Ask Disrupting the Dead

[Sah'ra Ryun]

Eyes pressed shut as the sounds of Zoella falling forward into the fire came from behind her. Suppressing a groan of disdain, Sah’ra casually shook her head in disapproval as she pressed on through the passage to the right, blade held high.

”You missed a spot,” the woman teased, albeit with a hint of venom to her words. Were it not for the fact of where they were, she was likely to simply leave the girl behind to guard the entrance. Force knows that it would have been safer for them both at this point, given her performance so far. However, she did not know what to expect and the Acolyte had yet to prove herself worthy of truly being her Apprentice.

The tunnel system was dark, damp, and quiet. She couldn’t quite understand why but as she walked along it’s lengths, it almost felt… familiar. As though she had been here once before in a dream. Some jungle world, in a series of crumbling ruins with nothing but a team of fools. How odd this sensation of deja vu was.

”You’re too late, my dear,”

Sah’ra snapped around to face Zoella, searching for the source of the voice. She was unable to recognize it and yet…

”Did you hear that?” she asked the other woman, blue eyes darting along the ceilings of the passage.

”The other, she has come and gone and taken your prize with her,”

”What other? Who are you?” Sah’ra asked with no one to be visually present, turning back to the path before them. The hairs on her neck began to stand on end. ”Show yourself!”

”Come, see for yourself. Perhaps there is still something here I could offer,”

@llamallove​

 

[Zoella Dorran]

Sah'ra Ryun had the ears of a Lanniks and the all-seeing eyes of an Octeroid, though Zoella would have to admit she looked nothing like the two. Despite the resentment that festered and bubbled beneath her skin and gnawed away at her emotions, there was nothing the Acolyte wanted more than to impress her master. She just didn't feel like admitting that right now.

"Thanks," Zoella muttered, the extent of her appreciation as she rubbed her face against the torn sleeves of her robes. Sah'ra Ryun led the way, through the dark and narrow tunnel to the right. She wondered how the Champion had made the decision between the two caverns, whether it was instinct or a voice whispering to her in the Force or simply a gut feeling, but she didn't dare ask. Not now, when she was expected to remain silent and simply do as she was told. She hadn't exactly earned the right to questions. Not yet anyway.

The Acolyte followed her Master down the tunnel, the glow of her crimson blade the only light to illuminate their path. Zoella nearly jumped out of her skin when Sah'ra Ryun snapped around to face her, the Acolyte unsure what she could have done to elicit such a violent reaction.

"What? What did I do?" she asked in a panic, as still as the dead. She fell silent, listening for a voice, movement—anything, but she heard nothing. Only the sound of her own beating heart.

"No, I don't hear anything," she would answer in a quiet voice after a few seconds of silence, relieved to learn she was not in trouble again. She resisted the urge to add, 'I guess you're hearing voices now, too.' The teenager had not earned the right to jokes either.

Zoella cleared her throat, brushing strands of her blonde hair back behind her shoulder to appear brave or... something. Sah'ra Ryun had hesitated to press forward. Perhaps now was a chance for Zoella to impress her master, even in a small way. "Here. Let me go first." So long as the Champion did not object, Zoella would draw her own blade, igniting the lightsaber and stepping forward into the darkness.

@Tulos

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

Sah’ra continued to glare around the tight confines of the tunnel system in search of the source of the voices in her head but all she was met with was silence. Just as soon as they had begun, they ceased to ring within her mind. Perhaps it was a good thing, the likelihood of the words leading only to a trap was a reality she could not ignore. But for a brief moment, when they did still call out to her, it almost felt as though she was… home.

“Here, let me go first,”

Sah’ra did not react at first, mulling over her thoughts and pondering on what had just occurred. By the time Zoella’s own weapon had ignited and she had taken the lead, the elder of the women decided to allow it. After all, if they were walking into a trap then it was better off that the Acolyte expose the dangers first so the more experienced of the two could react accordingly. It clearly had nothing to do with preferring to sacrifice her apprentice over her own life. Clearly.

”By all means,” Sah’ra replied politely, offering a smile in return. Perhaps Zoella would see it as her master being pleased with her bravery, perhaps not. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were prepared. Considering what had transpired even before their arrival and the eerie atmosphere of the tomb, both women would undoubtedly be alert as they ventured into the shadows.

”I spent years in tunnels just the same as this… Another hideout of my ancestor where she practiced arcane magic beyond anything I’ve witnessed. Even so, you never truly grow accustomed to being underground for so long. I’ve struggled to comprehend how people like the Sullustans elect this life for themselves…” Sah’ra groaned softly to Zoella as they pressed on. It was not a statement made out of fear but rather disdain. ”It is so incredibly… filthy down here. I suppose that would mean you feel right at home, doesn’t it?” she added finally, smirking slightly as she teased the younger woman while holding her blade high. She still hadn’t forgotten Zoella’s careless toss of her boots within her apartment, which soon pulled her mind back to Dromund Kaas. ’Tren betterwell be keeping his feet off my table…”

@llamallove​

 

[Zoella Dorran]

"Thank you," Zoella would reply, expelling her own breath as she stepped forward. With bright eyes, the teenager would lead the way, desperately trying to appear brave with her head held high. Were it not for the crimson blade she clutched, darkness would have completely engulfed her. The cavern was dark and extraordinarily cold, with a draft that swept the length of the corridor. A chill ran down the Acolyte's spine, but she shook it off.

If she allowed her imagination to run unchecked, she could imagine all sorts of creatures lurking in the darkness, in crevices and around corners—just waiting to jump out and ravage her. Instead, she focused on the warm glow of her blade, on the subtle assurance of its radiance. "This 'arcane magick' you speak of. Is that something you can teach me?" Zoella inquired, green eyes looking all around. She had heard of the supernatural techniques employed by the Nightsisters of Dathomir, of the dark magic that offered great power. Sith instructors had spoken of it during her Acolyte trials but nothing more.

The Acolyte brushed cobwebs from her blonde hair, sidestepping a large spiderweb that hung from the ceiling of the cavern. I hope there aren't any big spiders to match lurking around, she thought to herself, widening her stride.

"Still remember that, do you?" Zoella chuckled, thinking back to their first meeting on Dromund Kaas. The teenager's lips twisted upwards into a smile, her first that day. "I guess some of my mother's coaching has worn—"

All of a sudden the floor beneath Zoella's feet gave way, dirt and rubble collapsing along with it. The Acolyte had only a second to react, using the force to leap the distance to the other side and roll to a stop on solid ground. A large gap had formed in the ground of the cavern where a false floor had once stood, waiting for a victim. Lightsaber still in hand, Zoella stared down into the pit where long, steel and wooden spears jutted out of the ground.

"Well," the teenager breathed, her face an ashen color as she stared downward, "I guess 'human shish kabob' was the idea. Good to see your ancestors are keeping us on our toes." Her tone was hardly sincere.

@Tulos