Ask Into The Sands

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri glanced back over her shoulder when Varyn inquired about her siblings, offering him a smile as she replied, “Three - all of them older than me.” There was a fondness in her voice just then. While she didn’t have a particularly wonderful relationship with her mother, her siblings had always been dear to her. “I try to keep in contact with all of them, though I don’t get the chance to visit home often. Not that I can’t, but.. Just difficult to find time I guess.” Unlike many within the Empire, Vahliri didn’t suffer the same challenges when it came to going home. Indupar was staunchly aligned with the Consortium and the Consortium had remained uniquely neutral.

But that didn’t mean the combination of academy classes and the increasing frequently of missions made of any easier to find time away.

The half-Annfyn was prepared to answer or ask another question, only for the increasingly weird anomaly to occupy all of her attention. She blinked a few times when Varyn made his comment about invisible lizards.

“Hssiss,” She corrected without looking back. And then she blinked again, actually processing what he said.

“Why would you say that?!” She groaned, turning back in the seat to look at him “Now you fucking know it’s going to be those fuckers. Just because.” So help her, if Varyn jinxed this shit again..

Vahliri just looked at Varyn when he suggested moving right along - and the Acolyte would know in an instant that his suggestion was going to go nowhere. Instead, Vahliri unclipped the saber from her belt and slid off of the speeder - snagging one of the packs off the back.

“Yeah, me too..” She muttered, glancing down the canyon that twisted in multiple directions. There was no real way of knowing which way to go - and so, in Vahliri’s bullheaded and infinity wisdom, the half-Annfyn literally just picked one and started to march on ahead. “I think it.. Might be, actually.” She pulled up her commlink, comparing the maps to their current surroundings. “It has to be.” She muttered. It was far too close to be a coincidence.

Minutes would pass, and surprisingly, there wasn’t.. Actually anything that attacked them, yet. The canyon was entirely quiet as the pair marched through the sand - the only hostile thing being the sun that blazed down upon them without pause. After what felt like an eternity of walking, Varyn and Vahliri finally rounded a corner - and much to the half-Annfyn’s shock - came face-to-face with a rectangular, framed entrance that plunged deep into the canyon wall.

“That.. Was weirdly easy..?” She said, gingerly stepping towards the entrance. Somehow.. She had a feeling it wasn’t that simple. Could it be?

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Oh, come on, I didn't jinx anything, he said, shaking his head. It's called preparing us for the worst. And of course she knew the exact name of the creature too. He knew "invisible lizard" and that was enough. He knew what they did, he didn't need to know the ancient Sith name.

He came up so that he stood next to her, side by side and bumped his hip against hers. Time flies when you're busy flirting, he said, fully aware that it was a stupid line, but he did what he wanted. Truth was, he was surprised they were here already, too, but he'd already explained that.

You have no idea where we're going, do you? he said as she picked a direction and just started walking. Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it - it was the right location and after a while they came to an entrance leading to a cleft in the canyon.

Now who's jinxed it? he said, shaking his head as she had the audacity to say that it'd actually been "easy." They were so screwed now.

No, but really, this is weird. We busted through the middle of nowhere and suddenly we're here? Did we hit a portal or something? Travel through time? I know the Force can do weird stuff, but... he didn't even know. Something about all this just didn't sit right with him. Was this even real?

Are you getting weird vibes too? he asked. The tomb looked... pretty plain, too. Not the ornate carvings and inscriptions he had come to expect from most of the Sith Lord tombs he'd seen over the last few months.

 

[Darth Tempest]

“Yeah-huh. Okay.”

She said with an entirely unconvinced tone, her gaze lingered on his for a moment as he once again claimed to not have jinxed the entire thing for them. Only time would tell, she supposed - and she had every intention of rubbing it in if the worst happened.. And they survived whatever that was, of course.

“I guess it does,” She smiled back at his entirely stupid line. The half-Annfyn drew back her hand to playfully nudge him, brushing her fingers across his forearm and lingering there for far longer than was necessary. “Guess the journey wasn’t so bad, huh?” Her eyes lingered on his own for a long moment before she turned back ahead, continuing deeper into the narrow canyon.

“Nope.” She said flatly, entirely content with admitting that she hadn’t the slightest clue where she was going. Part of why she was confident enough to admit that fact, was because Vahliri knew that Varyn didn’t either. What was he going to do - complain and suggest they go in a completely different random direction? The half-Annfyn was stubborn and bullheaded by her very nature, and was entirely committed to her random decision. Much to her intense pleasure, it proved to be the right direction, and Vahliri glanced back at Varyn smugly. Of course, her smile faded entirely when he suggested - ridiculously suggested - that her own words might’ve just done them in.

“...” She blinked a few times, eyes narrowing. “Shush.” She wasn’t going to acknowledge her own stupid choice of words just then, or how they effectively just tempted fate at this point. Nope. Completely unimportant and irrelevant - unlike his comments about the Hssiss.

“I.. Maybe? You’d think we would’ve.. Felt something, though. Sensed it, if we passed through some kind of portal?” It wasn’t likely.. But it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility? Like few places in the galaxy, Korriban was home with intense Dark Side energies and lingering magics having been woven by long-dead Sith Lords. The planet was weird. But she also expected to have noticed if they came across some anomaly.

“Hella weird.” She said back at him.

Glancing around cautiously, Vahliri stepped forward and towards the entrance to the.. Temple? Ruins? Whatever. Her amber eyes drifted up towards the blocky frame, squinting at the lack of any ornate carvings or runic inscription. “Maybe its just that old? Lord Andoral mentioned it pre-dates the first Empire..”

The half-Annfyn barely made it a step inside the temple, only for the sound of movement just to her left - echoing vibrantly in her sensitive ears - to catch her attention. Vahliri’s eyes widened as a sinister, red glow enveloped the room, and she only had a moment to abruptly step backwards to avoid the bolt of crimson ichor that streaked in front of her. She only caught a brief glimpse of the red-skinned sorcerer who lobbed the magical assault, his face fading back into the pitch blackness of the temple interior.

That wasn’t even the worst of it, either. Within split-seconds of Vahliri stumbling back, both of the Acolytes would see as two additional Pure-Blood warriors burst up where they had been hidden all this time, buried in the sands. They brandished dark, somewhat archaic-looking blades in their hands - pointed towards both Acolytes as they began to circle around.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

The journey wasn't so bad at all. Of course, he couldn't just admit that right now. That would go straight to her head, and he couldn't be having that.

Maybe she was right, maybe it wasn't a portal, but something weird was going on. An illusion? Was it all just a dream? No, probably not, but that would have just been his luck. Finally, flirting with a girl and it was all just a dream...

What, you think no one before the first Empire was an egomaniac? he asked. Was he allowed to call the Sith Lords egomaniacs? They were.

Anyway, I guess we can't do anything but give it a go, he said. He pulled the lightsaber from his belt to be a light source and let it ignite in his hand.

When the Sith started appearing, Varyn was, once again, floored.

You want meat or potatoes? he asked, meaning she could either go chase the sorcerer or the two warriors behind them. Without really thinking about it, he angled himself on an intercept course for the two warriors that had literally appeared out of nowhere. Jerks.

After all, he felt better about his saber skills than his... arcaney skills.

 

[Darth Tempest]

“Fair point,” Vahliri grinned back at Varyn, her lips tugging upwards when the Acolyte referred to the Sith Lords of old - and current, she supposed - as egomaniacs. Considering half the tombs on Korriban were capped with the respective Lord’s statue or face chiseled into the mountainside, she really couldn’t disagree. “Just don’t let the Empress catch you say that,”

She said ominously, as if Renfry herself was about to poke her head around a corner.

The moment that the Pure-Bloods started appearing out of nowhere, Vahliri couldn’t help but wonder if she had - in fact - jinxed it. Was she ever going to admit that fact to Varyn? No. No she was not. It was going to fucking snow in this desert before she did anything of the sort.

The curved hilt, already in Vahliri’s hand, ignited with a characteristic snap-hiss - its crimson glow flooding the dark archway of the temple and bathing it in a sinister glow. The half-Annfyn paused for only a moment when Varyn called back to her with his question. She blinked. “..Meat?!” She said back him, only to then dart towards the sorcerer on the inside of the temple. She hadn’t the slightest clue if which one was which but damnit, she was going with meat.

The half-Annfyn drew her saber in a horizontal arc - attempting to cleave right through the Pure-blood’s torso and separate it from his legs. In response, the sorcerer weaved his hands through the air - red mist rising up from the dust-covered stone as tendrils of solid energy. In place of a blade, the tendrils of energy clashed against Vahliri’s own saber - while another sliced downward and towards her thigh. She veered to the left in an attempt to dodge - but fell short of avoiding the tendril entirely.

A pained cry escaped from the half-Annfyn was the tendril swiped across her thigh - melting right through her robes and leaving a smoking gash across her leg. The half-Annfyn gritted her teeth, drawing her left hand back as the Force gathered in her palms. She sent forth a concussive wave to slam directly into the sorcerer’s chest - sending him hurtling backwards and slamming into an adjacent pillar.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Oh yeah, Vahl had definitely caused this. Notice there were no Hssiss, but there were definitely murder-Sith. Had these guys really been out here all this time? In stasis or something? Just waiting? Waiting thousands of years to murder a couple of acolytes for no reason. Weirdos.

He wasn't given much more time to ponder how he was going to blame her for this when the purebloods charged toward him. Fortunately, saber dueling was one of the things he was actually good at and it was a translatable skill.

The Sith darted toward him and blows were struck. Traded back and forth in an instant as he narrowly caught the leg of one, not cleaving it off unfortunately, but injuring him nonetheless.

What he didn't expect was the spike of anger that welled up in him when he heard the injured cry of his partner. He became a sudden blur, the Force flowing through him and the Sith saber really resonating with him in that moment.

He cut and cleaved, hacking down upon the pair of Sith and before he knew it, both lay dead at his feet.

His breath was short and he felt overcome by emotion. He feared what this might signal in himself and he feared for Vahl.

But he didn't have time to ponder it now. He darted up after her, looking to catch the sorcerer before he could do... anything else. Whatever he had done.

 

[Darth Tempest]

At least for that moment, Vahliri completely forgot who might’ve jinxed the situation or what defense she was going to quip back at Varyn when he inevitably brought it up. Instead, her attention remained firmly fixed onto the Sorcerer that had been thrown harshly against an adjacent pillar. The half-Annfyn didn’t have the slightest clue where the Pure-Bloods had come from, but neither did she have much time to really question it.

While Varyn dispatched the two warriors, Vahliri once more sought to close the distance between herself and the Sith Sorcerer - saber held in a defensive guard across her body as she darted forward. Her shoulder tucked and the half-Annfyn ducked to the left as a bolt of crimson ichor whizzed where her head had once been - sailing through the air and disintegrating a chunk out of the stone wall behind her.

Once more, tendrils of crimson rose up from the ground just as the half-Annfyn was within striking range - lunging forward and towards like cobras poised for the kill. Flashes of red clashed against red as Vahliri weaved her saber around her body, the desperate flourish of bladework managing to momentarily keep the conjured tendrils at bay.

Seconds ticked by in a flash, and Vahliri finally seized her opening as it presented itself - her saber abruptly changing trajectory and arcing downward - the blade of plasma cleaving right through the Sorcerer’s left hand - capitalizing on it being ever-so-slightly out of place and exposed. A cry of agony ripped up the Sorcerer’s throat as the hand separated from his wrist, a feral snarl contorting onto his lips. In a last ditch attempt to eviscerate the Acolyte, the Sorcerer reached forward with his remaining hand - red lightning crackling in his palms.

Continuing her forward momentum, Vahliri lunged forward - swiping her saber in a horizontal arc from left to right - finding purchase just below the Sorcerer’s ribcage and cutting right through flesh, muscle and bone. Within a split second, her blade reemerged from the other side of his body - the wound no doubt fatal.

While fatal, the swing of Vahliri’s saber came at roughly the same time as the blast of electricity erupted from the Pure-Bloods palms - the last-ditch blast slamming directly into the Acolyte’s chest at the apex of her swing. The force was enough to send the half-Annfyn tumbling backwards - her body rolling across the ground as stray sparks of electricity snapped and crackled off her skin.

The Sorcerer, meanwhile, slumped to the ground in two separate halves.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn arrived just as it all finished. The battle was over and he saw everyone on the ground. The sorcerer looked like he was in the worst shape given he was in two separate pieces, but that wasn't Varyn's concern. His first concern was making sure nothing was about to kill him and his second was Vahl.

His eyes swept over the room, his senses reaching out even as he made his way in her direction. Vahl! he shouted, saber flashing out as he slid to the ground next to her. He ripped his helmet off and tossed it next to him.

Vahl, are you okay? he asked. He could smell the scent of scorch and wisps of smoke still rose off of her. You shouldn't be caring this much, Varyn. She is the enemy. And yet, he did care, and he didn't want to see her hurt.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Searing pain coursed through every inch of Vahliri’s body, and despite her sensitive hearing, the half-Annfyn didn’t immediately register what Varyn had said or the fact that the fellow Acolyte had even come to loom over the top of her. The limbs and muscles twitched as the lingering electricity distributed and exited from her body - wisps of smoke rising up from her robes and bronze skin.

The half-Annfyn faded in and out of consciousness just then, her brown eyes wandering listlessly across the ceiling. The blast of electricity had been enough to excruciating and momentarily debilitating, alluding to just how powerful the Sorcerer was with his craft. Nevertheless, the last-minute nature of the attack meant that the lightning wasn’t enough to be fatal or cause any lasting damage to the half-Annfyn’s internal organs. The entrance-point wasn’t likely to scar over pretty.

Moments passed before Vahliri’s finally blinked back into reality, a groan of agony escaping from her lips almost immediately. Her eyes flicked about for a moment before fixating back onto Varyn. She wasn’t entirely expecting to find the fellow Acolyte looming over her - and yet she couldn’t deny the bit of relief that surge through her upon seeing him - from what she could tell - unharmed by the other Purebloods. "Hey Var.." She got out after a long moment. It took her another pause to finally register what he said, pausing for a moment before she answered.

“Better than that fucker..” She groaned. The half-Annfyn had seen her blade cut through him - if only for a split second before she was struck. She knew that her blow was fatal - and there was no lack of satisfaction that dripped from those words.

She didn’t immediately attempt to get up from where she was curled on the ground - instead rolling up onto her side as she caught her breath - the pin-pick of pain still stinging across her body and limbs aching from the electrical assault. Even if there wouldn’t be lasting damage, it would take her a minute to fully recover.

“What was that?” She spat, eyes jutting towards the two pieces of the Sorcerer.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn wasn't getting a response from her, so he started shaking her, trying to awaken her or make her get up or... something! Shake, shake, shake. Finally, she started to awaken and he felt a wave of relief.

He recomposed himself and his gaze followed hers over to the severed body. The smell had started to fill the air, and he could see smoke rising from the two halfs. Not to mention all the things that had once been inside now coming out. It was a gruesome sight and he let out a heavy sigh.

She didn't get up, and neither did he, simply kneeling beside her as the moments passed. An OG Sith, he responded.

What if we really did pass through a portal? Straight back to the old days, he said. Of course, he knew it was a ridiculous notion, but he also knew there was no limit to what the Force could do, and he couldn't shake a feeling that something was off.

He stood up and reached down, offering his hand to help her back up before slipping his helmet back on.

Well it' wasn't a Hssiss, I can tell you that, he said. It definitely was something other than "easy" though.

We need to be more careful moving forward, he said. What does Master Andoral even expect us to find in here? he asked aloud.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Moments passed, and Vahliri finally stirred from where she was laying on the dusty floor - her torso lifting up as she brought a hand down to brace against. Pain prickled across her body like needles pricking sharply, but the sensation grew duller and duller with every passing breath from her lungs. “I have this sneaky feeling they aren’t the only ones.” She muttered, sounding not at all happy with that prospect.

“At this rate, I really would not be surprised.” The half-Annfyn said. As ridiculous as the notion sounded, the entire place just felt.. Off, and could she really argue that it wasn’t possible? She didn’t particularly want to consider how they would be returning to their own plane, if they had in fact stepped through a portal.

She finally accepted his hand - rising back to her feet with a small grimace. Vahliri couldn’t help but aggressively roll her eyes when Varyn felt the need to point out it wasn’t a Hssiss hurling Dark Side magic at them. Her expression twisting up a bit when he questioned what Andoral had even intended for them to find her.

“I don’t know,” She said after a long moment, a grimace working its way onto her lips. She stepped towards the corpse of the Sorcerer, glancing down at the body she had severed in half. After a moment, the half-Annfyn leaned down - plucking the chain-bound tome from the hip of the Pureblood. Her brows knitted together for a long moment, rotating the text in her hands for a moment before turning back to Varyn. “Perhaps he doesn’t know either.. And just sent us here to test the water and see what we came back with.” She raised the book.

“Either way.. Only way to go is forward.” The half-Annfyn stepped back close to Varyn - opting to move shoulder to shoulder with him as they trekked deeper into the temple. And towards whatever awaited them there.

@Phoenix