Frostback

[Teran Atrix]

Cold. It was just way too cold out here on Rhen Var. Despite the multiple layers of clothes that he had on, Teran felt like he might as well have been naked. The chill sliced through the clothes and bit into his bones as he pressed forward through the hissing winds that carried up gusts of snow with it. The schematics had indicated that the old pass should have been in this area, but thus far the young Jedi Knight couldn't find the entrance to the rumored temple.

It wasn't a Jedi temple that he was searching for, but a long-abandoned temple of an old Force-worshipping cult whose beliefs and practices were... uncertain. The rumors surrounding the beliefs ranged from the strange to outright disturbing. Child sacrifices, human experiments, and more were all among the creepy stories he had read in ancient tomes regarding the Devinari.

Teran didn't expect to find anyone alive down there anymore if he ever found it, but he was hoping for some old writing, places of power, or something that might improve his learning or help the Jedi Order. Despite having made his way to Knighthood, he still felt like he needed to make a contribution to the Order in addition to improving his own knowledge. So here he was... trudging through the snow... regretting things.

OOC: Feel free to join. Fight, chat, explore, or whatever. Just looking for something fun to write.

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi was surprised that the Jedi Council allowed him to leave on this expedition on his own. For a while now, Kyi had been researching various Force sites in the Jedi archives in hopes of finding leads on a way for him to strengthen his skill in the Force in any type of way - not for power reasons but so he could be more of a help in the war effort, while researching he came across this particular temple on Rhen Var, something to do with a Force-sensitive group unrelated to the Jedi. Kyi was excited to find any type of information he could return with him to the Jedi Order - the young Padawan was eager to ascend to Knight status so he could help out and protect his fellow Jedi brethren in the war.

Upon arriving on the planet, he knew he wasn't alone - he felt the presence of another and close by too. The young Jedi hadn't been to a snow covered planet since he built his lightsaber on Ilum four years ago, it was strange to be wearing something other than his traditional Jedi robes, the cold was still jarring, Kyi's Padawan braid flowed heavily in the freezing wind as he wrapped his arms around himself to provide a modicum of warmth as he made his way toward this temple that he had researched in the archives.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran couldn't say that he felt like there was someone with him, but the feeling of total isolation that had been there for him throughout the hike had suddenly vanished at the behest of his subconscious. He'd learned a long time ago that trusting his subconscious was often a wise thing to do and only more so now that he'd discovered a communion with the Force.

If he truly wasn't alone, then he was a bit puzzled by that. This wasn't a hospitable world, and he thought the cult was gone, but now he had to wonder. His steps became a bit more careful as he trudge onward, trying to put his feet onto stone instead of the soft crunch of snow. It never hurt to be cautious.

He couldn't quite make out who he was seeing through the glare of the snow, but whoever it was looked to be in... robes or something. So... cultist? They didn't seem to be shooting, so Teran... waved his arm high. Well, what better plan was there? He was ready for the person to attack, but if it wasn't an enemy - and he didn't sense any malicious intent - there was no point to starting unnecessary fights. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi spotted a figure in the distance, although he couldn't see who or what it was. The planet was supposed to be barren, why was there someone here? Kyi sighed to himself, so much for an easy mission. The Padawan wouldn't instigate a fight but he wouldn't be caught off guard, he had learned much in the short time since his mission on Dantooine. Kyi's eyes then widened with surprise, Huh? He thought to himself - was this person...waving? Completely taken aback, it took him a second to actually respond. Kyi awkwardly raised his arm high and waved back. He figured he should approach the figure, it clearly wasn't a threat.

The freckle-faced Padawan then began trekking his way through the heavy snow, arms still wrapped around him and made his way to the person in the distance. Finally close enough to get a better look at this person, it was a male, roughly a few years older than him with black hair and brown eyes who stood at the same height as him, Kyi couldn't help but find this person recognise him. "Hey, I'm Padawan Kyi Wavestrider. Nice to meet you?" he greeted the man, also puzzled as to why he was on Rhen Var,

Kyi analysed the man closer and spotted a lightsaber, Great, he rolled his eyes. Another Jedi, probably a Knight, he knew it was too good to be true that the Council actually trusted him to be on this mission alone, it was probably the reason they why they let him travel to Rhen Var - they knew another member of the Order would be here.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Well... he or she waved back, so that was better than nothing. Though Teran still sensed no menace or trap, he also knew that his senses weren't as attuned as a Master. There were old stories about ways to mask ones intent, but he felt no other strong emotions here either. Just a relative serenity that betrayed no danger. Although Teran's eyes shot to the sides looking for an ambush, none revealed itself.

A Padawan out here. That seemed odd. Not so much because a Padawan shouldn't be out and about (Teran, himself, had gotten up to all sorts of trouble during his training as Arda could attest to) but because it seemed oddly coincidental that another Jedi should be out here at precisely the same time as Teran. The Knight didn't believe in coincidences as the Force guided everything, so he assumed there must have been a reason for the two to bump into one another.

I'm Teran Atrix, a Jedi as well, he said, noting the Padawan... rolling his eyes? Odd, but Teran said nothing apart from a momentary frown (though whether one of anger and disapproval or simply puzzlement wasn't revealed).

Are you out here investigating the old ruins? he asked. Although that was what he would have guessed, there were other reasons to be in the area as well. Plenty of other interest to the Force-sensitive were also here for study. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

The Jedi had revealed himself to be Teran Atrix, he recognised the name and deduced that he had probably seen him only in passing during his years of training as an Initiate. After revealing himself, Teran frowned, it was a blink and you'd miss it moment but the young Padawan had caught on although he chose to ignore it, he was probably frowning at Kye's eye roll earlier which was fair. "Are you out here investigating the old ruins?" the Jedi asked Kye to which he responded "That's right. Hoping to find some artefacts that might strengthen my understanding of the Force" he said while shivering, "You?" Kyi questioned in addition to his statement.

After receiving his answer from Teran, Kyi proceeded to scan the area around him, the endless snow with no form of life insight was unsettling, he rubbed his brow, "You uh...you wanna team up on this? Two heads are probably better than one huh?" the young Padawan proposed, this was probably the most logical thing to do as anything could be lurking in those Temple depths although it was unlikely, better safe than sorry however.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teaming up seemed to make the most sense, and Teran had that nagging sense that something bad was going to be lurking down below.

He shrugged. Sure, makes sense. Glad to have the help, he said, pressing onward down the hill with a slip and a slide. His lips pressed together as he caught himself and felt another gust of wind. The sooner they got inside the better.

It was all the more pressing as he heard a rumble behind them and glanced back to see... oh crap. Teran's eyes went wide as he saw... was that an avalanche? Yeah, it was. Move! he yelled, no longer caring about what was immediately in front of him or inside the cave, what they needed was to get out of the way before they were buried alive.

It was half running, half sliding down the hill as he made his way to the entrance of the temple, glancing back to see if Kyi was behind him. Oh, he really hoped the other Jedi was coming. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Teran agreed to work together to uncover the secrets of this temple, Kyi wasn't going to lie to himself - he was relieved, being alone on this barren planet made him nervous, he knew that the Force was always with him but having a physical presence with him was somewhat comforting. Kyi trailed behind the older Jedi, holding his robes close to him as the cold began settling in even more - his teeth began to chatter, the cold was getting worse.

Walking behind Teran, he noticed the Jedi turn to look behind him and his gaze passed Kyi. He noticed Teran's eyes widen with surprise and what he felt was - fear? Kyi looked behind him to see what the fuss was about, Oh kriff he thought, it was a kriffin' avalanche! "Move!" the Jedi yelled as he began to run down the snowy hill and Kyi followed not far behind, sprinting as fast as he could in hopes of escaping the avalanche.

Kark it all, the hill was getting steeper and Kyi began to lose his footing - he fell flat on his face and began rolling and tumbling down the hill, passing Teran. So embarrassing, trained by the Jedi and he couldn't even keep his footing running down a stupid hill. Kyi continued to fall down the hill and finally came to a grinding halt when he reached the bottom of the snow hill and out of reach of the avalanche. Kyi raised his head, snow all over his face, he got up and wiped the snow off of his face and clothes and waited for Teran, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran really wasn't there to judge anyone for a few missteps down an icy hill while avoiding an avalanche. It wasn't so long ago that he was a Padawan, and despite being a Knight now he wasn't sure how much more competent he was. He felt like he was supposed to be a capable, ninja-like warrior, but half the time all he could manage was barely staying on his feet. Even now half of his descent was spent on his butt as he stumble-ran-slid downward.

He hit the bottom and only stopped long enough to make sure that Kyi was up too before running up the steps and inside. Thank the Force that the steps weren't slippery or else he might have been in for being dead. The crashing of snow and rock pounded against the outside and flung white flurries into the room after him, spraying him and even then half-covering him in snow.

For a moment everything was still before Teran managed to pop himself out of the snow bank with a gasp and grunt. Kriff, he muttered under his breath, pulling himself free of the snow. Kyi, are you there? he asked, beginning to hope that the other Jedi hadn't been buried alive in the snows outside. He wasn't sure he'd be able to dig him out if he had been.

A glance around the room as he rose revealed the ceiling had massive stalactites hanging above that had to have weighed many, many tons. Chunks of the stone broke away and crashed with a thundering boom to the ground further inside, and Teran had the nagging feeling that everything in this cave was unstable and dangerous. Perfect. Master Breaux is going to kill you if you survive this, he thought to himself with a sigh and shake of his head. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi groaned in annoyance as he managed to free himself from the snowbank, it took some struggling for him to get out of it though but he was free, that's all that mattered. Kyi aggressively shook his head, snow flying everywhere and escaping his dreaded locks. "Huh? You say something?" Kyi asked loudly while digging snow out of his ear with his pinky finger. Kyi then began to look around to take in his surroundings, he suddenly felt even cold again and began shivering, "Damn, this cave is even colder than outside." he muttered to himself as he tried to blow warm air into his gloved hands. The cave was so dark, Kyi was barely able to see a few feet in front of him and he ignorantly forgot to bring a flashlight - so the Padawan did the next best thing, he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the blue blade for light.

"We should probably go deeper huh?" Kyi asked the slightly older Jedi, looking to him for some guidance. Kyi and Teran walked side by side as they strolled deeper into the cave, their footsteps echoing around it, this place was like some giant deathtrap from what his lightsaber allowed him to see. As Kyi continued to hold his lightsaber high up in front of him, he thought there was no better time to get to know this Jedi. "So, Teran. Tell me about yourself." the Padawan asked politely but with a friendly warmth to it.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran considered the other Jedi's words, thinking about how it was colder inside the cave than outside. The fact had Teran even more on edge because he'd felt that chill before. It wasn't natural or of this world, but one of evil and darkness. It was the cold chill of the Dark Side.

I don't think that's a natural cold, he said seriously, offering his hand as Kyi climbed out of the snow bank. His own blue lightsaber came out, lighting up with a reassuring hum as the Knight held it up into the air to offer additional light as well. The room was huge besides just the stalactites that lined the ceiling it seemed to stretch onward for a great distance without any sign of ending... at least no sign that the slight glow of their sabers could illuminate.

I grew up on Taris to parents who ran a clinic in the lower city. It was a while ago that I met a Jedi and was recruited into the Order. I didn't expect something like that to happen, but I figured I could do more as a Jedi than I could have even done as a doctor. It had been a long time since he'd been back to see his parents, but he knew they were doing well still. Sometimes he missed them, but he was so preoccupied most of the time he barely had time to think about it.

So I joined up a few years ago and was apprenticed for that time until I had proven myself ready of Knighthood. I always liked reading and studying, which is how I dug up the records about this place. Thought I might be able to find something valuable here, he said with a shrug. He wasn't sure what he'd find here, but the Force hadn't led him here for no reason.

What about you? What's your story? he asked.

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi and Teran, lightsabers in hand, continued their way down the cold cave and Teran began talking about his past and opened up about himself. Kyi would go on to learn that the two had a few things in common, Teren sounded like he wanted to help others and Kyi related to him regarding that. As Teran began talking about his parents, he seemed to be close with his family and this began to remind Kyi of his, he missed his parents at times, they showed him nothing but love and care growing up and wanted nothing but the best for him - which was their main reason for sending him to train with the Jedi Order, Kyi's parents instilled a lot of their values in the young Padawan and all the traits you would see in Kyi came directly from his parents.

He continued to listen to Teran discuss his past, attention completely focused on the older Jedi - he was genuinely interested as he wanted to get to know him better. Teran then asked about Kyi and his life, he took a moment to figure out where to start - he exhaled and began to relay his life "I was born on Lothal, my parents were nerfherders. It was nice working on the farm, simple - loved those nerfs. When I was thirteen, my parents discovered I was Force-sensitive when I accidentally used telekinesis on my mom's mug to stop it from falling." Kyi remembered it like it was yesterday, they were in the kitchen eating breakfast, preparing for another day of taking care of nerfs, Kesh - Kyi's mother had made a large breakfast and a cup of blue milk to compliment the meal but she accidentally knocked her favourite mug off of the counter and the thirteen year old Kyi reached out unconsciously to try and grab it, only to notice it was frozen in mid-air.

"My parents then contacted the Galactic Alliance and notified them of my Force-sensitivity. It was like they were proud of me, happy that their son was going to be a Jedi." Kyi paused for a moment, his voice became softer as he continued speaking "To be honest, I just wanted to stay with my parents and --" he stopped himself, he really did miss his parents, Kyi cleared his throat to regain his composure "I'm grateful though, with my Jedi training I can help those who can't help themselves. Always had a strong urge to help others" he shrugged.

He continued through the cave alongside Teran, it was beginning to get even more cold, it was almost penetrating.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran listened to the story of the other Jedi. He wasn't sure how old Kyi was, but he had to guess late teens to early twenties. So he had been away from his parents for seven years or so by Teran's guess. It was a long time, but not so different from Teran to an extent. Years at a time, and perhaps he would never see his parents again if he were killed by some Sith in war. Or an avalanche.

Would you do it again? If you had the choice now? he asked, curious to the answer. Clearly he hadn't been eager when he first left (because, really, there were probably plenty 13 year olds who didn't want to leave their family behind forever to become a warrior monk), but he was curious if (knowing what he knew now) Kyi would have chosen to come. Either way, Teran wasn't here to change his mind one way or the other.

The darkness seemed to begin to crawl along the walls. Each step and flicker of the saber made it crawl slightly different, and it had Teran unsettled. It reminded him too much of that blasted witch. He began to feel creeping fear and wished he hadn't come. I am one with the Force, the Force is with me, he reminded himself. Fear had no place for a Jedi. The destiny of a Jedi was to confront fear.

He held up a hand for the two to stop as he looked to the wall, moving toward it with suspicion. Danger flared in his senses, and he stiffened, drawing the Force to himself in preparation to defend himself. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

"Would you do it again? If you had the choice now?" Teran queried, he took a long moment to think - knowing everything he knows now, would he do it all over again. Kyi missed his family very much but he couldn't deny all the good he has done or will do as a Jedi, the Padawan had his answer. "Yeah, I would. A thousand times over. It's my destiny to be a Jedi and help others - otherwise, why would else would the Force call out to me?" he said reassuring himself. Kyi smiled to himself, after years of training and doing assignments for the Jedi he hadn't really come to terms with how he was thrust into a life he had never truly chosen but with all the friends he has made, things he has learned and people he's helped, he wouldn't change it for the world.

As the two trailed deeper into the cave, the cold was cutting more and more deep - Kyi began to realise this wasn't a natural cold, this was the essence of the Dark Side, it took him so long to figure out because he had never really been in the presence of the Dark Side of the Force. It chilled his bones but it felt...powerful, it felt like it was calling out to him to let it into his heart and it was so tempting. His biggest fear was falling to the Dark Side, during his training he had heard so many bad things about it, how it destroyed you from the inside and brought on nothing but suffering and it made Kyi even more afraid that it was still all so tempting.

There is no emotion; there is peace, there is no ignorance; there is knowledge, there is no passion; there is serenity, there is no death; there is the Force. He recited it to himself over and over again to ignore the call of the Dark Side and remain focused. Suddenly, Teran held his hand out for the two to stop, it took a moment but Kyi felt it too. There was danger lurking ahead, Kyi gripped his lightsaber firmly, preparing to defend himself.

Suddenly three spider-like creatures emerge from the darkness - they looked like Krykna but adapted to thrive in the cold. Kyi felt the Dark Side swirling around these creatures, they'd been corrupted by it that's for sure and they looked ready to attack.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran thought for a moment that it sounded almost as if Kyi was trying to convince himself more than Teran. The path to being a Jedi was difficult. It was one of sacrifice and often discomfort, but also of purpose and meaning. He couldn't have said that there weren't days he wished he was living a "normal" life, but he, too, wouldn't have traded it if he could have. He wouldn't choose to go back to his old life. He had an opportunity to make a real difference, and he wanted to seize that. To be better than he would have been on his own.

The sight of the monsters that greeted the pair of Jedi was horrifying. It made his skin crawl, and he found himself (yet again) wanting to run for the hills. It took every ounce of self-control that he had not to do just that, and instead brought his saber in front of him in a defensive posture. It was only a moment before the monsters attacked, two coming at Teran and one for Kyi.

The largest of the three moved to attack the Padawan, jumping forward with its front two legs aimed at either shoulder in an attempt to pin him down. If he chopped off one the other came in only an instant later to impale his shoulder, making a single strike to parry difficult.

Meanwhile, the other two attacked Teran and the Knight leapt backward, sailing through the air and gripping hold of one of the stalactites as the creatures rushed forward underneath him. His saber plunged into the stone as the Jedi quietly counted. 1... 2... 3... 4... he spoke each passing second quietly as the rock began to glow. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi sensed a hint of fear coming from the Knight - this made the Padawan feel uneasy, if the experienced Jedi Knight was afraid then this was serious and Kyi began to feel some fear too. Kyi clenched his jaw trying to compose himself and entered an Ataru stance, the grotesque monsters squealed in opposition to their lightsabers, they weren't intimidated in the slightest by the lightsabers. I have a bad feeling about this, he thought to himself.

Kyi and Teran broke away from each other as the two smaller creatures closed in on Teran, while the biggest of the three began approaching Kyi. Why the big one? He whined to himself, Kyi kept his lightsaber held in front of him to keep distance between the creature and himself as he tried to back away. The creature lunged at Kyi with its front legs outreached, Kyi realised he wouldn't have enough time to perfectly parry the two legs and tried another method - he leapt backwards and would swing his lightsaber horizontally to keep the creature at bay. The manoeuvre succeeded and the Padawan managed to slice the tip of its front left leg, causing the creature to roar in pain.

Kyi, unaware of his surroundings, accidentally leapt backward into a thing rock formation that started from the ground and reached all the way to the top of the cave. Attempting to gather his bearings from the stumble, the spider-like creature used this to its advantage and shot its silk at his left, lightsaber carrying arm, the silk was cold and strong - these creatures were smart, Kyi had no way of escaping with his lightsaber arm being incapacitated. The angered spider-like creature began approaching him, Kyi would have to think quickly if he were to survive this encounter.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Bit of the rock turned to slag, but by the time it had done so the spiders were long gone from under him, scrambling up a nearby stalagmite to attack the Jedi. Teran dropped back down, landing on the ground below, but the glow of his saber only extended so far. It was difficult to see the incoming creatures, but the Force was his eyes. If his encounter with the Witch had taught him anything it was how to fight without your eyes.

He sensed the incoming monster and leapt backward as it struck, landing on the ground before sending a burst of telekinetic energy into the glowing rocks. The point of the stalactite plunged downward, impaling one of the two spiders and blocking off the path of the other.

Teran could sense something was wrong with his partner, and the glow of Kyi's lightsaber just slightly showed the perilous position he was in, but Teran couldn't reach him. Not with two spiders in the way there was little he could do. He reached out with the Force and gripped one of the dead spider's spear-like legs and tore part of it off, sending it hurling across the room to pierce the large spider. Hopefully that would buy Kyi enough time to free himself or kill the beast. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

Kyi continued to struggle free as the large spider approached him slowly, its clicking pincer's echoed through the cave. Kyi was in too much of a panicked state to think rationally. Suddenly, something shot through the distance and pierced the large spider's thick exoskeleton - it was a torn off spider leg, the Padawan knew this was Teran's doing and he couldn't be more grateful. The large spider began squealing again, flailing about trying to get the severed spider leg out of its body which gave Kyi the time to think.

He dropped his lightsaber from his left hand in to his free right hand and he began to use the tip of his lightsaber to singe off the spider silk that had him trapped. He turned to see the large spider regaining its composure and scurry swiftly toward Kyi's direction, just in the nick of time he managed to singe the last of the silk and free his left hand and rolled under the large spider as it stabbed its sharp legs into the rock formation behind him, it began to struggle to remove its legs from it. Kyi stood up behind the large spider and quickly made a 180 turn and slashed both of its back legs, causing it to fall.

Kyi proceeded to use the Force to increase his jump height and leapt on its back and made his way to the spider's head and stabbed it with his lightsaber, it let out a loud cry before finally dying. Kyi searched for the glow of Teran's blue lightsaber and swiftly followed it to reunite and help him defeat the last spider.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

The maneuver against the largest of the spiders took his attention away from his own opponent, and the smaller spider pounced on the opportunity. A pair of legs came down like spears aimed at either of his sides. A downward, diagonal slash managed to gouge off one leg and a sidestep meant he wasn't pierced through and through, but it didn't keep the attack away altogether.

The sharpened tip tore at his skin like a small hook that ripped into his skin and pulled away several small strips of flesh, causing the Jedi to cry out. Pain shot through his side, but he refused to stop moving because he knew that if he did he would be dead within moments. His foot caught on a stone and he nearly stumbled backwards, but he caught his foot.

It was clear from the sound and light in the rest of the tunnel that Kyi had dealt with his problem, and that meant that he might be coming to help Teran soon. The Jedi took another step to his own right so that the spider (who was totally fixated on the knight) would not see the other approaching Jedi until it was too late. @AfroBandit20

 

[Kyi Wavestrider]

As Kyi charged his way toward Teran and the remaining smaller spider. He noticed Teran shift to his right, the spider was still completely focused on him which allowed the Padawan to flank the smaller spider. Kyi ran toward the spider, moving slightly to his right and held his lightsaber with both hands to his left side and proceeded to run the lightsaber through the right side of the remaining spider's legs which caused it to fall, scrambling to get up with its left legs which gave Teran enough time to deliver the final blow.

After killing the remaining spiders - the only sound that remained was the hum of their two lightsabers as it dimly lit the cave surrounding them. The Padawan and Knight panted heavily, regaining their breaths. Kyi turned his head to look at Teran who was still recovering from the battle, the Padawan began to chuckle which eventually led to laughing which helped him relieve the tension. He placed his hand on Teran's shoulder to hold himself up as he continued to laugh, he finally finished and wiped his eye. "Heh, no better bonding experience than surviving a deadly encounter with ice spiders." he said, chuckling a bit more.

@Phoenix