Open Screams in the Night

[Vanya]

Yes, I think it's possible, she confirmed. Of course, she had never participated in such a ritual, but she knew that Sith sorcery and the Dark Side could produce all forms of unnatural abominations and monstrosities. She didn't want to think about what that meant they were doing out here in the swamps or why they were doing it.

Vanya continued to look around and noted something else... distressing.

I think... she paused a moment, not sure if she should say it or even if what she was about to say was accurate. ...I'm concerned that whatever it is was what had the light, she said. She saw no other tracks in the area other than their own, which had another terrible implication: who or whatever these things were... were apparently intelligent enough to use tools and objects.

Vanya set out to begin following the tracks to whatever they might lead to, and as she did, she became more and more uneasy. Like this place wasn't uncomfortable enough already, the stifling sensation of the fog only seemed to worsen the further in they went.

She felt watched as if by the fog itself.

The tracks led on a winding path through the swamps before taking a steep incline up a ridge and toward what looked to be a grouping of buildings up above. It was difficult to make out in the fog, but she thought she saw smoke rising from at least one chimney.

 

[Koemi]

”Great,” Koemi groaned. ”I was hoping someone would have some rational way of proving me wrong. Not exactly the time I was expecting to be right... for once,” Shaking her head, the Padawan took a deep breath to center herself, promptly gagged as the taste of decay touched her tongue, and stepped back and away from the insect-riddled corpse.

They were mostly in agreement that there was little more to discover here. It seemed they would once more be on the move, following the bizarre tracks to wherever they might lead. Before they did, Koemi coiled an invisible grip on the dead body and slowly lifted it from the ground before walking it towards the nearest body of swamp water and gently allowing it to descend beneath the surface. ”Maybe now they can at least find some peace,”

The further they trudged through the fog and mud, the more ominous the sensations grew. The Force whispered in her mind, warned her that things could well soon take a dramatic turn. Constantly she found herself glancing over her shoulder, anticipating some Franken-beast to jump out at them and tear their throats open with razor sharp talons or perhaps the beak of some freakishly large bird. After all, the possibilities were endless when they were pursuing some sort of escaped science experiment from the depths of hell.

As they approached the top of the inclined path, the homestead came into view. Swamps were teeming with life, this much was obvious, so as Koemi attempted to focus her senses on the buildings she would find the metaphorical noise of every tiny heart beat around her as blinding as the fog that surrounded them. Her abilities with the Force were not as honed as the Knights that guided them and she had many lessons to learn.

Patience was one such lesson.

”Let's check it out,” she declared, starting off towards the buildings to try and take a peak in the windows. If nothing else, perhaps they could get out of this dank swamp for a moment.

 

[Natalie Hope]

"And not the good kind of light," Natalie quipped, turning to Vanya. What good were awkward and terrible situations if you couldn't joke!? She moved away from the body, letting Blondie dispose of it. Natalie instead moved so that both Padawans were between Vanya, GreenMom and herself. Even as they ascended the steep incline, almost certainly to some sort of ambush or new creepy encounter, Natalie couldn't help but think of how cool it would all be in a holo-movie. Granted, if it were a holo-movie the three Knights were basically red shirts and the Padawans would somehow make it out to live a life of trauma and over exaggerated heart break. Yeah, best to keep it in reality. Red wasn't Natalie's color.

At the top of the incline, Blondie said the one thing that usually got the group killed in horror holos. Natalie took a deep breath, biting back the quip about sprinting towards their deaths, and accompanied her. The Force coiled around her arms and into her hands, one ready to call the lightsaber holstered on the small of her back and hidden by the black leather jacket, the other ready to basically yeet whatever popped out with a single digit intelligence into the stratosphere with the Force.

The first building was pitch black inside, or rather, the curtains covering the windows were. Natalie squinted to see if she could burn a gaze through the fabric but found the inside to be just as dark as the curtains. Creaking wood, rusted metal squeals, and drips and the sloshing of water filled the still air around them.

"Don't get too far ahead," Natalie said quietly, her eyes focused on everything except Blondie. Was that a thud? Yup, definitely a thud because there was a again. Natalie's hand reached out and grabbed Blondie's shoulder to stop her. The thuds were getting louder, mixed with squelching mud and clicks of something walking on wood. Footsteps.

@Phoenix @Tulos @Volene @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Myrell’anay]

As they went, the feeling didn’t ease. Myrell uttered a quick word in response and in her allies rose a sense of warmth and hope, courage to face the grim unknown without faltering. On the outside, she kept up the regular looks over her shoulder, only now more deliberate and less frantic. They reached the buildings.

“Be alert,” Myrell cautioned. “If they reside here, we could easily find ourselves surrounded.”

But it was a warning, not an objection. They did need to investigate. And who was to say the swamp had been any safer? The power of the light drove them forward.

The first building was dark as a cellar. Then the footsteps.

“Padawans in the center,” she whispered, hoping Natalie or preferably Vanya could keep in front of Koemi as Myrell herself brought up the rear. Now that they were out of the swamp, the older knight reached out through the Force, hoping to identify the source of the footsteps before it came into view. Traces of the dark side.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

Akio couldn't think of a better idea so he begrudgingly followed the rest of the Jedi to hunt down the goatman. The knights positioned the two acolytes between them. Great I'm being coddled and my mom isn't even here. Walking on was more nerve wracking then expected. There was an ominous feeling in the air that sent a shiver down his spine.

He went into the building with the group. He looked around the room trying to distinguish what was in it. He wasn't able to see anything of note. He heard the thud from the footsteps and his tail bristled as he looked towards the direction of the sound.

He filed into position as directed drawing out his sword. He wasn't confident in his ability to fight, but he wouldn't run away leaving his fellows.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Volene

 

[Vanya]

As they pressed on up the mountainside and toward the town, the feeling of unease that Vanya felt only grew. The instructions by Myrell for the Padawans to keep to the center was a good idea, and Vanya tried to move closer to the front, although the way that Koemi was poking through the window already nearly had Vanya keeling over.

Footsteps could be heard faintly from the other side of the building, and the only saving grace for them not being discovered was the fact that a distant, loud chanting began to carry over the town. Oh yeah, there was no way that was bad.

The feeling of darkness and foreboding proceeded to go into overdrive, and Vanya tried to sneak around the corner, following the sound of both footsteps and chanting until she saw no less than two dozen people gathered around some sort of pyre in the center of the town. Behind the pyre stood a hideous creature with the head of a goat and the body of a man and the leg of a goat, and Vanya just... found herself standing there in shock.

The chanting continued and from the smoke began to rise... something. It had a vague shape as if it were born of something dark, evil, and old. Its power seemed to dwarf that of any of the Jedi here, but it wasn't... fully here. Almost as if it were being summoned from another world.

@Javier esschoolbus @Tulos @Volene @TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Instead of pulling Blondie back to get her between the three Knights, Natalie stepped up and around her, ready for the footsteps to become a physical being at any moment. But then, they're saving grace! It was glorious, it was amazing, it was perfect! It was downright FUCKING TERRIFYING. It may have saved them from the footsteps, but Natalie much preferred the footsteps. The footsteps hadn't come with immutable stench of darkness.

Natalie followed Vanya as she moved around the building, making sure that Blondie and ShinKicker stayed behind her. She rounded the corner. Nope nope nope nope nope. Take Natalie back to when it was just footsteps. Better yet, take her back to when it was just fog. She couldn't help her eyes from widening and her jaw dropping. Her right hand found itself gripping her lightsaber tightly on the small of her back.

Were they... summoning something? Natalie could sense a power that almost made her choke. Well that's not good. That's not good at all! The creature being summoned in the pyre grew stronger the more it came into existence. Natalie snapped out of her surprise, eyes hardening. If they pulled back and planned, they could very well be facing a creature none of them could possibly deal with. Running in guns blazing always had it's negative side too. Being a battle nun was hard.

"We need to stop it. Now," she said quietly. There was no point in mincing words or explaining what was happening- they could all sense it. Natalie would give the other Jedi mere seconds to hatch a plan.

 

[Koemi]

Suddenly, Koemi's anxieties faded away. Sure, their situation was far from ideal and they were running around this swamp quite literally blind, chasing after some sort of hobbled together man-beast, but the nudge from Myrell soothed her nerves as she stood on her toes, trying her best to get a glimpse of what resided within the dark building.

Just as she was about to move on to the next window, she felt a hand grab her shoulder to stop her before Natalie shoved herself in front.

”Hey!” she hissed, trying to remain undetected despite her disdain for practically being shoved into the wall at their side. ”What ever happened to 'excuse me'?!

That is, of course, until the drums and ceremonial happenings became apparent. As everything came in to view, all was forgiven. Even with Myrell supplementing their courage, a dark chill shivered throughout the Padawan's spine.

”The longer we wait, the stronger it gets...” Koemi whispered as she peered around the corner of the building, ensuring her body remained behind the wall. Though they had not yet been noticed, it was a clear view of the ritual which meant they would be spotted sooner rather than later. ”Maybe we could circle around, get closer and hit them by surprise? Charging in from here would be suicide...”

Koemi didn't even begin to consider that as they watched with bewildered horror, that no one was watching their backs...

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

Akio had been peering around to see something when he noticed the two knights pushing around the building. Sadly Puke Hair held them back as she peaked around. What was the point in shielding him from looking? He wanted to see the goat man thing. So he ignored her trying to keep him back and peaked around the corner.

He saw the kumbaya ritual around the fire. Ok maybe peaking wasn't the best option here. He then spotted the goatman, it looked almost exactly as expected. It was less goat and more man than he thought it was. He then began feeling the rising power that the group was summoning. It was a suffocating darkness, something he felt was not to be allowed to be brought out into the world.

He listened as the blonde one offered the plan to slowly approach the group. "Maybe they need this specific number of chanters. We could simply take one or two out from range to interrupt the ritual." He shrugged not wanting to risk taking the time to allow it to grow in strength.

@Tulos @Phoenix @TheDudeMike @Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

Myrell’anay had always been a pacifist. There was a question to be asked here, whether contributing to the ritual and the growing darkness in itself was threat enough to invoke self defense and resort to violence, but now was not the time to ponder it. Natalie had the right of it. There was no time for elaborate plans, lest they all find themselves outmatched.

“Disrupt them!” She went for her own lightsaber, the sober white hilt yet dormant in her hand. “Snuff out the pyre!”

On the off-chance they could end this with no casualties, all the better.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Vanya]

Vanya's innate sense of dread seemed to do direct battle with the courage that Myrell provided, though she banished the fear away with knowledge. Knowledge that was no doubt brought to her mind by the other Knight's ministrations. The Winged Spirit was on her side, and She was strong enough to stand against any darkness.

"Vanya hated this" seemed to be becoming a theme with places she went, and this place was no exception.

They were in agreement that this was a time to act and Vanya... was not a pacifist. While she knew that throwing herself headlong into this could easily end in her death, she wasn't alone. There were four other Jedi with her, and together they would stand strong.

The Nightsister grabbed the saber from her belt and leapt forward without further delay, closing the distance as quickly as she could before activating her blade and bringing it chopping down on a torso. There were probably plenty of Jedi who would condemn such violent action, but these were people trying to bring the Dark Side incarnate into this world. They were not benevolent souls and they certainly weren't harmless mid ritual.

She just hoped that the other Jedi would be joining her.

Whatever it was in the smokey mists seemed to split the air with a shriek of... rage? She wasn't really sure, but she guessed rage.

@Javier esschoolbus @Tulos @Volene @TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie would have proud to call Vanya a fellow Jedi if they weren't currently staring down something out of a holo-horror. There would be no camera crew jumping out screaming "it's just a prank!" this time though. No, this was as real as it gets, and Vanya just charged in lightsaber first. That was exactly Natalie's kind of response to seeing a smoke demon shrieking in a pyre. Naturally, Natalie leapt into action too.

The Force pulled the lightsaber at the small of her back out and into her right hand, the blue blade igniting with a hiss as Natalie sprinted forward. With the commotion that Vanya had brought by slicing through one of the hooded figures, it gave Natalie enough time to slice through one's mid-section, and then catch a second one before they had time to brandish curved, demonic looking knives. Both crumbled in heaps, or pieces, rather.

Ideas began to rattle off in Natalie's mind on how to deal with the smoke demon. First idea was to put out the fire, but that would also put out the only source of heat that allowed them to actually see in the fog. Second idea was that Force Light thing Ezra had shown her. Even that was iffy. There were a lot of the hooded figures, and now the goat-man-thing was adding its own roar to the air and began approaching.

Fried goat on a stick would taste so goo- NATALIE FOCUS. Right. She disarmed a third hooded figure by cutting off his hand before spinning her blue blade through his back to end him.

@Phoenix @Tulos @Javier esschoolbus @Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

So violence was chosen, and from the Jedi’s own side, but if Myrell had reservations she was not about to admonish the two younger knights or hold them back. All the contrary. Deep inside, she knew it necessary. Only she wouldn’t let herself jump into the fray, either. Too practical to stand up for her principles, and too cowardly to stomp all over them. What an exemplary Jedi she made.

When Vanya boldly leapt forward, the healer shielded her with a preemptive Force barrier, expecting her to draw most of the initial attention. Her own blade came alive in anticipation, a warm magenta whose light was like absorbed and defused by the white of her robes. The padawans hadn’t yet moved and Myrell worried the two knights would find themselves surrounded. But she wouldn’t be the one to make a difference, not in a melee. Her focus went to the pyre.

Vanya and Natalie would draw the cultists’ attention. Myrell drew upon the Force to put out the fire. Somehow, she felt they needed it. Like a beating heart she could stop, a portal, a door she would not only shut but remove altogether.

Perhaps then that could be the end of it. Perhaps the fight would stop.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus