The chronicles of a haunted planet

[Armaud Eden]

He liked to think that he was entirely independent. Being dropped off in a random world, left to wander, he imagined himself doing fairly well. But the truth of the matter is that he wasn't always like that - it took time and a persistent appetite for xenobotany and xenobiology that made him as efficient as he was, despite his outward appearance. Aloof, except when it mattered.

"A bit early to be missing it..." He stated in pieces between each sawing motion of the blade. Until it finally snapped and they both fell towards the ground.

If Kinsey wasn't particularly graceful, then by comparison, Maud would have seemed as clumsy as an endorian chicken dropped from a perch after being dewinged. And by that, not graceful at all.

"Ugh..." He moaned quietly as he hit his back and rolled, placing fingerless gloved hands on his spine. Yanking the staff out, he bared his teeth. "Reinforced wood...it doesn't give." He spoke the words but heard Master Vandals voice in his head. Emerald eyes glanced over to the girl as the mist had bellowed outward from them, slowly creeping back in. "Could have been worse..."

He had nothing clever for how that was so. But he was sure that it could've.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Could always be worse," head popped up from the mist that had already started to claim back its previous occupancy. Lopsided grin shot toward her passenger. Face turned to a scowl up at the remains of the rope. Standing, she brushed herself off and looked down.

"I think there's a path here. Seems to be going the way we want it." Blues drifted down to the compass as she lead the way again, glancing over her shoulder once to make sure Armaud was alright. Well, alright as he normally was. Which wasn't normal at all. up ahead the mist would thin to reveal a dilapidated village. And in that village, there was no mistaking the sudden and thick malevolent feeling of darkness.

Thicker than tar.

Kinsey couldn't help the twitch of her fingers at her side, hear the hilt of her blaster.

She didn't like this.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He smirked. She was right. What if Brainticks could fly? That would be way worse.

He was slower to stand then her, brushing off his clothing with mild obsessiveness. He decided that whatever dirt had been there was either long gone or there to stay. Lifting his gaze, he felt around as they moved, though he wasn't convinced that the path they were taking was anything beyond a game trail. But a game trail here would indicate life and based on what they have found so far, that seemed to be pointing towards the truth.

"Seems awfully lively here to harbor ghosts..." It was a moment of clarity, bypassing his tendencies to take everything in literal form. Gazing down at her compass, he caught her attention to him in brief moments of time. Like she was checking on him, making sure he was still around. Mentally or physically, the two were aligned but in Maud's case, not necessarily inclusive.

Green eyes moved to the village and he stepped forward, just beyond Kinsey, noting her hand movement to her hip. "In most cultures..." He whispered. "Reaching for a weapon is a threat of intent." He ticked his tongue as he moved forward, grip tightening around the staff. He could feel the item hum and vibrate beneath his grip.

He spotted a small hut at the entry way to the village, a roof of moldy thatch that had long caved in. If anyone lived there, it was a miserable existence. And stepping forward, he reached upwards and felt at the construction. Between his fingers, he rubbed red mud into mush. "This is primitive. But it's not terribly old."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Yeah, well. It's worked for me so far, hasn't it?" The girl quipped back even as Armaud stepped forward. He was always touching things. The plants. Seeds. Bitter-tasting, some would call - gross, roots. That grip on his staff. The clay of the hut.

Of course, Kinsey didn't know he was part Kiffar.

"What is it with you, a texture thing?" Blues narrowed on orange-reddish stain left behind along his fingers. Index-finger tapped along the hilt of her holstered sidearm.

That's right, still holstered Armaud Eden!

There was a crack of root behind her and she whirled around. The mist swirled beyond the village line. Couldn't help but be jumpy. Fingerless-gloved hand drifted down to her belt, plucking the comm free. "Oy, Pibs. Got any readings of other ships. Life signs?"

Comm was met with static.

Frown deepened along her lips, brows scrunching together. Might just not be good signal. She fumbled to get the comm back on her belt and found that when she looked up to meet Armuad's gaze, three more gazes of others were looking back at them. By their posture and look it was clear they weren't friendly. And it was clear they were hungry.

Chit.

"So much for the treasure," she muttered lowly.

 

[Armaud Eden]

double post

 

[Armaud Eden]

"I'm big into touching..." He answered without thinking it over. Other interpretations might have flown over his head, as it were, but he was distracted. Not the sort of distracted where he might be chasing a butterfly through an open meadow. More the sort of distracted where his eyes were crestfallen, looking intently at imprints on the ground.

One set was deep on the left heel, a heavy figure with a wound that gave him a limp - or maybe a defamatory from early childhood. The other two were females based on size, or small males - maybe children. Without knowledge of whatever it was that inhabited this area, it was hard to make anything besides assumptions. For all he knew, it could just be a species that was more or less dense than baseline humans, or they could be knowledgeable of tracking and shifting their weight.

He listened to the tones on the comm, the static coming through. And he watched as Kinsey turned around, eyes shifting.

He knew there was somewhere there, he could sense it through the heavy mist. But it was offsetting.

"No pulse. No heartbeat." He muttered as he gripped his staff, taking a slow step back towards Kinsey. As he moved, he spun and met the gaze of those looking back at them. "Guess it's a bad time to confess that I'm more of a lover than a fighter."

They began to weave slowly into the village, separating themselves and turning one large target into three. Maud chewed on his cheek as he nodded, knowing full well what these creatures were. Though he wasn't sure he believed his instinct, they were more fable than truth in his mind. Like bed time stories Gabe would have told him to make him sleep. Go to bed or the force vampires will get you. Don't want the Anzati to find you awake, do you? But the tentacles were a dead give away, the stature and the measure of their presence.

"Continue to mask your presence, eh?" He looked to Kinsey from the corner of his eye. He was practiced with it but wasn't sure it was quite needed, yet. Might make for a good tactic as the mist rolled in.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"A lover and a toucher," the quip left her lips as Armaud eased in closer to her tensed-shouldered form. Couldn't help the quips. Made her relax in these kinda situations. Sidearm was already gripped in one hand. Her compass shoved back into her satchel.

Sharp-surprised look flickered to Armaud's pools of earthen green.

"How," more than a few questions died on the tip of her tongue. There would be more time for that later. Hopefully. "Get back to the ship. I'll cover us." Might be an odd statement coming from a self-serving spacer. But those who knew the girl, knew she protected her crew. And right now? Armaud Eden was crew.

Still. Couldn't let the word get around too much about her caring. It'd ruin her reputation.

Taking quick aim, she fired at the one walking to block off the path behind them.

Kriff, they were fast!

There was a hiss and a sharp cry as the three moved at once, coming in at different angles. Light footsteps on mucky-ground. Wraiths in the landscape.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He couldn't recall a single moment where he had run from an engagement. Not because he was beaming with some sense of courage or because he was overwhelmingly capable. In truth, he wasn't sure why his sense of self-preservation was weak, at best. He'd like blame his sheltered upbringing, if given a chance.

"Hmm." He stated quietly as the first shot rang out from the blaster. "That's not going to help here." He stated, with utter confidence, as he looked down at the foundation of the thatch house.

Taking a step back, he planted the Ankarres staff in the ground and gripped it tightly. Tonguing his cheek, he fiddled a bit with the staff. A furrowed brow indicated some frustration, though he obviously did his best to hide it. His demeanor wasn't entirely removed from someone who had bought a ship only to find that it wouldn't take off. "Come on..."

The Anzati were getting close and Maud didn't seem to mind. Planting his feet, he tilted his head as he loosened his grip. "There. Just have to ask nicely."

A current of power exited from his palm, slid down the staff, and entered the ground. And for a moment, it seemed like nothing would come of it. Until the ground rumbled and vibrated, shaking and threatening the posture of the young Bohemian. Erupting from the ground, all at once, thick vines of Rotan shot from the red earth and struck skyward. Overlapping and coiling about themselves, the wall started small before expanded outward - to block the advance of the Anzati. From his pouch, the ambient energy sprouted the edible pine nuts and small bushels began to bust from his pocket.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Kinsey suddenly found herself smack dab on her rear from the rumble and tumble of the earth. Blues widened considerably. How did he....

The stick.

What the kark was that thing?

Gorram forcers. Yeah, yeah. Hypocrite.

There was a nice, wooden barrier between them. Vines like solid noodles in the air. There were disgruntled hisses and thumps on the other side as the anzati were met with something very unsuspected. They didn't have long.

Kinsey launched to her feet and went to grab a fistful of Armaud's flowing clothing to yank him back. Hard. "Come on Plant Man. The ship! We can talk about your poor regard for following captain's orders later."

The girl was keenly aware of the touch of static she shared with the bohemian. It was a surge of power. A surge of something that spoke into the depths of her being. Something she longed to forget and would rather keep quiet.

Her focus remained on the anzati beyond the wall, though. Even as she tried to tug her peer along back the way they'd come. Grip was firm. On his clothes and on her sidearm.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He found himself somewhat impressed by the vine turnout. This place was decidedly alive and deceptively so. Before he could turn the vines on the enemies, ensnaring them before being able to move on with the adventure, Maud felt a pressure at the collar of his neck. And suddenly he was pulled back, dislodging the staff from the ground.

He grimaced as the fleshy vines turned woody, hardening to an impenetrable wall. They were unreachable now, he had determined.

"Plant man...cause of the pine nuts?" He exclaimed as he pulled his hood up over his head and began a light jog. "I took it more as a request then an order."

He shrugged as he picked up the pace, dragging her along if she was still clinging to him.

"Hope that droid is powering on your ship...the wall wont hold them for long!" The mist curled around him as he moved, twirling and spinning oddly to their movement.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She was working on breathing. She could run but was always better at short sprints. This was a bit more of distance and the girl always felt clunkier to land. Something Armaud didn't seem to have a problem with. His lanky legs were propelling him much further long.

She could only grunt in response to his words. Well. Couldn't help herself in trying to respond.

"Nuts," breath, breath, breath. "Roots......vines!"

Plant man definitely fit. At least she hadn't said BOY.

And about Pibs being ready? She'd gotten static from the last comm call. Wasn't sure if it was interference. Or if something worse awaited for them at her ship. If Pibs was monitoring their signal, the droid would know what to do. It's owner never moved that fast unless something was wrong.

There was a loud CRACK behind them but she didn't look back. Didn't have the energy to. Up ahead, she thought she could make out the outline of her ship half hidden in the mist. Boots pounded against the moist earth. Roots and thicker mud threatening to ensnare her. Threatening to slow her down. And there was a foreign force stalking along the borders of her mind. Testing the perimeter.

Teeth grit.

 

[Armaud Eden]

His long shanks helped but more than anything, running through the fields was a practiced activity for the young man. Much of his youth, and admittedly young adulthood, was spent discovering and wandering. It meant living on the land, building small shelters with raw materials, and hunting things to ground. He couldn't count the number of beasts that seemed far smarter than the common game. But when it came to movement and cooling, none were so well equipped as the common man for stamina and duration.

He smirked as he heard her respond, though he was sympathetic. If they were in atmosphere at full G's, he might have passed out while she remained cognizant and aware. Everyone had their strengths.

"We're almost there..." He stated to her, confidently, as he looked towards the distance. The world around them was cold and muggy and the ship was still giving off heat. And while he might not have looked it, his blood ran rich with hidden physiology of the Arkanians. Meaning a slight derivation of infrared sight, controlled from an early age.

In one hand, his staff. The other reached into the pouch of his satchel and pulled the Pine bushel from it. Running, he lifted to his lips and whispered words that couldn't be heard. Coiling back, he flung the seedling as far he could. As it was succumbed by the mist, nothing seemed to come of it. Until a soft groan echoed, followed by what Maud could only assume was a squeal from their pursuer. Even in the mist, he could see the gargantuan tree take shape as it laid across the road.

He stumbled as the ship came into view. "That...that wasn't a pine." He stated, disoriented, green eyes searching the horizon. "Cypress, maybe..." That was more expenditure than he was expecting. He wasn't accustomed to such costs.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Kinsey Starchaser blinked.

Had he just.....

.......................grown a tree?!

Kark.

As he stumbled, she worked on closing the distance between them. Still. Couldn't help but look back over her shoulder at the massive object that was there in a path that had just been empty. She snuck back another glance, mouth slightly ajar.

When she looked forward again, the mists were breaking free, her ship ahead. She was nearly caught up to Armaud.

"Just don't...do that on my ship," her uncanny sense to be in the right place at the right time made her duck quite suddenly. An anzati missed her but found himself propelling toward Armaud.

"Look ou-!" She yelped as she found her ankles tied up by a foreign grip. Arms pushed out as she hit the wet ground.

"Pibs!" She yelled at her droid even as she kicked at the Anzati crawling up her legs. They needed reinforcements.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He was almost towards the door of the ship, though it hadn't been opened yet. Pibs wasn't being particularly helpful at this point, though Maud wagered it wasn't to do with the robot as much as the mist and the current circumstances. Outlook was looking poor.

Just as Kinsey was cut off in mid declaration for the young man to look out, Maud felt a bit of a shiver towards the tail of his spine. Planting the staff to his right, he twisted and rolled across the ground, bringing the weapon with him as the Anzati sailed above him and struck the side of the ship. Didn't seem to be much damage to the figure and he only seemed dazed. The sort of injury that would only slow him temporarily.

Maud stumbled back, kicking up mud, as he looked towards the one holding Kinsey by the leg. And then the other, now stalking through the remaining mist and attempting to flank Maud.

"Well." He breathed out, breathing heavily. He chuckled as the male Anzati began to stand, though his smile quickly turned into a grimace. Then the Anzati wasn't standing anymore. He was face first in the ground, nearly submerged in the mud.

Maud stood over him, swatting him again with the staff, having seemingly leaped the distance in the blink of an eye. "No, bad! Down! Bad!"

That one wasn't getting up for a bit.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

The u-wing door hissed open, hot air creating a friction in the colder molecules of the planet. Kinsey caught a flicker of what was going on with Armuad out of the corner of her eye. But her full concentration was on Mister Handsy and Hungry. She got a couple good kicks to his face but he managed to dig a knee into her stomach, using his strength, size, and position to his advantage.

"Chit head!" She gasped as his knee dug deeper into her stomach, the Anzati's hands trying to pin her arms down and keep her face still as he lowered his head closer and closer. The monster's nose tentacles slithering on a very direct path. Only, they didn't quite get there. Head jerked back and her mouth opened for a moment, teeth clamping down savagely.

Something chewy and disgusting broke off like rubbery spaghetti - the Anzati still pinning her down screamed in startled and blinding rage.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Maud hissed as he dodged to the right, holding the staff by one hand and dragging the other end in front of him - as if he were blind. The third Anzati had jumped and missed him, by a hair, and was now strafing the rouge knight with what appeared to be malicious intent. His eyes were forward but he couldn't get Kinsey out of his head, the struggle she was going through and the way it was rippling through the force.

It was sickening.

She had done so well to hide it.

Reeling back, he launched the staff at his pursuer like a missile. It hit with particular accuracy, knocking the female Anzati back. He had his shot and turning on his heel, he stumbled as he ran, grabbing something from the ground. Just as he approached Kinsey, he dived and tackled her assailant. Gripping a stone, he punched the figure hard in the face and let out a wince, feeling the bones break in his knuckles.

He punched again.

And then they went a'rolling about. "You...squid faced kraken, pick on someone your own size!" He landed another punch before the Anzati kicked him in the groin and freed himself of the tree huggers enthusiastic punches.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

There was a blur of earth-tones and tattooes and the jabbing weight over top of her form was suddenly gone. She gasp and half-gagged, spitting out blood and the thing that was in her mouth. A heave racked through her hunched over body. It wanted to do more than spit it out - it wanted to empty the contents of her stomach, which luckily, wasn't too full right now.

The explorer grit her teeth and pushed the feeling back as she lunged for her fallen sidearm in the mud. Spinning up and around on her knees she didn't hesitate to aim and fire as there was a hair in separation between Armaud and the now 1.5 tentacled Anzati. The particle beam was sent on stun and made impact with the man's central nervous system instantly.

Went down like a steaming stack of bricks.

Pibs spun out along the door, arm extended, getting a nice electric shock into the female anzati as she was trying to stumble up.

Gaze swept over Armaud determining he was alive. Pushing herself to a stand, she offered him a muddy hand.

"C'mon we need to go."

Pibs whistled.

They would take care of injuries on the ship.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He groaned as he kicked the stunned Anzati's shin, doing his best to muster the strength to get up - particularly after such distressing wounds. He opened his left hand and closed it, sending a shock a pain through his wrist and up his forearm. It hurts when I do that, he thought to himself. And his mind returned an answer, deep and resonance and belonging to a Zelosian.

Then stop doing that.

Taking Kinsey's hand, he came up to his feet and hunched over. Hobbling over to the ship, he took the staff in hand and stood up tall, taking a deep breath.

"Did you...bite that tentacle off?" He pointed to the thing on the ground with his broken hand, looking back at the Anzati with 1.5 of them, and then back to Kinsey. With a chuckle, he shook his head as he approached the open door of the ship. "Gross."

Stepping up into the ship, he patted the extended arm of the robot and sighed heavily. "Good robot."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Pibs whistled at Armaud and retracted the arm into it's round body. Its metallic body gave the young Eden a gentle nudge in the leg then swiveled its head and whistled at Kinsey. "Yeah, yeah bud. We're okay," hand patted the domed top gently as her boots left little mud-tracks inside the ship. The u-wing door sealed and locked behind them.

Leaning over the sink, she spit and did a quick swig of water in a mug. Her face looked a little ashen. Slightly green.

"Let's not talk about it," she managed to the bohemian, trying to keep a grip on the bile that threatened to bubble up from the back of her throat.

So yeah, it was REALLY gross.

"Pibs, can you take us up?" The pebbledrone booped and rolled to the cockpit, pulling itself up the stairs with its utility arm. Kinsey turned to Maud. Her clothes were caked in cold mud that was quickly drying. Bruises and cuts were beginning to turn her skin purple, blacks, and dark blues along her arms. Blood dribbled down her chin that wasn't her own.

"Thanks back there," body wobbled slightly as the ship left the mucky-ground of the swamp. She pulled a medkit from behind one of the seats. "But I think you and I have some things to talk about." Half mud-caked face was serious.

 

[Armaud Eden]

"Things to talk about..." He muttered as he found his way into the crash webbing, feeling the vehicle take off from the ground. He was hoping this didn't mean the end of the treasure hunt. "Just not about you biting that thing, right?" He smirked as he leaned back, resting the staff against interior hull.

Holding his left hand in his right, he rubbed at the knuckle that was starting to swell.

Eye balling it, he reached into his satchel - covered in mud - and pulled out a piece of bark. And began gnawing on the corner of it.

Mouth full of willow, he looked up to the woman, only now noticing the bruising and cuts. "You want some?" He broke off a piece, leveraging it against his teeth, and extended his hand. "Natural remedy for inflammation."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]