Ask Reading the Unreadable

Jaikus Thorne

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The Axxilan wouldn’t help but seem a profound sense of doubt wash over him, considering his commitment to the path they were on. This had only been the first trial of many ahead, and it was an experience that brought him closer to death than perhaps either of them were expecting. The path ahead of them still wasn’t entirely clear, but it was becoming increasingly clear that their survival wasn’t anything close to a certainty.

Jaikus utterly failed at trying to make it to the ship on the first attempt, falling face-first back into the grassy ground. A part of him was thankful that he’d only made it a few steps before his legs gave out, sparing him from colliding with the durasteel ramp of Andruil’s ship.

For the moment, he leaned back against a particularly uncomfortable boulder, citrine eyes flicked up to the sky as Andruil spoke. His brow furrowed a bit in thought, silent for a while after she finished speaking. He valued whatever information she could provide, and yet her insights now seemed to generation just as many questions as it answered.

“Perhaps the ancient one we’re trying to summon didn’t used to be dark, either.” He muttered, shrugging his shoulders. It was a complete shot in the dark, and Jaikus doubted the words at soon as they passed his lips. The presence they had felt in that vision was unmistakable dark, there was no question about that.

Just as he finished speaking, the Axxilan felt a brush against his ear – causing his body to tense and his head to quickly flick over his shoulder – revealing nothing was there. The unintelligible, faint voices of those countless supplicants seemed to linger in his mind, though it felt as if they had been breathed just behind him. It was something that left the Axxilan thoroughly perturbed, and the man felt a sudden desire to leave the planet.

Jaikus watched as Andruil staggered to her feet, making her way back to the ship. He lingered against the boulder for a few moments more making an attempt to join her. His last attempt at getting up hadn’t exactly gone well, and Jaikus took significantly longer to rise from the ground this time around – staggering to his feet and carrying himself forward with small, shuffled steps.

Trailing far behind Andruil, Jaikus finally made it up the ramp and into the lounge of the ship – plopping down into a chair next to the woman. More than ever, Jaikus was grateful that the Empress had invested in plush seating, sinking deep into the cushions as exhausted washed over him.

He eventually reached for the jerky and juice, taking a long drink before nibbling eagerly at the dried meat – breaking with his usually dainty way of eating. Quite frankly, Jaikus was simply too exhausted to bother with any sense of etiquette.

He paused going to town on the jerky when Andruil spoke, blinking a few times in response.

“Telos was.. Eventful.” He said, in what was likely the understatement of the year. Months had passed since he left that frigid planet, and yet the experience was one that lingered on the Axxilan’s mind as if it had only occurred a few days prior. There was a distinct pause just then, and for a moment, the Axxilan considered just how much of the experience as something he wanted to share openly.

“The temple itself is remarkably ancient, built in the mountains of the planet. Over the centuries the site was occupied by the Jedi, who built a temple of their above the older. Perhaps in an attempt to cleanse the site of Sith influence.” He shrugged his shoulders a bit.

“While it had been sealed for centuries, Lord Raze and I eventually managed to make our way inside.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “Neither of us knew what we would find in that place, but there was a nexus at the heart of the temple -and a powerful one at that.

“It was a place unlike any I’ve experienced in the past. Instead of amplifying it, the temple seemed to nullify our connection to the Force. It made progress through the temple… Difficult.”
Jaikus drummed his fingers against his thigh, a complicated playing across the Axxilan’s face just then.

“Boobytraps, pitfalls, dead-end passageways...” He rattled off, remembering each and every different challenge that the temple had presented. “We encountered creatures within the depths of the temple, ones who had clearly been twisted over the centuries and resided there since it had been sealed.” He remembered the horrific, face-changing creatures that lurked within the shadows of the temple, and just how close himself and Emryc had been to death during that encounter. “Who, or what, they were remains a mystery. But they are long-dead by now.”

He exhaled. “Worst of all, the temple itself works to play tricks on your mind – inflicting hallucinations that you have way of defending against. Playing on your weaknesses, your doubts, your fears.” Jaikus tapped his fingers, pausing for a moment more. “It effected Raze more profoundly. Caused him to lose control and see me as the enemy, briefly.” The brief battle with Raze, one that had nearly killed him, was one that Jaikus wouldn’t soon forget.

He shook his head. “Suffice to say, that temple was no walk in the park to get through. Eventually.. We made our way to the heart of the structure, where the Nexus itself was located - teetering between the light and dark. It has since been pushed to the dark.”

“Afterwards, I continued deeper into the temple. That is where I found the scrolls.”
Among other things, he almost said. Just as he did the scrolls, the Axxilan had spent a great deal of time studying the other artifact that he unearthed on Telos, and he knew the value it would’ve had for someone like Andruil. It was a possession that, for the time being, he kept close to his chest.

He leaned back into the chair. “After that, I left. I don’t know what connection it has to this entity or the other planets.”


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Renfry

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Renfry was unconvinced that the entity they were pursuing hadn't always been dark, but she supposed it wasn't impossible. Many things changed over time to the point of being unrecognizable down the line.

She started to listen to his tale as she continued to eat, feeling small bits of her energy coming back as she did. Every word he spoke she listened to with rapt attention, but the mention of Raze caught her slightly off-guard. She hadn't expected to hear that he'd been there during the discovery.

Strange, she said, eyes narrowing as he mentioned how it nullified their powers in the Force. He went on to describe inherent dangers to the temple as well as dangers presented to each other as they'd seen one another as the enemy. It was all very interesting, but also she wondered if she would be able to actually make use of any of it. There were likely pieces to be put together there, but she felt at a loss as to how to do it.

Maybe none, but probably something, she said. I don't know what either, though, she admitted.

Our only option is to press on, she said, before leaning back. Ugh, that was exhausting... she said, closing her eyes.

We should both wash up, get some rest, and get ready for Devaron, she said. It'll be several hours of rest we can get first.
 

Jaikus Thorne

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Jaikus drummed his fingers against the armchest of his chair, listening silently as Renfry spoke after him. He reclined a bit further into his chair at this point, letting out a sigh of exhaustion as he leaned his head back against the back of the recliner.

“Your probably right.” He said simply, citrine eyes staring up at the ceiling above. It seemed unlikely that Telos had nothing to do with the path they were on now, but it was a possibility. Not to mention, Jaikus still didn’t really want to go back there. It would be lovely if they just didn’t.

So far, the only concrete thing they had to go on was Devaron, and it remained to be seen what exactly was waiting for them there. Only time would tell. He hummed his approval when Renfry mentioned their only option, agreeing with the sentiment.

Jaikus shifted a bit, getting a bit more comfortable in his seat. “Yes, yes it was.” He muttered. The Axxilan looked as if he could pass out right then and there and wake only when they actually got to Devaron. Renfry had invested in rather comfortable seating, rather all.

Only when the Empress spoke again did Jaikus finally glance down to look at her, silent for a few moments before nodding. “Rest sounds wonderful,” He said, as if that fact wasn’t abundantly obvious. “As does washing up.” With a grunt, Jaikus forced himself back to his feet.

He was still fatigued from the encounter, but at least he could stand a bit easier. He took a step forward, politely offering a hand to help Renfry up from her seat – whether she took the hand was entirely up to her.

Regardless, with that, the Axxilan began to make his way back to his guest compartment within the ship – heading for the showers and a pillow as the ship began to rise above Lothal.

---​

Several hours had passed by this point, and the ship finally began to touch down onto the surface of Devaron. The jungles all around them were thick and untamed, the air hot and humid and smelling of fresh rain.

Stepping down the ramp, Jaikus was once more dressed in his dark armor, though had omitted the mask once again. This time around, the scrolls were stashed away into a satchel on Jaikus’ hip. White bandages on his wrists were just barely visible peeking above his sleeve, showing that Jaikus had at least tried to fix himself up from the last ritual.

While it seems that they were in the middle of nowhere, both Sith would be able to feel that they were close to their destination. Something about this specific location was eerily familiar, and both of them would feel a subtle pull at their psyche – as if something that lingered from Lothal was pulling them along by a single thread.

After a bit of walking, Jaikus and Renfry would arrive at the mouth of a cave – its entrance overgrown with vegetation and easy to miss if they weren’t paying attention. While it looked like any other cave, both be able to feel that it was anything but. There was a profound darkness that radiating out from that cavern in the earth, beckoning them deeper and filling them with dread all at once.

The only thing out of place was a single stone marker at the entrance of the cave, overgrown with moss and chipped with age. Upon its surface was a single, carved rune.

“I think this is it.” Jaikus said, glancing back at Renfry.


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Renfry

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It all came flooding back as they walked down from the ship. It had been many years since she had been here, but the sensations of the nexus crawling over her skin brought it all back at once.

It is, she said, taking a deep breath in. She thought of the horrid creature that she and Emryc had fought here and wondered what they had missed while they were here.

She raised a hand, a small green orb floating over her hand as she headed into the cave. She moved like someone who knew where they were going, eventually reaching the large cave area where they had been attacked. The remnants of a skeleton were at one end of the room: an abomination of some sort, twisted by the dark side with some features of a human skeleton and some of a more disgusting arthropod like creature.

I'm glad it didn't have babies, she said. She moved toward the edge of the room, running her hands along the walls and looking for another passage that would lead them down further.

I didn't see a passage into tunnels below, but we didn't fully explore this place, she said. Do you remember from the vision where the path started? she asked. Indeed, it could be as simple as a branch off of the cave that had been unexplored.
 

Jaikus Thorne

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For a moment, Jaikus didn’t seem to register what Renfry had said – instead fixated upon the stone marker at the entrance. He ran his fingers across the moss-covered surface, committing the rune to memory. While he hadn’t the slightest clue what it was, the Axxilan wagered that it was likely to be relevant. Probably.

He took in a deep breath, finally nodding in Renfry’s direction. The energy of the Nexus radiated out all around them, bristling off of Jaikus’ skin with every step he took. True to Renfry’s earlier statement, the font was unmistakable dark – filling him with a similar sensation he had held when the Nexus on Telos had finally been corrupted, tipped over the edge and so very far from the Light.

The Axxilan took a moment to pause just then, tilting his head to the side slightly when he summoned that small green orb. Sith Magick – especially the variety utilized by the Nightsister’s – was something of a mystery to Jaikus. It was largely the reason he had sought the woman out in the first place, and the utilization of it now was something that clearly intrigued him.

Still, he didn’t dally long, quickly following behind the Empress a few paces as he forged a path ahead. The woman looked like she knew where she was going, and Jaikus wasn’t about to argue with her.

Jaikus followed until they reached the large chamber of the cave, citrine’s fixating upon the skeletal figure in the corner. The mixture of human and insectoid features brought an immediate grimace to Jaikus’ lips, eyes narrowing upon the – hopefully – dead body. Somehow, the spiders on Telos didn’t seem as terrible.

He heard Renfry comment, quickly nodding in response. “You and me both.”

Of course, that certainly was a possibility, wasn’t it? Their path undoubtedly would lead them into deeper, unexplored reaches of the cave – to places where no mortal creature had likely been for centuries. There was no telling what was waiting for them down there.

Probably something worse.

When Renfry spoke, Jaikus didn’t immediately respond. Instead, the Axxilan strode away from the skeleton and towards one of the cave walls, lightly dragging his fingers across the surface – searching for any kind of hidden mechanism or lever that might open a new passage.

“Vaguely.” Jaikus admitted after a long minute. Truthfully, the details of the visions were something of a blur.

He paused, tilting his head to the side slightly as he approached one spot on the wall in particular. Something about that section of the wall, above all else, felt.. Familiar. Upon closer inspection, Jaikus discovered a rune – the same one which had been etched onto the marker at the entrance – carved into the surface of the wall. Just below it was a jagged stone outcropping.

Internally crossing his fingers, Jaikus pressed his palm into the stone outcropping, which quickly receded into the wall with the application of pressure. With moments, the cave was filled with the sounds of stone grinding together as that section of the cave wall began to split apart, opening a door into an entirely new branch of the cave. “I take it, you didn’t explore this path?” He quipped back, already knowing the answer to his question.

He turned back to Renfry just then, bowing and extending his hand towards the new entrance. Which was a very kind way of telling her to go first. Probably because she was the one with the light.

Without another word, the Axxilan began to step down the narrow tunnel after her, carving a path deeper into the earth. There was a strong, sulfuric smell to the air as they began to travel deeper into the tunnel, though what lie ahead of them was still a mystery.


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Renfry

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What gave it away? she quipped as he reached out and pressed into a new path. She poked her head through the new opening, looking around at the path inside.

I'm just amazed at how gracious everyone is to let ladies go first, she said, words dripping with sarcasm and an accompanied eyeroll as he let her take the lead. She shook her head and headed inside,

The path was narrow at first, but opened up after a bit. The raw stone of only caves and tunnels slowly changed to be something more constructed. Though most of the walls were still made of stone, the floor shifted to metal as if some sort of mining or construction operation had occurred down here.

Eventually, they made it to a small pipe that crossed a dark drop below. Renfry stepped across and made it to the other side, looking back to make sure Jaikus didn't take a plunge deep below.

Just beyond was a small room with a series of pillars. They were arranged around a table in the center, and Renfry hummed quietly to herself as she looked at the construction. It was a dead end, and that meant surely whatever they were supposed to do was meant to be done in this room.

Hmm, she hummed. A look at the scrolls? she said, motioning for him to set it on the table.

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Jaikus Thorne

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Jaikus couldn’t help but chuckle softly when Renfry rolled her eyes and spoke, sarcasm lacing each and every word. “I am nothing if not a gentleman, my lady.” He quipped in response.

There was a wide grin plastered across his face at that moment, a playful tone his voice. Though he was entire seriously about her going first. Yup.

With that, the Axxilan trailed a few steps behind the Empress as she forged a path ahead, moving through the narrow chamber until it widened into something more. It was at this point that Jaikus slowed down a bit, taking a bit more time to observe each and every detail there was to be found- attempting to identify some kind of architectural pattern to the structures around them now.

Eventually, Jaikus made his way to the small pipe that Renfry crossed and – perhaps to her surprise – didn’t plummet to his untimely death, instead leaping across and landing gracefully a few steps beside her. With that, the pair made their way into the dead-end chamber, citrine eyes immediately fixating onto the pillar’s ahead.

He stared at the arrangement, squinting for a few seconds before giving Renfry a short nod. “Probably a good idea.” He took a few steps forward, very carefully rolling out each sheet of parchment to be viewed. Jaikus paused for a long before finally pointing out a specific ritual. “I believe it is this one here.” He tapped his finger against the parchment.

Unlike the first step of their journey, there was no advanced magical ritual necessary for this portion. Instead, Jaikus pointed out a simple hexagon pattern on the scrolls, each point of the shape marked with a distinct runic marking. He then gestured to the pillar’s around them – which were arranged in an identical hexagon pattern. Sure enough, Renfry would see that each pillar had a runic marking carved into one of its faces, matching the ones listed on the scrolls.

Surprisingly, the process ahead of them was painfully simplistic. Each pillar was movable along its axis, and it was simply a matter of rotating each pillar until each of the runic marking faced upwards, towards the table. Jaikus quickly moved into place, starting with the pillar closest to him and beginning the process - with Renfy hopefully mimicking his actions.

As soon as the final pillar was rotated into place, a low rumble echoed through the entire room - followed by a bloodcurdling screech. It was a screech that was entirely unnatural, sounding as if a dozen different voices, male and female, had been layered over the top of one another, twisted in agony.

Within moments, one of the walls of the dead-end chamber began to recede into the ground – revealing itself to be a door into a long, dark tunnel. The pair wouldn’t have more than a few seconds to prepare themselves before the source of that screech stepped up from the darkness, lumbering into view.

Spotting the pair of Sith,
the creature let out another deafening roar and began to sprint towards them – swinging it long, claw-filled arm towards Renfry.


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Renfry

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Renfry hated the ritual because it was too simple. Moving some pillars into the proper location?! Where was the challenge in that!? Where was the deep understanding of the Sith and the Dark Side!? She almost wanted to huff, but perhaps that was the whole point. It was a simplistic test or some hidden message lay within its simplicity. And what if they got it wrong? Perhaps it would result in them being killed or worse.

Though as the door at the far end of the cave began to slide open, she wasn't sure what would be worse than that. She had seen all sorts of dangerous monsters on Dathomir, but this thing was worse. It was like her abominations but... worse. More hideous to look at and more generally grotesque.

Her hand instinctively grabbed her lightsaber, the other switching on like green flames. She ducked under the blow, unleashing a staggering bolt into its side as it passed just over her. The hit barely staggered the creature a few steps before it turned on them again. Another attack and another dodge, this time landing a saber blow on the creature. Except the blade didn't bite nearly as much as she had hoped. Sure, it made a small cut that oozed and sizzled under the superheated plasma, but it didn't take the whole limb off as she might have hoped.

She swore loudly and leapt back as the creature flailed once more at her before sending its... whatever that piece was, off toward Jaikus. The tooth-filled maw of the left arm tried to latch itself onto the Champion's face, sucking his head inside to begin slurping at the insides of his skull.
 
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Jaikus Thorne

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While Renfry might’ve been thoroughly unamused, Jaikus couldn’t have been happier with the current process. It didn’t involve some great display of sorcerer, but instead replied upon utilizing the archaic architecture left by their forebearers. Whether the Empress realized it or not, it was exactly the type of thing that seemed to peak the Axxilan’s interest the most – citrine eyes taking their time to carefully examine every detail about the pillars and complex, ancient mechanisms that existed within this room.

It was painfully simple when compared to Lothal, and yet that fact didn’t seem to bother Jaikus in the slightest. Any risk that came with getting it wrong seemed to pale in comparison to what they’d already been through.

There was an almost giddy expression on his lips as the f inal pillar was rotated into place, eliciting a low ticking sound that echoed through the chamber. It was indication of some kind of hidden mechanism at work, causing what had previously been a wall to recede into the ground.

Nevertheless, any such enthusiasm died as that bloodcurdling, horrific scream resounded through the chamber. The wall receded, and that thing stepped into view – the sight of it causing the remaining color to drain from Jaikus’ face. After dealing with the creatures on Telos, There were few things, in Jaikus’ mind, that could be worse than that. This was certainly getting close.

“What the fuck.” He blurted out, instinctively drawing the hilt from his hip, the crimson blade springing to life with a low hiss.

Jaikus sprung backwards as the creature fixated onto Renfry, swinging its massive arm towards her face. Extending a hand outward, Jaikus sent a concussive blast of the Force towards the creature’s torso – attempting to send it hurtling backwards and into the stone chamber of the wall.

To his horror, however, the blast seemed to pass right through the creature like nothing but a gentle breeze – barely even successful in getting its attention. It was entirely immune to his manipulations with the Force, and Renfry would soon realize the same thing as she fought it. Any magick attacks only seemed to damage the creature from the kinetic force of the blast.

Citrine eyes went wide as the creature sent that tooth-filled arm towards him, opening wide in an attempt to swallow his face. At the last moment, Jaikus coiled the Force around his body – springing backwards and landing into a crouched position a few feet away. The tooth-filled arm missed his face only barely, instead latching onto one of the six stone pillars of the chamber and retching a large chunk of stone from the structure.

Too close.

Still in a crouched position, Jaikus reached out with the Force in front of him, coiling his grasp around the one of the metallic panels of the floor. With a groan of metal, the Axxilan pried up a jagged shard from the ground, sending it hurtling toward the creature’s skull. Instead of sinking deep into flesh, Jaikus couldn’t help but stare in horror as the shard bounced right off the creature – successful in leaving only a large gash across the side of its head.

This, however, did not linger for long. Within moments, the flesh around the wound began to melt and ooze like tar – flowing into the wound before solidifying again. Within moments, the superficial injury closed and healed before their very eyes, as if it had never been there at all. The same effect would occur with any lightsaber wound Renfry left on its body.

While it didn’t damage the creature, it was clear that the combined efforts of Renfry and Jaikus had at least hurt the damn thing. Instead of continuing its charge, the creature stopped dead in its tracks – one of its spindly arms clawing at its face and it screamed in agony. It screamed, and a dozen different voices layered over the sound – the twisted agony of men, women and children that had been stitched together to fashion that monstrosity before them now.

As the creature bellowed, its skeletal ribcage expanded – briefly revealing the exposed heart that thundered there, pumping bad blood through abomination.

At that moment, the creature fixated its attention back onto the Empress, head snapping back in her direction. One of its three slender, bony hands reached up to grasp at its own jaw, forcing it to unhinge and crack open unnaturally wide with a sickening snap, revealing an endless row of teeth that went down its throat.

Without warning, The bat-like wings on its back began to beat, kicking up an unnatural amount of wind within the chamber. The creature proceeded to lift off a few inches off the ground, gliding towards Renfry at unnatural speed – intent on sinking its teeth into her throat.


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Things didn't really seem to be improving. The Shadow was minimally effective, lightsabers were minimally effective, and this thing didn't seem to be tiring out. Maybe they should just leave. A quick "peace out" that left behind everything they'd done thus far.

No, that wasn't an option. She wouldn't retreat in the face of this abomination. It was left here as a test for how many thousands of years? Others had either been killed by it or never made it this far. She would overcome.

She spotted what looked like a weakness in the creature and then... it started flying. Of course it started flying. It launched down at her with incredible speed, and she only narrowly managed to avoid its swiping claws, one of the talons still managing to catch her in the side and rip open the skin, leaving a trickle of blood down her side and clothes. She cried out in pain but didn't stop, knowing what they needed to do.

I'll get you an opening and you get a blade in its ribs, she said, glancing over rapidly at Jaikus and hoping he was both ready and able to do what she had said.

Her saber quickly flashed out and slipped down onto her belt again as her fingers came up. Pure green lightning - a manifestation more of magick than truly of the dark side - tore free form her hands. It slammed into the creature as it turned back to the pair. The smell of burning, scorched flesh began to fill the room, but the creature continued to move and screech under the blows. She half expected that she would run out of energy before the creature actually died, but even if it could be stunned for a few seconds.

She continued to pour her energy into it, feeling her reserves tap out much more quickly after the prior ritual than it should have, but the creature was momentarily pinned to the wall, howling in pain. And then the lightning stopped. He would only have a second or two to get his saber into the weak point and put an end to this... thing.
 

Jaikus Thorne

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For a few moments, Jaikus couldn’t help but stare in abject horror as the creature decided to lift off the ground, gliding towards Renfry at frightening speed. It was twice their height, grotesque in every conceivable way, and now it decided to start flying. Why? Because of course it did.

It was almost laughable just how poorly the entire situation was going for the two of them, and it was as if the universe itself was attempting to punish Jaikus for briefly finding some pleasure in the present ritual.

Despite certainly feeling the urge, the Axxilan made no moves to up and ditch Renfry and the current objective. They had survived so far, and Jaikus was far too committed to back out now. Instead, Jaikus watched as Renfry narrowly dodged the creature, only taking a minor injury to her side as the creature’s claws tore through her.

His attention was immediately drawn from their opponent and to the Empress when she spoke, giving her a quick nod in response. He had noticed the same weakness that she had, and prepared himself to capitalize on any opening she would provide.

Jaikus would get his opportunity only a few seconds later as Renfry launched a stream of viridian lightning upon the creature, stunning it in place. At that moment, the Axxilan enveloped himself with the Dark Side – energy coursing through his every limb and enhancing his physical agility. Without another word, Jaikus abruptly darted across the ground, little more than a blur as he closed the distance between himself and the creature, crimson blade pointed down to the ground as he moved.

However, just as Jaikus came into reach of the creature, one of its three arms extended to meet him, grasping the Axxilan by the throat. Citrine eyes went wide as Jaikus was lifted a few inches off the ground, bony fingers tightening around his windpipe and eliciting a faint squeak from the man.

Before any more serious damage could be done, Jaikus angled his saber and thrust it forward – passing between the creature’s skeletal ribcage and to pierce the pounding heart in its chest, crimson plasma piercing a few inches out of its back. Almost at once, the creature let out a bloodcurdling screech, flinging Jaikus across the room to collide harshly with one of the six pillars, leaving the saber embedded in its chest.

For a moment, the blow didn’t appear to have much of an effect as it began to advance towards Renfry once again, only to collapse to the ground after a few steps. The creature suddenly brought its hands up to claw at its face in agony, convulsing on the floor as the flesh on its body began to bubble and melt away like fresh tar. Within seconds, all that remained was the twisted skeleton of the creature, alongside a puddle of flesh-goo all around the bones.

Within the chest cavity of the skeleton, where it’s heart had only just been, was a metallic disc – small enough to fit into the palm of their hands and etched with unknown runes. Likely a key of some variety.


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For a moment, Renfry actually thought the two of them might die. Jaikus looked as though he had been caught, she was drained from the prior bloodletting, the creature was impervious to all damage. This wasn't how she'd ever thought she was going to go out.

But then things changed. The blow was struck... and the creature still didn't die. It was still going and making its way toward her. She grabbed her saber, igniting it and gripping it in both hands in front of her. She was running low on energy and needed to stop relying on her powers of the moment.

And then... the creature began to stumble and fell. She froze, unsure if she should trust it or if it was some sort of cruel joke or trick. Then the body began to ooze away, and she recognized it as the energy-letting of a long-held alchemy. It was finally giving up the ghost so to speak, though she doubted such a creature had a Spirit any longer.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and looked first to Jaikus. Are you okay? she asked, having heard the... was it a squeak he had let out? Yes, that sounded about right.

When she was sure he wasn't dead or grievously wounded, she reached down to pick up the small disc. The runes were ones that seemed vaguely familiar, but something she would need to check up on and cross-reference.

She winced as she started standing back up, moving her hand over to her side where she was still oozing blood and applying pressure.

We should recover our strength before heading to the next planet, she said. Perhaps this disc was coordinates or something else. And it can give me time to decipher what this means, she said, wincing again as she took another breath in.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
Rank
First Gentleman

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Altaris
Joined
Jun 16, 2021
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Jaikus couldn’t help but let out a pained groan as his body collided with the stone pillar, spiderweb fractures now snaking up and spreading across the ancient surface. The Axxilan had coalesced the Force around himself at the last minute, preventing any serious damage to his spine or skull, but that didn’t mean he was unscathed.

Everything around him was blurry for a few moments, black spots flickering across his vision as he stared off into space. Slowly but surely, his attention was drawn back to the creature that threw him. Still largely dazed, Jaikus watched, half-lidded, as the creature started to move towards Renfry. He gritted his teeth at that moment, suddenly looking as if he was going to force himself back to his feet.

Just as he did so, the creature proceeded to collapse onto the ground, screeching as it melted into a puddle of skin-colored liquid – leaving only an entirely unnatural skeleton behind. He barely even noticed the disc embedded in its ribcage.

A sense of relief washed over the Axxilan as he realized that the creature was finally, definitively, dead. He allowed himself to let out an exhausted exhale, tilting his head back against the stone pillar behind him. He remained there for a few momnets, attention eventually snapping. to Renfry when the Empress spoke. Jaikus blinked a few times, taking a moment to glance towards her injuries.

“I’ll be fine..” He spoke after a long pause, finally pushing off the ground and forcing himself back to his feet. There had likely been some damage to his ribs from the impact, and there was a steady trail of blood that originated from somewhere on his scalp. It trickled down across the left side of his face until the brought a hand up from his side, smearing it with the back of his hand. “You?”

Even as his body ached and throbbed with pain, he knew that neither of their injuries were life-threatening. They would have plenty of time to get stitched up and into recovery once their task was complete.

The Axxilan proceeded to limp his way towards the wall that had receded into the ground, peaking his head into the chamber from which the creature had emerged. To his surprise, there was no hallway or passage that continued deeper.

It was a prison meant to contain the monster they had just faced. It confirmed that that this was, in fact, the last thing that they were meant to find on Devaron. Whatever it was, that disc was vital to the next step in their journey, regardless of where it took them.

“Agreed..” He finally turned back in her direction, nodding a bit. “We both need to lick our wounds a bit, before we continue any further.” Jaikus paused once more, glancing down at the place where the creature had dug its claws into Renfry. “I doubt the next step of the journey is going to be easier.”

With that, Jaikus finally began to make his way back through the passage that had just explored – gradually limping his way towards the entrance and to Renfry’s ship.


@Phoenix
 
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