Kranak Vizsla
's response came after a particularly loud bang, which suggested the Alor'ad had a personal encounter with an explosion. Something the man unashamedly confirmed moments later. Well, the Manda had given the man gifts to survive in the face of such adversity, and so the mission continued. Runi was grateful for the Manda's protection of those that walked the field.
A while later, after inscribing the runes, Runi contemplated whether she should beat
Sergeant Omen
's ass after the fight was over for removing his helmet on a battlefield, or accept his gratitude and merely
strongly advise and remind that a Mandalorian should never remove their helmet where the enemy could see them. There hadn't been any enemies in the immediate area, but that didn't preclude one suddenly rounding a corner. For the time being, the Shaman accepted her vod was simply grateful that on top of everything else being blind wasn't hampering their ability to engage in battle.
With Omen darting off and quick as he'd come, the avian-helmed woman resumed her journey toward the gathering of Witches.
As for the 'debate' among the group, Kranak handled that swiftly and decisively as the commander should. Runi would save any spiritual lessons and guidance for another time. They had more than enough to discuss what should or shouldn't be done or said in battle
between them, not during them.
When
Alessandra Io
found the inscribed runes and destroyed them, Runi's helm pivoted to the side, but the Shaman's steps did not falter. The tip of a wooden fighting stick touched the wall to her left and slid across the flat surface as she moved. Meanwhile, the wall opposite of the magic circle had new glyphs form that spelled out the message,
In battle, one moves ever forward. Follow if you dare. An arrow pointed in the direction Runi had gone; in fact several arrows sprang up along the way if the HRD chose to follow them.
The tip of the stick lifted from the wall as the Shaman turned to face a door near the heart of the facility. Runi slowly knelt on one knee and cracked the wooden sticks against the floor. As she rose, the stick then struck one another while she chanted,
"Mhi oyacyir at drashaar dral par Manda. Mhi narir va tarja Jupayr be katktas navilyr. Mhi crulr akaryu an ibac chaavla sa shebs be'striili cuun Jupayr at Manda. Mhi chaab va ca; va, Ca chaab mhi." «Spoken in Mando'a: We live to grow strong for the Manda. We do not seek the Path of least resistance. We brush aside all that bar our Path to the Manda. We fear not the night; nay, the Night fears us.»
A portal among many from Elsewhere appeared behind the Shaman. It stood from floor to ceiling; a churning, sickly swirl of energy from which emerged two massive hands that seemed to pull the bent over beast from the Depths. Their height was not made for these corridors, but then Runi did not need them for their ability to intimidate alone. The Shaman pointed at the door before them before she turned to face two Togrutan 'constructs' that had emerged nearby. (
Lyssa Io
)
Thunder that could sunder entire worlds filled the air as the conjured creature's massive hand crashed into the door that separated Runi from the offensive coven. Its work was as a moon-sized gong being struck to herald the End of All Things. One slam after another it would shake the door free of its frame to reveal that which was sought for in this place.
Meanwhile, Runi faced her opponents.
"Be'chaaj ti gar." «Spoken in Mando'a: Away with you.»
The creatures were fast, but they had the misfortune of facing an opponent that was far from slow. Many Mandalorians were hardly what one would call acrobatic, but a warrior did not neglect their reflexes in the pursuit of bulking up. Most did spend their time on improving their upper body strength in particular though; a natural necessity since long rifles, heavy repeaters, and even their very beskar'gam could put quite the strain on the physical body in drawn out engagements. Runi, however, didn't wield heavy ordinance. In fact, the Shaman didn't carry so much as a pistol. Just a woman and her sticks there to beat sense into Mandalorians, or relieve her enemies of the burdens of this life.
Runi was forced to dart from one side of the corridor to the next as the constructs came upon her. Her foot planted on a wall, and with a twist she launched herself to one side away from a swipe by their talons. They were a formidable opponent within arm's reach; one that kept the Shaman from making short work by getting inside their guard or easily landing a shot to the head.
One made the mistake of trying to sink their talons into the summoned beast, however. It paused its efforts with the door showing its brutal work, then swiped one trunk-sized limb at the pest to send it into a nearby wall. The gong resumed its sounding in the deep of the complex though the pitch changed as the door suffered under the blows.
An attempt to sweep the remaining one's leg was unsuccessful, and had the creature bend over to lash out in retaliation. Runi shoved herself back across the floor out of reach before she jumped back to her feet.
With a drawn out hiss of air, Runi lowered her center of gravity with both sticks held out to either side and the green flames of her helmet fixed on the Thing before them. The Shaman shot forth toward the stationary creature; it stood poised to strike and move to meet Runi's strikes. It would have done so admirably as well were that her aim. Instead, Runi slid between its legs, jumped to plant a foot on the Beast's leg, and then spin about to bring both sticks down atop the Construct's head.
Slowly, the Shaman rose from where she'd landed in a crouch. Her helmet remained lowered for a second as she admired the scratches in her breastplate from a final swipe by the horrific thing in their last moment.
Runi then turned to bear witness to whether the Beast had blown a hole straight into the hold where the Witches kept their council along or near the Generator. Now for a matter that needed dealt with... Unless Omen and Thonn already beat her to it.
Allies:
Kranak Vizsla
,
Sergeant Omen
,
Gwyneira Vizsla
,
Thonn Rokkal
,
Domina Prime
,
T.E.X. ,
Morgan Keldau
Adversarial:
Kuben Woods
,
Lyssa Io
,
Alessandra Io
,
QEMD-15 Echo
,
Baron Reinhardt Ström
,
Lilanna Kelamvor
,
Sophia Bergen