Felucia: Clean Tactics [Flashback]

[Phoenix]

It had been quite some time since Corvo had been to Felucia. In fact, probably close to several years since he'd last been here. Just before he became Dark Lord. It felt like everything had changed since then. The fact that Terra had recently died was still fresher on his mind than he would have liked, but he did what he had to do and kept things moving, burying himself in his work as usual.

To that end, he'd personally selected to go on a trip to Felucia, the irony that he was going with the former Jedi who he'd once fought here was not lost on him. He continuously found her to be fascinating - seemingly unafraid of him compared to how most felt - and she'd shown an amazing level of combat prowess. Having destroyed the Tython temple, she was quickly showing herself to be an incredible Sith.

The Fury set down on the planet's surface and Corvo's eyes opened, grabbing his helmet and sabers with his bow slung across his back. If he recalled correctly, Shae detested this bow on account of being shot with it... twice, but it was a staple.

He made his way to the cockpit, peering out the front window and glancing at Chaz. Stay ready if this thing goes sideways. But you know the drill already. He left the cockpit to find Shae, who should have been in the crew quarters if he wasn't mistaken. We're here because the local shaman has been giving our soldiers a lot of issues. We're here to kill him. It was very matter of fact and without any seeming remorse about the fact that he had just detailed an assassination. Locals have a... strange connection to the Force. Ability to manipulate it into their weapons that resist sabers and influence the local fauna, so we'll need to be alert out there. Most of SBZ troopers in the area have already been slaughtered, but it's possible that we'll find more of our operators out there.

 

[Sreeya]

This was the second time she was posted on a mission with Venator, and she felt a little uneasy about it. For one, he was always in a seemingly bad mood. For two, she found him oddly fascinating. The latter fact was locked in a box somewhere, never to emerge. He was entirely too terrifying for her to even consider the thought. However, missions with him also meant she got to travel more than in any other case. Most Sith didn’t trust her at all, and she couldn’t blame them. She had to fend off numerous outright attacks from some, and she knew no one would help her.

Shae was at the crew quarters, preparing for the mission by putting her armor and weapons on. She had new sabers since she came over to the Sith, her old ones left behind with Sihkar. At times, she missed her weapons deeply, the new sabers just not quite her. Shae was just grabbing a pistol when Venator emerged.

“Shaman?” Shae quirked an eyebrow, “Like.. we’re talking plant medicine people? How could they possibly be a threat?” She scoffed at the idea and quickly cleared her throat, realizing he wouldn’t find it the least bit amusing. Shae averted her gaze, “Erm..I’m ready,” Hopefully there weren’t any rancors out there like the last time she had faced off against Venator.

 

[Phoenix]

Exactly as she expected, he didn't find her joke amusing. He was a perpetual grouch with a scowl hidden behind his mask even now. Yes, shaman. They're natural born Force-users and head their... religion. In truth, Corvo didn't really worry all that much about what their religion was or how they observed it. What he cared about was the fact that they needed to be removed for the expansion of the Brotherhood.

Good, he said curtly with a nod. Then let's get to it. The exit ramp lowered slowly and Corvo made his way down, the smells of the world immediately meeting his nose. It smelled of thick vegetation and humidity.

I suppose you didn't think you'd be back here with me again? he asked, thinking about the last time they'd faced off here, on opposite sides of the war. It was about as close to small talk as he could manage. In truth, he didn't even know why he was trying small talk. Usually he preferred it if people just left him alone on missions, but for some reason there was something about her that wouldn't get out of his mind. It certainly didn't have anything to do with seeing her in that apartment on Coruscant... No, Corvo, head in the game, he thought to himself, wandering along, boots squishing into the foliage, glad that the helmet kept any bugs out of his nose.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae sighed and quietly followed him out of the ship. She spotted Chaz along the way and waved at him, watching him awkwardly wave back. Chaz seemed like a nice guy, though he was sometimes even quieter than Venator.

Though she and Venator had some humorous moments together, he was back to being a perpetual grouch. She put her helmet on, not making the mistake of leaving her nose open for bugs once more. As he remarked about the last time they had been on Felucia, Shae had to laugh, “No, I didn’t,” She glanced at his back, “Especially not with that infernal bow.”

The thing had shot her twice and it was now casually relaxing on his back, ready to unleash those explosive bolts on someone else. She took in sight of their surroundings, the foliage and trees thick and dense. Her boots sunk into the swampy ground, and she had to work hard to keep from going knees deep in the muck.

“So how come you came on this mission?” She had to ask, looking over at him. The very simple gesture caused her to almost trip over a root. For a moment she flailed her arms before quickly regaining composure, hoping he didn’t see. Shae cleared her throat, “I figure being Supreme Leader you can send others to do these things for you.”

 

[Phoenix]

Even Corvo had to snort as she mentioned the bow. Yes, he'd shot her with it twice and yes even he found it a little bit humorous. I saw the scar was healing fine when we were back on Coruscant, he said, referencing seeing her without most of her clothes on, though he left it to her imagination if it had been only professional notice or something more.

He quickly diverted the conversation away from that before she could ask any follow-up questions. He made no mention of Terra, but she may be able to feel the momentary fluctuation in his emotion at the question about why he was out here. He tried not to feel too deeply his loss and distract himself with work. I come out to show people that I'm not rotting away in the seat of power. Sith maintain power through strength. It's the same reason I went out to Ithor recently. Fought some Jedi and sent a city plummeting out of the sky. Corvo had no idea that the woman he was talking about whom he had shot was none other than her mother.

Besides, it keeps my skills fresh and polished. Practice droids only get you so far, he answered. He caught sight of rapid movement and his head spun around quickly, barely missing the full-on arm flailing. He grunted and kept kept moving forward until the ground became more solid and they came to a sheer drop off. If he weren't looking, he might have plummeted over the edge himself. The Felucian camp should be down there, he muttered, pulling the bow from his back.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae quirked an eyebrow at his mention of her scar. He had almost seemed annoyed at her for asking him to take a look at her wound, so it was a surprise he remembered at all, “Uh.. yeah well try being shot by it yourself some time!” She couldn’t keep the grin from forming on her face beneath the helmet.

Shae whistled as he described his exploits, “City plummeting out of the sky? Most impressive,” The sarcasm was thick and heavy, and she was clearly oblivious he had attacked her own mother, “Did people line up to get your autograph?” She snickered then, stepping promptly shin deep into muck. With a groan she struggled to get her leg out, resuming the dull walk towards wherever they were going.

As they came to the drop off, Shae glanced down below, slightly uncomfortable with heights. She scanned around till she spotted a path down, “That way!” She led the way, circling around till she found an incline down. Shae barely took a few steps before a blaster bolt whizzed out and slammed into her shoulder. The force of it sent her back, and she instantly had her saber up, “Ambush!”

Shae lowered to a crouch, rolling to the side to be safe. Rolling the other day would take her clear off the edge. The bolts kept coming and Shae expertly deflected most of them, comming Venator, “Try to pick them off while I deflect the bolts!”

 

[Phoenix]

He glared at her as she mocked him. She certainly was more ballsy than anyone else he'd run across who treated him with fear and trepidation. She on the other hand, seemed to be full of sass. But he had an edgy persona to keep up so he responded in kind. No, they're all dead, he said deadpan. It was sarcasm that would probably elicit an eye roll, but also carried an element of truth.

He watched her bristle slightly at the height and he smiled behind his mask. He loved heights and had for years. Free climbing had become a staple of his training, though as time had progressed, he wasn't 21 anymore. Even in his thirties, age was catching up to him in the climbing department. All right, he said with a nod, following after Shae down the slope.

Gunfire erupted quickly, which surprised him and he wondered if the locals had robbed the Brotherhoods cash. As he caught sight of the guns they were using, he realized that was exactly what happened and he let out a frustrated growl. He saw her catch a gunshot and he grew angry. Why was he so angry? That didn't make sense...

He pushed the thought aside with a curt Copy! He raised his bow and aligned it with the body of one of the locals. He pulled back, primed the arrow, and loosed. It soared straight and true, striking the local and detonated, killing the one next to him as well. He nocked another arrow and loosed it as well, striking the final gunman but not before a stray bolt flew down, striking the right upper quadrant of his abdomen.

He groaned, buckling over in pain, though his armor absorbed most of the blow, some bled through. Kriff, he hissed. We need to... get out of the kill box. They'll have heard that, he said, pushing on with gritted teeth, making it to the bottom of the path before taking a turn into a cave in the hillside. We need to patch up, he said, reaching out to the Force and telling him the cave was clear. He wasted no time in stripping his upper armor and shirt off, motioning her to expose her arm as well as he pulled out a med pack.

 

[Sreeya]

The pain on her shoulder burned, and she let out a slew of curses as she kept deflecting bolts back. Thankfully, Venator was exceptionally skilled with that bow, as she could see right away the bolts began to slow down. She heard him give out a groan of pain, the sound alarming her as she glanced back to see him hunched over as he made his way towards the bottom of the path.

Shae followed him into the cave, still reeling from not just the shoulder wound, but another on her arm as well. She couldn’t tell how many others were in the area, but they were completely at a disadvantage, “We can’t stay here! They’ll close in on us!” She glanced over at him to catch him taking his shirt off without a second thought. Unlike last time, she was too surprised to avert her gaze. It also helped that she had her helmet on.

“Uh..” Perfectly chiseled body, sinewy muscles, battle scars and everything else she saw on the heroes of Holomovies. Was this guy for real? This was an image that wouldn't leave her mind anytime soon. She muttered quietly under her breath, "Thank you paleo.." Shae’s face turned bright red under the helmet and she had to clear her throat and remember he was talking to her, “Uh yeah.. arm.. “ She pulled off her armor as well, rolling up a sleeve to expose the injury on her shoulder and the other one on her arm, “I should probably carry med packs with me.”

Shae glanced towards the entrance of the cave, already sensing that there were others nearby, “You said these people are naturally skilled with the Force? So they can easily sense us?” She spoke in a whisper, drawing back further into the cave. If they could lure others in, perhaps they could take them down easily vs. being out in the open. One thing was for certain, neither would have time to get properly dressed again before the intruders made their way in.

 

[Phoenix]

Corvo was hard at work slathering on a bacta bandage. The pain was already numbing and beginning to subside from its stinging burn. What? he said as she muttered under her breath. He couldn't hear what she actually said, but now was not the time for muttering important information. He kept working, spraying a bacta spray on her wound and bandaging it up quickly.

You're right, he said, nodding. He was going to be a little bit concerned about... that. A glanced up, still shirtless as they came charging in, swords and spears in hand. If his research was true, their weapons stood up against sabers. His blade snapped to life, catching a swing from the creature's sword. Into the cave! he shouted as one of the locals stepped on his shirt and armor as he ran back into the cave after her, shirtless and with no prospect of gaining one anytime soon.

His other blade snapped to life, plunging into the belly of the local coming for him. She would also be happy to see he had to leave his bow behind, leaving him comically running around in pants, a helmet, and with two sabers. The path deeper in suddenly roared with something that was certainly not human. Acklay... He'd fought one on Geonosis once, now... oh great.

Go left! he said when they came to a fork in the cave, the sound coming from the right just as a huge multi-legged shadow emerged, charging toward their pursuers.

 

[Sreeya]

As the intruders barged in, Shae quickly reached for her pistol, lining up a shot and firing directly into the face of one of them. She had more of her clothing on than Venator, and she was able to let her gauntlet take some of the damage from an incoming sword blow. Shae leveled her pistol beneath that, blasting the creature point blank in the abdomen.

She didn’t have time to laugh at Venator and his state of attire as he scrambled to get away. This was turning into yet another bizarre incident with him, as if their last adventure wasn’t bad enough. Shae heard the sound of acklay echo through the cave, skidding to a halt at the fork in the road. Panic throbbed at her chest and she looked to Venator for direction, nodding as he ordered her to go left.

It was then she realized they simply needed to be quicker than their pursuers. Without a second thought, Shae whirled around and fired a few bolts off, aiming for the legs of the creatures behind them. It was just enough to injure them and make them hunch over, leaving them as prizes for the acklay.

Shae darted down the narrow passage to the left, “Watch out!” She barely got the words out before she slipped and fell directly into a cenote inside. The water was ice cold, though a pristine turquoise blue. Venator would not be enjoying himself right now.

Shae splashed around in the water, looking up at the opening above where the cave had collapsed. The good news was that the opening meant they had some way to climb out. The bad news was that this was a dead end and their only option was to go up, and that was while hoping the acklay didn’t decide to come this way. Shae was shuddering in the water, spotting some vines, “Oh…oh no… I’m so a-afraid of h-heights…” Her teeth were chattering, and still she refused to get out of the water to climb.

 

[Phoenix]

Corvo was glad to see that Shae's quick thinking managed to slow their pursuers who were subsequently smashed and chomped to bits by the roaring monster. That kept it occupied for the moment as the other locals made war against the creature and it immediately became apparent that they had fought these creatures before. They moved with amazing efficiency, hurling spears and skewering it until it roared.

Corvo was distracted watching the gruesome scene when he heard Shae shout. By the time he looked back, it was too late and he was plunging over the edge with her, hitting the water which immediately sent chills through his whole body. He came back to the surface, water pouring out of his helmet and making him feel a moment as if he were choking.

His clipped his sabers to his belt and swam to the vines she saw, staring a moment in shock that she was refusing to climb up. Her teeth were chattering and he stayed there a moment, at a loss. Well we can't just stay here, he said, grabbing hold of the vines. Come on, he hissed, climbing upwards, and pausing with a sigh, leaning back to reach a hand down to her. You can't stay down there, he said, for some reason uncharacteristically compelled to try to help out a fellow Sith.

He wouldn't give her much of a choice, grabbing her hand if she didn't offer it and putting her hand on the vine, letting her climb up in front of him and conveniently giving himself a nice view. That way he could catch her if she fell or something like that. He finally hauled himself up the side and looked at her. She'd taken two shots to his one but now both of their bandages were wet, soggy, and falling off. I don't suppose you were a healer in the Jedi were you?

 

[Sreeya]

“No way! Just go on without me!” Shae was absolutely freezing, her hair clinging to her shoulders, and still she refused to budge. She watched him climb up without effort, remaining stubbornly where she was, “I’ll figure out another way out.”

That was when he abruptly grasped her hand without her offering it, “HEY! What’re you-!” She began to panic and struggled against him before finally giving in. Shae awkwardly began to grab a hold of the vines and slowly climbed up. The pain from the wounds she took coursed through her, eliciting a wince. She didn’t dare cry out for fear of attracting the acklay, “Why’re you making me do this? I could have snuck out!” She complained the entire way up, teeth still chattering. She couldn’t even look down to glare at him, knowing a glance down would make her topple over from fright.

After what felt like a century, she finally hauled herself over, collapsing along the edge. The exercise used up quite a bit of her energy, and her wounds were in even worse shape now. Shae hugged herself, still shivering from the cold, “I wasn’t a healer, but I can heal wounds if that’s what you’re asking,” She glanced over at his still very shirtless..and muscular…form. Shae quickly cleared her throat, “Um, hold…still.”

She avoided making eye contact, reaching over to place her hand slightly above his abdomen, hovering but not touching him. Within moments, he would feel a warm, calming sensation as she called upon the Force to heal the damage. It wasn’t enough to get rid of it entirely, but it would ease his pain enough to make it easy to move around, “Healing was always very difficult to learn. It draws so heavily from the Light,” She looked up at him as she said that, “Made even more difficult now.”

 

[Phoenix]

Well they were out of the water and up the small cliff. That was an accomplishment in and of itself. Now they just needed to make it past the acklay, past the locals, sneak into a heavily guarded camp of psuedo-Force sensitives, and assassinate their leader. Just another day at work...

He was actually surprised when she moved over to heal him up, having expected her to just say "no" and move on. He held still for her, hands floating lightly over his torso when there was a sudden warmth spreading out from the wound as it dulled. His breathing slowed down as the pain subsided and after a moment she pulled back. Thank you, he said. I imagine that's becoming more and more difficult with each passing day, he said, eyes staring unwaveringly into hers through the holes in his mask for a moment before he diverted and moved the topic right back to business.

We'll need to be careful of the acklay. With any luck, it's moved on or at least distracted by its kill. If any of the locals escaped they'll have raised the alarm, though. He was almost beginning to wonder if they weren't better off regrouping at the Fury and striking out the next day after they had patched up. The problem was, there was no telling if their target would have moved on by then.

He glanced back at her, checking if she was ready to move before giving a nod and crouching low as he moved down the pathway, taking refuge behind one of the massive pieces of local flora. We need to capture one. We can interrogate him for the location of the shaman. Let's find a perimeter guard to grab.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae paused as she attempted to heal her own wounds, doing just enough to take the pain away. She followed behind him without a word, glancing back to see if they were being followed. Whoever had been chasing behind them must have been torn up by the acklay, as neither party made any noise, “I’d be surprised if they escaped… if not the acklay, then my pistol should have knocked out a way for them to run back.”

She joined him near the boulder, putting a fresh mag into her sunspear. Shae nodded as he mentioned capturing a guard. When there was no movement for a while, she had time to glance over at Venator. After a moment, she cleared her throat, “So um… I don’t mean to be rude but..” She chewed on her lip nervously, “I don’t think you look very….intimidating right now. Especially with that…helmet and..um..just pants combination,” She half expected him to use lightning on her, “So why don’t we take the clothing off the person we capture?”

Shae struggled very hard not to laugh. She was panicking too much to notice his bizarre state of attire earlier and was too caught up with discreetly checking him out. However, realizing how he was truly dressed was enough to send anyone into a fit of giggles. He was well muscled enough to still look intimidating, but the helmet made it simply ridiculous.

After a moment, she heard some movement, watching a man with a rifle walk by as if he were patrolling a designated area. Shae slowly crept forward, tailing him to see where he was going. They had to be quiet about this, as any alarm could blow the entire operation. This was when she decided to use her darker powers.

Shae concentrated the Force, watching the man intently. She closed the Force slowly around his neck till it began to compress around him. The man began to choke and cough, quietly struggling. Shae quickly began to move towards him, expecting him to drop to the ground any second now.

To her utter surprise, the man abruptly resisted the choke, whipping around to face her. Shae felt the Force knock into her full blast, sending her bodily backwards. She slammed to the ground, quickly rising up to face the man that was clearly attuned to the Force. He hastily reached for his comms and Shae scrambled to line up a shot to fire at him.

 

[Phoenix]

Corvo turned to face her, clearly completely unamused and a piercing glare in his eyes. It's not like I planned to not have my clothes on, he growled, turning back to the mission as she continued to giggle. Giggle! He rolled his eyes and turned back to the man in front of them. He caught her subtly looking at his chest and it was completely lost on him, glancing down at his torso. What? Do I have... a wound? he muttered, looking at himself for another injury. He didn't see any and kept moving right along.

He could feel her reaching out to the Force, the move meant to incapacitate their enemy. He moved up with her, shocked when he suddenly spun around knocking her over and swinging his blade at Corvo who barely jumped out of the way in time, stumbling over a root sticking far out of the ground behind him. He hit the ground roughly, reaching out with the Force to grab the enemy's legs and pin him in place, lining up for Shae to take him out.

Cover me! he said, hoping that she could keep at bay whoever might be coming to get them after this little ruckus. In the meantime, Venator reached out to the Force, pouring his will into the mind of this being. He tore through his psyche, ravaging the man's mind as he searched for the information he was looking for. It was a terrible display that would likely leave the man with permanent brain damage, but he didn't have the time for anything less brutal. The man began to moan which turned to screaming that would no doubt alert the camp, but they had what they needed and moments later, Venator pulled back.

I got it, let's go, he said, the whole camp now gathering up swords and spears to charge after the intruders. They needed to find somewhere to hide and quickly or they would be soon overrun.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae could only watch with fear as Venator stepped in and…she couldn’t even tell what he did. All she saw was sheer pain and agony in the man’s face. It was enough to make her cringe even without feeling anything on her own. His intervention gave her an opening to shoot the comms form his hand, subjecting him to Venator’s will. She hadn’t see him lash out too often, her most recent memories being against her. Seeing him like this made her realize he had been tame with her and that he could be a true monster if he wanted to be one.

She grimaced as the man screamed, no doubt alerting everyone in the vicinity. Within moments, she could hear scurrying behind them, “Any day now!” She glanced back at Venator, who was still doing his torturing methods. Shae could hear a warcry as a group of tribal people came rushing in with their swords and spears.

Shae put her pistol away, whipping out both her sabers. She took the first wave head on, slicing right through the shaft of a spear and through a man’s chest. She ducked and sliced her second saber horizontally through another man’s legs. Shae was a whirlwind of motions, and it was clear her forte lied in saber combat. She ignored her injuries, slicing and cutting wherever she could.

She cried out in pain as a spear grazed by her knee, where the armor was weaker. She took the first wave by herself, hoping to give Venator an in to rush in to find the leader. If they delayed too much, he would be well hidden or escape. Shae also knew she couldn’t hold them off for too long. Primitive or not, these people moved with shocking precision.

 

[Phoenix]

Venator saw beyond as he came out of the near-trance he'd been in, seeing Shae singlehandedly taking on the camp with a deadly precision he admired. He'd fought her before on Korriban and seen how good she was and it showed again as she easily cut down the enemies before her. Unfortunately, the man they were seeking wasn't in this camp, but another out of the canyon and over the ridge, which meant that while they'd gained the information they needed here, they now had a hornet's next to flee from.

Fall back! he shouted, sprinting up to give her support against the onslaught. His left hand came up and he unleashed a stream of lightning that filled the air with the smell of charred flesh as it seared one of the locals. Not here, let's go! he said, letting her lead the way back as she seemed to have taken another hit.

He held behind them for a moment, covering the retreat and cutting down another trio of locals when an arrow smashed into his bicep. He grunted, gritting his teeth and swung his saber to sever the end that stuck out so far, knowing he would need a real patch up later.

He ran back after her, following into the foliage until the sounds of footsteps ran past them. We need to get out of the canyon and follow the river to the other camp. That's where he's at in the largest hut, he said, voice hushed. I always seem to get hurt with you... he muttered under his breath.

He paused to look down at her knee, pulling out the last of the bacta spray and squirting it on before she could argue. Why was he wanting to give her his bacta spray? Did her hair remind him of Terra? Was there something more to... nope, nope, nope, head in the game, Corvo. He cut off the thought before it went any further, looking up at her eyes. You good to go? he whispered, hoping the answer was "yes" lest they be stuck out here. As it was, he was beginning to wonder if they weren't going to have to hole up somewhere for the night. The sun already seemed to be setting.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae was in quite a bit of pain from the jab to the knee. She turned to glance at Venator as he made his way up, his words about the shaman not being here making her grimace. Did they take all that damage for nothing?! She looked at him as he blasted the men with lightning. The smell of burning flesh hit her nostrils at once, and she had to bite back the urge to vomit. Despite how absurd he looked, he was no less terrifying with all his powers, "I'm not going to leave you!" She screamed at him, surprised at her own words, as he shouted at her to lead the way. Shae hesitated for a moment until he looked at her again and she knew he meant business. With a grumpy sigh, she turned and rushed away, letting him stay back for a moment to take care of the tribesmen.

She found a path away from the attackers, noticing that the pursuit had stopped. She glanced back and couldn't see anyone for a moment, her heart sinking. After a few seconds, Venator emerged once again and she saw the point of an arrow on him right away. Without his armor, he was completely exposed to attacks. Shae quickly began to take bits of her own armor off, holding out her gauntlets for him and the plate on her back, "At least put these on! You're vulnerable to attacks!" She pointed to the wound on his arm and began to tell him to put bacta on it. Before she could do anything, he hastily applied it to her knee instead, "Wait! What're you-?!" She glared at him, "You needed that more than I did!"

As she recalled his comment about him getting hurt around her, her glare was replaced with a grin. The opposite was just as true, though she had no time to make a quip back. As he asked if she were good to go, she awkwardly nodded, the bacta immediately making her feel better. Shae half ran and half hobbled towards where the river was, following the sounds alone, "Do you think they'll keep him fortified or move him?" She was more worried about the former. She and Venator were in no condition to break into a hut guarded by an entire village.

The path along the river took them towards where she could see a thin line of smoke. It was obvious there was a settlement here, and right away she could see a lot of guards posted along the front of it, "Damn it, they've made the place impenetrable. We need to find a less obvious way in," She rapidly tried to think of any disguises or other ways to break in. Her usual go to included Jedi mind tricks, but these people were attuned enough to the Force to resist.

 

[Phoenix]

Corvo looked down at the offered armor, reluctantly taking it and knowing that it only made sense. Thank you, he replied, finding a way to strap the back plate to his front and the gauntlets in place. Now he looked even more ridiculous, wearing armor for someone eight inches shorter than him with much more petite hands over his shirtless torso with a helmet to top it all off. It was no matter... function over fashion or something like that.

He followed her along, the two of them now covered in injuries, but they were determined to press onward. If we're lucky, they'll move him... how lucky are you feeling? he asked, though it seemed the luck was with her today.

The two snuck along the river to the wisps of rising smoke and they were immediately greeted by the guards that lined the perimeter. Hmm... he grunted absentmindedly, strumming his fingers along a fallen log he used for cover. Nothing was leaping to his mind when he saw sudden commotion as one of the members of the villagers ran in. Corvo squinted, watching as the whole place seemed to go into an uproar like ants in an ant hill.

Out of the hut came a tall, red colored local who seemed to stand a head above everyone else. I'm fairly sure that's him. Red typically indicates shaman... I think, he added under his breath. The shaman accompanied by three other natives armed with bow, spear, and sword all began leaving the village as guards flocked to the perimeter. Corvo watched as they headed for a valley to the right and vanished down a dark pass.

He crept forward, skirting as far around the local guards as he could but still close enough that they would hopefully not lose too much time. When he made it to the ravine opening, the smell of death and rotting corpses immediately hit his nose and very little sunlight seemed to creep in. I have a bad... well, anyway... he said, clutching his hilts in his hands as he took the first steps into the creepy ravine.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae had to quirk an eyebrow at him thanking her. Since when were Sith Supreme Overlords polite? Nevertheless, she only nodded awkwardly in response. To her credit, she didn't laugh after he was done putting on her much too small armor. It was just enough to offer protection, but did nothing in the aesthetics department. As he asked how lucky she felt, Shae had to scoff, "With you? I can count on getting into all sorts of trouble, that's for sure," She even managed to squeeze in a quip despite their chaotic situation. This getup of his was one she would hassle him about for a long time from now if they still knew one another.

Unlike Venator, she moved slowly to get to their next hiding point. The pain in her leg was making her wince, and she had to actively ignore it. She focused instead on her anger, the rage at her injuries whirling around inside. The emotions fed into the darkness in her, and she drew from it for strength. In turn, it helped ease the pain, allowing her to make her way over to him. After a moment, she saw the 'shaman' begin to move, surrounded by a group of guards, "Are you sure we need to do this? Why don't we just go back and just say we did the mission?" She wasn't expecting a serious answer, but it didn't mean she wasn't half hoping.

Within moments, they began to move, and she felt more and more uneasy. Venator began to echo her thoughts, though he stopped himself halfway. Grumbling under her breath, she began to follow him closely, keeping her sabers on hand. When they made their way into the ravine, she could smell the corpses. At once, Shae stopped in her tracks, "Nope. That's a hard nope," She pointed at the corpses, "It's about to be night time and there are dead bodies littering the way. There is some creepy shit going on here. It's been nice knowing you, Venator, but I choose life," With that, she promptly turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction. Never mind that he was her only way off the planet and she would most likely end up dead with her horrible sense of direction out in the middle of nowhere...