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Leon Baudelaire

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Leon’s mischievous grin lit up his face when Ezra asked bout the rematch, Baudelaire pulled out all the stops, “Dude, I can’t believe you missed it, it was incredible, Motep was covered in porridge and then he was all like,” Leon changed his voice in shockingly close impersonation of Moteps manner of speaking, “You have defiled my sacred honor, prepare to die,” then switching back into his voice said, “and then I was like, uh yeah right, bruh. And then he came at me and he was all like WAHHH! Then I was like PESHAW! And then he was like, Oh no, I can’t compete with how awesome you are,” Each sound effect as accompanied by a ridiculous Taras Kasi impersonation and was delivered in Leon's falsetto, “And then, he just died. Right there, slayed by my steeze. Tragic really,” then Leon burst out laughing.

Baudelaire’s eyebrow cocked in confusion as Ezra just accepted the mission. Before he could protest the pretty boy handed him a map. “Did… Did you draw this?

What was happening? Ezra was supposed to talk shit then pull out his NalPhone and be teleported off the planet, but instead, he’d somehow figured out about the mission and had drawn a map? Before he could get lost in the idea the seed of excitement blossomed and said, “Dude, this going to be epic!"

And he moved in for the final test. The truest test of a bro’s bond that there could ever be, Leon initiated a handshake.

A little while later they were on the trail. They’d snagged some supplies for the trip and Houske was glimmered at their backs as they set off on their adventure to Felwinter Peak. This shit was gonna be dope.

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Ezra Thorne

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Ezra stared in stunned silence as Leon gave his very animated and over the top recollection of what happened with Motep. Ezra’s face was the complete opposite of Leon, impassive with a perfectly calm bearing. He watched with morbid curiosity as if appraising a curious work of modern art, “If you ever tell a story to my sister, you should say it just like that,” He said, nodding confidently.

He nodded at the question, “I drew what I remembered from his rambling,” He may have been lazy in school, but he did have impeccable memory. When Leon started the handshake, his own hand moved of its own accord. Before he could even realize what was going on, he matched the handshake in a simple rhythm, completing their first complex bro greeting, “Whoa..” He stared in silence. It was destiny.

Ezra packed entirely too much and was already regretting it. He was slightly behind Leon, his cardio needing some serious work. The path began to incline up and he noticed there were no signs of civilization nearby. However, the Force pulsed even more powerfully the further they walked.

“So the first checkpoint is a big boab tree,” He explained. Of course, the elder had neglected to mention anything about local creatures prowling the trail. Ezra was starting to get out of breath and stopped to sit on a stump, taking a drink of water. Almost at once, his ears twitched slightly.

“Either you’re due for a snack or that’s something else growling…” He muttered with distaste.

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Leon Baudelaire

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You have a sister? I’ll keep that in mind,” he said jokingly waggling his eyebrows at Ezra.

Yo, that was DOPE!” Their handshake nearly brought a manly tear to Leon’s eye but he sucked it up and walked it off. This friendship had without a doubt just been blessed by the force.

The hike was brutal, no way around it. He packed light. The had emergency supplies in his utility belt, his weapons, food for a few days just in case, and a canteen. Ezra on the other hand brought a whole damn store. It wasn’t a big deal to Baudelaire though, what did he care, hiking was awesome. The sheer beauty of the force-infused flora made the trip worth it. As their incline leveled Ezra stopped and pulled back out the map he’d drawn.

Leon scanned the horizon for the tree. He reached out to the force for guidance feeling the shuddering usherance of the omnipresent power. Leon’s gaze shifted eastward as Ezra mentioned his hunger.

What?” said Leon looking back to Ezra. Before the home could say anything Leon’s eyes would go wide and he’d point behind Ezra, extended finger shaking, “D-d-d-da-DINOSAUR!

Then he started laughing. Through gasping breaths, he’d say, “You-Should-Have-Seen-Your-Face!

Crack, Leon’s head whipped up as a pack of four Maalraas-looking beasts burst from the nearby woods, “Oh shit!” shouted Leon yanking his blaster and opening fire!

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Ezra Thorne

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Ezra jerked around to see what Leon was pointing at, only to realize he was pulling his leg. The part Sephi glared and chucked his granola bar, which he began to unravel, at Leon’s face. He ignored it when Leon tried the same trick twice, rolling his eyes and preparing to find another snack. Unfortunately, his ears confirmed Leon’s source of panic and he looked around to see four things that did, miraculously, look like dinosaurs.

He only had his stupid electrosword, and he drew it out uselessly. Ezra had no intention of getting close to the things. Leon shot at them and the bolts bounced off, one of them back towards them.

“Dude!” Ezra called out, tackling Leon to the ground dramatically like in the movies to shove him out of the way of the deflected bolt. Thankfully, Ezra didn’t get shot either, “You better tell this story too,” He grumbled as he hastily crawled off to the side as the beasts began to roar and move closer.

Blasters weren’t going to be of any use, and something told him the things used the Force. The Force came to him easier here, so he used it to send a telekinetic blast towards one of them. Fortune smiled on him as it sent one of them flying back and tumbling into another. This sent two of them toppling, resulting in a convoluted mess as they growled and snapped at each other, drawing the other two in. He took the previously chucked granola bar and hurled it into the group of ‘dinosaurs’. Who knows, maybe a snack would keep them occupied.

“Let’s go!” Ezra hissed, keeping a low profile to quickly scurry away. Leon was a doofus if he thought they could actually fight those things, so if he insisted on fighting Ezra would ditch his ass.

They had two options - keep running up the open hiking trail or run into the side forest and take the longer route. It was only a matter of time before the beasts disentangled themselves and gave chase.

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Leon Baudelaire

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Super-heated plasma ricochet off the scaling quadrupeds sending bolts in different directions. One such bolt bounced off the pack leader and nearly slammed into his chest. Luckily Ezra was there to help him out of the way.

They landed hard and something hit him so hard between the legs that he squeaked involuntarily. Ezra’s bowcaster had swung around during the fall and as they came to a stop, so too did the butt of the weapon. Leon turtled up immediately whimpering as checked to make sure his eggs hadn’t been scrambled. The bigger dude jumped up. He dipped into the force and gave them an opportunity to escape.

Leon tried not to barf as he got to his feet staying hunched over to follow Ezra away from the devil dogs. The pain in his groin finally eased and he was able to pick up the pace. They followed the hiking path, looking to put as much distance as possible between them and the hounds. A haunting howl echoed behind them closer than Leon would have liked.

He pulled his blastsword he knew to the main component of the weapon would be ineffective on the plated animals, but with his weapon, he could defend himself from the fangs and claws that would inevitably come. A howl rang out from their left. The rustling of branches was the only warning they’d get before a Maalras burst from the brush, Leon intercepted the lunging beast with his blade. The sharp edge slid under the beast, and Leon followed using the creature's momentum to redirect their trajectory, sending it to the ground in a heap.

A second exploded out of the tree line and Leon fired a force push point blank managing to divert the beast just enough to avoid having his throat ripped out. He could hear the loping footfalls of the pack just beyond the trees and kept moving. He fell in behind Ezra protecting his back. This wasn’t looking good.

If you’ve got any ideas, I’m open to suggestions!

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Ezra Thorne

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Ezra was still out of breath when the beasts caught up to them again. Exhaustion was setting in, and these creatures knew how to weave through the Force. Within moments, the visible maalraas were suddenly impossible to make out against the backdrop of the forest, the creatures leveraging their cloaking tricks.

“We can’t beat these things,” Ezra said in between gasps of breath. He wiped sweat off his face and pointed towards the forest on their right, ”Go!” He shouted, practically shoving Leon down a small incline leading into the forests. The trees and flora were dense and packed too close together for the maalraas to navigate.

There was a massive, hollowed out log on the ground. It was large enough for them to squeeze inside, though it was going to be especially uncomfortable for his 6’3 frame. Ezra grunted as he pushed himself in, folding up into a pretzel with his face shoved between his knees. It was a tight fit and he and Leon were pressed together. But it was that or loudly running around.

Ezra tried to slow his breathing so it wasn’t audible. A few seconds passed by without incident and there was a soft rumble. It didn’t come from the beasts, but from above. Shortly after, rain began to spatter the log above them, a downpour abruptly starting. Ezra cursed their luck inwardly, though this may have unwittingly spared them from being sniffed out easily.

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Leon Baudelaire

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Leon gritted his teeth parrying this filthy casual of a beast with Lionheart at the last moment. When Ezra called for them to bail.

That’s a great idea whe–eey,” he yelped as Ezra charged toward the woods shoving Leon in the direction of the woods. They scrambled down the embankment and spotted a massive log. Leon sheathed Lionheart and dove into the opening. He crawled deeper into the makeshift shelter giving Ezra space to follow.

Leon steadied himself. He took a breath in repeating his mantra and felt his hammering heart calm. His breathing eased and fell nearly silent. He couldn’t feel any approaching threats, but that didn’t mean the hellhounds weren’t out there still looking for them. That’s when the rain started.

It wasn’t until water worked its way through a hole in the log that he realized it was raining. He cursed himself for leaving his poncho back at the temple. This was going to suck, but if the force had called them out here then it had to be worth it. There was something to everything happening. The wind caught the little hole the water had slipped through and rang out in an eerie whistle. Further away he could hear the howl of the Maalrass. He couldn’t tell if it was the rain muffling their calls or if they’d moved on, but he was a little biased in this situation.

Well, that was fun,” he said to Ezra. “I’m sliding outta here. I need to see if I can catch my bearings.

Leon slid out of the log and into the rain. He grabbed the limb of the nearest tree and swung himself up. He perched in the tree and did his best to peer through the sheets of rain falling, but it was no use. He glanced up into the sky and the clouds were menacing. This rain wasn’t going anywhere. He closed his eyes and reached out with the force, he could feel it’s pull, but was struggling to discern where it was pulling him to. Defeated he slid down the tree to Ezra.

Sorry dude, this rain is fucking me up,” he shrugged, “I say we follow the embankment that way,” he said gesturing in the direction he was pretty sure they’d been heading. Their pace was atrocious. They were both exhausted now. The rain only seemed to get harder the further they walked. The sheets of water fell with a deafening roar. Just as Leon was about to hold his hand up to stop, he felt it. A small nudge. He shifted his course to accommodate and slogged on. They had to be getting close to this thing right?

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Ezra Thorne

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Unlike Leon, Ezra overpacked. While Leon wandered about in the rain, Ezra dug through his bag while under the log. He was able to pull out a rain poncho that he pulled over himself. The part Sephi walked out behind Leon, donning his poncho and hood and avoiding most of the rain. He only had one and he was in no mood to get cozy with Leon to share it. However, he was surprised at the pang of guilt he felt at watching him walk about like a forgotten puppy soaked to his bones.

He kept plodding along, his boots digging into thick mud. Thunder boomed loudly above, making him wince thanks to his sensitive ears. Ezra could feel the pulse in the Force, and they were both guided towards it. If Leon was miserable, Ezra was doing significantly worse. None of his pampered and luxurious lifestyle prepared him for this kind of nonsense. At least with Kashyyyk, he had Dash to stare at.

“We need to go back,” He said gruffly, tired and hungry, “This was a dumb idea.”

As they walked further, he could make out the faint outline of a tree. His eyes widened slightly, “The boab tree!” He exclaimed, picking up the pace. He had never been so ecstatic about a stupid tree, but it meant they had made it to their checkpoint.

A short distance past the tree was what appeared to be the entrance to a cave. Ezra stared at it, “Well…the elder guy said something about hiking up and across the mountain to get to the other side and not the cave that cuts through,” He stared silently towards the cave, the rain still pelting them violently, “Whatever, the cave is probably fine and the Elder is trying to make us 'build character'.”

Ezra quickly began to make for the cave entrance.

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Leon Baudelaire

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The rain was ice cold. Leon was shivering, literally teeth chattering, but he couldn’t stop. Was he jealous of Jabba? Duh, but his Adumarian pride wouldn’t allow him to show it. He forced himself into a trance focusing on the repetitive splash of his footfalls along the flooded route.

You giving up?” he asked with a sly little smirk on his face.

A few minutes later, Ezra spotted the tree. Relief flooded Leon giving room for hope to blossom. Stepping under the branches and mostly out of the rain was a welcomed relief. Leon’s breath was heavy as he lifted his arms clasping them over his head. The air was still cold, but the wind had died a bit so the chill wasn’t biting.

Ezra pointed out the cave and Leon followed him toward it. “Yeah, let’s check it out,” replied Leon.

As they stepped into the cave the path quickly narrowed until he had to turn sideways and shimmy through. The press of the cold stone was stressing him out. The soft scrape of cloth on stone. The moments when it almost felt too tight to continue, but just barely getting through. Then suddenly, he was released from the press of stone. Leon yelped as he dropped about two meters into a circular room with a stone door on the opposite side.

Careful!” he called out to Ezra, the big dude had fallen on him enough on this trip, the last thing Leon needed was him dropping an atomic elbow on him from two meters. He got to his feet and looked around. It looked like a normal room… then he heard a high pitched whistle. The whistle grew into a howl until finally becoming a full on roar. Wind burst into the room, like a storm had just appeared before them. A humanoid shadow within the raging storm bellowed it’s hate at them before rearing back and rushing forward.

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Ezra Thorne

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Ezra was not thrilled about the passage narrowing. He was beginning to realize he was actually a bit claustrophobic. His larger frame barely fit through the narrow path and Leon would be able to tell the part Sephi’s breathing grew erratic. He paused a few times before finally pushing through his fears, deeply uncomfortable with the tight fit.

Leon barely got his warning out before Ezra lost his footing and fell as well. He managed to catch himself into a roll to avoid getting hurt and he narrowly missed Leon. He rose to stand, opening his mouth to complain when he heard that whistling noise. His sensitive ears picked up the noise before Leon did. He grasped the other padawan’s wrist and yanked him to the side, moments before the humanoid shadow charged.

Ezra channeled the Force and used a push, but to his surprise it did nothing. The shadow wasn’t in physical form, almost hovering as it circled around them. It faded in and out of sight, and they could hear that roar all around them.

“What is that thing?” He whispered as he crouched in a corner. Ezra wasn’t the type to barge in and face something without thinking it through. What if not even the Force worked on this?!

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Leon Baudelaire

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Yai!” Leon managed to yelp as a frazzled Jabba came tumbling after him. The bigger due just barely managed to miss the Adumarian. Ezra rolled up to his feet, and Leon got up right after.

Just before the living maelstrom’s wicked bellow Leon could have sworn he heard a power converter kick on, but the whirling wraith seeking to consume him took precedence. He felt Ezra snatch his hand and yank him to the side, which he was grateful for had it not thrown him off balance and into the rock wall. Ezra fired off a force push and Baudelaire frowned as the surprisingly powerful attack passed right through the spirit.

Ezra asked what it was and honestly, Leon didn’t have the foggiest. He reached out with the force probing the ethereal being, but there was nothing there. On a planet like Ellora, manifestations of the force like this were feasible, but one that couldn’t be felt in the force? That didn’t seem possible.

The dudes didn’t have time to talk as the malignant shadow made another charging scream. “Pray for me!” he yelled at Ezra before charging head first at the creature. Leon matched the spirits scream as they drew near. There was a flicker of light that shimmer across the being as Leon drew near and The Padawan assumed the worst. Then just as collision was imminent, he felt himself… well he just passed through it.

Baudelaire slid to a stop on the other side. The fleeting corporal form of the maelstrom flickered, but not like vapor in the wind… like a HOLO IMAGE, “Oh you gotta be kidding me!” Leon groaned.

He crossed his arms over his chest in a pout and gestured at the thing, “Dude, it’s a holo.

Leon’s eyes scanned the ceiling and he spotted it. At the very apex of the domed room was a tiny archaic holoprojector. He shook his head. Why in the hell would someone go through the trouble of creating such a ruse? The spirit of wind slashed and swung at him, but the blows harmlessly passed through. With a shrug, Leon reached out with the force and plucked the projector from the wall, with a little more effort than he cared to admit. He switched it off and the room fell silent.

At the usherance of the force, Leon turned only now seeing a circular stone door marked with an ancient symbol that stood for the lightside of the force. He reached out to it and could feel warmth radiating from it. Over to Ezra he said, “I’m gonna need your help, I’m not strong enough to move this alone.

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Ezra Thorne

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Ezra grimaced as Leon charged right for the thing. He opened his mouth to advise against it, but his companion was part brave, part imbecile. The Thorne decided he would attempt another attack with the Force while Leon charged right into the beast. To their surprise, he passed right through it. Was it…a ghost?! And then Leon screamed about a projector. Ezra glared at it, angry at himself for not spotting something so juvenile.

“I bet this was Motep’s idea,” Ezra said with distaste. He could practically see that stupid monkey’s face gloating over his victory. Fuming with rage, he walked over to help Leon push the stone door. He centered the Force to himself, letting it flow into his limbs to give him strength as they both moved the block. It certainly pushed them to their limits, but after a deep rumble, the passage was open. Dust settled and he could see a chamber inside.

The chamber was empty except for what appeared to be a folded up scroll on a platform. Behind the scroll was a box.

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Leon Baudelaire

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Leon chuckled as Ezra blamed Motep, “If Motep did this then we have a lot to learn from the douche.

The hologram swiped and yelled it’s fury, but since Leon and Ezra weren’t afraid anymore it basically looked like a ghost throwing a tantrum. The force flowed through the two dudes like a rushing river and even then the stone in front of them almost didn’t move. It started with a quiver, and then with painstaking slowness the stone began to roll. Centuries of dust shook from the stone revealing a familiar engraving in it’s center. Leon ran his fingers over it. He smiled, “Well it’s safe to say we’re in the right place.

A sigh of relief escaped the padawan’s lips. He’d started to feel crazy in the last few moments of this hellish jaunt, but standing here now he felt accomplished, like in this single training mission he’d learned more about the nuances of the force than he had in months of training on Brighthome.

As they stepped into the chamber however, his heart sank a little, the room as small, much smaller than he’d thought it would be at least. In it’s center as a platform and on the platform was a pedestal holding a scroll and an ornate box. He figured he was being ungrateful, how many other padawans could say they’d discovered a secret like this and lived?

Leon looked over to Ezra and shrugged, “I’m gonna touch it, so be ready to run if this place explodes,” he said half joking half deadly serious.

Baudelaire walked up the handful of steps and stood at the pedestal. He tentatively picked up the scroll and opened it gingerly. The ancient paper unfurled with a rasp and Leon’s eyes widened as words in basic cascaded down the page. Leon’s gaze flitted across them skimming their contents, his pulse quickening as his excitement returned. At the bottom of the scroll was small note written in two sections by what he guessed were two different people.

The first said: Not all is as it appears, look inward to move forward and always let the force be your guide. - G. V.

The second read: Carry the wind wherever you go and you’ll never question the force. Breath in knowing the force will fill your lungs and rejoice when it does. - A. W.

Leon lowered the scroll and looked at the box. Carefully, he slid the lid back, inside was… a book. A fucking old ass book. As his fingers wrapped around it’s binding, brilliant electricity crackled across Leon’s knuckles. His first instinct was to drop the thing, but something kept his hands in place. He looked up and the wall at the back of the platform shimmered. He cocked his head as he tried to make sense of the rippling stone, but the compulsion to walk toward it had him wrapped up like a bug floating toward a bug zapper. Before Ezra could stop him Leon passed through the wall and stumbled into a room much larger than the one they’d been in. His mouth hung open as a humble Jedi temple sat in front of him. “Whoa…” was all he managed.

Still reeling from the discovery Leon didn't hear the whir of mechanical limbs closing in until an effeminate mechanical voice nearly sent his soul to the afterlife, “Ah, hello. I apologize for startling you, unfortunately I’m not equipped with the appropriate cultural protocol for these situations,” the droid cleared it’s voice which made Leon chuckle, “I am D-0-C, you may refer to me simply as Doc, I have been the sole caretaker of this place for years, I cannot tell you how excited I am to see a sentient such as yourself.

Leon replied, “Nice to meet you Doc, where are we exactly?

Doc’s head cocked to the side like a curious bird then it said, “Well you’re in the Deep Stone Crypt, of course.

Baudelaire looked upon the ancient structure with new eyes. A mischievous little smirk settled on his lips and he looked to Ezra, “We tell no one about this, well, besides Dash, promise?

End.​

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