Faction [NJO] Among the Roots, We Grow

[Klar]

​

RYLOTH​

Forest ​

Klar had, admittedly, let herself fade into the background a little bit. Tyhon was a world draped with rich history like a Hutt in jewels, and the urge to step off of the trail and examine what could potentially be an interesting geological or archeological find instead of socializing with her peers was... tempting. The sort of tempting that the Coodru-Ji couldn't always resist.

So she'd gotten separated. And then rejoined the group. And gotten separated again. Klar had spent her entire life on ships, stations, or Coruscant - being out in the wilderness was still quite novel, a world of green wonders she'd only seen in holofilms and the like.

When Flesh Raiders appeared, she'd quietly taken a prepared stance and waited for instruction - or at least a group consensus on the matter - but none had been forthcoming. Klar knew enough history to know that Flesh Raiders were just a consistent presence on Tython. There had to be some sort of protocol for dealing with them, right? Some sort of plan, an S.O.P. or similar. And yet. The moment to speak up came and went, and left Clar feeling like she'd failed somehow. Perhaps she should have done more to rally her younger peers, or to coordinate with her fellows? Perhaps she should have frightened the brutes off by defeating the largest in single combat? Could she have effectively directed the other Padawans, despite not knowing them? Had she foolishly used her time on Tython gathering rocks and chasing legends instead of getting to know her colleagues?

A hundred questions, none answers. Asking wasn't helpful, either. Beating yourself up was just another way of being selfish and not keeping your mind present and focused on the Now.

When Master Noble gave the order to fall in, though, Klar did so immediately. Instructions and directions, she could take. She WOULD take. The desire to not look like a punk again? She would realize that motivation and crystalize a plan of action around it.

The Coodru-Ji girl stood at the ready, her arms clasped behind her back, her brow furrowed as she tried to focus on being better for whatever came next. Her hair was tied, her pockets full of interesting rocks, her pants were covered in burrs, and she was ready to distinguish herself.

 

[Azurine Varek]

Stealth Practice

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman | Purple Bracelet
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 [x] | Lightsaber 2 [x] | Hook Swords

"I need you to scout ahead, Azzie. Quiet and far. If there's a camp nearby, we need to know before they know about us."

Azzie nodded, a glint of dark blues and lighter purples twisting through the amethyst hues of her eyes like the shifts of an aurora before she turned her attention to the younger padawans (or newer, since it seemed like a couple of them were closer to her age than others). She'd been paying close attention to their strengths in how they talked with each other and how they worked together in her tailing of them. All they needed was a little teamwork encouragement, something that didn't always come naturally to some the way it did to her.

"You guys may be young, or even just new to this, and I probably sound like a broken record, but I've learned by now that everyone has some kind of spark in them. Especially when the going gets rough. Trust that spark, and you'll have what you need. Whatever happens, you can do this."

Azzie's attention fell then to the two whom she actually knew well. She didn't hesitate to give them both— Aris Noble and Reina Daival —a quick grin, even throwing a couple playful punches at Aris's arm. She did her best to hide her inability to look him in the eyes for more than a few seconds at a time, but at least it was much easier now than it had been when she was first pulled back out of hell.

"Keep a good eye on them, eh, Hotshot?" A quick pivot to Reina, "You too. Someone's got to watch his back when I can't." She teased, giving a wink to them both.

With that, Azzie turned on her heels while throwing the hood of her terracotta tan hood back up over her head. Her boots made little sound, taking a running leap towards the thicker treetops, propelled higher and faster by channeling the force into her feet. Mid-leap, she vanished once again in a silver flickering shimmer, the only thing left being the faint rustle of the above and her boot prints in the grassy ground below being blown away by the wind.

Like a bolt, she moved ahead out of sight. She was just thankful for the break before, even if it was unintended. That, and the suit and robes Kaleleon had designed for her, which bolstered her natural abilities to keep her from exhausting herself. Every meter or so, she'd stop and search for auras she might be unable to see before continuing. So when her biological radar picked up a small camp, she was able to take it slow in the approach, watching and counting.

Azzie tapped the edge of her gauntlet and pressed it as close to her lips as she could to muffle any noise made by her whispered report back to Valery via the communicator attachment, "Small camp about 50 meters northwest. It looks like 8 to 12, mainly scouts and hunters if I had to go by weaponry. However, they look like they're heading out and away from your location. They seem focused on something else. Maybe a different tribe in their territory. Not certain yet, but I can keep watching."

@EVERYONE​

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko had been hoping for one of the quieter ones to share their insights about the Fleshraiders- such as Ilaria Morvayne , or Tydos- but instead it was Tall, Insufferable, and Sweetie Aris Noble who took the opportunity to score brownie points with the Grandmaster. Despite the Epicanthix's broad generalizations about the species, Xuko found the information he was looking for- it was best to proceed with caution. The Zabrak swallowed his disdain and simply nodded his understanding. He filed away what Tydos Kaldan said, too- the Fleshraiders were opportunistic- and resolved that they would find him a difficult prey.

Xuko subconsciously touched the lightsaber hanging on his belt while Jobbi searched in vain for hers, finding a measure of comfort in the weight of the cool metal cylinder hanging on his belt. In the right hands, it was a true weapon; not to be wielded without reason, but more than capable once ignited.

Not unlike an Iridonian Xuko thought to himself as Azurine Varek briefly joined the group. She looked to be a few years older than him, but Xuko immediately recognized the flame burning bright within her; even as he questioned her attitude towards Aris. Hotshot? Hardly. If his fellow Zabrak's words were to be believed, Aris often needed extra assistance in battle.

The clatter of rocks inside pockets directed his Xuko's attention away from his thoughts on Aris and over to the girl standing next to him. The Zabrak resisted the urge to do a double-take as he realized that she had two sets of arms. How he'd missed that before Xuko did not know, but now he had questions.

"How many lightsabers do you carry?" he asked Klar quietly, picking up on Valery Noble 's body language; another confrontation was imminent. "Or do you use your other arms to throw rocks in battle?" The question was delivered, like his speech often was, matter-of-factly. If they were to be near each other when combat broke out, he needed to know what she was capable of.

@Others

 

[Klar]

​

TYTHON​

Forest ​

Klar glanced away from her ready-stance to note the Zabrak guy who'd come up next to her, and gave him a considering look. On one hand, they were supposed to 'fall in'. This implied a degree of military decorum, readiness, stern gazing off to the middle distance and waiting for orders. On the other hand, she HAD just resolved to try talking to her fellows rather than going off on her own. As with many things, Klar was briefly torn between two separate ideas that felt like they could not reconcile with each other. As she so often did, she opted to resolve this by way of the one that involved Doing A Thing rather than Not Doing A Thing, especially since ignoring the guy would be kind of rude.

She didn't want to be rude.

It didn't hurt that she wasn't great at standing still and remaining silent, either.

Klar loosed one of the long-handled sabers she wore at the small of her back, holding it in one of the lower arms in clear view of Xuko. She gripped the other end with a higher arm and gave it a little twist, pulling the Split Saber into separate lightsaber halves. As she did so, Klar's hands held up two and four fingers respectively, a small smirk sneaking onto her face. She then clicked the sabers back together and slipped the weapon beside its sibling at her back. "I like to keep my options open." She explained proudly, lifting her chin a little. The Coruscant in her voice was thick, an unmistakable indication of where she'd come from as clear as her mildly stylish clothes or absolutely-unsuited-to-hiking shoes.

With a half-turn, Klar bowed briefly and politely at the waist. "I'm Klar. You're... Xuko, right? Think I heard you mention it earlier." She explained, hands on her hips and behind her head. "Am I pronouncing that right?" The blonde Codru-Ji asked hopefully.

 

[Aris Noble]

She still couldn't look at him. Aris returned Azurine's smile, even as she threw a couple punches at his arm, but he could see it. The flinch, the subtle twitches in her face. Did he truly look that much like his grandfather that it would cast a shadow like it was over her joy? He wasn't going to be able to fix that. Nor was he going to pull her attention to it. At least she was able to be around him.

Not that it stopped her from running off on Master Noble's orders.

With the group set up, he'd walk with them. A camp in the distance, with people leaving but not towards them? They couldn't have been the same who approached before, or attacked the other Padawan, then. Was he right that there were feuding clans? Aris certainly didn't want to be right about that. It'd mean a lot of trouble very, very soon.

Too many groups, all moving around. He could hear them now in the distance, another sect likely trying to approach the camp. Or perhaps them. Not the same, by their footfalls. They were being stealthy, hiding amongst the bushes and trees to stay out of sight, to blend in with the shadows. His expression thinned as he could hear rifles being armed. The subtle hum of a blaster primed. The clip of metal against wood as they steadied their shot.

This wasn't the group from before at all. It was larger. Come to think of it, had the other group been fleeing? Were they hoping for the Jedi's assistance? Perhaps, worse yet, they were hoping to use the Jedi as a shield from their pursuers by leading them straight to the group of Padawans. The thoughts clicked together in his head before his saber flashed to life.

A bolt aimed for his head was knocked harmlessly to the ground, just as the forest around them suddenly lit up with blaster fire.

"Stay together! Cover each other's angles, don't get caught alone!"

 

[Jobbi Chantin]

Pet (hair): Fuzzy (Sha'rellian toop)
Weapon: Valery's spare Lightsaber

The air cracked with blaster fire from a scavenged blaster.

Somewhere behind her, someone shouted to stay together—but Jobbi began moving. Not fast. Not gracefully. But deliberately. Like a meteor made of muscle and awkward childhood trauma.

The blaster bolt struck her square in the chest. She flinched.

"Ow."

A puff of steam hissed off her skin as the bolt sizzled through her outer slime layer and barely heated the thick skin and fatty hide beneath. It stung—like getting slapped by a hot towel—but that was the extent of the damage – the smile layer was re-coated in seconds.

The Flesh Raider that fired it blinked.
Jobbi blinked back.

"That was rude."

She surged forward.
A Raider charged, spear raised. He howled in whatever gutter tongue they spoke, expecting fear. Panic. Retreat.

Jobbi reached out with one thick, slime-slicked arm and swatted at the weapon.

The durasteel spear bent in half like teaspoon sent to scoop ice cream that was much too firm. Jobbi could go for some ice cream about now.

The Raider didn’t even have time to scream before Jobbi’s fist collided with his chest.

WHUMP.

A full-body, 600-pound Hutt-knuckle punch, right to the sternum. The Raider's ribs caved in, it crumpled like a deflated accordion. He didn’t move again.

Jobbi had expected him to go flying like in the Holofilms, not just... collapse. She stared at the gasping, dying fleshraider.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Something whistled through the air—a javelin. It struck her shoulder squarely – and bounced off with a wet splok.

Jobbi looked down. Then up. Then furrowed her brow.

"Really?"

She adjusted her grip.
And remembered.
The lightsaber.
Valery’s lightsaber.

She hadn’t dared think about it since the Grandmaster placed it in her palm. But now, with adrenaline in her blood and the slowly dying fleshraider before her, she raised it. Her stubby thumb fumbled with the activation plate—

SSHHHK-VMMMMMM.

The blade ignited.

Violet. Bright. Alive.

"I'm s-sorry" she said to the aspirating fleshraider. Then she performed the Sai Cha, as a Mercy to the first sentient creature she had murdered. It would not be the last, not even the only kill this day.

Jobbi Chantin stood between the group and the enemy, slime-slicked and steam-hissing, saber glowing in her hand. Her saucer-plate-eyes located the fleshraider with the blaster. She gripped with the Force—lacking in control but certainly not in power—and pulled the shooter forcefully towards her. And several smaller plants and clouds of earth in its vicinity.

She swung the lightsaber at the fleshraider soaring towards her.
She missed.
The screaming figure crashed into her head-first, neck snapping in a fortunately quick death.

Jobbi hardly felt the impact, but sighed regardless. That was was going to look so cool. Even worse, there were boys watching.

Her tail braced. Her eyes narrowed.
She didn’t really know how to fight with it yet. But these 'fleshraiders' were not scary to the huttlet. They decided to strike the first blow. They tried to pose a threat but underestimated her. She would not hesitate again. For Kas Larsen .

Valery Noble Tydos Kaldan Valoria Elryne Xuko Pagoi Aris Noble @Padawans​

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

As Klar showed him her Split Sabers, Xuko immediately recognized their flexibility and usefulness. "Most impressive" he said, nodding his approval. Not only did it give her flexibility in battle, they had the potential of delivering a nasty surprise to any opponent unaware of their function; tie up their opponent's lightsaber with two blades, then split one lightsaber off with a third hand...

Xuko had heard stories about the infamous General Grievous during the Clone Wars using his four arms to deadly effect, and while the Codru-Ji in front of him did not strike him as a killing machine. neither could he underestimate her capabilities. Although her choice of footwear was ill-suited to the terrain, the practiced ease with which she'd handled her lightsabers indicated a familiarity with the weapons.

The Zabrak matched Klar's bow, if a little more stiffly; the formalities of the Order not second-nature to him, yet. "You are pronouncing it correctly, yes" he replied. "Well met, Klar." Further introductions would have to wait, however, as Xuko felt rather than saw the impending danger posed by the new, larger band of Fleshraiders. It was as if the jungle itself was suddenly holding its breath.

In that moment- the moment before- Xuko understood better what Reina Daival had meant earlier, about the Force being easier to access in times of danger. Extreme circumstances had a way of providing clarity, and with clarity came focus. With focus came the Force.

And with the Force came a warning.

Xuko's eyes flicked to a spot behind Klar to a point in the jungle, and without thinking- or, more accurately, second-guessing himself- Xuko drew his lightsaber in one fluid movement. A brilliant blue beam appeared with a satisfying snap-hiss, intercepting a blaster bolt aimed at the two Padawans.

Xuko stepped to his right to give Klar more room to defend herself and took his bearings, redirecting another blaster bolt as he did so. The forest was alive with the sounds of blasterfire, and as Xuko comprehended the size of the attacking group he begrudgingly agreed with Aris Noble 's tactical plan. The Zabrak didn't like it, but "Hotshot" was right.

At least, for now, the attackers were concentrated on only one side of the path, which meant that the Jedi could form a wedge as opposed to a defensive circle. Jobbi, of all Padawans, took point, proving surprisingly effective despite her clumsiness, but Xuko realized that her early success would most likely be short-lived. Jobbi was the second-largest target in play, clocking in just behind what Xuko imagined Aris' ego to be, and looked to be no more skilled with a lightsaber in her hand than without. If the fleshraiders focused their fire, even Jobbi's considerable natural defenses could be breached.

"We need to help Jobbi" he said to Klar , feeling the heat of a blaster bolt sizzle uncomfortably close to his leg. "I'll take the right, you take the left."

Finding the stench of burnt Hutt mucus even worse than Jobbi's natural odor, Xuko reluctantly took a defensive position on Jobbi Chantin 's flank, first making sure that the Huttlet knew of his approach before he stepped within her melee range. He'd seen what she could do to a durasteel spear and then to a fleshraider's sternum...

@Padawans Valery Noble

 

[Klar]

​

TYTHON​

Forest ​

Honestly, Klar could have stood in the forst chatting up her new friend all day. The forest was nice, Flesh Raiders aside, and she'd allowed herself to briefly hope that they might've set the issue aside by establishing themselves as a threat. Snarling, snapping teeth, biting without serious harm as a mercy. The thought was distinctly canid, though that didn't occur to the Codru-Ji. And why would it? It just made perfect sense to a people who spent the first decade of their lives as wolves.

Shouting. Blaster fire. Orders. Whatever Klar had been about to say to Xuko Pagoi took a back seat to the moment at hand. The blonde padawan drew one of her sabers and dropped into a low defensive stance, using the single blue blade to deflect a pair of bolts that zipped past Jobbi and into the group. She replied to Xuko with a quick nod, running alongside the Zabrak to join the front lines.

No time to wait for clearer orders. An ally was in danger!

Klar took a position at Jobbi Chantin 's side, defending the Hutt's flank from wild shots. The presence of a Hutt, the physicality and the way they occupied the space and even the air around them was something Klar was well accustomed to. More importantly, although Jobbi was more than tough enough to take a few shots - a raging Hutt was sure to draw fire, after all. Klar intended to make sure Jobbi's natural durability was not tested to a lethal extent. At least it was, up until Jobbi struck what appeared to be first blood.

Klar tentatively reached up to put a hand on the Hutt's flank to try and reassure her. When Jobbi seemed to be more resolved than shocked at the Flesh Raider's death, the Codru-Ji gave her her tactical space again and took up position beside her once more, textbook soresu. She hopped this way and that, interposing and deflecting shots into the ground with remarkable physicality.

"Tu channa go, Jobbi!" Klark barked over the din, flashing a thumbs-up with a free hand. "We're with you!"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The sound of blaster fire cracked through the trees. Valery turned, her eyes narrowing at the shimmer of movement between the trunks. She heard the hum of igniting sabers, the clash of impact. The Padawans were holding the line, but the ambush had come fast.

She saw Jobbi charge first, her massive frame absorbing a bolt to the chest like it was nothing. The lightsaber she had been given ignited in uncertain hands, but she was standing between the group and the attackers. Klar and Xuko were at her sides now, forming a solid forward wedge. Aris was already deflecting fire with precision.

That was enough.

Valery stepped forward, then sprinted into motion. The moment her boots left the forest floor, the Force surged through her. She soared over the front line, flipping once, and landed directly in front of the advancing Raiders. Her saber ignited in a single motion, violet light flaring across the battlefield.

She drove her palm into the ground and unleashed the Force with explosive clarity. A wide wave burst outward across the terrain, lifting dust, roots, and bodies into the air. Several Flesh Raiders were thrown back, some crashing into trees, others sprawling across the forest floor.

Valery stood straight.

"Stay together!" she called back, voice sharp and commanding. "Push forward as a unit. Do not break formation." Her saber rotated once in her hand as she stepped ahead of the group.

And then she advanced.

Aris Noble Azurine Varek Jobbi Chantin Tydos Kaldan Klar Xuko Pagoi ​

 

[Aris Noble]

With three now at the front and Valery thinning the ranks, Aris took a step towards the back. His eyes scanned through the trees, watching. Listening. Heartbeats. He could hear all of Jobbi's. Calm, unburdened by the life she took. That was.. Interesting. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but in that same vein she wasn't malicious. A cultural difference, perhaps?

She wasn't alone though, and that's what truly mattered. Xuko and Klar would be enough to keep each other safe as they focused on the front. He reached down, lifting up a pebble from the forest ground. Then chucked it. It blew through the chest of a Fleshraider snipper in the distance, well within his line of sight but likely out of any normal persons.

One after another he took them out, prioritizing those who's rifles had trained on the larger target of Jobbi and her allies. They wouldn't have to worry about their flank.

Jobbi Chantin | Valery Noble | Xuko Pagoi | Klar | Azurine Varek

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

With powerful swings of his lightsaber, Xuko's blue blade carved swaths through the jungle air as he beat back the blaster bolts aimed at himself and Jobbi's right flank. The variant of Form V that he was using- Djem So- wasn't as well-suited for the task of redirecting blaster bolts accuracy like Soreso or Shien were, but Xuko didn't care. His fighting instincts were roused and he fell into a steady flow amidst the chaos of battle.

Swing.

Twist.

Parry.

Block.

Mistake.

Xuko hissed in equal parts pain and annoyance as a blaster bolt grazed his left shoulder, leaving his robe smoking and a shallow furrow in the skin. The Zabrak gritted his teeth and allowed his pain to feed his determination as he charged forward; following the Grandmaster's charge.

No more mistakes.

Jobbi Chantin Valery Noble Aris Noble Klar

 

[Jobbi Chantin]

Pet (hair): Fuzzy (Sha'rellian toop)

She didn’t feel much of anything.

The next Raider came at her with a crude club, gnarled wood and sharp stone. It struck her side. Bounced off. Left a bit of a mark on her slime, but nothing else.

Jobbi raised her arm. Brought it down. Heard the snap of something hard inside the crush of something soft.

Another tried to jab a blade into her shoulder. It slipped along the dense folds of her skin, cut nothing. She turned, swung her tail sideways, felt him go flying through the air and hit a tree.

She supposed she should at least try to use the lightsaber the grandmaster lent her. She used it only when she had to. Inefficient. Sluggish. She didn’t know the stances, didn’t try to mimic the form. It was a kitchen knife, not an elegant weapon. A means to finish something that didn’t need to take longer.

She grabbed the next Raider by the arm. Crushed the elbow in her grip. Unceremoniously lifted him by the limb simply cut through collarbone and neck, leaving the one-armed headless corpse to fall below. She dropped the remains. Moved onto the next.

Grab. Lift. Cut. Drop.

"...It looked a lot cooler in the holofilms."

Another Raider. A swing bounced off her. A blaster bolt that hit her chest sizzled.
She reached out. Slammed him to the ground with a fist. Raised him. Perhaps he was already dead?
An iris flickered, a twitch of pain.
Evidently not. Once more the lightsaber. Another cut. Another corpse.

She wondered, for a moment, if they should have pulled back, but the Grandmaster had brought them here, and the others were at greater risk than she.

Maybe that meant the Force wanted this. For them to see. To understand what it meant to be in battle. Not in fantasy. Not in projection.

Just action. Repetition. Like a butcher. She idly let her mind wander as she kept going by rote, eventually humming along as if doing chores, singing along to a Sleemo song without realizing it – unaware of how the lyrics might sound in this context.

"Blacka smokea kissa sky
Jee-jee rise, uba die
Marcha on, foota fall
Jee-jee banka crusha all"

Valery Noble Klar Xuko Pagoi Tydos Kaldan Aris Noble @Padawans​

 

[Klar]

​

Xuko had taken a hit. He seemed like he could still fight - even charging ahead. Klar called out briefly when he charged ahead following the battlemaster. She'd been relying on him to keep forming the wedge with Jobbi as the spearhead! But he was already gone.

Jobbie seemed to have entered some sort of battle-trance, throwing and snapping Flesh Raiders with her bare hands while chanting nonsense. It wasn't that Klar didn't understand Huttese, either - it was the first language she'd learned to speak - but what Jobbi was saying didn't make sense.

Klar was unenviably left with a decision. To support one colleague who was injured but clear-eyed, or a separate colleague who was seemingly invincible but speaking in tongues.

The choice was easy. Xuko was following Grandmaster Noble's charge. There could be fewer safer places for him. If she left, Jobbi would be on her own, and who knew where her mind was at? Or where it might lead her? Jobbi's need was more clear.

Klar flourished her blade, drawing the other half of it along with her second splitsaber. With two saberstaves formed, the Codru-Ji took a half-leap towards a group of Flesh Raiders closing in on Jobbi's flank. She bared her teeth, she spun her blades in great sweeping motions that tore up the ground, she mad-dogged the biggest one there so he'd know she was a threat to be taken seriously - even if he was too hammerheaded to easily stare down. She drew herself up to her full height, looming as best she could.

It didn't work, of course. Flesh Raiders didn't understand or care about canid threat signaling.

When the trio of degenerated rakatan charged at her, Klar waited until the very last moment to furtively strike at one's legs as she backpedaled - blocking a blaster strike and a vibroblade, maneuvering so it was hard for all three to bear down at her at once. Klar's defensive skills were on point, she made attacking her difficult and made landing a blow even more so. A Flesh Raider swung a heavy overhead strike that the blonde quietly guided into the shoulder of one of his compatriots with a calm parry. A wild shot came in from the treeline, and Klar deftly deflected it into the thigh of the Raider who'd swung at her. She tried her best to ensure that these actions were as non-lethal as possible, but in the chaos of battle? It was harder to do than she'd expected.

Soresu was the style that came most naturally to Klar, and she used it to great effect here - guarding Jobbi's flank, dancing around her tail. She ensured that the Huttling could focus on meeting - and dismantling - the threats that came before her. Even if Klar personally wasn't the best at actually dispatching those threats herself.

 

[Vera Noble]

​

Tag: Aris Noble Xuko Pagoi Klar Jobbi Chantin Tydos Kaldan Azurine Varek

​

Vera closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. The air around her shimmered. She stood on a balcony overlooking the Noble homestead, yet her vision carried her far away. She saw a hidden cave nestled deep within Tython's mountains. Flickering torchlight and crude markings on the stone hinted at a dark purpose. Shadows moved at the edges of her sight... Flesh Raiders gathering within.

She could feel the echo of their intent. A sense of hunger and warning. The cave was not just a shelter; it was a staging ground. And they were preparing to strike again.

Vera focused on that image. She opened her mind and reached out gently, not through words but through feeling. She linked to Aris Noble . Their bond was strong, even though the Force flowed so differently around him. But he was her brother, and she would find him.

Aris, there is a cave in the mountains North of you. The Flesh Raiders are gathering there. You must lead the others to it. It came to him as a thought, clear and so obviously Vera. She could not reach her mother from so far, but Aris was different. He would understand.

She let the connection go. Her feet sank back into the balcony stone, and she steadied her breathing.

Their path was set.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

They were still getting shot. Jobbi seemed to be mostly resilient to the blasters coming her way, but it was Xuko who took a shot that seemed to actually hurt him. He was following after Valery at least, so he shouldn't be in any life threatening danger, but was it really alright for him to stay on the sidelines and let them get the experience they needed?

Klar on the other hand was actively trying not to kill. It was admirable. It took much more skill to avoid killing a foe than most would think. The risk it put on her, on others, all of it needed to be accounted for to make sure it didn't end up costing life in the process.

Aris, there is a cave in the mountains North of you. The Flesh Raiders are gathering there. You must lead the others to it.

Aris blinked. Vera? There was no reason to doubt it, especially now. His choice was made as he shifted from the rocks he'd been throwing to the lightsaber on his hip. A flash of blue and he joined beside Jobbi and Klar. He moved quick, helping them both to carve a path forward.

"They're gathering in a cave just to the North, for an actual assault. We caught them by surprise it seems. We're pushing to it, so stay close. Jobbi, stop letting yourself get shot if you can help it."

Jobbi Chantin | Klar | Xuko Pagoi | Valery Noble

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

"There are more?!" Xuko said, ducking under an axe and aiming a disarming strike at the fleshraider who had just attacked him. A squeal and the smell of burnt flesh accompanied the axe's falling to the jungle floor... along with the hand that still held it. Another follow-up strike finished off the fleshraider before it could retaliate with its other weapon. The sounds of combat were diminishing, and Xuko realized that the Jedi's charge had routed their assailants; those not lifeless on the ground were disappearing into the foliage to the North.

Xuko extinguished his lightsaber, breathing hard. He was in excellent shape, but Djem So was also one of the most physically demanding lightsaber forms, and the Jedi had fought a pitched battle for several minutes. He glanced around the clearing, feeling a surge of relief that the other Jedi (even Aris) seemed to be relatively unhurt. Blood was streaming down the Zabrak's face, but a closer inspection would reveal that it was not his own; one fleshraider had learned the hard way that the horns on Xuko's head were not for show.

Xuko didn't ask many of the questions that were on his mind, such as how Aris had gotten this new intel, or why the Epicanthix had chosen to throw rocks at the start of the battle. Instead, sensing that time was of the essence should the Jedi wanted to capitalize on their advantage, he laid his other thoughts bare.

"We are not an army" he said, challenging Aris' suggestion that they go on the offensive. This had started as a jungle walk with newer Padawans, and while Xuko was learning that Jedi were capable- especially ones like Grandmaster Noble- the thought of taking on an even larger group with their current force seemed unwise. "Furthermore, we do not even know if this is our fight. These fleshraiders have different markings than the ones we met earlier. Should we not seek understanding before we commit to a larger battle?"

Valery Noble Aris Noble Jobbi Chantin Klar

 

[Kell Masaara]

This was a test. Never mind that Kell absolutely did not set an alarm, or maybe she did and simply slept clean through it, or maybe even just hit the snooze enough times that the poor machine gave up. It was now a test, she had decided, having shown up thoroughly late to the party, and one that she was actually, genuinely well-equipped for.

Closing her eyes, Kell gathered the Force around her, over her, like a grasping cloak that diminished her in one direction and expanded her in so many others. Fundamentally unimportant. A creature. Not one of flesh or bones or anything edible, really - inconsequential to the flesh raiders that stood behind rocks and trees at the the very edge of her senses. At once both the hider and the seeker, Kell walked like she belonged there, like any stray pebble or branch or moss on the trees. If it could fool the sith, it could fool some doughy cannibals.

Seeing beyond sight, Kell felt the padawans' footfalls, their path, before she ever saw disturbed earth, before she ever smell- oh sweet mercy. The smell. Did they have a karking hutt here or something? The stench was enough to disrupt what part of her concentration was bent on seeking, but if you could smell a hutt, in her experience, you were pretty dang close to one.

Sure enough. That's Jobbi, alright, and not a deeply unfortunate tactical decision. Slipping in with the group, tripping a raider as she came to set one against his fellow, Kell may as well have been here the whole time. Her approach, visible. Her significance, hardly any - until she shed the shroud. Then she was a padawan again, with the jumpsuit and the lightsaber and the space magic - how could you have ever mistook her?

Hey gang, new girl here. Definitely didn't leave without her.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The last of the blaster fire had faded, leaving only the soft hum of lightsabers and the ragged breathing of those who had pushed through the chaos. Valery turned, scanning the path behind them to ensure no stragglers remained. For now, the forest was still. She looked toward Aris, who stood ready with his saber ignited, eyes set toward the distant rise.

"Lead the way," she said, her voice steady and certain. She moved to the back of the group, keeping a measured pace behind the others. Her presence was firm, a wall between them and any threat that might still be out there.

Ahead, the terrain began to shift. The tree line thinned as the underbrush gave way to stone. A narrow ridge rose before them, carved from the mountainside and half-shrouded in mist. At its base, barely visible through the gaps in the brush, a dark opening yawned between the rocks.

The cave.

Crude totems marked its edges, scraps of bone and old metal hanging from sinew cords, swaying in the breeze. The symbols were tribal, primitive, and Flesh Raider in origin.

Valery narrowed her eyes.

Whatever waited inside, they were close now.

"Stay alert," she called forward. "We're not done yet."

Aris Noble Azurine Varek Jobbi Chantin Tydos Kaldan Klar Xuko Pagoi
​

 

[Jobbi Chantin]

Pet (hair): Fuzzy (Sha'rellian toop)

Jobbi, stop letting yourself get shot if you can help it."

The words echoed behind her eyes as she turned to glance toward Aris Noble. His tone wasn’t unkind, just… firm. Like a teacher reminding you to read the instructions before starting the test.

And that’s what this was, right? A test?

Her tail shifted slightly in the dirt as she tried to remember how Jedi did it in the holofilms. There was twirling. Bouncing. Elegant angled parries. She held the saber higher. Looser.

Another blaster bolt zipped toward her.

She swung.

It missed completely.

The bolt struck her side again. ZAP! She flinched.

"Ow."

She tried again. Her next swing decapitated a tree fern. A second stroke flung dirt everywhere. A third somehow sheared her own belt pouch clean off.

None of the bolts were deflected.

All of them kept hitting her.

Not deadly. But annoying. Persistent. One seared her slime and left a bubbling patch of skin that stung like a wasp kiss.

As her motions slowed and her kill rate dropped, the Raiders noticed.

They swarmed.

Crude blades and electrified prods poked and jabbed at her body, desperate to find soft spots. Her skin rippled under each impact, too thick to pierce, but not thick enough to avoid being painful.

She grunted. Slithered back.

A spear cracked against her side.

A club slammed into the back of her neck.

Her whole body twisted. Her jaw clenched.

"I’m trying to PRACTICE!"

She reared up.

Her tail whipped around with a sickening CRACK—WHUD—SNAP.

A wide, flattening sweep.

Three Raiders were flung backward, bones broken. Two more were sent flying into trees. One crumpled beneath her coils with a wet crunch.

The jungle went quiet—momentarily.

Jobbi exhaled. Fuzzy peeked from behind her shoulder, eyes wide.

"...They never had this problem in the holos."

She repositioned her saber grip again. Looser. Higher.

"Okay. One more try."

She faced the next wave. She wasn’t taking this personally. It was still just a test.

Just a class.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to pass.

Valery Noble Klar Xuko Pagoi Tydos Kaldan Aris Noble @Padawans​

 

[Kell Masaara]

Okay, that was actually really, really cool. The mattress incident didn't nearly give her the correct impression of Jobbi Chantin 's strength, and simply taking blaster fire like it was nothing more than a flashlight flicker gave Kell a sense of why the crime lords weren't often assassinated: it was a genuine undertaking just to try to hurt them, never mind kill them. Glad she's on our side, sheesh.

Kell looks ahead to the mouth of the cave and approaches one of the grisly totems softly flapping and clanking in the breeze, trying to glean... something from it. Is it a warning? A trophy? A sort of sacred marker to them? Surely not every cave had this sort of arrangement - they aren't simple animals, this has to have some significance. During this closer examination, she discovers something that sends a spike of anxiety through her: though ancient, rusty, and battered, the unmistakable form of a lightsaber emitter, snapped from its body, dangled from the end of a length of sinew and clattered hollowly against sun-bleached bones.

Carefully, Kell lifts it up so others can see if they wished, stiffening momentarily as faint, muddied echoes of its past meet her through the Force.

Argh, my arm! No! Please! Don't kill me, please!

She swallows thickly, turning in place toward Aris Noble and the others in the group before speaking quietly, "We've lost people to this place, a long time ago. Look." Kell knows she isn't invincible, that none of them are, but she wasn't expecting such a chilling reminder so soon. Her master's teaching, that no one that carried the saber is safe from violence, echoed in her mind.

Valery Noble - Klar - Xuko Pagoi - Tydos Kaldan -Uhh anyone else I missed