The Terror From Beyond 2: Let's Punch Out Cthulhu (Wide Open)

[Ashin Varanin]

OOC/ Sequel to this thread. But this one's open. Consider this a Weekend Treasure Hunt, albeit without appreciable treasure unless you feel like looting.

IC/ OSSERITON
NEUTRAL TERRITORY
UNKNOWN REGIONS

Lotek'k, the Terror From Beyond -- tall as a skyscraper, broad as a starship, older than civilization, intelligent and cruel beyond mortal comparison. She'd faced a Lotek'k before, a being summoned from a distant rampage using a circle of close to a dozen Masters (herself included) and the full rites of the Taurannik Codex. The lot of them had barely survived, even with the finest mentalists in history doing their best to resist the being's overwhelming will. She'd been so terrified in the presence of Lotek'k that she'd vomited.

The planet Osseriton, deep in the Unknown Regions (though not far from the territory of the Lords of the Fringe and of the One Sith, as well as the Republic's foothold at Rakata Prime), didn't deserve to meet a Lotek'k. Osseriton was a good trade partner; Osseriton minded its own business. Osseriton conquered nobody and played host to nothing vital or even significant. Perhaps the Sorcerers of Rhand had chosen this world to deploy the Codex as a signal to the Lords of the Fringe and the One Sith. Or the Rhandites and the Codex might not have been involved. Perhaps the Lotek'k had simply been hibernating here -- the locals were all immigrants of less than a couple millennia, and Lotek'k could sleep for a long time.

Regardless, a hundred distress calls had gone out as one from a nameless city. Now that city lay in ruins, its inhabitants dead or insane from fear. Elapsed time: only hours. She'd come here in the Chimaera with its point-five-rated hyperdrive; the Star Destroyer sat in orbit, and she'd descended in an old S90 MAAT. Now, sword in hand but clad only in the old spacer clothes she preferred for things like this, she walked through the city toward a target she couldn't possibly miss. She tested Ravening's edge with her thumb. Its predecessor, Winterlight, had pierced the skull of the last Lotek'k she'd encountered, but Ravening was untested against targets on this scale. The sword was unmistakable in the Force, a small but focused Dark Side nexus; the Lotek'k would sense her coming, and others would feel her presence.

The city felt alive, in a strange way. She sensed the recent deaths of millions, but the survivors' terror jarred her nerves. And others would be here to help take down the Lotek'k; of that she was certain. The city's distress calls had traveled far, and there would always be people mad enough to try the impossible.

 

[Ayden Cater]

The call was unmistakable, impossible to ignore. Reports were still coming in when the frigate shot away from Corellia bearing Ayden to this gods forsaken planet. He had been there those many months ago when Lotek'k had been summoned. It had been pulled away from another hapless system, just like now, and put down for the good of the galaxy. That was what had driven more than a dozen of Masters, many from disparate walks of life and open hostilities to one another, to work together to end that menace. The threat of it being unleashed upon the galaxy was too great. They had to act. And so they killed it.

Or so he thought.

Now a new fear was working its way through Ayden's mind. What if they had killed it and this was another one. What if there were more? He remembered that fight, how it had stretched him to his very limits. He had supported efforts, tied his very essence into the weave of attacks that sought to contain, control, and kill the beast. For weeks afterwards he couldn't so much as lift a glass with the Force. Now not only was there another beast, the possibility existed that there were others. Whatever the state of things, whatever else was at stake, he had to get to the Osseriton system to put the threat of another Lotek'k.

The frigate dropped out of hyperspace and found itself staring at a Star Destroyer. Rather than power weapons, the frigate simply coasted into a parked position near it and deployed an M47 shuttle to the surface. He fingered the Taozin amulet around his neck. Before there had been some of the best mentalist Masters present to shield them from Lotek'k's terror. He had no idea if they'd have such a luxury again. Before there had been a plan, time to prepare. They had none of that this time. This fight was going to be significantly more dangerous.

He knew exactly where to go. He could feel Ashin easily enough. Between the asswhooping he had been given on Kayri and their work together against Lotek'k before, as well as her not exactly attempting to hide her presence, he could sense her from miles away. Setting down not too far from her, he walked down the shuttle ramp with his duster coat flapping quietly in the uneasy wind. He had at one point had a jacket made from Lotek'k, but had given it away for other items. A pity. In his hand was a crystal sword of his crafting, equally untested like Ashin's (though he did not know that). He fell in line beside her and surveyed the blasted and damned landscape. "Do we have any plan for this?" He glanced sideways at her with a faint, humorless smirk. "Or will we be going with the 'stab it til it stops moving' plan?"

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

And one of the others to feel the Ravening was Matsu, picking slowly towards it (a familiarity, something dark but important against what lurked farther in) through what was left of a sudden swath of ruins – death, the rank stench of fear. She’d seen her share of battlefields and the quiet left behind but this was different. This hadn’t been a battlefield at all; none of them had had a chance.

She moved to the side as two survivors ran past, one screaming and sobbing and covered with blood and the other hollow-eyed and moving only because of the grip the first had around his wrist.

That she’d heard the distress calls was due to proximity, passing close enough to Osseriton to pick up the cry in the small stealth ship she’d come to prefer as she headed back towards Fringe space. It had still taken her another half hour to reach the planet but time wouldn’t have mattered – whatever had woken from its sleep was not something she could have faced alone, she could feel that even before she’d touched down. She’d come because of curiosity, because it was close enough to Fringe space to pique her concern…but this was something else entirely.

Tianzun lay against her hip, a blade she’d taken painstaking care of for the last eight years, and she had knives hidden in her boots that she felt would be less than helpful for whatever menace lurked further in.

When she dropped quietly from a window a story up she spotted Varanin and gave her a slight nod, falling in to step and picking through wreckage. Matsu didn’t talk much and that seemed to serve the situation just fine – she wasn’t going to break the silence that seemed to rule this city now.

Edit: And then she waved and said 'what up' to Ayden because he showed up at the exact same time.

[member="Ashin Varanin"] | [member="Ayden Cater"]​

 

[Vhrendai Embersky]

Some people were nuts. Crazy, absolutely bonkers. What these people could do often lead to the deaths of millions. Sometimes even billions. On other occasions it was these people- the insane, the dark, the mad- who saved the day. They would charge against seemingly-impossible odds... and they would win. Weapons in hand they would fight until their enemies died- or they did. There were even those who did not let death stop them. It was these sorts of people who answered the hundreds of distress calls coming from Osseriton. Only lunatics would dare try to fight Lotek'k. Perhaps this planet was lucky that there were so many of those around. Because already dozens had arrived to fight the beast. Amongst them were famous men and women. Valiant souls capable of causing as much damage as the Terror could, if not more. If one were to look upon these nutcases... they would likely tremble. Those gathered were mainly mighty warriors. Sith, Jedi, Emperors, Hunters. All sorts of crazy beings. But unlookers were already filled with fear. Already they shivered, shook, cried out in despair. Death had claimed almost all of the citizens. Those who remained were now as insane as their would-be saviors. Nothing would save them now. There were no cures for the terror they felt on this day. No... I doubt even the greatest of healers could fix the shards of their minds. Putting them down would be for the best. That's what I told myself as my lightsaber tore into the heart of a victim. He had tried to attack me- it had to be done. At least now madness would no longer plague him...

"Rest in peace, little one."

Now I turned away, heading further into the ruined city. Various weapons were strapped at my sides. Only my lightsaber, and perhaps my grenades, would be any good against this beast. At least I have my armor for protection. Tenloss Corporation was very good at creating wondrous suits- and helmets. Perhaps this wasn't enough to face down Lotek'k. But I wouldn't be alone. Together, the forces that gathered would strike down the creature! Today I would fight alongside champions. And today a monster would be eliminated. It had to happen this way. Otherwise all of this planet might as well die. We, the guardians, will sacrifice our lives so that this world may survive. No matter how many of my brethren meet their demise we will not stop. Not until the beast, in all it's horrific glory, falls to the earth and seizes to move. We... we had to... By the Gods, we were all going to die. My kin, my lovely brothers and sisters, the warriors of a forgotten time, were going to face their doom on this evening. Once we had served my father. Our weapons were used against the enemies of the Dark Lord himself. That was centuries ago. Now we had nothing to do. No one to serve... Maybe, then, it was best that we fight here. If we were to die, at least we were to die doing something the galaxy would remember. Besides me the other Emberskys gathered. They all seemed to be feeling what I felt. Around me gathered the dozen Guardians that remained. We thirteen were the last of the Dark Lord's most trusted protectors. How long had it been since we last fought a worthy foe?... Centuries. Yes, that was always the number. Always centuries.

Today that would change.

[member="Ashin Varanin"], [member="Ayden Cater"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"]​

 

[Ikki Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Ashin Varanin"]

Ikki was moving, the distress signal had been one thing but being here even she could feel something... A strange feeling indeed while she small maid stood with her gloves on moving quickly with her figure tucked in. She checked the small carbonite tips as she started running making sure as she moved between the survivors running away not to get knocked over. The sensation of feeling something with the force was almost overwhelming while Ikki looked up holding a grapple gun and her net launcher in her hands. The feeling being able to get to her when she could barely sense someone five feet in front of her meant it had to be big and strong... or old and powerful. The pop as the gas ejected the hook pulling it when the line became taunt and reeling herself up to a roof. She could see others were moving against the crowd. She could barely make them out but was running now letting her body pick up speed as she lept from one of the roofs landing and rolling before rising up to see other standing about. Ikki's hands brushed herself off as she clasped the hands in front of her body and bowed her head. The small carbonite tips of her gloves gleaming before she looked around.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Ikki Ike"] [member="Vhrendai Embersky"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Ayden Cater"]

The moment required silence. It wouldn't happen. Cities broke with a complex of sound that the human ear couldn't process. She'd once had a couple of billion souls crammed into her; she'd handled it, but later, when she'd taken the time to listen in a quiet place -- suffice it to say, there was an element of deja vu to this. But it seemed that everyone joined her in wishing for silence, honoring the possibility.

Everyone, except Ayden Cater.

"Considering there wasn't a we until thirty seconds ago, Ayden, I think all we have to work with is the surface level. I'll handle the up-close; you know I'm useless at range. Range is something you're going to have to handle." She looked to Matsu. "Lady Xiangu, your Master and his Master are two of the three finest mentalists I've ever met. If you can find a way to mitigate the pressure on our minds once we're closer, that'd be...much appreciated."

And last was...the maid. "Welcome aboard, kid. Whatever you do, be smart about it."

 

[Reverance]

Finger tapped against bulb as it shifted in the ballast. Clack clack clack. Each shock resonated a blink of light into the cockpit as the Sith Lord grew frustrated, slamming his fist against the interior black metallic walls. With a shudder, the filaments found lasting life and speckled a hue of lightning blue that gave a shine to the room and to the haggard face of the Sith Lord. A Lotek'k, he muttered beneath hushed breath, as he turned towards the console, his crimson eye vibrant and lingering lazily upon the planetary horizon. Screams, so many screams, echoed across the communications as Osseriton cried in terror and pain and torment and mental instability. It brought a smile to his face as he suddenly questioned why he had felt the call, the culling of such a beast that could serve the One Sith in such glorious and unrepentant change. Taking all the glory, all the accolades, Gabriel could hardly stand the idea of such things. It was out of his control, a notion that brought sickness to a stomach quickly overcome with the sense of...excitement. He wanted to face the thing, to see buildings crushed beneath it's power, to see the flock of the unfaithful scurrying in rushes like ants fleeing the flood. It would be a sight to see, he had decided.

The space painted black Star Viper descended into orbit, the destruction and it's location was clear, but he wasn't one to fly straight in and be swatted before the time. The thrusters kicked as the flames died down from his draw into gravity and through atmosphere, as the vehicle approached the metropolis and set down upon a pile of rubble. The sound of metal grinding against asphalt, as the landing bay opened in a flip of the ramp, crashing down upon things already broken. He felt it, the chaos and entropy, clamoring about those who had survived the first push in psychopathic mourning of those who had not. His robes laid dormant in the vestiges of the cockpit, a locker locked for another time, and he removed himself from the cavity of the ship that carried him here. Upon his person, his armor covered the torso and forearms and shins. Where cloths and metal did not overlap, dark tattoos encompassed the skin in spiraling tribal dedication to a family he no longer claimed, emerald iridescent upon black. His back plate held his weapons, the two lightsabers and the sith alchemic dagger, hardly the most fortuitous of weapons. But he wasn't here to test his new mettle, nor his mental capacity. He would drive deep into this thing and discern it's true power. The Lotek'k, that was the thing he wished to challenge, a most marvelous end could be suddenly accomplished should his endeavors find dilapidation and ruin.

It would be an end all the same.

The force played about the cityscape in leaps and bounds, he could feel the tug of those who had already arrived, those who would claim a portion of this monster as their own. Perhaps he would find time to work with them, he was hardly the lunatic to feel such things would topple beneath his might alone. Quickly, he sent the ship back into ascent, to follow him as he moved, and began walking through the eerily empty streets that heralded his arrival in fallen cement blocks and the crushing of survivors beneath rebar and I-beams. His mind drifted, even as he approached the congregation, taking in the euphoria of the being that they now considered their enemy. Confusion and compromise in morals regarded him fiercely as he contemplated his place, one who felt the need to be in the midst of the fight. He would hardly be one drawn to a distance. Nevertheless, he greeted the group in silence, eye drifting lackadaisically over those who would serve ally for the time being. One of them would catch his eye more than the others, but his mind would drift in the distraction of power and it's potential. A mind that found difficulty in the sudden need for focus.

[member="Ashin Varanin"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Ayden Cater"]

 

[Vhrendai Embersky]

So there were, indeed, others here. Their force signatures were almost all incredibly strong. Likely each of them was a Master at whatever they chose to specialize in. My kin and I glanced at each other. A nod was shared. We broke into a run, climbing up a ruined building, dashing across the landscape. Our paces seemed to match up perfectly. Such was the way of the Embers. Within a minute we had neared one of the stronger groups of combatants. Their presences were nearly overwhelming. The power they held... was magnificent. It reminded me of my father's. Around me I could feel that the others felt the same way. Perhaps this would be like the old days. It would be as if we were working for the Dark Lord once more. A grin graced my face as we leaped in unison off a roof. Thuds were heard as we each hit the ground. We rolled upon impact before standing in front of our temporary allies. Some of them seemed familiar. Ah, yes. [member="Ashin Varanin"], a former Empress of the Sith. Working with her would be a pleasure. Then there was [member="Ayden Cater"]. Lord Protector of the Protectorate. Part of me wondered if I had done some sort of mission for his people before... Probably. Many things can be done in the span of centuries. Next were two I didn't recognize. One seemed very strong-willed, surrounded by what I can only describe as darkness. Lastly there was a... maid? Huh. It mattered not, I guess, who she was. What mattered was that she was here to help. This little rag-tag group was going to take down an Eldritch Abomination, one way or another. Hopefully.

"The Embers of Old will assist you. Lotek'k will fall."

[member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Ikki Ike"], Reverance​

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Matsu listened to the discussion with one ear, the other catching the keening sound of a building somewhere deeper in the city screeching as it fell, metal bending and protesting against gravity. She didn’t know the others that had quickly fallen in with the group, but she had dueled against Varanin and worked alongside her for the Fringe – she knew of her skill with a blade, of creativity, raw resistance. Creativity Matsu had in spades, but all the other Master’s skills were something that eluded the Sith Lord. Range was her strength.

She was capable of destruction: put a pair of knives in her hands and she would carve ancient Sith in a canvas of flesh, leave piles of dead she would raise to conquer cities. But what Varanin asked of her was her true power – the mind was her playground. She’d learned from the best and since flying from underneath his wing she’d done work and play of her own, risen to become a force on her own. True, what the Empress was asking would be difficult for even Ovmar or Jacobs – even Olra’en perhaps to do alone.

But she would find a way.

“Of course,” she said quietly before feeling another approach. She watched him come closer and tilted her head, guessing at his motivation but feeling a measure more confident in what they all might achieve. She knew what he was capable of.

She reached out, gently brushing against their minds, getting a feel for their signatures in the Force so she might pick them out easier when the proverbial poodoo hit the fan. She wasn’t digging, just learning as they prepared. She already knew the trained resistance around Ashin’s, but she let herself settle around Cater, Ike, and Embersky until she could differentiate between all of them, settling herself eventually to sit outside the familiar wall surrounding Reverance’s mind.

[member="Ashin Varanin"] | [member="Ayden Cater"] | [member="Reverance"] | [member="Vhrendai Embersky"] | [member="Ikki Ike"]​

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew had heard of Lotek'k, briefly, before. He wore a jacket made out of it's skin, an AEL product. Supposedly a creature as large as a Corvette, or larger, famous for the aura of fear that it projected, something that it had it common with the jackets made from it's skin. Powerful enough that it took multiple masters of the force to take one down. The kind of monster hunters would kill to have the chance to encounter. And there was another one, On a tiny world in Fringe space. The chance of a Beast Hunter's career. Of course Mrrew made his way to the system as soon as possible.

One of the thre large cargo carriers used by the Beast Hunter's Guild floated into the planet's orbit, five advanced vulture droids ready in it's hangar. Mrrew wasn't a master of the force- he couldn't even use it. Meaning if he wasn't going to get his backside handed to him by a monster roughly the size of the ship he was on, he needed to be prepared. Ironically, he could've brought an entire fleet and he wouldn't have been prepared- but he didn't know that yet.

Mrrew readied all the euqipment he'd thought he'd need. It would've bene nice to use the tranqulizer missiles he was developing with Gir Quee- but those weren't ready yet. Hopefully the vulture drorids would be helpful. They were made for stunning the likes of leviathons... Maybe five of them could at least distract something like Lotek'k? He wasn't sure. Along with thsoe as backup, he had his normal chiru rifle, gear, and an anti-tank rifle form the Guild's armory. He was hoping he'd be more then ready for something like this. After all, he had enough gear to take out an angry Leviathon... Which were about a thousand times less powerful then a Lotek'k.

However, Mrrew was confident in his abilities. The same confidence that once led him to try and fight a Terentatek unarmed... Which didn't work out very well. Confidence that was leaning towards arrogance. But, of course, he didn't see it that way. He simply wanted to be the first beast hunter to bag a Lotek'k. These were his thoughts as the carrier landed near the edge of the ruined city, the thoughts that would probably get him killed if he wasn't really lucky.

(Am I the only non force user here...? Lol.)

 

[Ikki Ike]

[member="Mrrew"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Vhrendai Embersky"] [member="Reverance"] [member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Ayden Cater"]

Ikki looked at the ones arriving as she nodded her head offering a small bow to Ashin when the woman spoke. She knew how to fight.. just didn't really get to use the force while she was thinking about what she could do listening and feeling the buzzing tickling feeling in her head. Dark Honey brown eyes flicked to the woman while she took her in for a moment and bowed standing while another joined. A soldier and another darksider... This was getting to be an interesting group to see while her hand went to the net launcher and made sure it was secured. It wouldn't be any good she was guessing and neither would the injector pens. Her hope was the slicewire for getting into the soft fleshy bits and making as much damage as she could.

 

[Feena]

[member="Ikki Ike"] [member="Mrrew"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Vhrendai Embersky"] [member="Reverance"] [member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Ayden Cater"]


When there was danger, it was often cause to enlist the assistance of a healer or two. In this case, the healer happened to be a Queen. And the Queen happened to be a very skilled healer indeed. But today, she was not wearing her crown or the traditional makeup of her station. This was not Naboo. This was not her kingdom. It was not like her to take unnecessary risks, however. And she certainly was not foolish enough to come alone. She had hired a body guard. A skilled one. And should anything happen to her here? Well, a new Monarch would be elected within the week. It would be no real issue at all, just a minor inconvenience. Her occupation of the throne of Naboo was a temporary one. Everyone understood that, especially her.

But why would her, the Queen of Naboo, ever come out here? What ever for? This was not her problem, well, not until she learned of the involvement of the Lord Protector. Ayden Cater, the man she owed everything to. Feenarah Mason was a woman of honor, a Lady who paid her debts on time and with interest. Not only did he find her a place in the Protectorate, ensure her and her families safety, provide her the means to accumulate power enough to obtain the throne, but when all was said and done, when Naboo needed it, when she needed it, he was there. His army was there. And Naboo survived.
That was a debt not easily paid, but if there was a way, any small way to help, she was going to rise to the occasion.

In her hand, she held only her medical kit. The only weapon a healer ever needed was a well stocked medkit, and her wits.She had always said that. She was determined to forever live and die by those words. She'd managed this long.
What was the worst that could happen to her now?

The healer cleared her throat as she approached, coughing politely into her white gloved hand. She was smiling, polite as can be. Habit for her now. Always smiling in the royal court, always with that perfect Sabaac face. No matter the situation, if she looked calm, her people would remain so as well. These were not her people, but as the saying went, old habits were always hard to break.

"I beg your pardon, but I do believe a healer would be of some use. May I?"

The stench of death was unmistakable. She knew it, like an old friend. It was impossible for a healer to not embrace death. She lost very few of her patients, but that did not mean she could always keep death at bay. There were times when one had to know they were beyond the threshold. Oh yes. She knew death, her constant companion, lurking, waiting. And she was not afraid of it.

 

[Vilaz Munin]

Another day in the Galaxy, like always. Contracts were something that the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter was always looking for, and they were not just collecting bounties or helping some faction deal with another faction. No, sometimes he played as a bodyguard, and has served some. Hutts, were a good guess and one that was a valid answer. He also was the bodyguard of some spoiled princess brat that thought she owned the whole Galaxy and eternal life. But, how convenient this day was. That spoiled princess brat that he had to protect a long time ago was now going to protect the mother that was obviously royalty due to her offspring brief information and just by profiling her with your eyes.

'Hope this one's better than the lil'one' a thought he produced in his own mind.

No idea where he was going off today with the Queen of Naboo, but he did hear about something called a Lotek'k destroying and bringing Death to many innocent lives. What the Hell was a Lotek'k? The Rally Master didn't mind nor care about it, but when he had about the Havoc this creature was making he knew that this was a good way to invest his time in, and could probably gain something more than just money from this creature. Rack up his reputation within the Bounty Hunter's Guild, the vode, and, perhaps, the rest of the Galaxy. Those were just few of what could happens after this creature was brought on its knees.

Of course, he brought a few things with him. His unique Beskar'gam that made him like an ironclad whenever he was facing against almost any foe, a MT-1 repulsor pack made from MandalTech as well as two dual MT-1 heavy blaster pistols that were produced from the same trusted Mandalorian company, a combat knife, a couple of varied grenades, and his bowcaster. He, at most times, brought this favorite weapon of his to any adventure he was in.

His eyes looked upon the landscape that was set before them and it was a damn one to look at. Death was something that his senses also felt not with the Force, but with his nose that was coming from the city nearby that had met its hour of fate. Ears could hear buildings and other complexes being destroyed by collapsing toward the ground with gravity pushing and pulling it down to the ground. He had forgotten about the amount of credits and lucky prizes he could get from right now. A douche he was, but not like one who had absolutely no morals.

"Damn," was what he could say. One creature held the potential to bring a massive amount of damage and death to a city. And he along with this group of strangers would one way or another kill this beast. He was unsure how a maid was going to help after he studied the group after having a long glimpse of Death and destruction. But, they were going to need all the strength they can get.

Just another day in the Galaxy.

[member="Feena Mason"] [member="Ikki Ike"] [member="Mrrew"] [member="Vhrendai Embersky"] [member="Reverance"] [member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Ayden Cater"] [member=Matsu Xiangu]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Ikki Ike"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Ashin's birth mother was a minor Naboo noblewoman; [member="Feena Mason"] got a nod of recognizance. "Yes, Your Majesty. Let's get to work."

She looked around, half with her eyes and half with the Force. Apart from this group, a handful of others seemed to be taking up positions, preparing to tackle something that Mortal Was Not Meant to Tackle. Her attention turned back to Lotek'k -- as if it had ever left. The people around her would fight or run, prove reliable or not; her role didn't require her to rely on them. She rested the dull back edge of her sword over her shoulder and walked off through the city. The sword, in its way, insulated her from Lotek'k's mental dominance; it had been designed to sever its targets from any kind of outside help, including battle meditation, and Lotek'k's aura bore enough similarity that the sword applied to the situation, at least in part. The rest, she could manage for now, with or without Xiangu's help. Ashin was, first and foremost, a tank. Her finest student and her Master had been immensely skilled in mental war, and though Ashin lacked facility in that regard, she could withstand pretty much anything on pretty much any plane, at least for a while. The experience still wasn't a pleasant one, any more than she enjoyed tanking the sort of hit that could put her through a concrete pillar -- and the last Lotek'k had done that, too.

She entered a public square, still a good distance from Lotek'k; it offered a clear line of sight on the Terror From Beyond. She'd contemplated having one of her sniper rifles dropped in a pod, maybe that ArmsTech railgun with Valik's scope bolted on -- she'd have liked to see Lotek'k through that scope -- but sniper rifles wouldn't bring this down. Frankly, last time had taken a lot more preparation and a lot more Masters.

Then again, she was stronger now than she'd been last time, and her sword was stronger too. She channeled her presence into Ravening, amplifying both, and threw in the memory of driving Winterlight through another Lotek'k's skull. The monster turned in a genuinely seismic perturbation of corvette-sized tentacles, and stared down at her.

Tanking 101.

 

[Ayden Cater]

[member="Ashin Varanin"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Reverance"], [member="Mrrew"], @Others

Humor aside, Ayden wore the grim face of a man who walked towards death. There was more riding on their fight with Lotek'k this time around. If the Rhandian Sorcerers had found a way to make more of Lotek'k, or if it had the capacity to breed on its own, then the galaxy itself was in danger. That was enough for him to put aside grudges and standing animosity. The Taozin Amulet wasn't of much use in resisting Lotek'k's aura, and would only serve to hinder any attempts from the others at bolstering his mental defense, so Ayden ripped the amulet from his neck and dropped it on the ground.

The others that had come to answer the planet's pleas were mostly unknown, though he could easily sense the auras of most of them. In other times, he might have called some friend and others enemy. The only other familiar face was [member="Feena Mason"], the Queen of Naboo. He gave her a respectful nod while they marched. When he felt the presence of another settle around his mind, Ayden nearly bucked. His grip on Lymmahtun tightened though he did not resist. Everyone present had to understand the clear and present danger that Lotek'k provided. They could not fight each other and it at the same time. They would have to depend on him as he would them.

The bodies of the natives littered the streets as they walked. Some had looks of fear etched on their face, hands clutching their chest in that last moment when terror had overwhelmed their hearts. Those were the lucky ones. He could spot those who had clawed at their own faces as if such efforts could have staved off the waves of terror. In the distance he could see the massive beast and felt his own resolve steel. He could have easily bolstered the assembled menagerie with his own mastery of battle meditation, but there were already Masters present who could handle that front. Instead he would turn his talents elsewhere. As Lotek'k turned its foul attention on them, several massive fragments of structures flew towards them. Ayden jammed the crystal sword into the ground in front of him and reached out with his senses and hands.

In almost every fight he had ever been in, his concern had been for others. Rarely if ever did he throw himself into a fight where he was not coordinating and sheltering the minds of thousands of beings at once. The first piece of building shattered as if striking an invisible shield. A small smile formed on the Corellian's face as two others shattered soon after. This time he had only one focus, one aim. The last building fragment shattered barely fifteen meters from the ground, tiny pebbles and dust raining on their heads. A massive spike of durasteel still hung in the air not wavering a centimeter. With both hands in air, he turned the jagged point around and hurled it straight at Lotek'k with the force of a dozen rampaging Rancor. No civilians to worry about, no property that could not be damaged. This was a no-holds fight. It was time to see what an assembled group of Masters (and dedicated non-Force Users) could do when they didn't have to worry about anything but surviving themselves and killing a beast.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Ashin Varanin"], [member="Ayden Cater"], [member="Feena Mason"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Mrrew"]


Presumably the fact that Siobhan retired after Gehenna is being handwaved by this writer for this post. Or maybe this one shall apply the license of fluid timeline handwavium and decide that Gehenna takes place later. Anyhow, on with the plot and the mayhem, for there's an elder horror that needs punching. Apparently it was time to fight Cthulhu again because eldritch abominations just could not stay dead. Siobhan had already faced a Lotek'k before, for she had been part of the team of masters that took down the Terror from Beyond at the Spires of Hell. A battle that had left her with plenty of injuries and broken bones before being healed by Rave Merrill, though she had played a vital role and tearing off a freighter-sized tentacle from the skyscraper-sized beast and ramming it right through its freighter-sized skull until it emerged on the other hand had been most satisfying.



Hopefully she would take less of a beating this time. Anyhow, suffice to say she was here now on this ruined planet, standing inside the wreckage of the ghost city where Cthulhu had been unleashed. Everywhere the signs of devastation could be seen, for where an elder god rises, no life remains. The city lay in ruins, its inhabitants were either dead or insane. The ground upon which Siobhan stood was littered with bodies upon bodies, wreckage and the burnt-out husks of vehicles. It appeared that many of the natives had fallen upon each other in a mad, murderous frenzy or committed suicide, such was the power of the elder horror, a beast some said mortals were not meant to tackle.


But a Lotek'k had been defeated at the Spires of Hell and his hide had been turned into lots of leather coats. The Kerrigan Coat. Needless to say Siobhan liked it a lot and so on this day she wore it over her beskar'gam. Of course, it was tremendously unlikely that Cthulhu would be impressed by such a puerile attempt at taunting! At her side she carried her lightsabre, though she doubted it would see much use, her shatterbolter was strapped over her back and a truly ridiculous amount of ammunition and thermal detonators was tied to her belt and in her pouches. When it came to fighting elder horrors, overkill did not exist, but then Siobhan always acted like it did not.


She was standing a good distance away from Lotek'k, though her position gave her a good enough view of the Terror from Beyond. She would have liked to fly, but had enough sense now to realise that it would be a massive waste of energy - and she would need a lot for this battle. So she did not flag or fail as she looked upon the massive monstrosity, trying her best to steel herself against its mental prowess, in as much as a mortal can hope to withstand the influence of a beast that drove planets into madness. But then she and [member="Qae Shena"] had faced a Mad God conjured up by the foul magicks of the Bando Gora on Terminus so many years ago, back when she had been a mere Omega Pyre Colonel on a crusade to exterminate the Chaos worshippers.


Bionic eyes flashed as she gave herself to the Force, absorbing a truly absurd amount of energy and power into herself. Hopefully the Lotek'k would be distracted for a bit, for her speciality lay in causing massive destruction at range. Though tough she was by no means a tank. So much power that she felt like she was about to burst, but she kept it controlled...or rather harnessed it for a productive purpose. The eye in the hurricane, as her apprentice Tempest had once said. Her power and aggression found an outlet as she channelled the power of the Force to wrap her telekinetic willpower around an eight-storey building, a gigantic invisible hand manifesting to envelope the building with its massive fingers that curled around it in an insistent, ironclad grip that would not be denied. Beads of sweat dripped down her face, obscured by the beskar helmet she was wearing, and back, likewise there was painful throbbing that heralded the start of a headache. However, she persevered as she intensified her efforts, pouring more energy into the motion, then abruptly the entire building was violently lifted off ground and pulled into the air, strong winds whipping around it as she enforced her will, trying to blot out the beating in her head. The Sigil of Hope pulsed, feeding her with energy as she lapped at it greedily.


Piles of debris were hurled across the ruins, whilst clouds of smoke and dust billowed up into the smog-filled sky as the building was pulled to greater heights into the air. She breathed more heavily than she would have liked and the headache was getting more annoying and painful, but that did not stop her. The building shook a bit in the air and seemed wobbly before she tightened her grip. Then, with an Eldarai curse escaping her lips, she threw the entire building at Lotek'k's head with great speed and brutal force so that it might crash into the eldritch abomination with a thunderclap, with the earth shaking as if struck by tremors, with Siobhan dropping down on one knee, panting.

Admittedly Siobhan...does not look like Dark Phoenix since Tegaea Alcori's writer was so mean to claim her playby, but her powers and gifs fit so well! Ergo this one shall claim all the Dark Phoenix gifs!

 

[Reverance]

Gaze shifted to the different members of the group as they began to accept their place in the grand scheme. Without direction, the Sith Lord walked in step with [member="Ashin Varanin"], leaving not a sound but that of the soles of his boots scraping across strewn pebbles and broken asphalt. He wasn't for words at this time, he wasn't for placation and platitudes and phrases of admiration. There would be time for that at another date, should he feel the requirement. He would surely form judgment this day, though whether it would be positive or negative, that remained to be seen.

He was everything that could be manifested from the endurance of pain. Between the bouts of his own affliction, the scars that riddled his body and the tattoos implanted in false remembrance, he was intimate with the notions, a willing participant. For more years that can be recalled, he had battled the mental unraveling caused by the parasitic twin that clung to the shell though physically excised. Constant attacks of increasing mental aptitude had hammered ore into iron and into sword, folded upon itself and beaten until hard. And even now, Reverance felt the presence of the monster shoving it's way in. A man who didn't belong found himself pushed to his own efforts, scurrying about his stolen home to lock the doors and bar the windows. Gabriel could feel the threatening gestures and how they were interpreted by his brother, but it didn't outwardly impact him. A face put on, a face kept, even in the midst of cognitive anguish. A practiced thing.

Tattooed arms crossed as he stood near Ashin, his blood spattered eye staring down the emptiness to the monster that had committed such atrocities. He wanted to jump in, roll in it, and claim it as his own. But this pain wasn't his to own, it wasn't something of his own doing, and he felt remorse for such concepts. It was something to which he would aspire. But for now, he was a tank of endurance and a tank of avoidance, reliant upon his speed to evade and the calloused numbness that stubbornly resisted the impacts of pain upon body and pain upon mind. With Roecnar and Reebas, he would be the fly that would provoke the swatter. From the depths of his soul, and the thing some would call a heart, he pushed his presence out. Pointed and poignant, his aura manifested in malice and anger and loathsome hatred that contradicted the indifference upon his face. He was finding his focus, he would assuredly need it.

Coalescing against his own darkness imbued aura, he felt Ashins presence resonating out from sword clutched in hand, a tuning key struck hard to gain the monsters attention. It responded in it's shift. Gabriel decided, excited at the prospects, that today would be a good showing of power and ability. And even pushing against Ashins power, he felt the embrace of [member="Matsu Xiangu"]'s presence, her tendrils feeling at the psychic wall to which she had become accustomed.

The Sith lord didn't turn, but he felt the life saving efforts pool within [member="Ayden Cater"] , a person he would have likely been fighting in any other circumstance. For another time, he thought, as he witnessed the disheveled attempts of the monster suddenly burdened by the Master of the Protectorate. With a deflection and a fling of the rubble, attacks were already progressing against the beast in the form of usurping defense. Gabriel's fist clutched white-knuckle, empty and unencumbered and longing, as he began to culminate his own powers in such ways that mirrored those around him. Grandstanding, wayward pebbles deflected from the Sith Lord against his nearly insurmountable will, a translucent black sheen upon his person. Iron burning hot, he was prepared for the branding.

Hands out, he charged in violent force speed as gargantuan rocks propelled out from the abyss that was this monsters power. With the force upon his sails, his body leaped as he moved with haste, running across the face of a building and ascending it's vertical stature. He would close the distance between starting line and monster within mere blinks of the eye. Beneath his weight and speed, glass blasted out in his wake and melted into trails of bubbly goop. Leaping from the surface to span the distance of the gap, Roecnar whipped out from within a flip to cleave a tossed rock in large halves, severing weighted inertia to lead them crashing down to the park below in descending arcs. As he fell forward, he leaned back, left foot upon another boulder flying just below him. With the force whipping out from his foot in a projected gainer, he blasted himself upwards and shot the colossal rock into the building that now became his target. His flip pushed him towards the building, his attempted location through the glass of the top floor of the structure. But he had garnered attention and flew close enough to the sun to feel it's warmth, it's physical consideration. The flesh of the Lotek'k leaped out from it's inescapable presence, smacking hard at Gabriel's body. Flying on instinct and gut reaction, he projected a telekinetic barrier that offered buffering space between assailant and victim.

Rocketing into the building he had originally aimed for, he clamored for a position of control as he bounced once and landed in sliding formation, crashing through numerous glass panes. A metal ball batted hard through layers of paper. Reaching out to interpret the building as he slid, he leaped up with the aid of the force, breaking through a sun roof to land upon the tarred roof and complete his slide, a bullet shot through the window of a moving train. The rooftop raised edges finally brought him to a grinding and dusty stop as his free hand clawed at the ground to assist in the halting endeavors. The cascading buildings behind him would quickly become playgrounds should the need arise. But for now, his crimson gaze lingered in fixed stare on the monster that focused on him for the moment. Gabriel let out a sigh and breathed heavy, shaking the wrist that nearly came in contact with the monster, as he quietly wondered what an eight story building would do to such a thing. He would know soon enough, thanks to [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]'s recent efforts.

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew had begun to venture into the edge of the city, watching the Terror From Beyond from a distance. Even among skyscrapers and massive buildings, it was easy to tell where the Lotek'k was. It was har dto miss a giant tentacled monster roughly the size of a small capital ship that had the strength to crush Masters of the Foce under it's foot. Fear crept into him slowly, partially from the creature aura that even effected him from afar, and partly just from common sense. He had no buisness here. This was a place for the kind of people powerful enough to swallow stars and absorb planets- the kind of people who could conjure tornadoes by waving their hands. Not for a guy with a gun. Yet he kept walking.

He carried the massive anti-tank rifle he'd brought with him, keeping it raised enough to shoot quickly. For most species, humans included, the rifle would've had ot been mounted on a tripod... but it was made so that species as large as a Togorian could carry it like any other rifle. He hoped it would at least have some effect on the monster. It was storng enough to destroy tanks... But what wasw Lotek'k? An organic tank was too deamining a name for him. More an organic fortress. This was going to be like shooting spitballs at a Rancor...

The closer he got to the towering monster, the stronger it's aura of fear took a grip of his head. Why was he going forwards? Why didn't he leave? This wasn't his fight. He had no reason to be here. Everyone who had died were already dead. No one would be doing any good by getting themselves killed trying to fight the beast. So why was he doing it? For bragging rites? That was a horrible reason. He wasn't exactly sure why he was doing it... he could make up a dozen reasons, but none of them were good enough. He'd figure it out eventually.

Up until now his strategy was to find a good place to shoot at it from, and have the crew back on the Gulid's carrier dispatch the Vulture Droids when he was ready. He had hoped those would distract it while he got some shots in... He really didn't realize just how out of his league he was. There were other people in the city, a large group of them. His cybernetic eye pickeduptheir signatures from far enough away., He figured they had much the same idea as he did. Some of them were probably force sensitives, as well. Things like this tended to attract them. Hopefully a few of them were strong enough to be of some help... Well; they were.

He didn't realize just how far out of his leaguye he was until he saw one of the people- a human that looked vaguely familiar- raised her hands... and yank and saw something change about one of the building near Lotek'k. Like a veil of light was surrounding it.. and then the entire fething building moved. She lifted an entire. Fething. Bulding. And flung it at Lotek'k. And it didn't kill him. It didn't even seem Lotek'k was badly injured. A moment later, another one of the humans, raced forwards. Fast enough to literally melt the rock around him. Fast enough to melt the rock around him. He watched the man attack the thing... and int he long run- do very little. People powerful enough to decimate a Wookiee with a snap of their fingers were throwing everything they coudl at this thing, and hardly doing anything. Mrrew had brought a gun.

This brought the phrase bringing a knife to a gunfight to a whole new level.


(I realized just how out of my league I am when someone threw a fething building at it... Lol. Nice one [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"].)

 

[Khallesh]

Khallesh sat quietly in the back of their Yorik-trema, displaying the discipline that was expected of an elite Yuuzhan Vong Hunter. There was a judder, and then their transport shook as it breached the atmosphere. They were here at the behest of the Supreme Commander, who was keen to investigate this disturbance. The One Sith had already sent several, but Hrosha-Gul had sent their own small force of scouts and warriors. She had sensed some tension between the leaders of the Yuuzhan Vong. Apparently it was related to changes amongst those that lead the Sith and represented Yun-Amon. The God of Change would ensure all proceeded as planned, such things were not for her to consider.

“The Chazrach are strangely agitated,” Raas Val, a broad-shouldered warrior in his late seventies commented. Khallesh was still young, talented but inexperienced. Raas was, in her opinion, a simple creature, however he had seen many battles. She had never ridden into battle amongst a host of the reptiles before and she would value her comrade’s experience.

“What could be putting them out of sorts?” she asked. Raas simply grunted and returned to staring at the wall before him.

She was the subaltern leading this vessel. There were ten Chazrach scouts and four Hunters strong. The ten chazrach barely even worth a single warrior, let alone a Hunter. Another small group followed in their wake. Commander [member="Nui Akona"] had another transport and wouldn’t be far behind.



The Yorik-trema swung through a low arc, flattening its trajectory and then arresting its momentum to a point where the drop would not be fatal for the troops. The Chazrach skittered ahead of them, followed by Raas wearing a Cloak of Nuun. He gave one a sharp kick to one, as it did not move with the impetus he expected of the slaves.

They did seem to be acting strangely, Khallesh agreed now that she could see them in a familiar environment, being driven forwards into battle. They twisted their backs back and forth in quick, jerking motions, scanning the ground around them. They were jittery, nervous. With no connection to the Force, she could not sense what was affecting them.

The three other Hunters followed, stealthily moving through the urban ruins. They wore their Skerr Kyrric, rather than cloaks. Her keen eyes could just about pick out the silhouette of Raas as his cloak blended him into the environment. She turned her head back and forth, sorting out the range of sounds that were rebounding from the tall structures around them. The crash of a building being ripped from its foundations didn’t warrant her senses, which had been created through generations of genetic tampering and selective breeding.

“There is a commotion some way in the distance, perhaps a kilometre,” she said through her villip, picking through the sounds to identify a bearing, which she then relayed. “Send two of the Chazrach up that structure for a long.”

Then she realised that the Chazrach were no longer moving. Fixed in place they each stood, their coufees held beside them. They shook on the spot, but did not move. Calling her amphistaff to her hand, thinking to step forwards and whip them back into line. It was at that moment that the suddenly turned and attacked each other. Three of them went for Raas before he could react, bearing the seasoned warrior to the ground.





OOC/ alright, small vong group here as ineffectual as we'll be!

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

As time went by, the distress calls and the pull of the Lotek’k brought more and more to try and bring the beast down. Matsu reached out to brush against each of them, taking all the time she had to separate them in the Force before they moved. She could sense wariness on the part of a few though that was understandable – she’d fallen to mentalism because of what had happened to her, because of the incident that had left her with a monstrous cybernetic. She knew better than most what it was to have your mind taken away from you though these days she often forgot how impolite it was for her to just barge in to the place where they felt safest.

She separated the noblewoman and the rough looking man that accompanied her, the sudden appearance of a woman she didn’t know on the rooftops closer to the elder god, and then picked up on another signature she knew well enough – Mrrew was somewhere not too far and she to admire the dedication to hunting. The big cat had a pair.

They moved for the beast with the kind of speed that seemed to match somewhat suicidal intentions.

She made a few calculated force leaps to the rooftop adjacent to the woman stretching her power for a building not far off, feeling the bending of her telekinesis even without the slight touch she was keeping on everyone’s mind. The bird’s-eye view was her best bet of playing her part to perfection – she couldn’t shield all of them at once unless she wanted to snap her own mind in the process. From her vantage point curled over one of the edges of the rooftop she could keep an eye on all those working their way around the Lotek’k and choose her targets based on proximity and see whether or not they flagging, or work a spell or two to deal some damage.

The ground shook with the ancient being’s motion, her ears rattling with the sound of its roars as the building flew towards it.

She reached out as the woman on the building to her left dropped to her knee, extending some of her power around the stranger’s mind while she recovered – the god’s influence would take hold during her distraction and someone that could lift entire buildings would be useful down the road. She built a wall around Kerrigan until she regained her strength, offering her prowess.

From her vantage point she watched Gabriel, glass melting and rock shattering in his wake, and suppressed the urge to fall somewhere in the middle of disbelief, mild concern, and awe. Instead she just shook her head and went back to her chessboard – he was not in need of her strength yet. He was one of those that would resist the Lotek’k’s draw longest. She could feel it herself, the knocking against carefully built defense. But just as she'd learned to snap others in half, she'd learned to avoid having the same done to her for as long as possible.

The same could be said for Ashin, and perhaps the man ranging attacks though she didn’t know him. She held her power back from him for the moment, having felt the immediate tension when she’d tested him earlier. None of them needed the distraction of her spider-crawl touch at the moment.

[member="Ashin Varanin"] | [member="Ayden Cater"] | [member="Reverance"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Mrrew"] | [member="Khallesh "]| [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Feena Mason"] | [member="Ikki Ike"]​