Into the Shadowlands

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Into the Shadowlands​

​

Muck. That's all it was, dark, humid muck. Uhtred may not have been especially partial to the cold that his people loved to brace themselves against, but it was better than this. The waters were lukewarm, but it had all the stench of a bog. The trees were like skyscrapers, with the canopies stretching so far into the skies, they couldn't even be seen from down below, in the Shadowlands. Shadowlands. Although the moonlight still somehow found a way to penetrate the blanket of tree cover overhead, there was no better name. It was dark.in the deep woods.

Tachs hopped around, swinging from the vines and at the bases of the trees. They looked like small primates, constantly howling or whooping, or whatever that noise was that they kept making. It was an annoyance to be sure, but they were so incessant about it, Uhtred quickly realized that this was likely the norm down here. If nothing else, all the racket they made would just help to conceal their own movements.

"Svo lengi sem við höfum verið hérna, er ég hissa á ekkert en hefur reynt að drepa okkur", Uhtred said, briefly glancing back toward Torsten.

Kinraths and Webweavers and Mykals, not to mention everyone's favorite pack hunters, the Katarns. Katarns were always the worst, and in this case, they were also rivals. The request to bring back game for the Life Day Festival was far from being filled. Even though the Old Empire and Imperial Republica had banned the holiday, in true overlord fashion, most denizens ignored it. Even some Imperials wanting to get in on the celebrations made their way here. And with all those mouths to feed, nothing sated the hungry appetite quite like Mouf. Cut into steaks, harvested for their ribs and shoulder meat, Mouf cooked and prepared well was some of the best eating one could find in the Mid Rim.

Mouf were ill-tempered, lived in herds and had thick hides, but that wasn't the problem Uhtred was worried about. Mouf meat wasn't just loved by the Wookiees and their visitors, but by the locals of the Shadowlands as well. Specifically, Katarns.

"Well... I suppose the night is still young, then?"

@Xorism​

 

[Torsten Ivarsson]

These lands were unlike anything that Torsten had seen or fought in before which was both an exhilaration and a pressing concern for the Deucalian. Kashyyyk was an interesting planet in of itself but the Shadowlands in its own strangeness was its very own challenge to overcome in now which they had entered some time past as hunters. The terrible darkness was only broken by the peace of mind offered by the decension of moonlight through the thickened canopy which would provide some illumination for their path forward.

Torsten took careful note of the numerous death pits and monsters that inhabited this treacherous realm and turned to his brother in arms. "Jörðin mun gleypa okkur heilan. Our armor is a disadvantage down here, we would struggle to free ourselves from the earth so keep your footing true for I fear that more than any beast I can kill."

Naturally, Uhtred had sought out the difficult task of hunting a stubborn beast in a most inhospitable terrain that neither of them knew, surrounded by all manner of obstacles and wild beasts that would happily tear them apart in an instant if they could. Torsten had confidence in his armor to at least protect him from a handful of Katarns but a whole pack of them? He was less sure. Between the pair of them they would be at least well armed for the task. Torsten carried his Elduröxi at his side and blaster rifle upon his back in case things went sideways.

"The night perhaps, but I am not Uhtred. By the gods at least tell me you remember what the local guide said?"

@Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Uhtred smiled devilishly, even defiantly, as if a silenced laugh were escaping from his maw. This world might have not been his favorite, but this was some place new. Untouched. Untamed. Just like them. Or, at least what was left of them.

"Komdu, bróðir, what is fear but the reminder that we are still alive?", Uhtred said, brazenly, even as his own feet dragged with each step. It was like walking in tar, this bog. Every step was twice as tiring as wading through snow. But still, he didn't want to remove his armor. Perhaps it was the Mandalorian blood in him, but if Uhtred had learned anything from his father, it was the truth that armor was a skin, and that your skin should never_come off.

"Bah, 'what he said?'—that arrogant rassgat didn't speak., he howled., and yes., I remembered it. We passed that sacred white tree of theirs not an hour ago, so we're to keep heading westward until we—"

At that moment, Uhtred stopped dead in his tracks, holding up his arm and raising his hand to the level of his head, clinching it into a tightened fist so as to signal Torsten to stop. Between the dark below and around them and the tachs distracting, Uhtred almost didn't even notice it. A reflection in the unstilled water. It was rippled, hard to see at first, but it most certainly was there. Two horns, mounted at the back of its head, and light reflected dimly from its eyes; it cast a silhouette that Uhtred would never mistake.

"Katarn", Uhtred said, lowering his body and speaking in a much more hushed tone than he had been. The water was finally clearing and stilling, and as it did, Uhtred saw more. Hanging from the mighty branches of the wroshyr, there was the one... then two... then three..

"...I spot four of them, all in the trees, right over us. Doesn't seem like they've spotted us, but they're tasting the air—they know we're here", Uhtred said, slowly pulling his vibro-sword and Elduröxi into either of his hands. He had his Læsatein of course, but he didn't want to risk missing a shot and be left wide open with those dragons right on top of him. "You see any more keeping us company, bróðir?"

@Xorism

 

[Torsten Ivarsson]

Torsten lowered himself into a fighting stance and took watch for the revealing threat. Fortune was on their side as the last three remaining katarn in the pack neared the opposite side of the two warriors.

Torsten took careful watch before whispering "I count three in your blind spot, they have not seen us yet. Let us use the cover and bog smells to mask our presence until they pass."

Taking cover behind a large tree trunk, the senses of their predators became clouded but they did continue to approach on edge, not yet willing to end the hunt. The danger was that the pack was split between them but as the trio came closer, Torsten would be forced to attack first.

With both his hammer and ax powering up as he came across their paths before the Katarn, the vicious attacks caught them by surprise. The hammer came crashing down upon the firsts skull with a thundering thud causing the beast to immediately fall unconscious.

The secondary fire ax likewise now swung into action but instead cleaved the front shoulder off the katarn, not completely disabling it but putting it significantly at a disadvantage.

The third beast would shortly recover from its surprise and immediately counter attack Torsten.

@Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Uhtred didn't say another word, but he affirmed Torsten's suggested course of action with a subtle nod—one that would have likely gone unnoticed, given the darkness of the Shadowlands and their attentions obviously being focused on the Katarns, not each other—and more notably, by his own actions. There were very, very few water sources on Hoth or-Ando Prime, but they both served a precious role when available. Especially on Hoth, a properly concealed scent was often the difference while hunting between coming back alive and waking up in a wampa's cave.

Wading through the swamplands, Uhtred noticed Torsten taking cover behind one a tree trunk of a gigantic, or perhaps normal-sized in this case, wroshyr tree. By Svartur's wings, these things were massive. Uhtred himself found a massive boulder to situate himself behind, but still with a clear line of sight to Torsten. He launched the attack first, bringing a crushing blow to one Katarn. Whether or not it was killed, Uhtred couldn't say, but the second one bled-from the wound inflicted, that much Uhtred could tell even from a distance. However, a third one was before him still, and no doubt ready to pounce.

Raising his Elduröxi widely out and to his side, Uhtred threw his fiery axe toward the third Katarn near Torsten. The blade struck true, slashing deep into the calf of the third Katarn's rearmost right leg. It was a glancing blow, to be sure, but one that best would have without a doubt felt. Even if it was not lethal, it would have been a suitable distraction and slowed him down. Now, Uhtred focused his attention on the Katarns above him, now no longer directly overhead. Stabbing his vibro-sword into the ground and his Læsatein from his back, Uhtred took aim and fired a violet-blue blast into the treetops, striking a single Katarn. The blaster bolt impacted the beast's shoulder. It was not a lethal blow, but was still enough to cause it to fall out and into the swamp below. With luck, the fall would stun it for a time.

However, while the final two Katarns seemed to not notice the group still, the second one Uhtred noticed did, and charged down from the trees above toward him. Dropping his Læsatein and picking up his vibro-sword, Uhtred performed a leap out of the way, spinning around as the Katarn landed. With both of his hands on his vibro-sword's hilt, Uhtred brought the weapon down over the Katarn, delivering a killing blow at its neck as his weapon cleaved its head clean off. Without another moment's pause, Uhtred then charged toward Torsten, both to retrieve his axe and to aid his brother, should he have needed. While the final two Katarns didn't take note of them before, there was no telling how long that would last.

@Xorism

 

[Torsten Ivarsson]

The third attacker came swiftly as Torsten dealt with the former two Katarn, taking him by surprise. Its long claws dug heavily into his torso armor and its jaws attempting to crack open his helmet as they were both thrown backward by the momentum.

Using his fire ax, Torsten shoved the Katarn away to create some separation but not before the beast swiped at his right leg with a thundering whack. Fortunately the man was well armoured but he would eventually find a rib or two cracked along with hefty brusing on his leg.

The Katarn attacking him now noticed Uhtred and turned to focus on him giving Torsten time to roll aside and pull out his blaster rifle. His injuries meant that he would prefer not to enter a melee but while the remaining Katarn were unaware of their location, he would have a clean shot or two.

Taking careful aim and steadying his breathing, the shot rang clear and true up through the branches above and put an immediate end to the predators life. The second now being aware of the direction of the threat did try to make its way down, reducing the likelihood of a good hit.

The grazing shot would knock the beast out of the tree and onto the ground now ten feet below with a thump. With a shaking of its head and recalibration of its senses, the Katarn began to charge toward Torsten.

@Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Clever enough beasts, they were. That much could often be said of predators as a whole, but Katarns were especially sharp. Astute. And when it mattered, perhaps even vindictive. Uhtred's Elduröxi had been lodged in the Katarn's calf, stuck in its rough hide. The Katarn had to have been in pain, at least to some extent, but on the physical level, it didn't seem to stop the beast from charging or attacking. To most, they would claim that was bad. But to Uhtred, this was true sport. Moreso than hunting a herd of imbecilic Mouf, Katarns were the predators that one could sharpen themselves on. After all, Deucalians were all wolves, weren't they?

As the Katarn that had been attacking Torsten turned its attention to Uhtred, the Deucalian warrior charged the beast with his vibro-sword in hand, raised and pointed forward, held horizontally to his line of sight.

"Þú vilt blóðið mitt?!", Uhtred yelled out to it, swept up in the moment. "Dragðu það síðan með fangunum þínum!!"

Charging forward toward the impeding dervish of scales, fangs and muscle, Uhtred dove down low at the last moment, before what would have been their inevitable impact, and thrusted his blade deep into the Katarn's belly, slashing open a long, gaping wound from beneath as its entrails spilled out from its gullet to the base of where its tail began. Within moments, the beast fell dead and Uhtred was covered in blood. At this point, he almost felt like he ought to have been born in Clan Blood-Hair.

Pulling his Elduröxi from the Katarn's corpse, Uhtred was almost caught unaware by the charging of the Katarn he'd shot out of the tree earlier. He'd hoped it had been stunned—and for a brief time, perhaps it was—but it had risen to its feet and charged toward him, crashing into him just as Uhtred slashed at the beast's head with both weapons. Although his armor had protected him, cracking deeply in the process, he'd scored a glancing blow against the Katarn's eye, fending it off for the time being. A gasp escaped from his mouth as he rapidly inhaled, feeling the pain of the wind getting knocked out of him. Something_was probably fractured to some extent, but he couldn't worry about it now. Pushing himself to rise to his feet and stand upright, Uhtred noticed quickly the last Katarn, which Torsten had shot out of one of the worshyr trees.

Uhtred charged toward the beast, leaping over it just as it itself began charging toward Torsten. With both of his weapons, Uhtred dove his thermal axe and vibro-sword into the back of the Katarn, digging both weapons into what was likely the beast's shoulder blades. The Katarn howled in pain, and no doubt the injury was grave, but it didn't stop its charge altogether. But this was the perfect opportunity to finish it off, and Torsten was in the prime position to do so now. After all, there was that one Katarn left, the one that Uhtred had struck in the eye just moments earlier. Victory was so close, he could practically taste it, but they weren't done. Not yet.

@Xorism

 

[Torsten Ivarsson]

Torsten had taken a beating, sure but the piling bodies of ruthless predators had shown both the cunning and skill of the Deucalian warriors as pack leaders. Sweeping across and back to his feet Torsten was able to now throw his Elduröxi forward with thundering power toward the last remaining Katarn as it ferociously charged its last time. Its own previous wound that had been inflicted by Uhtred meant that it was simply not nimble enough to avoid the rapidly approaching weapon as it struck true into the magnificent beast.

As quickly as the fight began, it ended.

Corpses lay strewn around them with only minor damage done to their pelts. Torsten quickly checked over himself for serious injuries and found himself relieved to find nothing that wouldn't heal with time. Taking a look over to Uhtred, he spoke: "Let us find our prey quickly brother, but we should return to collect these pelts for sale if we have time on the way back."

@Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

The end of it all was sudden. In fact, for all the wrath Uhtred had expected, an Elduröxi flying through the air had cut the beast's rampage anti-climatically short. His adrenaline was high, and his senses had become razor-sharp, but all that was left around them both was simply... silence. Stillness.

"We should. And I suppose that's all that's left, then", Uhtred remarked, affirming to Torsten's suggestion as he mounted his weapons back to their place, with the vibro-sword at his back, next to his Læsatein, and the thermal axe hanging at his waist. "Don't suspect it will be quite as thrilling now, though."

With the Katarn pack dealt with, save for the skinning later on down the line, Uhtred continued on the projected path set out for them when they began. If anything, the Katarn pack was only further confirmation of what would proven mere moments later; the Mouf herds were near, grazing in ignorance of predators far deadlier than Katarns observing them. Signaling Torsten to head out to the opposite side of the herd, Uhtred armed his Læsatein, taking aim at one side of the herd as Torsten would have done the same to the other. Crossfire was a lethal tactic even on the battlefield, but against unintelligent animals, it became the tool of slaughtering.

A sound reminiscent of a thundercrack boomed as bluish-violet bolts of discharged energy rapidly fired into the Mouf herds, striking several with multiple impacts. The beasts that were struck moaned in pain. One fell down. Then two more, and another after that. Five, six, and seven, then an eighth. Some Mouf were thrown into a panicked frenzy, stampeding in every which direction as the horned males crashed into one another, with a few even getting trampled underfoot.

Frankly, the Katarns were better sport.

@Xorism

 

[Torsten Ivarsson]

The Katarn had been a most vicious foe to take on even between the pair of skilled Deucalian warriors. With bravery in adversity, a talent for bloodshed and perhaps a little luck - they had overcome a numerically superior enemy with only minor injury. Now peace reigned once more under the canopy with little to disturb its inhabitants until the next leg of the journey.

"If you wanted to do exciting, we'd be hunting bounties Uhtred."

Torsten followed the others lead and put away his melee weapons after wiping them down against his own armor. Their destination drew near and the final objective lay before them. A herd of Mouf stood grazing a short walking distance away completely oblivious to the hidden threats that now lurked beyond their view. With stealth and cunning, Torsten flanked off across from Uhtred with his blaster at the ready. Uhtred began firing from one side and Torsten on the other, one Mouf fell then another until it had become a great slaughter.

Six hefty Mouf collapsed ahead of Torsten's own rifle which was only shy of what Uhtred had accomplished and combined, would be enough.

"A good hunt today, brother."

@Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

"We have blood and fellowship", Uhtred said, mounting his Læsatein onto his back once more as he grinned jovially toward Torsten. "So how could it not be?"

Pulling out his spherical holo-communicator unit, Uhtred commenced dialing the frequency given to him by the guide the duo had met earlier. Within moments, the image of visualized electronic static sparked around the orb before the image of an elderly and grey-haired Wookiee appeared.

"Wwahwhahcacwowa raanrcworawaro, rarcwo rooohu?", the old Wookiee guide said. Uhtred subtly raised an eyebrow, honestly unsure if the old rag was being genuine or just grumpily sarcastic.

"Something like that, Thu'kragka. Haul is ready, we have...", Uhtred said, glancing away to quickly count Torsten's and his kills. "...fourteen for you. Several of them bulls. Also, inform the pilot that he'll be making a second pick-up before we head back to the festival."

"Ahc aoacraao coo?", Thu'kragka said, skeptically. Uhtred wasn't surprised.

"Don't give me that look, now. The only corpses we left down here had four legs and would have either eaten the grass or eaten us."

Thu'kragka growled grumpily and it took restraint on Uhtred's part to now curse or roll his eyes in annoyance. They both .knew the old Wookiee wasn't going to be doing any of the work himself, so he had nothing to complain about.

"Ahh, now there's that Wookiee hospitality I've come to love so much. Thank you, Thu'kragka, I'll always know that I can count on you."

Uhtred shut his holo-communicator off and returned it to a pouch alongside his waist. The day was indeed a success, meat was there for plenty, and they'd even attain the pelts from earlier. Moments passed, and as Uhtred looked up into the canopies above, still unable to see the artificial light of a transport, the humming of a repulsorlift engine became audible, louder and louder. The hunt was over, and in moments, they'd be loading up the carcasses, skinning then and harvesting them into cuts for people to eat. Uhtred would not miss going into the Shadowlands... but if a hunt was called once more to this place? Well... who could say what the future held?

END THREAD​

@Xorism