Ask Drums In The Deep

Skade Wulfsbane

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Spintir​



Skade’s axe swung in an arc before planting into the belly of a rather rotund Tof. The blade dragged through as it cut, viscera and blood spilling out. As the hulking monster hunched over, it was finally level with her, and she jammed her other axe up to bury into its face. She yanked both axes back and stepped back to kick it in the chest, making it collapse backwards into the ground.

“FALL BACK!”

She shouted at the top of her lungs, as she rushed back towards the settlement. They were vastly outnumbered and in the open. The walls had come down from the Tof assault, and the invaders all scrambled in to destroy the settlements within. The human settlers had a stronghold up the hill, but it was not enough to support the population. All able bodied men had taken up arms, the women and children sent back to the stronghold.

They were fighting a losing battle, but she wouldn’t give up on them. Her hair, armor and weapons were drenched in blood. Bodies littered the ground, blood stained the grass and the stench of death hung all around her. Hopelessness, despair, chaos, the men surrounding her reeked of it all.

“We will get through this day!” She shouted as the Force blasted a group of Tof back to allow some of the men to fall back further. Archers were behind them, prepared to release a volley to stop the advance. The battle had been long and brutal, but this was only a skirmish. She knew more strikes would come after this. The enemy knew they had the humans cornered.

Skade rushed back to regroup with the other men, watching as a few of them were tossed aside like rag dolls from a sweeping blow. The Tof had a giant club and he made short work of everyone around him. Skade channeled the Force and sent him bodily flying into a nearby well, causing him to topple backwards and into it.

She turned to look at the Jedi Knight next to her, another brave adventuring type that had the misfortune of coming along, “I thought you said the Order was going to send help?” She shouted moments before she took an arrow to the shoulder, “Freya’s tits!” Skade growled before snapping the arrow and pulling out both ends, “We can’t hold them! We need to be able to get the women and children away from here!”
 

Hannibal Grayza

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At some point a call for extra help had come across his desk coming from an Outer Rim world called Spintir. Hannibal tended to be the one to look at such things first since it was his purview on the Council, but in this instance he wasn't anywhere near Yavin but rather out doing what he would call 'errands' out in the galaxy. Luckily his ship had long range communications on it.

He was already considering who to send when his eyes crossed over the phrase "meat grinder" in the request. The report already didn't sound good, but that settled things as far as he was concerned. Hannibal forwarded the SOS along with instructions and prepared to jump to Spintir. Like hell he was going to sit on his ass when he could help himself. Besides, he wasn't that far away to begin with. It was almost serendipitous that he was already close by.


-------
Like a comet the Spirit of Serendipity streaked down through the atmosphere, a cone of flames and roaring of burning ozone announcing it. From the east it came, a flare of light through the clouds of ash and smoke, evening out on the descent toward the besieged village. Hannibal let the droids up front take the reigns and turned to run through the yacht, battlemaster armour and weaponry already in place. The stark gray yacht was far from being a warship and was mostly used to ferry supplies and support droids around in situations like these, but the young Jedi Master had come up with an alternate use for the fancy balcony on the rear.

His ship slowed over the village and Hannibal stopped himself on the balcony rail, looking out over the scene. The Tof were winning this skirmish, but that didn't mean all was lost. The Spirit passed overtop the group containing the other Jedi, and The Hannibal leapt from the railing. A blade of brightest silver-white ignited from his left hand on his way down, slowed on the winds of the Force, and magnified by his helmet's modulator his voice rang out.


"Back off!" he demanded, landing quite suddenly between the two groups. His ship continued on toward the back lines to do its job of supply and support while Hannibal did his job. The Tof didn't feel the need heed his warning and surged forward. The Jedi regretted their choice, but he didn't hesitate all the same.

Silver arced and whipped, sharp cuts left and right at the charging Tof while he stepped back. Fighting a group was difficult even for a blademaster, but his goal was to delay and discourage rather than advance forward. Plasma burned through a muscular torso and a hand flicked forward, the Force flinging a fallen stone to crack against a green-skinned skull.

Hannibal stepped back again and reset his stance into the default two-handed ready, helmet turning slightly toward the other two Jedi.


"What's the plan here?"


@Sreeya
 

Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade looked up as the ship zoomed into view.

“THAT’S HIM!” The Jedi next to her cried out with glee, “Thank the Force!”

Skade was gone far too often to know who was who among Jedi, but she had faith in her friend. If the woman was relieved about the arrival, so was the Deucalian. Skade finished off another Tof before she saw the new Jedi drop from his ship and immediately spring to action.

Seeing him hold up a resistance was the morale boost the soldiers behind her needed. Skade rushed forward again, grateful for the additional help. Her body ached and carried several wounds. She was openly bleeding from the arrow injury and exhaustion was taking hold. They had been fighting for hours and even as a Jedi she was becoming taxed.

The Deucalian launched her axe at a Tof’s face, burying it between the eyes. She called it back with the Force before sending it sailing directly over Hans’ head at a Tof that was rushing at him. Skade was next to him now, whirling around with her axe to cut through any in her way. As a large group began to surround them, she raised her palm and looked at Hans, "Together!"

She blasted back with the Force timed with Hans, sending the entire group sailing clear back. It gave her just a small moment to answer him.

“The women and children need to be taken to the mountains! We have to hold the Tof back to allow them that chance!” Skade shouted as a volley of arrows shot towards them. She unleashed another blast of the Force to send them off trajectory.

“Tanna!” Skade called out to her Jedi friend, “We’ll hold the line, get the villagers out!”

The Jedi rushed away to do just that, leaving Hans, Skade and the soldiers to defend against the attackers. Another wave came rushing at them, swinging their giant maces and axes. The scene was desperate. The men fighting beside the Jedi were old or barely teens. Most of the able bodied men had been slain already.

@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Hannibal couldn't help but notice how beat up the tall axe-wielding woman was, though she still seemed to be fighting well enough. She swung her axes and when she raised her hand Hans' hand rose up with it, sending the converging group off and away.

It was a good thing he had a helmet on because, honestly, he was surprised a Jedi had a plan at this point. But he wasn't going to complain.
"Got it," he intoned in reply, sparing a glance around at the gathered soldiers, if one could even call them that. Some of them were hardly more than children themselves. They were forced to fight after the others fell and, while their courage was admirable, Hannibal still didn't like the situation. It was unacceptable.

Sol's lightsaber dropped away, blade disappearing and the hilt placed back on his belt. His hands took up swift two others, one with an ornate handguard and the other smaller and possessing a pair of secondary emitters. Both ignited, one brilliant green and the other sunlit yellow in three blades, and Hannibal's stance became something much more aggressive.

The young Master's left foot stepped forward, green tip directly facing the enemy while the other weapon did the same near his waist. The Force flowed into and through him, and as the Tof rushed forward Hannibal shot forward with the Force at his back. The style of combat he used was made especially for killing, and in moments like that it was something that was readily apparent.


"You cannot pass!" Hannibal declared as he took the vanguard for himself, and then the clash began.

An axe came down and was caught and twisted off course by the shoto, green coming through in the gap to cleave through then up into a parry. His boot kicked forward with unnatural speed when a Tof raised a leg to knock him aside, snapping to the side of the green man's knee and sending him toppling to the ground where an old man impaled him quick on the end of a spear.

He darted hither and thither, each cut lethal by design. Blades bit high and then swept down low, a flurry of practiced motion, grace forgotten in lieu of efficiency. Hannibal always fought hardest when defending other lives and any Tof that tried to pass by him too close was met with an attack of opportunity. It was obvious he was trying to keep too many from engaging the soldiers around them, but it was a struggle and would quickly tire him. The Tof were large and numerous, and Hannibal was only human.

Didn't mean he wasn't going to try. He'd always choose reckless action if it meant shouldering the burdens of others.


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Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade rushed past where the seasoned Jedi took on the group, focusing her attention on the stragglers behind it. She rushed into the fray, slashing and cutting her way through those in her way. These numbered far fewer than the group Hans faced, but it was a taxing effort nonetheless. There was no shortage of drive to keep her going. She had the men beside her. Tanna had a chance to escort the women and children away. She had the councilor with her. She had the strength of all the old gods with her today.

With a loud cry, she brought both axes down on a Tof’s head after leaping into the air. Unfortunately, the maneuver cost her, another Tof hitting her square in the stomach and sending her bodily flying back. Skade landed with a thud, groaning as she gazed up at the sky. A young boy that appeared no older than twelve rushed in to extend a hand to help her up. She couldn’t help but smile, taking the hand and pretending to put her weight on it as she pushed herself up.

The smile faded at once as an arrow pierced his chest. And then another. His eyes went wide and Skade gently eased him to the ground, placing his weapon back in his hand as the light faded from him. Her jaw tightening, she wiped the blood from her face and focused her attention back ahead. Vengeance did not drive her actions, however, and she focused instead back on the Jedi that was getting overwhelmed by the group he took on single handedly. The boy would be dining within the halls of warriors today, of that she was sure.

With that, she spun both axes as she made her way over.

From the councilor’s perspective, he was completely surrounded by Tof on all sides. Within moments, he would see the two directly in front of him abruptly howl in pain and drop to their knees as the backs of their legs were slashed open. The Force coiled around them, sending them both flying back to reveal an opening in the circle the Tof had created around the Jedi Master.

Skade didn’t stop there, whirling her axes in to cut into the Tof. The two Jedi were once again fighting side by side. At one point she dropped low to strike at the legs of two Tof, making them bow down to allow the Jedi Master to leap up and take them out. The stench of blood, the Tof, death and everything else assailed her senses. She kept fighting through it, kept fighting through the aches in her muscles.

After what felt like hours, the vanguard was finally down. Skade gazed up, prepared to keep fighting.

“THEY’RE RETREATING!” One of the boys called out. The Deucalian looked and sure enough, the remaining Tof hastily fell back and out of sight. She could hear some of the men around her openly crying tears of joy, many of them falling to their knees or collapsing. Armor plates and weapons thudded to the ground.

Skade’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she finally remembered how to breathe properly again. She looked over at the men, resting one of her axes over her shoulder.

“This day is yours! Every man here is a warrior! Every man here has earned himself a seat at the table of his god. Every man here is worth tales and songs that will live on for generations to come!” She shouted as she looked at them, “Remember this day! Remember this day when you doubt yourself! Remember this day when you think you are too young or too old! Remember this day when” She lifted up her axe as she shouted the next words, “We finally take this fight to the Tof themselves!”

That was when the men collectively sprang to their feet. They all cheered and shouted in unison, beating their weapons against armor or simply clapping against their chests. The adrenaline rush was almost palpable, and it would be very much needed for battles to come.

Skade wiped more blood off her face before turning to look at the Jedi Master with a tired look, “I am grateful for your arrival, Master…” She had a sheepish grin on her face from not recognizing him despite him being an obviously seasoned Jedi.

@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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He didn't see the boy fall to arrows or even Skade knocked to the ground. He didn't feel the death around him beyond a faint sensation through the winds of winter that filled him. Hannibal had moved forward to draw attention and that's precisely what had happened. The young Master was quickly surrounded by Tofs striking out, determined to take him down but struggling with getting too close without being cut down. It was a battle of attrition, and while the Jedi was quick and powerful he was quick outnumbered. He spun and darted, taking glancing hits and cutting in return, avoiding a downing blow but steadily being chipped away.

But it kept them away from children, so it would do. If he could get a little more room he could try something but Hannibal had no time to concentrate. At least, until Skade arrived behind two in the circle of green-skinned bodies and laid them low. Hannibal abruptly changed his footwork and darted back, now side by side. Two more kneeled before the battlemaster and those same two were struck by two precision cuts to the neck, emerald blade darting in left then right.

A blow from an axe was parried by the shoto but sent the weapon spinning from Hannibal's grasp. Winter surged through him and out through a leather-gloved palm, hand almost moving slowly through the empty space. A deep chill blew forward into a section of the Tof group, water droplets in the air flash-freezing into glittering mist in its path. Both recoiled from deathly chill and covered their faces, leaving them open for Skade's swinging axes.

At some point the fighting stopped and a youth announced the invaders were retreating. Hannibal's helmet turned and looked around to confirm it, then down at his lightsaber. The guard bore new scratches across the bronzium coat from axes and blades, but it had done its job better than expected. Emerald disappeared into the hilt and it was replaced on his belt, the shoto called back as well to join it.

Skade had her moment while Hannibal looked around at the many dead.


"May you find peace in death," he whispered softly during the tall woman's speech. Somewhere in the middle of it he found he could feel the pains of battle and he winced, looking himself over to check his injuries. Pain might be an illusion but he could only ignore it for so long. The helmet turned around again as the people cheered and a grim grin spread over his face. He'd never been overly fond of speeches, but at least it'd been a good one. The people could probably use a little boost to morale.

Skade came over while the young Master was inspecting a cut on his right arm from a weapon that penetrated the armourweave as well as his wrist which ached terribly. The helmet came up and he was silent for a moment while he idly ribbed the sore joint.

Both hands came up to the helmet and found the clasps, lifting it from his head and settling it beneath his right arm.


"Hannibal Grayza. Call me Hans. What're you called?" he replied, his face still edging in on thunderous focus for the moment. Sweat lined the exposed skin The other hand retrieved some capsule from a belt pouch and he swallowed it without a word, though with a slight grimace.

"It's my job and all. I just happened to be nearby but I forwarded the SOS to the rest of the council. More should be showin' up." Hannibal looked around again at the many dead, expression complicated, before emerald eyes turned back to Skade. Some droids near the back of the village at the foot of the Jedi's ship were running triage in the background.

"So... Mountains, right? You should probably patched up too. Ya fought hard- nice maneuvers, by the way- but y'need your blood on the inside," he said, adjusting the way he stood slightly and wincing. He looked down at his lead leg, where blood was dripping from beneath the edges of his tunic.

"Kriff's sake, speakin' of..."


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Skade Wulfsbane

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The Jedi’s helmet was removed to reveal a handsome, young man. The surprise was clear on Skade’s face, as she had been expecting a wrinkly old fossil. The name he gave rang a vague bell, but she couldn’t place it. Skade knew enough to understand that the man held some measure of rank or renown among Jedi. She followed his gaze to look at all the dead, exhaling.

“This was a good day,” She said darkly, hinting at the many waves they had faced before this. Skade turned to look back at the other Jedi when he remarked on her wounds, a grin cracking across her face, “Mere flesh wounds, my friend,” She said as she rested an ax over her shoulder. Her armor was stained with blood from both the enemy and herself, the arrow wound from earlier still open and actively bleeding.

“The mountain has a path that leads through it to open lands on the other side,” Skade explained, “Some of the men…” Her eyes narrowed as she looked back towards the soldiers, “They whisper about it. They say something dark and evil dwells there. Some even talk about staying out here in the open rather than venturing within the mountains.”

She shook her head, “But there is no choice. I have instructed Tanna to lead the villagers only to the mouth of the mountain cave and set up camp there. A group of us will keep moving forward to clear out the path ahead to make it safe."

Yes, this Jedi definitely had a plan.

Skade looked over as Hans looked down at his bleeding leg, “Well, let’s hope they didn’t gouge the artery because the nearest medbay is now in Tof territory,” She announced quite casually. Skade stepped forth and offered her shoulder, “Lean on me, let’s get you to the stronghold. I smell quite awful this moment so you'll have to get over that.”

@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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The young Jedi gave the tall woman a complicated look after her comment but made no comment. People had their beliefs and cultures and it wasn't his place to judge how they fit into the Jedi, so long it was merged in a way that worked somehow. Hannibal himself was proof of that idea, somehow or other.

He sighed a little, eyes turning to look off into the distance toward the mountains. Skade's description of the rumours wasn't terribly comforting. A reasonable person might dismiss it as hearsay and myth but at this point Hannibal wouldn't be too surprised. More than a few spirits and ghosts had found their way in front of him- he'd even kinda-sorta stabbed one on Dathomir once- but he still held on to the teeniest thread of hope it was just like, bats or something. Bats were okay, right?

Please be normal sized bats.


"Not much in the way of options here, yeah," Hannibal answered and looked back down at his leg. Very stubbornly he tried to put his weight on it, but unlike with the lightning burns it was clearly not having any of that nonsense. He gave up and, looking particularly aggrieved, took to leaning against Skade offered shoulder with his right arm. He couldn't help but notice the woman smelled like blood and sweat but, to be fair, so did everything else at the moment.

"Thank you," he said after a moment as they trudge their way toward the stronghold, idly clenching and unclenching the fingers of his left hand at his side. In all honesty he probably would've just tried toughing it out rather than asking for help, but the offer was somehow easier to accept. Even so his expression was sheepish, not quite comfortable accepting help for his own error.

"So, dark and evil, huh? Any uh... Anythin' more specific, maybe? I bet it's ghosts again, it's always ghosts."

Except that one time it was plants. That was weird.


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Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade allowed him to lean against the shoulder, though she noticed he only partially rested an arm on her. They walked like that for a few steps before it became abundantly clear that he was still putting far too much weight on the injured leg. Not only that, but the pressure caused even more bleeding. Skade rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, swinging it around her shoulders. One of her well muscled arms firmly wrapped around him, “Said lean on me,” She said flatly, her foreign accent always coming through, as they finally began to walk along far more easily.

“It’s my job and all,” Skade said in response to his gratitude as he had said earlier. Her gaze remained trained ahead, the able bodied men helping those that were injured. She knew that for some, death would be a mercy. The village doctor was a woman and would be near the mountains by now. Skade would come out here to scope for those that could be saved.

Her focus shifted to Hans, “I did not tell you earlier. I am called Skade,” She said as they continued to walk. Skade helped him up the incline towards the stronghold. It was a bare bones structure with a thatched roof. She nudged the doors open with the Force, leading Hans in until she eased him down into a chair. Skade stared at him when he took guesses at what was in the mountains.

“Ghosts don’t exist,” She said bluntly, walking over to tear up some curtains for makeshift linen and other items. Her clan didn’t believe in silliness such as ghosts, and Skade herself chalked up the legend of Force ghosts to creative stories, “Nothing specific, just that anyone that ventures in never returns. The usual.”

Skade set down a bottle of whiskey on a nearby table, “Let’s see what’s happening with the leg.”


@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Hannibal grimaced a little when his positioning was adjusted but didn't otherwise complain, just moving along with the muscular Deucalian woman. While his own limbs weren't quite so built they were far from weedy, a kind of compact and athletic strength, and he held on tightly. Emerald eyes glanced up at the stronghold with little confidence, noting the simplistic triangle-ish design in places and thatched roof, but thankfully they weren't going to be staying there too long.

The young Jedi fixed Skade with a bemused stare when she mentioned ghosts and how they don't exist.
"Yeah, must've imagined it those three to five times," he replied dryly, eyes following the bottle she placed on the table. They narrowed at it.

"That'd better be for drinkin' and not for pourin' on legs, Skade." Hannibal adjusted how he sat in the chair, pointedly ignoring the ache from bruises forming, and moved a bit of hanging tunic aside to get to a hole in his pants. He tutted and tore it open a little more to get a better look at the bodysuit beneath, which clearly had a fairly deep cut across the meat of his mid thigh. He vaguely recalled a vibro-axe swinging at him and him stepping away, but against that many it was really about mitigation rather than avoidance. The leg was still attached after all, if bleeding rather freely for the moment.

Not quite a flesh wound but not all that nice, either. Hannibal looked up at Skade with an amused expression.


"You gonna be offended if I take my pants off to treat this?" She didn't seem the type, but who knows? It was polite to ask.


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Skade Wulfsbane

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It was always 50/50 on whether or not Skade understood sarcasm. This was definitely not one of those instances. She nodded in response to his clarity about not seeing ghosts, “That is correct,” She said, “The mind can play many tricks sometimes.”

Skade followed his gaze to the whiskey and then back to him, “It is for both, of course,” She said matter of factly, popping the top off and casually taking a swig. It smelled awful, but it certainly got the job done. The locals enjoyed it quite a bit. Skade offered it to Hans if he wanted.

She glanced down towards his leg, beginning to see the wound, “Ah, you will need to stitch that up,” Skade remarked, thinking about some of the women that had left their tailoring kits behind. The soldiers had been hastily using that to stitch up their injuries. Skade turned to get a kit when Hans asked her a question that implied he thought she would be reduced to a blushing maid. Her eyes narrowed and she simply stared at him for a few seconds with a searing gaze, "I've seen enough unremarkable dangly bits, no need for the concern."

Skade said nothing in response, continuing her walk to get the kit, “Clean up the wound site. Don’t waste your energy with healing as you will need it for later,” She called out as she walked away. Skade returned with the sewing kit, walking over to crouch beside the hearth that had a small fire. She heated up the needle to prepare it.

“We will need to leave here soon if we want to arrive at the mountain before nightfall.”

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Hannibal Grayza

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Some mixture of confusion amusement stuck itself on Hannibal's face shortly before he let out a resigned sigh. Of course there was a downside to the big, strong, courageous Deucalian lady. The young Master gave the whiskey another suspicious look and then shrugged, lifting himself up from the chair and leaning himself on the table. His gloves were pulled off and tossed onto the table and the bottle was lifted and swigged from with little more hesitation, the man making a face at the roughness of it.

Hannibal could appreciate garbage whiskey from all his time in the Outer Rim, but it never really started tasting good.


"Yeah, yeah," he assented to the stitching, turning back to the injury with a critical eye. He looked back up in time to catch the intense look from Skade and the returned sass. Hannibal couldn't help the wide grin that resulted and the short, barking laughter.

"Haha! I like ya already, muscles," he replied with obvious amusement and moving to a half-standing position leaning against the table. Hannibal started to undo the armour, placing the belt on the table and taking off the coat and tunic. The boots and pants were kicked off next before he got to slipping himself out of the bodysuit beneath. Somebody would be bringing him replacement pieces for the armour's actual armour bits, but in the meantime he really did need to work on the actual injuries.

Careful hands undid the bodysuit and piled it on the table, eyes looking over where the vast swath of colourful tattoos that coloured in countless scars had been split through by new injuries. Most were relatively minor or blossoming bruises save the one on his leg. That and his wrist was killing him still. He hoped it was sprained and not like a stupid fracture.

Hannibal hissed softly and poured some of the whiskey over the cut and used a spare cloth to wipe it clean, gritting his teeth. Pain wasn't real but it still sucked hardcore.


"FFFFFsso, how's that needle coming along?" he asked, looking up at Skade who was, at that moment, toasting a large sewing needle over a fire while Hannibal was lounging injured on a table in what was essentially his underwear.

"Y'gonna do somethin' about that shoulder, or what? Pretty sure ya need your blood to swing axes around."


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Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade rolled her eyes as Hans called out to her, “It’ll be much slower if you don’t stop your moaning,” She responded gruffly, eying the needle for a moment before she decided it was ready. The needle was red hot as she walked back over to Hans. Eyebrows rose in visible surprise at seeing all the tattoos. She could make out that some of them were woven with injuries - a practice she had done with some of the designs on her back.

Skade put a thread through the needle before handing it to him, “You can do this part yourself, right?” She asked with a quizzical look. She had forgotten about her shoulder almost entirely, glancing over when Hans mentioned it. It was looking worse than before, and her arm certainly hurt quite a bit from it, along with her torso.

She unfastened the belt around her waist before taking off her leather armor. There was nothing fancy about it, and she casually took off the outer layer of her clothing to reveal her torso and undergarment around the chest. Her very muscled shoulders and stomach were revealed, but so were the ugly wounds on them. Her shoulder had a deep gouge from the arrow, and her stomach had a massive bruise that was almost black. Her back and shoulders were covered entirely in traditional tattoos, but anyone familiar would know they were done a very crude, old fashioned way with serrated bone combs and mallets. The process took several years and was exceptionally painful.

“Baldr’s balls,” Skade cursed angrily as she looked over her injuries before going right for the whiskey to take a swig, “I don’t think I’ll be doing any fighting tonight," She briefly looked at the bottle after doing so, quirking an eyebrow, "You definitely didn't need to use this much whiskey..." Alcohol was a hot commodity in war times. It wasn't like they could exactly go ask their neighbors, the Tof, to share their stores.

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Hannibal Grayza

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"Nonsense, I can multitask," he shot back with a grin, carefully taking the hot needle from Skade and leaning down over his leg, now propped up on the chair. "Yeah, should be." Hannibal clicked his tongue and moved his head from side to side a little bit over the injury, gaze suddenly becoming sharp and focused. He used his spare cloth to wipe away a some of the blood and got to work while Skade undressed, pressing the needle through one side and then painstaking through the other. His teeth were grit and, naturally, it sucked.

But at some point a person takes enough blaster shots, knife wounds, and burns from crazed death cultist sorcerers to kind of just get over a hot needle. Besides, nothing could really hurt as much as when he got fried by the Eternal that one time. That had really hurt, for weeks even. A needle was nothing.

Didn't mean he enjoyed it any more, but at least he knew what he was doing. A sewing needle was still better than none at all.

Skade's mentioning of some mysterious 'Baldr' fellow's dangly bits drew Hannibal's attention, just after he'd pulled together another stitch a little. The young Master gave her a look, then turned his head a little to look over her injuries. The gouge from the arrow was one thing, but that bruise looked truly nasty.


"I'd avoid it if ya can," he replied, whistling a little. "Might have a cracked rib under those abs of yours."

Then right back to his stitching he went. "Ah, my bad, used it like water. I can grab s'more if ya want."


@Sreeya
 

Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade took a seat near him, wincing as she did so, “You may be right,” She grumbled, “My abs usually serve me well,” She grinned after that, grabbing the whiskey and doing her own cleaning routine. It was not a pleasant affair, and she used an extra kit to sew herself up. Skade took swigs of the whiskey every now and then, the ribs causing her more pain than she cared to admit.

“Grab more whiskey? From where?” She eyed him suspiciously, “It’ll be gone in minutes if the men see it,” Skade had been saving this bottle for emergencies - unfortunately it just so happened to be for use as a disinfectant. She glanced over at his leg, “You can’t put pressure on that leg. You’ll need a walking stick.”

Skade gazed at the fire for a while as they sat in silence, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. She spoke after a minute, “These are good people. We should have been here when this all began. And we would have been if we didn’t get distracted by politics and other nonsense,” She rose to stand after a while, picking up her clothing as she gritted her teeth while putting them back on. She left the belt off for now.

Skade glanced back down at Hans, “We have to keep moving,” She said before she took another big swig from the whiskey. There was a little bit left and she offered it to Hans.

@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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The two Jedi seemed to be in some kind of grin-off for a little there and Hannibal found he was rather enjoying Skade's company. Y'know, aside from all the war and death and- now it was ruined, damnit.

"My ship," he answered, sounding a little grumpy. A hand reached back to pull a knife from his belt that he used to cut through the stitching thread and finish it up, eye his handiwork. "Maybe save it for later." After Skade's very correct comment about him needing a walking stick the young Jedi gave his injured leg a stern look that suggested it had done him a great personal wrong.

"Kriffing nerfshit," he grumbled, shortly before his seeker droid, Ego, floated into the the room carrying a bag. Ego dropped it on the table and Hannibal went through it, pulling out another less hole-filled bodysuit and an armour vest that didn't have half or more of the protective inserts cracked to hell. He rattled off a string of orders in Epicant that sent the droid flying back off to the ship and, using the table for balance once again, started redressing himself.

"Not a fan of politics myself," he replied with a grimace, quickly applying a roll of self adhesive bandage over the stitched injury and then very gingerly pulling on his the underlayers over it. "I agree. S'why I was nearby in the first place. Been spendin' too much time where I'm not needed." He offered the roll to Skade after a moment and eyed the stitches on her shoulder. They were okay for bleeding but really they'd help keep the sub-par thread from tearing.

Emerald eyes glanced over at the proffered bottle, then he shrugged and took it. He downed the rest, slapped it back down on the table, and put his coat and belt back on. Luckily his ribs were at least vaguely okay for the moment. With a lightsaber he burned through the top of a table leg and then pulled it to his right hand, leaning on the flat part for support.


"There, that'll do," he declared, slung the back over his shoulder, and started making his way out.


@Sreeya
 

Skade Wulfsbane

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Skade decided she liked this Jedi. He showed up, jumped into the fight without questions, didn’t try to take over the mission as most high ranks attempted and easily adapted to a rapidly evolving situation. It was incredibly rare to meet Jedi like that, and she wondered if the council handpicked him to send their way. She had a grin as she looked at him when he agreed with the political sentiments.

She took the proffered bandages, layering it above her stitches. Skade looked over at the droid and all the armor replacements, taking a moment to glance down at her own armor. It was worn, crude and damaged at many points. She reminded herself to get everything patched up at some point.

There was nothing to be done for her ribs outside of letting them heal on their own. Skade walked out with him, watching him carry the bag and hobble with his stick. After they made it down the hill, she rolled her eyes.

“Know the problem with us Jedi?” She said as she walked over to grab the bag from him and sling it over her uninjured shoulder. Green eyes met green, though hers were closer to blue, “We are experts at giving help, sometimes even when people don’t want it, but we are skitr at admitting when we could use some help.”

Skade said nothing as she began to walk again, moving at his pace. The men had patched one another up and had already begun to make their way to join the others in the caves. A few scouts were sent out to track Tof movement. Skade walked towards a stable where a single, powerful fathier waited. It had been one she had rescued and claimed as her own. She secured his bag on the fathier’s side.

She looked over at Hans, “This will be the fastest way to get there,” Skade clicked her tongue and the fathier knelt down on its front legs followed by back to allow them to get on, “Get on very carefully or you’ll pull your stitches,” She would help him whether he wanted it or not, following by getting on herself in front of him, “Hold on.”

Skade clicked her tongue again and the fathier stood back up to its full height over 3 meters tall. A gentle nudge with her legs set them off in a brisk pace towards the mountain.

@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Hannibal only handed over the bag begrudgingly, grimacing in a way that suggested what she said was both correct and irritating. Yes, some Jedi did seem to have issues with asking or accepting help when it was needed and the young Master was aware he was one of them. He eventually just sighed in a resigned sort of way and moved on with his life.

"Yeah," he agreed, limping his way along at a decent pace with the aid of his improvised walking stick/cane. He appeared lost in thought on the way, at least until he spotted the falthier. Hannibal grinned at the animal and looked it over while Skade secured the bag of stuff, then down at his leg again when the muscular woman mentioned his stitches.

"Kriffing nerfshit," he repeated, slowly leveraging his walking stick and good leg to get his way aboard the beast with as little stitch stretching as possible. He was about to wrap an arm around Skade's waist when he remembered how messed up her ribs, shrugged, and went for around her hips somewhere instead. All the same in the end.

The young Master grimaced a little as it raised to its full height, his grip around and/or on Skade tightening since he couldn't properly grip with his legs on account of one being slashed to hell. Hopefully nothing awkward happened like them being attacked on the way.


-------
All things considered, the trip up toward the mountain was terrible. First of all, Hannibal's leg couldn't keep a grip on the falthier so he had to keep a good grip on Skade. Skade's ribs were kicked to shit so he had to keep a hold of her hips or other durable anatomy which, in general, was both more awkward and less stable.

Also there were like, four Tof currently running at them from between several trees.


"Kriffing nerfshit-" and other expletives in Epicant that followed were said as the falthier was understandably uncomfortable at the rabid approach of both Tof and Tof-originating crossbow bolts. Hannibal raised a hand to send the bolts off course with the Force, missing one that was fired with different timing. It struck his shoulder somewhere and, since he wasn't holding on properly anymore, he promptly fell off the fidgety fathier.

Hannibal rolled a little on the ground before settling on his back looking most aggrieved. The bolt hadn't penetrated the armorweave but it had hurt. Mostly his pride, though.


"I hate it here," he muttered grumpily, scooting himself behind a rock and using it to both to get back to his feet and sit on. Sol's lightsaber sat in one hand and his improvised walking stick sitting on the ground as the Tofs continued running in, dropping their crossbows and drawing melee weapons as they went.


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Skade Wulfsbane

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“I’m not some innocent little damsel, grab onto my chest if it helps you hold on better!” Skade shrieked angrily just before Hans promptly fell directly off the Fathier like a sack of potatoes. It was all because he was overly concerned about grabbing around her ribs. Skade spat out a long stream of expletives in Deucalian as she attempted to circle the fathier back around in a long arc.

As the Tof began to close in, she blasted out with the Force to send them flying back. In the distance she could see some beasts rushing towards them, and she was dismayed to find human riders atop. Some of the local populations had thrown their lot in with the Tof, seeing no point in joining the losing side. These humans rode on the backs of icewolves, though mercifully they weren’t made more powerful from dark side corruption.

Skade remained on the fathier, galloping by with her axes out. As one of them made to move towards Hans, she rushed by and powerfully swung her axe. It took the head clean off, sending it sailing as she kept charging. It would be moments before the wolves caught up and the fathier would never be fast enough while it was carrying them both.

Once the Tof were down, Skade made a quick executive decision. She landed on the ground directly from the fathier’s full height, yanking by the reins to guide it down. She offered no explanation as she grabbed Hans by the back of his clothing and unceremoniously tossed him on the beast, clicking her tongue to make it rise again.

Green eyes glanced up briefly towards the other Jedi, “He can’t take us both. Save them, healer. You are worth ten of me,” She said right before she oriented the fathier and slapped it on its rear. With a neigh, the beast galloped off, carrying Hans in however awkward way he held on.


Skade remained behind to face the incoming charge of humans on their wolves. She knew she would have to attempt to commandeer one of them to be able to keep pace and escape. She had never been afraid of death. There was no death, there was only the Force.

A grin spread across her face as she whirled her bloody axes around in preparation.


@Mr. Teatime
 

Hannibal Grayza

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In hindsight he probably should have just asked if what Skade suggested was okay in the first place instead of risking falling off, but he hadn't thought of that. Whoops.

From the discomfort of his rocky seat he raised a hand toward a charging Tof and then Skade took its head off, riding by on her falthier. Another she charged toward move to swing his weapon, easily capable of hitter her at the same time- at least, if he hadn't decided to drop his weapon just before he swung. The Tof had a moment to consider the wisdom of that decision before Skade dealt with him as well, Hannibal's hand dropping back to his lap.

Didn't take long for him to spot the closing wolf riders, though he didn't have long before Skade showed up back in front of his humble rock. Hannibal had been about to ask a question after Skade hopped off before he was bodily chucked atop the falthier. It stood at the woman's command and, at her insistent urging, began running off.


"KARKing NERFSHIT," Hannibal shouted in protest, "You brave bitch, if you die I will kill you!" As much as it made sense for the healer with a semi-useless leg to not participate in a cavalry charge the young Master had strong feelings about leaving people behind to fight on his behalf. Sol's lightsaber was re-clipped to his belt and he turned back to look at the wolves, having an easier urging the falthier to go one way or another. He'd been kicked out of the fight but he could at least offer a parting gift.

A whistle reminiscent of a bullet cutting through the air passed by Skade and impacted one of the riders, a small stone sinking into their chest and launching them from the back of their mount. Hannibal's only long range attack with the Force was a particular skill with ballistakinesis, though he only had the one shot before the falthier's panicked pace took him out of reasonable range. The Jedi turned away and held on with his arms, lowering over the swift animal to get to the camp.


-------
The camp itself was hodgepodge but relatively organized, mostly basic and easily movable structures. Although the sentries didn't recognize Hannibal's face so much they did recognize his armour since a good number had seen it jump from a ship, itself also carrying a number of immovable wounded to a safer area. There were far too many people for it to carry even packed, but for quick transport triage the Spirit was invaluable.

Grumpily the young Jedi removed himself from the back of the falthier, mimicking Skade's clicking to get it to lower so he could do so without hurting himself- again- and limped his way to an old stump near-ish the center of the camp upon which he planted himself.

Before too long he found himself inundated with things to deal with and he started delegating things and asking questions. Eventually he made his way to what served as a medical tent and gingerly eased his way onto some kind of chair to do some helping that didn't involve using a lightsaber. And wait for Skade, of course, who he would find a way to yell at after death if she died.


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