Event Something Wicked

[Erialex]

HUMBLE TOWN
​

Eri whirled about and flailed at the figure that had snuck up on her with such ease- only to watch her hand fly through the empty space. The fog swirled in a dainty, small pattern, drawn by the air flow her motion had just made. Just as quickly as she had noticed it, the figure disappeared. She suddenly spotted someone else, then another, and another...

She backed up with caution, hand near her saber, prepared to fight her way out of this as the shadows closed in. Let me out. Let me take care of this...

Her hand trembled and she closed her eyes, but the blade did not leave her belt. She kept walking backwards. The shadows swooped towards her with incredible speed and she gasped, calling to the Force, using her fear as fuel.

But she felt nothing.

She closed her eyes tight and held up her arms in a protective manner before tripping, looking up from the ground to see nothing, of course. It was as if...she shook her head. She winced, looking down the side road to see the outline of a group of people talking together, standing up slowly.

As if for no other reason than to scare the kriff out of her, a voice spoke almost directly in her ear. "Is there someone there?" She yelped and began stumbling towards what she hoped would be friendly beings...

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @Wit @AutoFox

 

[Ashla Ti]

HUMBLE TOWN

Ashla didn't have hair, but if she did she assumed this would be a moment where it would stand all on edge. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she was finally able to experience what that meant, though it lasted but a moment as she continued walking towards through the fog. Towards the town. Towards the wailing on the wind. And if she had to guess, the source of the uneasiness that she felt.

She saw, or at least thought she saw, others as she reached the perimeter of the town. But she couldn't trust her eyes, they seemed to slip in and out of focus. It was almost as if she was chasing shadows. But the one thing she could focus on was the weeping, gentle yet unnerving. Every fiber of her being told her to turn around, yet she found her feet moving towards the sound.

"Yes," she muttered to herself as she continued walking towards the weeping, "head for the scary weeping while stranded on the set of a horror movie. When has that not ended well for anyone."

But still, despite her audible skepticism, she continued walking.

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @AutoFox

 

[Arctus Friers]

Abandoned Building

Spoiler: Theme

The manor looked even more menacing up close but between staying out in the open and finding shelter, the building itself looked much safer than whatever might be lurking out in the cover of darkness and fog. Arctus was glad that he had the common sense to bring his weapons with him – while it might have raised a curiois brow or two from his fellow Padawans he sure as hell won't be caught unprepared. He didn't have a lightsaber yet, so he would happily stick with his blasters and vibroknife for now.

The relief he felt upon seeing more people in the courtyard quickly vanished, however, when he saw an armored man (@Nefieslab) bearing a flag, the symbol of the Sith emblazoned on the cloth. The situation turned from bad to worse when a piercing, dying shriek sounded off from within the gloom. Heading straight into the manor was becoming all the more tempting. A second shriek, this time from the half-Sephi, followed the first, and Arctus felt terribly useless when Clove – with Ruzaan in tow – ran straight for the manor and straight-up dismissing what he'd just told them earlier. The two younger Padawans have already disappeared inside.

"Fuck."

He thought the slight anger he felt at the group being split up was justified as he beckoned for Felix to follow the former smuggler inside the manor. Choosing to ignore the wonder duo from the ISC (@Sreeya, @Altaris) and the Mandalorian (@Resonance) snooping around, Arctus's gaze swept the waiting area until he caught sight of the pair of wayward Padawans dashing upstairs. He cared not for the others going about whatever they thought they needed to do first nor whatever the hell they were in this no-name planet for. The former smuggler's focus was fixed solely on keeping his fellow Padawans safe, and he would be damned if he let even one of them out of his sight.

Screw the Force warning him that something unknown lurked in the darkness. Screw the alarm and fear he felt at the overall atmosphere and the knowledge that there was a Sith amongst the gathered individuals in the manor.

"Clove! Ruzaan!" Arctus's voice, tinged with a hint of anger, thundered across the waiting area. "Get back here this instant!"

@Phoenix @LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown @christhebetrayer @Valen Pelora

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Spoiler: Humble Town

Humble Town

---

"Shit."

He drew his cloak closer to his body as he walked, feeling the cool breeze tugging at his sleeves. There was a strange aura about this world, a sort of gray mist that one couldn't see through. That feeling had only amplified here. Everything seemed to be existing in a fog. He could feel it tug at his mind as well.

Cinere was headed to a village, reasoning that the best thing to do right now is figure out where he was and how he could leave. He wasn't really sure what had even happened--one moment he was on the way to Coruscant, the next he'd dropped out of hyperspace above a world he'd never heard of. His navigator didn't work, so he didn't even know what sector he was in.

The eerie sound of silence was stifling here. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and feel his heart beating in his chest, which didn't help the growing nervousness. Cinere stared at the village and found his vision starting to tunnel. The more he tried to look anywhere but the village, the fog thickened, and he was blind. He could only stare at the buildings in the distance as he approached. By the time he reached the perimeter of the village, he saw nothing but fog. Stepping over the threshold, it cleared and suddenly he could see.

Dilapidated buildings hanging up toward the sky like scarecrows, with streets that were swept clean as though no one had lived here. Shadows wandered about, and he tried to reach out to them through the Force, but had a realization that hit him like a gunshot.

He couldn't feel anything through the Force. It was like he was surrounded by fog. He wondered if this world was some sort of Force vacuum, but he truly had no idea what was happening. He'd spent the past few months as a hermit training with the Force only to have it basically taken away at the first encounter with any danger. Disappointing, to say the least.

He sighed as he walked toward the center to the source of the weeping. Eventually, he could see shapes that were not just shadows, and he headed toward the people.

@Logan

HUMBLE TOWN



Mik had been looking at his personav and the message of 'uploading maps' for a whole thirty seconds before he started to realize that the maps were never going to upload. "Reception out here is ridiculous," he complained to Julia as he finally looked up from his screen and suddenly saw multiple people with seemingly confused stranded looks as the fog kept getting thicker. What a weird place.. it kinda gave him the creep. "Your pilot karked up, too?" he asked a young Zabrak (@Nefieslab) but then as he turned to point out the Systech shuttle it was.. gone. "What is the name of Keywork Engineering Systems. Our shuttle was right there!"

This was crazy, this fog was crazy, but as it was common knowledge that the fog was always less thick in towns and there was one right... there. "Let's go find the diner and call from there," he turned to Julia, "they'll have a connection with the nearest comms-beacon in the sector." No way in this day and age someone could survive with such a bad reception that downloading a map onto your personav was too much.

Pocketing his personav, Mik took another sip of his Agamar cognac to drive way the growing nerves. It'd be good to have some dinner, too.. might feel less antsy with a full stomach. He continued his way through the gates, into town and towards the diner.

@Logan @Nor'baal

HUMBLE TOWN

"I don't like this planet Mik." she shouted over to the Chief Financial Officer. Julia was growing more annoyeed by the minute, and didn't care how many of the newcomers, of which their seemed to be many, heard her. She focused on her datapad, at least that was something she could control? Tapping away at the datapad, she looked at the recent news headlines, a news alert linked to ping her every time certain key phrases emerged online.

She trudged along next to Mik, huffing to herself at the unfairness of life.

"Has your beacon got signal?" she asked, referring to the distress beacon corporate executives at their level tended to carry with them. Not waiting for an answer, she checked her own and thumbed the alarm, as they approached the diner itself. "And, someone tell that wailing sop to can it." she asked nobody in particular.

Useless pilot.

Mist.

Annoying wailing.

This planet was just built to iritate.

Humble Town​

The town was beginning to look eery as he approached and it already had been looking kind of sketchy to begin with so it was a very bad sign. Crix didn't draw his lightsaber but he did rest his hand on it as he walked, drawing some small amount of comfort from it as he approached. As he made his way closer to the town, the fog seemed to be thicker than it had been just moments before and he couldn't make out even the indistinct shadows he had seen upon his approach.

Then, all of a sudden, it was like he had walked through some kind of veil because he could see others around him who had been walking into the town. The effect was fight or flight, his grip tightening on his lightsaber as his breath became shorter, harder to fill his lungs entirely.

Part of it was the change to the Force, like he had been hearing the background noise of a city one moment and, then next, he was floating in space in a space suit. Almost total silence from the Force, even if it flickered within him, ever eager to be guided. He damned near jumped out of his skin when an older man spoke to him and Crix very nearly drew his saber at the jumpscare.

"Force and Hells..." he muttered, willing his heart to slow down, "Um... yeah, yeah it kind of shorted out. I've left my droid working on it but..."

But the com-link he had been using to speak to the droid was looking, for all the world, like a hunk of plastic with no battery. Wonderful. The crying was... haunting and he really had tried hard to avoid that word even in his thoughts. He took a deep breath and marshaled himself.

"I think we need to head further into the town; there's clearly someone in distress." he said to the older man ( @Mik Deluto ) and his companion ( @Julia Hipori ) before blinking once as he observed her, "... I've seen you on the holonet. Guess it's true that the camera adds ten pounds"

Thrilling observations aside, he couldn't stop himself from starting to walk toward the source of the crying. Crix didn't watch horror films because he was so very susceptible to jumpscares but he knew well enough to know it signaled nothing good. But... he was a Jedi and someone needed help - he could hope that they needed help in a well-lit area devoid of all spooky mist of course.

@Logan
@Eccles @Nor'baal @Wit @DarkSaber @vamp @AutoFox

HUMBLE TOWN.

Trini's ears swiveled abruptly toward the source of the scream, and then the gentle weeping that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The Amaran felt her tail frizz out in fear, her hand going automatically to the stingbeam she carried.

When had the fog gotten this thick?

"H-Hello??" She called hesitantly, looking around at the indistinct shapes of buildings looming out of the fog. "Is there someone out there?! I can't- oh! Hello! Sir? Ma'am? Can you-"

The shape - just a strange formation in the drifting fog, collapsed before Trini's eyes, the student giving a brief squeak of fear as she stepped back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw more humanoid shapes moving through the mist, but most did not seem to have any substance to them.

Some quirk of the weather here? She thought to herself. It couldn't be that-

The sense of being small, diminished, abruptly hit Trini, and made her clutch her shoulders, shivering as she looked around. There was something not right about this place. The fog and the shadows were one thing, but this feeling...

There were voices in the fog. Abruptly, Trini's ears flicked toward them. They were oddly distant and muffled, but the Amaran could make out figures in the fog; solid ones, not the phantoms she kept thinking she saw. Despite growing apprehension, she made her way toward them.

"Hello!" She called, almost desperately. "Is there someone there??"

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @Wit @DarkSaber

HUMBLE TOWN
​

Eri whirled about and flailed at the figure that had snuck up on her with such ease- only to watch her hand fly through the empty space. The fog swirled in a dainty, small pattern, drawn by the air flow her motion had just made. Just as quickly as she had noticed it, the figure disappeared. She suddenly spotted someone else, then another, and another...

She backed up with caution, hand near her saber, prepared to fight her way out of this as the shadows closed in. Let me out. Let me take care of this...

Her hand trembled and she closed her eyes, but the blade did not leave her belt. She kept walking backwards. The shadows swooped towards her with incredible speed and she gasped, calling to the Force, using her fear as fuel.

But she felt nothing.

She closed her eyes tight and held up her arms in a protective manner before tripping, looking up from the ground to see nothing, of course. It was as if...she shook her head. She winced, looking down the side road to see the outline of a group of people talking together, standing up slowly.

As if for no other reason than to scare the kriff out of her, a voice spoke almost directly in her ear. "Is there someone there?" She yelped and began stumbling towards what she hoped would be friendly beings...

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @Wit @AutoFox

HUMBLE TOWN

Ashla didn't have hair, but if she did she assumed this would be a moment where it would stand all on edge. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she was finally able to experience what that meant, though it lasted but a moment as she continued walking towards through the fog. Towards the town. Towards the wailing on the wind. And if she had to guess, the source of the uneasiness that she felt.

She saw, or at least thought she saw, others as she reached the perimeter of the town. But she couldn't trust her eyes, they seemed to slip in and out of focus. It was almost as if she was chasing shadows. But the one thing she could focus on was the weeping, gentle yet unnerving. Every fiber of her being told her to turn around, yet she found her feet moving towards the sound.

"Yes," she muttered to herself as she continued walking towards the weeping, "head for the scary weeping while stranded on the set of a horror movie. When has that not ended well for anyone."

But still, despite her audible skepticism, she continued walking.

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @AutoFox

The diner the two corpos, @Julia Hipori and @Mik Deluto, found themselves entering was not the inviting, aromatically pleasing place that they would have expected to find. Its sole occupant was a man - tall, broad but somehow sickly, like he'd been drained of all the things that make you human - standing behind a long, splintered bar counter.

The man did not acknowledge the pair at first but merely continued wiping a dirty glass with an even dirtier rag. The door would snap shut behind whoever had entered last, and if either of them were paying close attention, they might have heard the faintest sound of a lock turning over.

Even inside they would be able to feel the fog creeping, pushing its way into the corners of their peripheral vision, trying to glaze over their eyes like too far gone cataracts. As the two approached the counter, the bartender's eyes would find each of them, and they would notice the deep, heavyset bags beneath.

No phones here. He would say despite no one asking before reaching under the counter and taking out two glasses. Each would be filled with Mik and Julia's ideal, preferred drink, no matter what it might have been. You have made a mistake you cannot fix coming to this place.

The faintest hint of whispers would sit just on the edge of Mik and Julia's hearing, incomprehensible but tinged with evil. Slowly, it would twist and bend, contorting itself into something that only just resembled a human voice.

There is power in the abyss, in the blackness more profound than even the darkest of dreams.

The room around the two corpos would blip and flash, like someone changing the channel on a television. Faster and faster it would go until the two of them were left standing in nothing but silent darkness.

And they were not alone.

----

The others, either following their conscious or just letting the tug of their mind guide them, would eventually find themselves in the town square. The fog here seemed thinner than everywhere else, though it still wasn’t gone entirely. Among the dilapidated and rotted wooden stalls the sound of weeping still carried on the air.

As they moved close, the sounds of crying would fade and be replaced by something else. Each of them would hear something different - and only they would hear what it said - but the voice was always the same. Contorted, warbling, foreign – but still venomously musing, vile and steeped with unflinching darkness.

You will always be alone, Cinere of Dathomir, It would whisper in @Cinere Autem's ear. He would feel the heat of breath on his neck, but should he look there would be nothing there. And nothing but a disappointment to the ancestors who came before you.

A mother’s mistake made manifest, @Crix Aran would hear the words in the front of his mind, like someone speaking to him through the front door. Do you think she regretted you when you failed to protect her? I know that she did. A soft chuckle, condescending and singsong. Will you fail your padawan the same way?

A little fox who should have died on Raxus Prime, A sickly sweet voice spoke to @Trini Halrixien. Will you flee in cowardice from these friends too and leave them to be slaughtered? I can see in your heart that you will, little one.

There are already voices in your head, Twi'lek. The voice said to @Erialex, just barely able to hold in its amusement. They will never trust you, you know. Let it out. Let it out. Let. It. Out.

You are broken on the inside, child of the Cadre, all the way down to the very center. The sound would bounce around @Ashla Ti's mind, its tone mocking and matter-of-fact. The golden-eyed one cannot mend where you are fractured - but I can. It will hurt, and I will not be sorry. But it is not punishment, child of the Cadre. It is redemption.

Eventually, they would stumble upon the source of the crying they had all followed - a young woman, sitting alone, tears long since dried to salt trails down her cheeks. She had dark hair and green eyes, and she looked up to each of them one at a time, and spoke - her voice hoarse, nearly gone.

Can you help me?

@Nefieslab @AutoFox @DarkSaber @vamp @Wit @Eccles @Nor'baal

 

[Mik Deluto]

HUMBLE TOWN

The diner was just depressing. Just that. Mik had been in bad places before on far off remote worlds like.. Byblos...ugh. The almost empty flask of Agamar Cognac dangled in his hand as he strolled up to the bar with searching, somewhat arrogant, eyes. There wasn't a lot of liquor on the shelves here. Even the Systech employees bar at the Quesh Adrenal Synthesis Facility had the good stuff on display. What did they have here in... whatever this town is called on.. whatever planet they were on. By KES there were a lot of unknown variables on this trip. They really had to fire that pilot. "Hey bags," he nodded to the bartender and pointed at the non-existing bags under his own eyes and then at the bags under the eyes of the bartender. Kriff, he shouldn't visit one of Etti IV's spa's some time. "got something to drive this bloody fog out of me?" Mik shivered, thinking as unexperienced as he was to live in "poor people conditions" that having a creeping fog inside was perhaps normal.

Then he took a bottle of Mandalorian Vod'ka, from the old world, mixed with Chandrilitini and shook it for just the perfect amount of time before pouring it in Mik's ready glass. He followed it up with some sage advice, or some foreboding, but Mik had eyes and ears only for that beautiful drink. "I didn't even know they still made Vod'ka," the Systech CFO muttered as he took the glass, "Cheers," and took his first sip.

and then a second and then he emptied the glass and let the best drink that was ever poured glide down his throat. Wow. It wasn't until he reopened his eyes that he heard the whispers and grabbed the counter to keep his balance while the entire world around him flashed between shots of darkness. Once it was dark he tried to look around, "Julia, what the Czerk is happening?"

Did he just die?

@Nor'baal @Logan

 

[Julia Hipori]

HUMBLE TOWN

She was far from impressed with the 'diner', if one could even call it that. Drab and miserable, like her ex-husband, the 'diner' left much to be desired. Deciding that this was the last time she travelled anywhere without sending an assistant ahead of her, she sighed and took the wierd drink that was poured out. She didn't even read the label as she took the beverage.

Holding it her hand she immediately put it down, and scowled as the barmans 'no phones' remark hit her. Levelling her very best death stare at the man, she got a small bottle of hand sanitizer out and rubbed some into hands, before wiping the rim of the barely clean glass off with a handkerchief from her pocket. By then, Mik was already chortling to her.

"Julia, what the Czerk is happening?"

Mik grabbed the counter as Julia rolled her eyes and necked her drink ''Stop being such a wim -''

She black out, and fell off her stool onto the floor.

 

[Ashla Ti]

HUMBLE TOWN

The sound guided her, having given up on trying to see where she was going through the fog. But ultimately it did clear a little, and through the thinning fog she noticed that she was in a clearing of some sort, probably the town square. But as that thought crossed her mind she noticed something else, she couldn't hear the weeping anymore.

In its place she heard something else, something much more direct in its eeriness. As words started forming around her, Ashla stopped in her steps. Few knew of her connection to the Cadre, and she did not expect to find any of them here. The fact that it knew these things should have interested her more than the words themselves, but the words were not alien to her. They were things that she had herself thought in the past, and that gave them strength.

"I.." She started in a quiet whisper, before stopping and steeling herself. Her Cadre was dead because of her, she had killed her masters, and they had killed her siblings because they had followed in her revolt. But it had been the right thing to do, it had been right. "I will fix myself." She had said something similar to Aadya and Stolas on Moraband, but then it was her saying it. Here it felt like she was agreeing to someone else's accusations.

Shaking away the unease as best as she could, with the voice having thankfully receded, she continued walking till her eyes fell on the lone woman. As she stopped farther away from her than the others, letting them deal with her while she observed, an echo still rang within her head.

It is redemption.

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @AutoFox

 

[Felix]

Abandoned Building​

It appeared they weren't the only ones attracted to this place, several other figures seem to be at the entrance of the building, once again he was reminded of Dathomir and how people were called there. was this doing the same but in more subtle ways. Felix didn't know but this only further reinforced the idea of being on guard.

Seeing the sith soldier, Felix's breath hiked up as his body went into fight or flight mode, his mouth dried up as butterflies started in his stomach, he was distracted by the deathly shriek in the distance then from clove as she set off running towards the building

"Clove!" he shouted out as she ran with Ruzaan (@LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown), he would give chase with Arctus (@Forsythe Crowholde) into manor ignoring the others (@Sreeya @Altaris @Resonance) that were with them, ignoring the danger he felt to make sure other two were safe.

Felix heard the words the sith soldier (@Nefieslab ) spoke in the waiting area, he tried to bite his tongue and not respond but he couldn't help himself. "Leave her alone, Asshole." He retorted back as stood with Arctus. he knew how it felt to be in her position.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Abandoned Building​

The door to the stairs up was locked with one of those old, grating-style doors. They would be able to see the stairs on the other side, but as Clove and Lorcan tried it, they would find no success. The latch was firmly in place and the doors were locked.

However, as Ruzaan approached the door, the latch clicked open, and he would feel something creeping along his spine. He would swat at it, but find nothing there and yet it would feel almost as if a piece of himself had been taken out. His clarity of thought would momentarily waver before it returned again after a shake of his head.

Those who opted to ascend the stairs would find the darkness only grew deeper as they reached the top. A switch was at the top of the stairs along the wall with halls stretching in both directions. Many doors lined the walkway with the path to the right leading to overlook the lobby area and the left heading deeper into the building.

The others remained in the lobby area and as yet, the door to the lower stairs remained locked. Livi would be the first to actually examine their surroundings, and if she crouched low she would find writing carved into the entire inside of the desk. Time and again it said the same thing over and over.

The Cost. The Cost. The Cost. The Cost. The Cost. The Cost. The Cost. Easily over a hundred times these same two words were carved into every spare inch of the inside of the desk.

@Sreeya @Altaris @christhebetrayer @Forsythe Crowholde @SlagathorTheUnknown @Nefieslab @LilyNion @Valen Pelora @Resonance

 

[Crix Aran]

Humble Town​

Crix left the two well-dressed people when they seemed to peel off to go and headed towards a diner of some kind. He was tempted to follow them, the fog and the town in general was putting him on edge. But there was someone crying and there seemed to be no one who could help them and, damn it if that wasn't everything about being a Jedi in a nutshell - and he refused to ignore the call as it came.

Pushing on through the fog, toward the source of the cries, Crix's grip on his lightsaber tightened as he arrived in the town center to find that it was remarkably... crying-free. He didn't get much in the way of a chance to ask questions as he was immediately spoken to. Spinning in a circle, Crix drew his lightsaber and ignited the pale blue blade as he rapidly looked around himself for the speaker.

It wasn't a person nearby - it was in his own head. Was it even someone else's voice? He had... there had been a time when he had thought the same things himself in the past. The shame, the regret, the anger and the disgust all aimed inward, he had felt them all and he still remembered them.

The words seared into his mind.

They didn't go away because they joined the same words he had whispered to himself by his comatose mother's bedside. The same feelings that had run through him ever since he had discovered that it had been entirely possible to heal her and, yet, he had delayed and not been able to bring her back. They were wounds he carried with him...

But they were old wounds, scars, rather than open injuries.

The marks they left were never going to go away but that was alright because those marks, those scars, had helped shape him. That was what he had to accept about himself in his Trial of Spirit and it was the same strength and ownership of his flaws, his failures, that allowed him to extinguish his lightsaber and force himself to relax.

"Not telling me anything new, here." he spoke back to the voice, his shoulders hunched slightly, "And you're less creative with the wording than I was."

He pushed onward, his lightsaber in his right hand but deactivated for now because he wasn't about to face combat in the most obvious way. As he approached the young girl he judged to be the source of the crying, he could see others around her. For now though? He ignored them, dropping to one knee and holding out his free hand to the little girl as he did what he always did when he covered his pain - he smiled, bright, clear and reassuring.

"I'm here to help you."

It felt Right to say it.

@Logan @Wit

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Abandoned Building
​

In her haste, she didn't notice the fence-like door in front of the staircase until she was very close to it. It was too late at that point, and she slammed into it face-first. Dazed by the blow, she stumbled back on her feet and waited for Ruz to open the door. As soon as he was successful, she dashed up the steps.

When she heard several people speak at the same time, Clove's entire body froze, minus the constant shiver. The Sith then approached the staircase alongside herself and Ruzaan, after having decided she'd die first because of how horrible her instincts were. He wasn't wrong but she wanted to run again, all the way up the steps, and throw something heavy—like a couch—in the scary man's face to get him to leave her alone. But then she was jolted back to reality by a loud, booming voice.

"Clove! Ruzaan! Get back here this instant!"

Oh, right. Arctus and Felix were still there. Kark! In her haste to find shelter, she had forgotten everything. One hell of a wake-up call.

The half-Sephi took a deep breath and looked up at the dark staircase before turning her gaze to the Sith nearby. "Sith!" Her voice squeaked. Great, let's try that again. She cleared her throat and spoke again, louder this time. "Sith! Truce, for now. No fighting. No arguing. Let's work together." Clove pretended to be brave while her arms trembled like a tiny flower caught in a hurricane. Her eyes, however, revealed that she would not accept a no.

Clove then turned around and took a shameful walk towards Arctus and Felix, as well as the woman who had spoken to her as she fled, all while holding Ruzaan and dragging him along like a plushy teddy bear. In truth, she didn't mind going back because the darkness at the top of the stairwell was scarier than the Sith. And now that her heart was only beating at 125 beats per minute instead of 180, the sensation of danger that was linked to the house became more clear.

"You are right. We should look around and find a way off this planet." She spoke with an unsteady tone to the Hapan in black robes (@Valen Pelora ).

It wasn't over yet, she had to face her fellow Jedi.

"I'm so so sorry, Arctus and Felix." Her voice turned back into a high-pitched squeak, while her head lowered in shame. She felt like such a fool. So much for being a Jedi. Then she heard another footstep and glanced up, her eyes finding a man with blue pearls and blonde hair (@Altaris ). He must've been the one who mentioned something about a generator. That wasn't a bad idea at all actually. Maybe she could make amends by offering help? But that did require addressing everyone here. And there are so many people.

Clove cleared her throat once again and spoke up with an insecure smile. "Maybe we should all look? Together? Arctus earlier said something about sticking to a group." Before looking around the group, she gave Arctus a sheepish, guilty smile. "Is that all right with everyone?"

---

Tag @Valen Pelora @Sreeya @Phoenix @Forsythe Crowholde @Altaris @SlagathorTheUnknown @Nefieslab @christhebetrayer @ ​

 

[Lorcan]

Abandoned Building​

The ISC guys were coming out the woodwork - how were there so many of them? He paid attention to the one with the robot handjob going on simply because she was interesting - the other one was kind of intelligent at least because, true, fuck this place and fuck everyone around it, but she was better. For starters...

"Pegging on the first date is frowned upon, I'm told." he shot back with a grin and more genuine amusement than he usually did when chatting shit at people, "A plus for the visuals - though I get paid enough to say some corny shit like "these colors don't run" or something."

He wasn't under some kind of performance review after all so fuck it he could say what he liked about the flag. Not like Charlie was going to give enough of a fuck to rat him out to Stolas. The way up the stairs was blocked by a grating that was locked... right up until it wasn't and even Lorcan had to admit that that wasn't cool. Sighing a little bit, he ran a hand through his hair before turning back to the revealed ISC Ranger.

"Do yourself a favor and get that shit printed on a card - trust me, saves so much time."

Sometimes he remembered his own Ranger days enough to actually get some use out of them but not often. He stared at the young Jedi who called him out for chewing out the Life Day Tree Topper Fairy for being a perfect horror holo victim. Lorcan blinked at him once.

"Fuck me, did a Jedi daycare centre explode and shit you people out? Every time I look around there's another one of you glowing dildo waving motherfuckers." he demanded bluntly, before addressing Felix, pointing down the stairs, "Kid, do yourself a favor and do what your balls clearly haven't; descend."

Lorcan had already started ascending the stairs when Clove spoke up about some kind of truce and he didn't break his stride at all as he headed up the stairs.

"Nope! Don't work with kids or animals - golden rule right there."

At the top of the stairs, Lorcan would focus up a little more as the darkness grew thicker and more oppressive. He'd left his helmet behind so, fuck all those fancy vision modes he guessed. Still, he liked to push forward even if he didn't think he was actually going to like what he found so he went left, further into the darkness with his blaster rifle in hand before he tried the first door he came across.

@Phoenix
@christhebetrayer @Altaris @Valen Pelora @Sreeya @LilyNion

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Crumbling Ruin​

The old woman was visibly beyond bemused by this eclectic collection of strange individuals. That the man with the metal mohawk wasn't the oddest duckling of the bunch was even stranger. A homeless man in a clown mask and another speaking loudly in a basic dialect difficult to decipher with the woman's old ears.

She turned slowly to look toward the metal man. "Live here? Oh, well. I suppose I do, these days," the woman tutted, shaking her head. "My own ship crashed here, oh, let's see..." Her stick ground into the mud, taking her sweet time to think it over. "A long, long time ago, now," was her eventual answer to the Mandalorian's question.

The cautious man with the vibroblade in his coat started yelling about who knows what. His volume scared a waking owl from its tree, hooting peevishly as it flapped away. In the far distance, an echoing, rumbling roar resounded from the fog. "Would you keep it down?" the old woman scolded with a scowl, shaking a finger at the foul-mouthed man. As water filling an empty space the fog crept ever closer into the clearing, misty fingers reaching out as if to grasp hold of those who gathered before the ancient stone.

Ripley's close examination of the ruins wouldn't find much beyond moss, vines, and what used to be symbols. One sigil, however, had managed to escape being weathered to flat nothing. A half circle on its upper half and what might look like downward facing fish below it, only visible for a moment as the setting sun's light crossed its surface. Chilly air blew again through the clear.

"No no, I don't need you." The woman waved off the offer of assistance with all the great stubbornness of the eldery, hefting herself and her bag back to her feet. "Enough of ships and m'lady's. It's not safe here at night. Shuffle on now, indoors." Nodding sagely she shuffled her way toward the stairs. The woman paused, turning her head to deliver a cross look to Sah'ra. "Well? Are you going to help or not?"

Even as close as they were, the doorway itself was very, very dark. But if one looked down the hallway, at the very far end, there was a hint of flickering yellow light from around the corner, like an old lantern or burning fireplace. Out in the forests around them the calls of nocturnal wildlife had begun to awaken, a howling echoing through the trees.

@Versok @llamallove @LouJoVi @Tulos @Tom

 

[Livi Cross]

ABANDONED BUILDING ​

Livi wasn’t quite sure why the group of teens ran right towards the stairwell that had a clear grated door in front of it with a lock. From her experience on the AMS overwhelmed world, similar mechanisms were put in place to keep things like infected in and locked away. She decided to keep her distance for now, not too keen on getting herself killed.

The desk revealed some very interesting clues. The words written over and over again caused a chill to run down her spine. She was suddenly reminded of the world she had been on where the Disciples, the group of fanatic survivors she had been a part of, often talked about costs. The prophet who called herself Mother often professed about how everything came at a price. How opposing survivors needed to be killed and made examples of to ensure the survival of the Disciples. She had gone foraging for food in hospitals and read journals about the costs. The costs to experiment on individuals in that mad search for a cure for AMS.

Livi stepped back from the desk, suddenly feeling very ill. However, she closed her eyes and exhaled softly, looking up at the others. The group of teenagers largely ignored her, and she was perfectly fine with that. Instead she glanced over at the fellow ISC Ranger. (@Altaris)

“We need to figure out what this place is. I don’t think taking those stairs is a good idea, but I want to see where that hallway leads,” She pointed to the back of the room that had the open hallway leading deeper into the building.

Livi next turned to face the Mandalorian (@Resonance ). She recognized him as one since she had met one on her planet before, “Do you have an HUD in that helmet? Can you look out the window and tell us if we’re surrounded?” She didn’t forget that unsettling shriek she heard before.

Lastly she turned towards the Sith (@Nefieslab )or whatever from earlier. Livi called out before the man proceeded too far, “Hey! Captain Birdshit!” She reached for an extra local frequency comlink and hurled it at him, clear over the heads of the Jedi, “Tell me if you spot anything that clues us into what this place is. You’re looking for signs of this being a residential housing place or tools and equipment to suggest anything industrial. Let me know if you smell anything too...anything like chemicals or acids,” Livi said nothing more before she turned to walk towards the hallway. With luck it would lead towards a generator. Anyone that wanted to join her was welcome.

@Forsythe Crowholde @LilyNion @christhebetrayer @Valen Pelora @Phoenix

 

[Erialex]

HUMBLE TOWN
​

Eri rolled her eyes as a voice spoke in her head yet again, but this time it had a different tone. Wait a minute... Of course I don't fucking trust her. She doesn't let me do shit.

"Shut up!" She hissed, feeling more and more terrified every minute. The dark side wasn't readily responding even to this level of fear; she wasn't about to go berserk without knowing what kind of situation she was in.

I know you understand. Stop shutting me down. Let me free, I'll take care of everything... just for you. Eri had a sudden falling sensation, felt herself slipping as she lost control...but a voice reached into her mind and grabbed her arm as she fell into the abyss, pulling her out of the stupor. She had been stumbling almost blindly, unconsciously, towards what she now saw to be a young woman. I can't help myself, let alone help you.

Eri utterly despised whatever this place was doing to her. She could normally control herself so well, and she had almost completely given in involuntarily. Just because of a voice in her head, something she should be used to at this point. Her blue eyes looked around at the others surrounding her, but she said nothing.

@Logan @Eccles @Nor'baal @Nefieslab @Wit @AutoFox

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Crumbling Ruin


The old woman would be the first to speak, replying to the Mandalorian's words first. She said something about how she'd wound up in this area a long, long time ago. Laeonas swallowed this information, the competing flavors tearing at his opinion. On the one hand, this woman had been here for years seemingly-- possibly decades. That meant that in all that time, she'd never been rescued-- either because she wasn't able to call for help, or that nobody had been around to hear her. On the other hand, after so many years, she'd survived. That meant this world was survivable-- it seemed as if his doom wasn't going to be immediate.

The sudden, biting words that came next caught the human completely off guard. It came about the same time as the old woman started scolding him, but he paid no heed to the hag. Her words didn't carry quite the same level of condescension and self entitled exasperation as the other voice did. Turning to the source, Laeonas actually took a step back at the startling figures. The two who'd approached looked humanoid-- but it seemed as if all their pigmentation had been drained through a caff filter.

For a few seconds, Laeonas simply stared at the two of them. His expression didn't shift, didn't falter. Those aquamarine eyes of his just looked, gazing at them both.

Pursing his lips, the human took a long, drawn breathe, letting out an exasperated exhale. "A'right. So," He'd begin, boots crunching over twigs and leaves before splashing across the dark green puddle right before the stairway. "Mae name is Caeonnass Cannarass, and Ai really do apologize fer mae particular vernacular, and it's apparent impact on yer aud-it-ORY SEN-SES," Laeonas began, applying a crescendo to the end of his first verse, "But, as ya might be noticin' with that particularly perfect 'earin' of yers, our current situation is rather dire." Laeonas explained, all the while approaching the woman until he stood inches away from her.

"So, fergive me fer mae vernacular once more, but Ai literally cannot think of anythin' less important than tha opinions of some albino circus twins on 'ow Ai talk! When it becomes relevant, Ai'll let ya know, but until than, ya can keep yer mouths shut-- copy?" The human asked, cocking his head to the side. The expression on his face was entirely neutral, apart from a pair of bloodshot aquamarines staring down at the woman, the expression deathly serious. He'd maintain that for a few seconds, loudly breathing out of his nose, before another person found their way onto the scene.

She'd begin speaking, offering the old woman some help with her things, to which the old maid refused. "Oh look, a newcomer th'at doesn't immediately open by insultin' someone! We should get more of those, wouldn't ya agree?" Laeonas chimed in, wearing the most artificial smile he'd ever forced onto his lips. Slipping away from the two arrivals, he'd focus back on the others-- particularly on the old lady's suggestion that they move inside.

Staring into the oddly dark entryway of the ruin, all the barely suppressed anger he'd felt building within him slipped away. The slightest hint of yellow beamed inside, and he'd look at the old woman, the entryway, and than at the group. He briefly considered turning back and simply going to his ship, but he put that idea on hold as he heard the woods. Around was the howling of beasts, the predators who'd barely held back from attacking him on his way here making noise. It was their hour now, their forest.

Turning to the old woman, he'd look at her sacks, than at her, and than at the ruin. "Ayy, Ai can 'elp ya with some of those sacks if ya want." He would offer, a much more genuine looking smile replacing the obviously forced one he'd had moments ago. This woman had lasted here for what was obviously an extended length of time-- in a state that was obviously decrepit, presumably all on her own without any help. It was a wonder that any number of the beasts who'd barely restrained themselves from eating him on the run here hadn't gutted this poor old hag.

He'd find answers though-- and if he didn't figure it out on his own, he'd simply take them from her... provided nobody stopped him.
​

@Mr. Teatime @llamallove @Tulos @Versok @LouJoVi

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Abandoned Building​

Wham! Clove slammed into the fence in front of the door, still dragging Ruzaan in her wake. The Togruta braced for impact, which surprisingly never came. A chill ran its way up (and down) his spine as he realized it was if the doors had opened for him...

He'd no sooner realized what had happened when Clove hauled him up the creepy stairs. At this point, Ruzaan started resisting her pull because somehow staying in close proximity to the foul-mouthed Sith trooper seemed less frightening than continuing up the stairs.

"Clove! Ruzaan! Get back here this instant!" Arctus' (@Forsythe Crowholde ) voice rang out, and Ruzaan turned to see the older padawan approaching with Felix in tow. Thankfully, Clove stopped trying to ascend the staircase and Ruzaan was able to walk with her down the stairs back to the main level.

Their walk of shame, of course, brought them back into contact with the Sith Trooper (@Nefieslab). Ruzaan tried to collect his thoughts and dignity as Clove attempted to parlay with the trooper, and he felt his anger rising as the man first insulted Clove and then Felix. He was seriously tempted to give the trooper a personal demonstration of exactly what a "glowing dildo" up the rear would feel like, but a stern look from Arctus silenced those thoughts. At least the others in the eclectic bunch that had gathered here didn't seem to be hostile.

Then Clove proposed a truce, which was immediately shot down by the trooper. What had the man said... he didn't work with "kids or animals"? Clove- no offense- was often mistaken for a child; was the man really suggesting that he, Ruzaan, was an animal just because he wasn't a human?

"Excuse me" Ruzaan said through gritted teeth, gently prying Clove's fingers off of his wrist before marching to the door. The defeated banner could barely be seen in the fading light of evening; just enough for Ruzaan to use the Force to tear the banner off of its pole so that it fell limply to the ground. Petty revenge, sure, and certainly beneath his station as a Jedi, but the move brought him some satisfaction as he gazed out over the misty grass, eyes alert for any other movement in the absence of the battalion standard.

@LilyNion @Phoenix @Forsythe Crowholde @christhebetrayer @Sreeya @Valen Pelora @Resonance @Nefieslab @Altaris

 

[Ripley Virago]

Crumbling Ruin
~~~​

More stranded wanderers had made their way to the ruins it would seem, a woman with black hair emerging from the bushes at the edge of the clearing. It was possible that her presence accounted for the strange noises Ripley had heard along the overgrown pathway that had brought her here. The newcomer approached the group, offering to help the elderly woman carry her bags inside. Chivalry wasn't dead, after all.

There were five of them now, not counting the elderly woman that had appeared out of nowhere and apparently did live here. Ripley's white eyes scanned the bizarre group that had gathered around the entrance, wondering if they found the woman's answer as baffling as she did.

Her gaze lingered on the Mandalorian and the man hidden behind a mask the longest before returning to the aging structure that had caught her interest. Her hand continued to wander over the stone until finding purchase on a symbol, perhaps the only one that had not completely worn away with time. Intrigued, the Arkanian ran a finger over , gingerly tritacing the outlines of the half circle and what appeared to be a fish.

Curiouser and curiouser, she thought to herself, excitement coursing through her veins at the discovery. She reached for the cam she'd thankfully had the foresight to bring along with her. Raising the lens to capture the symbol forever, she snapped a picture just as darkness descended over the secluded forest and rendered the picture useless.

"Sod it," she muttered beneath her breath, lowering the cam and turning to face the rest of the group again. She would have to rely on her memory to retain the image, but that would not be a difficult task. She was an Arkanian, after all.

To no one's real surprise, the raven haired man was not pleased with the question Ripley had asked him. Clearly, he was a difficult personality and would be a pain in the exhaust port. He introduced himself, but Ripley still didn't have a clue as to his name, simply because she could not understand his pronunciation. She really didn't care what his name was anyway.

He marched toward her like a bull in a china shop, eliciting a grimace from the Arkanian.

Mother of moons, she thought to herself, disgust clearly evident on her face as he approached her. It's actually coming closer. Gross.

The Arkanian's white eyes narrowed in defiance of his words. If anyone in the group deserved to "keep their mouths shut" it was without a doubt him. "The most dire situation of all is that accent of yours. Please do us all a favor and shut up," she replied in an even voice.

A vicious roar echoed through the trees, and the elderly woman urged the raven haired man to keep his voice down. Ripley couldn't resist getting one final jab in.

"And just what did you intend to do with that?" she inquired in a whisper so only he could hear, pointing to the vibrosword he'd reached for earlier. "Hack an old lady to death?"

Ripley followed the elderly woman and the others into the ruins, her white eyes searching the darkness for anything that might give her answers. She was eager to discover more about this place, particularly more about the symbol she had spotted outside.

"I noticed a symbol outside," she began, speaking directly to the woman who lived here. "A half circle with what might be a fish beneath it. It's nothing I've ever seen before. Can you tell me anything about it?"

@Mr. Teatime @Versok @LouJoVi @Tulos @Tom

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

OOC: Abandoned Building

The children were screaming. The Imperial Soldier was swearing but at least no one was trying to kill each other…for now. Charlotte took a deep breath to calm herself. She really had not planned on a party. Creepy abandoned buildings were the last place she had expect to find a gaggle of travelers. Frankly, the ISC Rangers seemed most collected. Right…she’d stick with them. “Working together sounds lovely.” Charlotte spoke into the emptiness. She just wanted to make sure no one in the immediate vicinity tried to kill her. “A generator would make all of this feel less haunted.” Malicious spirits were very much real. The Dark Side allowed for such creatures to survive but it seemed unlikely a random backwater world would house some long dead soul.

Charlotte quickly turned to follow Ranger Cross, walking quickly to join her in the hallway. “I’m Charlie.” She pointed back towards the kids. “Despite the robes, I’m not with everyone else.” Her eyes swept back and forth across the hallway. Even as she talked, her kept vigilant. That feeling of being watched never left. “Something is watching us.” She kept her voice low. There was no need to panic the younger crowd. If they were going figure this place out, panic was the last thing they needed. One night of shelter was all she needed. What terrible horrible thing could possible happen in one night? She kept walking down the hallway. There was no such thing as jinxes.

@Sreeya @Nefieslab @SlagathorTheUnknown @LilyNion @Resonance @Forsythe Crowholde @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Arctus Friers]

Abandoned Building

​

He probably sounded like a jackass for being angry all of a sudden, but Arctus had learned to trust what he once thought was his on-point (though not all the time, however) intuition when it warned him of possible dangers in his immediate surroundings. The former smuggler knew better now, and it wasn't paranoia that demanded for him to keep a close eye on his fellow Padawans. It wasn't paranoia that whispered a warning at him that something lurked in the darkness, watching the assembled group.

If the dying screech from whatever poor creature was slaughtered(?) was a red flag, then this manor sure was a huge one, too. Unfortunately, said huge red flag was also their only shot at finding anything that might help them get off this creepy no-name rock they found themselves in.

Mmm, Ssssssiiiiiiiith, came the hated whisper from the back of his mind, gleeful despite the faintness in its quality still. The Dark Side knew that Arctus was scared, and they both knew that It would most definitely not pass up on the opportunity to tempt and torment the former smuggler. And a godsawful place you and these burdens you call little siblings find yourselves in. How delightful, Arctus Friers.

The Padawan ignored It much like how he ignored the armored Sith and the latter's words. At the insult directed at Felix, however, Arctus couldn't help but glare at the bastard. There were so many things he liked to tell the other man but he held his tongue, if only for the trio of teenagers he was looking out for. Best to set an example even if he wasn't the epitome of a perfect Padawan. Still, he couldn't resist expressing his own anger towards the Sith but he kept it to a minimum. Gently placing a hand on Felix's shoulder, he ushered the other three back to the main lobby and back to the rest of the group.

The Sith bastard could find trouble upstairs and Arctus wouldn't even give a shit about it.

(He was aware that it wasn't very Jedi of him, but he just couldn't care at the moment.)

The ISC lady seemed to take leadership in her hands so Arctus let her, secretly grateful that someone had the guts to take the reins. His next words probably wouldn't turn out to be a good idea in the end but he would be damned if he didn't pull his weight and help.

"We'll take the hallway," he told the female Ranger, pointing at said hallway that led deeper into the building. Then, with one brow raised, he directed his next words to his fellow Padawans. "The four of us."

That last one brooked no argument.

He was still a little angry about two of them running off, but Clove and Ruzaan's apprehension and fear chipped away at his anger. His expression softened slightly and managed a smile as he began to walk towards the hallway, expecting for the other three to follow. The former smuggler unholstered one of his DL-18s.

"Try not to run off again, alright?" he reminded Clove and Ruzaan. "Now, let's get going. We're going in single file. I'll take the lead, and Felix will be the rearguard. Ruzaan, behind me. Clove, stay in front of Felix. We all good with that arrangement?"

If he received no objections, Arctus would then take a step forward and into the hallway, blaster trained forward in case something hostile jumped out at them from the cover of darkness.

@Phoenix @christhebetrayer @LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown @Nefieslab @Sreeya @Valen Pelora @Resonance @Altaris