Lessons Learned From The Mist-Walkers

[Kay-Larr]

And there he was. His roar echoed through the arena, loud enough for some of the weaker points to vibrate. He bounded up the steps with such determination that the lower ceiling did little to slow him down.


Kay began running again, pushing her muscles to get them to move her faster, to help her to escape. She tapped into the Force, using it to help her keep from tiring out. As she came out of the tunnel, she brought her commlink up and shouted into it; "He's right behind me!! Knock him down!!!" She then jumped up to the next level, using the Force to aid her into clearing the 12 feet height.

As [member="Ghorua the Shark"] would appear from the stairwell, the soldiers would open fire with their stun bolts and would keep going until the Herglic was out for the count.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The Shark continued on his less-than-merry way, crashing into walls and ceilings with no discretion, the sounds of cracking stone almost as prevalent as his resounding footsteps. He turned a corner, and immediately, his reflexes kicked in. The world slowed down as Ghorua narrowed his eyes, seeing a cadre of guards, blasters set to stun. They fired, and Ghorua charged.

The Shark's arms darted up in front of his body, catching much of the blaster fire. Each shot sunk into his massive muscle, a spurt of electricity numbing his forearms. He still charged through this barrage of fire, until he had closed the gap. One of his fists dashed outward, sending one soldier smashing against the side. Ghorua heard a snap, but whether the poor soul had died remained to be seen.

The Shark felt another smattering of stun rounds pepper his back, and the upper half of his body went numb. That didn't stop the one-minded beast, as he careened his entire body into another guard, pinning the Human's legs. Ghorua growled as a pair of shots smashed against his head, battering his senses. The Shark got up unsteadily, only to be met by another round of blaster fire.

Finally, the Shark fell.

As the Shark stood, the remaining soldiers surrounded him, and squeezed their triggers harder then they ever had in their lives. The bolts of energy peppered him from all sides, As much as he tried to snap out at one, his body fell out of his control. The Herglic was unconscious before he hit the ground. The earth shook as he faceplanted, going into a restful slumber, more than what could be said for the two guards he had gotten to before he was out.

The first had been extremely lucky. Because of the initial blasts on the Shark's arms, his punch had been weakened enough to the point where the guard hadn't been turned to a pulp. The other guard on the ground had two broken legs, but was similarly fortunate.

This plan had backfired terribly.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just watched from above, both in awe and in shock. [member="Ghorua the Shark"] had said that it would take a lot to knock him out, but she didn't realize it would take -that- much. The ground shook as the Herglic dropped. Seconds were waited, blasters trained on him as they checked to be sure that he was out. "All clear, Madam President." The two injured guards were taken away by the medics for treatment, while another two medics stayed behind and looked Ghorua over.

Her heart was still pounding, but Kay jumped down and approached her friend. She knelt down by his head, ever mindful of the looks of caution from the others, but not really worried for herself. She placed her hand on his head, stroking it with her thumb while she focused on the Force, using it to quietly try to ease her way to his consciousness. The real Ghorua was in there somewhere, and she wanted to be sure that he was the one that she encountered when he woke up. "Just take the rest that you need, my friend. I'll be here when you're ready." Whether he heard her or not, blocked her or not, it didn't bother her. The fact that she was trying was all that mattered. He needed this.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua's vitals were weak. His heart had slowed considerably, and brain activity had fallen slightly. Thus, no dreams. Just nothing for the Shark. Kay found Ghorua's consciousness weak, but in-control. Unconsciousness had beat back the Frenzy, and the Shark was recovering.

Ghorua woke thirty minutes later, tentatively rolling over on his side. He groaned, a massive hand instinctively going up to his temple. He relaxed as he realized where he was, and began to remember the events leading up to his nap. He noticed Kay above him, and immediately grimaced as he was reminded of the last time he was roused from a stupor by the Lady.

He said nothing for a minute, simply staring to the ceiling. His few movements were sluggish, but whether it was from exhaustion or something else was unclear. His mind still felt fuzzy from a barrage of stun bolts. He didn't entirely remember what had happened, but he knew it wasn't good.

Finally, he spoke, trying to muster a semblance of humor. "Well, that went... About how I figured it'd go." He forced a laugh, and fell silent, simply musing.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched [member="Ghorua the Shark"] while he awoke, removing her hand from him while he rolled over. No doubt round two wouldn't happen for a while. He needed to recover, both in mind and body. She could use some time too.

She laughed a little at his humour, knowing full well that he uses it to mask how he really felt. Kay could see it written on his face. "Well....I'm not surprised, actually. It was only our first attempt. Only two were injured and not badly...How much do you remember?" That could be important for the next try.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua clutched his head, trying to piece together what had happened. He remembered sitting down, giving in to his bloodlust... Then a flash of memories, too quick to make any sense of it. He sat up straight, looking at Kay with a slightly inquisitive expression, sad and curt. "Sorry, I don't remember much. Just... Smells. Tastes..." He felt the side of his knee, which had acquired a strange stinging sensation. "Feelings."

As he sat there, he began to recollect more and more, visions, as if he were watching a grainy holovid. "Who did I hurt? What did I do?" Ghorua felt his heart sink in his chest. "I am so sorry, if I had known I would've hurt people..."

What's the difference? He hurt people on a regular basis. Killed them, in fact. How was this different?

The obvious answer was that they were Kay's guards, and killing them was wrong. They also had no intention of killing him, so doing that very thing to them seemed wrong. But there was something else about the situation that didn't sit well with the Shark, and he didn't know why.

"Are you hurt? I... cornered you at one point, didn't I? That must've been terrifying." Ghorua chuckled weakly, grasping for anything that would turn her attention away from him. "How are you?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay adjusted her legs, tucking them underneath her so that she was more comfortable. As [member="Ghorua the Shark"] touched his knee that she had struck an hour earlier, she pursed her lips a little. "Sorry about that....I'll have you fixed up in a bit."

He continued. Kay watched while he stared at nothing, trying to force the memories to return. "The guards didn't stay back far enough. You hit one and landed on another when you were finally knocked out. But it's okay. You didn't maul anyone, we all knew the risks and know more for our next attempt."

Then he inquired about herself. She wasn't sure if it was an avoidance tactic, or out of genuine concern. More than likely, it was a bit of both. "It was a little scary, I'll have to admit, but I'm alright. I tried to reach out to you, but you just weren't able to hear me it seems. How do you get out of your frenzy on other times? Do you always get knocked out first? Or are there other ways?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Our next attempt.

Ghorua pondered her question, thinking back on all the times his rage had overcome him. "Well, the first Frenzy was against a Sith I was dueling... I won, for the record. And I think after a few minutes, it just went away, and I got control again." He remembered the duel with the Zabrak well. It had been just after he received his modifications. Ghorua had bitten the Sith, and that first taste of blood changed him forever afterwards.

"The next one was during a street brawl on Nar Shaddaa. That was... not good. It eventually went away too, after a while." Ghorua remembered that one most vividly, and it still haunted his nightmares. He could still hear the cries of pain. "Then, I was running a job, having drinks with a Zeltron, but that one was kinda intentional. That one went away rather quickly. Then... The Bespin Incident. You know how that ended."

Ghorua curled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his massive forearms around himself. He detested thinking back to the times he lost control. His memories reminded him of his failures, his weakness. He hated feeling so powerless, and it showed on his dark face. "It either fades, or is beaten out of me, it seems." Ghorua's breath shook slightly as he inhaled, smelling the residue from the stun rounds on his body. "I did try to stop it, but... Maybe it isn't possible."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows while she listened to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] explain the different times that he had gone into his frenzy. It was odd at how it would just go away. Maybe it was because whatever task he had set out to do was completed. Maybe a goal was what he needed. In this case, in the arena, there was no clear goal other than making herself a target. There was no endgame.

She watched as Ghorua doubted himself even more, almost admitting defeat. "Maybe it isn't just beaten out of you or just gone away. I think that there's more to it than that. We've just gone about it wrong, which is fine. That's how we learn and how you learn. You need more practice to build your confidence, so that you can tell friend from foe in dangerous situations. You would become one of the greatest warriors this Galaxy has ever seen, and one of the greatest allies for anyone to have. You just have to not see your frenzy as a scary thing, but see it for what it is meant for. Protection." That was how Kay saw it anyways. If he was going to go after the Mist-Walkers with her, she needed to be sure that he wasn't going to attack her as well.

"How about we set up a rescue scenario, have it all set up so that you don't know all of the details, but know the overall goal, and see how it goes? We'll have precautions of course, set up measures to ensure that no one is mauled."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua considered Kay's proposition, placing a thumb and forefinger on his large chin. He had never thought of it as protection, nor as a tool to complete an objective. The more he thought about it, however, the more it started to make some semblance of sense.

Each time he had gone into the rage, besides blood being present, there was always a clear objective. Kill this thing, intimidate that person, fight that war. Additionally, when that obective was complete or near complete, the Frenzy petered out. The only constants were the sudden, choking, clouding rage, and the loss of Ghorua's mind. How these traits could protect him, or his friends, he didn't know. Perhaps he would have to explore it.

He liked the idea of being one of the greatest warriors the galaxy had ever seen.

"That... sounds like fun." The large Herglic tried to put a positive spin on the uncomfortable situation. "I can do that. I always did like war games. As long as everyone..." Ghorua gestured to any of Kay's guards that were left. "... stays far, far away from me."

He still felt very weak, but the immediate attention of the medical team had bolstered his momentary weakness brought on by the Frenzy. He stood slowly, pushing up from the ground, and swaying slightly. The Shark brushed off his suit, which had torn in the scrap between friends, and the realization soured his mood. "I liked this coat."

Ghorua looked around at the guards, giving apologetic smiles. "So... How will this game work? You go hide somewhere, I go murderous psycho and hope I remember to save you?" Ghorua giggled deeply, more of an attempt to ease the tension than anything.

"Piece of cake."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] seemed to be better. His confidence was already up from moments earlier. It helps to have a different point of view, and she was glad that she could help in that regard.

As he got to his feet, she did too, placing a hand on his shoulder in a small bid to try to help his balance. Of course he could topple her over easily and she wasn't strong enough to even pick up his arm without some help, but the gesture was there in any case. She felt bad for his coat getting wrecked. It wasn't her intention for anything to be ruined but some columns in the arena. "I'll get you a new one made. We have some great fashion designers and students that would be happy to help."

She looked around at the guards, the medical team and the arena itself. "Get a bit of rest while I set it all up. I'll hide, surely, and you'll hear me. Remember your goal. Find me, rescue me. Get me out of danger, okay?" Kay smiled at him, giving a look that told him that she had full confidence in him. She had to, otherwise he wouldn't be able to trust himself.

An hour later, Kay was nowhere in sight. She had more guards brought in, and with equipment. Everything was set up. All rounds were stun only, explosives were just flash bangs and tranquilizers were on hand. The scenario was easy. He was to find her and free her. Kay was locked up in a large cage with guards intended on impeding Ghorua's approach to it at all costs. It was almost a game of capture the flag, with the President being the flag.

Moments later, Kay's scream echoed through the arena. It sounded almost terrified...

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua smiled slightly as Kay tried to support him in his weakness. It was the thought that counted, after all. While he was indeed very scared of himself, as long as he could remember, he wanted to be someone. At first, he thought he would continue his family's syndicate, but those dreams had been quashed by reality. Then, he became a Bounty Hunter, and that had seemed to be a perfect fit for him. But with his growing conscious, he couldn't bring himself to go after many of the larger bounties. Jedi were plenty of credits, but they also did plenty of good for the galaxy, and for that, they deserved his pardon.

The Shark nodded when the President promised him a new suit. "You'd better. I like to keep things classy, after all." The monster that was Ghorua laughed shortly, his serrated teeth glinting in the dim lighting. He watched Kay leave, dwelling on the look she gave him before she went. She seemed to believe in him. Maybe he should too.

The Shark sat back down, and withdrew back into his meditations. Although he had never been taught, he had read holobook after holobook on martial arts, predominantly Teras Kasi. He learned that through meditation, they closed their minds off from the Force, and as a way of introspection. Ghorua indulged in the sensation, digging deep within himself. He felt his rage slowly return in the hour of rest, simmering below the veneer of tranquility.

Then he heard the scream.

The piercing sound shocked Ghorua from his meditations, black eyes flashing open. He dug within himself for his rage, something he never before had the courage to do. He dove into his mind yet again, grabbing his rage, and forcing it to the surface. Before he was lost to the rage, he echoed the Lady's words in his mind. 'Find me. Rescue me. Get me out of danger.'

Kay would once again feel a tremendous shift in the Force, as the beast awakened. Startlingly, no roar greeted the shockwave of anger, which seemed to cloud the arena. The area was eerily quiet.

The guards to the west were the first to detect something wrong. A simple shaking of the earth, nothing more. The arena was bathed in silence yet again.

The Shark stalked among the pillars, a large, predatory shadow at the edges of perception. He was surprisingly stealthy, for one so large.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood there in the cage, listening to the echo of her scream as it bounced around the arena. She had expected to hear [member="Ghorua the Shark"] roar like earlier and hear his thunderous approach. But there was nothing. It was quiet. Surely he would have heard her? She decided to give him a moment. Maybe he was just getting himself ready. But that moment seemed to have lasted longer than she had thought that it should.

Just as she was about to let out another scream, her commlink came to life. A few of the guards spotted the Herglic on the move. But he was quick and silent, a far cry from their earlier practice. Kay listened to the chatter on her commlink:

"I see him. To the left, pillar C-7."

"Copy that. Don't lose sight. We'll draw him in where we want him. Jace, you set to go?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. We'll cover you. Keep your bucket on so you can see."

"Yes, sir. Copy that, sir."

"On my mark......Go!"

The guard quickly ran towards Ghorua, taking a few wide shots near the Herglic. He missed him on purpose, he just wanted Ghorua's attention. As quickly as he appeared, the guard ran through the pillars as fast as his feet could carry him, his hands held tightly to his blaster rifle. His hud showed him which way to go, calculated the distance. Once he got past a certain point, one of the other guards keeping watch hit the switch and the fog machine began to spew forth a white mist among the floor.

Kay knew that she was taking a risk at this so soon. But she needed to do this. Ghorua needed her to do this. She had to test how deep his fear went. If she was going to be allowed to go with him back to Bespin, she had to be sure that she was safe with her friend.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The feral Shark turned suddenly from his stalking, noticing a burst of blaster fire to the side of his flank. He had no way of knowing they were only to get his attention, or even that they were stun rounds. His mind was all but gone, only remnants of muscle memory left.

The Shark growled menacingly, and chased after the man, quickly gaining, despite the pillars he had to shove past. The Shark was a speeding bullet of muscle and anger, a furious mass of dangerous beast. Which is what made the next events all the more strange.

Ghorua was pursuing his prey happily, until fog began to form. The second he saw it, the Shark stopped in his tracks. Somewhere in Ghorua's mind, his consciousness froze. Memories shifted to the surface. Reaching claws. Sharp slashes. And rolling, choking mist.

Ghorua stumbled, falling flat on his rear end, eyes wide with mortifying fear. The Frenzy left him almost immediately, the rage replaced by a much stronger emotion; fear. Ghorua was only himself, and he was surrounded by his worst phobia.

As the fog rolled over him, he could do nothing. He was paralyzed in place, too shocked and scared to do much of anything. He curled up into a fetal position, protecting his head and body from any clawed hands that may reach through the mist. He was plagued by visions of the past, of a feeling of absolute helplessness and terror.

"That's enough!" Ghorua's voice boomed over the area, amplified by desperation. "I said that's enough! Get it away from me!" Ghorua could do nothing, say nothing more, as he was tortured by his own mind.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

The moment that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] stopped and went down, the guard cut off the machine. It took a few minutes, but the fog soon disappeared, having been blown through the columns by the wind.

Kay heard the fear in Ghorua's voice. He was no longer in his frenzy. She opened the door to the cage and ran out, a few of the guards behind her, while two ran in front to guide her to him. Once she saw him she slowed her pace and approached him. It was quite the sight to see, but she wasn't laughing. Kay felt horrible. "Ghorua, it's gone. You're safe. You were always safe..." She knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his arm, all the while focusing on the Force around him, sending him the feeling of calmness and serenity. "I'm sorry...I had no idea that it would cause this kind of reaction....We're done for the day. Come on back to the Palace. We'll get you some tea or brandy, and some food. That'll help." She got to her feet and then waited, knowing that it would probably take a bit of time for him to be ready. But she could be wrong.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

It took a few minutes for Ghorua to find his wits again. Before that, he had shut down. He had curled up, protecting his head and vitals from attacks that would never come, his mind frozen in fear. Even as the fog dissipated, Ghorua could still visualize the Obsicorians' grasping hands. He was silent the entire time, waiting out the sudden panic attack.

Finally, after Kay had talked, Ghorua unfurled himself, sprawling out, more relieved than anything, with embarrassment coming in a close second. Despite what had happened, the first thing to make it's way out of the Shark's mouth was laughter. Deep, jovial, bouncing laughter. He wasn't happy, or humored, or anything. It was simply a coping mechanism, a way to disperse any excess fear. "Well, at least we know what'll take me out of the Frenzy now." Another quick chuckle, but whether his heaving body was the results of a giggle fit or aching sobs was difficult to tell.

Ghorua stood slowly, testing out the extent of the damage. Ghorua was beyond tired. He had never experienced two Frenzies in one day, and the exertion was incredible. When he was finally on his feet, he smiled as if nothing had happened, burying whatever fears or insecurities he had under a veneer of nonchalance. "Let's go, shall we? I could really eat right now." The fragile undertones in the Shark's voice was impossible to miss.

He was dead tired, and his emotions had been stretched thin.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled a little at [member="Ghorua the Shark"] 's chuckle and remark on the off switch for the Frenzy. Of course it did nothing to help him control it, and nothing to help him fight the Mist-Walkers.

Once he got to his feet, she took his arm and did what little she could to support him. Guilt riddled her, guilt for scaring him so badly. "I can have some bantha steaks cooked for you, and other goodies. We have a variety of foods from different worlds for you to choose from. And I'll have a room made up for you too so that you can get some rest." Anything to make up for what had happened.

As the two of them walked out of the arena, the guards and medic team came in behind after gathering all of their equipment. All in a day's work for them. Only Kay felt that it was out of the ordinary.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua walked out of the Canyons with the Lady, stopping gradually to take one last look at the entrance. The place was indeed beautiful. Stoned and ancient, stoic, yet full of finesse, the carvings on the pillars indicating a revered intelligence. Almost the perfect metaphor for the Shark. Except for the whole "going-berserk-but-being-afraid-of-mist" thing.

The magnitude by which the fog machine affected him had surprised the Shark just as much as it had Kay. It was true that he had avoided such things since his encounter with the Obsicorians, and he had even avoided using his gas grenades, as they had a similar effect, he had no idea he was capable of breaking down like that. Ghorua frowned deeply as he thought about this, quickly realizing his company, and conjuring up a toothy grin. "Oh, I'm vegetarian. A jogan fruit salad would be lovely, however." He feigned rubbing his belly. "And if you could find a bed large enough for me, I would be more than happy to fill it."

Ghorua's expression fell again as he pondered the last Frenzy. Something had been different. Instead of being locked away, lost in his maze-like mind, he had been on a viewing platform. He could experience, feel everything, and although his actions were still not his own, he could feel, within his very being, that he had to get to the Lady. Whether it had been to save her or kill her, he wasn't sure. He had felt his rage, almost simmering off his form in waves of dark heat.

He was almost sure he imagined it, but as he had stalked through the pillars, he could have sworn the shadows lengthened around him, his footfalls cushioned. He was no Force-Sensitive. What had that been?

He had too much time to ponder this.

"Let's get going, shall we. Today has... taken a lot out of me."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was surprised to learn that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] didn't eat any meat. Perhaps it was a personal choice. His teeth and massive frame suggested a hardier appetite. She made the call for his order on her commlink, as well as getting a room prepared for him.

The walk back to the Presidential Palace seemed to take longer. But maybe it was their stride. "I'll help you get over this. There are things that I'm afraid too. Perhaps you can help me with those..." Then he won't be the only one having to go through such an ordeal. Of course having Ghorua chase after her and want to kill her was no easy thing either.

Kay led him inside and back to her office. Some large pillows were placed there for him to sit on and a large platter of fruit was on the coffee table. Tea was on the side, Commenori brandy and meat and veggies for the President. In the guest wing, an extra large bed, consisting of two King sized beds was being prepared. Blankets and sheets were sewn together to make them large enough. Hopefully they would all fit.

"Here we are. We can relax for the rest of the day, maybe try again tomorrow or the next day. But that's only if your comfortable with that."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua walked through the city at a calm, slightly slow pace. Of course, whatever crowds were out and about parted and gawked at the strange sight. Their president, the beloved Kay, was strolling through the streets with an enormous escort. Ghorua felt the befuddled stares, and gave them all toothy smiles. He could see the recognition in some of their eyes; The Shark was beginning to become a household name.

He didn't know if it was a step in the right direction or not.

Ghorua heard Kay's musings, and responded in kind, his voice soothingly smooth, masking how tired he felt. "Well, I suppose since you're helping me, I might as well return the favor." Ghorua poked her shoulder playfully. "As long as I don't have to run away from a raging President." Ghorua briefly wondered what Kay's fears were. Whatever they happened to be, she hid them well.

Finally, they made it to the Lady's office. Ghorua chuckled a bit as he saw the pillows laid out for him, and the platter of fruit. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he laid eyes on that jogan. He sat down quickly, marveling at the comfort that greeted him. He took a piece out of his salad, and put it in his mouth, smiling.

"Mmm. Jogan tastes the same wherever you go, let me tell ya." Ghorua briefly wondered how the Commenori had a bed his size, considering barely anyone made beds in his size. Even his one back home was a bit small.

When Kay mentioned trying again, the Herglic soured slightly. He wasn't ready to think about a third go quite yet. "Yeah, sure."

"If you don't mind me asking..." Ghorua poured himself tea, and placed it gently in front of him. "... What scares the great Kay Larr? I had you pegged as fearless." Ghorua was only half-joking. Out of all of his friends, Kay seemed like the bravest. To be fair, she was the only one in a position of power; all the others were hunters, or civilians.

Ghorua had studied Kay furiously in the past. They had been friends for a while now. Yet, even with all of that, he had no idea what it was she was afraid of.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -