First Reply One Hundred Days | Part 1

[Loomi]

One Hundred Days
Rannon
Tags: (Open to light aligned)

​

"As a member of our council, Elder Lunara has taken a vow of isolation. To be a High One, one must cut off contact with the lower realm. To interact with anyone else in the flesh would sever a holy connection, making one unable to fulfill their role. She is... unable to meet with you because of this reason."

The words of Valette Puritis Yumia never quite left Loomi's mind, even well after a year since she had found herself meeting the senator of Ord Providence. The memories had been floating through her mind again. Lots were, actually. Her dreams were becoming lucid, and what had once been what she was certain were the remnants of her memory were beginning to change. Blend together. Change. Something new was in her dreaming mind now, a place. She was certain it was real, as certain as she was that the sun would rise on Coruscant. The Godoan wasn't certain what this place was. The silhouettes of people moved through dark corridors, sharing hushed words that never reached her ears. There was something beating in this place... a faint heartbeat. This sound, however, didn't remain in her dreams. It lingered in her ear, drawing her away from home.

Loomi wasn't certain where she was going. She just knew she was. Why? She didn't know. But there she was, landing her starfighter on the forested mountainside of Rannon. The Godoan was overcome by strange feelings she couldn't explain. Her bad eye felt strange, which was unusual considering that it didn't feel much at all. It was as though it was suddenly aware of the cold air pressing against it. She tried to ignore the sensation, wrapping it up in hopes of mitigating the feeling. It helped a little.

As she pulled her poncho at the hem, her droid companion emerged from the cockpit of her starfighter, the spark droid giving a concerned whirr.

"Are you certain you'll be traveling alone, Miss Loomi?" Yogurt asked.

"Yeah..." the Godoan responded with a nod. "Watch the ship for me, okay? I'm gonna be a while."

Loomi gave the little droid a pat on the head before turning to the mass of pine trees ahead of her. She could hear the heartbeat, much stronger now. It was close, or at least closer than it had ever been before. She patted her face for a moment, preparing herself for what lay ahead. Loomi took her first step...

And turned off her communicator.

 

[Aris Noble]

"What do you think, Cinder? Tall enough?"

Aris stood at the foot of the largest tree in this forest, one hand on his chin as he hummed in thought. The Je'ka Lairi on his shoulder chirped once. "Small. Tiny." A couple more chirps of confirmation. It certainly wasn't the great tree Jonyna Si and he had found the bird in. He chuckled lightly, reaching a hand out to touch the bark. It felt cool. Dead. There weren't many dead trees in this forest, but those that were had hardened. Petrified, was the term as he learned.

For life to regrow, they needed to be taken down.

He let his hand fall away as he took a deep breath. Then brought his hand around in a swift, heavy punch. The wood shattered in an instant, crackling out like glass before the tree itself started to tip over. And yet, Aris frowned. The blow had devastated the trunk, leaving a huge portion of it obliterated. That's not what he wanted. Control was important, but he'd taken that as a sign to limit his strength.

He needed to guide it.

A heavy sigh escaped the boy as the tree finished toppling down. It shattered further on impact. Nutrients for the next generation.

"Should we go find another tall one?"

"Tiny, tiny."

He chuckled just a little, reaching up to pat the blisteringly hot bird as if it was any other. Another tall tree it was.

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

Then brought his hand around in a swift, heavy punch. The wood shattered in an instant, crackling out like glass before the tree itself started to tip over.

Loomi cocked her head towards the sound of sudden, distant destruction. Her antennae twitched nervously, tasting the air for any signs of commotion. She'd only been walking for at most a half-an-hour now, so she hadn't expected such a thing so soon. Before she could go to investigate, however, a large hand landed on her shoulder. The Godoan squeaked, turning around to find herself looking up at a fuzzy white giant.

"Hey-"

Her sudden, confused protest at having her shoulder grabbed is cut off by a large finger tapping her lips, hushing her. The four-eyed being then points up before crouching down, signaling for Loomi to do the same. As she does, a hideous screech fills the airways, sending chills down her spine.

A shadow filled the sky. The blackened, inky form of a draconic beast shrouds the sky. Once it was a sentient, intelligent being. Now, reduced to a ghastly state by corruption, it no longer resembles the being it was in life. A shrill noise echoes out from its maw as it inhales before spilling out fiery breath thousands of times more powerful than turbolaser fire. A streak of the forest is incinerated in an instant before it flies off, crying in agony, the fire just shy of Aris Noble off in the distance.

The Talz man stands back up, beginning to sign with his hands. Loomi picks up on a few words, having taken a few classes on hand-codes for use in the field:

Leviathan. Dark thing. Sound makes angry.

Loomi lets out an exhale, her goosebumps beginning to fade. The air was distinctly dark now, giving the air a faint sensation of misery.

All while the heartbeat kept tapping in her ear.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Big. Danger."

All at once the air had changed. Aris blinked as he glanced up, over his shoulder to the distant sound of flapping wings. Of an anguished cry. His expression tightened as he saw what caused it. It wasn't a creature he knew, but given how it soared through the sky, how it opened it's mouth and scorched the earth, all he could think was dragon. He wasn't aware there was dragons here.

He steadied himself, half prepared for the creature to soar at him next. Only it didn't, instead crying out as it flew off instead. That answered what all the petrification was, though the idea that such a beast was behind it was certainly news to the Padawan. He let out a sigh as he glanced up to Cinder, giving them a single nod.

They couldn't linger there any longer. So, he turned, crouched low as he started to make his way from the forest.

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

As Aris began to crouch-walk away from the forest, he would feel the sensation of a marble-sized stone hitting him in the back of the head. The stone would draw his attention to the mouth of a small cave, where three Talz warriors would be visible, signalling for the young man to come towards them. The one in the middle of the group began to sign.

Secret tunnel. Safe. Danger above tunnel.

---

Loomi, meanwhile, began to follow the large Talz man who had helped her remain quiet when the 'leviathan,' as he called it, went overhead. The man lead her to a hole in the ground, jumping down into it before reaching up, offering her his hand. The Godoan accepted it, making the shallow jump into a labyrinth of tunnels, all lit by plasma-cell lanterns. As Loomi began to follow the Talz, the man pulled a translator out of his satchel and began to made deep trumpet noises with his proboscis into the device.

"Apologies, little warrior," the man spoke. "You have chosen a poor time to arrive at our home..."

"I-its okay," Loomi assured, pulling up her hood as she followed. "I was... I was called here."

The four-eyed being cocked his head.

"Called?" he asked, as though looking for confirmation. "I see. Then you are summoned by the Loom Mother. Apologies, Little Weaver. It seems I have not addressed you properly."

The Godoan paused for a moment. Loom Mother? And the man seemed to know that whatever she was experiencing implied that she was a Mist Weaver. She was being called by someone to this place. That was a good start, but she still wasn't sure what to do from here. That dragon would no doubt prevent her from progressing any further.

"Uh... yes. Th-thank you," Loomi responded, giving a polite bow.

"It is good that you've come then, Little Weaver," the Talz continued. "Leviathan burns our home. We cannot remove the blight. Loom Mother would remove blight with the Mist... but we have not seen her in a very long time now."

"The Mist..." she muttered before speaking again. "I-I believe I can help you."

The large man nodded, drawing a white mast from his satchel and handing it to Loomi. The Godoan ran her finger along the face, instantly recognizing it as the product of Mist Weaving. There was a radiance to it, almost like Force Light...

"Loom Mother left this to ward off blight. It will keep you save, Little Weaver."

Loomi brought the mask up to her face, placing it over her skin. It was... warm. Comfortable, even. She couldn't help but wonder who wove such a mask. Before long something caught her eye in the distance, three other Talz in the mouth of a small cave opening. She followed her new companion over to them...

---

As Aris is called over by the Talz warriors, two other figures appear behind them. One is another Talz, but the other is a short figure, cloaked in white with a plain, floral mask...

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris turned as the stone was being thrown, his hand already reaching up to snatch it. His eyes had narrowed, focused for a threat. Unlike the Jedi around him, he couldn't sense intent, he couldn't know if something was a friend or foe without seeing it. His expression softened to something more neutral as he gave a simple nod. Sign was something the Epicanthix had taught him early on.

These weren't the people who sent him here to deal with it.

Do you know where it's nest is?

He signed on his way over, glancing between them. His eyes shifted to the newcomers, though he did double take at the shorter figure. Another Jedi was here? He wasn't aware of that. Godoan, no less. Did they know Loomi? He dipped his head in greetings to them, giving a faint smile. It'd been too long since he last spoke to Loomi, now that he thought about it.

Once he got the chance, he'd speak with her. For now, dragon.

And why it's attacking?

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

When the young Jedi asked where the nest of the Leviathan was, the tallest of the Talz warriors pointed to the nearest peak, where the faint mouth of a cavern could be seen. As they did, Loomi was quick to recognize her friend, who seemed to only be getting taller every time she saw him. But... it seemed that he had not recognized her. His expression was unfamiliar, as though she were a stranger. That was good, she decided. Loomi had not informed anyone of her departure. She didn't want to be found out so quickly.

Leviathan is enraged. Blight corrupts it's mind. Blight is reason for attack.

The four-eyed man examined Aris for a moment before continuing to sign.

Giant Little Warrior. The Little Weaver offers assistance in place of the Loom Mother. If you seek Leviathan, I suggest you follow.

Great. Now her cover was sure to be blown. What would Braze do... Well, Braze did that thing where he would change his voice once... Maybe she just had to do that. Think hard, focus her mind, and come up with someone to copy the voice of. Her mind went blank, as though her tongue instinctively knew the voice before she even spoke a word.

"I don't imagine there's time to stand around," she stated in the voice of Auteme , "If you're coming, please keep up."

She sounded cold in her inflection, but it was really a result of her nerves. Loomi quickly shook off the feeling and set off, moving with haste towards the peak.

 

[Aris Noble]

Blight? Sickness, then? His expression softened. Then this dragon wasn't striking out of anger or maliciousness, but sickness. His gaze shifted off to where he'd heard it fly towards. He wasn't a healer. If this other Jedi wasn't either, then it was likely they'd have to put it down. No, they would. All this destruction and danger for so much life, it'd be their duty.

He nodded once to the voice, unphased by the coldness behind it. To the point was how he used to speak growing up, after all. So, he stepped beside the masked Jedi, his eyes already scanning the horizon for a sign of the dragon, sign of where it might try to go and land. His eyes had no trouble seeing in detail at such a range that he could count the pine needles of a tree at the top of the mountain.

"I'm Padawan Aris. Can you heal it, by chance, er- .. Little Weaver?"

That was the only name he had at the moment, and he did try to say it in the least condescending way he could. Which didn't help, at all.

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

"I'm Padawan Aris. Can you heal it, by chance, er- .. Little Weaver?"

She was too far in now.

"Clio," she stated bluntly, or accidentally bluntly. "I can heal it, but it will need to be restrained."

Which presented an issue in and of itself. Loomi had a rather clear idea of what it was that she could do. The Talz stated that the Loom Mother could cure blight with the Mist, which she recognized to be weaving. But what about it gave her such a power? The only logical conclusion was that the threads could latch onto more than just physical objects. There was something metaphysical about them, which made sense. It was the Force in it's rawest form.

Loomi could only hope that her intuition was right.

Oh, yeah. She needed to be convincing in her disguise. Well, more than she already seemed to be.

"You are... Jedi?" Clio asked. "They are not common in the Rim." At least not in this part of the Outer Rim. "Did your council send you?"

She hated to lie, but she knew that Aris would be unable to detect her intentions. Loomi knew for a fact that the Leviathan was only the beginning. There was no way her friend would allow her to proceed alone, and the Godoan had to proceed alone. It was the only way forward.

"I hope your kind have not lost their mythical talent in the war," she added. "Let's keep moving..."

To the mouth of the cavern, where Leviathan was sure to await them...

 

[Aris Noble]

"Clio. Thank you, I'd hate to have to keep calling you what they've been calling you." Which he wouldn't say again. It was already apparent that he was much taller than the masked girl, and the last thing he wanted to do was be condescending about it. "I can restrain it." He followed beside her, though, a brow did slowly raise at her question.

"You're not Jedi yourself? I thought you were one of the Temple Guards, considering your mask. Then again, the Jedi have used things from other cultures before. Is that mask design something the Godoan use?" It wasn't good he'd just assumed that of her from the mask, but it was what made sense to him. He glanced up to Cinder as if for confirmation.

The bird said and did nothing. Just stared off at something in the distance, then something else. Bobbing about as a bird would. He just chuckled before glancing to Loomi and giving a single nod. Now that they were outside the cave, he didn't want to ay anything tat could alert them of the trio's presence. He glanced again to Cinder, giving a simple hand motion.

Cinder focused right up before it seemed to nod, then took off carefully into the treetops. It was too bright for them to be sneaking with, after all. He continued to sign, this time to the Godoan beside him.

I'll follow your lead here.

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

"You're not Jedi yourself? I thought you were one of the Temple Guards, considering your mask. Then again, the Jedi have used things from other cultures before. Is that mask design something the Godoan use?"

"Godoan?" Clio echoed. "No. It is not from Godo. I do not hail from the homeworld or colony of my people. The mask is woven from the Mist. It was created by my order."

It was kind of similar to a Temple Guard mask, but Loomi found it to be rather different in execution. It certainly didn't feel like one of their masks. Her mind could only race with the thoughts of the one who wove it, the one the Talz called 'Loom Mother.' Was she the one the sound in her ear was leading her to?

Only time would tell.

Standing at the mouth of the cavern, Loomi began to get to work. The Godoan would pause for a moment to observe the fiery bird with Aris. Where had they come from? She began drawing threads from the force, creating a net before the entrance of the cave. It was resilient, made up of thin, radiant strands made of pure Force energy. Something large enough to ensnare the Leviathan, she hoped.

Hold onto one side, Loomi signed, instructing Aris to the other side of the net.

Then she cleared her throat, focused her mind, and took a deep breath. If she could mimic voices...

The screetch of a Nexu exited her lips, echoing into the depths of the cave. This was followed by the horrific scream of the Leviathan. An inky mass appeared in the darkness, rapidly approaching. The air went cold, the grass around their feet beginning to wilt. The beast would rampage forward in a blind fury, throwing itself into the snare Loomi had created.

As it writhed the beast inhaled, preparing it's atomic fire.

 

[Aris Noble]

Strands? Aris tilted his head as he watched 'Clio' weave. Loomi was the only other he knew of who could do that, so, was it just a Godoan thing? No time to really think on it though as he took the other end to stretch over the mouth of the cave. Sure enough, the beast came tumbling through. It flailed as it should, but the rise of heat, the death around them.

Aris's gaze narrowed. The fire grew, so, he did what he knew he could do. He grabbed the net to wrap around it's maw and wrangled it right to he ground with quite the heavy crack of the earth. He wasn't holding back, especially to keep that mouth shut and fire from leaking out.

"Focus on healing it. I got this."

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

Aris's gaze narrowed. The fire grew, so, he did what he knew he could do. He grabbed the net to wrap around it's maw and wrangled it right to he ground with quite the heavy crack of the earth. He wasn't holding back, especially to keep that mouth shut and fire from leaking out.

"Focus on healing it. I got this."

The beast writhed as Aris slammed it to the ground, struggling to open it's maw. It's body was almost gelatinous, covered in a sticky wet film that appeared almost like ink. As Leviathan shook it's long body, flecks of this inky substance flew off of it, sharpened like daggers. The force behind them tore nearby stones apart, reducing them to rubble. As one approached Loomi, however, she didn't flinch. No attempt to move was ever made. Something compelled her not to, almost as though she were amidst a test of faith.

The darkness would never reach her. An unseen force destroyed it and reduced it to ash, as though a field of energy were now present around her. The mask, she recognized.

"Understood," Clio nodded.

The Godoan threw her hands forward, threads of pure light launched forth to latch onto the Leviathan. It latched onto the inky essence, beginning to let off a radiant and terrifying aura. The beast's eyes appeared in the inky darkness, red and irritated. It managed to muster it's strength and throw off Aris enough to snap at his legs, letting out a screech of raw dark energy.

And then the darkness would begin to retreat from the maw of the dragon. The ink began to shrink down to a mass on the torso, where Loomi began to pull it off with the threads, the darkness now forming into writhing sludge and tentacles.

As the Star Dragon slipped out of consciousness, the darkness formed into their new opponent.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris wasn't thrown far. The moment it tried to snap at him, the Padawan caught it by it's jaws, it's fangs even, and brought it right back down. An impossible strength, but normal for him. His eyes stayed calm, focused, even at the heat that radiated off now that the beast's maw was open. At least until something seemed to shift in it. He blinked as the weight he felt faded as once red eyes closed into unconsciousness.

He turned his gaze to Clio, giving a nod. Far as he was aware, this was handled.

But Aris couldn't feel the Force. And his back was to the shadow. It made no sound, had nothing he'd normally be able to hear or smell. It was effectively invisible to him. And that made it that much more dangerous as it brought down a tendril to slam into him.

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

But Aris couldn't feel the Force. And his back was to the shadow. It made no sound, had nothing he'd normally be able to hear or smell. It was effectively invisible to him. And that made it that much more dangerous as it brought down a tendril to slam into him.

Loomi reacted quickly, reaching out with the Force. Threads shot out from her hands, binding the tendril to her and pulling it back. Hopefully it hadn't struck Aris too terribly, the Godoan trying her best to keep the inky appendage from striking her friend.

"Are you okay?" Clio asked.

She didn't have much more time to talk before a tendril came at her, striking her across the shoulder. Loomi hissed in pain below her mask, but maintained her footing. Pain radiated across her body. Her grip on the threads threatened to slip for a moment, though she was quick to tighten her grip.

They just needed to kill this thing now.

 

[Aris Noble]

It didn't even make a sound to him. He blinked as Clio moved instead, pulling threads to capture something he hadn't seen. He turned to face it, surprise clear on his face. Few things could surprise him. It was that sureness that made him so vulnerable when it was. He didn't move at first, half expecting to be battered away but the blow didn't come.

He didn't hesitate any longer.

Aris brought his fist down in a flash, sparks dancing across his skin to further the speed and impact, crashing into the shadowy form at such force the ground cracked and splintered. "I'm not sure I can defeat this with a punch, so, hope you have an idea!"

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

The creature screeched as Aris pummeled it, the blunt force of the blow displacing a good deal of it's inky mass. Loomi, meanwhile, was doing her best to wrangle the beast, trying to keep it down in any way she could. It didn't have the means to throw off the bindings, but it could very much still hurt her. Even with the mask. She needed to come up with a solution, and fast.

The mask. How has the Loom Mother given it the properties of the light? Had she achieved this with Mist Weaving alone? Could she weave light?

What if she was already weaving light?

It was a realization that changed everything about the encounter. The light was not the light. It was the Force in it's purest form, a manifestation of harmony and balance in the face of the twisted reality of the darkness. The threads she had woven were made of light. A fiery white aura lit up the strands, racing across the threads and engulfing the beast in a radiant aura. The blight howled with rage, its snarling now desperate and more wild. It was all futile. In no more than an instant it was all burnt away, reduced to little more than a pile of ash. Mist Weaving was not as it seemed. Only now did the Godoan fully realize what she had learned.

Or perhaps she had always been meant to obtain this gift.

"Apologies for the delay," Clio stated as bluntly as she could make her tone sound. "I had to charge up my energy."

Her head turned to the now cured star dragon, still unconscious on the ground.

"He's alive," she informed Aris. "His Force signature is... strong. I suspect he may be one of your kind."

 

[Aris Noble]

It was odd as Aris punched the shadows. Where a physical blow shouldn't be able to affect a being of shadow like this, Aris's blows hit with sharp impacts, sending ripples through the shadows itself. He hit it as if it was solid, kept it pinned to the ground as Clio built up the strength to burn the shadow with the Light itself. He only relaxed his grip when the shadow faded, glancing finally to the Godoan.

And blinked in confusion.

".. He is very much not of my kind? I am an Epicanthix."

Loomi

 

[Loomi]

Rannon
Tags: Aris Noble

​

".. He is very much not of my kind? I am an Epicanthix."

"I meant he's likely Jedi," Clio responded quickly.

Poor Aris. He was rather slow with those sorts of things sometimes. Loomi brushed it off and moved to assess the star dragon. One gentle touch to the head of the being was enough to make him stir. His body was long and winding, covered in radiant purple scales that reflected the setting sun. His eyes opened, revealing the vibrant gold that had been hidden by the affliction. The dragon coughed, struggling to perch upright before wheezing in pain.

"Little lights..." the Dragon muttered. "I wake to little lights... How is it that I've come to be here?"

The dragon paused before answering himself.

"Ah, I recall now. The dark artifact," he quickly stated. "Destroying it cost my flesh... I must thank you for freeing me from it's grasp."

"Oh... Thank you," Clio responded softly.

The dragon's hand came up to his chin, scratching at a wisp of hair that formed a beard of sorts. His size and strength were apparent, even in his weakened state. Still, the star dragon's body trembled, recoiling from his possession.

"I am Master Tah-Oh," the being greeted. "To whom do I owe my gratitude?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh. He's a Jedi.

Aris blinked in surprise before glancing to the Star Dragon. He couldn't tell, nor would he ever be able to. He watched the Dragon push himself up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he prepared just in case. Without being able to feel the Force, he could only react to what he could see, what he could hear. After a moment his stance relaxed as he nodded.

"Padawan Aris Noble, and Clio. I'm glad you were able to be cleansed. Do you need medical attention, Master?"

Loomi