Private Curious Treatment in the Belly of the Beast

[Onrai]

Runi Kuryida

Kiross

The experience that Onrai had gone through during her defense of the Maw's superweapon while she possessed it had been especially unique. Possessing a weapon of such tremendous power had been an interesting experience, especially the presence of the biological construct's subliminal intelligence perpetually clashing with her for control. She was satisfied to leave the weapon to its fate and continue to exist in her ethereal form. The wounding, however, at the hands of the enigmatic Mandalorian woman that she had fought with and the discussion between the two of them raised her curiosity - especially her seeming transmogrification.

Perhaps she was more than a mere mortal.

Such was the reason that an invitation had been surreptitiously passed to Runi - a perfectly black envelope with no apparent means of opening it to reveal the message within. Only when the envelope itself was torn apart did the darkness within the envelope consume the environment as a shade, a spectre of Onrai at the most microcosmic sliver of her being, proffered a message to Runi. She was invited to come to Kiross to discuss the father of Shadows, to further elucidate what precisely she was, and to further understand what Onrai was - motivations not withstanding. The message ended, before the shade and her accompanying pocket of darkness dissipated into nothingness, with a kindly offer.

"There will be hot chocolate."

 

[Runi Kuryida]

In the heart of the Briirud in Resa, Kestri knelt a woman. The Mandokarla Speaker knelt before the open flame in the center of the large, circular room enclosed by old and polished wood. An opening at the top of the chamber allowed the smoke to waft up and out of the Briirud safely. An eternal flame that brought warmth and light to all those that came here to learn or examine themselves and their place in the galaxy. One upon which Runi Kuryida basked in its glow with her eyes shut and palms rested atop her thighs.

A woman slid into the room and crossed over the intervening distance to stand off to the right of the helmetless Shaman. She spoke briefly of a letter having arrived for Runi's personal attention.

"Thank you, Alice. You may place it on the ground before me," Runi replied calmly without opening her eyes.

As the Ranger leaned down to set the envelop before the Speaker as instructed, Runi's right hand lifted and draw a half circle in the air between them. A wisp of black smoke was sloughed off, and soon entwined with the smoke carried out through the hole above.

The younger woman paused half-straightened with a blink of the eyes.

"Is there anything else, Alice?"

They blinked again and finished straightening. "No, Speaker." Respectfully, they turned and departed the way they'd come.

Slowly, the Shaman's hazel eyes slid open to regard the black envelope lain between her and the flame. A hint of a smirk tugged at her lips for just a second; then, in no particular hurry, she leaned forward to slowly lift the packaged letter from the floor. Runi turned it over under her gaze and found the delivery would not reveal its secrets except under favorable conditions. As expected. After all, the darkness had sought to color Alice's perception; why should it yield to a common unsealing of the flap?

So, the Speaker rotated her wrist inward and gave the envelop a light flick. Now a hint of a smile played at both corners of her lips as the black package fell into the flames.

It was only flame-kissed, however. Runi used the powers of the Manda to withdraw the envelope from the fire and back into her possession to open it properly.

Runi listened to the message patiently. It was not beyond her measure to hear out even a Sith. Yes, the Enclave especially reviled their kind -- hated even -- but the Speaker of the Mandokarla was afforded no such luxuries. Nor did she desire them. It was her task to reach out even to those all others had cast away. Few souls were truly damned -- few could be called Echoy'la (Lost) in her view. Too many bandied about "dar'manda" these days.

The woman rose from the fire after the messenger was gone. With a measured gait, she crossed over to the tall double doors that separated the chamber from the main hall. Runi wasn't sure what 'hot chocolate' had to do with anything, but if Onrai wished to talk... the Shaman had invited the opportunity. Before they'd been interrupted by the sudden need to crush a terrible use of necromancy.

Tag: Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Runi Kuryida

The spectral form of Onrai continued to wait patiently, her presence aware at the return of her power from Runi’s sanctum now that the messenger’s form had dissipated. How long it took her to mull over the offer and eventually arrive was unknown to the twice-false goddess - only that she eventually did. When Runi’s craft landed, there was but a single female form waiting for her, plain black robes and blonde hair contrasting with green eyes. The woman’s hands were concealed as she stepped forward to greet the Mandalorian upon her arrival.

“I had my doubts that you would come. Please, this way.” She motioned for Runi to follow her.

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Whatever Onrai had expected, Runi Kuryida boarded a vessel like any other in order to set out for Kiross. If the entity had done research on the Shaman, she would have learned such was often the mystic's way. Reports of occasional point-to-point portal usage might be found, but they were few and far between. The Mandokarla trained in use of their power, but not so far as to rely upon it rather than their own hands and feet. It was not the Mandalorian Way to become dependent on tools even if they were often necessary to survive the monstrosities of the galaxy.

Even upon her arrival to Kiross, Runi was not wearing the helmet that Onrai had seen on the Maw's mobile fortress. She wore the rest of her attire with the cloak of many feathers whole once more; whether it was the same cloak or one made anew was difficult to discern. Two wooden blades were secured along the Shaman's back as well -- which were not those seen previously consumed by the burning Light wielded in their prior interaction.

"The only reason for me to decline would have been if I knew this to be a trap," Runi replied calmly as she followed Onrai's form. No doubt the Dark-inclined entity had not believe Runi when she had claimed to never lie, and that they could speak again once the battle had ended (if they both lived). Unfortunate reality that distrust was so common.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"And yet one's foresight can only go so far." Onrai responded as the duo walked. It was intriguing to see the woman without her mask, the armor and very fabric of Mandalorian identity moreso than any other facet of their existence. That T-shaped helmet could be worn by anyone and immediately would scream the identity of the wearer. The duo would walk into one of the many nondescript buildings within the Kiross spaceport, complexes of durasteel and duracrete rebuilt after the devastation of the world by the Maw.

As the two arrived in the room, Onrai sat down, assuming a much more human-like form with honey blonde hair and green eyes that contrasted her fair skin and the black robes that seemed to contain within them the inky blackness of her amorphous form. "I could start by going over the whole story of the galaxy, the Celestials, the Old Ones, and everything else, but I would rather ask a simple question. What are you?"

She referred specifically to what had happened within the cocoon. Runi had become reborn like an angel or a Force spirit, emerging and manifesting once more to bring her wrath upon the "corrupted" brethren of Maw-aligned Mandalorians. This suggested rather plainly that Runi was more than met the eye, but the question was how. Was she merely an exceptionally powerful Force user? Was she a spirit, transmogrified into a form of flesh? Or was she perhaps more, a wayward Celestial who wished to see the realm their kind had abandoned?

Hopefully Onrai would find out.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"A matter most that seek to foretell the future forget," Runi replied calmly. Foretelling was a gift. It was also a curse. What one saw was not guaranteed to happen, but so many fell into the mistaken impression they'd glimpsed The Future. Perhaps the most probably future, certainly, but there were no guarantees. An Oracle, after all, caused ripples in the flow of time when they touched its surface.

With Onrai taking a particular form and claiming her seat, the Shaman chose one for herself so that they may look into one anothers' eyes as they spoke. Onrai's emeralds into the tempestuous hazel of the Mandalorian woman.

"A guide." Runi perched on the seat ready to spring into action, but not tense with the expectation of being attacked. "Nothing more. Nothing less. There have been, are, and will be so many lifeforms in this galaxy they could use as many stabilizing forces as they can get. Something to ground them to the Old Ways, but not hinder them from taking flight and discovering new ones."

"Balance, Onrai, is what I seek to maintain. If either extreme were to be truly victorious in their pursuit, the Great Engine of Change would come to a slow, but final halt. Is this a fate you would desire for the galaxy's inhabitants, or one you resist?" The entire conversation needn't be about Runi, after all. The Shaman was curious about Onrai's zealous passions and aspirations as well.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"And yet a mere guide could not have done what I witnessed upon the hulk of the superweapon." Onrai pointed out pivotally. It was true - that was no ordinary feat, certainly. "You speak of maintaining balance, yet balance has never existed for the many millennia since the caretakers of the galaxy were driven out by their wayward spawn. The galaxy has essentially functioned as a machine left on by its operator, who died or long since walked away from it, only kept active due to its reliability and redundancy. Your actions are ultimately hopeless unless you seek the only way balance can truly be maintained: control of the machine itself. Such is why I slayed the old gods, took their power, and became as I am now."

That was all she could say, at least.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi calmly clasped her hands together as she leaned forward, her elbows rested atop her legs. "Common misconception. Many understand 'balance' to mean an exact equilibrium between two polar opposites -- the colloquial meaning of the word. It would be folly to attempt to 'balance' the galaxy. The Jedi once learned this lesson many years ago when they thought 'balance' could be brought to their Force." It was only a mere eight hundred or so years ago, depending on which calendar you ascribed to. "I seek to maintain the overall functionality of the machine, rather than a perfection or what some might describe as 'balance.' Perfection is tantamount to death -- nothing changes. Life and growth are the results of change. It is best when the system experiences failure; but not so much that it cannot be recovered."

"Did you slay the old gods so you could control the machine, Onrai?" The Shaman steadily held the manifestation's eyes. "What would you do if you obtained absolute control of its inner workings?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"So you are some servitor of the Celestials." Onrai said, attempting to assign a level of understanding to what exactly Runi was. "Left here upon their return to the sealed planes to keep an eye upon the galaxy. Why did you fail to end the existence of Ooradryl and his brood, or snuff the remains of the Night Spirit? Why did you not interfere when I removed the heart of Typhojem and gave it to another so she might incarnate? And why did you let Mnggal-Mnggal continue his eternal consumption? Or allow the Gulag virus to spread?" There were many questions that were raised at the suggestion of Runi's existence - especially if she had existed at a higher level well before Onrai had become as she did.

"I have slain and wounded the last of the Old Ones in order to acquire their power and reach the plane of existence where I may guide the galaxy onto a better path. Bless those who ask for supplication, curse those who revile my followers, and act indifferent to those who are indifferent to myself. The galaxy will have an overseer again, and the continued senseless cycles will come to an end."

Onrai took a sip of tea from a thermos taken from within her shadowed form.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"I am a Guide, Onrai. A Guide that offers advice and ensures Creation does not spontaneously combust. The galaxy remains despite the many calamities its people have faced. Some have grown stronger for their struggles. Others weaker. A spirit is not limited by the poor circumstances of one life, however, and may be reforged in the next. To keep the galaxy spinning and ever changing." Runi knew of many things Onrai hinted toward. Countless philosophical questions. Perhaps disparaging remarks about one's personal suffering and how it had not amounted to anything other than loss and torment. A conflict of its own she'd walked time and again, here or there, but often chose not to engage unless necessary. Rarely did anything constructive result, but that too had its place among the ebbs and flows of life.

Then Onrai had her own, brief explanation to give. After it was said, the Shaman remained leaned forward, hands clasped together with her hazel eyes on the other woman. "Are they senseless?" Runi slowly rolled her head a bit to one side. "Many ask 'why,' but is it not equally appropriate to ask 'why not'? That Creation once had Celestials overseeing its function does not necessitate another take their place."

Runi narrowed her eyes for a moment before then opened fully once more. "Is it not better that people are free to write their own stories? Live as they will. Fight as they must. To strive to become more than what they were a moment ago."

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“Mortals are inherently self-destructive. The Vultar cataclysm, the shattering of Aur XI, and the creation of the Flamewind and the Oseon cluster are but examples of how their actions, however small, radically alter the method of the galaxy’s operation. Such actions have even threatened the entire galaxy with destruction, were that Shawkenese scientist’s calculations of his device truly correct, and we know they were not if ever.” She pondered for a bit more, considering the admission of Runi’s core essence as something recycled over the ages.

“That does not clarify your origin. Are you one of the Celestials incarnate, as the Ones were before you? Were you transmogrified to serve them as a near equal? Were you ascended to their plane and sent forth to attempt to instill their will once more?” The answer to this question would prove curious, as it would perhaps determine if an unlikely association could perhaps be formed.

“The sense of the galaxy as it was originally intended when the Maker directed the Celestials to forge it into existence was for them to live, learn, and progress as individuals until they were in fact able to join their overseers. For the cycle of the galaxy to continue without any guidance or oversight leads it to no purpose, a nihilistic swirl of stars and planets waiting until they are consumed by the singularity at the galaxy’s core.” Or heat death, whichever came first.

“The galaxy’s inhabitants were protected before. To allow people to ‘fight as they must’ as you put it suggests allowing the chaotic to be allowed to wreak havoc upon the galaxy without end. And it means they are not prepared for such catastrophes as Akala’s ascension, the Dark Harvest, or even the repliphagic nanite menace of Omni. When Nakhash escapes his prison with his fallen brothers, the galaxy will have no way to stand against him. He will rule all within it and make them slaves to his brothers. Such a hell is not something either of us would desire.”

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"I once met a man that said something apropos," Runi replied to Onrai's rumination of the galaxy's precarious existence. "'The right person in the wrong place can make all the difference in the galaxy.'" The Shaman smiled briefly afterward. Small actions by mortals could threaten everything, and yet small actions by mortals could be just as responsible for saving it. Runi's task was to make sure the latter happened to counter the former; should events not see to themselves within the proscribed timetable for an effective response.

A moment passed as the other woman continued to press upon a particular matter -- Runi's origin. Or her nature. Evidently knowing her purpose was not enough, which meant this answer held some personal relevance. "Separate, but equal. But, to put it simply, you may consider me one of them." It was a long and complicated story. Some of the details of which she was not at liberty to confess. No, that was wrong. She could, but it would only serve to destabilize what had long been established.

"There is a line drawn between guiding a people, and controlling them. In one hand," the Shaman's left hand casually pivoted out to the side, "you whisper in their ear and offer them counsel to avoid the mistakes lived by so many before them. In the other," her right then followed, "you tell them what to think or what to do, which requires no thought or risk on their part. You instill what might appear to be wisdom or knowledge, but they have not earned the right to hold it. It eludes their grasp. It is fleeting."

"That so many generations make the same mistakes is not my concern, just as I am not concerned the countless times all life in the galaxy was threatened with almost certain death. If I controlled the Cycle, forced the Souls I desired to be in the places I wished, I could create a more perfect, orderly, and rational existence. Then all thoughts, feelings, and actions would slowly, but steadily become predictable. Well practiced and formulated. A world begging for the end only to discover the Manda has taken on the same flat, banal shape as their own souls. A truly horrific fate for more than the temporal span of one lifetime."

Runi slowly brought her hands back together. "It is best people find their own way. Struggle their own way. Fail, true, but succeed as well. Many times there will be a few that rise above and truly surprise you -- reminding you why Creation still exists."

"As for Nakhash..." The Shaman slowly straightened up, hands on her knees. "They are but another almost-certain end for the Cycle, which all that within will rise to meet when the time comes. And I will be there with them, as I was over Tython. There are times, Onrai, where a Guide must do more than point one's flock down the Path, but to level the battlefield."

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"As can the wrong person in the right place." She said, a subtle reference to the actions of Solipsis in ripping the galaxy a new nerf herder. The clarification was made, though - Runi was for all intents and purposes one of them. A sliver of anger began to boil within Onrai as she pondered over the theoretical destruction that had been allowed to take place without any direct intervention. All the destruction, all the wars, everything that this being had witnessed and not actively sought to intervene in. She would not have been forced to take action on her own volition, to change people like Sasmay Cull into what they had become.

"I intend to guide as non-interferingly as possible, but that can only work for so long before the stick is needed." Onrai said. "If you had interfered in the last half-dozen catastrophes to befall the galaxy, there would not be the level of chaos the galaxy currently possesses. The dead would not have trespassed in the realm of the living. Corellia would still be an intact world. Akala would never have reached the Font and guzzled its contents. I could go on and mention more." She pointed out.

"It was your brother who once said, "My offspring were intended to embody love, justice, power, and wisdom, and yet they are flawed, so that if even one is not present, they will be out of balance, and from them will come instead egotism, remoteness, impatience, and apathy, and war will reign as king, and suffering will dominate as mistress to the children of the stars. I fear that due to my anger and pride, this terrible darkness will arise in our universe so that the very thing which I sought to prevent will come to pass." Thus the cycle began and the whispers of Nakhash upon the Soulworm's ears led to her damnation and the cycle of events that have ultimately led to the present."

She took another sip of her tea. "I know what Nakhash and the other fallen did during the first war. The Maker's creations conflicting back and forth. You as a single member of your kind have no hope against him. Which leads me to make an interesting offer - cooperation and preparation." She said.

"I have the ability to make more like you and I. The process is not hard, after all. You just need to know how. Perhaps we should work create new Celestials, ones who will not so readily abandon the galaxy to its fate as their forebears."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"I am not opposed to serving as a Guide in your venture, Onrai. However, I will not hide that if you go too far that I will oppose you just as surely as I would oppose Nakhash. The galaxy does not need 'deities' that dictate what people believe, what they do, or the very shape of existence itself. Every living creature is free to make of their life what they will -- some will fail, some will suffer, but as a whole they will adapt and grow stronger. Strength is not any one facet of being, but a combination of them all, and it is not enough to only empower them in any one way."

Creating a pocket of worshipers would be lamentable as surely as if any other Sith, Jedi, or 'common' criminal managed to do such. It was not belief in others or a higher being that bothered Runi -- after all, she advocated for the Manda. It was the blind, zealous pursuit to see someone else's will made manifest. In very small groups the effect on the galaxy was equally limited; but once they grew to encompass entire planets it threatened the ability for the galaxy to change. Opposing ideals and the inevitable clashes that followed were necessary instructional methods. Eliminating them entirely was counter productive.

As far as Onrai making others 'like them'... the Shaman was understandably concerned. Not surprised, of course. It wouldn't be the first time it happened. Almost every attempt, however, ultimately ended in disaster. So many began with good intentions.

"How far are you prepared to go, Onrai? How much are you willing to sacrifice for what has not yet come to pass?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"I suppose that raises the question of what you call 'too far.' Already I am worshipped by those I have protected for decades here on this world, and I do as a goddess should: I answer their prayers, help ensure bountiful harvests, heal their sick, and generally fulfill the obligations of me. There are those who do not worship me amongst my followers and I do not go out of my way to punish them or harm them - they are loyal regardless. Loyalty is something I have that few others within the Maw have acquired, let alone maintained for decades." Still there were Sith-Imperial veterans from the first Empire to be formed after the Gulag plague. Rejuvenating medical treatments and cybernetics were forestalling the inevitable, but one day they would either need to become brains piloting Darktrooper shells or simply be allowed to pass on.

There were no major temples or statuary of Onrai on Kiross, nor had there been any on Nathema. A few small shrines may have existed, but most if any explicit worship was done in the home, in privacy. Festivities took away from the normalcy, and normalcy was what she had desired for the veterans and survivors.

"As far as it takes to ensure Nakhash cannot claim the galaxy as his own. I have already sacrificed my mortal existence, willingly condemning myself to an eternity of ever-present existence in order to become powerful enough to deal with him. I have sacrificed sanity as well as opportunities for immediate power within the various groups I have been a part of. Knowing everything as I do is not what mortal minds were intended to comprehend."

She pondered for a bit. "Would you like to go and see them? What remains is still on the world in Dark Illathurion where I found them and where they sought to slay me - before they discovered they were as vulnerable to the predations of one such as myself as Nyeegath was to Tharagorrogaraht. There is no life left in them, yet the unreality that served as their core still seeps into the landscape of the world. I know not if you encountered them, but you of all people should know what they have done to the galaxy. At least see the fate of the last of the Old Ones - Mnggal-Mnggal eludes me, cowering as his homeworld has been turned to ash and char."

He was the last of his kind, and not necessarily for much longer.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi closed her eyes for a moment as she crossed her arms. Onrai's description of the world that held her in such regard did not sit well with the Shaman. She opened her eyes shortly afterward to regard the 'goddess' before her. "It is their choice to choose who they regard in such a manner. I will not rob them of that. Should your... authority over people seek to become as absolute as the Brotherhood's consuming desire to purge the galaxy of undesirable elements then our philosophies will be in direct conflict." At least Onrai had gracious enough not to demand servitude, which was appreciated by the Shaman.

Then they spoke of the potential threat on the horizon. Once more the Mandalorian listened patiently to the other woman's response. Whatever it took? Obtaining power. Sacrificing 'sanity'? "Laudable sacrifices, Onrai, but if you do not define where the sides of the road around are, you may find yourself straying far from where you once were headed." Runi had already begun trying to serve as a Guide to the other entity since her arrival. Hearing that there seemed to be no particular boundaries to her direction, however, screamed for the need of counsel. It was a common trap of those that held too fast to the darkness. Onrai could become the thing she sought to prevent Nakhash from becoming.

A lone brow slowly arched at Onrai's invitation. "Dark Illathurion." The corners to Runi's lips twitched. "Is there something you wish to show me, of those that are no more?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“You are correct in that it is their choice.” Onrai said. “But I may also offer myself to them as a source of worship and fulfill their prayers. The old Onrai never showed such generosity, nor did the Architects or the Old Ones. If our philosophies ever came to be in direct conflict with one another, that would be unfortunate.” The darkened entity had no doubts that she could muster enough in the way of ethereal and interdimensional weaponry to defeat Runi if the opportunity unfortunately arose - though she would have preferred not to.

“My ultimate goals are far beyond anything anyone in the Maw can fathom, even the Dark Voice herself. My reluctance to take charge of them was deliberate.” There was no reason to spend as much time as she would be forced to organizing the legions of warlords and madmen, ensuring they were individually wrapped and collectively strong. Only Darth Mori was someone Onrai trusted to be able to do so successfully. And then came the reception to the invitation…

“You should know of it. The lair of the Architects, where races and civilizations were forged, grew, died, and eventually found themselves transplanted within realspace. Now nearly sterilized at the hands of the Charon. I hunted them, lured them to a dead world and slayed them, taking their power for my own. Now their shells still weep unreality from the holes broken into their remains.”

A familiar stone came to the left hand of Onrai. “Would you like to go and see?”

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"Offer yourself. It is if you ever decide to demand it of the masses, and you do not hear my warnings, that the unfortunate should happen." Even if Onrai went mad -- as she'd already proclaimed to have surrendered sanity -- and thought herself everyone and everything's deity, the Shaman would offer the entity the opportunity to recognize their fault and correct it. Mistakes were not to be avoided at all costs. A refusal to learn from them, however, was a great sin toward one's self.

As for what a conflict between them would look like, Runi hadn't stopped to imagine it. There was no need -- in her eyes -- to surmise what might happen. It was better to avoid such needless conflict if it could be avoided; and if it could not then to deal with it appropriately. A Mandalorian trained every day for what might happen so that when it did there were no complaints 'if only I had done more' afterward.

Runi shook her head slightly. "I know it. I will go and see what you wish to show me." Her right hand lifted from her knee to forestall Onrai being too hasty, however. "But there was once an entity in that realm that would not welcome my presence. If it appears, you must return us to this realm with all haste. Do we have an accord?" Perhaps the warning was unnecessary if Onrai had stolen the powers she claimed, but that would only make the situation more dangerous. How many stars might go nova from the exchange of such power? It was their antithetical nature that made them difficult to deal with -- how did you kill something that could nullify any power-based assault, and you theirs? By personal combat, of course. Only such things resulted in ripples in the fabric of reality. Yes, best to avoid that if they could.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“The only entities of such power within the realm of Otherspace are dead at my hand.” She said. “If such a being seeks to show itself, especially in the presence of the corpses of others like it, it will have a very bad experience.” This was not a threat, but a fact - having eliminated Ooradryl and its spawn, siphoning their power and leaving them nothing more than dead husks to be studied and examined, there was zero rationale whstsoever for an entity of similar power that valued its own well-being to try and interfere with them.

At least, she hoped so. Adding a fourth primordial to her resume would not be something she would be against.

The duo would leave the room they had spent time talking in and would travel to a room flanked by bloodtroopers, lightsabers and shields at the ready. The altar in the room before them found the Sunstar-Shadowstone placed within it, the dualistic gem soon piercing the boundaries of reality and tearing open once more the sealed rift between Kiross and the so-called “Nexus World” where the other rifts she had opened connected to. The pathway opened, Onrai chose to step through at the same time as Runi, perhaps to assuage her fears of treachery, or perhaps for convenience’s sake.

Upon the world whose very soil seemed to defy them, an amorphous liquid one moment until such pressure and weight were applied to transition it to an oobleck-like solid, rested the dead cubes, scales shattered and tarnished from the fire of great proton beams once unleashed by the dreadnought that had been the pinnacle of Onrai’s material power when she was but a mortal. There was no life in any of them, such would be clear to Runi as the great cubes rose over an otherwise flat and featureless horizon.

“And all I needed was the initial power to slay them. From there it was far easier.”

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi didn't give any response to Onrai's reassurance. Likely the Other had relocated to another dimension much as Runi was not in the Otherspace herself. An unlikely, yet most bothersome quarrel would result should they just happened to appear there at the same time as them, however. One that would not be on the same level as a Jedi and Sith clashing.

The Shaman stood to her feet and moved toward Onrai's altar room.

Her lips thinned when the portal opened. It would be better if someone hadn't found a realm like the Nexus. Such places were better hidden or sealed away from any setting foot there again. No good would come from a mortal's presence. Arguably, great evil had been the result of them from the first though Runi had no personal grievance toward those involved or the consequences of their actions therein. A dynamic world allowed study of a greater diversity of Being.

"The initial power," Runi echoed after they'd stepped through and stood before the entity's handiwork. "You make it sound easy. Had they grown weaker in time?" They had been far from perfect beings by any measure. So many mistakes had been made. Still, such entities were not weak of power or Will. It was curious then to hear Onrai speak of them being dispatched as though they were merely an enemy that had occupied a strong fortress as one might assail on any ordinary planet.

Onrai