Lord, what fools these mortals be! [Auden Sykes]

[Coci Heavenshield]

Panatha​

​

​

... under the cover of the night.​

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[member="Audren Sykes"]​

​

This would be her proving ground. To return to such a place that had been nothing but a nightmare for her since she was a teenager would be a test only the strong would consider. She took heart in this at least, otherwise this mission was what other would call foolish or suicidal but she was not the same girl that had escaped this place thanks to her mother, she is much stronger now. And frankly, she owed this to her mother, Abaigeal would never have peace until this was done, even if the mission is a failure .. she had to try.

She is not alone, with her a young Knight of the Silver Jedi she had meet and had got to know and because of this budding friendship she had asked him to accompany her on this journey. She is not without trepidation for having asked him, the dangers she will face will be his as well and so, equally he is foolish or suicidal .. and it was her doing.

Abaigeal had requisitioned an unmarked ship of the Silver Sanctum for the mission, a Washburn-class transport, nothing special about it, it looked like any average transport and no real threat. Their landing location miles away from their true destination, decision had been made for them as no one simply lands next to the Iron Mountain. So they would travel across terrain for the better part of the day.

Gathering her back pack loaded full of supplies for the journey, her attire simple as to not give any sign of her true identity as Jedi save for her lightsaber which was concealed under a charcoal jacket. Abaigeal is not one for blasters, but she had decided to arm herself thus, if for nothing else, it help with the 'look'.

Pulling in a deep breath she was ready to go, and so she made her way back along the ship to find Audren.

 

[Audren Sykes]

The ship they were on was flying for a while. Not that it was a slow ship, it was actually just a single class slower than his own. Rather, the two of them were literally flying from one side of the galaxy to the other. Panathea was their target destination. He'd done a little reading on it, just enough to know that it was the furthest overt reach of the Sith and contained at least one Sith's personal holdings. In other words, it was dangerous and far from any support. The closest friendly location they'd have was the Galactic Alliance - if nothing else, he'd be able to secure safety and solid medical attention there if either of them needed it.

Most of Audren's time was spent in the galley or the loading bay. The ship itself was fairly large, and it was just the two of them on board. Much of the time was spent doing research: some on the planet, most on lightsabers. Towards the end of the journey, when Abaigeal's tension was coming to a head, he moved to his pack. They were going to spend almost a day walking, which meant another day to get back. That meant plenty of water and some rations. It was a dangerous situation, hence the compact yet combat-grade medkit. Some glowrods. And weapons. Saying that there would be problems if they were discovered to be Jedi on a Sith world was an understatement of epic proportions. A holdout particle blaster and a blaster carbine with collapsible stock and foregrip - which could be stuck on a sling and hidden under a jacket if need be - rounded out the ranged weapons. A vibroknife was carefully sheathed under the cover of his backpack, and his lightsaber was tucked away on his person where it wouldn't be easily found. Finishing off the melee weapons was a new one, however. A Rae Baton of Ember was one of the latest purchases. It was an electro-shock baton, hefty enough to do damage and lightsaber-resistant to boot. Had he known the two of them were heading to Panatha at the time of purchase, he would have gotten two.

As much as he wanted to be wearing armor here, he understood that it would attract unwanted attention. Instead he wore elements of the spacer outfit that Jack Raxis had created, with a hood to conceal his notable hair and ears. It was comfortable, inconspicuous, and still provided a fair amount of protection. Something he might look into making an equivalent of in the future.When she approached him in the loading bay, he shrugged a jacket over his gun and slung his backpack across one shoulder.

"Ready?"

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

No

Was the answer that came to her mind. She could already feel the 'sickness' welling up in her stomach, not only because of the strong sense the darkside here but for the memories wanting to push forward that she had kept hidden. They are memories that will never be removed, nor should they really but still even now, she struggles to cope with them. Anyone that had laid on the torture slab in the dungeons and had undertaken the needles and knives cutting their body under the hand of Vornskr would never forget. And that was only half of what she went through.

She was but a child then, a young girl in her mid teens, so feeble in her force abilities that he took her without a struggle. A few years later, that had all changed. Abiageal hit the round green button on the side wall of the ship and the boarding ramp lowered with a hiss. "Yes", she finally said. She was about to continue to speak, about to say that if he wanted to change his mind he could, she would understand entirely but deep down she knew the answer and so did not give voice to her question.

Before stepping off the ramp, Abaigeal properly secured her pack on her body and in hand is a small scanner with the ability to detect life forms and energy readings and plot the course through the jungle to the Iron Mountain. Ahead of them, thick dark jungle, brimming with life of creatures unknown to her or Audren, and no knowledge of their disposition but here on this planet, under the sickly influence of the darkness they would not escape the twisting of mind and body and would find the two Jedi most delectable.

As Audren would came up beside her, she showed him the read out of the scanner and the indicating pathway through the jungle, until they would come to the edge of the marshes, that would be a whole other 'kettle of fish'. It would be foolish to believe that their arrival had not gone unnoticed, that there would be some under Vornskr's command that would have sensed them. His minions of which there are plenty dwell within and without the Citadel, she remembered them, seen them after he had control of her mind and she had become one of them.

"We need combine strength on this mission .. our presence will be felt", she turned to see his face but could not as he is shroud within his hood. "There seems to be a concentration of several life forms directly in front of us, it might be prudent to give them a wide birth".

"Lets go, we have a long tough journey ahead of us". She pushed forward, before turning right to avoid the gathering creatures of the night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a shallow little hollow in the ground, there is a small creature digging in the dirt to find roots of her favourite tree. Her fingernails and hands are muddy, but she has no care for this, her 'mission' is to find the roots for a stew she will prepare for her sup. She is Puugie, four hundred years young in the galaxy which is indicative of her species (Yoda species). Puugie has lived here most of her life, a force sensitive being that has her abilities learned from years of trial and error and just enough to get by and escape the sometimes intrusion of people from the Citadel. She had avoided them for years, seen most of them come and go through death.

Her head pops up, ears twitching this way and that, as her senses find something she had not felt in a long time. Her nose sniffs the air, detects the scent of humanoids, one male one female and they are not tainted with the Sickness. Her mind races .. not wanting to believe hope had arrived, no it had before only to deny her. But still curiosity will get the better of her and so she forgets the root, and begins to make her way toward the Jedi.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

After a pause, Abaigeal responded in the affirmative and lowered the boarding ramp. During that pause, he could sense a bit of her state of mind. He wasn't prying, didn't even ask about what he felt. But he felt it. She clearly had some history with this place. Maybe through direct association, maybe not, but the dread coiling in her stomach was clear.

If Audren were to be completely honest, he would have admitted that he hadn't expected the planet to feel like this. It was similar to how Korriban and Ziost had felt in the Force, and they were barren wastelands for the most part. This planet carried the malevolence and yet was bursting with life, at least in this section of the planet. He could tell something was off about the wildlife, it didn't have the sense of balance that he normally could feel about an ecosystem. Yet he couldn't figure out what might be causing it. He followed her off the ship regardless, making a conscious effort to not reach out through the Force. A Sith would be able to sense the two of them if within a certain range, but extending his senses out would increase the likelihood of being detected. Not desirable here.

She stopped near the end of the ramp and held up a device to show him the screen as he closed. The screen showed a line superimposed over a satellite view of the terrain, which he supposed was their path. Good to know, though he hoped that the device was tough enough to survive the trip.

"We need to combine strength on this mission...our presence will be felt. There seems to be a concentration of several life forms directly in front of us, it might be prudent to give them a wide berth."

If they were constantly changing their path to avoid other life forms, it would be a twisty, difficult path. He had to agree though, any sort of creature in a pack was probably not the best one to mess with. Especially if they were stationary, that could indicate a nest. The Sephi stayed with his companion as they moved deeper into the forest, keeping more or less to the map. Rather than relying on his Force senses, the Knight fell back on the ones he'd honed years ago: sight and sound, smell, even touch. They would have to suffice unless something tipped off his more passive Force senses.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

"I could swear the trees are moving", Abaigeal whispered so low in fear the trees would hear her. Whether it was a trick of the limited light or actuality she did not know, but she had a sense that they are being watched. She turned to Audren to see if he thought her crazy for her comment, but he is hidden away from her view. The night began to encroach darker in the forest making visibility near impossible, and at this point, they only had the scanner to shed light which now became obsolete. The darkness was like a shroud wanting to wrap them up and take them into it's depths to remain forever, oh how she had felt this before and allowed it.

A single cry of a creature cut the silence, blood curdling and guttural .. it was that of a creature who's life had just been extinguished through violence. Abaigeal stopped dead. Apart from the horrific cry, something was wrong, very wrong. Through the force a warning came to her, not only was there danger ahead hidden beyond their sight and senses but their path was incorrect. Quickly she pulled out her datapad and retrieved the file on Panatha, and the citadel. Everything appeared correct to her, but it had been so long ago since she escaped and her memory of it ... clouded. Finally she noticed the date of the information pulled from the databank of the SSC computers, "We are going the wrong way, these co-ordinates are directing us to a new location not the old citadel".

She realises she has them lost. "How could I be so stupid".

Hiding behind one of the trees Abaigeal had thought could move, Puugie is watching and listening to everything the young female is saying. She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh at their silliness, not only for getting lost but for being here in the first place. They would die before even getting a chance to set eyes of the citadel, old or new. The forest full of flesh eaters would see to that, eventually.

Puugie, liked them however, they are entertaining, and it had been so long since she had company of a nicer nature and in nicer places. She shuddered a little remembering her secret trips into the old citadel where she would visit the prisoners in the dungeons and take them food. The man that lived there was so horrid and starved them as well as much more horrible things, she knew all the ways in, all the secret passages but that castle had been destroyed .. and good riddance to it!

She moved from one tree to the next to get a better look at them, she could not see the man he hides well which she did not like, but the female seemed, familiar. Puugie big dark eyes penetrated the darkness to focus on Abaigeal, and she recognised her. Although much different, all grown up and not covered in filth, it was her. She was one of the poor wretches Puugie had given food to. Now this made Puugie more curious, why would she come back to this place?

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

"I could swear the trees are moving.

The Sephi suppressed a grimace as she spoke. Even though her voice was low, barely loud enough for him to hear, there were other creatures in the galaxy with far better hearing than him. And unfortunately she might be right. There were all sorts of beings in the galaxy, and since the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong so very long ago the place had simply become more diverse. It was very possible that the trees were moving. It could be instinct, to attract prey or scare off predators, or it could be something more. Unless they wanted to burn the forest down as they went, there was very little the two of them could do about it.

For his part, Audren was using all of his woodcraft to stay quiet and hidden. Not from Abaigeal, though that may be an unintended side effect. He was actually somewhat alarmed to find just how rusty his skills had become. It happened with lack of use, but it had just happened so fast. He paused as an aborted scream - that of a creature, not a humanoid - filled the night, then resumed his pace. Or would have, if not for the dread filling his companion's aura. It was then that he again noticed the sound of another moving nearby. Most animals didn't make those sounds, and neither he or Abaigeal were moving. There was someone in the area with them.

The Knight didn't dare reach out through the Force to search for whoever it was. If that person didn't know the two of them were here, it could alert them. Yet he wouldn't allow himself to be caught unarmed by an assailant. As near to silent as he could manage, the Sephi pulled his baton from its sheath. He didn't yet extend it, didn't yet trigger the electrical capabilities, but had it ready as he listened for more rustling.

"We are going the wrong way, these co-ordinates are directing us to a new location not the old citadel."

He couldn't hold back the grimace from that news, and his shoulders slumped slightly. He'd read what little was available about the new location and knew that it was a very different place. Rather than an empty ruin of a fortress, it was a bustling stronghold, strong and alert. They would be lucky to get within a kilometer of it without being detected. More likely five kilometers actually, given there were Force Sensitives there. But they didn't want to go there, they wanted to go to the old one. Not a good situation, not on any front.

While the other Knight was speaking, Audren spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. At the base of one of the trees crouched a small green creature. It was watching Abaigeal closely, though the posture didn't hold to what he'd learned of stalking predators. It was in a perfect position for the elfin Knight to ambush; only the lack of apparent menace stopped him. He did speak however, directing his words at the other Jedi. The sounds would inform the other creature where he was at despite their relatively low volume...there had to be a Force trick for that.

"We have company."

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

They had found themselves in a damnable situation. Both Audren and Abaigeal had reduced the use of the force to nothing in order to keep their presence hidden to not only the Sith that resided here, but the creatures of the forest as well. But to be 'quiet' in one aspect only had them loud in another, at least from Abaigeal's part. Audren, on the other hand, had much skill in operating within woods such as these, even though he might consider those skills to be rusty, they are far better then hers. Maybe this he could teach her, one day. Her chastisement of herself only increased when she saw his shoulders slump a little and she wanted to apologies but now was not the time and words had to be keep to a minimum, they could use telepathy to communicate but that meant using the force.

Abaigeal turned toward Audren just at the time his hand moved to his weapon, a baton. She could barely hear him as he spoke but the message was clear enough, Audren did not move not hand nor head to indicate the direction of their 'company' but she put two and two together quickly, the trees had not moved someone hiding there did. Her mind raced thinking of the best course of action to get him a message, and then she moved her hand closest to Audren and took his.

In any other situation this would be a pleasant thing to do, however here in this force forsaken evil place, it would only serve as a perfunctory action. Abaigeal turned his hand in hers until his palm was face up and placing two closed finger tips on the base of his hand she split them upwardly to form a V shape, the unspoken communication to tell him to split on either side of the tree where the being was located. If he considered this a bad idea, he would tell her so equally.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

Without a word, Abaigeal turned Audren's hand over and 'drew' on it. Two fingers together, then splitting off separately. He understood it - at least, he thought he did - to mean that they would split up, go around the tree in different directions to flank the creature watching. It wouldn't have been logical at larger distances, given how dangerous this place was supposed to be, but at this relatively short distance it made perfect sense. It still left one avenue for escape, but they had no third person available and so would have to suffice.

The Sephi gave his answer in the form of a nod, then split away. Not far, he personally wanted it to look like he was scouting around. They couldn't tell how much the other creature had heard or if it understood any of what it heard, but he would appear to not know where whatever he was looking for was. Once he was a few meters out of the creature's estimated line of sight, he looped around.

There was no way to be absolutely quiet, especially not when he didn't know how well this creature could hear. He was careful not to step on twigs or rustle leaves, even moving slowly when he wanted to move quickly. And rather than flick out the baton's length like most did, he carefully eased it out with his left hand. It was less secure this way, it wasn't designed for a subtle draw. Unfortunately for him, the creature had moved in response to Abaigeal's own movement so it would take him longer to get into a position to ambush it.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

From her periphery vision Abaigeal saw the nod of his hood and as he let go of her grasp Audren vanished in the darkness of the surrounding forest. She remained in place just for a moment, to move in conjunction with him would only alert whoever was watching them, so Abaigeal 'replaced' the scanner in her bag only to forage around as if looking for something. This was done to keep the attention of the watcher while Audren would move in on them, if only for a few moments so he would be able to get into a good position.

She pulled her body up straight, looking around to find a new way to proceed, all a ruse of course, and Abaigeal had 'decided' the new direction would be near the tree hiding the small being. Walking with care of foot toward the tree, she was not trying to be silent but rather the opposite, "How could I get us so lost", she muttered to herself, again a misdirection for the creature. And it seemed the small being, decided that Abaigeal was getting to close and began to back away to find a new spot to observed them in. She was heading straight toward Audren, unaware of his presence behind her, she could sense him just could not pinpoint his location.

But this was a game to Puugie, and she decided to scale the nearest tree, her small body silhouetted against dull light cast by the rising moon.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

Wonder of wonders, he caught a break. Little hands could be seen gripping the sides of the tree just before him. Without a look at the face he couldn't be sure, but the size and shape were right. He hadn't really expected to see it climbing a tree. Beings did anything to survive though, and climbing trees was an easy way to get away from a predator on the ground.

That still left the issue of attacking though. Oh, it would be simple, child's play even to take a step to the side and smash the weighted end of the baton into the creature. He probably wouldn't even have to light up the electricity; the baton was made to do damage to a human-sized body, on such a small body it very well may be fatal. The creature hadn't done anything but watch them however. Even that could be dangerous here, but it didn't bear the sentence of death, not unless all other options had been explored.

In the end, he simply changed the electroprod settings on the baton. They were unlikely to kill the creature when set this low. In fact, he wasn't even sure it would be enough to stun it. Only a fool shocked an unknown creature to goad it into fighting back, and yet his options were limited. There was no indication it was friendly, no indication it was even sentient. Reluctant but resolved, the Sephi took a small step to the side - just enough to bring the barest edge of the body into view - then reached around and prodded that body with the end of the baton, transferring electrical energy with a crackle.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Puugie had kept her attention on Abaigeal, trying to stifle a small giggle as she listened to the strange humanoid and that she had gotten them lost. Puugie did not know where they wanted to go, or why but it could only mean one thing .. the horrid castle. The two humanoids did not have the sickly smell of darkness about them so Puugie considered them both to be 'touched' by madness. But as she scaled the tree, looking to get a grip did she see the sudden appearance of the male humanoid and he had a stick! It did not register to her why he would have a stick but she soon found out as the buzz of electricity shot through her body causing her to let go of her grip of the tree and fall.

By this point, Abaigeal had moved into position on the other side of the tree, Audren's figure was shrouded in the darkness of the night, a black solid outline only but for a brief moment, his baton lit the area with it's charge. It was only for a second, but enough time for the small creature to be illuminated. Abaigeal's eyes widened a little as she got a sense of recognition. She had seen this being before. Her arms reached forward as she lunged toward the falling being to catch her before hitting the ground.

"I know you", she whispered softly so the night air would not take her words away to other ears. But Puugie did not like what had happened and began to wriggle in her arms, trying to escape. Abaigeal firmed up her hold only to be bitten on the arm to which she gritted her teeth to stifle a yelp. "Stop, we will not harm you. We want to know why you are following us".

"He hurt me", Puuge pointed a long accusing finger toward Audren. Abaigeal placed Puugie on a large rock to sit, tired of the scratches and bits on her skin. "Well you can speak, tell us why you are following us". There is a curiosity about this being, Abaigeal could not grasp the memory of her but knew she did not mean harm to them, but one can never be to wary.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

As faint as the Force was to him right now, he could still sense it. An echo of shocked recognition rolled from Abaigeal as she lunged forward to catch the creature before it hit the ground. He was puzzled by both aspects of that response, but he didn't say anything. His puzzlement only deepened as the woman murmured about knowing the creature, but it was forgotten as the creature itself started moving. That was when remorse came into play.

Even with all his focus and silence, Audren was not cruel. He didn't cause pain for pain's sake, and in this particular case had specifically tried to avoid that by attempting to knock the creature unconscious. Minimal damage, minimal pain, minimal disruption to the mission. It obviously hadn't happened as intended. The expression on his face, what little of it could be seen beneath the shadows cast by the hood, didn't change or show the remorse he felt. Nor did his body language, excepting the fact that the baton was now held at his side rather than being poised to strike.

It only made it worse that the creature could speak. Speaking meant sentient, it not intelligent. But it was clear that this one was intelligent, pointing at the Sephi and exclaiming that he'd hurt it. Deeper and deeper. He had to resist replying with a "didn't meant to" comment, which he knew would be whining and petulant despite being the truth. And now they were wasting time on top of it, stopping to talk to the creature when they should be figuring out where the old fortress was and how to get there. The forest was dangerous, they had limited time, and didn't know where they were going. But this was Abaigeal's show, both overall and this little side bit; he'd follow her lead.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Puugie looked from Audren to Abaigeal, “I was following you because I was curious”, she said with narrow eyes on Audren once more. She is not hiding her force signature nor is she hiding her ability to use it and so Puugie could sense Audren’s remorse for hurting her. She also felt the alignment of the two Jedi to the lightside, Puugie could see his face under to the hood as she is of smaller stature and had noted his slight change of face coupled with his regret. “I understand”, she simply said to him, as the event could have been far worse for her had they been anything but Jedi.

Abaigeal lowered to the ground to be face to face with Puugie, her eyes taking in every detail of her face, “You came to me, you gave me food when I was a prisoner in the dungeons”, she said as softly as possible. Yet this was no time to go out past events, they are still in danger of many things in this forest let alone begin detected by the Sith. “Thank you”, she quickly added.

She looked to Audren, “We need to get to the old citadel, can you tell us the way .. we are lost”. Puugie looked at Abaigeal as if mad, why would she want to go back there of all places. She backed off a little, growing suspicious of the young girl. “It is important, there is something there I need to get back”.

“It is dangerous, even now that it has been destroyed. There are things that live there still, horrible things twisted by the darkside and left to fester”.

“All I need is for you to show me the way, I am not asking you to come with us”, she assured the small being. Abaigeal was growing impatient, they had spent too much time wasted in being lost and now speaking to his being. Each second here only increased the dangers and lowered the percentage of them succeeding in the mission.

“You will never find the old citadel by yourselves, but I do know a way to get there. A secret passage I used to use to enter the castle .. it still exists. What are you looking for?”. Puugie stepped forward once more intrigued by this sudden turn of events.

“A lightsabre”, she replied with a quick look up into Audren’s face. Puugie’s face furrowed, “With a white blade?”, she asked thinking. “Yes, yes I know it, I know it .. I have seen it”.

Abaigeal nearly tumbled backward with shock and surprise, “It fell from the top of the castle, a woman fighting the Lord was killed and it fell .. someone else has it now.. well a thing. I have heard that one of the abominations of the Lord that lives under the ground has it, uses it and I know how to get you there”.

“My mother”, the only words to leave Abaigeal’s lips. “Puugie I need you to take me to this place, I need to find the lightsabre”.

Abaigeal stood up and looked to Audren, her eyes full of uncertainty and she wanted his opinion of this new course to follow. She knew him well enough to know, he would be hesitant to simply follow this strange being, and rightly so, but they did not have a choice as far as she could see.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

Understanding made things better, if not right. More of the mystery was explained as Abaigeal said something about bringing her food when she was a prisoner. Not all of it of course, he had a feeling that would be a far longer conversation. He could only imagine what it had been like as a prisoner, and didn't really want to. His imagination was one thing...Sith could get creative from what he'd heard.

It was clear that the creature knew the place even now. Maybe not so well as it had before, but well enough. He'd expected animals to have moved back in, nature returning to reclaim what had once belonged to it. Yet it seemed the Dark Side was even worse there, twisting anything present. Or maybe there had been experiments set loose, staying with the area they knew rather than venturing too far out. There were a number of possibilities, none of them good. But it got worse. They were looking for a lightsaber in the ruins of a fortress, a needle in a haystack. That was just to start though...apparently one of the Sithspawn had found it and was using it. That didn't speak well for the two Jedi - it wasn't every random person that could pick up a lightsaber and use it without hurting themselves.

It was very convenient that this Puugie knew a secret way into the place. Almost too convenient, but what other choice did they have? They were currently lost, heading towards the new fortress rather than the old, and in the middle of a forest that seemed to be warped by the dark side. If the creature was honest and actually helped, their time here would have been worth something. If it didn't...well, they had weapons - including their lightsabers, however hidden they may be - and the Force.

He nodded in response to Abaigeal's look, a slight nod but visible. No choice. Without warning he twirled the baton so he had it in a reverse grip, then brought it up to hit against the tree trunk nearest to them. Not a threat, simply collapsing it in the most expedient way. It was slipped back into the holster before he turned back to the others.

"Time to go."

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Puugie nodded her acceptance as she looked at Audren. "Follow me", she said darting off along a narrow track which most likely had been created by night creatures. She stopped to beckon them come before she disappeared from view. Abaigeal gathered her bag once more, check her saber on her hip, done for reassurance. She turned to Audren and sighed, before following the small being into the darkness of the trail. The forest is thicker here as they walk direct east, the moon's rays could barely pierce the over hanging branches making the way all but void to them.

The trio would walk in silence for the better part of an hour before Puugie stopped on the edge of a clearing and pointed to a narrow entrance to a tunnel.

​

"In there, we go in there. But be careful, we will not be alone". Abaigeal was about to ask the meaning of this, but Puugie had already made for the entrance and entered.
Her mind was being to form doubts about this, but either way they did not have much choice. To travel through the forest would mean they would encounter all manner of creatures, and so too, below it seemed. "Shall we?", she finally spoke to Audren. The underground journey would be a short cut to the ruined citadel, and would take no more then half an hour to get to their destination, that is .. if they are permitted to travel freely.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

With a nod, Puugie darted off. Watching, Audren noticed that she followed a barely-visible path. Probably an animal path. Given the size and his other focus, it wasn't surprising that he'd missed it when moving. They moved roughly east through the thicker parts of the forest, though like most paths worn by animals this one wasn't even close to being straight. It wasn't a relaxed stroll in the forest either, this was still unfriendly territory. He hadn't actually gone so far as to pull out his carbine, but he'd loosened it under his jacket.

After about an hour of traveling, they came upon a narrow crevice, one that the creature pointed out as being their destination. More cryptic was the warning that they wouldn't be alone inside. Cryptic and worrisome. It brought up thoughts on who'd created the way in and what kind of safeguards they'd set. And it was...not roomy. Slim. He could deal with that, he just didn't like it. In response to Abaigeal's question he nodded and slipped out of his backpack before entering the tunnel, putting it back on only after he'd pulled out his blaster carbine.

The air inside was drier than out, moisture largely kept away by the narrow size of the entrance. Too, creatures had full reign. There were webs above, maybe a portion of a meter above the top of his head, and portions of skeletons across the floor. Apparently this was a relatively safe place to consume a meal. What little light had been outside disappeared swiftly, and he was forced to bring out a red-tinted glowrod. Puugie seemed to have no issue with seeing in the darkness, something he found slightly annoying.

There were several rustles as the two humanoids moved through the tunnel, flashes of fur and skin in the glowrod's beam indicating creatures that worked to hide themselves from the newcomers. There was one creature that actively threatened them, a canine that actually lunged at the Sephi, but that one retreated after a kick to the head and one to the ribs. It wasn't hungry enough to try and take on something bigger that fought back. There was another area of the cave wall that caught his attention; an opening that seemed to be blocked from the other side. The texture was different, and there was most definitely heat coming off the surface, but it wasn't until the barest skein of the Force was used that he realized it was actually a creature on the other side, one large enough that just a small portion of the skin made a solid patch of the wall. Odd that nothing that size had been reported, maybe it was hibernating.

There were other creatures present, but none so large as to give the humanoids threat, and few dumb enough to try. They made it through without major incident. He was relieved at that...noise would have traveled far in such a tunnel.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

It took everything she had in her to stop from igniting her lightsaber for several reasons, firstly to be able to see and secondly because indeed they are not alone. Using the force was even more dangerous down here, even though it would provide them both with the ability to sense everything around them but that will alert more then the Sith. All she had to follow, to guide her through the tunnel was the dull light of Audren ahead of her. Puugie was lost to her in the darkness and she had to hope their path was on course.

Ahead, the small being, waved toward them directing them to turn right into one of the many tunnels here and how knew what was finding residence in them. The sound of wings batting startled her, there is a smell not very pleasant to the nose and the ground was crunching underfoot. It was probably for the best she could not see why, for small bones littered the tunnel floor, discarded as small bellies became full.

Her head turned this way and that, a shadows darted across the rock walls of the tunnel, she could see Audren moving to turn as well seeing the same as her but they kept moving forward. Underfoot, the ground fell on an incline, they are walking lower below the ground and a cold chill touched their skin. It is strange there is a draft down here, she only assumed there was more then one way in or the tunnel traveled until it turned to reached the surface once more. But now is not the time for conjecture.

Eventually, Puugie led them into a cavern. A vast room destroyed and abandoned or so it appeared, there is high structured ceilings, and columns some broken in what appeared to be some sort of attack or possibly because the citadel above had been substantially damaged, which broke these foundations, either way the place was unstable and dark.

Abaigeal moved passed Audren and looked across the scene hoping to see something familiar to her but found nothing. This was even deeper then the dungeons and she had not known of it's existence.

"We are close", Puugie finally spoke, and pointed to the end of the room to a shrouded doorway.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

The room they emerged into was grandly-built, or least it had been once upon a time. And yet it still was, to a degree, though a few of the columns were cracked or shattered. There was air here, not fresh per se but certainly not stale either. As he paused by the entryway, Abaigeal slipped into the room behind him. When he saw that she had no light in hand, he felt guilty. He'd either assumed that she already had a light or had completely forgotten about it; since he had a couple more available in his pack. He was about to pull one out and offer it to her when Puugie spoke.

"We are close."

At that, he extinguished his own light. There was absolutely no need to give away their presence with a light when their scent and sounds would do. Through the doorway that the creature indicated, they were going to enter the domain of whatever remained here. Creatures of strong enough will to remain in this dark place, at least one of them competent enough with a lightsaber to have it and hold onto it. Of course, that was assuming that Puugie had led them true. If she hadn't, they might in an even worse predicament.

With a frown, the Sephi knelt and set down his blaster. His pant leg was brought out of the boot and from underneath that came his lightsaber. If they were going to face something that might be able to use a lightsaber, he wanted to have his own somewhat handy. He slipped it into an outer pocket on the backpack he carried. Less hidden than before, but more accessible. Once that was completed he straightened up with his blaster once again.

It was at this point that he noticed the place was not pitch black, there were minor elements of light coming from somewhere. It wasn't directional and it wasn't much, just barely enough to see the outlines of items he walked near. It wasn't perfect, he stumbled over loose debris a couple times, but by and large he was able to navigate towards the door and slowly pull it open. The first thing he sensed was a breath of cold air...cold air that smelled like bodies rotting.

Lovely.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The stench that had grown stronger as they approached the doors was enough to almost make Abaigeal heave, a predicament she finds herself in regularly. There seemed to be a combination of many smells, rotting flesh, cooking flesh and waste of which she did not wish to contemplate. As Audren stopped and bent to gather his lightsaber, Abaigeal all but fell over the top of him, her attention had been given to the shadows constantly moving as if following them. Her saber was hidden under the fold of her jacket and easy to reach when the time came, and it would.

Audren moved forward toward a soft glowing light that filtered through the cracks in the doors. Puugie had moved to hide within the shadows, not far from them but waited for them to enter, she did not want anything to do with what was inside. Her intentions are not malice, but a strong will to survive after all she had done so for a very long time and was not about to give that up for these two foolish Jedi. Yet, she also needed them, if there was a chance .. even small .. that they would live through this, that they would take her with them. She was growing fond of the pointy ears of Audren.

Abaigeal stood as if holding her breath when Audren opened the doors toward him, they creaked on their hinges which seemed to bellow it's sound around the room and through the tunnel, a large contrast to the soft silence they had tried so hard to maintain. The glowing light burst forth, reveal a scene most horrid of death and decay and toward the back of the room, a group of beings roasting and feasting on who knew what.

For the moment, they had not noticed the newcomers, their roars and grunts had drowned out the creaking of the doors. Abaigeal, wanting it or not, could sense the darkness living within them, sickening for murder and hot blood to drink. She edged toward the side of the door frame, her eyes piercing to see how many there were and their had to be a leader, there always is. And almost as if on demand, he appeared from the darkness holding a tankard to toast his men, clipped to his side is a hilt of saber.

Abaigeal pulled back, resting against the wall and breathing hard. "It is here, the White Dragon", she whispered with fear and excitement coupled in her voice.

​

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

Of course the doors creaked loudly as he opened them, that was how the doors in dungeons worked. Unless it was the bad guy sneaking up on the good guys or the rogue rolled high stealth. The Sephi winced visibly at the clamor, but those beyond the door didn't even hear it apparently. The glow from the other side was revealed to be a fire that lit and the area as well as roasted food, though it provided very little heat. Rather than the savory smells of roasting meat however, the place smelled of decay and death. Not to mention the foul taint of the dark side.

As he shifted to one side of the doorway, Abaigeal made her way to the other side. From one side of the room, entering from a shadowed hallway came another one of the beings. He didn't seem taller or stronger than the others, but something told Audren that he was the cruelest of those present. He went up to one of the smallest, said something, and pointed at the door that the Sephi had just opened. That one said something in response, and a stony look crossed the cruel one's face. That was enough to convince the smaller one, and he stood to scurry away from the fire and to the doors.

"It is here, the White Dragon."

Abaigeal's whisper floated across to him as the creature began walking towards them. Audren shot another quick glance around the room, spotting the lightsaber at the hip of the cruel one - probably the leader then, if the orders hadn't been telling enough. The one moving their direction was muttering under his breath and not paying any attention thankfully. He'd have to enter the room they were in partially to get to the doors, and at that point Audren had a choice. He could pull the creature in and knock him out or allow him to go back to the party. If he was pulled in, would they leave the doors open or not?

Stealth would only go so far, eventually they would have to fight. If he pulled the being in and knocked him out, that would be one less for them to fight later. However, it could warn those still in the room. It was possible that if they allowed the doors to close and kept him in the room, the others might think he was just being sulky. He might even be a source of information if they were persuasive enough. All of this assumed he was coming to close the doors, of course.

Fortunately, he was. He stepped just beyond the threshold, grasped the handles, and began to pull the groaning doors closed. He was thus utterly unprepared for the metal baton that slapped into his shins and a hand that pulled him into the room with some effort. The closing doors muffled any noises that his fall made. The effort of the yank had put Audren in an unwieldy position for a knockout strike, but he'd make do unless stopped. Electricity would help - full power this time.

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]