Ask Journal, Jungle, Journey, Jumanji?

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

It was fortunate that both men caught each other’s gazes as the younger one among them just stared blankly back. Armen was about to ask how mother loth-cats conduct their fishing to begin with as Al continued with his explanation.

Eighty years of study… Maybe Al's species was like the Sephi, he lived long and prospered, or maybe he was just elderly. Hope there was HV at least…

“All those things leave little room for eating, if you ask me.” Snacking was something that kept Armen’s attention. Up again, ready for action and adventure (but hopefully no more creepily laughing creatures), trail mix between lips.

“I dunno about drums.” Armen didn’t consider himself dumb but ‘doldrums’ was just a word that was lost on him a bit like ‘dig’ for his companion. “But I’m all ears to hear more about ‘synesthesia’.”

He hoped to as the pair of Jedi were on the move. Beyond the copse, through the foliage, between the trees, of ash and oak or whatever considering Armen was not so versed on nature.

We don’t know where they are. He reminded himself of these ruins. But surely there’s a clue between here and those mountains. “Yo, see that?” Armen gestured ahead. Something was dangling from a tree.

A sign. It turned around to face them in the breeze with words clearly if suspiciously written in the most basic of Basic so that both could read: 'Head north to the foot of the mountains for the ruins. Entrance is to the left of an abandoned cabin. Beneath the highest peak past some pink trees. Can't miss it.'

Armen blinked, approached, noticed the fine print. 'But beware of DANGER!' Of course. “Well, uh, I guess we go north..."

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

Clues for location of ruins: 20/20

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

At first during the walk, Alhazred was quiet, but eventually he did open up about his condition.

"Synesthesia is a sensory phenomenon of experiencing one sense through another sense's stimulation. It varies from person to person greatly. I've never met anyone else who had it, but I've read on a human who tasted flavors when they saw certain colors, and could never eat tomatoes cause the actual tastes and perceived tastes didn't mix well. And there was an Aqualish who smelled things depending on the temperature of objects in his hand. It's a truly odd sensory phenomena. Anyways, when I came to the Jedi, I began to discover that whenever I meditated in the Force, I would hear instruments. It made it very unsettling at first, and when I began to try to move objects, it was unbearably distracting. The shrieking of flutes, the thrumming of drums, the clanking of gongs. I began to loathe meditation as a result, until I became fully aware of my condition, and began to experiment with it. It still makes meditating difficult some days, but its much more bearable now."

When the two found the sign, Alhazred studied it carefully, if a little confused.

"Most ruins aren't well advertised, are they?" Alhazred pondered aloud as he shifted his backpack. "Do you believe its for us or someone else? Ah, it doesn't matter I suppose.... lead on my friend

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Armen scratched his noggin in thought. The sign had certainly been a bit of a surprise and could easily be a trap that some madman had left for anyone heading in this direction.

“I believe I’ve seen crazier things and it’s our only lead at this point, legit or not, so we may as well follow it.” They were in agreement and moved on.

He might not have shown it with his casual stride but Armen kept an eye out, now not only for those predators from before or worse, but whoever or whatever might have left that sign.

North to mountains. Entrance left of cabin. Beneath the peak. Past…pink trees? Surely those would be easy to see since most of these trees were green. Unless, of course, this person is a lunatic and there is no cabin to begin with.

Time passed, Armen spotted a flying rat, petted something that looked like a four-legged Ewok, and ran from giant gnats. Back on track.

“So uh, yeah, synesthesia with the Force sounds pretty unique to your species.” He picked up the conversation from before as they headed north.

“Meditation isn’t my best practice. Generally just end up falling asleep. Never heard any instruments—or tasted tomatoes from colors on that note.”

Though he certainly appreciated flavors, whether a bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich or potato chips.

“Hey, uhhhh, speaking of color, think I see the ching-ching…” The Human nodded into the distance. “Those trees seem pink to you?” Was it that easy?

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"Well, it is a rare phenomenon, and I suspect any records of Jedi having it were lost after the Galactic Empire and Order 66." Alhazred commented. He truly wondered how many people in the galaxy had his condition. It certainly couldn't be an evolutionary advantage, having one sense influence the others in such a drastic way. Whether or not his own race all had the trait or not was unknown to him.

At the pink trees, Alhazred had to rub his eyes. His species could see into the ultraviolet range of light, but shades of red and orange were almost lost on any Nu-Vaal. Something about their planet's skies being in a near state of darkness yet just light enough for all colors but red being visible on the planet. Where describing ultraviolet to a non -Nu-Vaal was like describing the sound of a music chord to a deaf man, so too was describing how this 'pink' appeared to him.

"I... I think so..." Alhazred rubbed his eyes again. This forest was strange. Alhazred was hearing some off-putting notes in the force that made his skin crawl.

Suddenly, a high-pitch screaming sound filled the air. Alhazred flinched and covered his ears. Before the two, a rather large furry rodentian creature jumped out of the ground in fright. No sooner had it jumped into the air, a dozen pink toothed centipedal insects, each as big as a basketball, fell from the trees and swarmed the rodent. The creature screamed in pain and rolled in the dirt, but to no avail. The insects bit and clawed their way through the rodent, blood flying in every direction as grinding teeth ate hair, skin, flesh, and bone alike. In moments there was little more left than a few pieces of chewed up pieces. The insects quickly swarmed back to various trees and swifly climbed back up, hiding amongst the branches and leaves.

"What in the Force was that?!?" Alhazred whispered in an urgent tone, staying perfectly still. Did the insects make the noise to startle potential prey? And why weren't they attacking the two right now? Did they not see them?

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Order 66. Armen of course knew the meaning of it but he couldn’t help but think of some dumb B-movie. Or a cheesy porn flick.

The latter was, admittedly, a bit too common even for contemporaries within the Jedi Order these days with unbuttoned jeans and everything. Embarrassing, really.

As for pink trees, this Jedi’s contemporary agreed. Hesitated with his speech, even. Was it Al’s senses that affected Armen’s own?

Maybe the Padawan picked up from the Padawan but, whatever it was, the Human felt creepie-crawlies on his skin that gave him the heebie-jeebies that instant.

“OH SHIT!” It wasn’t the rodent-thing that had given him the creeps but what jumped on it. Armen froze in his footsteps, not even out of caution so much as out of utter terror. Bugs. He gulped. I fucking hate bugs.

As much as such. These ones, as he had glimpsed, were less than insects and more gorge-on-your-flesh at best. “I…I dunno…” Armen admitted. “And I don’t wanna…”

He looked left, looked right, up and down, trying not to move or make a sound. Emotion, yet peace. As if repeating the dumb tenet in his head would make any difference.

“Al…” Armen took a deep breath, held it. “...Don’t, uhh, look up…” Breathed out as a Huttball-sized insect extended from a branch above Alhazred’s head, unfurling its curled form, descending forth.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazreds breathing became rapid and shallow as fear began to set in. He glanced at armen without moving his head, completely paralyzed in terror. The sight of those things were more paralyzing than the deadliest toxin.

If he was paralyzed before, alhazred became positively frozen when he felt the thing start to crawl over his turban. The sudden weight of the thing touching his head and moving over his sweating face, it's chitinous legs pressing into his skin and pushing apart his mouth tendrils slightly, and it's curious chirping as it moved down his neck onto his body, mandibles brushing against him...

Wait... alhazred thought. Why isn't it attacking me?

His mind flashed back to the rodent that the things killed. There was the scream, and then the rodent jumped and was eaten.

Could it be...? Alhazred began to ponder.

Up ahead, alhazred could see a stone. Closing his eyes, the Nu-vaal focused on the force. A slightly raised pitch, and the stone began to wobble. The insect on alhazred froze, seeming to study the wobbling stone from a distance. When alhazred lost focus, the bug still kept its eyes on it.

Alhazred turned his attention to armen. Reaching out to the fellow jedi, alhazred tried to communicate with him directly through the Force. Truth be told, he had only done such a thing twice before, and each time was with a jedi master. He was unsure if armen would understand, but he had to try.

DONTMOVEDONTMOVEDONTMOVEDONTMOVE Alhazred repeated over and over again. He believed that these things hunted by movement, or in other words, only attacked things that moved before them and when they screamed.

True enough, the bug on alhazred screeched towards the stone. The sound was ear piercing, and it took every ounce of will power for the Nu-vaal not to flinch. He only hoped armen did the same.

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

As an insect descended onto Alhazred’s head it was all Armen could do to not move, to not flinch, just standing there like an idiot as his friend was gripped in the same sensation of utter terror.

Apparently they both hated bugs to begin with. This was definitely much different. While Al was busy getting crawled on, Armen watched the trees, spotting other things beginning to emerge.

Slithering things. Crawling things. Things with no legs, things with six legs, or ten. All of them like the creatures he’d seen so many times before but wouldn’t bat an eye.

He’d seen one dangling from the corner of a room before, another stealing a juicy morsel off a kitchen counter, this one in a line of minions toward a hill of dirt, that one drowning in the rain, and all of them small enough to fit beneath his boot.

Here they were now, much and more the same, only bigger versions. As big as his boot, as tall as his leg, big enough for his own head to be that juicy morsel.

Truly, in these moments, where the very forest felt like it was crawling along his skin, squirming in his ears, tickling his head, plucking the hairs at his neck, Armen became a Jedi Master in the Force, calling on every ounce of fabric to keep from losing his cool.

‘Don’t move’, called a voice in his mind, and his companion didn’t need to tell him twice. There was a screech as one of the bugs leapt for the stone; a loud sound that Armen heard behind his eyes, sharp as a razor blade, and made him grit his teeth.

At his side, a branch began to dance, gently swaying. An instant later, as Armen dared to glimpse it, heart pounding, he realized it wasn’t the branch that moved but what was on it.

A slender, glistening thing, twisting in some otherworldly ballet, wrapping around that whole branch as long as Armen's leg, brown and green like moss on wood, or like mold that was living and writhing.

From its body, what Armen thought to be arms or legs, were more like tentacles, bending like elbows and knees, leading up to twin antennas that turned in his direction as if they were eyes, and black as midnight.

Don’t move. The Jedi, no, the man, helpless and trapped, repeated in his mind. Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

OK, see, that's a good thing.... they attack based on movements. Alhazred thought to himself as he observed the bugs attack the stone he had tossed with the force. That means there is a way out of this situation.

Alhazred felt his traveling companion begin to panic further as armen witnessed something just out of alhazreds vision rage.

Armen, the situation is stable... alhazred communicated telepathicly, his native aklo making itself known through the use of superfluous words.

Just focus...this is what jedi do. Breath inwards slowly. Breathe outwards gently. This is how life is preserved. Relax, and focus on the force. Feel it's presence.

Now... alhazred continued. Whatever your seeing, it might be hostile, but it can help us. Use the force... move it slowly towards the bugs. When they consume it... we can move forward. It'll be like that human contest of skill I've learned about. Red star, Green star or whatever.

after a moment, alhazred added another two words

You dig?

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Fear. Perhaps, so to speak, that was a Jedi’s worst fear. It was a path to the dark side. It was even an emotion that was otherwise bereft of this Jedi. Yet, here in the darkness of this forest, where the shadows closed in, it gripped him, like death in a fist.

Focus, Al told him, telepathically. Okay. Armen answered back, breathing in. I’ll try. He focused. Closed his eyes. I dig it. Breathed out. Opened. When he did, the ugly creepy-crawly beside him went flying.

Just in time, maybe, because even without its eyes the Jedi had glimpsed its mouth open wide. He felt himself shiver as the trees began to dance, branches thrashing, as creatures began to swarm the other.

Now. Armen spoke to his companion in silence, moving forward. He didn’t know about red stars or green stars but he knew he didn’t want to become stardust anytime soon.

With the creatures distracted for the moment, Armen followed up with a wave of the Force that repulsed some other repulsive bugs into one another, where they scrambled and tangled. Move move move move move.

The pair of Jedi were halfway out of the thicket of insects when Armen felt the earth shift, the dirt fidget, then it exploded.

Black beetles the size of a fist scurried in a tide all around both Jedi. Awoken from the footsteps, maybe, but all Armen thought was— RUN.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred could've smiled when the younger man used the Force. He couldn't see it, but he could hear the Force change several pitches and octaves in multiple ways.

Unfortunately, Alhazred didn't have time to be proud, as he was pushing his little legs as fast as they could take him. He could hear the insects screeching and swarming over each other, trying to kill the thing that moved underneath them. The more it struggled, the more the insects swarmed, heedless of the much larger prey that was gallivanting away from them.

When the black beetles exploded from the ground, Alhazred stumbled and fell. Yiping in fright, Alhazred began to scratch away the bugs in a panic and ran in a random direction., Instincts were driving him at this point, and all of them were screaming for him to run. He was fairly confident that was the same thought process going through Armen's mind as well. Still, the bugs unnerved the Nu-Vaal.

Alhazred wasn't sure if it was seconds, minutes, or hours until he had to stop running. Bending over and heaving gasps of air, it seemed like the two were in the clear.

"Last time..." Alhazred gasped, "...I will ever look for some uncharted ruins in...a jungle..."

Alhazred looked up to see if he could spot Armen. Instead of the fellow padawan, Alhazred found himself at the barrel end of a blaster rifle charging up. Both of his eyes widened in shock

"Boscushoo like jee-jee nound spicee nish, eh sooj?" The armored Klatoonian mocked in Huttese. standing next to him on the rocks, several other beings of various species chuckled, each armed with blasters or vibroblades. It seemed Alhazred had stumbled into some sort of camp site for some less-than-reputable scoundrels.

The Leader, the armored Klatoonian, gestered with his rifle. "Hands up squid-face. Less ye want early grave"

Gulping and not knowing what else to do, he slowly raised his hands to the air. A quick glance around showed that Armen had not yet stumbled through these scoundrel's camp yet.

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Armen caught his companion fall as the beetles swarmed toward both of them. His immediate reaction was to help him, but just then a web of those insects cut in between their feet.

Fortunately, Al got up the next instant, and he ran. Armen did the same, if in another direction. Any which way that would take him to an escape. He had enough of this portion of the forest. For a jungle planet like this? Who knew what else was in store.

“I…” Armen caught his breath, hands on knees, as he found himself in a clearing surrounded by only trees. “...I am gonna ask the council whether this world was the best trip for this mission…”

His companion offered no response. Silence was yet expected. Armen rose. “Hope you got a choco— Oh.” Al was nowhere to be found.

Still, the two couldn’t have gotten too far from one another. That was the Padawan’s intuition. He didn’t remember running completely opposite so much as north instead of west or was it the other way around?

Focus, dipshit. Armen took a breath, held it. Alhazred…can you hear me? Maybe it was too great a distance. I’m coming, buddy…

A rainforest like this was equipped with various elevation, and it took only moments for Armen to realize he was standing on a hillside. Maybe he could use that to his advantage as he trekked up it and went ahead, hunting for his friend.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Well, at least I'm protected from bugs and laughing beasts... Alhazred thought to himself as the band of scoundrels forced Alhazred to walk hands on his head further into the jungle. It wasn't until the group made their way to the base camp of scoundrels that Alhazred truly began to understand. Set alongside several decaying and destroyed buildings that Alhazred believed to be the fabled ruins he was searching for, the Nu-Vaal witnessed large camp fires, several large metal instruments with bubbling liquids, a droid grinding roots into fine powders and a thick smell of fumes instantly spelled what these scoundrels were.

"Drug dealers! You idiots are actually cooks!" Alhazred exclaimed. "What in the name of the Void are you lot doing it here fo-"

"Shut it!" A rodian shouted and gave Alhazred a smack with his blaster rifle. Alhazred uttered a moan of pain as blue blood dribbled down his forehead from the newly formed cut and bruise.

Alhazred didn't say another word. In all of his life, he had never been in this type of situation before. Never been a hostage, and certainly never encountered criminals in their hideout. The drug dealers forced Alhazred alongside a tree next to one of the ruins. After forcing him to lose his backpack and his lightsaber, the group tied the Nu-Vaal's arms and legs together and sat him down. Further restraining him, they hooked a small chain from his wrists and looped it around the tree.

Alhazred watched the scoundrels from his place. He tried to calm himself down and gather his surroundings to form a plan, one of the few lessons the Jedi taught him to do no matter the situations. One of the scoundrels was carrying a bagful of a mysterious substance. When the man fell and spilled the contents of the bag out, much to the annoyance of the others, Alhazred saw several pink plants, and blue beetles. In a corner of the camp, several carcasses of the laughing beasts were lying in the sun, drying out. Whatever the drug was, it needed the natural resources of this planet..

Alhazred tried to count the number of scoundrels. It seemed there was a total of 10 of the scoundrels, ranging from human cooks, rodian and trandoshan pushers, and the one eyed Klatoonian, as well as 2 astromech droids reprogrammed to do the more dangerous labor. A few of the criminals notably took 'samples' of the final product, a goey paste that they rubbed under their noses. Those beings definately did not look the best. What concerned Alhazred most was the fact that each one seemed to be armed with either blaster rifles, pistols, or slugthrowers.

As Alhazred observed, the Klatoonian came over. Squatting on his heels, the one eyed dog sneered at the Nu-Vaal, sizing him up, or in this case, down.

"Why you here Jedi squid?" he asked, squinting as he studied Alhazred.

Alhazred shook his head. "I, um, I'm not a jedi good sir, just a simple..."

Before Alhazred could lie, the Klatoonian gave the Nu-Vaal a solid bash to the face using Alhazred's lightsaber handle.

"No lie Quarren." The Klatoonian commanded. "I know you a Jedi. Why you here? You here spy operation?"

"What? No no no!" Alhazred denied, shaking his head franticly, not wanting another blow. He was definately was the more sensative type. "I'm just here to do some archeological work on these ruins! Honest!"

The Klatoonian growled but seemed to accept the explanation for the moment.

"Where friends? Where ship?"

"Oh, uh, I had to park it far away. Ya, ya, day's journey, that way. Just me, flew an x-wing. You know, us Jedi like to be that skywalker fella, right?"

The Klatoonian growled, not appreciating the humor. Over the next few minutes, the Klatoonian used Alhazred's lightsaber tilt to beat the Nu-Vaal, demanding to know where his traveling companions were. Thankfully, after a few more times, Alhazred's denials won the dog over.

"I busy. Kill you later. Then we leave. Make peace with dead Jedi..."

With that, the Klatoonian left the batterred and bleeding Alhazred tied to the tree, wondering what happened to his traveling companion.

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Armen had half-expected his companion would have caught up to him after getting separated, banking on their directions not being entirely diverting. So, although the two were not in each other’s presence, he headed through the forest where last Alhazred was expected to be in.

It would not have made much sense for Al to have ventured further ahead without himself turning around to find his friend. That meant the two might be running into each other any moment from now.

No such luck. The Padawan sighed as he spent some minutes traversing the forest, using his vantage to his advantage. He spied a pretty awesome hotspring were this a vacation, a rodent with butterfly wings, and those mountains in the distance, heading toward them.

What was it that sign had said? Right. Ruins at mountains. Entrance at the left of a cabin. Past pink trees. Can’t miss it. Well, the Jedi had already been greeted with pink trees wherein insects the size of his body and head had attacked them. Armen hoped he would never see them again. His friend, though…

Further ahead, over a crest, toward plumes of smoke, he saw them. Not insects but buildings. Decrepit. Cookfires against the elements. Pots larger than cooking cauldrons where someone might make moonshine or spice.

Peddlers. Lying still and silent atop a hill, there might have been a dozen of them, and they carried weapons. Looking about the scene, Armen wondered whether that ‘sign’ was from a madman or one of these, then he spotted his friend at a tree.

“Al…” The Human whispered. Al looked like he might fall asleep in a moment. Most likely been given a beating. Interrogated. Which meant his possessions were taken. And these guys know they’re dealing with a Jedi.

Singular. Not plural. Armen could use that to his advantage. No skilled infiltrator by any means, he intended to sneak down the hill, free his companion when the enemy wasn’t looking, and screw the ruins. The Council could give him written homework for weeks after this damn planet.

Okay. Don’t worry, buddy. I’m on my way. Armen began to descend the hill when— “OH SHIIIIIIIIIII—”

In the end, he landed at the bottom, after tripping and tumbling, some feet away from his companion’s tree, with a number of eyes on him. Kriff.

“Who’s this then?” A guard questioned.

“He’s another Jedi bitch. LET’S GET ‘IM”

Then, Armen exploded in an instant. His lightsaber ignited, he dodged blasterfire, slashed through Alhazred's bonds, and took a combat stance, ready to get it on.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred looked up at the sound of tumbling and clumsiness. His traveling companion, and young and energetic as he was, certainly did not have the coordination skills that most youths had. Or maybe most youths had that level of skill, and Alhazred was just accustomed to the wrong people.

Either way, Armen was skilled enough to cut the Nu-Vaals bonds. Jumping to his feet, Alhazred raised a hand at the nearest scoundrel, focusing on the music around him in the Force. A sudden surge in flutes, and a drop in horns, a choral shriek, and the man was suddenly flying backwards.

"So happy to be in your presence again young master Armen" Alhazred stated as he flicked his hands again. Another surge in the music, and another being was sent flying backwards into a boiling pot of water and paste. The astromech who had been assisting beeped and whistled wildly, not ready for any form of combat.

"I'm no soldier, but I recommend you stay in front of me..." Alhazred stated. "Lacking my blade, the Force shall be my weapon"

One of the cooks grabbed a handful of spikes harvested from the dead beasts and threw them at the group like throwing knives. His mind flashing back to when the two fought the beasts before, Alhazred stretched his hand and sent another wave. This time more focused, Alhazred had no trouble sending the spikes back at the thrower. The cook fell to the ground unconcious moments later.

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Armen was equally pleased to see that his companion was quickly on his feet. He did appear to have been given a bit of a beating but he moved in spite of the wounds. He moved like a Jedi, one that sent his enemies flying.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Armen spent his attention on the blaster bolts coming at their shared presence, deflecting them with his lightsaber. He returned a few to the shooters, knocking two backwards, sending one into a campfire.

“I’m no soldier either,” he admitted as knives soared like spikes. Two of their remaining opponents shifted behind different walls at the flanks for better cover. It was harder for Armen to send the bolts back at them. “But I suggest side by side defensive tactics.” No military linguist.

There was nobody at their backs and this way Armen could defend with his blade while his partner cast Force Farewell.

Armen spotted a Klatooinian just then, storming across a ruined floor to a platform with two Trandoshans and a curious contraption already on it.

Oh crap. “Uh, Al…” What were those things called again? Spider-Webs?

“TIME TO DIE YOU JEDI DOGS” The Klatooinian cried.

“CANNON”

Armen’s turn to take cover behind the nearest pillar as the heavy repeating blaster blasted at them.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred nodded at Armen's thought process and focused again. Clapping his hands together, he bent his fingers as the music of the force conjured up around him again. One hand went down, and the flutes began to rise in pitch around the droid who had grabbed a toppled pot of paste. Clenching webbed hands into fists, Alhazred let the flutes shriek as the droid was sent flying into one of the scoundrels that had picked themself up. He was quickly rendered unconcious as the screeching hunk of metal crashed into him.

"What is it young master-" Alhazred started before being cut off by the Kaltoonian and the declaration of the heavy ordinance weapon.

"Oh..." Alhazred said in cold realization.

The two had split again, though thankfully not so drastically as before. Merely several meters or so, behind a crumbling stone well. Overhead, Alhazred could feel the heat from the blaster bolts landing inches away. For once in his life, the Nu-Vall silently thanked his host for making him so much shorter compared to most humanoids in the galaxy.

Glancing to his right, Alhazred could get a slight glimpse of Armen. Closing his eyes, Alhazred began to refocus himself, reciting prime numbers until he got to 433. In the thrill of combat, it was easy to lose focus on the Force and the energies it held. Force push was easy. It was action. Telepathy was a little more of a struggle.

Once focused, Alhazred's music resonated with Armen's. Hoping he was still open to the Force like before, Alhazred spoke to the young man's mind.

I think I have an idea... I will distract him long enough to give you an opening. Do whatever you can

Alhazred turned his attention in the force towards the next loudest being's song. The Klatoonian's song was loud and boisterous. Full of clanging and rippling sounds of woodwinds and percussions. It was a struggle at first. His own tune so different from the Klatoonian's, Alhazred unconsciously bent his fingers in odd directions trying to adjust and be in the same beat as the leader of these drug dealers.

But he did it. After a moment of practice, Alhazred's tune began to be in sync with the wild dog's. And having done so, Alhazred began to chant in something closer to his native tongue.

Mgep ahagl mgepah lw'nafh, ahagl mgepah force. Ng mgep ahagl mgepah force, ahagl mgepah ebon yogfm'l.

The Klatoonian paused as the alien words sank into his mind. Seizing the moment, Alhazred dashed from his spot in a direction away from Armen. Momentarily trammeled by his own thoughts, the dog shook his head and reaimed his weapon back at the Nu-Vaal.

"Get out of my head!" The Klatoonian shouted as he opened fire again.

l' h' flew ph' soth, car'ing nafl llll... Alhazred continued after rolling behind a tree, reciting the literary work in its entirety. If there was one thing he knew better than mathematics, Alhazred knew the stories of things that lurked in the void.

Annoyed to enragement, the hound turned his entire focus on the fleeing Jedi. He was inside the dog's head, and the dog could not stand that. Alhazred continued, crawling through dirt and leaves as each blast came unnerringly close.

outer spheres mgepthrod. The yogfm'll mgepthrod. Betelgeuse hupa anew, ng nilgh'ri ot soth ahor h' kadishtu uh'eogor. Betelguese, Betelguese, Betelguese...

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Armen, dispassionate, was not immune to fears in the moment. Suppressed, even, perhaps, yet he did his best to listen to the words within his mind that were not at his own behest. They were another’s. His companion's.

I will do my best. Armen promised. It was all he could give amid a barrage of blaster bolts from different directions, including a heavy cannon. You do you.

Alhazred provided the distraction of which Armen must summon his essence, his inner strength, and stop hiding. He had hid in the forest, when insects and more had swarmed. Was that his problem? Being indifferent except when the occasion preyed on his name?

Like when I made my decision between being just some guy or a Jedi. A young man thought. He bit his lip. Blasters erupted, endless, yet just then the heavier repeater had shifted. What’s this?

Did he need to beckon the question? It was Alhazred, as promised. My distraction. Time to move in! With justice in my fist!

Sounded promising. Whatever to get him away from the pillar and into the fray as Armen closed in toward a shooter. The latter was taken by surprise, firing, but the Padawan deflected.

The Jedi swung his saber, cleaved the blaster in two, and slung his attacker into the wall, knocking him out. Then came the ladder. Sneaky…

Armen clung to the rungs. Carefully… Stood on a walkway in between his position and that damned turret. Your friend is counting on you, buddy. Don’t let him be only a distraction!

So Armen charged. He crossed the distance. He stormed across the floor to the platform, with one distracted Klatooinian, and two Trandoshans who had suddenly taken an interest in him.

“FOR SKYWALKER!” Armen offered a warcry as he swung high. His lightsaber slashed across his opponent’s chest.

“AND ALHAZRED!” Another swing. Another Trandoshan fell from the edge.

Finally, Armen turned to the Klatooinian, who turned to him, and dove into him, and the pair of men took a tumble off the cliff, as Armen fumbled to find his lightsaber.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred popped out from behind a tree and made a face. The Klatoonian snarled and continued to open fire on the small, moving Nu-Vaal. Alhazred, for all point's and purposes, was not enjoying the situation of being fired on, but knew that his activity of annoyance served a useful distraction. Even now, Alhazred could hear the young Jedi's lightsaber in action. It almost brought a smile to Alhazred's face.

"I think I have found a cure for his malaise" Alhazred chortled as he dashed between the treeline, bolts hitting where his feet were.

Alhazred heard Armen yell something. Glancing in the direction, Alhazred saw Armen using his blade like a seasoned warrior. The trandosians had no chance against the young man.

Then he and the Klatoonian fell.

Eyes widened, Alhazred threw his arms out. He didn't know what clicked inside of him. Perhaps it was just friendly instinct towards a companion. Or perhaps it was the sheer fear of letting someone get hurt on his behalf. After all, he ordered Armen to do whatever he could do. Or maybe it was just because Alhazred, armed with the Force, knew he could do something to help.

No matter what it was, Alhazred's focus was sharpened to a point. Legs bent into a ready position, Alhazred's arms went down, hands forward. The music around Armen started to shake and shrill. Turning his hands over and cracking a few bones from age, Alhazred pulled upwards. He tuned the music into 3 separate chords, each one resonating perfectly with each other.

Alhazred's body shook, but he refused to give up. Suddenly, the body of Armen would stop in the air, and float for a few moments before begin descending, this time at a slower pace. Alhazred had to close his eyes, focusing on nothing else but the song. The chords needed to be perfect and stay perfect so Armen wouldn't fall to his death.

@Die Shize

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Sure, the platform wasn’t terribly too high up to begin with, and maybe halfway there Armen could have cast Force Jump.

Sure, he could also Force Pull his lightsaber back to him. Only, in that very moment, as his body fell and his weapon fell from his grip somewhere he did not see, well, he could not even think.

His instincts betrayed him, and if he landed and cracked his head open then the Force wouldn’t help him one bit. His companion had distracted that Klatooinian, but in the latter’s madness he had tackled his other opponent, and this was Armen’s consequence.

I’m dead. It was all the Padawan could express in that instant. Or he’d be met with a broken leg. So he closed his eyes and hoped for the best. Amid his descent, Armen felt himself slow. Heard a thud but it wasn’t his own bones that bumped.

The Jedi landed on his back, gracefully if not with much dignity, only to find that Klatooinian guy right beside him. Oh shit. He wasn’t moving, courtesy of his head being split open. Grassland was one thing. Stone ruins amid it was another thing entirely. RIP.

Thanks, Al. Armen knew it was his newfound friend who had somehow reached out. I think the ringleader of this little spice ring outfit is dead. A blaster bolt just then, only not aimed for Armen’s skull. Right. There was still one shooter left.

I see him. He was taking pot shots at Alhazred who had focused his attention on Armen. The Human got up, intent on getting that Rodian. Time to regret your decision.

Armen reaquired his lightsaber, darted off in the attacker’s direction, got his foot caught on a rock, tripped, landed on his ass. Crap.

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

In defense of Alhazred: 6/20

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred finally let go of Armen once it was safe enough for him. Alhazred panted a bit, regaining his composure. He had never done such a task before, holding a person up in the air. Rocks and stones were one thing, people were something else. They were heavier, and full of free will. Each movement Armen made, it had threatened to break the chords that Alhazred had conjured around the young man in the Force.

The blaster shots startled Alhazred back into the moment. There was still another threat appearently. He had the full confidence that Armen could handle the attacker, all Alhazred had to do was...

Another pot shot rang out. A sizzling burn. Alhazred fell backwards as he clutched his arm where the newly formed wound had been made.

"Ouch!" Alhazred utterred as rolled in the foliage, quickly disappearing in the undergrowth. What his size did against him in battles of strength, at least it helped him hide. Still, the last Rodian continued firing in his direction, pinning him from going anywhere, and with the new wound, it was impossible to focus on the music of the Force. All he could sense was pain. searing, hot pain.

@Die Shize