Ask Wyrm Hole

[Sol Kenuk]

Snow. It is dazzling as it glitters beneath the sky, a pale expanse of frigid wasteland, where only the occasional evergreen poked through the glistening ice. A frozen lake glowed in the distance, a clouded sky offering only some reprieve against the brilliance of the wintry landscape. Towering mountains loomed on all sides as the shuttle dropped it's passengers off amidst frigid, twisting gales. Sol is draped in warm clothing and thick boots that cut through the snow's crust with ease. As the shuttle fades into the distance, the roar of it's engines is replaced with an eerie silence, and the sound of wind flinging flakes of snow against his insulated clothing. The mountains of Arkania were relentless and bitter, but Sol had not come here for no significant reason.

According to locals, a mature Arkanian dragon had been sighted in this particular cluster of mountains. The Kel'dor had come for her. He was not alone, either. Another Sith was at his side, a familiar Tiefling that Sol has worked with before. The Kel'dor peers at him from behind his goggles, not an inch of his thick skin bare against the cold.

"These coordinates are the last known location of the dragon." Sol speaks above the wind, and his eyes scan the pale and mountainous world that surrounds them. "She must have a cave nearby." Dragons liked caves, didn't they? And if they were looking for a freshly laid brood, then a cavern would likely be their best bet. Sol just hoped that nothing else was lurking in these mountains with them, other than the dragon herself, of course. Even then, he preferred to go unnoticed by the beast. If they could find her cave, slip in, and take a few eggs for themselves while she was busy hunting, then the Kel'dor would consider that the best possible scenario. Unfortunately, reality was rarely so kind.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair wasn’t usually impacted by extreme temperatures. While the biting chill of the air here would be miserable for most humanoids, it wasn’t as horrible for him. Even then, he dressed appropriately, especially his boots that allowed him to slosh through snowmounds. Being from a more tropical and temperate climate and being on Sith worlds that were warm, he wasn’t at all used to this terrain. As a result, he almost slipped a few times or sank abruptly into snow unexpectedly.

He looked over when Sol said some things, “What?” Altair yelled back over the howling winds, “I can’t hear you through your layers of scarves, dude,” He scowled at the Kel Dor that looked like a Life Day elf. After their last mission together, he doubted Sol actually knew how to get to the destination. Although they had coordinates, he wasn’t too confident that the other Champion knew the route to get there.

“How big did you say this thing was?” Altair asked about the dragon. He had agreed all too eagerly when the idea came up, but even he was beginning to wonder just how stupid this plan really was. With the combined luck of them both, there was a high chance of them getting eaten before making any significant progress.

He looked all around himself and couldn’t spot any caves. All the scenery around him looked the same. The winds picked up and he vaguely wondered if they were about to be caught in a blizzard.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Sol tilts his head at the Tiefling, an expression of agitation spreading behind his mask. He does note, however, that Altair didn't appear to be blazed. Really, the Kel'dor's not sure if he feels disappointed or glad. On one hand, stealing Arkanian dragon eggs was a delicate business, on the other, that dive into Nar Shaddaa would have been considerably less tolerable without Altair's more amusing antics. Regardless, Sol supposes that there was no point in dwelling. They would be wise to stay focused, when a huntress stalked the mountainous skies above them.

Sol's boots crunch through the snow as he takes a step closer to the Tiefling, as if to insure he could be heard over the bite of the frigid wind.

"Big enough to swallow us in one bite." And probably at the same time, too. These beasts were monstrous. Raising his right arm, he points a claw at the frozen lake tucked between mountain peaks, further down the slope. "I think we should start our search there. The water might have carved out caverns in the mountainside." Sol explains. He was a bookworm after all, of course he had paid attention in science class. Erosion from water could easily carved through rock, especially when the ice began to seep into crags like nature's wintry nails. If Sol had to guess, the lake would be the most likely place that the pair would find a cave. Better still, with as frigid as the planet was, the ice was more than capable of holding the weight of the two Sith.

Would it hold the weight of a pissed off, rampaging dragon, though? He hopes he doesn't have to find out.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“Damn, dude, why you gotta be such a downer?” Altair asked as he glanced at the Kel Dor, “I think we gotta get you out to some clubs and shit to loosen you up,” He pondered out loud, trying to imagine Sol at a club. The image was bizarre and hilarious enough to pique his curiosity. The tiefling was distracted from his thoughts when Sol pointed towards a path. Altair wasn’t familiar enough with snowy terrain to be able to identify a frozen lake.

He confidently walked in that direction before he suddenly felt himself beginning to slip on the sheet of ice. He managed to flail his arms a bit and use his tail to catch himself. Altair looked highly alarmed, glancing down where he stood, “The fuck?” He remarked as he tested out his footing a few more times. Naturally, within seconds he was absolutely delighted by the ice.

Altair began to skid across the smooth surface, expertly spinning and coasting around as if he were on skates.

“Whoooo!” He called out cheerfully as he zoomed around on the ice, flawlessly graceful on his feet with the balance of his tail. Altair glanced back at Sol, “You gotta try this!” He said before jumping into the air, doing a mock spin and landing perfectly.

Regardless of how Sol made his way across the ice, he’d notice that Altair leisurely coasted to a slow stop near what appeared to be a cavern entrance. It appeared dark inside, but there was a path that led further through the mountain. Altair ducked to walk in so his horns wouldn’t cause a sudden collapse of snow and ice.

Right away he could see the path was a tunnel that led to more chambers inside. The ceiling was lined with sharp icicles. Altair paid attention to the icicles to avoid setting them off, the sharp edges lethal if they dropped on the Sith.

“This looks almost manmade..” He remarked quietly, his voice echoing the slightest bit within the chambers. There was something hauntingly beautiful about the inside of the cavern, but it left him feeling a bit uneasy.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Clubs? Altair had to be joking. Sol tilts his head at him, an expression of disbelief. The Kel'dor wasn't one to enjoy the nightlife, but then again... he had never really tried. He preferred his books, his libraries, and his experiments. And, of course, the occasional mad plan that he always dragged other Sith along with.

"I can't say that I've ever been inclined to visit a club." Sol admits dryly, and the thought of himself at such an establishment was rather bizarre indeed. "Perhaps I'll change my mind if we get these eggs." It wasn't as if he didn't know how to dance, he did, but the Kel'dor wasn't one for too loud or too bright, and a night club was both. His boots crunch through snow as they make their way down the slick slope. More than a few times, the heavy Kel'dor slid on his feet, though he always managed to regain his balance before making too much of a fool of himself. They didn't need a repeat of Nar Shaddaa, after all.

Finally, they reach the frigid edge of the lake, frozen for years, if not decades, tucked away in the wintry mountains of a world that was nearly as cold as Hoth. It was no wonder that the cities of Arkania were all tucked away behind atmosphere-controlled bubbles. Most visitors would never feel the bite beyond the gates of the cities. Sol was not so lucky.

The Kel'dor's vision snaps to Altair as he nearly faceplants, catches himself with flailing arms and a long tail. Did the tiefling never experience ice, before? Was this a first for him? Whether or not it was, Altair seems to get the gist of it, and within moments, he's sweeping across the ice like a princess. Perhaps it was the tail, which, Sol notes, was being expertly maneuvered to allow Altair to maintain his balance. Behind his mask, Sol snorts. Do I have to be jealous of his tail now, too?

But, onto the ice he does go. Since Sol already knows what to expect, his first few steps are only a bit wobbly before he fixates on a comfortable enough foot rhythm. The Kel'dor isn't doing anything fancy, no extravagant twists or leaps, but he is graceful nonetheless as he sweeps across the ice in pursuit of his energetic companion. Inevitably, tucked within the snow, and easily missed, they find what they're looking for. An ice cave, cutting into the mountainside just as Sol had predicted.

Was this the nesting place of the legendary Arkanian dragon that they hunted? If so, this was certainly not the entrance the dragon used. It was low hanging and fairly small. Altair had to duck to slip into the shadows within. Sol follows, squinting through the vibrant blue as he finally emerges on the other side of the entrance and through a fairly narrow tunnel. What he sees is dazzling. The cavern seems to open up, glowing where the sun beat through the ice. Lethal icicles hung overhead, and there were gaping chambers in the path beyond. It was as eerie as it was beautiful.

Sol's vision shifts to Altair as he comments on the manmade appearance of it all, and he quietly agrees.

"Agreed. Let's be wary." Sol warns in a whisper, drawing close to the Tiefling to be heard before he takes a step away. He doesn't know how unstable the cave is, or if those icicles would be disturbed by noise, but perhaps more importantly, they didn't know what was in this cave, if it was indeed a dragon's clutch, or something else. Force forbid there was some dragon worshiping cult or something.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“How come you want a dragon anyway?” Altair whispered as they walked through the cavern. He couldn’t spot anything moving just yet, but the ceilings were certainly tall enough to house a great beast. The paths and structure suggested there had been people within these caverns before, but no signs on the types of people.

The tiefling wasn’t sure what he’d do with a baby dragon. He was never allowed to have a pet growing up, and a dragon was as good a pet as any. He wondered if Sol planned on doing some sort of strange experiments on the beasts. His musings were cut short when he heard a low rumble far ahead in the distance. Altair stopped to listen, blinking a few times. It wasn't clear if it was a dragon making the noise or the terrain shifting.

“You know if that thing attacks us, it could collapse this whole cave on us, right?” He whispered to the Kel Dor, pointing up at the sharp icicles. Altair kept walking along the path, coming across an icy bridge that zig-zagged over a deep chasm. With a grimace, the tiefling slowly attempted to step across the natural bridge without falling. He held his arms out and his tail helped with balance, avoiding looking down on either side.

Altair was too focused on making it across to notice the subtle cracks streaking up the side of the bridge.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Why did he want a dragon? In truth, Sol was fascinated by them. They didn't have the strength or utility of a star-ship, but they were regal in appearance, and legendary in name. To sit astride such a beast was a sensation enjoyed by very few. The Kel'dor knows that raising a dragon was a long and difficult process, but well worth it in the end. The beast was a symbol of power and success.

"They're fascinating creatures." Sol responds simply. As beautiful as they were deadly. "And you have to admit, it would be pretty cool to ride one." He points out with quiet breath, careful to avoid speaking too loudly. The Champion might have repeated the question back at Altair, but the ominous rumbling through the icy cavern up ahead was distracting enough. Sol was on edge, and he didn't need the tiefling to tell him just how unfortunate it would be if the cave crashed down on top of them.

On the other hand, if they could take the beast by surprise, perhaps the lethal spears of ice hanging over their heads would prove to be a beneficial weapon. Would the dragon's scales really be able to deflect something akin to a massive lance? Perhaps it wasn't even worth finding out. Like Altair, Sol's not very keen on the idea of getting buried alive within the mountain.

"Perhaps she'll be sleeping. Or away, hunting." He whispers hopefully. Knowing their luck, it wasn't likely.

The pair eventually comes across a narrow ice bridge, stretching beyond a deep chasm. Sol thinks he can hear water far below, but either way, the drop would likely be deadly, or at the very least, excruciatingly painful. Carefully, the Kel'dor steps foot upon the bridge, not too far behind Altair as they make their careful trek across. Unlike his companion, though, Sol does become aware of the cracks forming along the structure. He can practically hear the sound of it creaking and moaning beneath them.

"Altair." Sol's vocals are a bit louder this time, still hushed, but nonetheless urgent. "Run!" The first parts of the bridge were already crumbling away behind them, and the cracks split across it's surface like a streak of lightning. The Kel'dor jolts forward into a mad sprint, and hopefully, his companion does too. Whether or not they made it though? That was up for debate. The ice bridge was collapsing beneath their feet.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“Ride one?!” Altair’s eyes went wide, “Shit why didn’t you say so to begin with? Can you imagine my demon ass sweeping down on the back of a dragon? Fuck,” He dreamily stared off into the distance at the image of him descending down dramatically and unleashing fire on his enemies. Of course he had little time to ponder on the fantasy as the bridge began to give away moments later as he started to cross.

He looked back behind himself, thinking ‘run’ meant to get off the bridge and to go back the direction he came since he had more bridge in front of him than back. Unfortunately, this sent him running in the opposite direction right as Sol started running at him. The two men were running full speed at one another and abruptly collided as the bridge collapsed beneath them. Altair groaned and began to rub his head, but he knew the poor Kel Dor would suffer worse thanks to those horns he loved so much. He had a throbbing headache and Sol was probably concussed as both of them fell with the collapsing bridge.

Altair couldn’t really focus on the Force, the bridge dropping down and sending them down with it. He was convinced he was dying and he grabbed onto the only thing in sight, Sol’s robes. They spun, tumbled, fabric tore, who knows what the hell else. By some miracle they landed in a giant heap of snow instead of pure ice. The good news was that they were alive. The bad news was that they were completely and utterly lost and far from their destination. And both sported horrible headaches.

The tiefling’s horns emerged from the mound of snow first before his head slowly poked out. Just his head.

“Sol?” He called out as he attempted to unbury the rest of himself, “You alive?!”

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

It all happened so fast. The momentary confusion as Altair turned to run toward Sol rather than away, the flash of pain as horns collided with leathery flesh, and the sensation of freefalling as the Tiefling ripped at the Kel'dor's robes. Even with the enhanced reflexes and senses of the Sith, it's all too swift to properly react, and even if he had, what could Sol have done? In truth, many things. He could have slowed his fall, could have used the force as a cushion or a barrier. That was quite a bit more thinking than the man could process in those short moments, though. He crashes into the heap of snow and for a moment, all he sees is black, all he feels is cold. He's entirely certain that he can smell blood, and feel the dull pain of a splitting headache.

The voice of his companion reaches the dazed Champion's ears, and his eyes open to find that he's buried in the snow. At the very least, Sol doesn't have to worry much about suffocation. He claws his way to the surface, sending the white powder through the wintry air as he finally lays his protected eyes upon the Tiefling that accompanied him. Still alive, but bruised and battered. Where Altair's horns had collided with Sol's head, it seemed that they had ripped a gash into the flesh there, and now the man bled freely into the snow he still sat within, the crimson ooze spilling like paint across the sparkling white. At least the freezing cold numbed the pain of the wound. Sol grabs a handful of the snow, pressing it against the gash and hoping that the freezing temperature would quell the bleeding.

"No." Sol snorts with annoyance, his response to the Tiefling as dry as ever. "We both died in that fall and now we're in crevice hell. We were supposed to find dragon eggs, not the ass crack of the mountain." The Kel'dor does have some humor left it seemed, but his vocals drip with sarcasm. He digs himself out of the snow, stumbles onto shaky limbs as the adrenaline begins to slowly recede from his wiry, pale frame. Looking up, the Kel'dor can see no real way to make the climb. It seemed they had no other choice but to follow the chasm and hope for the best. Sol peers in both directions, finding only darkness at both sides. It seemed that the pair had two paths to follow, but which was right, and which was wrong? With any luck, both led out of the cave.

Neither Sith probably had a good relationship with luck though, at that point.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair finally spotted Sol, seeing the red at once. The tiefling’s eyes widened, “Oh man I’m so sorry dude!” He said with genuine remorse. He practically waded his way over to Sol, reaching down into the bag he always carried with him after having enough disastrous missions. He brought out a bacta patch and gently applied it to the Kel Dor’s head, “Don’t like these horns so much now, do ya?” Altair said with an apologetic smile as he applied the first aid. Thankfully, the bleeding was soon staunched, but it meant he had less supplies for if the dragon rocked their world.

“This is definitely the ass crack all right,” Altair agreed after Sol was more or less patched up. He walked along the crevice and spotted the two paths. The tiefling looked into both, turned to Sol, shrugged and picked a direction. For a while it looked as if it wouldn’t lead anywhere, but an incline began to appear, suggesting a definite path upwards.

Unfortunately this led to a wall that had a ledge to climb over at the top. It was too high jump over, which left climbing the only option. With Sol’s claws he could easily find a grip but Altair was out of luck. He grimaced up at the sight, sighing to himself.

“You can go up that way…I guess I’ll have to find another way,” Altair said gloomily as he began to look around for an easier route for himself.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

He peers upon the other man, silent in his gratitude as the bacta was applied. Sol's not sure how deep the wound is, but the blood was fairly significant, and with as large as those horns were, he wouldn't be surprise if the wound left a jagged scar to remember the incident by. He can't help the sensation of annoyance that some of their supplies had be used for an accident that never should have happened, but the Kel'dor supposed it'd be hypocritical of him to blame Altair when Sol could be just as foolish. He ushers a sigh past his maw, though cold mist never formed around his mask.

"Let us just... try to avoid any more ice bridges." Sol responds dryly as the pair finally begin to take in their newfound surroundings. The ice groaned and creaked around them, and the crevice was dark and frigid. The dip in the snow had been enough to prompt a chill up the man's back, despite the layers of clothing he had carefully selected for the expedition. Well, maybe they'd all get to sit around a nice little roast if the dragon they hunted decided to fry them.

Regardless of his quiet complaints, Sol trudges behind Altair once more, trying to focus on where they were going, rather than the ache that had formed within his skull. Eventually, they found themselves along a tall ledge. Easy enough for the Kel'dor to claw his way over, not so much for the Tiefling.

"Can you not climb at all?" Sol inquired rather dryly. "What if we both used the force together? You jump, I'll push. Perhaps you'll make it." Or, Altair would find himself falling back into the snow again, but at least Sol would be able to leap out of the way before getting gored a second time. Regardless, the Kel'dor thinks it's worth a try. He's not so keen on getting separated in such a dangerous location, especially when there could be a hungry dragon lurking nearby. The Kel'dor begins kicking snow into a pile at the base of the cliff, so at the very least, Altair wouldn't break his legs, or his ass, if the effort didn't work out as intended.

It probably sounded entirely foolish to some, but this was Sol and Altair, after all.

@Sreeya