Ask You the Jedi?

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire listened intently as Zeffy spoke. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Liana, Zeri, and the group in tow. Leon was guessing they were the ones knocking on Malox’s door.

“Welcome back,” he said to Liana and Zeri. To their new friends he said, “Hey, I’m Leon I’m guessing you guys are tied up in this mess, too?”

The fact that they didn’t have a name for the cult wasn’t that concerning for Leon. What were they going to do Swoogle them?

“What about symbols, or like trademarks? Aside from removing the heart, do they have any other calling cards?” He wasn’t trying to push Zeffy too hard it was clear she was struggling with this and he appreciated her strength. Then she revealed she was a former sith. Opportunity presents itself in unsuspecting forms. So far, she’d been nothing but helpful. A little cryptic at times, but the Sith thing kinda explained that.

He crossed his arms over his chest, and cupped his chin in wrapped interest, before shrugging and saying, “Nah, I mean there’s four of us. If you start getting weird we’ll like taze you or something? Deal?” he said with a little chuckle in his voice.

Leon had faced down a Sith master and lived. There had only been four of them that time, so he figured the odds were pretty even. Hopefully the others got really cool with a lot of things really fast or this was going to get awkward.

For Leon, this boiled down to a simple question of faith. The Force had brought them here. Had led them to Zeffy. Who was he to question it’s will. He wasn’t stupid either, so while he would work with her, Leon didn’t have to trust her.

@LadyRen @LouJoVi @Logan @Nefieslab

 

[Liana Mason]

Jedi or Sith. The second word sent a chill down the padawan's spine while she had to realize that the parents were more desperate than expected...She felt sorry for them, especially because their concerns seemed genuine still, but this whole mission had already taken some turns that troubled her.

Lucky for her, Zeri didn't resist as she wanted to depart, giving Lia time to process everything that had just happened and while having the others in tow and walking back to the bar. She chewed on the inside of her check, being torn between fully wanting to believe them and still not being able to shake that feeling of dread the four had triggered earlier.

Her spirits still lightened severely as the group was finally complete again, and to her relief, the boys seemed more than fine! Her lips softly curled into a smile as she exhaled slowly. The bar was suddenly empty and that though, was a detail that brought the frown back to her features. "Thank the Force you're fine...", she quietly whispered as she slid into the little gap between Leon and Aranmir, attentively listening to what the bartender was outlining, until the conversation took another very troubling turn.

This whole Zeffy and the lightsaber thing had already caught Liana off guard earlier, but after having heard how the parents had mentioned how Zeffy and Malox both were the ones tracking down the captors, Lia had been completely convinced the friendly bartender was some sort of free spirited Ex Jedi who had chosen to withdraw herself from the bigger game.

BUT A SITH?!?!

Lia had never, absolutely never met an actual Sith before and it made her incredibly nervous. A shocked gasp escaped her and she even covered her mouth with her left hand after the shocking revelation, her wide eyes fixed on the bright crimson blade while her heart pounded against her chest.

She froze up for a few seconds, her thoughts all wild and overwhelming until Leon replied in a relatively relaxed, even casual way that someone let her snap back into reality. "Uhm...", Lia swallowed, finally able to take her eyes off the lightsaber before she forced herself to regain composure. "No...no I guess we're working towards the same target and might need each other's help to save those children", she added, trying to keep her voice confident. Ex Sith. She had been with them, yet she had to be versed with the Dark Side, so Lia definitely decided to keep her eyes on her all the time.

@Nefieslab @Logan @Zay @LouJoVi

 

[Aranmir]

Aranmir was waiting for Zeffy’s answers when the girls arrived. The sight of the two Padawans well and without any damage made the Tiefling feel relieved. He didn’t want to see another dead person so soon. The boy already believed that seeing Mallox’s corpse was enough for the rest of his life.

“Good to see that you two are well.” Aranmir said, smiling at the girls. Once they finished with Zeffy, he would ask what happened with the two after he and Leon went in Malox’s room.

The Padawan’s cheeks got darker after hearing the Twi’lek’s answer about the cult’s name. Perhaps he was really watching too much of the investigation series. However, he had thought that Malllox would have discovered it and maybe even told her about it. From what Zeffy was saying, Aranmir was starting to believe that the two were close.

The history of the cult became more strange when Zeffy said that the coordinates in the piece of paper that they found with Mallox was for a morgue. Aranmir wondered if the cult was so crazy that they used to meet in a place like that. It was too much for his desire to not see more corpses.

Perhaps more surprising than needing to visit a morgue was Zeffy’s revelation that she was an ex-Sith. If she did it early, he would have accused her of having killed Mallox. Although she could indeed have killed him and been lying to them. The Tiefling would watch her carefully.

@Nefieslab @LadyRen @Logan @Zay

 

[Zeri Adasca]

Zeri noticed that the Zabrak woman seemed to be almost.. excitied? At the prospect of gaining the help of the Jedi. More than the simple relief that emanated from the Trandoshans. It struck Zeri as somewhat odd, though she kept her thoughts to herself for now.

But she would be keeping an eye on the Zabrak, that much was certain.

Zeffy's revelation that she was a former Sith surprised Zeri, but didn't cause her to recoil or rescind the things she'd said thus far. They were here to help and if that meant utilizing the aid of an.. ex-Sith, then she was willing to do that. Of course, that also meant that Zeri trusted Zeffy even less than she already did, but there wasn't much she could do about that.

It will only be a problem if you make it one. Zeri said tersely. Even though she had never fought or even met a real sith, Zeri did not find herself afraid of the prospect.

With a shrug, Zeri was ready to finally get a move on with all of this. Time was wasting and every minute that passed was more potential that they'd never find the children they were looking for.

So, where's this truck? Might as well get this show on the road.

 

[The Storyteller]

Together Again​

Zeffy extinguished her lightsaber.

It was clear from the way that her shoulders seemed to sag slightly that, despite her bravado, the former Sith had been rather concerned that the Jedi Padawans would take issue with her former loyalties. She was under no illusion that they were not off-put by them, of course, but so long as they were mature enough to push those fears aside for one night then that was all that was required.

"Alright then... lets get to work. They don't like staying put in one place for too long, if we're too late then the cult will move and the children..." she paused as she glanced over at the parents before she set off towards the back door, "... well the children will be gone."

She didn't dare elaborate on the point even as she unlocked and opened the back door to the alleyway beyond it. Sitting parked and silent is a hover truck, just as she had claimed - there were only two seats in the cab but there was more than enough room for the parents and the Jedi in the back. As they all climbed in, Zeffy would count them to make sure they were all there before setting off toward the morgue.

As the distance to their destined destination began to diminish, the former Sith decided that now was the best time to make her demand.

"None of you can hesitate." She told the Jedi and the parents both, "If any of you hesitate, they'll make your regret it. Kill them. Stab them, blast them, breaking their bones or pulp their organs - I don't care how you do it but you need to do it. If you hesitate, they'll make you pay for it in blood."

She eyed the Padawans.

"How many of you have killed someone before?"

@Zay @LouJoVi @Logan @LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

Liana's racing heart slowly began to slow down as the crimson blade finally vanished. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and cleared it thereafter, still chewing the insides of her cheeks before she mustered her courage again. "Yeah...let's hurry", she curtly agreed with Zeffy, instinctively grabbing Zeri by the elbow again, but this time not to drag her around, but to center herself a little.

Just like she had learnt it, she the blonde padawan used the Force to calm herself, not wanting to dwell on the fact that Zeffy could, potentially, be dangerous and lead them right into a trap, especially after Lia had been rather wary and suspicious of the alleged parents. Her former unapologetic optimism had been dimmed ever since the terribly escalated adventure on Jakku and she was not going to end up in a similar situation ever again by being too naive.

She followed to the hover truck and squeezed in with the rest, taking some time to reflect on everything before Zeffy's voice let her snap back into reality. Surely every Jedi would sooner or later end up in a position that required killing someone, but Liana had never been in such a fatal position. "Oh uhm...a few actually" she tried to lie, stating her reply matter-of-factly, but her hesitation might have given her away. Do not hesitate. Yes, she'd try to remember, but everyone close to her knew the kind hearted Jedi was absolutely not prone to killing people...she'd have to find a way.

@Nefieslab @LouJoVi @Zay @Logan

 

[Aranmir]

Aranmir wasn’t sure if Zeri should be talking this way with Zeffy. He also distrusted the Twi’lek and still suspected that she could be the one that killed Mallox. However, the revelation that she was an ex-Sith Champion made him think that a careful approach was necessary.

He wasn’t sure if someone could escape the Dark Side without maintaining some old habits. Like killing people that pissed them off.

The Tiefling followed Zeffy outside, where a hover truck was waiting for them. The presence of the vehicle showed that the Twi’lek was telling the truth so far. However, Aranmir wondered how long this tendency would remain. She could be leading the Jedi and the children’s parents to a death trap.

Still suspicious of her intentions, but having no other choice to help the children, Aranmir joined the others inside the truck. It was a bit cramped, but the Tiefling was used with conditions that weren’t the best. He only wanted one of the Trandoshans to take their claws out of his back. It was hurting him.

When the truck started to move, Zeffy explained what they were going to face. If he didn’t know, Aranmir would think that she was talking about the Sith. They would do to them exactly what the Twi’lek was saying.

Zeffy’s question made the Padawan freeze. He knew that as a Jedi, there would be a moment that killing someone would be necessary. However, Aranmir had no idea of how he would explain to these people that he had already killed someone and never wanted to talk about it again.

“Yes.” it was the only thing that he would say, before turning to stare at his feet. Even though what happened that day was an accident, his actions caused the death of someone. He wanted to forget about it.

@Nefieslab @Zay @LadyRen @Logan

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire’s verdant eyes watched the crimson blade recede into the hilt. It was clear Zeffy was still sizing them up. A slide long glance at the expressions on the other’s faces told him their motley crew didn’t trust one another. Great. Of course, he wasn’t immune to suspicion, but he was doing his best not to let it taint the truth.

Leon didn’t have to turn around to know the parents behind him were affected by Zeffy’s warning, but to their credit they didn’t waver. A few moments later they were filing into the back of a hover truck. Leon had just slung a leg over the tailgate when Zeffy started her speech. He froze out of respect then realized he was stuck stradling the barrier.

The severity of her tone spoke to the gravity of their mission. Hesitation would lead to death, they needed to be ready to make the hard choice. Finally, Zeffy asked if any of them had killed someone before. He looked around and listened as Liana and Aranmir tossed in their answers. As Zeffy’s eyes fell on him he just shrugged and raised his hand. Leon wasn’t a stranger to mortal combat. He didn’t relish it, but he was capable of it.

@LadyRen @LouJoVi @Logan @Nefieslab

 

[Zeri Adasca]

Piling into the back of the truck with the others, Zeri remained quiet as they drove. Her mind was preoccupied with what kind of situation they would be finding themselves in. Things were definitely going to get worse before they got better, Zeri just hoped that they hadn't already missed the chance to save the children.

No, I haven't. Zeri admitted freely. But as a Jedi, I know that sometimes you have to do what you must. Especially against evil, which anyone who would kidnap and kill children definitely qualifies as. She paused for a moment, eyes glancing around at the others in the back of the truck. I won't hesitate.

All things considered, Zeri was happy that at least Leon and Aranmir were experienced with stuff like this. She didn't quite believe Liana's answer, but wasn't going to challenge it either. Zeri had been honest, at least.

Letting out a long sigh to relive herself of the butterflies starting to dance in her stomach, Zeri looked back at Zeffy, wondering what their next steps were going to be.

 

[The Storyteller]

The Morgue​

It seemed that the Jedi had either not killed before or had only managed to do so with limited effectiveness. At least, that was what Zeffy thought but she had been a killer for the Sith for a long time - it defined a lot of who she was and what she had done before she got out. Still, she didn't outwardly show any kind of disappointment at the answers, instead nodding once and turning back to the driving.

They would show just how ready they were.

"Sabers at the ready - we're here."

Parking up in front of a squat, square, building that seemed vaguely medical in the same way half the clinics in the Outer Rim were, Zeffy hopped out of the truck. Eyeing the exterior of the building, the Sith sighed a little bit as she double checked on their immediate surroundings. It became quickly apparent that theirs was the only vehicle parked up in the rather spacious parking lot.

They were alone.

The Sith's lightsaber snapped to life, crimson glow illuminating the area as they eyed the front of the building. It didn't look out of place at all - very few windows but as a morgue that was to be expected. What was slightly less expected was that the front door had been propped open.

What was propping the door open was a clean, shockingly white, skull - from a Wookie if Zeffy's guess was right. In its open mouth, a small candle flickered in the cool air.

"... got a bad feeling about this." the former Sith declared even as she stepped forward, "Expect a trap, Jedi. Remember what I said before."

With that last pep-talk, Zeffy stepped into the morgue with her lightsaber leading the way, the Jedi to follow her lead while the parents armed themselves with their blaster pistols and nervously kept up their position at the rear. In the waiting area of the morgue, the front desk sat in the centre with a trio of corridors that led away. Sat in the chair behind the front desk, a disgusting sight awaited them.

What appeared to be a human man sat in the chair but in such a state as to be barely recognizable - his skin had been removed, leaving his innards on display like some grotesque medical student prop. Pinned to his chest with a paperclip (connected to a strand of something red and fleshy) was a small piece of paper.

Small Bites further down, Entree above and The Chef to the end.

The three corridors that led off from the main reception area did, indeed, seem to lead in the directions listed, small candles along the floor the only source of light. The path to the left went down a flight of stairs, the one to the right went up one and the path behind the desk simply seemed to lead deeper into the place.

@Zay @LouJoVi @Logan @LadyRen

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The ride to the morgue was appropriately dismal. Aranmir seemed to have receded into himself and Leon hoped it was in preparation for the violence to come. There was no doubt in Baudelaire’s mind that this mission would be soaked in blood. Zeffy called back into the bed that they’d arrived.

Leon opened the back door and stepped out. He rolled his shoulders and bounced on the balls of his feet warming up. He glanced around noting they were the only truck in the parking lot. Another fact he wasn’t a fan of.

Zeffy ignited her blade. The light that poured from the beam bathed the entryway in crimson adding to the macabre of the entryway. A bleached skull boasted a dead man’s smile while blood red candle wax leaked over sharp canine teeth. This was the warning, the feel free to fuck off and call it even, but as he glanced over his shoulder to the parents checking battery packs and sights, he knew the only direction he could move was forward.

Leon echoed Zeffy’s words, “Yeah, this is gonna be rough,” he said in a voice only those close to him would be able to hear as he followed behind the Ex-Sith. As they passed into the building there was no way to prepare for what they were shown.

Baudelaire was just behind Zeffy, Daybreak in one hand and his heavyblaster in the other. The glow of her crimson blade and dim light from the small candles barely lit the way but it wasn’t dark enough to hide the welcoming gift they’d been left. .

“Fuck,” was all he could manage as his arm came up to cover his nose. It smelled like a burst sewer main in the cramped room. Leon's stomach offered to empty it’s contents but the Adumarian managed to keep the bile down. The disgusting mutilation of a body was on display before them standing stark still like a grotesque farry man seeking to give them passage to hell.

He heard someone’s reaction and turned to look back at them, but he stopped. The grotesque display he’d assumed was just to scare them was looking at him. LIKE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT THEM. He couldn’t believe it. Leon shifted to the left, the eyes of the man followed. His verdant eyes widened in horrific realization. The weir fleshy tendrils that stretched across the body's bust were muscle tissue. The liquid pooling on the ground below him was blood… and the smell… The putrid aroma was leaking from the flayed man’s displayed gastrointestinal tract.

Revelation slammed into him like a suckerpunch. That’s when he felt it. Not crippling fear or unspeakable agony. It was exciting. The smile that stretched across the skinned features exuded anticipation. Leon didn't know how he managed it, but he didn’t lose his shit. He glanced back at the parents. Their fear and despair turned his resolve to steel.

This needed to be stopped. The Force had brought them here, and he intended to do whatever it took to get the younglings out.

The flayed man was alive, and he was smiling.
“Don’t touch the note on his chest, we can read it but we shouldn’t touch anything,” Baudelaire jerked a thumb at the skinless abomination and said, “He… he’s excited or anticipating something.”

@LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi @Nefieslab

 

[Aranmir]

Aranmir felt ashamed for having revealed to the others that he had killed someone, even more after Zeri and Liana had given negative answers. He didn’t know what to think of Leon’s silence. The human was the oldest of them, so the Tiefling had thought that he would have some experience with death. In the end, it seemed that he was wrong.

Besides Zeffy, Aranmir probably was the only other person in that truck that had killed someone. He felt terrible about it.

He would be thinking about this part of his past until they reached the morgue. The Teddybear would leave the truck shortly after Leon did. The closed place was giving him some claustrophobic feelings. However, the sight of the building in front of him didn’t make the Tiefling feel better.

It got even worse when they entered the morgue. Seated in a chair behind the front desk was probably the most grotesque thing that the Teddybear ever saw. A guy with his skin totally removed, with even the internal organs visible. The feeling of claustrophobia that Aranmir had early was replaced by nausea.

The Tiefling looked at a nearby trash can and wondered if the other Teddybears would mind if he took it to vomit a bit.

“You don’t need to ask. I don’t want to get close to it.” Aranmir blurted, having no interest in touching this whatever this thing was. “What do you think that he is expecting?” what had started like an episode of CSI was becoming a Horror Movie. What was going to happen next? A clown with balloons coming out of a sewage?

@Nefieslab @LadyRen @Logan @Zay

 

[Liana Mason]

Right after exiting the transport, the atmosphere was already tense and eerie, so that Liana's skin was covered by a layer of goosebumps after a sudden chill had went down her spine. Emotion, yet peace. It was okay to be apprehensive, she told herself, actually letting that thought calm her. It was a human thing to feel, but it was okay as her mind was too focused on their target: Rescue the poor children before it was too late.

As the red hue that followed the unmistakable hiss wrapped their environment in a crimson shade, Liana swallowed hard, also telling herself one more time that despite Zeffy's past, she wanted to help the parents. They were working towards this shared goal and it was their duty as Jedi to get the kids back into safety, so she tried her best to accept that they now had an unusual ally at their side.

Perhaps it was a question of philosophical nature, but Lia began to question whether Jedi and Sith did always have to view themselves as sworn enemies as they found themselves on the complete opposite spectrum in regards to their view on the Force, but hadn't the Killik invasions proven that they could successfully cooperate against a common enemy? This was no different so Lia, despite keeping an eye on Zeffy, was actually becoming a little more optimistic about her.

What shattered the new found optimism though was the Wookie skull that suddenly caught her attention which made her freeze up once again. She immediately reached her lightsaber and ignited the green blade as she forced herself to push through her fear. This was worse than a horror holomovie, simply because she was part of it, but she didn't let that fear that control.

With her breath still held though, she approached it, her widened blue eyes scanning the large, neatly polished skull before one particular detail literally made her stomach turn. "This...Wookie skull was also taken rather recently. They forgot a little something... This seems like a trap", while she literally wanted to puke, but she had to share her thoughts after the discovery of this very unsettling detail.

@Nefieslab @Logan @Zay @LouJoVi

 

[The Storyteller]

"Heeee... hee... hee..."

The ghastly, wheezing, sound came through the gritted teeth and through the spaces between twisting masses of facial muscles and blood vessels.

"Hehe... heeee... heeeeee..."

Sat upon the chair he had been placed upon, the flayed messenger gurgled and wheezed his laugh as Leon warned the assembled party of his joy and his anticipation. As the messenger slowly pulled itself up and away from the chair there was a series of sickening squelching sounds as semi-dried liquids tore as he moved from the resting position he had been sat in before.

"He... he... he..."

A red hand came up, empty, before coming to rest on a light switch situated on top of the reception desk he was sat behind.

"Heeee... welcome to the family..."

He pressed the switch and, for a moment, there was a slight whine of electricity as the light in the middle of the ceiling turned on, throwing harsh white light on the darkened room. In an instant everything was thrown into stark relief - including the blinking red. Zeffy looked up at the light, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the trio of newly activated thermal detonators resting in the light fixture.

"SCATTER!"

Zeffy pushed down at the ground with all her might in the Force, detonating a pulse to send the members of the party scattering towards different exits.

Liana and Zeri flew to the left, down a flight of stairs they were ill-prepared for, letting them land in a crumbled heap at the base on cold tiles. Ahead of them the corridor continued for only a short way, a pair of double doors serving as the only way onward for them.

Zeffy and Leon flew forward, past the desk and the laughing messenger deeper into the facility. Skidding along the tiles, they would feel the heat of the explosions at their back despite their distance. As they came back to themselves, they would find ash clinging to them like a film that couldn't be washed away, smoke beginning to billow around them from a room at the end of the corridor with fire licking at it's base.

Aranmir and the parents were thrown roughly and landed even worse - they were thrown to the right, towards the flight of stairs heading up. The angle of the stairs would mean Aranmir would be slightly disorientated but the Zabrak mother would scream in pain as the bad landing broke her left arm at the elbow. Above them, the stairs led to an open plan office area... and Aranmir would be able to hear it as a howl started, taken up by other dog-like creatures lurking somewhere ahead.

Where they had been before, a fireball had been birthed and brought down the room around it, cutting them off from each other completely.

@Logan @Zay @LouJoVi @LadyRen

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The flick of the light switch set off every red flag in Leon's head. The high pitched whine sent him scrambling, and Zeffy’s blast sent him flying. Searing heat licked at his back and boots as he shot past the depraved cackling flayed man. That sight was sure to be a core memory. Next he saw the tile floor then he saw the water stained ceiling and then back to the floor as he toppled head over heels, coming to a rest face down and disoriented.

Leon struggled to his feet using the wall as support. He whipped around. The way he’d come was completely blocked. He heard movement to his side and saw Zeffy. Okay, he wasn’t alone, but he wasn’t safe either. He shook his head, finally feeling steady, and looked around. The only real option seemed to be forward… What had that note said? The Chef to the end? He swallowed and took a breath, steadying himself.

“Are you alright?” he asked. If she was hurt he needed to know. There was no doubt in Leon’s mind that they’d be fighting very soon. His gaze flicked down the hall then back to the wall behind them. There was only one way to go. He took another breath, repeating his mantra and giving in to the force’s will.

“Shall we?” he asked cautiously starting forward.

@LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi @Nefieslab

 

[Liana Mason]

As if the wookie skull hadn't been enough of a warning, whatever was ahead with the messenger and the note was too much for her to bear. She refused to look at it closely after her gaze had shifted towards it for the briefest moment, so that Liana intended to search around for clues or a different trace of any kind around the skull, yet, this also meant that nothing prepared her for what was to come.

The wheezing laugh that filled the room seemingly froze the blood in her veins and held her breath before she slowly turned to Zeri, but once the light was on, everything else happened way too fast. Zeffy's cry echoed through the room and a moment later Lianwas already hurled to the left.

Colliding with Zeri mid-air, Liana's vision blackened out for a split second before she already found herself on the ground in a huddled mess, her body aching in different areas from their quick and unprepared descent on the stairway. The thermal detonators' explosion rumbled overhead and while Lia heavily flinched, she was already back on her feet a moment later, strongly shaking and immediately picking up the lightsaber that landed a few feet away.

"ZERI! I've got such a bad feeling about this!", she padawan announced in panic, still somehow mamanging to grab the other padawan to help her back up before she directed her wide-eyed gaze towards the corridor ahead. "We've got to proceed...find the others and the kids...". She still knew they had no choice but to continue on the new path alone, hoping it would lead them to either of the others...

@Nefieslab @Zay @Logan @LouJoVi

 

[Aranmir]

After what happened next, Aranmir thought that perhaps a creepy clown wasn’t so bad after all. The abomination behind the desk started to laugh in a creepy way that couldn’t mean anything good. The revelation of the grenades being thrown at them showed that things weren’t going well for this rescue group.

The Tiefling didn’t have much time to react. When he registered what the red light of the grenades meant, the Padawan was already sent flying with the parents of the children toward some corner of the building. His fall there probably made him look like a rotten fruit, very different from the elegance that he used to have in the circus.

The fall also had left him disoriented, not understanding what had happened. He would recover a bit when the Zabrak woman started to scream with pain, but it took some time for him to recognize where they had landed. Somehow, Zeffy’s Force push had thrown them close to the stairs.

Once he was well enough, the Padawan would rise from the floor and approach the screaming Zabrak. Aranmir would try to help her, but the dog-like sound coming from above made a chill run through his spine. Ignoring it for now, the Tiefling tore another part of his robes and used it to immobilize her arm.

Taking his lightsaber, the Padawan turned to look at the stairs. “I think that we need to go there. It’s the only path remaining.” he said, while pointing to what remained of the room. “Probably there is a way to find the others.”

@Nefieslab @Zay @LadyRen @Logan

 

[The Storyteller]

Small Bites
Liana & Zeri​

At the base of the stairs, Liana and Zeri lay in a heap until they were able to pull themselves back up to their feet. Ahead of them, the corridor seemed to stretch on, cold and empty aside from the room at the end of the corridor. The double doors were designed to swing up without a sound and they would do so if the Jedi wished to press onward.

Beyond the doors there was a very large, long, room that was not at all out of place in a morgue. As seen by both Padawans in countless holodramas on police procedural dramas and the like, the room was set up akin to a coroner's office. Tables were set up in the middle of the room for examinations and the entire far wall was made up of the drawers that were designed to keep bodies as cold as possible while they were studied.

However, the drawers were not all similar to the regular ones as seen on the holos. Indeed, a trio of the drawers appeared to be set up so that the doors to the drawers were actually metal mesh rather than solid metal. It immediately became apparent as to why this was when the Jedi were able to see the Zabrak boy and two young Trandoshans were currently crying softly to themselves, held within these narrow cages.

In the middle of the room, between the Padawans and the trapped children, was the colossal figure of a Besalisk. The creature was facing away from the Jedi, working on something placed on the examination table in front of them. Both Liana and Zeri would hear the Besalisk humming a merry little tune - even as they heard the sound of bones snapping and the unmistakable sound of metal slicing through flesh.

It appeared, in this moment, that the Besalisk was unaware of the presence of the Jedi.

The Chef
Leon & Zeffy​

"Yeah... I'm fine."

The former Sith grunted in pain as she pulled herself up to her feet but it was clear to Leon immediately that the woman was lying. A slowly expanding patch of blood could be seen by the Jedi along her back, a small chunk of debris sticking out at an odd angle. Zeffy took a deep breath as she reached back - and pulled the debris out of her body with a quick yank and a hiss of further pain.

Unlike the Jedi, however, Zeffy seemed to grow more present in the Force as she used her pain to solidify her connection to the Dark Side. The Darkness seemed to pulse around her slightly to Leon's senses as she drew strength from the Force to sustain herself.

The Jedi and the Sith stand before the doorway, the smoking door ahead of them.

Zeffy hesitates for only a second.

"The Chef was this way, right?"

She gritted her teeth.

"Lets go pay this son of a bitch a visit."

Pushing through the doors, smoke immediately billowed up and both Zeffy and Leon were forced to protect their eyes before the ash and smoke settled. The heat within the room was oppressive and ever-present - what had once been a simple storage room had been transformed. Along the edges of the room, fires rages inside rings of stones of different colors and shapes. Each fire no larger than a campfire but all of them feeding off of each other at the same time.

In the centre of the room, a larger cooking fire had been arranged but instead of a cooking spit as may have been expected, instead the long cooking fire was burning away underneath a platform of thin white stone. No, not a platform and not a table; an altar.

Beyond the altar atop the flame, a Devaronian man sat leaning forward in a chair large enough that it could only be called a thrown. In his right hand a lightsaber rested, its blade extended and twisted - the blade seemed to be losing cohesion as it approached the tip, flaring out as though it was curving back in on itself like some form of scimitar.

The blade might once have been blue but even now both Leon and Zeffy would be able to see that it was turning into a reddish-purple color. Its kyber crystal screamed into the Force as it was bled right before their eyes even as the Devaronian seemed to pay it no attention, instead leaning forward in his seat to star at the duo.

"I didn't think that the Jedi would have allies so close by but my family and I are fortunate indeed."

His voice seemed to suggest an innate charisma but with undertones of promised violence and death. The Force practically signalling to all who could sense it that the man was Danger - not merely dangerous.

"But why do you intrude on our festivities?"

Entree
Aranmir & Parents​

The female Zabrak whimpered in pain but did her best to keep quiet as Aranmir quickly got to work securing her now injured arm. As the Jedi was doing this, the three Trandoshan men kept watch, two of them with their blaster pistols aimed at the top of the stairs while the last one tried to test the rumble the way they had come. After trying and failing to make any headway on bringing the rubble down, the Trandoshan shook his head.

"You're right Jedi... there's no going back. We need to keep going forward and find our young!"

Still, despite his enthusiasm and nervousness, the same Trandoshan took the time to act as the crutch that the Zabrak woman needed to keep up with the rest of them. As the group reached the top of the stairs, they would be able to see that the entire first floor was an open plan office of some kind. Cubicles and desks as far as the eye could see.

Across, at the far end of the office area it had been cleared on work desks and, instead, there was a very large dining table set up instead. Capable of seating six, judging by the number of chairs set up, the dining room table was set up with cutley and crockery in a fairly good imitation of a high society meal. A selection of breads and fruits were artfully arranged between the plates and glasses.

Resting underneath the table, three large canines rested, their black and orange hides striking as they waited in the shadows. Even across the office, Aranmir would be able to see how their mouths seemed to glow with an internal, yellow-orange, light that flickered between their teeth. Off to the side of the dining table, set up at a trolley in almost a parody of table-side service, stood an almost impossibly tall human man.

Standing at almost seven feet tall, the man was skeletal in how thin he was, his face akin to a skull with how gaunt it was. Dressed in a clean white dress shirt and black trousers, covered by a red apron, the man busied himself at the trolley. In one hand he held a rump of bloody, raw, meat steady and in the other he held a glowing orange blade that he was using to slice and cook the meat at the same time.

"No howling at the guests my dears... they've come so far to be a part of this. Won't you please take a seat?"

@Zay @LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi

 

[Liana Mason]

Liana's little heart kept racing wildly as they slowly pressed on. She couldn't even remember whether she had ever held her lightsaber's hilt that tightly, but apart from Zeri, it was the only safety she still had.

The feeling she had about this all was extremely bad. She had no idea where exactly they were and where the corridor would lead to, had no idea where the others were and what happened to the kids they were still looking for. Nothing was good. Maybe it was still a miracle they has made it this far.

She swallowed the lump in her throat while she pressed on through the cold corridor and the silent door, suddenly however beginning to sense fear. It was clearly palpable through the Force and it was not theirs, but as they reached the room with the massive Besalisk and the caged, desperately crying children, her jaw just dropped.

This all...was just surreal. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing as it was worse than stuff she had ever seen in movies. Her blood seemingly froze in her veins and she just stared for a second before the adrenaline somehow kept her from blackening out.

She had to function. She simply had to. Her gaze swiftly drifted from the cages to the Besalisk and back to the cages. A sickening realization hit her as she only counted three kids together with the snapping of bones and meat that was being cut like at a butcher.

Her eyes widened and this terrible sense of dread and imminent danger just intensified. The kids were being held like chickens in a battery, all waiting for their turn to be turned into food and one was already missing.

The fear, the pain, the sickening sounds of meat that was being carved together with the softly hummed tune of the Besalisk. Nope. This was too much. There was simply no light in this room and her stomach turned upside down, but before she could simply throw up, she started dashing forward.

In the blink of an eye her lightsaber hissed into life right as she charged at the Besalisk without even thinking twice. She screamed loudly and aimed for ramming her blade right through the massive creature's body, hopefully before he'd see her come and react. Regardless of what was on the table, she'd simply puke right after if the Besalisk was slain, but with her assault she was basically aiming for the first own kill ever.

@Nefieslab @LouJoVi @Zay @Logan

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”Oh shit, are you sure that looks bad!” Asked Leon as Zeffy’s wound began to bleed. To his disbelief she ripped it from her side and seemed to swell with strength. That kind of injury would have ruined him. Zeffy on the other hand seemed to be getting stronger, centering on the pain. Interesting.

Leon nodded confirming Zeffy’s next question, her final statement was fun, until the door spit the bowels of hell into their faces. Leon was forced to recoil away as the noxious plume of smoke spilled into the hallway. Before pressing inward, Leon began to tap into the force drawing it toward him. Calling to the power and beginning to prepare for what was to come.

The room was hot, like really fucking hot. As soon as they entered Leon wanted to leave. He felt like he was being cooked alive and based on the room's decor he had a feeling that was kinda the gist of the room. That’s when he heard it. A wail, a cry, a scream, cut through the force like Leon had never experienced before. The agony so raw so unadulterated by anything human that it took everything in Leon not to start crying.

He knew who that weapon belonged to. The weight of Alton Vari’s saber was suddenly present in his mind, but blindly rushing into this would be foolish. That’s when Leon noticed the fires. The Devaronian started talking.

“I think he can control fire,” Leon projected toward Zeffy.

The kyber wailed over and over, like the waves crashing into the beach. But it wasn’t just Kyber he could feel anymore it was the force itself seeming to warn of oncoming danger. Leon set his jaw. The kyber screamed and Leon listened the torture of the weapon no doubt mirroring Malox's final moments. In his mind's eye he could see himself connected to the weapon, using the force he'd gathered on the way in, Leon wrapped around the hilt and pulled with all his might. If he was lucky, the weapon would come free and they'd only have to deal with whatever else this asshole could do.

@LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi @Nefieslab