Ask Brick by Brick

[Elias Ryn]

The news on the attack of the Ajan Kloss temple spread like wildfire. The Sith had grown bolder and bolder by the day and with the brazen ferocity that struck the temple with, they were growing stronger too. It had been a heavy blow to the Jedi and one that would be felt for years to come with the untimely deaths of padawans, knights, councilors, and even the Grandmaster. The Lightside ached in pain and even Elias could feel it. It had been one of the first temples constructed by Rey Skywalker and was meant as a beacon for the future generation of Jedi to come and a symbol of strength. That temple had raised many heroes but those stories contained in those walls would simply be wiped away and desecrated. Instead, it would serve as a reminder of the massacre and atrocities that the Sith committed.

After having left Yavin-IV to ensure the safety of one of their last remaining temples, Elias quickly commandeered one of the X-wings that had generously been left behind and used it to fly towards Tython. He was sure that he would return it to its rightful owner one day. When he had finally arrived at the planet and broke through the atmosphere, he simply remained in the air and did a flyby as he peered out from the cockpit and down below. The planet was still beautiful as ever and he could sense the force that flowed through every single living thing. It even seemed to respond to his presence in a way, as if comforted by the sight of a Jedi arriving. It was a welcomed sight from the news that had shared.

While Elias had his own plans, with the fall of Ajan Kloss, the Jedi needed a new stronghold, a new symbol to take its place. They would not sit back and nurse themselves until they could be hit again. They would rebuild and they will come back stronger from this than ever. The Order was in its dark days but there would be light, they'd just have to dig for it. There were stories of an abandoned temple on the planet and Elias intended to find it and help bring back to the renowned status it once knew in the Jedi Order and act as the beacon they would need.

When he had found a suitable clearing to land, he closed the foils of his ship and eased it in as the landing gears were brought out. The ship landed without a hitch and as the glass of the cockpit slid back, he used the force to help lift himself out of the ship and onto the solid ground of the planet. Elias breathed in the fresh air as the sound of wildlife echoed around him. He crouched down and pressed his palm into the grass as he closed his eyes, his fingers stretching out as the green blades sprouted between them. The Lightside coursed through the planet and had yet to remain infected, at least upon the first inspection. It would be a suitable location but it wouldn't be just his decision. Because of that, he asked Jedi Master Grayza for help to find the lost temple and if it was suitable for the Jedi. Elias checked on the beacon to notify the fellow Jedi of his location and waited.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

It could be fairly said, at least in Hannibal's opinion, that the entire situation surrounding the Sith attack on Ajan Kloss and the chaos on Sullust was a massive garbage fire of the utmost proportions. On top of something that should have been done with more care on intel the red blades had struck at the main Temple, leaving the usual death and desolation in their wake. More reasons not to tell people where the Jedi live if there weren't enough already.

But despite everything happening the way it had- and the injuries involved, naturally, no shortage of those either- there was work to be done. The mess seemed to have brought another Jedi out of the proverbial woodwork. A Jedi who had a work ethic the Jedi Master could appreciate. Not many wanted to wander around Tython to find old temples considering the planet's history and the apparent capriciousness toward visitors, but hey. A Jedi's life is sacrifice or something, right?

Hannibal's lightly modified yach, which served as a mobile base of sorts since he was rarely in one place for very long, cut through the atmosphere of the Tython toward the other Jedi's beacon. The young Jedi took in a deep breath- wincing slightly as his ribs protested the action- and allowed the Living Force to pass into and through him. His initial impression of the planet was good, certainly. Plus it wasn't a sweaty jungle or tiny, miserable, rocky island on an ocean planet.

The yacht extended its landing gear and touched down nearby, the departure ramp lowering. A few moments later Hannibal himself stepped down dressed in his multi-coloured robes, rolling his shoulders to stretch them from the long trip. He was still somewhat stiff from recovery, but that would pass.

He waved cheerfully toward Elias, ignoring the twinge of pain in several places, and began to walk over. "Nice weather, isn't it?" he asked conversationally, looking around at their surroundings. As much as he worked in the metal and flesh packed urban environments it was nature he was most at peace in.

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias didn't have to wait for long before he could sense another presence and closing in. Within a matter of a few seconds, he could hear the rumble of the fellow Jedi's ship before it eventually found and landed beside his own. He shut off the beacon as there was no longer a need and made his way to greet Hannibal as he exited off the ramp. "Good to see you arrived, Master Grayza." This was the second Jedi Master he had met and for nearly a similar purpose as they were about to attempt and find the old temple on the planet.

Elias respected those of authority above him and was glad that the Jedi Master decided to accompany him on the task and added some legitimacy to this. When he mentioned the weather, Elias glanced around them before inhaling the fresh air as it didn't hold the stench of death or the Darkside. "It is. Let's just hope it can stay that way while we're here." He had been to the mid and outer rim quite often recently and the bleak overcast that he was usually greeted with by those planets there made the sun's rays of light a desirable sight for him. "Shall we get moving then? Let's try and not lose our daylight." With that, the Knight began to walk at a steady pace.

The force flowed evenly through the life that surrounded them. It was a sensation that Elias hadn't felt much as it seemed most of the galaxy has been out of balance ever since the return of the Sith. Hopefully one day, he and his fellow Jedi could return all planets and their people back to their full strength and remove the invisible leech that was the taint of the Darkside. But Elias distracted himself and instead spoke to Hannibal, "This is the first time I've been on Tython. Do you know anything about the location of the temple or even an inkling of where it could be?" As much as he loved to use the force to guide him and such, he thought it was better to have an actual location to go visit.

There had been classes when he had been in a Jedi training about Tython and its significance but most of the time it was conjecture or rumor. The temple still hadn't been found yet but Elias was committed to bringing it out from the ashes of their past.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

"We shall," the young Jedi replied simply, moving after Elias at a similar pace. The relative purity of the energy on Tython, the vibrancy of life, proved soothing to the still recovering Jedi Master. Much of the pain that remained beneath his bandages washed away into the Force, though he still needed to be mindful not to push it too much. Frankly his medical advisor was already cross with him for taking on more missions after what he'd been hit by, but whatever.

He didn't really know much about Elias but he seemed to be a well meaning guy so far, working hard for the good of others. Respectable. The Order could use more of those and less vanity projects.

The other Jedi asked a question. A good and relevant question, even. Hannibal's opinion of Elias was improving by the minute it seemed. "I've been here once. There is a temple, but it's not the only one. Probably not the one we're looking for, judging by the Dark presence that was waiting in it. Seemed too small to be a main temple. S'gotta be around somewhere though, right?"

Hannibal had an idea or two, but nothing too solid. Really just guessing based on the kind of places Jedi liked to put their monuments to self importance.

"I bet it's in a valley somewhere. Or on a mountain. One of those."

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

As they walked together, even Elias could sense the discomfort from Hannibal and he eased his stride to make sure it wasn't too strenuous. It reminded him that he hadn't served in either battle of freeing of the ranger Trys or the protection of one of their temples. He swore he wouldn't let anyone else down the next time an attack happened. Even though Hannibal was slightly injured, the knight was glad he decided to accompany him. The Jedi Master's knowledge would prove invaluable to him and he would soak every second he was allowed.

So there was more than one temple. That was good to know but it was concerning to hear that there had been a dark presence waiting. The rest of the planet felt healthy but he wondered what could have been the cause of it. Elias eventually pushed that aside as they would cross that bridge when they reached it. "Right, it has to be somewhere at least." At least that could be said with certainty.

"A valley or mountain. Guess we'll start there." It wasn't much to go off of but it was at least a lead they could chase. Elias led the way, staying a couple of steps ahead of Hannibal to make sure the path was clear for both of them. He lifted his wrist and spoke into the comm, "Wulf, get in the air and search for any nearby valleys. Ping me the coordinates if you find one." There were a few beeps in response before the channel was clicked off. Both would hear his X-wing rumble before shooting into the air. About fifteen minutes later, Elias would receive a message with directions and he gave a nod to Hannibal before walking.

About an hour later, the pair would arrive at the edge of a valley, the treeline stopping just short of it was the ground was replaced with dirt and sand. Elias went to the very edge and peeked over but only found a river navigating down the middle of it at first. When he examined the walls, something caught his eye, however. It appeared to be a small platform that jutted out, too cleanly crafted and cut to be naturally made. Two obelisks or statues stood at the very end corners of it but the distance was too great for him to make it out.

The knight pointed his finger at it for Hannibal to catch. "And do you think that could be it?"

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Usage of droids and tech to speed things up? Yeah, Hannibal was pretty sure they'd get along. The young Master's comment about valleys and mountains had partly been mockery, but it was also based on trends. Even then he was pleasantly surprised when the airborne droid actually found a valley of note. Off to walking, then.

Injuries aside, Hannibal was healed up enough for simple walking. His skill as a healer served him well all things considered. Certainly he got enough practice at it. The half-healed burns under his bandages were painful, sure, but the real issue was the clipped blaster shot across the ribs. Pain is an illusion, so to speak, but that particular injury was physically a problem until it healed. At least he hadn't been shot in the leg.

"Your name is Elias, right? What sorts of things have you been up to out in the galaxy?" he asked curiously during their trek toward the valley. Hannibal wasn't the type to walk in silence and boredom for too long unless he needed to and he was interested in hearing about the other Jedi besides. The vast majority of the Order was hardly ever at a temple, instead wandering out across the galaxy doing Jedi things of various sorts. Nara had been setting up a clinic on Nar Shaddaa, Hannibal gathered intel and helped where he could, Max negotiated and solved disputes with various groups, and so on. What Elias chose to do with his time could be telling.

When they arrived at the valley, Hannibal's eyes found the spot Elias had pointed out. His senses spread outwards and toward the platform almost automatically as his focus shifted to it, head tilting slightly to observe it. Wow, there really was something in this valley. Intuition wins again, maybe? Or perhaps the old Jedi were just too predictable.

"Could be. Worth checkin' out though," he replied, pulling out his comlink. "Lee, yí dào wǒ zhèlǐ," he sent to his droids on the yacht just before stepping forward through the trees to head into the valley. "Not gettin' any evil vibes from it. That's probably good, right?"

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

As they walked, Hannibal asked what he had been up to and basically was questioning who he was. Elias didn't respond instantly but after a few steps he finally did, "Besides this, me and Master Oren are trying to establish relations with Ruusan. An excursion at Yavin-IV with some pirates. There are other small things but nothing that should be mentioned." The Cartel business was his business and one he'd have to figure out on his own. Elias had just met Hannibal and didn't know what all to reveal, so he kept it short and sweet for his partner. He didn't even have all the answers to the Cartel yet.

When they reached the valley and both of them spotted the small platform, Elias reached out his well through the force and didn't find anything that was at least combative in it. "I would say probably. It's the only good lead we have so far, might as well." Elias glanced at Hannibal before giving a slight shrug. Not everything was going to be easy in life but he could at least appreciate the fact that the temple was close by to them. The process would be quick and if nothing was there, they could simply move on.

As they moved on toward the platform from the opposite side of the valley, it would be Elias' turn to ask a question, "I know you were there on Sullust. What was it actually like?" The Jedi had only heard stories since he hadn't been there in person. Each one he heard made him feel more guilty than the previous but he hadn't heard about it from someone actually there. The past was the past however and the Knight would have to make up his absence through other means.

Wulf would eventually highlight a path for the two of them to take to reach the platform. It wouldn't take too long for the two of them to walk the stone path along the ridge until they reached the platform. When they finally did, Elias planted one foot down hard to confirm it's sturdiness before putting all of his weight down upon it. After it was cleared, he fully stepped onto and made his way over to the statues erected on the corners. Elias expected to see the familiar faces of Jedi from old but the moment he approached, something was off.

The faces of each statue had been scratched away as if someone couldn't bear the sight of them looking upon whoever did it or were spared having to witness whatever had been done. The hands of the statues had been cleanly broken as well, their fingers and palms on the ground beneath them. Elias examined each one and then glanced to Hannibal, "That doesn't look right." The force didn't feel different but there was something new, a presence that just remained there and unflinching deeper inside.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

The Jedi Master grimaced at the mention of Sullust, but it was an honest reaction uncoloured by an excess of negative emotion. What was it like? How exactly does one describe it?

"Sullust was a mess, plain and simple. Subtlety was forgotten in haste and we had to improvise. The Sith have a fortress on Sullust, with guards and defenses. The Dark Lord guards it as well. It was not a pleasant experience and it's not a mistake that will be repeated."

Hannibal was a man who preferred to plan and intelligence and act on instinct, intuition. Every message from the Force as he'd approached the fortress on Sullust had screamed of danger and he'd gone in with no information at all. He wouldn't say it wasn't worth trying, but it was absolutely not ideal. He'd gained new scars from the ordeal, and new lessons he'd never forget. Not even counting his failed attempt at binding the Eternal in place. He was still sorting out what he'd seen and the aftereffects along with his more traditional injuries.

He briefly shook his head at the memory and refocused on the task at hand. Those were some weird-ass statues, if he was being honest. Hannibal looked up at them, carefully giving them a good once or twice over. Heads and hands removed and placed on the ground. That was ominous. Even with his relatively limited experience with old Jedi temples, ominous was not a good sign.

"No. No it does not." His gaze automatically turned toward the hole in the wall, the entrance behind the statues, and his eyes narrowed slightly. His intuition gave him no clue as to what it was, but he didn't trust what it was. Then he shrugged and began to walk toward it. He'd never found out by standing around, after all.
@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias listened as Hannibal just laid out the truth of what happened. The way he put it, it appeared very much like a trap that the Order had easily fallen for. The attack was something that plagued his mind on whether it had even been worth to do it. But it had already happened and there was no changing the outcome. They would have to be smarter now, they could no longer just rush into any situation and just rely on the force.

The wounds on Hannibal supported his explanation of what happened but Elias directed his attention to the platform afterward. The statues caught his attention for a few moments, as they almost seemed in pain themselves for what happened to them. He turned around to face the entrance behind them as Hannibal proceeded forth. The Jedi Knight got into step behind him as they entered the cave.

They would walk through one long hallway, the ceiling of it only a few feet above their head. Alcoves were cut out every few feet with a couple of candles in each one to illuminate the path. The presence was still there but it was still unflinching. As they went deeper, they would be able to hear some voice and some scurrying ahead of them. Elias gave a look to Hannibal, questioning what this possibly was before he stepped out of the hallway and into the room that it was connected to at the end.

It was a rather large cavern with the walls smoothed out by hand. More statues lined along the perimeter of it, their hands removed and their faces scratched out. There was a figure in the middle of the room, huddled around a fire as they drew their tattered cloak closer. When the figure heard the two Jedi, he immediately shot up and backed away, his body contorted at an unnatural angle as he practically dragged himself. "WHO ARE YOU?! IMPOSTERS! THIEVES!" The man shouted loudly at them with a raspy voice.

Instead of attacking them, however, the man immediately rushed behind one of the statues and held onto it. The two would be able to see his long bony fingers and the brown nails that indicated he rarely bathed. "No, no, no, no, no, no." The figure walked to one of the other statues of a Jedi, "Cut out the eyes... they wouldn't find me. No, no, no." Elias slowly turned his head to peer at Hannibal, confusion just in his eyes.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

The Jedi Master didn't know what he'd expected, but it wasn't that. A hobo in a cave on Tython. Either this man was particularly unlucky or he was more than he seemed. Or perhaps Hannibal was just being suspicious? He'd figure it out later.

The filthy figure fled further into the cavern, cowering in the half-light cast by his flickering fire. Hannibal looked toward Elias, offered a look of bemusement, and just short of shrugged his shoulders- a movement that brought immediate regret and a spike of pain- and then turned back to the strange man.

A great calm swept through the Jedi Master, a gentle breeze of the Light that floated out from his mouth along with the words he spoke. Not to persuade, it was no mind trick, but to transmit universally the truth and benevolence of what he said through the medium of the Force.

"We have only just arrived. We're looking for something, but not for you. We don't know from who you hide, but we are no threat to you. Will you tell us who is looking for you?"

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Hannibal seemed just as confused about what was happening as Elias. The Jedi Master spoke through the force in order to calm the man's nerves and give him their true intentions. But when that happened, the cloaked figure snapped his head unnaturally quick to the two, his eyes glancing between the two before he started to smack his temple lightly. "No tricks, no tricks. STOP." Elias then held up his hand to Hannibal, the look in his eyes telling him to maybe not use the force.

The cloaked figure would hold his head the entire time Hannibal spoke and when he finished, he would start to scuttle off to a different part of the room. When he came back, he held a small stool in each hand and slid them toward the Jedi. Elias stopped one with his foot before gingerly setting himself down with ease. The man did the same across from them, the fire in between as the orange light reflected off of everyone.

"Who is looking for me?" The old man glanced around them as if the shadows were listening to them. He then lifted one crude hand and pointed to one statue before his finger circled around the entire room and to each statue of a Jedi. "All of them. Cut out the eyes and they... wouldn't find me." Even though the faces have been cut out, it even felt to Elias that all of them were staring pointedly at the cloaked man.

Elias cleared his throat softly as he leaned forward, "Why are they looking for you? What did you do?"

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal cut off the flow of the Force through his voice, bemusement only increasing. Well, that was one piece to a puzzle. Shame he'd just found seven more that all looked different. He walked up and sat on the stool with little hesitation after Elias did, stubbornly straight back. He'd love to lean forward and relax but, y'know. Blaster bolt across the ribs doesn't do a whole lot for a man's immediate mobility. He could handle the pan running through his skin, but that shot had clipped bone. Best to avoid antagonizing the injury.

The young Jedi took the time to look around the room, at the statues without faces. Jedi were looking for him? That didn't seem right. There hadn't been Jedi on Tython for, uh. Well, many years, he wasn't going to count them that second. He suspected something else had happened to this ragged old man. That or he was some kind of Force-based figment or otherwise more than he seemed.

Hannibal turned back to regard the mysterious cave hobo, expression pensive. He hoped to get a more coherent answer but one only knows what's said about hopes when it comes to vagabonds who've sat themselves in particularly ominous places. But hey, maybe they could help. That's the point of Jedi, right?

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

The old man glanced between the two Jedi, his upper lip twitching as he wondered what he should reveal to the two. Elias remained in his seat perfectly still and just waited, not making any indication he was going to move or do anything to make the man uncomfortable. "Please, tell us what you did." Whatever it was, it clearly had troubled him and somehow the Jedi of the old. "Where did these statues come from?"

The old man slapped his own face slightly as his lip curled upwards, "I took them. They plotted to watch me... I brought them here to keep an eye on them myself. I'm always a step ahead." He tapped one long boney finger against his temple as if he and the statues had been in an intellectual battle the entire time before the pair of Jedi got there. Elias's interest perked up when he mentioned that he had taken them from somewhere. "Where? Where did you take them from?" The old man huddled into himself but he reluctantly answered, "Their... home. I want the staring to stop."

Elias slowly peered over to Hannibal, was this the temple from long ago? Just being classified as a home wasn't much but there were a limited number of places that a Jedi could consider a place like that. "Could you take us there?" When he asked if they could be taken there, life seemed to return to the old man as he hurriedly got up. "Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. You can stop the staring!" He rushed away from his chair and into multiple corners of the room, roughly just collecting things and throwing them in his pockets and some type of rinky-dink bag that he found.

While he did that, Elias brought his attention to Hannibal, "He could be talking about the temple." He didn't mean to mention specifics, the other Jedi would know what he meant by the temple.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Well, the man was clearly some level of nuts, but Hannibal suspected not entirely. The Jedi had seen some strange things over his career. Perhaps this old man simply couldn't explain what had happened? A mystery for now but not worth pondering over. It'd become clearer eventually. Hopefully.

"Creepy statues sounds like a temple to me. There're always creepy statues," he answered back. No really, there were. Every single time he'd been in an ancient, unoccupied temple, there had been creepy statues. He'd come to wonder if the various Force orders have a thing for creepy statues. Plus, weren't the Jedi supposed to avoid glory and whatever?

"Could kill two birds with one stone here," he said, nodding toward the cave hobo gathering things up. The man was clearly tortured by some experience or other and they could help, maybe. Especially if he was going to take them to what was hopefully a Jedi temple and not some horrible Jedi prison full of ancient and powerful Dark Side spirits. He was just spitballing there but it really seemed like something they'd do.

Hannibal stood from his seat and stretched outwards, slowly and gingerly. The lack of full motion and inability to train were leaving him stiff and he was very much not a fan of the sensation. His hand dropped down to his belt and clicked his commlink three, paused, then two times. Lee would know what it meant.

"I bet it's ghosts. It's always ghosts."

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias glanced over at Hannibal as he mentioned it was always a ghost. "Don't get too excited yet. We don't know if he simply just got too comfortable with spice." He hoped that wasn't it because then all of this would have been a massive waste of time but he had a feeling it wasn't. The old man finished collecting his things and walked over to the entrance that the two Jedi came from. "This way, this way." Elias gave a glance to Hannibal and then a shrug before following.

They exited out from the cave and onto the landing pad where they had found the first two statues. Instead of heading down the path they came, the old man walked to the other side and to a small cluster of bushes. He moved them to the side easily to reveal another path and he waved his hand for them to follow. It led down into the valley and before the two of them could say anything, the old man was already off and walking.

Elias followed after him and keeping a modicum of distance between himself and the stranger. "How far is the place where you found these statues?" The stranger didn't answer for a moment as he was too focused on directing the two Jedi but he did eventually answer, "Not too far." Specific. Elias sighed and continued on but he looked over to Hannibal and then his belt, "And what was that about?" He hadn't failed to catch that.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal just sort of shrugged at Elias' suggestion. Sure, that was entirely possible, but it didn't feel like it was. As truly funny as finding a half-mad spice addict on Tython would be, something told him it wasn't that simple. It really never was with Jedi stuff. The young Master slowly stretches in the directions he could while he waited, trying to unstiffen his muscles as much as possible. Not being able to move properly was so damn annoying.

Finally the old man had gathered his things and was ready to go. Hannibal gave Elias a sort of "eh, let's see how it goes" look and followed along. On the road again, following the yellow brick road. Maybe they'd find a wizard at the end?

He ducked through the bushes and walked along the path, idly looking around at the flora and fauna that existed in this part of Tython. It was certainly different from the temple he'd been to last time, probably because of the whole Big Evil Spirit thing. He stopped really caring at some point about how far the place actually was, partly because this was the most walking he'd done since Sullust. Yeah his injuries hurt but sitting still for days and days was going to make him explode if it kept up.

Then he turned to Elias again, a grin spreading across his face and a mischievous glint behind his bright green eyes. "Click signals for droids. Warning signal, beat, pick up. Means to keep an eye on things and be ready for a rescue. Comes in handy." It was something his mother had taught him and it was easy to teach or program droids to follow such orders. It'd gotten him out of trouble on more than one occasion and was simple enough to do with a free hand instead of actually talking when he was occupied with trouble he'd found himself in.

"So, fair warning. If there's a fight to be had, that's on you buddy. I can't swing a saber to save my life just now. Literally."

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias was quite impressed at Hannibal's answer for the reasoning of him clicking his belt. It was probably something he should install himself on Wulf. The droid listened to what he asked but it usually had colorful commentary to give him. He could see himself getting out of sticky situations with it and even cut out the backtalk. While he was thinking of applications for the button, Hannibal informed him that he really wasn't in any type of fighting condition if it went down that path. "Well, I guess you can be used at least as a healthy distraction." It was sarcastic in nature but there was some possibility to it.

It wasn't long before the old man led them down into the actual valley and followed the river that snaked down the center of it. They followed it for some time and when they passed between two stone obelisks, they'd finally lay their eyes upon it. The temple stood underneath the cover of a cave, lush green littering the ground and the roof of the structure as it almost blended in perfectly. Even from where they were, all of them could see that the material had degraded over time but the building remained standing in defiance. "That's it!" The old man exclaimed before practically sprinting off towards it.

Elias kept at his cool pace and remained even with Hannibal as they approached. "It's beautiful." He murmured softly, it almost perfectly blended into nature as birds flew out from the cave behind it and into the sky. When they got close enough, the two could appreciate its size as it towered over them. He ran his hand along one of the pillars that helped prop it up, feeling the energy that was imbued into the stone. The old man was already gone and inside with not a single peep of his voice.

The Jedi raised his comm to his mouth as he spoke into it, "Wulf, we found the temple. Hone in on my location and keep on watch." His attention went to the door, the darkness there waiting as it enjoyed the peace of being undisturbed. "Shall we head inside?" With that, he spun on a heel and headed up the steps before proceeding through the open doorway.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal did a good impression of being offended by Elias' suggestion that he was a distraction. In truth he could probably still use the Force pretty well, it was just a lightsaber he'd be garbage with, but he wasn't looking forward to that either. The Eternal's influence had made things somewhat difficult and he was still in the middle of re-forging the pieces.

The young Master stopped when he saw the temple. It was definitely a temple, but it wasn't the kind he recognized. He could feel the life coming off of it, filling every corner and vine and bright green tree. Some kind of thick, furry moss covered the entire structure, growing in all defiance of the stone beneath. Even the cave behind it was filled with twisting roots and the echoed calls of songbirds that soon flew out from within the shadow. It was verdant and vivid and had way too much energy coming off of it.

Like, actually, too much. That couldn't be normal. For Hannibal, who couldn't connect to the cosmic Force for anything in lieu of basking in the living Force, almost as easily as breathing these days, it was a little like staring into a particularly bright glow rod. It was beautiful and intense and strangely serene at the same time. Definitely worth the trip.

"See, you could've skipped the talking step if you had click codes," he commented before following Elias up the stairs and into the doorway. The inside was lined with thin, colourful vines and patches of moss that covered up old symbols on the walls and etchings on the floor. Flowers sprouted from the vines, pointing inwards toward another hallway, and toward the strong presence of life in this place.

Definitely not natural.

"You feel that, right?"

@Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias couldn't help but chuckle at Hannibal's comment. He was right that it could have definitely been skipped, "Mind teaching me these click codes then?" There were a lot of applications and possibilities with not needing to speak and just clicking a button to communicate with his droid. Wulf had gotten him out of a lot of sticky situations but the droid also loved to talk back to him and add time.

The two walked up the steps of the temple, each step seeming lighter and lighter as they got closer. The force that flowed through the building was impossible to ignore. It was as if it replaced the blood in his veins and he could feel it course throughout his entire body. The nature that surrounded the temple felt it too as it all grew inside of the temple or outside and grew inward to the center of the building. "Oh yeah, I feel it." When they stepped inside, they would be greeted with high ceilings and pillars but with nature once more claiming it as they would be covered in vines and moss.

But after a few seconds passed, Elias glanced around them to check something before he returned his gaze to Hannibal, "The old man is gone." He couldn't hear his voice, footsteps, or really anything. He tried to reach out with the force to find him but with the natural energy that radiated around him, it was incredibly difficult. Elias cast another glance toward Hannibal to check if he saw anything before proceeding forward and following the vines that snaked along the ground.

There was much more to discover throughout the temple most likely but for some reason, the vines drew his attention. When he followed into another room and discovered where they were heading. There was a massive hole in the wall that led and opened into the cave behind the temple. At least he believed so as the hole was completely covered in darkness and was just gaping. The vines that had slithered along the ground appeared on the walls and angled directly toward the hole and entered it as they completely covered the rest of the wall, making it appear like some sort of entranceway.

Elias took a step forward and when he did, the old man walked out from the darkness and a few steps in front of the hole. "This way, this way, this way." The man didn't wait long before simply just turning around and entering the darkness once more. It felt like he just had been waiting there the entire time but Elias still couldn't sense anything. The Jedi sighed softly before stepping forward, "Let's see what he does."

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal idly looked around the room they'd into. Behind all the vegetation it certainly looked enough like a Jedi temple, that was certain beyond a doubt. He only turned away when Elias pointed out the absence of the mysterious cave hobo. The young Master's eyes moved back to the front and he shrugged at Elias. He didn't know where the guy had went. So far as Hannibal could tell, even someone very strong in the Force could easily hide beneath the currents in this place. His instincts did, however, lead him to follow Elias and the vines forward further into the temple.

There was a hole in the wall, gaping and cavernous, more vines and moss growing up and around the worn and crumbling edges. Curioser and curioser. The old man reappeared, emerging from within the shadow, spoke, and back he went. Hannibal sighed along with Elias. It was never simple with Jedi stuff.

"Yeah, might as well. At least there aren't any ghosts so far," he added optimistically, hoping Murphy law's wouldn't apply too much here. Hannibal squinted narrowed his eyes at the darkness and stepped forward, calling on the Force to help him see what he could see.

@Orbit