[STH] PART II: Rumors to Reality

[MasterTyvokka]

PART I: No Safe Haven

Journal of Head Jedi Archivist, Sorū Chen - 33rd of the 2nd Month 42ABY

It was a long trip from Yavin IV to visit my nephew here on Naboo. Thankfully it was uneventful. I have never liked flying very much so it is nice to be on solid ground. One would think that someone of my learning would love to hop from planet to planet exploring the different cultures. Maybe it is my age but I have found that I prefer sitting in a library reading through datacards and manuscripts, things that most people just pass right over.

Speaking of exploring, I got the opportunity to examine an interesting artifact a few days ago before I left Yavin. Master Skywalker had brought it to me to figure out what it was. I had never seen anything like it before. It was a strange crystal shape with bulbous base. Frankly I wasn't really sure what to make of it and would have suggested it was just an unusual trinket had it not been for the Dark Side aura. That alone gave me shivers. I suggested to Master Luke that the artifact be kept secret until we could discover its origins.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana Mona could honestly admit she was surprised that she had gotten a mission that involved going to Yavin IV, with a Sith master no less too. Her surprise hadn't lasted long before she started to analyze just what the mission entailed, her fine eyebrows did raise a bit when the mission said that the reason she and the sith master were going to Yavin IV was to find an the old Telos holocron, she had heard about it from her old master, mainly him mentioning it had vanished at one point during the distant past. But it looked like a lead had been found after so many years.

At least it's interesting Mori thought in a absent-minded manner as she waited at the landing area for the Sith Master to arrive, her ship was a rather simple looking freighter, though looks could be deceptive and in this case it was, there were many mods to the ship, making it far more effective in a number of situations, that and it was quite a comfortable ship. Mori found it actually quite relaxing being in her ship for long periods of time.

Mori then sighed aloud as she stood up straight from sitting on the ramp leading up into her ship, stretching her arms above her head to work out the kinks in her neck and back from sitting for so long, she was wearing her standard armor and could feel a small amount of irritation creeping up on her as she had been waiting for a while for while, she checked the time and could feel herself deflate a bit as she was simply early... real early. At least I'm not late Mori was at least glad with that little bit of info, and decided she might as well do a light work out as she waited. With that in mind she removed the armored skirt and did a couple of stretches, before going down and doing some basic push ups. Never let it be said that Mori stood around doing nothing.

 

[Vexillar]

Raith walked out from nearby shrubbery with an angry beeping golden arachnid at his feet. "No. I told you that this wasn't going to work, Eezeo." He was still very much unfamiliar with his own body and voice. Ever since he had...kind of tamed a spirit, his voice was partially alien. When he spoke, it was the same gentle and warm voice of his that slipped out, but underneath that was a woman's voice. It was ghostly in sound, yet enchanting to hear. It made conversations with Raith rather interesting, since even he was prone to occasionally seeming...unnerved or perplexed. Not by what he says, but rather by the gentle mix of voices.

He and Eezeo had been exploring the temple grounds, checking for any signs of danger. Just some wildlife, but he couldn't shake a feeling. There was...something around here. What? He didn't know. He knew better than to challenge his senses though. If there was something wrong, he would simply have to be on alert. "Ah, Acolyte Mona, yes?" The duality of voices chimed as he noticed her doing push-ups.

Bah...what is she doing? She'll only tire herself out long before we actually get anything done. The spirit that shared Raith's body appeared before him in all her ghostly glory, visible, and audible, only to Raith. He ignored the specter's comment and motioned for Mori to stand. Vi's presence in the Force was, as always, hidden, gone, invisible. He didn't like being spied on, or followed, especially by other Force Sensitives. His mind was a fort, impenetrable to those who would seek to wander inside. They were not far from the temple in question. It was a lighthouse to Vi'kaar...quiet literally. Since his kind saw through the Force, particularly heavy places, places that had been nearly overrun by one side or another, illuminated the black and gray hues of his world with a fiery vengeance.

"So, Acolyte Morisana, tell me. What do you know of the Force?" A general question, but with an alternate purpose. Just as the Dark Side of the Force could be addictive and tempting, so could the Light. In it's own special way of course. Nothing as violent or blatant as the Dark Side, but it had a habit of...marking individuals who weren't careful. Morisana was in good hands here, Raith was an adept of the Unifying Force. He worshiped the Spirits, Ashla and Bogan the Twin Gods, but saw them really as one being with two parts. Not two separate entities. That didn't mean everyone else did, however. If Morisana became drunk on the Light Side and took it back to Korriban, she may find herself inclined to fall into Ashla's arms and draw too much negative attention to herself. That was not a good thing on Korriban. It was his job to ensure she would be able to handle the overwhelming power of the Temple.

Whether or not she physically survived it, however, was her own issue to solve.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana glanced towards the noise of the foliage being disturbed while still doing her push ups her form however a bit more tense as ready to spring into action in case of it being either an enemy or predator, she then saw the Sith Master emerge from the foliage and while she knew he was an ally she didn't really let down her guard just yet, when he actually said her last name she became less tense she was still posed to strike, she was a little curious about the Master's odd voice but she didn't comment on it and she as she stood up and got a good look at him she had to admit he wasn't that bad to look at Not many Sith can actually lay claim to that, even more so masters Mori thought absently, while she worked out the kinks in her shoulders from the push ups.

She then grabbed her armored skirt and reattached it, while she finished making sure it properly back on the question of about what she thought of the force caught her by surprise, and she turned to look at the Sith Master with a somewhat curious look with a hint of suspicion underneath, she kept her arms at her sides one of her hands ready to grab her lightsaber if need be. "It's Grey to me, Master. That might have to do with my culture or my upbringing, but I see the force as whole as one unifying force that simply in the same. Almost like a coin it has two different sides, but is also the same as they are but one part of a whole being." Mori answered truthfully she had unhooked her lightsaber as she spoke and stared at it with a somewhat peaceful look on her face before she looked towards the sith master, she was relaxed but also posed to either block or counter an attack coming her way from the sith master in case he found her answer.. lacking or wrong, not that it would matter she will not go down without a fight, even if her chances of actually winning were pretty much zero. She didn't activate her saber yet though, she would rather not doing anything rash in case it turned out that the sith master did not mind.

 

[Vexillar]

Oh she's just a little peach isn't she? Unifying Force, all part of one, blah blah blah. How did either of you two make it past puberty with such naive views of the galaxy and the greatest power in existence? Bah... He allowed a small smile to touch his lips at his hitchhiker's clear disdain for such talk. Maybe one day she would change her mind, but for now it was pretty clear that that's where she stood.

As for him, he was quite content with the answer but that was just belief. It held no power without conviction. He could sense the tension behind him radiating off of her. It didn't surprise him, though with his Thought Shield up she couldn't sense the lack of malice of ill will from him. He was basically just a walking void of thought and feeling. There was nothing going on inside him as far as others could sense. Still...he'd know more. "So then tell me. What do you think of the current situation between Jedi and Sith?"

If she was tense before, he couldn't wait to see how she'd react to this one. The Force was touchy, but this one could border on treason depending on the answer. A cute thought given his own situation. Yes, your situation. Tch. As treacherous as treason can get. Harboring Jedi, these secret meetings. If only Master were here. You and him would have a blast scheming and plotting...until he overpowers you and puts you down like a dog. He ignored the spirit once again. She was always had an opinion on something. It would be cute if it wasn't always an opinion against him.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana raised an eyebrow questioningly at the sith master his questions were no doubt odd and she lowered her guard, though she was still cautious when asked about the whole war with the Jedi, putting away her saber, seeing as there would probably be no point anyways. She sighed a bit as she thought of how best to answer the question "It's a dumb war." Morisana said in the bluntest and monotone possible the deadpan look on her face further nailed the fact that she considered the war dumb. she shook her head a bit before continuing to explain why "The reason I think it's dumb is rather obvious. If you look back on history for as long as the Jedi and Sith have been around, all you will see is pretty much the same thing repeating over and over and over again. Sith and Jedi pretty much destroying one another, both keep coming back, both do it again and again. Rinse, wash, repeat. The amount of times both the Jedi order and the Sith empire/order have been destroyed and then resurrected would probably stun many people who were actually aware of it. At the end of the day it's become a cycle, Neither Dark nor light can truly overcome the other, because both sides make up the force as whole, if you don't have the other. In one instance everything is destroyed and in ruin, the other, peaceful and stagnant." Morisana said with conviction, if one actually looked at the whole picture it wasn't hard to see the pattern, even more so since it had been going on for thousands of years. She looked around the little clearing they were in feeling out with the force to feel her surroundings, she could sense the sith master, but she didn't bother trying to read his mind, or even brush against it. She considered it rather pointless, as she was simply an acolyte, how she had the power to get through a sith master of all people's shield was a bit stumping to Morisana, instead she drew on the comforting feeling of the force she was used to drawing on and letting it enter her being, from her mind's eye the force she had was a darkish grey. And it was rather comforting, at least to her. She paid attention to the sith master through the force, her eyes more interested in staring off into space as she did what she normally wanted when it came to relaxing.

 

[Vexillar]

The reply was...bold. She was certainly outspoken. He also couldn't help but not her relaxing. Such a confident thing to do when announcing that the war is stupid. Especially in front of a Master. He had to commend her for not beign a drone, but that alone wouldn't save her when push came to shove. She would be up against things that she had no control over, matched with people who didn't share his ideas and beliefs. He was indifferent about her answer really. Ultimately what she thought of the war was irrelevant as she woud always be a participant in it. She'd always be made to fight some enemy of the Imperium or another, and there was little besides death or treason to change that. Of course in both situations she's still actively taking a role in the war...just a negative one. He was just more curious for the sake of being curious than anything else really. "Well...you're certainly observant, I have to give you that." He said flatly. His mind had already wandered off to the temple. He just couldn't shake the feeling of something. He knew it was there, he could feel it in his bones. There was something very dangerous about this temple but what? The local animals posed little threat to them. Even the most vicious of them were really no match for his blade, let alone his command of the galaxy's ancient power.

So what was bothering him so?

As they came up on the temple, he motioned for her to stop for a moment. The temple shined a brilliant white in his Sight, but it was still a man-made thing. He was scouting out the inside for any immediate danger but saw none. They had come in on the side of the temple, a hole in the structure just large enough for them to squeeze through. Going through the front door didn't really matter much. The entire thing was abandoned, run down, and dead. He snaked his way inside the hole in the wall and was immediately assaulted with the smell of dust, death, and various random plant-life that managed to find a home here. It was an odd combination of things, but he ignored it for now. Instead he took a few more steps inside before motioning for the Acolyte to follow him. "How in tune are you with the Force, Acolyte Morisana? Can you feel it's warning? Like a mother telling her child not to touch the stove." He spoke to her, but his voice was distant, his mind was focused on something else. This feeling was intensifying.

As he waited for her answer he took a small breath and centered his being. Calling the Force to run through his sensory inputs, specifically around his ears. They twitched slightly as sounds from all over the temple suddenly burst forth with life for him. There was one in particular that bothered him though...the sounds of claws on stone. They were not alone in here, and by the sound of it there was plenty of hunters...but only two prey.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana hadn't really cared about the sith master's response to her beliefs and she also got the feeling that the sith master hadn't really cared either, which she shrugged at. He had asked her.

As the sith master gestured for her to stop the question that he asked was well odd. To her, she had been getting a rather bad feeling for a while now and she had been listening to it grow louder as they got closer to the temple "I wouldn't say exactly like a mother, but more of like a good friend telling me what I'm about to do is a pretty bad idea" Mori trailed off as she heard what sounded like claws scratching on the tone from deeper inside the temple. She sighed aloud as she realized this was definitely not going to be one of those rather simple missions where you just simply went and got what you came for, drawing out her lightsaber she activated the crimson blade so as to both see a bit better in the dark passage way and as to have her weapon out to deal with whatever was in the temple, though from what the force was trying to tell her, she doubted her saber would help her much. She also felt this rather small but still somewhat noticeable tremors or vibrations from the floor coming up through her shoes and into her feet, narrowing her eyes a bit she glanced back towards the sith master "Do tell me if I'm the only one feeling that, Master." She said in monotone as she wasn't sure if what she felt was genuine or not.

 

[Vexillar]

Raith was so focused on the sounds he heard that he almost missed Morisana's answer and voice of concern. He let go of the enhanced hearing and looked over his shoulder at her. "Well...if you can feel it then maybe we'll both make it out of here alive after all..." He pulled his lightsaber to his hand but didn't activate it just yet. He continued to walk forward, the faint sounds of claws on stone pulling his attention in a few directions. He needed to focus. With a small breath he channeled the powers of the Force, once more augmenting his hearing. Eventually he was indeed able to zero in on the source of the claws.

He let go of the hearing once more and motion for Morisana to stay close. He took a few more steps and the beasts came into view for him. They were still a [#4682BF]"Time to show me what you can do Acolyte. There's a few beasts just ahead of this corridor. It looks like they are...huh...how curious. They seem to be guarding the stairwell that goes beneath this temple. This doesn't bode well, Acolyte. Go and dispatch of those hounds, and we will tackle the problem of why these beasts are so well trained later."[/color] The direction was clear as day.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana looked towards the Sith Master with a raised eyebrow from getting rid of the hounds, she sighed a bit before raising up her hand and lifting one of the hounds with telekinesis and moving her hand slightly to the left making the hound smash in a way that it snapped it's neck, she then walked a bit forward slowly with her lightsaber activated which got the attraction of the two other hands who were still confused on just what happen to the third one.

They both growled before one of them charged at Mori, and then when it got close enough launched it's self in the air to attempt to bite her, in response Mori slashed upwards with her saber cutting the hound in two down the middle, shortly after she did that the third and finale hound appeared shortly after she dispatched the second one, it already in the process of lunging at her, however in the middle of it's lunge it stopped in mid air, the hound was confused on why it had stopped before it saw a red flash before everything went dark. The now headless hound dropped to the ground after Mori had released it from the force grip she had used to catch it mid flight.

She shut off her saber and then turned towards the sith Master, and gestured him to continue 'leading the charge' so to speak. Her face and her force signature relatively blank.

 

[Vexillar]

Vi continued forward entering the small stairwell without so much as a nod or a glance at the dead hounds. They were simply hounds. No real challenge. Judging by the scrapes and growls that were becoming more and more audible the deeper down they went, however, a greater challenge awaited them.

It was interesting how life was drawn to the Force. How that which sustained life became a beacon for all living things. How places that were strong in the Force, simply drew other creatures into it's grasp by being there. There wasn't anything else to be said about it really. If there was such a thing as sentience among these creatures, this could be a strong case for it. That they would be driven to come to a place like this, a holy ground, was, on some level, incredible. Vi wished he had time to study the effects further. But alas, time was neither permitted nor available.

Descending down the stairwell was offering themselves to darkness. Light was getting pretty limited. Though this was of no concern for Raith as he didn't need light to see. He told Mori to activate her saber for light if she required it, but otherwise showed little concern for how she was going to get about. It was simply darkness, not a planet destroying laser. Either she would overcome it or remain behind. Vi'kaar could slowly begin making out several beasts in his sight far away from them, behind a multitude of twists, turns, and descends, that were very much unlike the hounds upstairs.

They had entered the maze...

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana simply glanced at the sith master at his recommendation, and politely ignored it, she didn't need her eyes in order to see properly anything in front of her, besides she's been just as dark or darker places such as this without light so it wasn't really an effort on her part to in sense see in the dark. She could partially see the maze with her eyes, but she felt it more than actual saw it, and the same could be said for the hounds. While the hounds were different she didn't really feel like they would be that much of a threat her, the maze was quite interesting though.

 

[Vexillar]

If she chose to ignore his words that was on her. He did his part.

He took a moment to asses the situation, silently kicking himself for not having Prazutis with him. The child was a royal pain, but he knew Raith better than anyone else in the Order. Prazutis may have only been an Acolyte, but his time on the streets gave him a certain...edge in these situations. One Raith wanted to exploit, but alas...his Apprentice was far far off. Probably lazing about in his room. He pushed the thought from his head as Eezeo beeped a few times, speaking in the droid language of Binary. The Miraluka nodded. "Yes...We have a bit of a problem, but nothing that cannot be addressed. However...do you have the data I asked for?" The droid beeped a few more times. "Not surprising...very well. We do this the hard way."

Not many people understood Binary, fewer still spoke it and Raith was among them though he knew enough to say 'hello' and 'he did it', which is why he had Eezeo made without a vocabulator. He liked private conversations. Raith had Eezeo pull any relevant information on this place from the database, but there wasn't a lot. Just reports of dead Jedi and Sith that showed up now and then. Nothing major, except that few people ever returned. It could be a lot of things, but Raith's suspicions were confirmed when the organizer of this mission dropped the logic bomb that there might be a Terentatek lurking somewhere around here.

Which explained his bad feelings.

He shook his head slightly and moved forward. His 'eyes' focused on the Tuk'ata that lurked around here. They all knew that prey had arrived. It was a matter of getting to them. The sounds of eager claws scraping against the stone floor filled the halls, as did howls, signalling the hunt had begun. "You might be interesting in arming that saber now..." Vi'kaar said with a slightly snide tone, but it was only because he was mildly irritated. This was a fool's errand for anyone but an established team. He knew nothing about this woman, how we he supposed to know he wouldn't be spending his time protecting her? Still...he had been in worse situations, far worse, so this couldn't be that bad...Plus she made it this far. He could feel Ashla's presence down here stronger than ever. The Light Side threatened to suffocate anyone who was unprepared, and in this moment he almost allowed it to fill his thoughts and actions. A few small breaths later, however, and he was back to normal.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana nodded her head slightly as she ignited her saber, she could feel the lightside in the temple and is was actually slightly comforting she could understand why the Jedi liked being on the light so much, she didn't really let it effect her too much though, the last thing she needed was to be attacked by a sith master in here of all places, she stretched out her force senses around her so as to get a better indication of when one of the Tuk'ata would come to attack, she wasn't worried about the sith master, since if the guy could get killed by a simple hound he didn't really deserve his position.

She stayed on a guard in a rather relaxed but stable position, if she was attacked she could easily counter it and if she had to, she could simply use the force.

 

[Vexillar]

Raith walked forward cautiously, they couldn't keep waiting forever. They had to get to the bottom of all of this. The Tuk'ata wouldn't wait for them to stumble into their nests. They were hunters, not the kind to lay traps, but the kind to seek out prey and viciously take it down by whatever means deemed fit. His mind was a bit split in this moment. On one hand he was thinking of how to deal with these Tuk'ata. They were in an enclosed space, the hallways were large enough for the two of them to move side by side, kind of, but that wasn't much room to move around and fight these creatures in. He didn't know what style of saber combat Morisana used, but his Makashi was perfect for such linear spaces. It was, however, imperfect, as others were, when forced to fight side by side in these confined spaces. This would restrict him to the Force if anything, but even that would be a kind of problem here. He had worked on a kind of...active meditation, something to aid him in calling upon the Force. This wasn't a new technique by any means, rather it was something that the Jedi had done for centuries. He was merely learning the technique after having little time to himself during his earlier years and no Sorcerers through which to learn it properly. This suited his learning style just fine. Life or death, sink or swim, now or never.

Do or do not, there is no try...

Left, left, right, left, straight, right right. He was moving slightly faster and faster, not trying to get out of the maze. He was simply trying to avoid the Tuk'ata. But they were smarter than that. This was their home, their turf, their everything. They knew these halls, and they knew their ways around them. Every now and then the claws would sound closer and closer, and Raith would swear in Miralukese under his breath before changing his route. Eventually he had no choice but to act. He moved to go down a dead-end hallway. "Stay behind me..." She had worked hard enough. It was his turn. Stepping in front of her he shrugged off his robe. Eezeo got back behind him too, beeping worriedly for his master. Raith breathed evenly and deeply. With each inhale and exhale, it was as if the Galaxy collapsed and expanded around him. He fell into this meditative state, it was now or never. Do or die. Sink or swim. There was no room for error, because if he failed here, they would have little option but to try and not hack each other's limbs off in their fight for survival. The Tuk'ata showed themselves. Rounding the corner, half a dozen of them snarled as they began to make their way down the hall in pairs of two.

He didn't need a lot of energy here. He simply needed to relax. The Force resides in the Galaxy, the Galaxy in him, he in the Force, all is one. He repeated this mantra in his head and for a moment, the briefest of seconds, he existed as a void. There was a hollow feeling where he stood, but it came and went as quickly as one could blink. In the next instant he held out his hand and spoke softly. "Begone." He his will was ejected from the palm of his hand, not just crashing into the universe, but demolishing the folds of energy between them and the hounds. It sounded like a sonic boom, but was hardly threatening to one's eardrums. His power shotgunned down the hallway slamming into the beasts and sending them all reeling backwards and against the far wall. A couple bones could be heard shattering. Only one of them was left unharmed, the rest were either dead or severely injured. The Arcanist, dashed forward with incredible Force-enhanced speed. In a heartbeat he was at the Tuk'ata who dared to try and escape his wrath. His blade sinking into their flesh and removing head and limb from body. One was all that remained. The beast growled at him, and he found his mind...taken. He could sense the fear inside this beast, he could sense a mind lingering under those feral eyes. Incredible....simply amazing. "I will be back for you..." He spoke to the creature's mind. Unsure of whether or not he would understand, but he tried it anyway. He had heard that the Tuk'ata were at least semi-sentient, that they could speak to one another, and understood the Sith language. So maybe...just maybe.

He motioned to Morisana to come with him, and they began their journey once again.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana was impressed by the display, but she could also see that what the sith master had used took some time, which left him open to attack. If he had been dealing with another force user, either it be Jedi or sith, he'd been cut down or forced to move before he could actually finish what he had been doing. She mentally shrugged at the thought, no one was perfect.

She nodded her head and followed the Sith master she glanced towards lone Tuk'ata that was still alive and she felt a slight amount of pity for the creature, but she resisted the urge to finish it off so it could join it's fellow Tuk'ata in the afterlife. She'd rather not accidentally piss off the sith master in front of her.

 

[Vexillar]

The pair walked forward for a while, it took a bit of time for them to actually leave the maze. It was, after all, constructed to confuse and disorient invaders. Such a goal was almost a moot point, however, when you could see through walls. Made the task a bit easier to undertake. Soon enough they were at another set of stairs, after fighting through a few other hounds though hardly as organized as the previous Tuk'ata. He assumed it to be because of the initial contact with them. Maybe they were a lead pack? Who knew. Vi'kaar was hardly an expert on beasts, so he paid this little mind really. He was more concerned about the occasional quakes that ran through the ground. Whatever was causing it wasn't happy.

He sensed unrest, anger, lots of anger, and...insatiable hunger. These feelings were raw, powerful, and they ran deep in whatever they originated from. "Eezeo. Get back to the ship. Ready Protocol 76-Alpha." The droid gave a concerned response through Binary and the Miraluka raised a hand to silence the droid. "We're in an underground temple, with archaic machinery at best. There are no...sentient organics around. Your services are best served for the contingency plan. Now go." The droid hesitated for but a moment before he scurried off. Raith understood the hesitation, he didn't want to send Eezeo away. The droid was as much a comfort for him as he was for the droid, but it was what was best. The protocol in question would see to it that if Vi'kaar didn't come back that Prazutis would be alerted and informed of his last known location. Originally Prazutis wasn't on the list of people to contact, but...well things had changed. Within this information, however, the fact that he was with someone wasn't included. Simply because it didn't matter. Raith believed that everyone should have their own contingency plan. He never planned for someone else, unless that person actually meant something to him, or he needed them.

Morisana was neither.

Once he felt the energy of Eezeo was off their level and had made his way up the previous set of stairs, Raith began to descend down their set. You are suicidal, you know what's down there. The specter Ertichu appeared for a moment, floating in Vi's vision just off to the left. If I am to die here, then I shall die here. Though I doubt that's my destiny... He responded in thought. The woman rolled her eyes, and Vi could sense her disgust with his answer. I'm in here too. If you die, I die. He chuckled mentally at her, and gave the slightest tilt of his head that was hardly noticeable in their current nearly no-light surrounding. Then I guess you had better start working with me instead of rooting for my downfall She scoffed for a moment and then vanished from him. When they got down to the final level, they were presented with a massive chamber, pillars high enough to make him wonder if they were still stable, and torches that were lit.

How that was a thing, Vi didn't even want to begin to ponder. What was more concerning was the fact that the moment his foot touched this ground he felt a dagger of fear stab into the base of his neck. This fear was undetectable to present company, however, given his expertise in shielding his mind. They were very far from alone down here, and that was a problem. He didn't wish for it to be true, but as he looked around their surroundings he could make out something just beyond the darkness in the next room. Something that shouldn't be here. And he was not at all happy to find this beast here. This was a problem. He had gotten the report, it was rumored that this beast lurked here, but he chose to hope it was just speculation. Unfortunately for them, the beast was also between them and their goal.

Their current chamber had one long pathway that led to a door far too small for the beast to have gotten in there by itself. Water filled either side of the walkway, and in the darkness it was impossible to see what was in there, but Vi could see that it was empty. The journal was just beyond the door, and beyond the Terentatek. Stealth would also not be an option because the moment his foot had touched the ground here, the beast obviously noticed them. It's head had raised and sniffed the air. A deep growl could be heard just beyond the door before a monstrous roar split the silence of this room and threatened to consume them.

Wordlessly, Raith Vi'kaar activated his lightsaber.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana had to admit she didn't really have a back up plan if things went south, but then again when it came to back up plans she was better off improvising then actually planning it out mainly because situations didn't always work out like people thought they would. She knew the sith master had a back up plan, did she particularly care? No not really. There wasn't much about the Sith master that actually interested in anyway, while he was powerful, she didn't see herself learning from such a sith master. Mainly because her own personality and beliefs would most likely conflict with his own, that and she just didn't feel that comfortable with him nor actually wanted to really know what he knew.

She could easily feel the atmosphere of the room even without using the force. When she felt the Terentatek, she didn't feel fear or worry, she felt rather blank and plain then anything else Just another thing that makes me rather odd She thought to herself as she stared at the door that was between them and the Terentatek, she also ignited her lightsaber and waited and wondered what would happen next.

 

[Vexillar]

I sense no fear from the girl. She's either extremely foolish or very skilled. And since we both know it certainly isn't the latter... Her sweet and gently Dathomir accent was obvious as the spirit spoke. He had to agree with her for a change. "You feel nothing for the beast that lays in wait for us. That is a trait of a fool, Acolyte. Since you, apparently, think so highly of yourself and your skills. You shall be the first to engage the beast...Show me why you feel no fear for a beast that has killed Jedi Masters and Dark Lords alike..." He motioned for her to step forward as the beast gave a final roar before knocking out the wall to peer at it's latest victims. This Terentatek looked just like the stories say they do, but one of it's tusks was broken off. It roared again, and charged at the pair. The earth shook with each step it took. Charging at the pair, the Arcanist spent no time waiting around. He dashed off to the right, getting out of the way of the beast's rage. The water splashed up all around him, but he had no choice but to ignore it. He was more happy that it was just free of any creatures that may also try to eat his flesh than anything else.

 

[Hishamori]

Morisana rolled her eyes at the statement from the sith master on him assuming the reason she wasn't afraid was because she thought highly of herself, that far from the case, but she didn't bother correcting him, at the mention that the Terentatek killing Jedi Masters and Sith lords, she simply glanced at him and chose not to reply. Seeing the Terentatek bust down the wall and door she had to admit the creature sure was big, and she could tell from looking at it that normal attacks would probably not be that effective against it.

Still it was better to try something than do nothing, so with that in mind she dodged out of the way of the Terentatek and got as far away from it as possible, seeing the remains of the door still mostly intact, she kept an eye on the Terentatek which was still turning around from smashing into the wall that had been behind her, At least the thing isn't that intelligent and it's over all size is a bit of a hindrance to it in these tight quarters She thought as she force lifted the remains of the door before sending it flying through the hair and into the Terentatek. The rather large flying metal door caught the Terentatek by slight surprise while it did catch the door the force behind made the giant beast slam into the wall behind it, of course the actual damage done to it was rather minimal it still both stunned and enraged the beast all the same roaring loudly toward Morisana is threw the door back at her, which she simply dashed backwards into the room the Terentatek had been in prior to it destroying the wall and said door that she had sent flying into it.

Morisana smiled a bit the whole thing, this was rather fun really. She was up against impossible odds and it felt...exciting, very exciting, while most people would probably scared out of their wits, for Morisana it was simply an enjoyable experience, the fact she could die didn't really bother her, but that didn't mean she was going to let the beast auto-win just because she didn't mind, she was going to enjoy this fully with or without the sith masters help she didn't really care, standing rather defiantly in the room she waited for the Terentatek to choose what it wanted to do next. As she waited Morisana just realized something, the sith master she was with was still in the room that the Terentatek was still in... oops She thought rather lamely to herself and using her free hand rubbed the side of her head in slight embarrassment on forgetting that. She kept an eye on the Terentatek to see what it would do, though considering the sith master was also in the room it would probably go after him first before thinking about going after her.