Ask Raxus: Cultist Hunting

[Altair Din]

He almost envied her in a way. She sounded like she had some semblance of an idea of where she wanted to end up, and her background aligned with it. Here he was from a humble farmer family. For the first part of his life, he had only known about growing crops, cooking and of course Matukai. Now he was leading an Empire of his own making. Her question made him scoff a bit.

“Not even a little,” He admitted aloud, “I joined the Sith when I was older and never fell into the principles of the Dark Side. But…” He trailed off for a moment, “Many of my friends were Sith. They aren’t as black and white individually, but as a group they’re problematic,” He believed in everything he did, but he wouldn’t pretend he didn’t miss many of his friends. The split still cut him deeply, even if it was the right decision.

After a while, they came across a ladder. He climbed up first, hoisting himself up into a pipe. If she needed help, he would pull her up as well. They had to crawl through the pipe for a while, but he could see a circular entrance.

The entrance was seemingly sealed, but he couldn’t hear anything on the other side. He turned to face her, “Use your saber to cut through this,” He stared her for a moment before shrugging, “I’ve never carried sabers…”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She pondered on his words a moment, knowing that he'd been close and working alongside many infamous Sith who were now still out there somewhere, most probably even plotting their revenge for having been outsourced so bluntly.

Junction had been an embarrassment for those who had been present when Altair enforced his new laws and she could only imagine how it must have felt like to stare into the faces of old 'friends' and force them out. When it came to personal aspects, maybe some weren't that bad, yes, but the religion they believed in was and when they followed their sick, fanatic ideologies that resulted from giving themselves in to the darkness, they had to be destroyed.

"It's still remarkable how you've asserted your vision at the end...at such a young age even". She held back on the Sith part and threw him a soft smile instead before she watched him ascend. It didn't go unnoticed how he checked whether she needed help and she couldn't help but to smirk a little as thanks to her strict training routine, such obstacles posed no issue at all, so she elegantly hoisted herself up and started crawling.

The air inside the pipe was thick and she admired how he, despite his muscular torso, the confined space posed no issue. After finally reaching the end, she was still glad to be able to stand again and she followed his command without hesitation, letting one orange lightsaber snap into life. "I had started with a vibro-sword, but lightsabers are more efficient" she explained before she approached the door, "I've never tried Matukai though...maybe when duty allows, you can teach me some of it". Again, her lips curled into a smirk, but it faded as soon as she let out a soft sigh, knowing they had a difficult task ahead.

Pressing her free hand against and reaching out with the Force, she and sensed whether someone was waiting behind. After closing her eyes for a few seconds, she reopened them at once and her gaze immediately flicked up to him again. "Get ready...someone is waiting for us. Someone powerful and dark". Coiling the Force around her left hand, she'd wait for him to give her signal about being ready before she'd push her lightsaber inside in one swift motion.

The fiery orange hissed against the metal, slicing right through it. Whoever was behind moved and seemingly took cover further back, but once she had a circle completed, she shot a blast of Force against it, so that the circle shaped metal was hurled into the room.

Their gazes would fell upon a deserted chamber, but the sparsely furnished room would tell them that someone had been here. The dark presence was gone, but as Kalique perched an eyebrow and still stared into the room before wanting to enter, a loud, ear-piercing screech would suddenly echo through the halls. Whether it was the priest's pawn or something else entirely, they would suddenly spot a creature, unmistakably something dark and twisted - a Sith Spawn, specifically, who was rushing right at them, leaving them nothing but a split second to react.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Despite Kalique’s warning, Altair still wasn’t prepared for what waited for them on the other side. He expected cultists or other humanoids, not whatever this abomination was. The screech was loud and enough to make his ears ring and his eyes water. It was dark and his eyes hadn’t adjusted just yet. Within moments, he felt a giant limb slam into him, and it threw him like a rag doll out of the tunnel and back into the sewage. He fell with a great splash right into the disgusting water below.

While Altair took a solid hit, this also left Kalique unfortunately alone in the tunnel with the beast for the moment. The tiefling groggily tried to collect himself, his entire body sore from the hit. He wondered if he had a cracked rib, and he smelled absolutely awful.

“I’m coming!” He called out to her, stumbling and splashing towards the ladder again. He called the Force to himself and sprang up, grabbing the top of the ladder to try and scramble back where he was. He only hoped Kalique hadn’t been killed in that span of time…

Roll: 4/20

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While Kalique had literally expected the damn High Priest or whatever he called himself, nothing had prepared her for the abomination that awaited them. Good thing though that survival instincts were a thing...As there was only a split second to react after the screech, Kalique couldn't even get overwhelmed by a sense of immense terror or whatsoever before this abomination was already onto them.

It slammed right into Altair, sending him flying. While this shocked the Knight, it was the adrenaline that immediately set her into action, using the exact opening the slam attack had given her to jump on it from behind. Her lightsaber made contact with the flesh and burned it away with a sickening fizzle, resulting in yet another screech.

It seemed furious, and whatever alchemical reaction had sustained it kicked into life as well as there was suddenly a dark, purple hue all around it. It charged at her, but before it reached her, the thing reached out and right into Kalique's mind, leaving her in terrible pain and drawing an agonized cry from her as well, which must have admittedly sounded bad for Altair down below.

Still, the Knight managed not get fully incapacitated as she even mananged to bring her lightsaber back up, fiercely fighting against the twisted mental manipulation and even activate the dual-phase function. The pain forced her into squeezing her eyes shut, yet the orange lightsaber came in the exact right moment, resulting in the beast fully getting its head pierced as it involuntarily, and apparently even unexpectedly, made contact with the lightsaber.

Altair found find Kalique pinned to the wall, all color faded from her face and the massive abomination twitching a few away from her with the lightsaber right through its head. Panting, she moved the sword upwards, fully destroying what was left of the head and frying everything in its way. With a push of the button she fully deactivated the lightsaber, co.lapsong against the wall while blankly staring at Altair.

"Oh my...I...didn't expect that. But it's dead. Maybe it was his guard dog" she mused, still a little absent-mindedly before she cleared her throat and pushed herself back up, immediately rushing over to him. "Are you okay?! It seemed to have gotten you good" she almost whispered, her voice betraying genuine concern for the Warmaster whom she hadn't been able to protect from the beast's first attack.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair hoisted himself up into the tunnel, still hunched over from the pain in his torso. He saw her pinned against the wall and he moved to act, but she already drove her blade through the beast. The giant thing collapsed to the ground. Altair’s jaw dropped, shocked at the masterful display of skill. He shook his head and walked towards her.

“Damn, you got me feeling like a damsel in distress,” He said with a grin, which soon turned into a series of coughs since his ribs were likely bruised.

The commotion would have tipped off anyone else, so he moved quieter than before, waiting to hear anyone rushing towards them. Their path opened up to a wide chamber, and he could see multiple figures huddled together rapidly whispering. Altair gave Kalique a look that said ‘jackpot’, before he turned and yanked two of the cultists towards him. Each one took a solid matukai punch to the face, shattering the skull and caving in the face till it was unrecognizable. It was Kalique’s turn to see what he could do.

There were two other cultists and they began to scramble. Altair coiled the Force around one and yanked him to the ground, jumping over to practically pounce on him. Kalique had one to deal with, but there was someone else running away down the corridor.

“Get him!” Altair called out as he subdued one of the cultists, “That’s the leader!”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique's heart was still thundering in her chest as the beast's lifeless, half-bisected body collapsed onto the ground with a thud. After having met Altair halfway in the corridor, she started assessing him from the outside, however the coughs told her all she had to know.

His remark was flattering beyond belief, even if the metaphor had a humorous flair to it, still flustering her a little. It was thanks to the dim lit sewer corridor that he'd not notice any of it in her features, which was at least something, giving that the adrenaline pumping through her veins would make him sense a lot about her excitement anyway.

"You truly flatter me...but thanks. It took you by surprise, what then gave me the chance to strike it down...but I really hope you're fine". Coughing was often a common sign for a ribcage that had been violently compressed. Broken ribs were a common injury on the fields, especially when force users were involved, but this thing had rammed into him with full force which had definitely been extremely painful.

Having studied him worriedly for a second, she opened her mouth to suggest having him stay behind and call in reinforcement while letting his ribs getting checked, but before she could even start he pressed on and she assumed he'd insist to do it himself anyway now that they were halfway there.

Biting her lip, she followed close behind through the next passage before they reached a wider chamber, having their gazes immediately fall upon the hooded figures chanting something quietly. With a short nod, she went off, timing her attack perfectly with his by rushing in full swiftness, so that before the one cultist even had the chance to pounce, she already yanked him backwards. The lightsaber hissed back into life as the hilt touched the rib, letting it ignite right through the cultist that was completely caught off guard and was dead before even having the chance to react.

She heard Altair's voice bellow and her eyes were immediately fixed on the target, still catching a glimpse of the dark robe and immediately breaking into a Force enhanced sprint, however she still passed another fanatic and was forced the defuse the first cackles of an incoming lightning before she could sever right through his neck.

She sped after the presumed leader, not even knowing whether she was dealing with someone who just talked and claimed to be Raze's son, nothing more than a mere novice force user, or a full-blown Sith master. She simply knew he was dangerous and successful in corrupting the minds of others and had to be destroyed immediately. She had to try.

She was onto him and rounded two more corners while at it, however as she slid around the next right turn, she suddenly found herself in a vast, deserted and fully empty, dimly lit corridor where there was nothing but en eerie atmosphere lingering in the air. Where are you little piece of filth? Kalique slowed down, listening, reaching out with the Force and sensing, however there seemed to be nothing but a dark aura all around, clearly palpable, yet hard to grasp.

Meanwhile Altair would be busy dealing with a few more cultists until he'd punch dead the last of them, leaving him also in an apparently emptied and eerily quiet room. Regardless of whether he chose to press on or wait, the pin drop silence would suddenly be broken with an agonized cry very familiar to him echoing through the chamger.

Laila Din, his own sister, whining for help in the most devastating way. Her wouldn't know where exactly it was coming from, but it would sound real as someone, or something, was trying yo deceive his mind in an attempt to distract him from their actual task. Would he there risking letting his sister suffer under the hands of the cult? Could he tell for sure it was a trap? Or would the Warmaster's mental defenses point him into the right direction?

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

That cry sent a chill down his spine. His jaw tightened and it felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing into his heart. He knew that voice. He was filled with dread and anxiety. This was a trick. It had to be. Trelain had taught him about these things. But that voice…it sounded so real. It sounded just like her. The tiefling didn’t even realize when his feet began to take him towards the noise.

“Wait..” He called out, almost walking away entirely from the path. However, he stopped himself, reminding himself of the scene where Kalique was caught by the monster. She already had to handle something that could have killed her because of his failings. As much as Altair wanted to keep running towards the noise, he didn’t know whether this was real. Another clue was that he didn’t feel the agonizing sense of being torn in half through the Force. Like he had when Clove had died. Kalique was real. And she was facing the cult leader alone.

“Fuck it,” He grumbled as he bolted in the other direction. Altair ran in the direction he saw Kalique go.

Meanwhile, Kalique would feel a sudden intrusion in her mind. It was almost unbearable pain. She would be forced to relive some of her worst memories all over again. It all felt real, and she would temporarily forget where she was.

Altair rounded a corner and saw a figure that looked like a skinny nerdy guy that was intently staring at Kalique. The tiefling glared and stormed right up to the man that claimed to be ‘Raze’s son’. He was scrawny, wore braces and had a lot of acne. Altair added to his face decoration by whirling in with a solid punch. There was an audible crack as his nose shattered, the hit completely breaking his focus and alleviating the hold he tried on Kalique.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While Altair was the first to experience the mental intrusion caused by the alleged 'son of Raze', the Tiefling seemed to be onto something real quick. "TAI! PLEASE! HELP!". While Laila's voice echoed even more clearly through the halls, the Warmaster wasn't to be fooled, not after having gathered plenty of experience with the Sith and their mental manipulations. He simply pushed through, looking through the ploy and went after the Imperial Knight without falling for the trick.

...Meanwhile Kalique had a different problem to deal with though. She was striding through the abandoned chamber, grip tightened around her lightsabers hilt and not noticing the scrawny guy behind her as she was suddenly filled with unbearable pain. She stopped right where she was, her fingers cramping around the hilt as she was suddenly not only confronted with the darkness, but every terrible memory in her head stirred up once again.

The attack on her subconscious was effective, making her even drop to the ground with the nails scrapping over the stony floor as a pained cry escaped her. Despite having been trained for such occurrences and to resist mental intrusions to some extent, it had hit her unprepared, so that he was already inside before she could fight back properly.

Lucky for her though, the Warmaster was already on it, shattering not only the Sith's jaw, but also his concentration. The pain faded as quickly as it came, yet the Knight was still rather bewildered as she pushed herself back up. She spun and her eyes immediately narrowed as she spotted the leader of this cult, tumbling after having received such a heavy, unexpected blow.

As she was not fully focused yet, she didn't even try fighting back with the Force but instead hurled her lightsaber at the skinny leader before she broke into a sprint. The nerdy guy - having been surprised by the punch - was about to come back up and face Altair right as a slight cackle was already audible, yet, before any lightning could materialize, Kalique's Saber thrust did at least graze his side slightly, which was probably just enough to break his focus once again and to give Altair the chance to knock him out entirely even before she'd arrive.

@Sreeya

Roll 6/20 -very slight partial success lol

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was just plain not in the mood. This idiot tried using his greatest fears against him, and Altair hated that he still couldn’t tell whether that had been real or not. What if he really did doom Laila? However, he had to remind himself that this guy in front of him was real. Even if he would go after Laila, he could at least kill him first.

Kalique’s saber served as the perfect distraction, and Altair lowered his head and slammed his horns directly into the man’s chest. He wanted to cause maximum pain. The guy croaked out in agony, blood spilling from his mouth. There was no prison or trial for Sith like this. They would be killed on sight if caught within Imperial borders.

Altair drew his horns back, the tops of them coated in blood. He glared at the fallen heap that was the cultist leader.

“Are you okay?” He asked Kalique as he glanced at her. With the cultist leader down, their mission was a success. However, he wondered how many other cultist cells there were around the planet.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While Kalique had already seen him in action today, she was not prepared for the precise, yet brutal strike he executed without blinking, thus powerfully ramming his massive Horne through the Sith's torso and sending him off this world within a second.

He twitched once again before Kalique reached the pair, watching Altair extract his horns while the skinny guy collapsed, eyes roller upwards and his facial features simply derailing completely. "That was...impressive. Also thanks. He was already in my mind before I could stop him", she gratefully replied, grabbing her lightsaber again.

"I'm fine, really. Glad this is over though. How are you?" she returned the question, her gaze examining him briefly in order to check for further injuries, but he seemed relatively fine. "Let's better get out of this hellhole, but we could still check whether he was in possession of something the ISB would be interested in" she suggested.

Not that she liked the sewage, but it made sense to check on his belongings before they'd leave this terrible place behind. She was about to spin and move back towards the chamber they had entered as she was suddenly overwhelmed by a terrible sense of dread that struck right in her subconscious.

From one second to the next, her eyes widened once again while her muscles uncontrollably froze up. She had absolutely no idea where the kriff it came from, but right after they had killed the Sith, it was as if something far more terrible and powerful was closeby.

She felt so cold and so frightened that she backed down and made contact with the wall behind her, frantically glancing around before she stared at Altair in sheer bewilderment. It was fading. As quickly as it had come, this devastating pulse faded, yet what lingered in the air was that terrible notion of dread.

"I-...what exactly...was that?" never had she ever felt something that powerful and terrifyingly strong. Was that another trick and the actual Sith was still hiding in this tunnels? There were countless questions on her mind but she doubted they'd find actual answers.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

The blast of darkness hit him a bit harder simply because there was an odd sense of familiarity to it. He cried out in what almost felt like pain. It was the manifestation of the Force in a way he had never felt before. It surged powerfully and knocked the wind out of him. He was left filled with a deep sense of dread. He could vaguely recall the dark presence somewhere on Dromund Kaas when he first met Cairo years ago.

Altair was hunched over, planting a hand against the tunnel wall to keep his composure. He opened his eyes after a moment, breathing heavily. He thought he would vomit, but he held it in. He had just killed that cultist and then this happened? Was there a faint truth to what the man said? What did this all mean?

He knew Vahliri was leading the Sith, but this felt different. Altair looked at Kalique, realizing that she felt it as well.

“I…I don’t know..” Altair admitted, unsure of the source of the pulse in the Force, “Perhaps the..Dark Lord?” It didn’t feel like Vahliri, but he had no other guesses.

“We do need to check out his possessions,” He said urgently. That was suddenly priority. He leaned down to shuffle through his robes, finding nothing. Altair led the way back towards where they fought the other cultists. At the top of the stairs they found a chamber.

While he expected to find actually useful materials, he saw nothing but crude drawings of Darth Raze in armor with hearts all around it. There were also several boxes of tissues and lotion. Altair gave Kalique a sideways glance, rubbing his temples. He cleared his throat, “Do you see anything useful?” he asked grumpily.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique swallowed, but her throat was all dry. Right after the adrenaline from the fight had faded, it was back stronger than ever after this immense pulse had washed over them. The Dark Lord? Possibly. It was certain that it had been overly powerful and deriving from the depth of the dark side, yet she had no idea where else to place it and how close it was.

As terrifying as it was, they were still in the sewers, so before even considering investigating the source, they weren't done here. "Y-Yeah...let's move". Her mind was surely all over the place, but she forced her thoughts back into the here and now. Maybe this place was the reason for this mess and the Force had played a trick on them or maybe something far more dangerous lurked out there - they were yet to find out.

After searching the bodies, she started rummaging through his belongings, hiding the disgust from her features while she really didn't even want to touch half of his stuff as she stumbled across suspicious stains on textiles regularly, but as she was hoping to find anything useful, she didn't stop before having turnt the place upside down. "No...nothing useful. I've made up my mind about this guy. He's no relative of Raze, he was nothing but a sick-minded, gross fanatic" she had gathered enough evidence for that by now.

"The cult will cease to exist. I guess that's what matters. The dude was no more than a fraud, but another Sith is slain, so I'd say we were successful". She let the last of his robes slid back into the drawer before she walked back up to the Warmaster, meeting his gaze. "I guess there's no point in staying here any longer...unless I should leave you for a moment". Jutting her chin towards the admittedly large collection of tissue boxes and lotion, a smirk immediately crossing her lips while suppressing a chuckle. Despite the fact that using humor like that in front of your superior, the absurdity of the situation simply made her do it and she was hoping he'd receive it appropriately.

@Sreeya