming down to land with his saber planted firmly in the back of the other Sith's head fluttered across his mind and his palm itched for the hilt at his waist.

It would be so easy.

He landed next to Bir as a shower of dirt and pebbles rained down on the other Sith. His muscles screamed to burst into action, to swing his saber and disembowel the Sith from the side with a flash of red saber as he turned his head to lay eyes on the Acolyte. His eyes first rested on the alien's breath mask, a simple rip with the force and he would choke there on the cavern floor. Then his eyes landed on bit of dirt and gravel that had settled in its new home on his shoulder.

"You have dirt on your shoulder." Darth Asminys stated through the mask before turning his attention down the new cavern, peering into the darkness, his senses open to threats ahead. If nothing attacked immediately or caught his attention, the Sith Lord would stride purposefully into the lower level tunnel that travelled back under the tunnel above. Deeper into the darkness.

@Phoenix @Tulos

 

[Jerex Dorn]

Sure, going to a forsaken planet located somewhere within the unkown regions of the galaxy in order to gather more info about a creature that was certainly no good was...Well, not the best of ideas, one would need to be mad, delusional, too curious or too confident in their skills in order to try something like that. Thankfully, the sith had no shortage of that kind of people! And when it came to Jerex, he was most likely part of the first and third category.

A chill went down his spine when they approached the planet, he felt goosebumps once they entered the cave and he stared in awe behind his helmet of ren as he took notes of the runes that decorated the walls, strange things that he would of course research in the future, however, he would take basic notes for the time being, it was obvious the interesting stuff was hidden deeper within the caves and he didn't want to be left behind.

If the old Sith had been part of the people that entered each passage first, he probably would've chosen to go to the one devoid of light, but alas, splitting their forces meant that it was for the better if they were split more or less evenly, so going down the one in the middle, only explored by an acolyte and a single sith lord, was probably the best call.

Jerex did follow Darth Asminys at a good pace, following who would obviously be the leader down that path, he could tell there was something in there other than the Acolyte, and he wanted to know more. So, Jerex landed next to the two other sith, his fall much gentler than that of the Darth as he dusted off the acolyte's shoulder with a smile behind his helmet before following the sith lord once more, gleeful but also alert, it had been a while since he had been part of such an adventure, after all!

@Tulos @Arclight

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat let out a long sigh of relief when it did turn out to be Renfry and not some stupid ghost. She didn't feel ready to deal with any of that quite yet, in fact if there could not be any of that nonsense here, she would be content. Though with how things were going so far, there was something definitely here, and possibly worse than any ghost or spirit. Her steps were quiet as she approached the Dathomiri queen who was busy scribing all she could find on the walls.

Tiamat glanced at the woman's notebook at then back at runes; even though she was not as knowledgeable in alchemy as Renfry, Tia could tell there was something different from other runes and as she gasped at the Force that surrounded them, there was something about the aura they held that put Tiamat at an unease. A discomfort that didn't stir fear, but concern as to needing to decipher their meaning before they went any further. Then again, they were past that point as Renfry mentioned how the group split and they entered the tunnels. The redhead frowned.

"So is there any way that we are sure these don't give instructions on which tunnel to enter?" she grimaced at the idea of not following instructions and yet they were already moving ahead. She took a step back and started to look for patterns in the runes, a technique that helped her figure out the hypergates and the coding used in their activation. "Any of these look like the alchemy symbols you've seen?" she asked, as she approached another group of symbols, raising her figers over them and using her senses to feel further in the energy it emitted.

@Phoenix

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou did not have time to listen for the rock's impact to echo, as within moments of her kick the air around her and Stolas thickened to a paste and left her gasping for air. She stumbled, falling to one knee. One hand dropped to the ground and pushed against the ground while the other steadied herself on her knee. She could not see, she could not breathe, and she could barely hold herself up while the man beside her stood firm and fought. The acolyte could feel something trying to seep into and engulf her mind, and it took everything in her to keep it at bay. For several moments she continued in that position, feeling as if the wind had been knocked and locked out of her lungs.

It was not until the voice spoke that Malou found the strength to force herself to her feet. You speak of wrath as if you could know anything but fear. You are insects toying with power that is beyond your minds to grasp. These words evoked an anger in her similar to what she'd felt during the party on Serenno, or how she would grow quietly furious any time her father scolded her for keeping her eyes closed for too long. It was a rage she only felt when she thought she could do nothing in a situation. But she refused to be subjugated to the condescending words of whatever this thing was, so she stood.

She struggled, but she stood. Her hands steadied her as she fought against the weight of the entity and sucked the stale air back into her lungs. She could still not see, but the heat in her chest allowed her to stand and breathe. He had been right; now that the time had come, wrath had strengthened her. She refused to fall victim to whatever was here, even if fear wailed at the edges of her mind.

Malou did not reply to the voice, as Stolas already had. Truthfully, while she had found the strength to force herself back to her feet, speech was probably beyond her at the moment.

@Mr. Teatime @Phoenix

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc paused and turned to Amon, grinning beneath the helmet, “Is that so?” He said with a tone of mock surprise, “Sorry to disappoint, Curls, but I’m only into men prettier than me.”

He waited as Amon jumped in, peering down as he heard the thud. He could hear the other man shuffling around and he stayed atop the surface until Amon called out to him. For a moment Emryc glanced down at the metal flap he had cut, weighing the pros and cons of lifting it with the Force and putting it back in place to trap Amon inside the ship. In the end he decided it was far too much work and hopped down with a heavy thud behind his friend.

Emryc nodded at Amon’s suggestion, “I want to see if we can find any records or data from the time of the First Sith,” He couldn’t mask the excitement in his tone, a rarity from the normally stoic half Sephi. He had to hunch to avoid hitting his head as he walked, venturing deeper into the dark corridor.

There was a sense of unease as they progressed until they came upon the door to the bridge. Emryc drew out his saber and began to cut through the jammed door, hoping to find the other side mostly intact.

@Orbit

 

[The Storyteller]

As Bir, Asminis, and Jerex traveled down the central tunnel, they would quickly make progress after their quarry. As they dropped down to the lower ledge they would find no trap impeding their progress, but the eyes flashed back into the darkness with a crazed-sounding shriek. Perhaps it was born out of watching the abrupt entry of the second Sith or perhaps it was simply a response at being pursued.

Another sound somewhere between a hiss and growl that sounded wholly unnatural emerged from the tunnel, but what made the noise was nowhere to be seen. If they took the plunge into the darkness, they would find a maze of tunnels down here as well, but lacking the light that seemed to permeate the rest of the under-mountain labyrinth.

@Arclight @Tulos @Versok

---​

Stolas and Malou would stand defiant, but only for so long. Their power to remain as they were would soon leave them as the pressure continued to crush downward. Almost as if a hydraulic press were closing on them, they would either go to their knees or their bones would begin to snap. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, they would have a feeling of being small. A sensation likely to bring forth more anger and even fear within them.

Foolish, primitive thing of flesh and bone, the voice said in its many tongues. There was a mocking that extended beyond any tone. The voice itself carried with it hints of the same power that Stolas himself used. Words laced with power inherent to their very existence. The power that flowed through them was dwarfed by even the greatest of the Sith Lords or any who lived in the galaxy today. More akin to the combined power felt at the Twin Worlds or a nexus than held in a single being.

You believe I fear you? What do you fear? it asked, but there was no time to wait for a response.

Their minds were invaded each with their own horrors. Stolas would see Emryc with Malicia as they conceived their children and he would feel the rage that had flowed through Emryc when he had confronted Morgan. It was a far more visceral sensation than when he had felt it in person, less blunted.

You deny your doubt, but I know your childish jealousy, it echoed now only in his mind.

Malou would not be spared either. Her own thoughts were laid bare before this being. You are nothing. You fought your way into an infantile order playing at power, hoping to be free. But you're under the heel of your master, the "Lords," and more. And now you hide behind your betters today, unable to speak. Weak coward.

@Mr. Teatime @lizziie

---​

No, Renfry replied to Tiamat with a shake of her head. They're not normal language. At least not anything like what I've seen before. They're more... complex, she said.

They're similar, but different, she said, before pointing to a symbol off to the right. Look at this, it's semi-angles and curves are unusual. They have a sort of power inherent to them. Like they... want to tell us something, she said.

Tiamat would begin to feel the same thing that Renfry did. A near-drawing toward the left-most tunnel as if it could offer them more knowledge. More power. A gnawing in her mind.

@GABA

---​

As Emryc began to cut through the door to the bridge, he would find that it would snap open quickly. A man leapt out with a short, jagged knife in hand stabbing downward to try to slam itself into the leading Sith. Not only that, he fully leapt on the half-Sephi, screeching like a mad man and managing to evade the saber in the way, possibly even knocking it free from the Sith Lord's grip.

Get back you degenerates! I'll never join you! Waaaaaaaaaagh!! he shrieked. He was a human, though he looked ancient and gaunt. His body was very short and thin to the point that he was little more than skin and bones with long, gray hair and a long, unkempt beard. Rags barely covered him and despite his frail appearance, he was stronger than he looked.

The knife would simply glance off the Sith's armor as he continued to grapple and screeched wildly, flailing arms and legs like a monkey before attempting to leap onto Amon to repeat the screeching, leaping, stabbing combination.

@Sreeya @Orbit