Private Where All Paths Lead | Forest Moon of Endor

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Forest Moon of Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

To any who were well-educated in the history of the Sith, many would know that the it had a long standing history steeped in the darkside. The Great Temple, which had stood for thousands of years, was constructed in and age now past by the Massassi, a subspecies of the original Sith. Dark things of great power lie dormant under the foliage, power that sent out whispers to lure in the hungry. It was not uncommon to find ambitious young Sith or disillusioned Jedi exiles stalking the dark corners of the Forest Moon, eager to claim something that may further their designs. Many would find death out here, claimed by the inhospitable ecosystem that had been forged by the Force itself to keep lingering darkness at bay.

Seven, to her credit, did not harbor such ambitions. One could even say that she had a hatred of power and those who sought it. In that manner she was different from others who would come to this place.

There would be no claiming, only destroying.

The Evereni stood before the large sealed door of a yet uncharted ruin, half consumed by the roots and vines of the large tree that sat above it. Large stone doors the size of light-freighters barred entry, the grain worn down and infested with mosses and overgrowth. A small gap was present between the two giant slabs, one which could not be seen through. An indication of the pitch-darkness that lie within. There was a dark hum in the air, the sort that sent chills down the spine. Something sinister whispered sweet nothings on the breeze, a call to any who are desperate and week to come claim power for themselves.

It did not know it was luring in it's doom. It was only a matter of finding a way to breech the entrance so that she could find the accursed thing and wipe it off the face of the galaxy.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Excuse me."

Aris stepped past 0-7 with a calm smile on his face. He'd stepped from the jungle, his gold shining eyes focused on the entrance to the tomb. The Wayfinder had pointed this way, something he'd taken from another Sith he'd been up against. Something that spoke to the history of his people. After what happened in the Forge, everything had been quiet on that front. Even his grandfather Darth Carnifex had been focused elsewhere.

It was quite the coincidence to find a Wayfinder written in Sith with an Epicanthic cypher.

Without much announcement otherwise the tall figure reached into the cracks. Then pried them open. Slowly the grinding weight of the stone doors filled the jungle with a sound that took over the natural ambience. He'd throw them fully open after a few moments, letting out a breath in the process. He'd dust off his hands, brushing the moss away.

"There."

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

Seven let out an exhale, crossing her arms as the Jedi stepped past her and opened the door with brute force. She had felt his presence, since he didn't bother hiding himself, so she was hardly taken by surprise. Tall guy, Epicanthix. Not a species she had encountered much, but they had a reputation in Sith circles. She was mostly an outsider looking in to most of those spaces, but she had enough intel to know who was at the top of the food chain.

"Are your kind all this trusting?" she asked in a flat tone, letting out an exhale. "At least you don't yammer as much as the last one does..."

Braze really didn't know how to shut up. This one seemed to not even bother introducing themselves. That was fine. At the very least she could take solace in not having the urge to bash her head in against a stone wall.

The corridor ahead beyond the wall was utilitarian and plain, a rectangular corridor that stretched into infinite darkness. Moss and roots had breeched the doorway, but hadn't spread to far in. Given how dry the ruin was there was little incentive for the vegetation to encroach further. The Evereni let out an exhale and began through the entryway. She didn't feel the need to introduce herself until he did. Being social wasn't her strong suit.

"You lucked out," she muttered back to him as she walked past. "I imagine our goals are aligned..."

And she certainly wasn't going to deny the aid. As long as whatever lie within this accursed place was reduced to scrap.

 

[Aris Noble]

"You could've struck me down while I opened the door." He shrugged his shoulders before turning his gaze down the path before them. The darkness was unnatural here, deep and looming. Very Sith, Aris figured. Was this another of Solomon's relics? There was a momentary lapse in his calm smile, replaced by something more thoughtful and focused.

He snapped out of it as she stepped past.

"Perhaps. We'll see what we find."

Unlike her, he couldn't tell who she was. What she was. The ability to sense the Force had long eluded him. For now she wasn't a threat, but if she turned out to be a Sith once they found the artifact? He'd fight, if he had to.

"Unless you want to tell me your intentions now."

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

"Unless you want to tell me your intentions now."

"The thing in this place is making a racket," she stated. "I intend to silence it."

That was about as in-depth as she planned on being, which was fine by her. As long as she got to destroy the artifact she had no issue with playing nice. The Jedi were no longer her concern anyways. That was Kalrath's business, and he was no longer forcing her hand. She didn't see that becoming an issue. If she could get along with Braze then the giant seemed simple enough.

As they walked through the darkness of the corridor, Seven's alien eyes saw that which the average being could not. She took in the details of the utilitarian space as they walked. After a moment or two, she held up her hand to halt Aris' progress.

"Hold..." Seven instructed. "The ground ahead is unstable."

The former Sith assassin drew her vibrosword and prodded at the floor in the center of a square tile. It would then sink down slowly as a watery substance oozed up from above. It looked mostly like water, but had a faint green tinge to it. Algae could be blamed for such a thing, but Seven wasn't convinced. No plants grew towards the source, so it had to be contained to some capacity. Using the force, the Evereni woman lifted some of the water up in an orb-shape and drew it up to her face. One sniff of the stuff told her everything she needed to know, her experience as an assassin kicking in.

"Quell toxin," she reported. "High concentration.... small doses causes extreme agony. Larger will be lethal."

The Sith developed it long ago to control slave populations. Kalrath lived in that era. He had a sick fondness for it. She knew the sensation it inflicted on its victims well enough.

"I can't tell how much of the floor is compromised."

 

[Aris Noble]

"Silencing it is probably the best choice." A very noncomital response. Aris kept the smile though, calm. Collected. Practiced. Otherwise he'd be incredibly emotionless, so holding a smile helped to make friends, right? Surely he could at least attempt to follow Zaiya Ceti 's example in how to make friends.

He paused as she told him to, watching her curiously as she lifted the water. Algea, clearly. He blinked as she mentioned a poison instead.

".. Well it is a Sith tomb."

Aris reached down, undoing his boots before tossing them, tied together, over his shoulder. Same with his socks. He'd step forward then, letting his feet sink some into the oddly soft stone. Steam would erupt as the liquid evaporated on contact.

"Come along. I'm sure there's going to be many traps."

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

Seven watched as the strange Jedi took off his shoes and began to walk through the pathway. Around his feet the water was reduced to steam. The Evereni couldn't help but stand there for a moment and take in the decision the Jedi had made. Then, she calmly took out her spare rebreather mask and handed it to him.

"It doesn't vanish when you do that," she sighed. "You just made it airborne. Try not to breath it."

Her cybernetic would filter out the toxin well enough. From there she continued forwards, analyzing more of the wall. Strange that there was this reservoir here and no clear use for it aside from an inconvenient path. It wasn't even that dangerous if you didn't ingest it. What was it that all of this contaminated water was being stored for?

It was about then when she felt it, something her hand ran along. A grove. It blended in well. Actually, it was more like a tiny hole. And then another. And another.

"Chit," Seven hissed. "Exit holes for projectiles. Watch your-"

Then, one of the tiles under Aris's foot would click in a way that was different from the others. The walls of the cooridor would tremble for a moment before Sith runes appeared on the wall, glowing in a deep red hue. Thousands of exit holes ahead would begin to give off the same aura from within.

In anticipation, Seven picked up one of the loose tiles from the ground to use as a shield. There was a moment of delay...

And then darts filled with Quell Toxin began to pepper the corridor. The tips glowed with runes, alchemically enhanced like the Sith blades of old to inflict as much pain as they could on their ancient enemy.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris glanced to the rebreather that was offered. His head tilted just a bit, but he'd take it up without protest and slipped it on. He didn't need it, but it seemed she was worried. Friends listened to each others worries. If he wanted to be her friend, this was the least he could do. There was no pause to his gate though as they made their way through, him uncaring even as the toxin evaporated under each step.

The click caught his attention though. He frowned, glancing around. He sensed nothing, but he could hear it in the walls. The trap had been triggered, and it was about to launch.

Aris glanced briefly to Seven. His initial thought was to just heat to the point they melted away before they could hit him, but what else would heat up? He wasn't that in control of this power of his. One dart hit first, which pulled him from his stupor. Pain. That was a rarity for him. He grimaced deeply before he twisted and turned. Rather than melt them away, he caught them. Then threw them into the wall. As many as he could, though a few did still hit him.

By the time it was finished he'd destroyed portions of the hallway with the very darts used against them, including those that had hit him. Cracks in stone that destroyed the holes they were using to escape. He stood there, still for a long, quiet moment. Pain rippled through his mind, but like every other wound and poison, it didn't last long. Even the holes in his skin repaired as if he was never punctured to begin with, the only evidence a few tears in his clothing.

"It always surprises me how basic some of these traps can be."

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

Since Aris was large enough to cover her other flank, Seven brought her tile up to block the incoming darts. She must have blocked a good fifty of them, given how the slammed into the stone. Their force was greater then she expected, but not awful considering her cybernetic skeletal implants. After a few moments of being peppered by darts, the room seemed to still again. The Evereni turned back and got to witness the latter stages of the Jedi's healing capabilities.

This one definately wasn't normal, even for a Jedi.

Seven let out an exhale as she tossed aside her tile. At least it was over for now. Her impromptu companion seemed to agree with that assessment...

"It always surprises me how basic some of these traps can be."

"Basic..." Seven murmered.

Odd. Given all the runes, it was strange how mundane the trap had been. Even so, they had ground to cover. No sense lingering. Seven would continue to walk forward until...

There was a high pitched hum, and a cold chill that took the air. Behind them the darts would rise from the ground, surrounded by a ruby-tinted haze. Even the shrapnel of darts that had been destroyed would begin to lift up. Something compelled them to move again, and so they obeyed. A dark will imprinted on them long ago had taken control.

The darts and shrapnell hurled themselves towards the intruders again, carrying with them a potent dark energy.

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh.

"Oh."

Aris's mind and voice echoed the same thought. He'd jinxed it. His brow furrowed as the items lifted from the ground. He didn't need to feel the Force to know that it was something rather bad that was going to happen. He glanced to Seven with an apologetic smile. Then turned his fist to the ground they were standing on.

Three blows. That was all it took for the ground to shatter and give way.

"We're skipping a floor, I think."

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

Seven was quick to use the Force to bring a floor tile back to her, but as she looked at all of what was coming she quickly realized that it likely wouldn't do much. It was about then that she heard a cracking sound. She turned just in time to see the Jedi punch the ground and make a large hole in the wake of his blow. What lie beyond the hole was nearly pitch darkness, though a rush of water could be heard as well. The contaminated liquid that had been stored under the floor and was within the darts now hurling towards them seemed to be cascading down to a lower level. Maybe it meant there was something to land in, but...

The odds of that seemed unlikely. Then again, there seemed little other option.

"We're skipping a floor, I think."

"Looks like more than that," Seven huffed.

And with that, Seven hopped down and vanished into the darkness below.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was quick to follow along, jumping strait into the darkness before he got pelted by any more of the poisoned darts. Even with his healing, he didn't enjoy pain. If he could avoid it, he would. Straight into the depths they fell, quite a distance more than Aris had expected of the tomb. They avoided the intended path sure, but surely it wasn't just an endless cavern below.

Worry filled his mind. Not for himself, of course. This wouldn't hurt him. He wasn't sure of the one that had joined him though. And yet, floor would eventually be seen. Rapidly approaching. He didn't slow, instead hitting the ground with a loud crash before casually pushing back up to his feet. An empty cavern, natural stone. Lingering smell of poison.

"Think this is still part of the tomb or..?"

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Endor
Tags: Aris Noble

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

Seven scanned the darkness as she fell, her eyesight much better in the darkness compared to other species. Her sight locked onto a pillar. The Evereni spread out her surface area and tilted herself towards it. Then she drew her lightsaber. Songbird plunged into the support beam and immediately began to create traction. She would slow herself to a much safer decent, riding it all the way down to the ground. The Jedi seemed to be just find. Indestructible, even.

This wasn't some normal thing, even for his kind.

"Think this is still part of the tomb or..?"

"Perhaps..." Seven muttered as she extinguished her lightsaber and returned it to her belt. "I see that as unlikely. Not wanting someone to desecrate your tomb is one thing... but defending something still aware is another."

That artifact that called out. Perhaps it wasn't looking for simply a new, ambitious acolyte to embolden.

Where they had landed was a large, square platform. Four narrow paths stretched out from it, one for each side. Pools of deep green water lay in the gaps, fed by the waterfalls above. the paths seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness, a crossroad. Seven was not deterred by such a sight, however. She could feel the pull of the artifact in the air. The former assassin turned her gaze to the East facing path and began down it.

"This way," she stated.

 

[Aris Noble]

"You and I both know this is a Sith tomb. Only the worthy are allowed within." Aris hummed out the idle muse as he looked between the paths. His eyes scanned each, seeming to try to find something deeper. A marker, a sense of where to go, anything. There was nothing. His brow furrowed deeper. Perhaps they'd have to pick at random and guess their way through? No, Sith weren't the kind to be impossible.

Well, no they were but-

Seven found a path. He blinked, watching her for a moment before he'd end up just smiling calm as ever and followed right after. He could overanalyzed all day, but if she had a sense on where to go, he wasn't about to argue.

"Then after you. I suppose we should be prepared for another trap or two. Do you think it'll be another classic trap turned much more deadly? Say a boulder that's actually a bomb?"

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