Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Lessons Learned From The Mist-Walkers

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay gave [member="Ghorua the Shark"] a small smile and bow of her head as he thanked her. "You're welcome." She sipped her tea, raising a brow slightly as he called her his liege. Such a title was given to royalty, not to an elected official. He wasn't even under her employ, let alone one of the citizens under her care. Perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue.

"You should be glad to not have any sad stories right now. It means that things are good for you." And that he was lucky. But sad stories were bound to happen sooner or later. It made her wonder if the big Herglic had ever cried.

Kay smiled as he laughed about his father. "You'll have to tell me that story. And about your life growing up. I grew up without my parents and don't quite know what a life with them would have been like. So please indulge me." She half expected to hear that it was the speeder that got hurt, and not Ghorua's father in that accident.
 
Ghorua smiled nervously as Kay asked him about his parents, and his childhood. He didn't talk about his past much; it didn't come up in conversation. When the beings of the galaxy did talk to him, it was usually about the newest job, or how to reload a gattler, or how he was so karking stealthy when he was also so large. Ghorua didn't make it easy, of course. He kept his last name relatively secret, and he wasn't even sure the woman before him knew it.

Ghorua's mind went back in time, and he couldn't stop a wistful smile from softening his features. "Well, I was around... eh, fourteen at the time. The old man and I were riding along the upper city in the family airspeeder, when we stop for gas. We park, and he opens a door and goes inside the fuel station. He comes back out, right? A speeder zips out of nowhere, smacks him upside the head."

Ghorua didn't even notice he had a stupid grin on his face when he laughed. "Of course, my dad's a big fella, so he's alright, but the speeder? It begins to fly away, but the whole front falls off, and the sorry fool falls forty feet!" The Herglic guffawed again, lost in the moment. "We found out later the guy was on the run from the authorities. My father made up a story about how he punched the bike, and apprehended the guy, and we got a reward for it." The Shark's smile left, replaced by a mute curl of the lip. "Good times."

Ghorua came back into reality, blinking. Dorc wasn't always the best father, but he definitely wasn't the worst. Some surely considered the Herglic crime boss to be evil, but Ghorua never saw him in that light. Dorc Balin taught Ghorua everything he had known about life, before hopping into the Chaos of the galaxy. Now that he was free, however, he felt as if his father taught him incorrectly.

"I don't know where my parents are now. I visited them, just before the Battle for Courscant." Ghorua's slight smile turned into a frown.

"Haven't seen them since."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay smiled while she listened to his story. And when [member="Ghorua the Shark"] laughed, so did she. The joy that he had felt in recalling the memory was a lovely thing to see. She couldn't recall ever seeing him so happy. That was certainly something to call upon in bad times, when he needed a lift. So she had hoped to remember it.

"That's a wonderful story. I can only imagine the looks on the faces of the witnesses that saw it. Though, I am sorry that you haven't heard from your family in quite some time. I hope that they are alright. They could be in hiding or just unable to reach you for some reason."

It was far better than having a parent that didn't want anything to do with you. Her father had left her to her own devises as he despised Force Users and didn't want people to know that one of his two children had the capability. She sipped her tea and offered him a small smile. "I'm sure they're out there somewhere."
 
Ghorua sat calmly, stone still as he finished his story. His smile remained, but it had frozen, as if he were trying to keep it up. The Herglic laughed, forced. "Yeah, my parents were quite the pair, alright." The Shark paused for comedic effect. "Oh, and they were both criminal masterminds who ran an entire section of the Courscanti underworld, and the last time I saw them was in a Sith prison." He laughed forcibly, desperately trying to keep his smile. "That might explain my cheery disposition."

Ghorua was tired. Along with worrying for his parents, he was worrying for his own life, via the Mist-Walkers, and his own soul, via the terrible acts he had committed in his life. Frankly, Ghorua also worried about his Blood Frenzy, but that part of him was hidden away deeply. The Shark wanted to forget about his mental illness, never think about it again.

"That's enough about me, though." Ghorua visibly relaxed as he shifted the topic away from himself. "I'm here because I want to kill the Mist-Men." The Shark backtracked quickly, realizing his voice had hardened. "Or at least put a stop to them, or whatever."

Ghorua thought back to the time the Lady had put a bounty on him, which had almost resulted in his death at the hands of a shotgun-wielding Mando. He couldn't keep his smile from slipping away, and his blowhole from flaring. "I'm a predator. I don't quite fancy being prey."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay's mouth dropped open a little bit as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] told her of his parents being top criminals in the underworld. Well, that could explain a few things. The look on his face, the forced smile, all of it made her worry about him even more.

She finished her tea and set the cup aside, then placed her hand on his forearm. It seemed like forever ago that she tried to escape him by biting into his hand through his glove. It was a futile attempt, and she knew it, but still she had to try. Now though, he needed her help and through their friendship she would do everything for him to try. "Seeking them out makes you the hunter again."

A thought soon occurred to her. She tilted her head to the side a bit as she pondered on it. "The Elders are the oldest beings that I know. Perhaps they might of heard of them, or at the very least know why they wanted to keep you alive while killing the rest of us." It wasn't much, but it was a start. The Elders didn't often see strangers, but one cannot anticipate their whims. Only they could.
 
Ghorua's body relaxed as Kay touched his arm again, looking to her thankfully. What a strange situation the pair had found themselves in, not just today, but throughout their relationship. First she was his mark, then not his problem, then his enemy, then an untrusted ally, and finally... a friend, whom saw him not as a strong guy with a silver tongue, but as a person. She was appreciated.

The large Hunter listened intently as Kay told him of the Elders. A spark of hope materialized in his dark eyes. Perhaps these 'Elders' had the information he was seeking. Ghorua nodded, thinking hard. "We... could try, I suppose. No harm in checking with them, is there?" Ghorua found a bit of mirth, taking his tea in his hands, and downing it in one gulp. "What's keeping us from going to them, and checking with them now?"

The Herglic set the cup down quickly, and rocked in his sitting position. He was eager to speak with these elders. He had learned long ago that a Bounty Hunter needed to be patient, but some of that training was forgotten as he pictured an end to these problems.

Cool down, Balin.

Ghorua took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Of course, if they aren't to be bothered, that's fine too. What's the expression? 'Respect your elders'?" The Shark cracked a grin of pointy teeth.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay smiled as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] seemed to have cheered up a bit. She was always the hopeful sort, and hardly ever gave up on herself and her friends. Maybe it was because she was so stubborn. It was nice to see Ghorua showing that side of him as well.

She got to her feet as he began rocking back and forth. Clearly he was still bothered, and maybe a bit impatient as well. "We'll go to one of the meeting places. No one knows where the Elders live for their protection. But once we get there, word would be sent to them. Come on." Kay held out her hand for him to help him up, not that she would be of much help, but it was the gesture that counted.

Once he was up, she led him out of her office and through the palace to the large and well landscaped property that made up the Presidential Palace grounds. There was a hedge maze, gardens and tree groves. But she walked him passed all of that. The guards kept their distance, but still maintained a watchful eye on the pair.

"Perfect day for a walk. At least it's not raining."
 
Ghorua took the Lady's hand, but got up on his own volition. He knew she performed the gesture only to be cordial, but the Herglic appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Ghorua was nothing if not cordial.

The Shark followed the President out her door, and to the outside world. Ghorua blinked slightly, having to regain his bearings after being inside the palace. He noticed the beautiful scenery, and again thought about his gritty apartment on Nar Shaddaa. Quite the difference.

When Kay commented on the weather, the Hunter could only laugh. "Be careful what you say, Kay. Don't give the clouds any ideas." Ghorua looked up to the sky nonchalantly, seeing not a speck of grey.

"So, who are these elders? Force-Users? Members of a senior home?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay laughed a little at both of [member="Ghorua the Shark"] 's remarks. It was a gorgeous day, not too hot, not too cold either. But that could always change.

"I'm not sure what the Elders are. I just know that they've been around for a long time. They are three brothers and named Chasin City after the lover of one of them. Hardly anyone has seen them in person, so some are unsure if they exist."

She walked him across the field that she normally rides her speederbike across, until they came to the edge of a cliff. It was one of the entrances to the Twin Canyons. It took Kay a moment, but she found her way down and led the way down what would be a narrow stair for the Herglic. "I've only seen them a few times, myself, and they knew a lot about me. So it wouldn't surprise me if they were Force users. They oversee everything and watch over Commenor almost like gods or monarchs. Maybe that's what they are too."
 
Ghorua plodded after Kay, enjoying the cool air on his skin as they trounced through a field. Briefly, he wished he had brought a Thunderer along. The large bike would surely be a help getting their quicker.

Ghorua was impatient, that much was true. Despite the wonderful atmosphere, he could only think of the information that could be gained from these elders. The idea that this new mysterious lead would be enough to free him of his worries quickened his pace. Until he came to the canyon, that was.

Ghorua looked down, and squinted. "Gods? I doubt it." Ghorua continued following his small friend down the stairs, finding he had to turn his body, and go down sideways to even fit. "I met a fellow that fancied himself a god, once. Turns out he wasn't." Ghorua smiled, letting that piece of info go. He needed to maintain some semblance of mystery, after all.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay peeked behind her at times, looking to be sure that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] was making his way down okay. At least he didn't seem claustrophobic. "Well I didn't mean that I thought the Elders were Gods, but they could be monarchs."

With the sun beating down on them, the air was much dryer due to the lack of vegetation. The Twin Canyons were like a maze of their own, winding, full of tunnels that were once mined for various metals and gems. There were dead ends as well.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/indianajones/images/c/c5/TempleOfTheSun.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080410122241

Luckily Kay knew where they were headed. She soon reached one of the meeting places. It looked like a temple carved in stone. Maybe that's what it once was. She stepped in first and paused to let her eyes adjust to the dark.

"Now we wait..."
 
Ghorua the Shark continued down the path slowly, making sure not to get stuck in the tight space. That had happened once too many times for the Shark's liking.

Ghorua was about to say something else either funny or mysterious, when they finally made it to a large stone structure. Ghorua observed the structure. It seemed old, ancient even, carved right out of the stone. Ghorua couldn't help but notice various entrances and exits, and potential ambush positions. One might call him cautious, but he did it without even thinking, almost muscle-memory.

"So, how long's this gonna take?" Ghorua walked up to a stone pillar in front of the temple, picking up a small pebble from the ground. He twirled it in his palm, trying hard to contain himself. More waiting.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay smirked a little. She wondered how easily [member="Ghorua the Shark"] found his marks when he was on a hunt. Did he have informants? He didn't seem to be very patient. But maybe that was in part because of what they were after. "Not long. I'm sure that the Elders already know that we are here."

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She walked further inside, now that her eyes had adjusted. It wasn't as though they were going to wait outside. They had a specific room to go to. Past the pillars lay a dark wooden door. When she got to it, Kay studied the door and it's intricate carved pattern containing swirls that intermingled with geometric shapes. Where was it that she touched this door the last time? It took her a moment, but she finally remembered. The triangle. Kay knocked on it three times, pausing for a beat in between each knock. Some clanking was heard and then the door opened.

"Great. It won't be long now. They are on their way." She smiled to Ghorua, pleased that it seems that they have given the Herglic permission to be near them. Kay led the way through the door and into the throne room.

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Ghorua continued to follow Kay into the depths of the old stone temple, ducking between pillars whenever he had to, careful not to disturb the stone in any way. He was pretty sure he could accidentally destroy a pillar if he wasn't careful.

Ghorua stopped with Kay at a wooden door, seemingly large enough for his girth. He watched her knock. Once. Twice. Thrice. Nothing seemed to happen for a beat, but then the door swung open, revealing a large chamber. A throne room, one might assume.

Ghorua ducked inside the area, following the Lady. "Won't be long, eh? I'll be the judge of that." Ghorua crossed his arms over his chest, simply observing the area. Nobody seemed to be here at the moment, but the Shark knew Force-Users were a tricky bunch, Kay included. If these elders were indeed Forcies, they could be observing the pair right now. Heck, they could've probably observed them at any time.

The fact that they seemed to have deemed him worthy to speak to was interesting, if not slightly confusing. He may have had Kay believing that he was a good person, but these elders had to be able to see him for what he truly was; a monster.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay just smirked to his remark as she walked further inside, making her way down to the end where it seemed the perfect place for three thrones to be. But there were none. She approached near the bottom of the stairs and then took a knee. She made no move to ask or gesture for [member="Ghorua the Shark"] to do the same, for he was not a Commenori citizen and knew next to nothing about them. Moments later, a hologram of the three Elders appeared and they seemed to be wearing the strange costumes from the Ceremony weekend, instead of appearing as their normal selves. But perhaps this was their true faces.

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They spoke not in unison, but by finishing eachother's sentences, as though they were in eachother's thoughts or were as connected as triplets. "Madame President Kay," "what brings you" "to us today?"

"My friend, Ghorua and I came across a strange species of sentient beings on Bespin. They used mist as their ally, and wanted to kill us all, except for him. We are having troubles trying to find any information on them anywhere, so we were wondering if you would know?"

The three holograms looked to Ghorua and floated down the stairs towards him as though they were ghosts. They looked at him with an expression of youthful curiosity, as though they had never seen a Herglic before. Or perhaps they were looking far deeper than just his outer appearance. "Ghorua, is it?" "Please show us" "these new creatures" "in your mind." "Visualize them from" "your memories, please."
 
Ghorua followed behind Kay into the throne room, doing a full-circle spin as he walked, taking in the room. Ghorua hadn't been in many ancient places. Some parts of Courscant were thousands of years old, but they were rather renovated. This place seemed older, more archaic.

Ghorua gave Kay a strange look as she knelt before the stairs. Ghorua looked around again, making sure he hadn't missed some hidden old people, before seeing the holograms. Now, that was something he understood. None of this silly Force-business. Then they started speaking in turns. That was kinda creepy. They asked him to visualize the Mist-Walkers, and Ghorua grew guarded.

He had avoided thinking about them as much as possible. Even when he talked with Kay about it, he thought about them as simply a them, trying to avoid creating an entity in his head. But Ghorua tried.

The Elders would find it extremely difficult to look into the Shark's mind. It had been trained to fight off mental probing, and even as he lowered his defenses, the outer wall was still difficult to breach. Even past that, Ghorua's mind was a maze of wrong turns and dead ends, a product of Ghorua's imperfect genetic modifications. They would see a pit of black energy, the Blood Frenzy, locked far inside. But finally, they would see what the Herglic was trying to show them.

https://youtu.be/PG-GxPgO4wQ

Ghorua was alone, watching through the HUD of his helmet, breathing hard. Crates lined his vision, which were slowly obscured by slinking mist. Ghorua's heart beat faster; he thought he saw something. But it had simply been a trick of the mind. Right? Another flash of something. Then he saw them, in their full glory.

Lithe, tall frames. Blank slates for faces. Reaching claws, ready to tear the Shark to shreds. Surrounding them, slowly rolling fog. Ghorua roared, and shot at them. He crushed the neck of another. But they kept coming, an endless wave. He was overwhelmed. All the while, they chanted.

Consecration.

Ghorua shot back to reality, breathing heavy. His pupils had dilated, and nervous sweat dripped from his brow. The ten-foot behemoth swayed, holding his temple.

"There you go. Happy?" Ghorua couldn't keep a nervous tinge out of his voice. His steel-trap mind shut, once again making his mind and emotions very hard to discern.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
The Elders were very gentle as they went into [member="Ghorua the Shark"] 's mind. Just a light curiosity was felt as only two of them sought to go in. They didn't push, didn't force themselves either. On the contrary, they took baby steps, waiting for the defences to come down before they went in a little deeper. The third Elder kept his eyes on the Herglic, studying his reactions and protecting his brothers' minds should things go badly.

But they didn't. Instead they saw what he had showed them, felt what Ghorua had felt and heard what he had heard. When he was finished and released the connection, they floated back a bit and bowed their heads in unison. "Thank you, Ghorua." "We have seen." "We have felt." "We have heard." "And now we" "must research them." The three floated further up the steps and faced eachother while their minds met.

Kay looked up to Ghorua as she stood, reaching up and wanting to take his large hand into her own. She gave him a small reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. You're safe here."
 
Ghorua shuddered as he pushed away the memory, trying once again to forget the encounter. He wanted to curl up, or to punch something, or something in between. He vaguely heard the three Elders speaking, and responded mutely. "No problem."

Ghorua had retreated into himself, falling back into his mind for comfort. He stared off into nothing in particular, fists curled into balls, simply straining against the world. Until he felt the Lady's hand brush his.

Ghorua looked down to his little friend, a bit of life returning to his face. He took her hand gently, making sure not to crush the delicate digits. He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, but with all due respect, you don't know that."

Ghorua laughed a little, making sure his statement came off as a joke. Technically, he wasn't wrong.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

Kay-Larr

Sphaera Tea Company Owner
Kay tilted her head to the side a little, half in agreement. It was true that she didn't know whether or not it was okay, but she did know that he was safe. Here at least. She gave [member="Ghorua the Shark"] 's hand a squeeze and was about to speak, when the Elders turned to face them.

The three floated down, looking at them both, and not just at Ghorua. "They are called" "Obsicorians. Their name" "means murderers. Though" "what interests them" "in you, Ghorua," "is that you" "are superior to" "them. You are" "both large and" "strong, yet your" "strength is also" "within. You bury" "your fury and" "do not let" "it control you." "That is something" "that they cannot" "do. You are" "what they wish" "that they could" "one day become."

"So...you are saying that they wanted to study him?" The Elders merely nodded in unison. Kay looked to Ghorua. It made sense. He was battling something deep down at times, though he made sure that she didn't always see it in full. And he had a habit of calling himself a monster at times. Maybe he was referring to his fury. The fact that the Obsicorians wanted to keep him alive while killing the others also made sense with what the Elders had revealed. It was a good thing that they haven't hunted him down.
 
"Ob-sic-orian." Ghorua tried the word, chewing the syllables thoughtfully. Rolls off the tongue nicely. Not that Ghorua cared much for what they called themselves.

Ghorua let go of Kay's hand when the Elders mentioned his fury. Touchy subject. They spoke of his condition as if he had it under control, as if he possessed some secret to keeping himself in check. Apparently, these Obsicorians thought the same thing, assumed that he knew what he was doing within his own mind. While Ghorua was able to hold his Blood Frenzy at bay most of the time, the fear that he might forget to keep it down, the harm that he could do if his body was not his own to control... He was terrified of himself, just as terrified as he was of the Mist-Walkers.

The idea that they wanted to study him came as no surprise. He had assumed that they wanted to take samples of his genetically-modified DNA. But they were also planning on looking in his head? The new information did nothing to ease his mind, as he stared up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact with Kay and the Elders. "I'm sorry, but whatever they see in me, whatever you see in me, I fail to. I barely have a cap on the Blood Frenzy at all! One slip-up..." Ghorua glanced down to the small figure beside him, remorse in his face, "... and everyone around me is in danger."

Ghorua clenched his fists again, the power behind the action palpable. He raised his voice unintentionally, the emotion he kept at bay rising to the surface.

"I'm not as strong as everyone seems to think I am, alright?!"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -
 

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