Ask Wild Night

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire made a mental note to circle back as to why Kali—could he call her that? Meh, what did he care he was thinking it— was afraid of the cops.

"Manipulating someone's mind leads more to confusion than to actual results, buuuuut, Peetwo is pretty good at finding stuff like that," he suggested.

The Jedi quickly brushed away her compliment, she could try all she wanted, but he'd never be comfortable with praise. Thankfully the conversation moved along quickly. Leon was terribly interested in Kalique's training. He noted her disdain toward the Sith and understood that to mean she'd been trained purely as an Imperial Knight, "That's fascinating," he said, then wondered, "Why the Darkside?"

He asked purely for curiosity sake. He often wondered what the trade off was between the two. He was experienced with the power in combat, but to delve into it was a totally different thing all together. Hopefully that wasn't too personal? Truth be told he wasn't sure he could answer that question turned back to him. He chose the light because that's what it was, The Light.

As they closed in Leon looked over his shoulder to Peetwo and asked, "Alright dude, you wanna try and score us a map?"

The little droid's photoreceptor looked from Leon to Kalique then back and then Peetwo just casually slipped into Leon's bag and closed it. Baudelaire blinked.

"Huh, this is a first," he admitted, staring blankly at his bag, "Ya know what? Let's wing it, funner that way."

Kalique asked how long he'd been a Knight and he laughed, "Uh, like a month."

Granted he'd done a lot in that time. He'd found Ezra, traveled to Mortis, used the power of friendship to save another friend, and was in the final stages of returning Starlight Beacon to it's former glory. Oh and his secret mission which was the one he was on now that was given to him by the very first Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. So, yeah... big month...

"Can I call you Kali?" he asked, some people were weird about nicknames, and he didn't wanna offend.

"Awwwwww..." he groaned pinching his nostrils together with thumb and index finger.

The entrance to the sewers hadn't been far and now as he climbed down the iron wrought ladder he wished he couldn't smell. Absently he wondered if there was a force power that could dull sense like that, but before he could make any real progress they were at the bottom.

As one would assume, the sewer stank and was pitch black. Perfect for a cult who's mascot was a headless snake. The Darkside clung to the shadows of this place. Leon could feel it's gaze on them and he glared back. He closed his eyes using the force to interpret his surroundings. There seemed to be a small walkway off to the left, and then several more further down that one. From what he could feel that be their best bet.

"First dibs on shower when we get back to the ship," he teased, the said, "I can sense a pretty elaborate path just to the left, What about you?"

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As they approached the security corps station and she slowed down, he offered a formidable alternative. "Sounds good and much safer...like literally, last time I placed my trust into local authorities, everything went South, so excuse my concerns" she threw him an apologetic smile.

As he asked for the Dark Side, she did let out a little sigh as she had actually considered that question repeatedly. "I joined the Empire as I wanted to be part of the corps that had allowed me to grow up in a completely safe and prosperous environment. I wanted to contribute my part in protecting our people". She had always been a devoted and loyal follower, however things had been difficult back then.

"Under the Sith, the Empire did horrible things...we commited terribly crimes because we were ruled by fanatic tyrants who followed their twisted, horrendous ideals. This still meant that due to their philosophy, the only answer for a force sensitive in the Empire was the dark side. I was trained by Sith, yet always kept my professional distance to their religion. Still, once you're in contact with the Dark Side, you can never turn back" that was simply the hard truth she always had to face.

"I do draw my power from it, yet it helps me to fight whatever scum remains of the Sith. I do everything I can to keep myself centered and I avoid letting negative emotions feed me and try to stay centered instead, but it's still a constant battle to stay in control, even when sticking to neutral Force abilities", she kept on explaining. It was a good thing that Kalique's core was all about serving, not assuming power herself, this way she wasn't as tempted to give in to the dark as others might be. "That's another reason why I'm grateful we've stumbled into each other...I feel like I'll learn a lot" she threw him another smile.

Leon asked the droid for the map but his little companion sealed himself into his bag. "Uhm...okay?" she quirked a brow but nodded, a smirk crossing her lips as he liked his direct approach anyway. "A month?! Okay wow...that's actually cute" she couldn't help but to tease, however knowing that this little time meant nothing. She already knew he was quite capable and this mattered, also, she'd make sure nothing bad happened to him.

"Oh sure!" most people close to her used that nickname as it was simply shorter and she was fully fine with it, however a smirk immediately tugged at her lips. "Leon is pretty short per se, but do you have any funny nicknames?" she couldn't help but to wonder, enjoying to stay in this slightly lightened mood before it was time to enter the sewage.

"Do you want my helmet? I'm serious...I helps with the smell. I've almost grown used to it". It was still terrible, but she could stand it. She had ended up in such places way too often. She climbed down after him, senses on full alert and analyzing their surroundings already. She recognized this entry, but had seen how there were many more, so they had to be careful not to get sandwiched.

"Woah there...that isn't very hospitable" she teased, however obviously agreeing. If he would take her off this planet he had all the rights to call dibs. "Mhm I sense it too" as it was relatively dark, she trusted her ethereal senses, however as she closed her eyes for a moment and reached out further, a slight frown crossed her face. "I can also sense a slight commotion...it's still relatively far away, but we have to be on our guard". They'd then start moving to the walkway on the left, however Kalique didn't trust this eerie silence. Their footsteps echoed through the narrow tunnels and the further they moved inside, the more oppressive the atmosphere felt.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire listened intently as Kali explained her choice. To his surprise it didn’t sound like she’d had much of a choice. It was wild to hear what someone on the other side had been through. To hear a first hand account of someone during the transition from Sith Empire to Empire as a Jedi had to have been a relatively unique experience and he was thankful for her willingness to be open.

Leon’s arms were crossed and he cupped his chin in his palm as she described what galvanized her and he could empathize. If he hadn’t escaped Adumar when he did, he could very well have been a Dark side user too. He wasn’t interested in the blame game or splitting hairs. He hated when people got all up in arms about their theological debates.Good and bad, light and dark. They were just different sides of the same coin.

To Leon, the sum of a force user's merit was steeped in their intent, not their affinity. Her words had confirmed his suspicions, and he was lost in the recesses of his own mind when she turned the conversation back to him, “Supplementing your education is smart,” he laughed.

Peetwo’s behavior was as much an enigma to Leon as it was to Kali, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t been through this before, “Peetwo is a lot older than he looks, sometimes he’s a curmudgeon.” Leon muttered.

Then she found out how long he’d been a Knight, “Cute?” he asked with mock offense, “I’ll have you know I’m one of the best and br—” he burst out laughing, “Okay, yes, I’m a baby Knight.” he admitted with a grin, “Don’t let me out work you,” he said with a crook of his own eyebrow.

Kali asked if he had any nicknames and he emphatically shook his head no. Should he have had such a big reaction? No. Did he want her to know his alias was Neon Montoya? Also, no.

“Nope, most people just call me Leon or Baudelaire,” he snapped as if suddenly remembering something, “Actually yeah, I do, my closest friends generally refer to me as, Asshole,” he laughed.

He sighed, and didn’t miss the tease in her voice as she offered her helmet, of course he could have totally imagined it, but he doubted it, especially after his little crack earlier, “Nah, I’ll survive, thanks though.”

Kali confirmed his feeling and then began heading down the left path.

Everything seemed slightly distorted the further they delved into the bowels of the city. The reverberation of their steps sounded more like blaster shots than steps. The undulation of the dark side accosted all of Leon’s sense. The smell was worse, the noise was debilitating, and the pressure was intense. Just a head a flickering light beckoned them closer. Like a moth to the flame he continued forward.

The path they followed opened up into a circular room. In the center of the room was the grossest thing Leon had ever seen, and that was saying something given the last cult he’d run into was a bunch of mesostic cannibals. A fleshy mass of limbs and innards were organized into a ritualistic monument that leaked inky black ichor onto the floor. In the direct center was an impaled face forever frozen in a scream they’d never be able to give voice to.

Baudelaire’s expression hardened. No smile, no smirk, just knit brows, and crackling electricity.

Flanking the abomination were two cultists. Their chests were bare and the snake that coiled in the center of their abdomen glittered with the black ichor. These beings weren’t like the ones they’d run into above. Their malice was palpable. Their intent was evident.

Leon’s eyes went wide as the impaled face’s eyes split open and the scream they’d never let loose bellowed from their non-existent lungs. As soon as the being began screaming, the cultists made their move! Both producing twin sabers and igniting all four beams simultaneously as they closed in on the pair of knights.

Over the screaming Leon yelled, “I don’t think they’re friendly,” as Daybreak sprang to life in his hand.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Leon seemed to listen intently and what he really appreciated was that he seemed very open minded and not at all judgy, which was refreshing. He didn't want her to justify, he just took her story the way she presented it and well, the way she saw it, if she would have started some place else, she might have just been a lightsider.

She wasn't attracted to the unleashed powers the dark side offered - she simply needed to be capable of protecting what was important to her. Not just the Empire, but the ones she loved as well. She was used to holding back to some extent and to stay in control, much like the Jedi, only that she had already stepped into the dark side as a teenager and now she was obviously stuck there. Still, she had to resist it constantly, much like he did, but he still had a chance to completely stay away from it.

The conversation circled back to Peetwo and she just chuckled. What an odd little fellow...maybe it just had a bad day. He then admitted he was basically a baby and she couldn't help but to join in. He followed with the answer to his nicknames which was just as hilarious, although as she took on a more serious demeanor again. "That doesn't seem fitting so far...but I might go with Baby Knight", she couldn't help but to tease, but added an apologetically smirking, "Soooorry".

They enjoyed the lighthearted mood while it lasted as everything changed down in the sewers. With each and every step they took, the sinister atmosphere was intensifying and threatening to devour them if they weren't careful, especially because the dreadful aura was only intensified by the incredibly terrible smell and the total darkness that simultaneously comprised them.

She was fighting to keep her thoughts from wandering and even if they had to press on, this already reeked like a trap. Leon had fought them before, yet he had shared how mysterious they still were to him as well and so she wasn't having a great feeling about this. Death and horror was all around and destructive thoughts attempted to tug at her mind, yet she had great practice in resisting them.

She pressed onwward until her gaze fell upon the pile of mutilated body -one of the most terrible sights she had ever behold- right as she could feel these two dark, hostile presences closing in on them already. "Let's find out" she replied through gritted teeth, immediately letting one lightsaber flick into her right hand which she'd an orange hue that clashed with the crimson red glow.

Kalique was pretty sure there were more, but with the screaming head and the two readied cultists this still felt like had been waiting for them to conveniently walk right into their lair. She had no time to waste on those thoughts and so she let them come to her - a mistake they viciously made.

It was fairly obvious that they were facing too fanatic abominations that had fully opened themselves to the dark side, but she had fought them way too often to not know certain patterns by now. As there was nothing holding the, back, they went all in, driven by self-preservation still but also blinded by sheer aggressions.

They split and targeted one Knight each and her own dark adversary let out a terribly bone-chilling growl himself as he slashed at her. She could feel his monstrous rage but skillfully parried until she could sense the electricity building up. He guided the lightsaber with one hand only, his left, and intended to unleash a force lightning with the other, however while his little trick needed time to be unleashed, she already hurled a ball of fire at him with her free hand, which happened instantly.

As there was no shirt, the flames immediately engulfed the bare chest, however his agony only made him want to kill her more. His concentration was still momentarily broken and so Kalique hurled another ball of fire at Leon's adversary, wanting to give him some kind of an opening.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon adopted his unusual adumari duelist's stance as The Cultist closed the gap. They were moving faster than naturally possible, madness fueling their ferocity. Baudelaire didn’t shy away as he shifted his weight to his back leg and tucked his off hand behind his back, calling his second saber into his hand. The Cultist lunged into the air with twin crimson blades drawn back and a snarl forming on his lips.

Leon’s second saber came to life, sun set in one hand, and sun rise in the other. He stepped to the side and his attackers slash passed by him harmlessly. Leon’s orange blade shot forward, seeking to pierce his target’s side, but The Cultist dropped into a roll, and sprang back up onto his feet skidding to a stop before throwing himself back at Baudelaire.

Just before the berserker reached him he was engulfed in flame. Leon slipped to the side, passing both of his blades through his opponents limbs, severing both legs at the knee and removing a hand at the wrist and the other at the elbow.

There was no time to celebrate as a sudden searing pain would be felt in both of the Knight’s minds. It felt like a spike was being driven into his brain. The baleful melody of the screaming head and wailing Cultist had taken up an ear drum bursting intensity. Leon plunged his body into the force while hurling his orange blade at the grotesque monument.

As his blade turned end over end he guided it’s trajectory with the force. He sacrificed his focus on defense in order to ensure his blow landed true, but just before his saber could connect with the statue, The smoldering cultist stepped in the way.

The molten blade made it halfway through the zealot’s torso before The Cultist’s hands caught the hilt. He coughed blood as Leon’s lightsaber deactivated and was then dropped. Leon called his blade back to him. The half dissected being began to stand. Black miasma began to radiate from his shoulders. The Cultists looked up, eyes of molten lava glared at them.

The monster raised his hands and let loose a massive blast of Force Lightning.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

With both cultists sizzling in flames, they were just becoming more ferocious in there pursuits, but at the same time their blind rage dulled their other senses a little and turned them into wild berserkers instead of skilled duelists - an advantage the level-headed Knight duo could easily exploit.

Kalique dealt with her own now burning adversary swiftly, or at least that's what she intended when her own cultist jumped at her with his humming red lightsaber once again. She parried and kept his blade locked for a moment while the flames ate him up further, however as he let out a loud, deep growl, what he didn't see was how she summoned her second lightsaber to her free hand and before he could execute the wild kick, he found himself pierced by the orange blade that impaled him from side of the ribs to the next.

Hissing, he sank to the ground as he firmly planted her boot at his chest and sending him backwards with a Force enhanced kick. He wasn't even half gone as her mind was suddenly intruded by a piercing pain that was triggered by an ear-piercing, even louder scream before she suddenly realized what Leon was daring to do because of it.

His Saber flew and met the cultist mid air, however this meant that he absolutely wasn't pleased and intended to end the Knight while he was still distracted. Without thinking twice, Kalique thus sprinted forwards just to slide into the trajectory in the very last moment, both orange blades crossed in an X as she pushed hard against the lightning that had instantly been released by their terrible foe.

Violent sparks danced all around as the blueish, ferocious lightning made contact with the warm orange, yet piercing and fiery glow of her lightsabers. The fight had already begun to take its toll on her energy, but she was far from fully exhausted so as she kept pushing, she gritted her teeth and coiled the Force around her in case they were up to anything else.

"You...can....end....this" she mananged to press forward, directed at Leon while she kept doing her best in controlling the violent lightning. If he acted straight away after regaining his focus, Leon would indeed get the chance to either hurl his lightsaber again or engage him by closing the distance, but it was a now or never moment as Kalique could suddenly feel his power swelling as he opted for his final attack.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Pure hatred burst forth from the monster’s fingertips. Like a perverse puppeteer the tendrils of dark side energy surged forth like a crashing wave. All of the sudden, a flash of crimson slid in front of him, twin sabers crossed in front.

His eyes went wide as the power crashed into her. Kali’s feet slid back under the pressure of the force and Leon dropped his shoulder and placed it on her back to steady her. She told him to finish it and he knew she was right. Leon pooled the force into his legs, “Got it!”

Baudelaire launched off the ground. He went up over Kali and the blanket of surging electricity. Moten eyes filled with hatred glared at him as he rose above the attack. He tucked into a flip, as he reached the zenith of his jump he spotted the statue and unleashed a blast of piercing white electricity.

The lungless wailer exploded sending body parts flying. The remaining monster suddenly and immediately collapsed. Almost as if someone had cut his ignition off. Leon landed on the ground, slipping on a length of intestine, but managing to stay on his feet.

“Aww gross…” he groaned, scraping the sole of his boot on the grimy floor.

He looked back to Kali, “You good?”

Taking on that kind blast was no small feat. Leon had been on the other end of Sith lightning more than he liked, so he was more than aware of the toll it could take.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

It was an very interesting moment and experience when Leon stabilized Kalique from behind as she pushed against the violent release of pure anger and hate in form of the strong lightning. It sizzled all around, yet Leon's calm, bright presence within the Force made it easier for her to withstand the strain.

He didn't object when she asked him to end this and with her own last strength, she viciously kept keeping the contact as Leon lept upwards. The Knight floated through the air with a perfectly timed flip that finally ended in the release of a powerful lightning of its own.

The horrifying creature, vulnerable as it was as it had put its everything into this last attack, couldn't stand it for long until what remained of its body suddenly exploded and hurled both of them off. She skidded to a halt, her lightsabers immediately turning off as she even needed a hand and knee against the ground to stabilize herself as intestines and gore coated the rest of this oppressive tunnel.

"Damn...great job, Baby Knight" she teased, wiping the remains of the fleshy mass of her visor and arms before she took of the helmet. She usually preferred not wearing it, but in such situations she had learnt that additional protection was never a bad idea.

"I'm fine" she replied truthfully, waving of his concern as she pushed herself back to her feet. She was obviously a little exhausted, but nothing she couldn't recover soon enough. "Are you okay?" she then asked carefully, knowing that such immense darkness was probably affecting him worse. "I have to admit...that was completely fucked up". Not that she wasn't used too it, but this had still escalated quickly.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The vigor of victory was sucked from Baudelaire’s sails as Kali referred to him as “Baby Knight.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, pouting while grumbling, “I’ve never seen a baby shoot lightning…”

Baudelaire was relieved she was fine. If this encounter was the precedent he didn’t think it would be getting any easier the deeper they went. “All good here, I think.”

The darkness in the surrounding space was unsettling, but it wasn’t smothering.

Not yet at least.

“...Yeah, I was just getting over my last cult encounter,” said Leon, as he carefully picked his way over the fresh detritus sprayed across the floor.

Once he as back at her side, he’d say, “How deep do you think this goes? Cause, we’re strong, but like numbers are a thing.”

Before she could answer, the sound of footsteps echoing out from the tunnel just behind where the lungless screamer was set up, stopped their conversation. Both of Leon’s sabers were back in his hands. The pressure of this incoming presence was so heavy, it felt like someone turned up the planet’s gravity.

A voice as charismatic as a serial killer’s preceded the robed being as they stepped out from the shadows.

“You two have made quite a mess of my guards,” the being pulled back their hood to reveal a bald head covered in mottled ashen skin. Their eyes were the same molten gold. This thing was the epitome of Dark Side corruption.

“I’m assuming you’re here because of the distress call,” their chapped lips split into a sinister smile, “I’d hoped to catch an Imperial Knight, I can’t believe how blessed I am to also have a Jedi.”

Baudelaire saw his opportunity to try and squeeze out a little information, “Yeah, super weird how all you guys get so hyped about that, how many more of you are there?”

The Cultist’s arms slowly lifted. Every scrap of flesh on the ground rose into the air, and for just a second Leon was sure this asshole was going to fling body parts at them, but they began to swirl, no, to coalesce.

“Enough. By now my brethren will have made their way off this wretched weak planet.”
“Right, so like you guys just decided to hit this planet then move on to the next? Why?”
“The light tries to illuminate, but where there is light there is always shadow.”
“That’s cute you should put it in a song, anywhere where is your nest?”

That got an actual reaction out of the bastard, “You… You are the one I was warned of... I will add you to my arsenal!"

The limbs, entrails, and heads suddenly came together in a grotesque amalgamation. A two headed screaming statue came to rest in the center of the room. Leon could see a couple of familiar faces and he wasn’t thrilled by that either, especially knowing what in the hell that thing could do.

“Ah, shit… here we go again,” said Leon as he plunged himself into the force in preparation of the oncoming onslaught.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As their enemies were dead, she forced the tension out of her muscles. This round had clearly gone to the Knightly Duo, however, she had a feeling this wasn't over. A certain amount of darkness faded, especially in the direct proximity of the dead, but it was still massively oppressive.

"Hey now. You're very capable, I already told you that, but to me that name will stick" she playfully teased, giving him a smirk. Their conversation helped her relax a little, but staying here was simply not pleasant. "If those sewers cover the whole city then quite a bit...but from what I've seen, their hideout isn't so deep inside" not even them could stand the stench...

"I'm sorry your facing this all over again..but we've got this" she encouragingly added, clipping her lightsabers back to her belt, as suddenly, a new presence appeared. Her emerald gaze darted to the right, eyes narrowed and immediately putting her helmet back on.

The dread immediately intensified as this stranger's presence was overwhelmingly powerful right as this perfectly calming voice hit them. With gritted teeth, she moved both lightsabers in position, flanking Leon protectively.

A quick exchange started and as Kalique stepped closer to Leon, she moved her elbow ever so slightly as to signal him to keep the provocations down a little as she was still hoping the talking could continue a little longer to buy them some more time to recover, but their new bald friend wasn't in the mood for a chat at all.

She refrained from adding anything to the maniac and just prepared her attack by quickly coiling the Force around her. How did you fight a huge amalgamation monster? They'd soon find out. Or well, while thing was building right in front of them, she did two things: Snap one lightsaber back to her belt and use the free hand to hurl a stream of fire past the monster that was about to be conjured.

The fanatic caster definitely wasn't prepared and it decently kissed his face and would definitely leave a field of charred skin behind, and also, the two-headed abomination was not growing any further while the outermost layer even cracked a little. "Go for the cultist" she quickly instructed him, now that the fanatic was harmed. Also, the massive fleshy creature was slow and with his focus broken, he didn't have too much control over it so as she broke into a sprint, she sent a force push the monster's way to make it stagger, however stormed past it, right at the cultist. If Leon was quick, they could start by exterminating the root, not its plaything.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon could see Kali’s warning, but it was too late. A wave of heat combusted beside him as she let loose a jet of flame. Without being told, Leon shot forward. Force enhanced speed carried him forward faster than naturally possible. Leon clipped his second saber to his belt and pulled his heavy blaster. He fired three shots at the cultist aimed at center mass, as he slid between the legs of the grotesque behemoth he swiped upward looking to slash not it’s middle.

As he passed under Daybreak bit into the beast and it let loose a brain splitting scream. Both he and Kali would feel that piercing mental attack from earlier, but it’s intensity was much more… well intense. Baudelaire dropped his gun grabbing for his head as his eyes squeezed shut. Then he felt a crushing blow slam into his side and send him scrambling across the detritus covered floor.

The Behemoth was up and moving, as he slid under it, it’s back hand reacted to his attack and slammed into him. The beast was now moving for it’s wounded master. Somehow, even with a burnt face, and three smoking holes, The Zealot still stood. Flesh sloughed from the left side of his face as he screamed in a language Leon didn’t understand.

The ground below them began to rumble as The Cultist began conjuring. The Behemoth, now at his side, and attacking anyone or anything in his vicinity with ruthless fury.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As Kalique realized that Leon shot forward a little too early, it was already too late to call off her attack. She hit, yet there timing wasn't as great as it had been earlier and thus while the bastard burnt, Leon got hurt too as the huge, terrifying mass was at him.

It was obvious that the meat mountain from hell wasn't happy that his master had gotten injured and as the master struck with his mental attack, Kalique found herself unable to move for a moment as an unbearable, stinging pain ripped through her mind. She dropped to her knees with a pained cry before the piercing stopped.

She immediately pushed herself back to her feet, staggering from left to right while her mind was spinning, but as her mind processed what was happening, it was already too late. The cultist chanted in ur-Kittât, however the words he used seemed like variants of the regular terms often used or perhaps even some kind of a dialect.

She knew this, because Kalique had offended studied the language to gain advantages in her constant attempts to exterminate the Sith, however this simply was different. She couldn't fully make sense of what he was chanting, thus couldn't tell what exactly he was summoning, but the immense sense of dread kept building up.

She had no time to check on Leon as she knew she had to stop this, but as she charged forwards, in an attempt to engage him with her lightsaber, she was suddenly hurled off like it was nothing. She roughly collided with the wall to her left, her lightsaber immediately dropping out of her grip and her a bunch of her hips releasing a sickening crack. Well fuck. As Kalique landed, her head spun severely and she was relatively disoriented, a heavy wave of pain washing over her. With gritted teeth, she looked up, trying to make out Leon in the darkness and hoping he was better prepared to what was to come next...

@Zay

Spoiler: rolls

2/20 for attack, ooof, and 2/6 determined it's the ribcage ):

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The Jedi Knight pushed himself up from the ground. He was going to take the longest hottest shower of his life when he made it back to his ship. The muck and mire of the sewer floor was smeared across him, the smell was enough to gag a hutt. Luckily, he was stuck in a life or death situation, so he didn’t have time to dwell on what he was covered in.

Leon plunged himself into the Light side of the force. He pushed himself up, pulling his second lightsaber into hand and charging. The Behemoth whirled on him and swung, but Baudelaire was ready for this one, he ducked the massive fleshy mass as it passed overhead, slipped around the flank of the beast, and made for The Zealot.

The Cultist was being held together by hate alone. His melted face swung around piercing Leon with golden globes of roiling hatred, but Baudelaire was committed. He swung and a crimson blade sprang up between them. Leon collided with him, two blades on one. The Cultist’s chanting was interrupted and the darkness alleviated slightly. Behind him the Behemoth let out a roar as it raised both it’s meaty fists and swung down looking to crush Leon underneath.

Leon dove to the right, just narrowly avoiding his ankles being crushed. He sprang back up to his feet blades at the ready as he bounced on the balls of his feet. This was starting to get fun. His little smirk settled on his lips as he began to call the force to him in preparation for another attack.

Roll: 10/20

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The pain didn't faint. Sometimes, right after such a sickening attack, the body had a fantastic way of dampening the pain by just turning a vast area numb, but here, nothing helped. It was a good thing that the adrenaline still kept her going and so with a pounding head, she pushed herself up, pushing through the pain with gritted teeth.

In a whirl of orange, she saw Leon fight both, the master and his horrendous pet and while Leon valiantly stood his ground, Kalique knew that even if he was good, having to fight both was way too much. One alone was terribly powerful, even if one was in full control of the other and thanks the invisible strings the puppeteer held, there was just one enemy that needed to be dealt with right away.

Instead of jumping in with full Force, Kalique carefully masked her presence within the Force as she pressed onwards. The cultist was focused on Leon, just like the Behemoth, and so she quickly drew closer, but tried to stay undetected until she was well in reach. Without hesitation then did she coil the Force around her left hand and another ball of fire shot forwards, however this time she didn't let it dissipate, but instead formed a first and let the roaring ball of flame keep dancing around his face.

The attack hit him unprepared, right as he commanded the Behemoth after Leon. Now, with the unrelenting heat that didn't just sent him into pure agony, but also consumed his sight, he pet out another terrible, ear-piercing screech while the Behemoth roared in unison with his master's pain.

The monster's arm shot backwards in an instance and Kalique brought up her lightsaber which she let to snap back into life in her right hand, severing up a decent portion of meet while still being forced to dash to the sight in order not to be swiped off her feet next. The flames that had eaten the cultist's face disappeared again as her focus was broken, but as the fire had consumed quite a portion of his face, even as his voice came back out, it was heavily distorted. "You'll die!", he still seemed rather convinced of that and was caught in a furious rage, but this was their chance to finally end this.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon leapt back as The Zealot swiped at him with his lightsaber. Baudelaire outclassed The Cultist in swordplay, but the raw killing force of the Behemoth evened them out. Leon’s blades darted in and out, prodding, feinting, gouging. He felt Kali’s signature go dim and upped the pressure trusting that she wasn’t abandoning him.

Suddenly, the Behemoth bellowed and charged Leon. Baudelaire dove to the side just as Kalique stepped up behind The Zealot and engulfed his head in flame. Black miasma leaked from his melted offices like a fuse being lit as flesh and blood charred and sloughed away. The Behemoth was momentarily stunned, so naturally Leon charged.

For the final time he slid under the mottled mass of fleshy bits, carried by the force he emerged on the other side just in time for Daybreak, to pass through the Zealot’s mid-drift. Without hesitation, Leon made sure to cross that attack up and sliced through the bisected dark sider diagonally.

A massive surge of Dark Side energy exploded from The Cultist, blowing Leon back and into the wall. He slid down the slimy stone dazed. He shook his head blinking. Where both the Behemoth and it’s master were, only lumps of flesh remained.

“Well there goes my good sleep habits,” he muttered as he got to his feet.

He stumbled forward a bit then called out, “Kali?”

The oppression of the dark side had abated. The sewer still stank, but it would be obvious in the force that the main threat was gone. He couldn’t help but feel a little conflicted about the victory. They’d shown up late and only caught the sentry left behind. Was this really a victory? Or was it just another example of a Jedi showing up too late to do anything.

“Let’s get the hell out of here, huh?” he pleaded.

Dice: 19/20[/color]

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

After her flaming hot attack, the cultist's head turn and whatever parts of his eyes still remained narrowed on her. In his agony filled rage, she could perceive the dark side intensely building up one last time and she was completely certain about how he was preparing to unleash something utterly terrible upon her, but regardless of how uncontrolled he was, he still tried to muster his remaining focus to execute his final plan.

Kalique's thoughts were racing, but once again she forced her mind to calm and settle down. She immediately reached out with the Force again and grasped whatever she still found and caught the fanatic in a statis he'd shatter within seconds. It was only for Leon's quick reflexes that they finally mananged to take him out as the Knight's Saber severed right through his mid and the darksider finally collapsed.

Kalique let out a relieved breath, however forcing the air out of her lungs hurt terribly and so a wince followed. Her left hand shot to the right ribs and given this painful feeling of instability, she gained final clarity on how several bones were definitely broken. The oppressive darkness that had previously lingered and every corner was finally fading, but even if the atmosphere grew better, she didn't want to let her guard down just yet.

"Are you alright?!" she asked him, a hint of genuine concern bleeding into her voice as she walked towards him. "This was...surely something". She finally deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it back to her belt. "Yes please...although wait a second".

She approached what remained of the master, grimacing quite a bit under the pain but they couldn't let him here like that. "The lightsabers...we can't leave them behind. Do you want to take them with you to cleanse them? I know this might not be very pleasant for you to take them home, so I'll leave that to you. I'd deliver them to the ISB to lock them away" she explained, her voice relatively low as she was still listening attentively, wanting to avoid running into anyone else.

"When you've encountered them the last time, have they also been that skilled with necromancy? I've got to say, I've never seen anything like that before" she admitted as she looked back over to him, removing her helmet for now. She didn't want to stay here any longer, so once they had searched the remains, she'd slowly move towards the exit, walking much slower now that ever step hurled.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon spotted the Knight and made his way over. She was obviously hurt, “Stop moving,” he said, Leon knelt before her and placed his hands firmly on her wounded side. He could feel the damage and closed his eyes. A pale golden light the same shade as his lightsaber, Daybreak, began to illuminate from his hands.

“I’m fine,” he had some bumps and bruises but he’d live, “You on the other hand have some broken ribs.”

He wouldn’t be able to fix her ribs completely, but he’d be able to ensure she didn’t puncture a lung on their walk back to his ship. The whole process took about two minutes, Kali would experience some mild discomfort as the bones were shifted back into place, but it wouldn’t be as bad as the break itself, at least he hoped.

Once he was done, he took a moment to sit back on his haunches. He was getting close to his limit, luckily they just had to get out of here. Kali asked him to wait a moment then picked up the corrupted sabers and offered them to him. He could feel the heavy corruption leaking from them, but he knew this was his burden to bear.

“I’ll take them, thanks.”

He shook his head at her follow up question, “Last time I ran into them wasn’t this extreme. They had a couple dens hiding out on back water planets, but this… This was next level.” He sighed.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

Baudelaire slid a manhole cover back from its seal and eased himself up onto the road. He held a hand down for Kali and gently helped haul her up. His whole body was starting to hurt as the adrenaline dump of battle began to recede. The walk back to his ship was the longest walk he’d ever taken in his life and he knew Kali wasn’t enjoying the haul either.

“So, where can I drop you off. I’d prefer to avoid Imperial space, but don’t wanna leave you stranded somewhere.”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Before Kalique could insist on being fine and simply pressing on, Leon's hands where already at her side. The sensation of his touch was weird, admittedly because literally getting touched by the light side was simply a strange feeling when you were used to the dark side, but she did stop moving and let him assess the damage.

"Yes...I've literally heard them crack, but it's not too bad, I can ju-" a slight gasp escaped her as she could feel the bones move and her nails dug into the hard ground. "Ouch..." she interjected, her gaze fixed on his hands. "This feels super weird..." she kept feeling the bones shift and grimaced quite a bit, but repressed another wince.

"Ohhh...thank you very much. Admittedly, that is pretty cool" her ribs were still in pain, but really felt better and so she slowly stood up. Even if he stated it hadn't been this extreme last time, she was fully convinced that it had still been terribly as she herself hadn't seen anything close to this before. "Yes please" she agreed with him before the two of them started to head out.

She was grateful for his help, yet notices how he began to struggle now that the adrenaline was fading for both. She avoided speaking for a bit as it hurt and the air still stank, but as they were finally back to the surface, she exhaled slowly. "You don't seem so fine...I would have offered bacta, but alas, my transport had gotten blown up" she let out a little sigh, but as it made her wince again, she controlled her breathing again.

Walking was much more exhausting and painful now and every additional step just felt increasingly more cumbersome, but as his ship finally came into sight, she was feeling quite relieved. "That's totally understandable...honestly any neutral station or planet closer to Imperial space works. I can call on a vessel to ship me over then". She couldn't wait for a shower and to see a real medic, but she was still okay for now, thanks to him.

As they were finally in his ship, she slowly started stripping off the armor plates, however avoided to bend her torso too much. "Go enjoy your shower...damn we really do smell terrible" she admitted with a smirk, only now realizing how bad it was because her senses were no longer dulled by the adrenaline.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Kali didn’t need to tell Leon twice, he told her where she could find everything she needed, set Peetwo to getting them the hell off this planet, and started stripping his gross ass clothes off on the way to his room. Leon cranked the water up as hot as it would go and threw his clothes into the trash. They were dead to him.

Once the room was full of steam he stepped in and prayed he didn’t catch something from down there. Last thing he needed was to have to explain how he caught Hep A being a freaking hero. It was a solid thirty before Leon stepped out of his shower. His skin was bright pink like he’d burned a few layers off and he was okay with that.

He dumped his weapons on to his workbench. He was starting to gather quite the collection. A heavy blaster and four lightsabers, not bad. Now he just needed to cleanse two of them and he could sleep at night. Yay. He pulled on a pair of trousers and a black tunic and made his way back into the lounge.

Peetwo whistles and Leon made for the cockpit. He slipped into his captain’s chair and did the final checks. He’d ease the ship up and make for space. Once they broke the atmosphere he’d have Peetwo plot them a course for Ord Tarsi. That would put them just outside Imperial space.

Once in hyperspace he’d push back from his chair reaching for the sky in a big stretch. He was tired as shit. He stood up with a groan and made for the lounge. He needed a coffee.

“Coffee, water, cheap whisky?” he asked Kali as he started prepping his pour over.

 

[Kalique Baize]

It was a good thing that Leon's ship had two shower cabinets. Kalique couldn't wait to get off the muck and so she eagerly removed the rest of her armor before she entered the little bathroom in her underclothes. The armor could be cleaned potentially and she'd immediately drop it off once back on Raxus, but for she wanted to scrub the dirt of her skin and tend to her wounds and not worry about clothes.

She moved carefully as her rib cage still hurt, but slowly and surely she made progress. She had the water on almost full heat as the warmth aided with the sore muscles, yet as she was done, it was almost hard to see through all the steam. There were fresh towels in the cabin, yet what she was missing were fresh clothes and her armor underclothes were beyond saving, so she had to stay in the towel for now.

She did try to wash off whatever was possible, yet was super successful. She also wasn't entirely sure whether there would be a way to retrieve what had remained off her ship, however going out like that was a little problematic and also getting out of here was a much better idea, so she wrapped herself into the towels and made her way back to the lounge as Leon had already pulled the ship into the air anyway.

"Any chance you can spare some clothes? Mine are wasted..." It wasn't making her uncomfortable at all as she was used to being in cramped space with many people and much less privatessphere, so she asked him confidentally and took a seat on one of the loungers for now, her damp her draped across her shoulders.

"Water would be fine for now...thank you" she was very grateful for his hospitality and finally got a chance to relax, however their flight also offered the chance for some genuine chance of an exchange. "How are you feeling now? It must be hard to...well, process all this darkness". He was walking on a dangerous path, but seemed to be doing quite fine which was impressive to see.

@Zay