Imperial Gauntlet: Team MRZ

[The Gatekeeper]

The dusty sands of Korriban suddenly disappeared as the first Trial of the gauntlet began, plunging the Champions down suddenly into the Catacombs. It wasn't a straight fall, instead a steep chute that slid the hapless contestants down a distance that was hard to measure from all the twists and turns. It was utter darkness as they slid, all until they fell through the ceiling of a large chamber onto a pile of skulls and bones. The scent of ancient death permeated the air as dust and fragments of crushed bone floated around them in clouds of white. Torches lit with blue flame sprung to life on the walls, showing the massive size of the room and the various pits and passageways that led out of it, giving the Champions a variety of choices as to where to go next. Which was the right path? Which was the wrong path? Whatever decisions they wanted to make, they didn't have long to make them.

Rolling from the center of the room, barreling down on the Champions, was a huge ball of tangled skeletons, arms grasping towards the living that had invaded their homes. The amount of power this unliving orb had was immense, perhaps rivaling the Empress herself, and this manifestation of the Dark Side had nothing but malicious intent for the contestants it was now rushing towards. It would take only a few seconds for it to arrive and mete out it's own judgement, giving the Champions just that long to make a decision. As to the answer to that decision, only they could decide. All they would know is that their Empress was watching, even now. They had best not disappoint her.

OOC: You've got a turn to act before the skeleton orb reaches you. This thing is huge, comprised of over 100 bodies altogether. There is no turn order, but there is only 48 hours for each Champion to post in a turn before I go again and anyone timing out is ejected from the event. Have fun!

@Caramel Raccoon @Raydo @Alhon

 

[Zazai Ta'Resh]

Zazai had grown up hearing the ghost tales of the ancient catacombs that littered Korriban. His mind wandered to those stories as he slid down the chute. His mind snapped into focus as he fell the remain feet to the cavern below, crouching slightly as he landed on the pile of bones beneath them. The three kicked up dust and dried bone as the landed, stinging Zazai's nostrils.

The flames sprung to life, revealing the room they had been dumped into. It felt like he had been dropped in one those tales the elders told them as children. A chill ran up his spine as he saw the orb rise up, charging at them.

It radiated dark energy with a power that Zazai had not experienced yet. Thinking quickly he located one of the smaller hallways, judging it too small from the orb to fit in its entirety. "This way." he said jumping down to the sandy floor, running as fast as he could for the side of the room.

There was a time for bravery, but a warrior also knew when to flee in search of a position granting advantage or at least better odds than certain destruction.

He wasn't sure if the others would follow him. He had no ill intention towards them, but many Sith were always looking for ways to get around one another. He would be on their side as long as they aided in his goal of proving himself to the woman who had granted him his freedom, his Empress.

The small hallway curved to the right about twenty feet back, he ignited his lightsaber to provide a light source scanning to where the hall before him.

 

[Ren Vist]

Ren slid down the steep chute into the catacombs below, the air quickly going stale and musty, the air filling with sand and dust. He was grateful for the mask he wore, keeping most of the air he inhaled fresh and filtered. His mind reeled as he tried to prepare himself for what lie below, but even as he slid he could sense the darkness growing below. His connection to the dark side was strong, it was woven into his flesh, but what he felt dwarfed him entirely.

The three of them landed in the catacombs, sand and perhaps old bone dust kicking into the air with their impact. The walls of this place radiated with a cold, dead evil, every inch of making his tortured flesh crawl. Something was coming their way, and Ren stood quickly as he turned to face that way, blue flames bursting to life around him. The other two examined the possible routes they could take, but Ren could sense the evil approaching. And he knew he stood no chance against it.

Then it appeared, the mangled mess of bone and skull and limb, the Dark Side singing from its core like a dark star. Terror filled the air around Ren, so he turned, rushing away from it with as much haste as he could muster, channeling the darkness within himself to move like a shadow through the solid air. He could not rely on the darkness around him, for it was not his ally. It wanted only to see him dead.

He watched as one of his fellow turned down a right hand passage, and shifted his course to follow him. He had no interest in quarreling with the individuals by his side, as they all had a far greater threat to deal with. Grabbing one of his sabers from his belt, he ignited the bright crimson blade to light his way, and channeled his power to speed all of them on their way. He would need these two, Ren believed, at least for a short while. And so he funneled his power over the Dark Side to his temporary allies, his voice shouting out cold and metallic, “Quickly!”

 

[The Gatekeeper]

The stone slab over the passageway began to close as the two Champions passed the threshold, though not quick enough to avoid the sight of absolute failure. Their third companion was grabbed by the skeleton orb, not having been quick enough to evade. It screamed at him with it's massive head before it's mouth opened impossibly wide. Inside this maw was a blazing inferno flowing within rows of spiraling teeth, almost like a grinder. The man's screams started as it devoured him, the sound of rending flesh and grinding bone being cut off as the door closed. Now they would know the cost of their failure, and of the stakes which they all played for. The door closed and unmoving, there was but one way to go: forwards.

Stepping through another door, a line down each side of a grand hall blazed into life as blue flames lit torches on the walls. The door slamming behind them, a random and terrifying arrays of spinning blades and other sharp objects sprang to life through the entirety of the room. The door at the far end was open, giving them the nature of their trial, but they would need to pass this hall of blades first. How they did so was entirely up to them, though they would need to be cautious: They knew the price of failing at the trials of the Catacombs.

@Raydo @Caramel Raccoon

((OOC: To progress this room, you will need to roll dice for your actions. In a thread I will link to you soon, You will roll 1d10 to see if you succeed at the action you will post to try to get past these blades. When all of you are done posting, I will reveal how successful, or not, you are. Good luck!))

 

[Zazai Ta'Resh]

Zazai stopped several feet from the nearest blades. It was obvious they would need to cross, they certainly weren't going back the way they came. Zazai was no stranger to death, but the man's yells still echoed in his ears.

The most obvious way was to dodge through the various blades until they got to the other side. Due to size, he was not the fastest, even with the use of the Force.

He looked down to his lightsaber. These tombs were ancient, and the ancient Sith carried metal swords instead of the plasma kind they carried today. Perhaps the blades would not have been made out of a material that could withstand a lightsaber.

He approached cautiously, cutting at the first of the swinging blades. If that tactic proved ineffective, he would call upon the Force and try to quickly dodge his way through the blades.

 

[Ren Vist]

Ren slowed to a stop as the door came to close behind him, cutting of the boulder of skeletal nightmares as well as the other participant in the trial. That sounds that followed would haunt him for some time. He turned to face the hall stretching before him as it was once again illuminated by the ghostly glow of the torches. At the sight of the assortment of blades Ren stifled a gasp of surprise, turning his lightsaber off to examine the traps.

Stepping forward cautiously, he took a moment to study the way the blades spun, if any of them were mobile, as well as if there were any that seemed to be hidden as traps sprung my wires or pressure plates. How in the world were they supposed to get through this alive? His fellow Sith seemed to have come up with their own plan, as he was now approaching the blades with his lightsaber lifted into the air. Ren supposed it could work, assuming that these ancient weapons weren’t designed with a metal that could resist the magnetically controlled plasma of their lightsabers. Still, the risk seemed too great.

Stepping forward as well, Ren once again channeled the Force and reached out towards the blades. He tried to feel the way they moved, feel where they sat and the gears that must control them. An invisible plethora of hands grasped for them all, aiming to hopefully slow them or even stop them, anything to make passing through easier. Still, Ren knew there would be great risk, and funneled the power within himself to bolster his durability. He knew how to use the Dark Side to sustain his broken body, and would rely on it to survive the catastrophic wound should things go awry.

With his pieces now in place, the Force rolling from Ren like a haze of power, Ren approached the death hall with reasonable caution. He would try and slow the blades for him and his ally, and sustain himself if all else failed. Taking a deep, rasping breath, Ren charged towards the blades and hoped his power over the force and his natural acrobatics would be enough to get him through alive.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

The Dark Side coursed over these blades, easily repelling the weapons of the Champions with their weak conviction behind them. Perhaps that would be a lesson for them in itself, though the next would be more obvious, as well as painful. As they tried to evade the blades they could not quite get the rhythm right. They would both get caught by the spinning swords, Zazai getting a cruel gash on his chest from upper right shoulder down to his right hip while Ren would receive a series of deep cuts in a cross pattern on his back. Both would hurt greatly yet would not be enough to kill or knock out either, and perhaps through the pity of the Catacombs they would find themselves about a third of the way towards their exit after their wounds. It seemed there were some hidden safe spots in the swirling knives, which undoubtedly would be good to know.

@Caramel Raccoon @Raydo

 

[Ren Vist]

Ren clung to bare patch of ancient stone wall as the blades finally tore themselves free of his flesh. Agony roared up his back and he stumbled into a slouch, feeling the warm blood begin to seep down his back, his already worn and tattered armor and cloak even more so now. He clung to the Dark Side within himself and used it to sustain his body. He had suffered far worse wounds than this in the past, and he would survive this. Still, he couldn’t afford to let the injury slow him down in such a dangerous situation.

Rising slowly, letting his power over the Force tend to his wounds, Ren glanced over at the other Sith, seeing that he too survived his injuries, deep bloody gashes covering his torso. Ren could not spare the time power to help aid him, he would need it all for himself. So he took a minute to still himself, finding his center in the Force, his agony and suffering a powerful reminder of his past and the source of his talents. Slowly, his power began to build.

Shadow began to roll from his body like a dark cloud, turning the Sith into a half man-half shade out of some abhorrent nightmare. His power was split between sustaining his form against injury and melding into the air around him. Taking a deep breath he rushed forward once more, heading straight towards the blades, the rest of the world falling away from his perception. All that mattered was the movement of the deadly traps, the spots where he could and couldn’t step, and his focus on drawing from the Dark Side of the Force.

Ren no longer cared about the well being of his fellow Sith. He moved like a twisting shadow with only one purpose in his mind. He had to survive.

 

[Zazai Ta'Resh]

He barely missed losing a leg to a low swinging blade, he overcorrected and stepped into the path of the blad that cut a gash from his right collarbone down to his left hip. Pain coursed through his body and blood oozed out of the wound. A quarter of an inch more and he would have been disemboweled by the blade.

The pain gave him clarity which he channeled into the Force. He dodged the rest of the blades, making it a third of the way through before reaching a safe spot of sorts.

He caught his breath, checking his body quickly before using the Force channeled through him. He felt the rhythm more clearly this time, dodging and weaving between the blades. He would stop at the next safe zone if there was one.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

They had made it. They had been horribly wounded, but that pain had allowed them to blow right past the rest of the blades to the other side, though one with more ease than the other. As soon as they reached the far end a trigger was activated, stopping the blades and returning them to their walls. The Darkness rippled around them, pleased, and now they had but to continue. What would they find? What other dangers awaited them? All they would know is that the end of this first trial was just ahead.

The two would come to a huge room, in the center of which was a pile of bones. At the top was a glowing idol made out of crimson Kyber Crystal, in the shape of the Imperial insignia. This was the ultimate prize, as taking that idol would end this part of the gauntlet and show who the most worthy of the Empress' favor was...for now, at least. It would be up to the two Champions to claim this idol, though only one could do so. Would this be where their time working together would end? Or would one help the other up this jagged pile to achieve victory? What would a true Sith do?

@Raydo @Caramel Raccoon

((OOC: Your new goal is to get the idol. However you do so is up to you, but write the attempt only, as well as any other actions you try against any other factors. I will say how far you travel or what exactly happens when it is my turn next. May the best man win.))

 

[Zazai Ta'Resh]

He reveled in the approval of the Dark Side as it surged around them. He drank of that energy, letting it fill him. His eyes locked on the idol. "Start looking for a way out of here. Once we have the idol, I have a feeling we will need to get out of here quickly." he said with a commanding tone in his words.

He had no desire to squabble over a silly rock, but obtaining to idol seemed like the most dangerous path, a responsibility he felt pulled to take on himself. He had been the one to lead them down this path so far, he would be the one to lead them out of here. They would both move on to the next stage unless the man was too stupid to see the reason behind his command. He would deal with the man swiftly if he sought to challenge him.

He walked confidently but cautiously making his way to pile of bones at the center of the large room, he steps echoing through the large chamber. If uncontested, he would try to pull to idol towards him with the Force, if that failed he would start the climb up the pile of bones.

 

[Ren Vist]

Ren passed through into the new chamber and released a breath of relief, letting the shadows roll from him, but not entirely. Even though he could sense the approval of the Dark Side of the Force, he did not trust that the dangers were not over, and he would not relinquish his focus just yet. Instead, his attention turned to the magnificent idol sitting atop the hill of bones before him. The new Imperial Insignia, shining red and powerful in the dark light of the chamber. Was this the end of their gauntlet trial, or a test to see if they would squabble before the true challenge showed itself? A competition finally between two Sith, or a test to see if they could stand united?

The truth, in Ren's eyes at least, was that it didn't matter. If this was the final trial, then he could not let that Sith claim the idol for his own, no matter what. But if this was to see if they could cooperate, it was still vital that an individual of authority finally be determined between the two of them. Ren would not kill the man unless he was forced to, but instead he would break him and ensure that he fell in line. There was nothing this Sith could do to him that he hadn't already endured short of death. Ren felt no fear. But he was no fool either.

Feigning cooperation, Ren began to look around the chamber for exits, although in reality he just taking in his surroundings. His foolish counterpart seemed to solely focus on the idol, and that would be just fine. Ren continued to cling to the dark power he'd already built up, but he focused on concealing his true intent, and in its place, he projected a sense of cautious fear, a reasonable emotion given what they'd gone through already. "Very well, move quickly but be careful, who knows how that idol is rigged or trapped. Do not lose your focus."

As the Sith began to strive for the idol, whether he be successful in using the Force or whether he has to climb, Ren would wait until his most vulnerable moment to turn on him. When he is at his most focused on the objective and in the middle of his given action, Ren would swiftly turn on him an unleash the Dark Side. While Ren was indeed a talented warrior with his sabers, his true skills lied in his mastery over the Force, and his talents in bringing unbearable pain to his enemies. Assuming something does not first stop him, Ren would unleash a blast of darkness and lightning at Zazai's back, hoping to catch him off guard.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

The Darkness surrounding them approved of sabotage, yet they did not allow overt damage to come to each of the Champions from the other. As the lightning came close to Zazai's back as he tried to use the Force to pull down the idol. The Darkness coalesced into a barrier surrounding the Sith, blocking the lightning from causing any harm and thus allowing Zazai to take the idol unharmed. Perhaps if Ren had been more subtle in his sabotage, it would have been successful. Once the idol hit Zazai's hands, though, the first part of the Gauntlet was over. Once the idol was taken the bones flew through the air, creating a wall of bones around the two in a square. That was when the tension in the air seemed to end. They had managed to get through the first trial, now it would be time for a short rest. The Second Trial was going to begin soon. If Ren was upset at having his treasure stolen, he would soon have a chance to act on that sense of vengeance.


/Endthread

@Raydo @Caramel Raccoon

((OOC: The second Trial will be in a new thread. As your other competitor have already been ejected, it will be a simple PVP fight between Ren and Zazai. More information will be revealed when I get the thread up tomorrow. For now, you may rest. You have earned it.))