"Ba'buir!"
Elise chased after his silhouette once more. Blood puddles splashed and fleshy ground squished beneath her feet as she reached out again for her grandfather. Just like every other time, however, she was prevented from reaching him. She tripped over what felt like a log, but most certainly was not. She spotted the femur bone she had tripped on as she fell to the ground. The potent stench of rotting flesh amplified as she thudded onto a long skin of what seemed to be wookie fur.
Coughing and gagging in response to the repulsive world around her, she pulled herself up and turned another corner. The walls and walls of organic bodies and remains emitted a hot and humid atmosphere, poisonous and sick. Continuing to fight the bile in her throat, Elise blinked her streaming eyes and choked out,
"Ba'buir! Wait!"
She saw another shadow just turning the corner.
She staggered, struggling to stay upright, as she chased the shadow.
"Ba'buir! Please! Stop! What is all this!? Why are you-"
She skidded, slipping on some green colored blood. She slammed into a wall, her eyes gazing into the skull of a twi'lik. She pushed herself off the wall, feeling as if skeletal hands were trying to drag her in.
"Your beskad!" She called, eyes glazing as she looked down at her defiled hands.
She finally vomited. Her hands slammed into her knees as she emptied her stomach's contents onto the pink, wet ground.
"Ba'buir!" She heaved, standing shakily,
"Why..."
She staggered, once again struggling as she weakly turned and jogged after the shadow she had seen. She turned the corner and saw her grandfather standing at the end of the "hallway." She darted after him. A voice echoed in her mind.
"Ah, the curse of Ajaya..."
She reached out. He was right in front of her. But his image flickered and faded as she grasped mere air. She stood panting, filthy, and exhausted.
"Ajaya had similar troubles to your own."
She looked up, sweating. The "mist" of blood was too thick to see any kind of sky. The words started to process. She remembered reading about Ajaya in her studies as a Shaman! And that voice, she had heard him before.
"But he made a choice that benefitted two peoples - though yours may force a dichotomous decision that may yet benefit one over the other...."
Elise reached up with her grimy hand, calling out with wide eyes.
"Ancient One! Arr'huwal!"
She saw the tainted image up high. A silhouette of a mask, the paint barely visible in the disgusting steam.
"As my Seer Siyarr puts it -"
Elise's breath stilled. She awaited the Ancient's wisdom and guidance.
"Sucks to be torn, sucks in general?"
"What?!" Elise screamed,
"That doesn't help me at all! I don't understand anything!"
A chuckle echoed in the air, as if amused by her reaction. Then, his voice spoke to her once more. Far more sympathetic and kind.
"Be strong, Jac'Eli'Serum. You carry a heavy weight. But, you are not alone."
She heard heavy footsteps behind her. Hopeful, she turned around,
"Ba'buir-"
A crushgaunt, curled into a fist, slammed against her face.
With a scream, Elise woke up. Hands against the counter that had magically appeared in front of her, she stood up. The sound of crashing resounded as she panted heavily. Standing, she felt sticky with sweat... but she felt cleaner. She gasped, looking down at her hands. Well. Gauntlets. Her armored hands were in pristine condition. The armor sparkled, and she felt no blood or intestines on her flesh. The smell of hot blood and rotting corpses was still in her nose, but she snorted it out and realized that she could smell things far more pleasant. Food, drink, and the scents of roaring fires and grilling of Mandalorian feasts. It smelled incredible, except for the fact that she had smelled something appetite killing for hours before waking up here.
She gagged.
She bent over, back throbbing as she once again felt vomit rising forcefully. A bucket was shoved in front of her, and the girl emptied whatever was left of her stomach into the bin.
Crashing to her knees after throwing up, she shook violently. She felt winded and drained. It was as if she really had ran all those miles, felt all those things. So real. Like a reality. She had no idea where she was now or how she got here, but she was comforted as she realized she sensed her sister beside her.
She panted, her hair held back by her sister as she shuddered,
"... I really hate these kinds of visions."
She finally relaxed, instinctively understanding that wherever she was, she was safe.
"Where are we?"
Yael Kandar
LIL FINN THE BASEDGOD