Ask You the Jedi?

Zeri Adasca

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Logan
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It was like she was watching everything from somewhere else. Sound muted and time slowed as Zeri watched the knife slice cleanly through the butcher's exposed neck, the showering cascade of blood covering her friend and going nearly everywhere else too.

The young Jedi stood there, unmoving, a statue frozen in place and wide eyed. She had killed another person. Was she a monster? No.. she had done it for a good reason and because there were no other options. If they didn't kill the monster with the knives, surely the children and Liana would have suffered the same fate as whatever slab of meat had been on the table when they'd first arrived.

A shaky hand reached back to make sure the children were still there and unharmed, and upon feeling their little hand grab onto hers, Zeri could feel the sound rush back into her ears as the room itself returned to focus.

Without thinking, Zeri raced forward toward Liana, falling to her knees and skidding along the blood soaked ground until she was right next to her. Brushing Liana's now copper-stained hair out of her face, Zeri gave her a reassuring smile before embracing the girl with the tightest hug she could muster.

Are you aright, are you hurt badly? she asked hurriedly, a look of genuine concern shrouding her eyes. I'm so glad you are still alive Liana. But I think we shouldn't stay here too long. The children are safe, at least for now, but maybe someone else will come down here looking eventually.

Standing back up - careful not to slip on all of the blood - Zeri would attempt to help Liana back up to her feet, assuming her friend could manage, before starting to lead the group out of the hellhole they were in and hopefully back to somewhere less nightmarish and horrifying.
 

The Storyteller

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Small Bites
Liana & Zeri

As the two Jedi came to terms with their first mutual kill, the room seemed to lose some of it's oppressive atmosphere. The hunger that had been present in the Force melted away, allowing the Jedi and the children to see that this was, at the end of the day, nothing more than a particularly cold room. Certainly, horrors had been committed here but it would feel more akin to a movie set of a horror film than some circle of a forgotten hell.

They would be able to breathe easier.

One advantage of this clarity was the fact that it allowed them to see that one section of wall covered in plastic was not, in fact, a wall at all but instead of plastic screen covering an open doorway that led into a cargo area to the rear of the building. At the urging of the children, who were very eager to be outside now, the two Jedi would find that the roller shutter doors leading out of the cargo area were already open and the night air would welcome them, feeling so much cleaner and fresher than any breath they'd taken since landing on the planet in the first place.

Along the rear of the building, they would both be able to see two fire escapes, one further along on the ground floor and one that was a floor above that, accessible by a set of metal stairs. In the Force, both Zeri and Liana would be able to feel a surge of heat and anger from behind the bottom door and a sense of death and struggle from the top-most door.

The Chef
Leon & Zeffy


The Chef was a boiling cauldron of rage and hatred bubbling beneath his calm facade and already both the Jedi and the Sith would be able to feel it. Their unflappable enemy was, by any metric, becoming rather irate at them all for their ability to continue coming for him at this point. It was almost as though the Devaronian was used to prey, or opponents, that didn't fight back anywhere near as much as these two did.

He did his best to not react to Leon's whistle, instinctively knowing that it was a distraction because why else would someone whistle in the middle of a fight? Unfortunately for the man, it just made Zeffy's attack seem more plausible and he fell for the feint, recognising it for what it was just a moment too late.

He committed to a defence against Zeffy.

It is too late for him to fully turn back to face Leon but the Devaronian does his best regardless, managing to turn his body halfway before Leon is there, blades descending. Leon's blades come down not at the torso but instead at the right arm of the Devaronian desperately attempting to recover. An application of Force Slow from Zeffy sees him too slow to fully pull back and Leon's blades carve through the man's upper right arm, carving through it in two places.

Before the blades can cut deeper, the flames around the Chef pulse a bright, violently bright, white like a flashbang around his body. Both Zeffy and Leon caught off-guard as the Devaronian disappears in that bright light - leaving his severed right arm and it's lightsaber behind as he reappears inside one of the bonfires off to the side, the flames dimming to embers as the cultist gasps in pain and chokes on his anger, attempting to draw more flames from the remaining bonfires and the alter he had been forced to leave behind.

"YOU WILL BOTH BURN!"

The flame cloak he had been using as a shield didn't come with him - instead he squeezed his remaining hand tighter and the flames rushed in toward Leon. Like a bubble collapsing in on itself, the flames were imploding, rushing at the Jedi from all sides. Zeffy, for her part, reach out to Leon and Pulled him to her through the Force - it would do nothing for the pain the flames would bring him but it would mean he wouldn't be caught in the middle as the flames would heat up as their condensed.

Entree
Aranmir & Parents

"KILL!"

The Skeletal man gave the command in a guttural tone as Aranmir continued to manipulate the Clawdite cultist. Even as one of the canines bit and tore at his tendons, the man seemed intent on dealing out as much pain as he possibly could for this 'transgression'. Batting aside a blaster bolt fired by one of the parents with his stolen lightsaber, the Skeletal man roared as he thrust his free hand down as a palm-thrust.

His hand came thundering down atop the back of the canine's neck, causing it to release it's bite and whimper and yelp in pain as Aranmir's control over it was broken by the sudden pain. It didn't have time to move, however, before the Skeletal man rammed his hand down again, snapping the neck and spine of his wayward canine companion without a hint of remorse or pity for the poor animal.

At this point, Aranmir's manipulation worked more than it had before, his mind freed from needing to retain control of the now deceased canine - so the clawdite fired his blaster pistol, catching the Skeletal man in the left shoulder and staggering him. Aranmir's lightsaber lashed out, carving through the clawdite before he could regain control of himself, killing the cultist as he was taken by surprise and thrown bodily at the Skeletal man.

As the clawdite was launched, the two canines loyal to the Skeletal man attacked - letting out jets of yellow flame from their mouths like flamethrowers. One stream was aimed at Aranmir as he was mid-throw of the clawdite and the other at the two Trandoshan parents. As the flames advanced, one parent was able to throw himself to the side while the other screamed as he was set alight, scales doing nothing to stop the intense flames burning him.

With a roar of anger, the Skeletal man lunged upward, carving through his own ally's body with his stolen lightsaber, sending two pieces of him flying off to the side. Still, the force of the attack and the damage sustained to his tendons was enough to keep the enemy from pressing an attack - though he was still able to speak.

"You think you can stand to me, Jedi? You think you can stand against me, BOY?! I will flay the skin from your bones and cook you as you watch!"



@Zay @LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi
 

Aranmir

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LouJoVi
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Aranmir watched while Actavion killed the poor charhound with his bare hands. The Tiefling didn’t expect that someone who looked like a skeleton that someone forgot to bury would be so strong. However the pain that the poor animal felt while he was slaughtered passed through the brief bound that the Padawan established with it.

Feeling the pain, followed by the animal’s presence disappearing in the Force made the Padawan furious. Due to this distraction, the Padawan would not be able to avoid the flames that the remaining charhounds would spill at him.

Rather than trying to avoid being hit, the Padawan embrace the flames like they were some type of old friend. Being a Tiefling, Aranmir was immune to any damage that the flames could have on him. The same couldn’t be said about his clothes, which immediately went ablaze.

While Actavion cut down the Clawdite’s body, Aranmir tore off what remained of his Jedi robes. The flames were consuming it, but the Padawan held them tightly on his left hand and deactivated his lightsaber.

Using the Force, the Padawan moved with enhanced speed against the cultist, while maintaining his hand with the lightsaber behind his back. Once close to the man, the Tiefling would move his burning robe like a whip, aiming directly at the guy’s head.

He expected that the other would be paying more attention to the piece of cloth that threatened to burn his head and would use the lightsaber to protect him. This way, Actavion would be too distracted to notice that Aranmir had activated his lightsaber and was now trying to separate his waist from the rest of the body.

@Nefieslab @LadyRen @Zay @Logan
 

Liana Mason

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Liana blinked upwards at the ceiling, her muscles stiff and the heart still racing. She could feel the adrenaline fading, yet she was unable to fully move until Zerri adressed her. "Uhm...mhm". She wasn't okay. Yet she had to be. "I'm...not hurt badly". Her wrist was, she assumed, and there was a pounding pain in her head, but the traumatizing experience overshadowed it for now. She still had to function.

She gratefully accepted Zerri's help, the friendly touch actually soothing her, yet she was far from being herself in those moments. The constant sense of dread began to fade, yet she wanted to leave this room behind as fast as possible and they still had to get the children into safety. "Yes...let's get out of here". Her gaze was a little absent and she felt oddly numb, especially around her wrist, but mananged to press on until their little group reached the outside. The fresh night air washed over her and was truly a relief, yet somehow she could tell that this was far from over.

There was no apparent danger around, at least not out here and so the still semi paralyzed padawan stiffly turned towards the children, her muscles tense yet attempting to keep her voice as soft and soothing as possible while she laid emphasis on the latter through the Force: a simple trick, yet usually helpful for other and yourself. "You will stay here. There are still other in danger and we'll have to help them. We'll stay close and keep you save, but if there's a chance to save more lives today, we'll have to take it".

It was their duty to protect and save whomever they could, so Liana turned back to Zeri:"Where to though?". They had two options yet her own thinking was too much over the place to finalize her decision and so she was hoping she could leave that to her friend.

@Nefieslab @Logan @Zay @LouJoVi
 

Leon Baudelaire

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Baudelaire’s twin blades bit through The Chef’s arm, how the darksider had managed such a feat while being accosted from both sides was worth recognition. If The Deveronian hadn’t been a blood thristy cannibal cultist, he’d have received a begrudging nod of respect, but he was a bloodthristy cannibal cultist, so fuck this guy am I right?

The momentum of Leon’s lunge through the veil of flames carried him through to the opposite side of The Chef. Even before The Chef conflagration into a blinding light, Leon’s attention was on the altar. The one The Deveronian had been jealously guarding up until their most recent attack.

Any and all pretense of the Chef’s former composure was gone. They were flame incarnate. Literally combusting in on themselves in a blinding flash of light. Leon covered his eyes from the light, but didn’t let his guard down. He knew a darksider wounded and on the ropes was more dangerous than one confident of victory. Images flashed across his mind of the unnatural scream that ripped from the Sith Master of Berchest during the darksiders final stand.

As his eyes opened they fell on to the defenseless altar.

Leon was running, blades coming up above his head as a guttural roar exploded from his lips. He swung, Daybreak’s pale yellow beam passed through the altar, slicing it in half, and spilling it’s contents across the ground like an opened gut.

Suddenly, the thin flames he’d passed through harmlessly were reinvigorated and seeking to consume. Leon was committed to the altar’s destruction and it wasn’t until Zeffy started moving him that he realized how much danger he was actually in. Instinctively he held his breath and jumped in the Sith Champion’s direction, aiding in her pull however he could.

Searing pain blistered across his exposed flesh as the heat sight to consume him, but he was out of it as quickly as he was in. His body hit the floor and slid a few feet to Zeffy’s feet. He was panting, pain was becoming a comfort he didn’t want. It was proof he was still alive, but he wasn’t sure what the cost was. He managed to get back to his feet, lightsabers humming. He was prepared to fight to the death. He wouldn’t stop until The Chef was dead.

Leon took a breath in, sinking himself into the force and covering himself with the power. Unlike most of his peers, Baudelaire’s focus on Tutaminis had a level of experience that most lacked. From what the Jedi could tell, the flame user was running out of reserves.

The decisive moment of their battle was drawing near. Leon could hear the symphony on the void calling to him. He adopted a traditional Adumari dueling stance and prepared for the end.

@Logan @LadyRen @LouJoVi @Nefieslab
 

The Storyteller

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Small Bites
Liana & Zeri

With a broken wrist, Liana was far from the picture of health but, well, the other guy had had it worse. Thankfully, Zeri had managed to avoid injury altogether and the children were more frightened than they were in any kind of physical pain. As one they seemed to huddle up close together, wrapping their arms around each other before they agreed to move anywhere, as though they felt they needed to literally be hugging each other at all times to proceed safely.

Attempting to calm the children with both her words and the Force was a good idea - it was clear that they were still very deep in their trauma. Though asking three recently kidnapped children to stay behind the building they were almost butchered in without supervision was not typically a good idea. After all, if Liana and Zeri moved into the building to assist their friends they would either have to bring the children with them or leave them out of sight outside.

Either way, the children saw it as something close to abandonment. Their natural connection to the Force, further empowered by their almost symbiotic connection in the Force in this moment of shared trauma, saw Liana's suggestion break apart against them in the Force.

"Y-you mean you're gonna leave us out here? W-what about if there are more of them out here? We wanna go home!"


The Chef
Leon & Zeffy


The Force was with the odd bedfellows of the former Sith and the young Jedi - for in the Galaxy there were what were universally believed to be "acceptable targets" and bloodthirsty cannibal cultists? They were certainly on that list.

As Leon's lightsaber blade came down, the young Jedi was focused on the alter and so would not truly be able to see the Chef and their reaction as the Jedi targeted the alter that the man had been so jealously guarding. The moment the lightsaber started coming down, the Chef immediately aborted any and all attempts to use the Force to control the flames to attack Leon - instead he tried desperately to recover the energy and the focus to send Leon flying away from the alter.

He was too slow.

Leon's lightsaber carved through the alter and as it split in two, the Chef let out a piercing howl of agony, hatred and absolute fear.

As Leon prepared himself for battle again, it would quickly become clear that the battle was over, the Jedi and the Sith were treated to a sight that no one in the Galaxy had ever seen before - a Devaronian was burning alive. Having been stood in the flame of one of his bonfires, the Chef was immediately on fire when, with the destruction of the alter, his species' natural resistance to fire seemed to suddenly no longer apply... it was only upon closer inspection that they would see why.

The Devaronian was still fire resistant on the outside but the flames from the bonfire, and around the room, were swirling as they converged on the man. They didn't act like a fire at this point, the energy forcing its way into the man's eyes and mouth and pouring itself into him. Right in front of their eyes, they would watch as the Chef was burned alive from the inside, his skin beginning to crack and flake away rapidly to reveal a blackened and charred skeleton, left kneeling in a silent screaming fit.

Entree
Aranmir & Parents

As the flames caught on Aranmir, they were naturally finding no purchase on the tiefling himself though his clothes were quickly becoming a casualty of this battle. Of course, as an enterprising young Jedi, Aranmir decided that they could be a weapon as well as a casualty, acting the part of a flaming whip and distraction all at once.

Unfortunately for Aranmir, the Skeletal man was no stranger to combat with people who were immune to fire-based attacks so he was entirely unsurprised when the tiefling charged ahead with the flames caught on his clothes instead. With his mobility severely hampered by the attack from the rogue Charhound, the Skeletal man stood his ground in response to the Jedi's charge and reacted differently than might have been expected.

He raised his free arm, letting the burning robes tangle up around his forearm, held high to protect his head. His lightsaber had been making a motion to thrust into Aranmir's gut, but with the distraction caught and the lightsaber close by, he was able to turn the thrust into a clumsy guard, his lightsaber jarring in his hand awkwardly as he met Aranmir's slash but holding firm enough to keep him from being carved in two. Deciding it was time to be logical, however, the Skeletal man growled through the pain as the flames licked at his skin before pulling back with that connected robe to pull Aranmir closer even as the Skeletal man threw his head forward.

The man would attempt to slam his forehead into Aranmir's own with the same kind of shattering force with which he had broken the Charhound, while his physical strength lasted.

Behind Aranmir, the two remaining Charhounds circled the last remaining Trandoshan parent, who tried to keep both canines in his sights before giving in and attempting to shoot them both quickly enough that they wouldn't have chance to take the opening it would leave. He blasted one, catching the abused animal in the centre of the head and ending it's suffering quickly and cleanly.

He was too late to turn around however, getting a burst of flames to his back which sent him screaming to the ground - where he was unable to truly react in time to avoid having his throat torn out before the hound turned to the back of Aranmir as the Jedi duelled its master.


@Zay @LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi
 

Liana Mason

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Even if there was no immediate danger out here, she could still feel that the others were still not safe. They had those two options and Zeri didn't answer, so it seemed like Lia was about to be the one making a decision again. She chose the path that evoked more dread, knowing that this particular way would lead them to whoever was still in dire need of help.

The adrenaline levels in her system were still high, yet the initial numbness of the pain was fading and she was heavily grimacing as she slightly tried to flick her wrist, however she was at least able to suppress a loud wince. She had suggested that the children stayed out here as she expected all the evil monsters to still be inside the building, yet the traumatized children simply wouldn't hear any of it.

"It's okay...", Liana lacked the strength and mental clarity for an elongated discussion and so she conceded rather quickly. "We won't leave you alone then. Come. But we'll have to hurry!". Her voice was still as calm as the circumstances allowed as she motioned for them to follow.

Letting the Force guide her, she chose the route that would lead them to the still existing struggle between Aranmir, the parents and the remaining threat, however from what remained of her strength she also kept using the Force to soothe both groups, the kids and her padawan friend and her.

Without knowing what was going on exactly, she pressed on, not letting the fear and terror get to her ensuring she'd keep the children behind herself. The trauma ran deep inside her as well, but she didn't plan on letting it stop her from reaching Aranmir. Even as she was getting closer she perceived the stench of death and charred flesh, but she intended to reach her fellow padawan friend before any more harm would come to the young Tiefling.

@Nefieslab @Logan @Zay @LouJoVi
 

Aranmir

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Aranmir grunted in annoyance when Actavion was able to block his attack with the lightsaber. The guy was really an abomination, being capable of resisting his arm being set on flames. If it wasn’t for the damage that the Chardound had caused in his leg, the Padawan would have thought that the guy was invincible.

While his attention was turned to the man, the Tiefling could still feel his surroundings through the Force. He felt how one of the remaining Charhounds was killed and how the other animal finally killed the last Trandoshan parent. Now the creature was turning his aggressiveness to him. Things weren’t getting good.

Feeling that Actavion was pulling him close with the burning robe, the Padawan ended thinking fast. While the cultist prepared the headbutt, Aranmir released the piece of cloth and prepared to jump to the right, out of the attack’s way.

His lightsaber would still be positioned in a defensive stance, for the case of a retaliation during the jump.

While he jumped, the Padawan used the Force to pull and redirect the cultist, so his headbutt would go to the approaching Charhound. Aranmir aimed his Force attack at Actavion’s damaged leg, hoping that by targeting this part the man would lose his balance more easily and fall over the animal.

@Nefieslab @LadyRen @Zay @Logan
 

Leon Baudelaire

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Leon’s chest heaved as confusion stampeded across his face. He looked to Zeffy, then back at the flames that coalesced and descended upon the Daveronian. Baudelaire’s eyes were locked on The Chef as his screams filled the room. The Devil had been consumed by his precious flames. Leon deactivated his lightsabers and clipped them to his belt. The kyber within the strange blade The Chef had carried cried out to Leon, and while wrapping his outstretched hand in the force, he called it to him.

He caught the blade, sensing the heat still radiating from it, and suddenly felt his knees buckle. His hands shook as the taste iron in his mouth let him know he was still gravely wounded. He spit blood onto the floor, his head starting to swim. He blinked away his bleary vision and managed to sit back on his haunches. He looked down, the hilt of the knife was still sticking out of his gut, the sight nearly causing him to faint. Then Leon remembered Zeffy’s wound.

How you holding up?” he asked with a voice that was weaker than he’d have liked. “I’ve still got a little juice in me, I can at least stop the bleeding, I think…

While he waited for her answer Leon wrapped his hand around the protruding hilt and yanked. The blade slid out of his stomach and his body shuddered. He quickly pressed the heated metal of the lightsaber hilt against his flesh with a guttural groan. The sweet succulent smell of his own cooking flesh turned his stomach as he cauterized the wound.

Baudelaire gagged once, but managed to hold it together. He pushed himself up and walked to a nearby sink. Strange how this hellish place was suddenly mundane following the destruction of The Darksider. He turned on the water and dropped the super heated blade in, steam hissed and spat a cloud into his face.

He clipped the blade to his belt and straightened his blastvest. His eyes landed on the shining ebony husk of The Chef.

Guess, he took that old saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire” literally,” he said with a shadow of his usual jocularity pulling at his lips, “If we survive, I’d really like a glass of whiskey.

Leon knew he couldn’t linger any longer. This was but a single objective, his companions were no doubt facing off against their own nightmares.

C’mon, let’s go save those kids,” he said, managing his patented smirk, as he offered Zeffy his hand.

Now they were running. The hall they’d been blown down was a charred husk. The walls were black with char. Rubble from the explosion made traversal a pain, but so did the litany of wounds he was covered in. The whole time, Leon kept himself as close as possible to The Force. It was the only thing keeping him on his feet.

Leon made it to the barrier and looked over to Zeffy, “Don’t watch I get performance anxiety.

Baudelaire drew in a breath and closed his eyes. He stretched out with the force and examined the wall. He found the keystone. His eyes opened and he drew back his hand as the power of the force gathered in his palm and as he punched the air with an open palm the power exploded from his hand and blew the stone out the back of the barrier.

At first nothing happened and Leon could feel his ears burning with embarrassment. He turned to Zeffy just about to Jedi-splain how common this kinda thing was when the barrier quivered and then collapsed.

@Nefieslab @LadyRen @LouJoVi @Logan
 
Last edited:

Zeri Adasca

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With all of the unknowns and dangers swirling around them, Zeri didn't blame the kids for not wanting to be left outside alone. Hell, even she wouldn't have wanted to stand out here all by herself and she actually knew - at least, in theroy - ways to actually defend herself against bad guys.

Not that she'd really displayed much in that regard this far. Her bravery was questionable and her ability to actually be the Jedi that people around her needed to be was.. lacking, at least in every manner that Zeri could think of.

Still, now was no time for sulking. A brave face for the children at the very least. Putting the children in between herself and Liana, Zeri followed her friend towards the oncoming danger, ready for whatever they might find.

She hoped it would be one or both of their friends safe and sound, but something in Zeri's gut thought it was going to be something else entirely. She just really wished it would be the former, just once.

For the kid's sake.
 

The Storyteller

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Small Bites
Liana & Zeri

The children were less than convinced by Liana's resolve, the young Jedi focusing on the building and her allies within and not on their concerns at all. When she urged them to join her and Zeri in rushing back into the building, the trio of young children flinched backward violently. They would find that Zeri was behind them, bracketing them in such a way that they were almost trapped between the two young Jedi and pushed back towards the building.

As a group they huddled together, clinging to each other however they physically could, hoping to seek some kind of confort in each other that they were being denied from the Jedi. Just as before, they combined signature within the Force was a whirlwind that knocked aside Liana's clumsy attempt to just give them a blanket sense of calm without specifics.

Shuddering, the children started crying as they started moving, following the Jedi.

"P-please Miss we'll be good... don't eat us! We'll come with but you gotta promise you won't eat us!"


The Chef
Leon & Zeffy


Zeffy was in a much better state than Leon but she still chuckled and shook her head, even if there was a certain level of fondness in the exasperation she was putting out. It was a typically very Jedi response from Leon, to worry about someone else when he was the one bleeding with a knife stuck inside of him. Patting the young Jedi on the shoulder, she wasn't gentle.

"You know that doesn't do shrak against internal bleeding, right?" she joked as the Jedi did his best to sear his wound shut with the heated lightsaber hilt, "Get yourself seen by a medical droid within 48 hours or you'll be pissing infected blood out when the sepsis sets in."

As he was taking a moment to recover, Zeffy just awkwardly patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on buttercup, suck it up... there you go...!"


She rolled her eyes at his pun but otherwise didn't think to respond - instead she observed the rest of the room they had fought in. There weren't any easy exits but with Lightsabers and the Force, every flat surface was a doorway that just hadn't been cut to shape yet. Scoffing, she didn't take his hand, instead pushing herself to be ahead of him as they ran.

She was the adult here and she was a former Sith - it'd be a cold day in every Corellian hell before she accepted help from a Jedi like Leon.

Raising an eyebrow, Zeffy crossed her arms across her chest and gestured for Leon to be her guest. It was clear that the little Jedi wanted to do this himself and she was happy enough to oblige. She didn't even mock him when nothing immediately happened - instead she raised a finger to tell him to wait... and smirked when the barrier was destroyed.

"Alright, there's a lot of clashing energy in the Force coming from above... my turn."


Taking a deep breath, Zeffy reached into the Force and Pulled. Rather than pulling just a keystone, she Pulled almost every stone that had been in the way, Pulling them slowly in her direction before letting them spill across the reception floor. She exhaled heavily.

"Let's see what's upstairs then, shall we?"


Entree
Aranmir & Parents

The Skeletal man's face pulled back into a vicious snarl, the smell of burning flesh wafting between him and Aranmir as the flaming clothes continued to burn away at his skin. Already it was going to need either serious skin grafting or extensive bacta treatments. Of course, that kind of care had the potential to be entirely irrelevant.

Staggering in place as the clothing was left loose, Actavion swore loudly in a language that Aranmir wouldn't understand as he tossed the clothes to the left as best he could. Bits of skin and blood flew with the clothing as the arm would be revealed to be severely burned from the elbow down. Aranmir's studies in the Temple would be enough to let him know that there were muscles actually showing through the torn and burned skin.

Continuing to Curse as his injured leg was Pulled out from under him, Actavion fell to his right knee, his lightsaber up between himself and Aranmir as a defence. As this was happening, the Charhound that remained attacked, having not actually been in the process of attacking prior to Aranmir's movement it was unimpeded by the sudden movement of Actavion and the dog would throw itself at the tiefling, teeth first, as it attempted to bite into his lower stomach while he was forcing Actavion to the ground.


@Zay @LadyRen @Logan @LouJoVi
 

Leon Baudelaire

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Zeffy warned him about internal bleeding. Leon’s skin was still sizzling as he said, “Ok, thanks.

The Ex-Sith patted him on the shoulder letting him know it was time to go and he nodded. He shook his own hand as Zeffy ignored his offer and took the lead. Nothing like a life or death battle to foster a bond between warring ideologies right? Who was he kidding, he didn’t know what she’d been through, oh well, either way he felt much better about having her along now than he had before.

She’d been sassy this whole time so when she just held up a finger to wait as the wall collapsed he was relieved.

Zeffy warned him of the clashing force and he nodded. He was battered and tired, but he wasn’t about to let the Sith see. Instinctively, he began to draw the force into him, preparing for whatever was on the other side of that wall. Then she effortlessly pulled their next obstacle out of the way. Leon’s mouth dropped open, “Wow, I look like an asshole now,” he said with a chuckle.

Right behind you!” he said, falling in as they charged up the stairs.

As Leon followed Zeffy through the door and into the office space. The skeletal man was flinging a flaming shirt to the ground, their skin a mottled ruin where the garment had been. At this point, Leon wasn’t even phased. That’s when the body of a beast he’d never seen before surged toward Aranmir.

Leon reached out with the force attempting to interrupt the fire dogs attack by pulling it toward he and Zeffy.

Need a little back up buddy?” he asked Aranmir, drawing Daybreak with his good hand.

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Liana Mason

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A sheer catastrophe. All of it.

Liana was so severely on edge that as the children started shuddering and crying, tears came streaming down her cheeks as well. She couldn't blink them away after they had started to swell in her eyes as the trauma still ran deep and while her presence within the Force was still relatively calm, it was a severe struggle.

Death and terror seemed to be all around and while they had mananged to fight of their terrible adversary, the image of the kid he had already slaughtered simply didn't leave her mind. The terrible pain in her wrist was swelling, yet what drove her forwards was hope. They could still save the others.

As the children begged for them to leave them unharmed, she wiped her face with her free hand and slowed down for moment, facing them with whatever determination she could still muster. "No...we will not harm you. We are trying to save your parents. You have nothing to fear from us". Maybe she wouldn't be able to help, maybe she would reach them so far, but she simply had to try.

"I'm so so sorry this all happened to you and I understand your mistrust and terrible fear, but you are safe. We will keep you safe". She turned and pressed on, fighting that inner reluctance to enter the building and following that sense of dread she could still perceive. "You are okay. We will not let them harm you" she lowered her voice to a whisper once they were inside and steered towards the signs of struggle. Maybe she only had one hand, but she'd be able to protect the children while Zeri could maybe try to help.

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Aranmir

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Aranmir once again grunted, this time even more annoyed. Actavion was not only able to avoid falling on the floor, but was still capable of blocking the Padawan’s attack. “Mas que merda! Você não morre não? the Tiefling cursed the Sil-Cale language from his homeworld, G’wenee, while his lightsaber collided against the one that the cultist was holding.

He was so determined to kill Actavion at once that Aranmir only noticed that the last surviving Charhound was coming toward him when the animal was already very close. The Tiefling was already prepared to use the Force to jump out of the creature’s way to a corner of the room.

He would do that, if Leon and Zeffy didn’t arrive right on time and the other Padawan used the Force to pull the Charhound toward them. It would allow Aranmir to continue focusing in Actavion.

Please.” Aranmir would say, his eyes never leaving the cultist. If Actavion remained in his knees, the Padawan would try a new move. By feinting a move against the man’s head, before quickly redirecting to his back.

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The Storyteller

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Small Bites
Liana & Zeri

Like a swirling nexus of grief and despair, the feeling of helplessness and fear permeated the air. It might have had it's start in the minds of the children but the Force allowed it to seep through into the surroundings, to sink their way into both Liana and Zeri both.

And death hung in the air.

Death of the parents of the children and death of their tormentors both - unlike what the practitioners of the Dark Side would preach, the deaths of their tormentors did nothing to stem the hurt. In the end it wasn't a Force trick that made the children settle down as they followed Liana and it wasn't any of the typically aspired to Jedi stoicism.

No, they calmed down, ironically, because they could see just how effected she was by all of this as well. They looked up at the young Jedi and they saw she was scared and she was hurt just like them - but she wasn't stopping.

So they didn't either.

Entree
Aranmir & Leon & Zeffy

The charhound let out a delightfully cute little "yelp" as it found itself being Pulled by the Force in mid-jump, sent flying through the air back towards Leon and Zeffy now that they had arrived. Cursing loudly, Actavion would push himself up to his feet but his right leg was wobbling in place as he did so, the wound he had suffered to the lower half of that leg weakening the limb significantly.

"More of you...?! Unwanted guests swarm my table like locusts!"


As he didn't remain on his knees, Aranmir would stay within melee range but on the defensive rather than on the attack. Roaring with rage, the skeletal man lashed out with a quick slash towards Aranmir's eyes, aiming to slash across both of them horizontally with the tip of his lightsaber. However, he was now surrounded and one of his enemies didn't mind at all about causing pain for the sake of pain.

Zeffy reached out with the Force and squeezed - not on Actavion's neck but on his thoroughly ruined calf. Her hand closed and a Force wrapped around, and into, his torn muscles and blood vessels to cause as much pain as possible. His instinctive reaction to the pain, to jerk in place and close his eyes mid-slash, would give Aranmir a chance to turn the tables on this head of the table.

The Charhound, twisted in midair to face the direction it was Pulled within and found itself facing strangers. Strangers when the last instruction it had received was to kill? It barked - a stream of red flames bursting forth at Leon.


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Leon Baudelaire

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Leon felt the force wrap around the hound and yank it toward him. Baudelaire stayed in place focus locked on the beast as it writhed in the air coming around to face him and Zeffy. His eyes went wide as he spotted the first flickers of flame sparking from the hounds maw.

"Oh shit!" yelped Leon as he swiped his hand toward the wall, attempting to alter the trajectory of the animal and sending it careening into the wall just as it's spicy bork went off.

Until he was sure the dog was out for the count he couldn't move in to help Aranmir. The last thing he needed to do was leave Zeffy wide open while she was channeling the force.

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Last edited:

Liana Mason

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Despite the terribly oppressive atmosphere and this dreadful sense of death that permeated the air, Lia felt the children's uttermost fright die.

It was in the very moment when she still tried to hold it together as best as she could, but the watery eyes, the missing color in her face and the terror-stricken creases in her features betrayed her enough to apperently seem much more genuine as their gazes met.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and pressed on, finding it easier to continue when the children weren't in desperate fear of getting eaten by the two young Jedi and simultaneously having an easier time to cling onto the light deep within.

After all they had been through here, after all the terrible things she had experienced, it was perhaps as dim as it had ever been, but this was why clinging to it and focusing on this prospect of saving their friends and the parents had never been any more promising.

Emotion, yet peace. It was okay to be afraid, but what was more important was to not let it get to your core. They would save and protect whomever they still could and she would not stop fighting.

Ignoring that strong, throbbing pain, she was still letting the Force guide her until they'd finally reach the office where their remaining friends and allies were fighting to death.

In terror, she stared at the bodies and how the rest was in a rather dire situation, so without thinking twice, she reached out with her unscathed hand, however still grimacing under the pain as she tried to reach the dog with the invisible tendrils she conjured to make sure it would not hurt Leon.

The sight of the other padawan was incredibly relieving and it aided her inner strength, but the young padawan was still on the brink of collapsing. Her body was right in front of the kids and should anything come their way, she was prepared to keep them protected at all cost.

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Aranmir

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Shut up!” Aranmir screamed at Actavion, while he moved his lightsaber to block the blade of the cultist. The man had once again shown how he was resistant, being capable to once again get on his feet. The Padawan wondered how many lives this guy had or how long it would take for this fight to end.

The Tiefling was already prepared to block Actavion’s attack when he felt Zeffy use the Force to squeeze the man’s ruined calf. The cultist immediately screamed, feeling how his leg suffered with the strength of an invisible vice grip.

Seeing it as an opportunity, Aranmir once again tried to end this fight. While Actavion screamed, the Padawan would move his lightsaber horizontally to cut the mad in half.

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The Storyteller

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Entree
Aranmir & Leon & Zeffy & Liana

The charhound once again found itself flying through the air even as flames burst from it's maw and it attempted to burn Leon alive. With the change in direction, the flames would fly past Leon to the left as the charhound would slam, hard, into the wall. It yelped in pain and the flames died out with the sound as it whimpered like the wounded dog that it was, sliding down the wall to land heavily on it's side.

With the added emotion and urgency behind his movement, Leon had been rather brutal in his removal of the enemy but not quite brutal enough to actually kill the poor creature.

The added assistance of Liana was what allowed the movement to actually take effect in time for the flames to not have reached Leon by the time his movement was changed, however. With the two of them together, the charhound had no defence and now seemed incapable of doing anything but whimpering and curling up into a ball over to one side.

Zeffy squeezed and she twisted in the Force, manipulating the energy that bound all living things to torment and torture her enemy in one of the most effective ways. Blood vessels burst and Actavion let out a scream as blood gushed down from his ruined calf. He attempted to move, finding himself slipping slightly on the blood - but it got worse.

The horizontal slash he had not been able to see coming carved into him as he slipped, causing Aranmir's blade to carve higher than he had intended, cutting the skeletal man in half at elbow-height rather than waist height. Air escaped rapidly as the two halves of the monstrous man were violently separated and he tried to let out a scream but was unable to do so - his lungs had been cut through, he literally didn't have the air to scream any longer.

Both halves of the man fell to the ground and the room seemed to feel less oppressive, just for a moment, as the Jedi were able to defeat the cultist who had endured beyond his fellow members. His lightsaber rolled along the ground, coming to a stop by Aranmir's foot.


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Leon Baudelaire

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Leon was panting when the creepy dude Aranmir was fighting slit in two. He swallowed throat raw and dry from the battle. He felt his hands start to shake as fatigue began to set in. Without realizing it he found himself sitting, and processing the last few moments. He looked over to the spicy borker then to Zeffy, then Aranmir, then behind him. He saw Liana for the first time and relief washed over him like a wave crashing into the sand. Every bump, scrape, cut and burn began to scream for his attention as he finally released his hold on The Force.

Had they really done it?

Had they really won?

What was the cost?

He was caught in a daze. He really wanted a drink, not water. Whisky. He looked down to the little nanny droid on his hip.

Lotta help you were,” he muttered. Everything in him wanted to sleep for a year, but he forced himself to his feet. There was still work to do.

He stepped up to Aranmir, and slipped off his singed blastvest, “Here, dude.” he said offering the dude a shirt.

Leon called over to Liana and the kids, “Let’s get out of here, huh?

Baudelaire looked over to Zeffy and nodded, “Thank you.

Zeffy had single handedly altered his understanding of Sith. They’d fought side by side for the same goal. Made him think of an old Admarian proverb: The shadows prove the sun shines. There was no light without the dark. Wait… he frowned looked around fear sliding down his spine like a single bead of sweat.

Uh, where’s Zeri?


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