Private The Blind Teaching Colors

[Kahlil Noble]

Coruscant.

When had he ever actually been to Coruscant? Once, a long, long time ago now. When the One Sith laid claim to the center of the galaxy. The planet was a dark place then. A place he didn't exactly like being in. As he wandered out of his ship on one of the lower levels he could already tell things changed. Or was it more that he changed? Unable to feel the Force it wasn't like he could tell if the Sith's corruption still took root. Well, the One Sith's at least.

The reason he was here was two fold. First, and probably most important to him, find out where Valery Noble had gone into hiding. Honestly, he didn't think it'd be this hard to find her again. Sure, they were both afraid that if his Father took him over she'd be in danger, but there wasn't a reason for him to be this unable to find the woman. It wasn't like she was pregnant or anything. If she was, he never woulda left in the first place. With that clear impossibility laughed off the taller figure ticked on the antigrav base of one of the crates he'd brought along and started to push it forward.

That'd be the other reason he was here. To bring aid supplies to the folks trying to fight back the Sithspawn left by the Maw. And help where he could. Even if he was free to choose a different path, it didn't feel right not to help. And while he'd never be able to wield his lightsaber again or use the Force, he could still help out this way. He wandered through the streets, deeper and deeper into the underbelly of Coruscant to the point he couldn't see the sun any longer.

People were living here. He frowned slightly, but that was life. Well, until he saw something up ahead. People running? He blinked once before abandoning his supplies to start running towards the direction. Sithspawn attack. That's what he could hear people shouting. How common was this that people knew to call it a Sithspawn attack? He pulled free the blaster on his hip as he neared the corner, peering around. Something large was there. What, he wasn't sure yet.

But it had people cornered.

He rounded the corner, letting his blaster come to life with a couple shots. Silence filled the air for a couple moments before the figure turned. No face, just wispy shadows. A Virmse ra Dvasia. "Ah. Right. Shit, uh." He waited until the thing at least started to chase him before running away. Course this was what happened today.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai leaped from a hundred stories up, diving toward the ground. At just the precise moment, he thrust out his hand, tethering his flesh to a nearby post, and swung across the cityscape, successfully breaking his fall.

He had been tracking the demon for several blocks now, herding it away from the most populated areas. Now he had it cornered—but unfortunately, it had corralled some civilians in as well. The demon appeared to be intelligent, strategizing rather than just mindlessly attacking anything in sight. But it hungered, too, and Kai sensed an immense cruelty welling up inside it. A desire to make the weak and the helpless suffer.

It was unlikely that he could convince this being otherwise, but he would still try. As soon as he had prevented the trapped civilians from becoming its victims, that is.

He swooped down, landing between the demon and the group of terrified people. His blade was drawn an instant later.

<Stop. I will not let you harm these people.>

The demon laughed, Sith whispers hissing in Kai’s mind. He felt only hatred and hunger from it, a lust for the pain of others.

<This is your last chance. Surrender.>

The demon struck. So did Kai.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

And.. It didn't chase him. Kahlil's eyes narrowed. That wasn't a good sign. If he had his lightsaber, he could at least cut the thing. But his saber's heart was back on his ship. And after what he did to the poor gem.. No, he was on his own here. So rather than run he stepped out, blaster raised high again. He might be able to at least annoy the thing into chasing him instead of targeting the poor people here. Then someone else arrived.

A Jedi?

Kahlil raised a brow as Arlo Renard landed. Nothing was said, but he seemed intent on fighting the demon. And he had a lightsaber. Better off than Kahlil was. The taller man rushed over, letting the Padawan handle the demon as he ushered the still cowering people to follow him. "C'mon! While the Jedi has it's attention!" His voice seemed to snap a couple of the group out of their fear. He couldn't help but smile as those that did helped to bring the one who was still swallowed by that fear to get to his side. And past him.

He pointed the way towards his ship. It was safer that way, he knew that much at least. "Keep going!"

Then he was facing the demon and the Jedi. Ah man, he really wanted to help. His lips thinned as he tried to think up something he could do to give the Jedi an edge.

 

[Arlo Renard]

While Kai dueled with the armored demon, a man ushered the civilians away from the fight. Not having to worry about their safety certainly released some of the pressure on the doppelganger, as he no longer had to divide his attention.

He focused on the Sithspawn before him. As the battle intensified, he scored a crippling blow, hacking off the creature’s gauntlet. Fog escaped the severed limb rather than blood, its weapon clattering to the pavement.

<This is your last chance. Surrender now.>

Out of desperation, the fog began to seep free of the armor, which collapsed in pieces without anything to hold it up. The demon lunged at him, clearly intent on possession, or feeding on his life energy, or both.

It found a being of its own kind beneath the aural dispersion charm, and the tip of Kai’s blade through its core. The Netherworld crystal in the hilt, one of two focusing crystals, proved too much for the demon to bear. It died, the mist of its being dissipating into thin air.

Looking around for any other foes, Kai idly swung his lightsaber, then deactivated the weapon. The only person still left in the area was the man who had helped the civilians escape. Kai nodded to him in gratitude, and prepared to head elsewhere…

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Alright, he didn't need to worry. Kahlil blinked as he watched Arlo Renard handle the Sithspawn. Yet, there was something he couldn't see happening. Ah man, not having the Force really made it difficult for him to get the whole picture. He didn't need it, but he did like being in the know. Then.. He was going to leave. Already? He wasn't sure why, but Kahlil raised a hand, speaking out.

"Hey, hold up!" Why though? He blinked, then glanced back where he left his crate. "Can you uh, help me out? If another of those things comes around I won't be able to stop it n' I got a delivery farther down."

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai paused, having just raised his hand in the air to take flight again. The man was asking for his help, but the job sounded like Kai would be playing escort to a delivery man.

He considered this for a moment, then let his arm drop to his side again. Nodding his head in answer—Kahlil couldn’t “hear” his telepathic acknowledgement, being deafened to the Force—he followed in the direction Kahlil indicated.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

No answer asides from the nod. Kahlil raised a brow, but he didn't question it. Some Jedi were just the strong silent type, right? Thinking back, he really hadn't interacted with many Jedi in his time as a Jedi. Kinda lonely to think about. "So.. You a Knight? Padawan? Hard to tell who's either or these days, but you handle yourself well." Being cut off from the Force meant he wasn't able to tell a lot about people now.

There was lots Kahlil had to relearn, but he still did. Wasn't a long walk back to the crate, which thankfully was undamaged. He'd start pushing it along towards the destination.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai walked alongside the man, hoping that he wouldn’t try to make conversation. No such luck.

As a non-Force sensitive, this dude couldn’t receive his telepathic messages, and Kai wasn’t about to start talking out loud. So when his companion asked him what his rank was, he tried sign language.

Padawan.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Oh. Oohh.

Kahlil watched Arlo Renard for a moment, then smiled. Sign language. Here he was assuming the kid was trying to be the edgy loner trope, but that wasn't the case at all. Momentary shame filled his mind before he shrugged it off. "Padawan, got it." Well that brought it's own questions. Down the path they went, his frown returning as the streets fell even more quiet.

Abandoned?

"How long has it been like this?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

Since the invasion, he signed. That’s how the monsters got here.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

".. Right." Kahlil's frown didn't fade. "You been fightin' em all this time or..? Actually, shouldn't there be others? Where's your master?"

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

There are others. I try to save who I can. That included the Sithspawn, but the stranger didn't need to know that. I don't have a master.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

He didn't have much in terms of a master himself, but was it really okay for a Padawan to be wandering around here alone with all the Sithspawn? He didn't say anything else on it. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, at least Arlo Renard seemed to be able to handle himself. "Shouldn't be too much farther. Just gotta drop these supplies off." Now he was just repeating himself.

Mostly to fill the silence. There was something truly unsettling about having a planet like Coruscant with places that were completely abandoned. Also didn't help he didn't have the Force to listen to. Especially given he didn't notice the dark figure stalking forward through a nearby alley.

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai sensed an animal presence nearby. Unlike most of the Sithspawn, it didn't carry a Dark aura, but it was clearly on the prowl, hunting instincts at the forefront of its mind.

With a flash of movement, Kai was in the alleyway, cornering the lupine creature. It splayed its paws and growled at him. Kai bared his teeth in a mirror of his snarl... then whistled and patted his thighs.

<C'mere, girl!>

The wolf abruptly stopped growling, black lips closing over its sharp teeth. It lowered its head, then cautiously approached. He held out his hand, which she sniffed... then started to lick. He scratched behind her ears with his other hand, quite pleased with this new development.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil blinked and Arlo Renard had gone. Momentary surprise, until he saw the kid in the alley with.. A wolf? He tilted his head, studying the creature. Certainly not from Coruscant and- Ah. "A Warghest." A Sithspawn without the normal over aggression of others. It was one of the products of Alchemy Kahlil had studied in his time as a Sith. Something crafted by the dark but unmarked by it's corruption.

Natural, despite it's origins.

Though. He watched Kai, brow raised. "Y'know most woulda just attacked her right away." A casual observation, but Kahlil didn't linger on it long. Instead he smiled and turned back to the cart.

"They're pretty vulnerable to mind manipulation. If you got any skill with it, you could probably tame her. Save her from running into another Jedi that'd cut her down." Not that they'd be in the wrong. After all this time without her pack, she'd probably harassed or harmed the people living here. Maybe even eaten some if it was necessary.

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai buried his face in the soft fur of the Warghest's neck as he eased into her mind. She was primitive... not so much weak-willed as longing to serve a master... the urge had been planted in her like the companionship instincts of a domesticated dog. It was easy for him to imprint on her, and she him.

Kahlil said something about cutting her down before she could harm someone, the sentiment behind the words not lost on Kai. <I know,> he whispered into the Warghest's mind. <I was an animal too, before I was tamed.>

Dagon Kaze had taken him from the wilderness, made him walk on two legs like a man and fly like an acrobat. He had eaten from the Jedi's mind and gained the knowledge of good and evil. Exit innocent savage, enter tragic monster. Nothing had been the same for Kai since, though he still sometimes felt the beast within gnawing at the walls of his civilized mind, eager to be let loose again...

The Warghest was panting now, enjoying being pet by its new master. Patting her head, Kai signed to Kahlil: She won't attack us. Let's go.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

They were in their own world now. Kahlil watched and said nothing more. Whatever the two were sharing with one another, it was for Arlo Renard and the Warghest to share. When Kai signed, he nodded.

"Gonna name her?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai glanced down at her, thought about it for a while, then signed Sophie.

<Sophie.>

Wisdom. For better or worse.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Sophie it is."

It wasn't long until they made it to a safe area, with locals armed and holding out against the Sithspawn. They weren't under attack at the moment, but that's probably why this job came around in the first place. "I gotta go hand this stuff off. Thanks for getting me here in one piece." There wasn't much of a reason for Kahlil to keep Arlo Renard around any longer, though the idea of the kid rushing back out to go fight more Sithspawn wasn't something that sat well with him.

Even if he didn't have the Force, he could probably still help.

"Y'know, I know a-" Whatever crap he was coming up with didn't last. A scream caught his attention. And another. He turned, running towards the growing amount of screams. Whatever he was going to say was gonna have to wait.

 

[Arlo Renard]

As they continued on their way, the stranger thanked Kai for his help. Kai nodded in response and turned to go.

But then sounds of screaming cut through the air, and both the stranger and Kai instinctively chased the sound to their source.

A woman with wings wreathed in blue flame flew above a city square, green light sprouting from her palms. With her magic she reanimated the dead around her, sending them to attack civilians.

Kai activated his lightsaber and cut down a few of the zombies, trying to get close enough to scope out the situation better. If he was going to take this harpy down, he’d need a plan. He sincerely hoped Kahlil was smart enough not to try and get involved—this threat was clearly way out of his league…

Kahlil Noble​