Open to 1 Trapped with a Fellow Enemy

[Alhazred]

Open to Sith: Acolyte or Champion Rank.
Thread is expected to be a underground survival and/or philosophical debate set in a Force Nexus site.

Spintir
Caves of Light and Shadow

Alhazred grunted as he pulled the body away from the crumbling cavern. The ice-caked ground about him shook violently as another tremor threatened to bring the entire cave system down on him and his companion. Alhazred's panic began to come to a boil, but still he grunted and pulled the being with him. It was a struggle. He was much to small for this. He was a scholar, not a miner! And a little one at that!

The ground shook again. Before him, Alhazred saw chunks of stone and ice crash down. Adrenaline surged and pushed him onwards. Girding himself again and tighting his grip on the unconscious being, Alhazred hefted with all his might. He could not stop. He would not stop. All that mattered was moving further and deeper into the cave system, where hopefully sturdier walls would not destroy him outright.

Alhazred wasn't sure how long he dragged the being before the sound of the shaking earth and the thundering storms far above relented. Alhazred dropped the being and wiped his brow as his labored breath fogged the air. That was dangerously close. Much too close. When he had received permission from the Jedi to study a Force Nexus, he did not think it would include being separated from his chaperone, finding a fellow sentient unconscious, and trapped underground due to a freak weather storm who's lightning was so strong it must have unsettled the precarious ground itself. But that was the way it was now.

In the moment of respite, Alhazred looked around himself. Despite being underground and cut off from natural light, the cavern was well-lit. The walls themselves glowed with light at the presence of the two beings. Alhazred was half-tempted to inspect them further when the earth shuddered again.

"By the stars..." Alhazred whispered in cold realization. An aftershock? He and his newfound, unknown companion were not out of danger yet.

Alhazred bent down and grabbed the being's body and began to shake it with a mixture of determination and panic.

"Come on you, wake up!" Alhazred commanded, raising his voice as much as his underdeveloped vocal cords would allow him. He prayed to the Dead God and the Force the being did wake up. They were still breathing after all. He did not know who this was or why they were here or why they were unconscious, but that didn't matter. If they didn't arise, Alhazred wouldn't be able to pull them much further.

 

[Corra]

Corra had technically gotten leave to come here. It was more that she had gotten ahead on her school work and then used the free time for a short "leave" of her own. The fact that she was coming to this place was a bit less "cleared" with the higher ups, but they didn't really seem to care what you did as long as A) they didn't have to come get you and B) you got your work done.

Unfortunately, amidst the earthquake, Corra had taken a large stone to the head, her head spinning a bit as she started to come-to again after the impact. Everything had slowly gone from black to hearing the distant sound of another voice calling out to her.

Hrungh, she groaned as she tried to push her eyes open and she felt like her breath caught as a wheeze in her throat. Her head was pounding, but she was alive at least.

She had a moment of disorientation: that feeling of waking up in a foreign place and with a foreign person that said "I don't know what's going on."

What... what happened? And who the heck was this guy?

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred would've breathed relief had the situation not been so pressing. Instead, all he could do when the being started to awaken was shake a little more before saying

"Cognize later. Movement is paramount and i'm too miniscule to carry you onwards"

As if to emphasise his point, the cavern shook violently again, sending a chunk of ice and stone crashing next to the two. The noise it made as it shattered was almost deafening

If the female creature would pick herself up, alhazred would lead the way, blazing forth blindly into the unknown caverns. Even if she didn't follow, she at least was awaken enough to move on her own accord. Though small, without the extra burden he proved to be a bit faster than his age and size belied.

The tunnels, claustrophobic and winding, were lit only the eerie glow of lights in the walls and ceiling. With each step, the collapsing cavern behind them seemed to race to catch up to the travelors.

Alhazred stopped, nearly falling forward into a chasm he almost didnt see. Several meters down, the lights ended, hiding the unknown depth in shadows. Alhazred looked around, seeing no other route at first.

"Ah... inconvenient" alhazred stated aloud. The shaking of the cavern slowed. The earth around them came to a settle. Now, there was only the sounds of their voices echoing off the walls, and the dripping of cold water somewhere distant.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Cognize later? she thought to herself. Who talked like that? As more bits of the ceiling came down next to Corra, nearly crushing her if it had been only a meter or so over, she realized that she did, indeed, need to wait to figure out the answers.

She rolled and scrambled up to her feet, the pain being beaten away by the sudden surge of adrenaline, though it did nothing to assist the wobbliness of her legs as she half-ran, half-stumbled down the tunnel.

Fortunately, this slower pace meant that she managed to not just charge off the end of their tunnel and into the cavern below, stopping herself as the tunnel began to end its collapse behind them.

Her head was still spinning and she reached up to scratch the side of her head as she looked around. This place was still amazing with its own underground lighting coming from some sort of... bioluminescent plants. It was amazing and she almost forgot they were at least semi-trapped down here.

But places like this had multiple exits, surely. It was far too expansive not to, which meant they just needed to find it.

But first, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a trio of small pills and popping them to deal with her now-splitting headache.

As she did, she looked around the area for anywhere they might be able to descend or cross over to the other side.

Then she turned back to place a hand against the collapsed tunnel behind them. If she were some master of geokinesis perhaps she could have burrowed through to get out, but... alas, she was not.

Looks like forward across the cavern is the only way out, she said. I'm Corra, by the way, she added. Thanks for pulling me through that, she said. She didn't like to be indebted to people, but she had to admit that she owed him after that.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred held a hand up and shook his head at the thanks. "Think nothing of it. Such is a thing all sentients do."

Alhazred held out a webbed hand to shake to the taller being. "Alhazred. Though youths have named me Al or Red if its too much a mouthful."

Alhazred gazed down into the abyss. The water dripping seemed to come from below, but without a clear light, it was impossible to judge the distance nor if the bottom was water filled or not. This area of the planet was snow covered. A heat pocket in the ground could easily melt ice and create a miniature lake. It it was flooded below, perhaps jumping wouldn't be as deadly as it initially appeared. He knew how to swim.

He also had an idea on how to get one of them to the other side, but such a task might leave him trapped. A force push during a jump could propel her across. Though he had no idea if this person was a common or disgruntled citizen, an imperial, or worse.

Alhazred black bulbous eyes glanced towards Corra's backpack. "Do you have any hawser or line in your satchel? My own baggage was lost when I was mictur...er, when i was separated from my guide"

Alhazred had barely stopped himself from saying his bag was on the ground while he was relieving himself when the shaking and collapsing had started.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Heh, yeah, no, not everyone would do that, she laughed cynically, taking his hand and deciding that "Al" was probably easier to say.

Nice to meet you, she said, not realizing that he was about to say the word "micturating."

Yeah, I have a little bit, she said, unslinging her bag and pulling out about 100 feet of paracord.

She took the rope in her hand and glanced over at him, dubious about whether he was someone who would freak out about what she was about to do.

Don't freak out, she said, tossing the end of the rope to the other side and using the Force to wrap it around a pillar before pulling it back so she could tie it at both ends in a circle hanging over the gap. Now they could hang and shimmy across to the other side, and the best part was that she could still recover the rope when it was all done.

She started shimmying across before any questions could be asked.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred raised an eyebrow. "Freak out? Why would I fre-"

Then she did it. He heard it as she utilized it. The song of the force resonated for a moment, creating a perfect melodious conglomeration of chords, much in the same way when he used the force to move objects.

Momentarily dumbstruck, Alhazred could only watch as she went about across the rope as if she had done nothing special. Was she a Jedi like himself? She didn't look familiar. But then again, he had spent little time in the temple as of late and more and more time in the field, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Was she a Sith? Possible, but there were so many other explanations for her abilities. Maybe she was a member of some small force sect, like the Kro Var or even those odd red-robes he heard had existed on Jedha.

The thought of learning about and from such a group excited Alhazred. He was a Jedi, but he was also a curious Jedi.

However, such questions needed to wait. First, he needed to traverse the rope.

Alhazred slowly got into position and began to shimmy. It was slow going, as the aquatic being had to hold on for dear life with his arms. At the center of the rope, Alhazred stopped and made the mistake of looking down. The open abyss below threatened to swallow him whole. Who knew what unceremonious, abrupt death awaited down there? His head spun for a moment. He needed to see stars again. To be trapped without starlight was the worse kind of death a Nu-Vaal could expect.

Alhazred clutched the rope tighter. A shutting of eyes. A silent chant from the Road Home . A recollection of the sins of cowardice. A slow, methodical movement of muscle. Alhazred continued onward, inch by inch.

Somewhere in the caves, the Force shuddered, rippling like an wave of cold frost or a discordant note, strong enough for the two to feel it in their very souls. Perhaps the nexus was reacting to the use of the Force by Corra, or perhaps Alhazred's fears were subtly calling upon it. Either way, the cave reacted to the two.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Well, he didn't immediately attack her, so that was good. She made the trip across and after he had finished his crossing as well, she pulled at the rope, bringing it around the entire gap so that the knot was across on the same side as the two trapped adventurers.

Just think of it as an adventure, Corra, she thought to herself. It was going to be fine.

She untied the rope and stuffed it back into her pack before getting ready to press onward. She was... unfamiliar with whatever species her new companion was and only now had the chance to kind of take a closer look at him.

Where are you from? she asked curiously, though her attention was called away at least in part by the echoing power within the Force deeper inside. This place was alive and responded to them.

I wonder what we're going to find further inside, she conjectured, looking down the tunnels and paths that would lead them further into the bowels of this place. And yet, she could sense an allure here. Not just the threat of danger but some kind of promise of knowledge and maybe even power.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Once on the other side, Alhazred sat, leaned against a wall, and breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to do that again if he had any say in any matter of the future. What kind of madmen did spelunking for the fun of it, let alone as something to study the Force? Weren't there better places to find Force Nexuses that had open air and starlight and no terrifying drops into unknown abyssal lairs of the unknown?

"What? Oh, Yag'Dhul is my origin point my dear" Alhazred stated bluntly, surprised at the question that interrupted his respite. It was an odd question, and had Alhazred been in the right mind, might have considered it suspicious. But in this moment, Alhazred didn't mind.

He unconsciously shuddered at the chill the Force reverberated.

"I've heard that this place is some kind of Nexus or Vergence or something along those lines." Alhazred commented, trying to get his mind off the Heebie-Jeebies the place gave. He picked himself back up and looked down the tunnels. He took a few steps forward, hoping to walk alongside the female, should she be kind enough to make her pace slow enough for his smaller legs.

"A suitable 'holy site' for those in the know. I figured such a thing would be worthy of study. And I must say..."

Alhazred stopped and pressed a webbed hand on a cold but glowing wall. There was something there, hidden just beneath the surface. It almost felt familiar. In the intangible song of the Force, it sounded familiar.

"This place is fascinating, minus the cave-in of course. And the lack of stars. And the potential slow loss of oxygen. And the pitfalls. And the potential for starving and dehydration and don't even get me started on the animals or the..."

Alhazred paused, realizing he was rambling. Shaking his head, he looked at Corra.

"What are you doing here? Pardon my inquiry, but you appear young for a human potholer, and one with such exceptional talents of the rope"

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra had never been to Yag'Dhul. In fact, she wasn't sure she could have really told someone anything meaningful about the place, though she didn't say this aloud. That would have been rude, although maybe it would prove an opportunity to learn more about the place.

His exposition about the Nexus and Holy Sites and the like told her that he was at least attuned to the Force himself, though what sect exactly he followed was a mystery to her still. She wondered if they were going to come to blows. If he found out she was a sorceress there was seldom any kind of "understanding" there.

He started to rattle on about all the dangers they were possibly facing here, and Corra kind of gave him a vague side eye. He was an antsy little man, wasn't he?

I have an interest in the Force, too. I guess you could say the place called to me, she said.

She pressed on through the tunnels, and things began to open up a bit more. The cavern ahead was large and much more spacious than the cramped tunnels than they had come in through. She thought she spotted sparkles in the stone above that almost reminded her of kyber crystals in a way.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"I see I see..." Alhazred nodded at the woman's answer. Secretly, he felt a little giddy. What secrets did this lost child bring to this cave? Was she alone from any sect whatsoever and self-taught? Or was she with a small cult like he first suspected? Either way, what an opportunity to learn!

The duo came upon a gruesome place. The cavern the two found themselves in was spacious enough, but the smell that emanated from it reeked of rot and decay. Several small piles of meat, simultaneously half frozen and half-rotted, were strewn about the cavern. Small messes of tiny rodentia bones were also strewn about the cavern. The remains looked as if from a variety of larger animals. The human-esque half-chewed bones made Alhazred's nerve writhe.

Alhazred froze as he looked at the piles. The meat seemed to be moving. Each pile shifted and pulsated as if they were half-alive. Tiny squishing and scratching noises could be heard from them. However, when Alhazred began to approach a particular larger pile for a closer look, it became still, as if they were waiting. No doubt, this cavern was the den quarters of some Icewolf or pack of icewolves, but why were the piles moving?

"I...um...hmm..." Alhazred mumbled, slightly dumbstruck while taking a step back. There was a danger here, but Alhazred could not detect what exactly it was. Was it the piles themselves, or something else?

Had Alhazred not been seperated from his guide, he would've been advised that the piles of meat were the makeshift nests of glowbats. The mothers, utilizing the collected remains from a particular deadly Icewolf, warmed and raised their brood in these things. The rodentia bones were simply those of the young who had not survived the birthing process, and had been picked clean to feed the colony. What the guide would not know is the mothers would burst out and swarm the intruders should they get too close. While small, their teeth were sharp, and their instincts had been sharpened to unnaturally aggressive proportions, and the nests needed more meat.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra came on the horrid smelling room and nearly gagged as she clamped her hand over her mouth and nose. The smell was otherworldly terrible, and she decided she no longer wanted to be here.

Unfortunately, they still had no way to actually get out of here that didn't involve going through this place. The entire room was filled with death and Corra pressed on without actually having noticed the moving meat.

Unfortunately, this meant tripping whatever rage-induced swarm the two of them were going to face.

The swarms of bats leapt up seemingly out of nowhere and tore at the pair of travelers. Out of reflex, Corra covered her eyes, but tiny teeth still ripped into her clothes, leaving small punctures in her skin as she batted away at them.

Had she had the presence of mind, she would have thrown a barrier around herself, but she was in far too much of a panic already for that to work.

We've gotta get out of here! she screamed, starting to head for one of the exits without even thinking about her partner anymore.

What neither of them would realize was that the little rodents were completely infected with diseases and one of those infections was notorious for the hallucinations that it caused.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

The bats, at one point, may have been beautiful creatures. Their wings glowed with the hues of chromatic aberrations, a testament along with the increased aggression of the cave's properties. Had the circumstances of the situation gone differently, Alhazred would've loved just spending some time observing the bats in flight and the odd colorful displays they created.

Sadly, the situation wasn't different, and Alhazred was racing after Corra while waving his hands in every direction trying to swat the pests away. Their teeth scratched and chomped at his clothes, and any exposed skin. His robes, while thick and heavy, could only provide so much protection against the vermin.

In his panic while running, Alhazred instinctually began to tap into the Force. His sign casting was an unusual form. It often looked similiar to a orchestra director conducting his band, and in this case, Alhazred began to use his practiced and and recited repetively to near instinctual actions to send small bursts of invisible waves around him, sending the bats careening away. It wasn't much, but it helped protect the little Nu-Vaal from the worst of the creatures.

With each small burst of energy, the Force resonated again. Stronger now, the two had begun to awoke it fully, and the two could feel its call. The unnatural chill returned and washed over them, more intensely than before, but that was only one effect. With each action of the Force and panic from from either of the two, the glow in the walls and ceiling intensified more and more. It had been so long since any Force Users had gone this deep. All it needed was one more push. Life created the Force, but here, the Force was strong enough to have real effects on life. The mutations of the bats were but the least of it. All it needed was one strong push. A burst of powerful emotions, an intense demonstration of power...just one strong push.

Alhazred crashed and rolled down the tunnel trying to follow Corra. At the edge of the cavern, Alhazred slipped on a pile of bones and began to roll down a passageway. Coming to a crashing halt, Alhazred remained face down for a time. Quietly, he weeped to himself. This place was horrible.

Alhazred wasn't sure how much longer he stayed on the floor, but eventually he began to pick himself up, dust himself off and groan.

"I hate this..." Alhazred bemoaned. The bats had thankfully stopped following him, but thanks to his fall, he had become momentarily separated from his partner.

Alhazred went about nursing the wounds from the bats. He was no medic, but he knew it would be wise enough to at least cover the infected bites with some torn cloth from his turban.

"Corra?" Alhazred tried to call out, his whisper barely an echo. Alhazred frowned. Where did that girl disappear to? Or for that matter, where was he now?

@Phoenix