Private Journey Without, Journey Within

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua wouldn't have been able to leave the cargo bay if Kay hadn't been there. She led him down to the ground, where finally, he found himself again. Not to say that he particularly enjoyed the mist.

Who was he kidding? It was as if they were in Hell.

With the press of a button on his wrist, Ghorua's ship swallowed the exit ramp behind them, locking up tighter than a Hutt's dessert cabinet. The Shark didn't want anything getting into the Jawsome while they were out searching for... whatever they were searching for.

Ghorua shook his head. It was time to get in the game. If he kept frozen like this, he wouldn't help. He'd be dead weight. The Shark pressed another button, activating his helmet's multitude of sensors, trying to scope the area.

"Not picking up much," Ghorua stated, calmer than before. "This stuff in the air is doing a pretty good job karking with my tech." The Shark pressed another button, activating the MFTAS in his helm.

Suddenly, the world got a whole lot clearer. Ghorua could see the buildings around them, dilapidated and crumbling. Lifeless vines choked the duracrete, tunneling into the structures themselves. Shadowed trees slashed the sky as a breeze tossed their clawed branches. "Getting some visuals. And I don't like what I see. Not one bit."

He put a hand on his sword, letting it's calming aura wash over him.

"Do you have an idea of what we're looking for here? Think it would be in a building?"

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

All that she could see was the mist, and dark shadows of buildings and trees that were encased within it.

"I'm not sure of what we're looking for. I just have.... a feeling...It's like a tugging." That was the best way that she could describe it. She felt a tugging from her center, pulling her onwards with the promise of....well, she didn't really know what. "This way..."

Still holding onto Ghorua the Shark , she pressed forward into the mist, guided only by her own instincts. Everything seemed hollow, as though there was no depth to them at all. It was as though this was all a dream, yet as far as she could tell, it wasn't.

"Let's not go searching in every building, okay? Let's just keep to what my gut tells me. And right now that is to go ahead straight.". Hopefully those instincts were right.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Like... a tugging."

Ghorua echoed Kay's words quietly, trying his hardest to keep his mind open to the idea. It was a struggle, but one he ultimately won. It went against everything he had learned, but he accepted it as a 'Force thing'. Something he could never understand, but had to trust.

"Sure. Like a tugging. Then we just have to follow it." Ghorua let Kay lead him forward, until the ship was swallowed by mist, and even through his helmet, he could no longer see his home. Despite the sensors on his helmet letting him peek a bit further into the mist, he felt a similar sensation to Kay. As if the world was cut in 2D.

But he continued on, straight ahead, with his old friend as his anchor to reality. The Seamstress was on high alert, spinning around his shoulder like a faithful watchdog. For a moment, Ghorua was reminded of Bones.

What he would give to have his Massiff now.

"Well, if you had to venture a guess," the Shark said, taking on a joking tone, "What do you think it is? Some Force artifact? New lightsaber? All-expense paid trip to Scarif?"

The small talk was a way to distract himself from his worst phobia. Wasn't working so far, but it was worth a shot.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Kay led Ghorua the Shark through as the so-called overgrown street seemed to curve around a bend. The buildings all seemed to be in various levels of decay. Despite the mis, she still squinted her eyes as though that would help her see better.

But it didn't.

"I don't know. Something that I've lost at any rate. Do you remember me having something with me all the time that you don't see me with now? Maybe it's whatever that is."

Of course that answer itself seemed pretty vague. Still it was something to go on at least, which was a little more than they had before which in some way lifted up her spirits a little.

That is until she heard the growling in the distance. It was faint at first but then quickly grew, and due to the enveloping of the mists, it was difficult to judge any kind of distance to wherever the growl was coming from.

That is until she saw him....

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua tossed the question in his head for a few moments, really thinking about it. What was she missing? "Well, your lightsaber used to be a different color. I'd know, I used the crystal for a time." Ghorua found a smile, despite the situation. "Those were the days."

Beyond that, the Herglic wasn't sure. It could be so many different things. The question was what would be lost that ends up here? In this strange place with suspended continents and choking, swirling mists.

Then, there was a sound. The Shark lost his smile.

If they were anywhere else, Ghorua would have immediately gone into combat mode, weapons raised and ready to combat the strange new threat. But in this place, with that sound, he was frozen.

He swore he heard their chanting, although it could have been ghosts of the distant past.

He could do nothing until he saw the face from the mist. His combat reflexes, although delayed, were just as sharp as ever. A bubble of protective energy enveloped himself and Kay, and Ghorua praised his own preparedness.

He'd gotten the shield generator so Bespin would never happen again.

The Shark drew his blade, holding it tight at his side, and hoping more than anything that whatever this was either wouldn't attack, or couldn't get through a starship-grade force field.

"No, no, no... I can't do this again." Ghorua tried not to lock up in fear.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

She swallowed a lump in her throat, one brought on by the growing fear inside of her that was caused by that creature in the mist. She could feel the same fear more strongly from Ghorua the Shark , coming off of him like waves. Already he seemed locked in place until the shield was put around them.

"Do what again?" She referenced his near-whispered words, although her eyes were solely on the creature approaching them. The mist swirled around them as the creature growled, sniffed and started to pace the barrier that protected them.

A howl was let out, answered by many more all around them, along with the whispers of a single word floating in the wind; 'concecration'..

"Can we run in this thing?" She was starting to feel claustrophobic and leaned into Ghorua all the more. Those crumbling buildings were looking inviting right about now.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The shadowed world around Kay and himself seemed to dim as Ghorua's head pulsed. He felt his own inner demon struggling to break out, prodded by his fear. He hadn't had an episode in years. He wasn't about to break his streak now.

With a shaky breath, he suppressed the beast within, and managed a croaky response. "One of our first escapades. Explain later," he growled, staring down the creature that tested the barriers of his shield. They had gotten through this together once before. Kay had saved his life. They would save each other again.

"No, it can't. Which means we have to drop it and dip before they surround us." Ghorua primed the flame projector on his wrist, and tensed his arm with the sword, not feeling much calmer, despite the magical properties of the weapon.

Ghorua observed the scenario with a cooler head, looking for a solution. Most buildings were too far; if they tried to run, there wasn't a guarantee they would be faster than this thing in front of them, not to mention the whispers from the fog. He had to come up with something else. He had to think.

Improvise.

The Herglic's free hand went to his wrist, and the exhausts of his suit's jetpak flushed with heat.

"If you wouldn't mind getting on my back, I think it's time we dip."

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Ghorua the Shark was right. Now wasn't the time for stories.

The beast continued to circle them. The shadows of more of them appeared in the mist, brought to life with their glowing red eyes.

She pressed her body up against Ghorua's armour, forgetting the fact that she was a Force user, forgetting everything but fear. It was easy to be afraid here. Too easy.

Ghorua charged up his jetpack, drawing her out of her thoughts that threatened to drown her. Without a word she complied and clammered onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and gripping her wrists to give her a better hold. "Okay....Go!!" Where he'd take them, she didn't know. But at at least they should be safer in the air.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Kay performed an admirable backpack impression as Ghorua's own jetpak began to roar. His hand drifted to his belt, hovering over his shield generator. It took a lot of willpower for him to even consider dropping the protective bubble. But he knew it was their best chance at survival.

The Shark eyed down the beast, who appeared to be glaring coldly at him. It was as if it knew what Ghorua was about to do, and daring him to try. The hymns of unknown enemies still hung in the mists. The bounty hunter took a deep breath in.

In one fluid motion, the bubble shimmered away, Ghorua's flame projector shot a gout of burning liquid at the beast, and the two friends shot into the air. The creature hissed, stepping back, and blinking cinders out of it's eyes as Ghorua and Kay soared through the mists, angled towards a wrecked structure. The Shark's other arm shot out, and a line of cord shot into the side of the building, pulling them the rest of the way, and landing them on the roof.

He let Kay down then. His jetpak had limits; he couldn't do too many jumps, and he certainly couldn't hover. But now they had more time, and given luck, the one creature in eyesight hadn't seen where they had gone.

"Well, I'm fresh outta ideas," Ghorua whispered, finding some humor in the face of his worst fear. "Run or hide?"

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Even though she was prepared for it, the sudden thrust of the two of them skyrocketing into the air still surprised her. She buried her face into Ghorua the Shark 's shoulder as she tightened her grip to prevent herself from falling off.

The two of them soared through the air, almost coming out of the mist, before landing onto the roof. It wasn't until Ghorua set her down that the tension in her body lessened. Already Ghorua posed her with a question of either running and hiding. Couldn't they do both? However the jetpack's afterburners were sure to be sighted when used. They'd have to be careful.

She walked over to the edge of the roof, peering not straight down below, but across from them. There was something almost familiar with where she was, but she couldn't understand why. A feeling of lonliness began to creep in, causing her to look over her shoulder to be sure that Ghorua hadn't left her. Fortunately, he was right there. "Let's go that way. Your suit can hide your sent. I'm not so lucky. But as long as the wind doesn't shift, we should be okay."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

For whatever reason, Ghorua hadn't considered the possibility that these things could smell them.

It made perfect sense. They lived in the mists, eyes obscured. They had to use other senses besides sight. If it wasn't scent, it had to be sound, or maybe even the Force. But they would work under the assumption of smell, for now.

Ghorua could do some experimentation. But if the Mist-Walkers were close enough to experiment on, the Shark and Kay would have probably already failed anyways. They just had to be as stealthy as possible.

The Shark followed Kay's eyes as she stared out into the empty air, not down to the ground, but across to an unseen destination. He posted up on her right defensively, deep voice low as he scanned the ground for enemies. "You lead, I follow."

The chanting had stopped. Ghorua didn't know if that was a good sign, or a very bad sign.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

You lead. I follow.

Ghorua the Shark had uttered those words and for a moment they sounded far away. That is until she felt his hulking figure behind her.

Lead. Right. From the rooftop.

She looked down then, taking notice of just how high they were. It was only a few stories, yet the mist gave it all a more terrifying appearance. At least to anyone afraid of heights, anyways. Part of her wanted Ghorua to carry her down with his jetpack, but the noise would bring the beasts towards them. Another part of her wanted to get down through the building, but who knows just what lay within it? So the only other option was to climb down.

Taking a deep breath, she scaled over the edge of the building and let her body hang by the strength of her hands before letting go. Connecting to the Force, she used it to slow her fall and then landed in a crouch to absorb the impact. Her eyes darted through the mist, watching for movement before she began to walk in the direction that she felt was safe.

Don't run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention....

Those two sentances played out in her mind. Whether they were real or fantasy, she didn't know. But it felt right. And so she didn't run.

But every part of her wanted to.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua could sense some of the hesitation coming from Kay. Which was fine. Natural, even, given the situation they had landed themselves into. It was as if your large, commanding, terrifying friend left you in charge of both of your safety in a place unfamiliar and strange, and you were running from lurking monsters that were chanting about ritual cleansing.

Scratch the 'as if'. It was that.

Kay jumped down the side of the building, and the Shark had to catch himself from yelling out in surprise. It took him a moment to remember that Forcies could just do that. Ghorua stared down after her, thinking a moment, before anchoring his whipcord at the top of the building, and rappelling down gently.

The literal whale-man made more noise than his slight friend, obviously, but for a being so large, his disengagement from the wall and deep thump as his boots impacted the earth were rather quiet. And as Kay picked a direction, and began to travel, the Shark was right next to her, partly to make her feel safe, and partly for his own feelings of terror.

They were unmolested, for now. But Ghorua doubted the peace would last. Would they make it to their destination before their discovery, or would it become a race?

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Once Ghorua the Shark was by her side, she instinctively reached out and took his arm. It gave her a small measure of comfort, something that she had assumed was due to whatever their relationship was in the past that she could not remember. But it felt right.

Their footfalls sounded tinny, yet quiet. Her eyes kept darting in either direction through the mists, while her ears strained to hear the beasts that had cornered them before.

It was strange, but it almost felt as though they were playing a course through a hologame, with each level having a challenge to come across.

They passed by a few buildings as they walked, windows blackened and broken like some old abandoned ghost town. And that's probably what it was, as ghosts were sure to love it here. That was the feeling that she got anyways.

And then there it was. The house jutted out from a grove of trees. It almost looked like a castle, but abandoned like everything else. But something told her that it wasn't.

"It's in there..." she whispered to the Herglic, still not quite sure of what 'it' was. But they were sure to find out soon.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua noted with some amount of amusement when Kay grabbed hold of his arm. If she'd had her memories, the Shark wouldn't have given it a second thought, but considering her current state, it gave him some hope that some piece of his old friend, her memory of their friendship, was still in there.

As they walked, with their foosteps smothered by the fog, Ghorua felt prickles on the back of his neck. His head was on a swivel, looking for enemies that never showed themselves. It seemed dead again, as if the horde of enemies could have been their imaginations.

Ghorua cleared the thought from his head, and continued walking.

Finally, the pair of them came across a fog-cloaked house, packed with hard brick and stone. The Shark drew in a quick breath, then sighed audibly. "In... there. The creepy mansion. Lovely." Ghorua's tone of voice betrayed his creeping suspicion that no, this was not lovely.

Ghorua led the way to the front entrance, barred by a double door with intricate gunmetal doorknockers. He stretched out his unoccupied hand, and pushed gently. As expected, the unlocked doors swung open, creaking ominously.

"Ma'am," the Shark said, gesturing inside as if he were holding the door for Kay to some expensive gala.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

The creaking of the door gave her pause, but it too sounded hollow and tinny.

Yet once she and Ghorua the Shark stepped inside of the house, everything changed. And immense pressure filled the air, as though they were covered by a weighted blanket. As expected, it was dark inside. There was no visible lamps, nor candles. The only light that came in was from the broken windows.

Sound carried itself differently here. It was muffled, like one trying to listen to a conversation while your head was submerged under water. At least that was what the wailing sounded like above them.

"Something's up there..."

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling above, holding steady as she moved through the decaying foyer towards the stairs. Everything about her was tense, coupled by the feelings of being weighted down, so her movements were slow. The stairs creaked under her weight, yet she hoped they would hold. Especially if the Herglic chose to go up them.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The atmosphere of the mansion was downright oppressive as Ghorua and Kay walked inside. There was something wrong in the air, and while Ghorua couldn't pinpoint what exactly the feeling was, he knew it was big trouble.

But the Shark felt a bit of relief unclench the fear from his heart as he realized the mist didn't follow them inside. He could see. It was dark, sure, but it wasn't a blanket of fog in front of his eyes anymore. It was a relief, to be sure.

Even though the very air seemed to be weighing him down, he'd never felt lighter in his life.

Ghorua stepped up to the stairs, raising an eyebrow under his helmet dubiously. As Kay began to ascend the creaking steps, Ghorua tested the wood with a foot. The step creaked viciously, but miraculously held. He tried the next. Then the next.

It was slow going, but it was progress.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Every creak of the stairs gave her pause. With the building looking as though it'd fall like a house of cards with any sudden gust of wind, her faith in the structure didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

But they held. Thank the Force.

Still it was dark, and still she could barely see. So she used her hands to guide her, and let her feet slide along the floor, always testing her footing before she firmly planted them.

Without even looking she knew that Ghorua the Shark was close behind, however her focus was on the wailing coming from the room at the end of the hallway. It sounded like pure agony and utter despair, yet soft as though someone had been crying for days.

Finally reaching the door which was already opened a crack, she slowly opened it a bit more so that they could get a better look inside.

And what she saw surprised her...

​

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Creak... Pause. Creak... Pause.

Longer pause.

Creak...

Ghorua sidled his way slowly up the stairs, taking special care not to break the old boards beneath his feet. He kept close to Kay walking in front of him, always turning his head to the side or behind them. Frankly, he was entirely out of his element, and it showed in his mannerisms.

The Shark was usually rather cautious, but rarely did he jump at shadows like he was now.

The sound of crying didn't help alleviate any of his fears. Ghorua produced his blade from his waist, holding the pommel in a backwards grip at his side. He was ready for anything.

Well, mostly anything.

When his friend opened the door, Ghorua brandished the weapon, but quickly put it down in confusion.

"W... What?"

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

It was herself...

...Crying.

She didn't appear to notice them at all. It was as though they didn't exist. The room's air felt heavier than the rest of the house. It wasn't thick, it was just heavy. And it was in there that the woman sat, cradling herself in the farthest corner of the room, almost hidden completely in the darkness while she cried.

The one that travelled with Ghorua the Shark just stared for a moment before moving into the room to sit down in the darkness too, drawing up her knees and cradling her arms around them, leaving the Herglic to stand in the doorway alone.

What she was looking for was here, yet it still felt out of reach. There needed to be a connection.

Somehow...