Ask Trial of Insight

Izel Thral

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Izel adjusted her new robes obsessively as they flapped in the wind. She wasn't sure what material they were made of, but it was perhaps the most uncomfortable type of cloth she had ever touched. She no longer wore the brown and beige colors of the Jedi, trading them for the light blue of the Adherents of the Living Force. They were a monastic order of Force worshippers, one of the thousands that existed across the galaxy outside of the Jedi and Sith. A small cult compared to others, but they struck Izel as decent enough people. They preferred lives of silent contemplation, traveling to those places strong in the Force to try and hear its will spoken. For that purpose they had come to Zeffo to bask in the power of it's ancient ruins, and they had been kind enough to allow the Jedi to accompany them.

Izel had been surprised when Master Grayza approached her about overseeing his apprentice's Trial of Insight, but she supposed it made sense. The galaxy was in chaos right now, and as a result the Council was in a constant race to keep up with the latest disasters. She could do this much for him, and she felt pleased with the test she had devised. She had never had the pleasure of meeting his Padawan Crix Aran before, and decided to use that to her advantage. She had spent a good two weeks among the Adherents, learning everything she could about their faith and customs, so that she could convincingly pose as one of their monks. Even when organizing the trial she did not communicate directly with Crix, instead using Master Grayza as a proxy, so that the Padawan would not even have the chance to learn anything about her from her writing. His trial would be straightforward but hopefully a good challenge. On the surface he had the task of escorting the Adherents across the dangerous landscape of Zeffo to meditate at the ancient sites. Beneath that, he was aware that one of the pilgrims was a Jedi Master, and was tasked with determining who it was before the journey was complete. If he could do so in the few days it took to cover their trek, he would pass. He would be allowed only one guess, and so would need to be patient and highly observant. Insightful.

As they waited at the landing pad on the village's edge for the Padawan to arrive Izel looked over the other pilgrims, the true pilgrims. A tiny old Lannik with a long white beard, Brother Curga. A beautiful Mirialan woman with a confident demeanor, Sister Iude. And a bookish and taciturn Bardottan, Brother Hun. Izel herself had to remember she was no longer Izel. Until young Crix ferreted out the truth, she was Sister Xipil. She straightened out her robes and stood upright, taking a wooden staff etched with strange runes in her hands to replace her lightsaber. The Padawan would be arriving any moment. It was time to get into character. "May the Force be with you Crix Aran..." She whispered a wish of luck, and then the Jedi was gone. Only the Adherents remained standing on the pad.

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Crix Aran

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Adherents of the Living Force... if the rest of the Galaxy thought that the Jedi were space monks then these guys and girls were the proof that they could always get more-monk-like. Seriously, they were everything people in the wider Galaxy thought the Jedi were, aside from the lack of lightsabers and combat training. They were fairly nice as far as people went as well, though why they had chosen Zeffo for a pilgramage was beyond him.

Zeffo wasn't the safest place in the Galaxy and that was before anyone worried about pirates or Sith or literally just the wildlife. Still though, Crix had been given the task to escort them and so he would see it done. Crix smiled to the assembled monks as he arrived, looking every bit the Jedi that he was.

With his own Jedi robes firmly in place and his lightsaber by his side, he looked the part. To those who could actively sense the Force he felt the part as well, a calming influence even if his current level of influence over the Force was smaller than a Master or someone similar. He smiled at the pilgrims as he approached. There weren't too many of them and they were a very varied group of species too.

His pilot droid and astromech locked his ship up behind him on the landing pad as he presented himself to the pilgrims, bowing at the waist.

"Pilgrims, I am Crix Aran of the Jedi Order."
he introduced himself, "Until such a time as your journey has come to an end, I shall be your guide. Do you have any questions for me before we depart?"

He knew what his trial was but, well, that was no excuse to be rude. There was time enough to discover more so long as he had the patience to do so.


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Izel Thral

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Izel examined Crix carefully as he approached, both his physical appearance and the image he painted in the Force. Calm and collected while maintaining a gregarious nature. She could sense the potential in him as well. It was no wonder he was a Council member's apprentice. After the Jedi bowed all the Adherents returned the gesture in unison, remaining silent as he introduced himself. When Crix had finished speaking Brother Curga hobbled forward to reply, leaning heavily on his staff.

"Greetings Jedi Aran, we are honored to share this journey with one blessed by the Force." He said respectfully before offering his own name and those of each of the other Adherents in turn. "We're ready to get moving as soon as you are prepared. I trust you've been informed on our route and destination?" The route was, naturally, quite precarious. A winding path that would take them through the mountains to the ruins they sought. The path would take them by narrow ledges, areas rife with rockslides, and territory defended by aggressive herds of Phillaks. Of course it would have been infinitely safer to simply fly directly to the ruins, but the Adherents were adamant about making the journey on foot. As Izel understood it, there were rites they had to perform along the way. Everything in keeping with the 'Voice of the Force' that allegedly guided everything they did.

While Curga spoke with Crix, which was really more of the Lannik talking his ear off, the other Adherents stood by silently. Hun produced a book from one of his bags and began to read, while Iude and Izel remained focused on their new arrival. The Mirialan would offer a friendly smile. And Izel, well, she was a bit harder to read as far as facial expressions went. And if Crix were to try sensing any of them she would appear as ordinary as the others through the Force. Whenever Crix was ready to go, the party would depart the village for the well-traveled mountain path. They had a long and dangerous road ahead of them.

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All this talk about being honored and blessed was something that would usually be far away from what Crix actually liked doing. Hell, he didn’t really have a lot of experience with diplomatic missions in the first place. The Ossein had been his first big one and he had managed it without too many hiccups… he could do this too right?

Just needed to be polite, be professional and figure out which of them was a Jedi Master.

Right – nothing difficult about that task at all.

“I have read through your proposal itinerary and I am excited to see it actually happen in person – if you would like to follow behind me for this first stretch?”


He gestured up to the ridge to their left as he moved to the front of the group to start them on their journey.

“The local Killeks have been acting up according to the scans I was able to take from space so I would feel better if I were the one to face them first.”


His actual mission here was to uncover which of them was a Jedi Master and, so far, they all appeared rather ordinary in the Force. The first option that came to his mind he immediately tossed aside on principal alone. It was true that he could probably engineer a situation dangerous enough that the Jedi Master would be forced to reveal themselves but that wasn’t an option.

It could endanger the others and he couldn’t even class that as an option.

So instead he started talking.

“So, tell me about yourselves – what’s it like living as you do? How different is it to your lives before your Order?”



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Izel Thral

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"Naturally." Brother Curga responded to Crix's request to lead the group with a nod. "That is why you are here is it not? And don't worry Master Jedi, I am sure you will be bored of our rituals and rites in no time." He punctuated his statement with a good natured laugh before falling in behind the half-zabrak.

As they began their journey the Adherents fell in behind Crix single file. Curga was directly behind the young Jedi with Iude walking beside the old Lannik to assist him where the ground became too uneven. Izel walked behind them, and Hun brought up the rear, long nose still buried in his book. When Crix asked his question the Mirialan was the first to speak up.

"I imagine it's not too much different from your life Master Jedi." She said. "It's a humble life. We're allowed to own only what we can carry on our backs. And we can only stay in one place so long as the Force permits it. But the places you get to see make it all worth it. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what it's like to be at peace, and to feel the warmth of the Force flow over you in meditation. That's the heart of what we do, our lifelong mission is to find absolute oneness with the Force."

"So like being a Jedi but with less fighting." Izel piped in after Iude had finished. "We do labor as well from time to time, to afford food, shelter and transportation. Work that needs doing, work for the unfortunate. They're quick to ask us because we request very little as compensation. It's fulfilling work, but one can get homesick. We rarely see our families after answering the Call."

"And some of us answer the Call because we have no other connections." Curga spoke up again, although his tone didn't indicate any sadness. He, like the others, seemed quite at peace. "For the Adherents our lives rarely had purpose before we heard the Voice of the Force. Whatever the difficulties of this life we are happy." Iude nodded in agreement, as did Izel. Although it was part of her ruse her words weren't without truth. She did often long to see her home and family. Being a Jedi was a life of sacrifice as well. But she was sure Crix knew that already. While they were happy to speak with the Padawan however Brother Hun remained silent and disinterested.

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Crix Aran

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Crix laughed good-naturedly at the comment about getting bored of their rituals and rites. He might have done, honestly, in the not too distant past but he had grown up a lot in the mean time. A lot of what he had to do with his life meant that he had to grow up quickly, to be not only a mature adult but someone mature enough to make the hard decisions.

Especially when they hurt.

"Please - just call me Crix."
he requested with a small smile, "Master Jedi is one of the furthest things I am; I know you don't mean it that way but still, it keeps me humble. Just think of me as another teenager helping you along on your journey."

He listened as they spoke about their calling, noting the way that one of them didn't seem to be interested in conversation at all. Interesting and something to add to his mental notes regarding his task to identify which of them was the Jedi Master. Brother Hun didn't strike him as the sort but the silence was telling.

Interesting.

"Sounds very similar to being a Jedi, you're right. Sometimes people forget that we're all sentient beings and feel the same way as any others."
he agreed easily as they reached the first ritual site, "Do you mind if I watch or would you prefer it if I kept my distance?"

He knew that some Orders liked to keep their rites and rituals secret - but he also knew that during a ritual was one of the best times to spot the person who didn't know what they were doing. Someone who didn't have the instinctive, memory-based, certainty that came with repetition and dedication. It was like asking someone to pretend to be a Jedi after giving them one demonstration on a Makashi set of katas.

They might know but they didn't know.


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Izel Thral

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Izel smiled inwardly as she heard Crix speak. She always appreciated seeing a healthy dose of humility in the younger Jedi. Too many had very high opinions of themselves. It was easy enough for her to piece together why he was eager to observe the ritual as well. Smart. She thought to herself. Of course she had a few tricks up her sleeves as well. She wasn't about to make this easy for the Padawan.

The first ritual site was at a wider area on the ridge where all of them had comfortable space to stand or sit. Curga smiled as he heard Crix's request and chuckled as he looked towards the other Adherents. "Always nice to see a young one eager to learn eh? Yes you may watch us, just make sure to stand back a few feet, don't want you scuffing the circle at all..." While the old Lannik prepared for the ritual by using his staff to carve a large circle in the dirt, each of the Adherents took up a position of the cardinal directions. Iude took the west spot, Hun the east, and Izel the south with her back facing the Padawan. She knew he would be watching them like a hawk, which meant she would need to do what she could to mislead his suspicions.

Once the circle was completed the four Adherents began singing a hymn in unison, an ancient language that came from the planet where their Order had originated, somewhere far in the outer rim. While he sang, standing in the center of the circle, Curga would use his staff to carve three runes along it's edge before stepping back and taking position at it's north. His movements were slow, his hands shaking from age, but he had clearly done this thousands of times. Iude stepped in to the circle next to carve the next three runes. She clearly enjoyed the singing because she raised her voice higher than any of the others, but her part in the ritual also went off without a hitch. Third to step into the circle was Hun, and this was where Izel took her opportunity to hopefully sow some confusion. As the Bardottan started singing and carving his runes Izel made the most subtle of movements, twitching one of the fingers that held her staff before her, a gesture that could be easily missed. The result was Hun's staff moving ever so slightly, causing him to carve his rune incorrectly. The Bardottan paused in his singing and motions for a moment, then moved on to the next rune. Another twitch from Izel's finger and Hun erred in the carving of his rune again, causing the Bardottan to huff in frustration before quickly finishing his final rune and stepping back into his position. Izel twitched her finger a third time while he was carving the last rune, but did not use the Force to make him err again. In reaction to this Iude smiled amusedly through her singing while Curga shook his head in annoyance.

Finally it was Izel's turn. She had memorized the hymns they would be singing as well as the runes she needed to carve, but Crix was right, her motions would not be perfect. Her runes would look slightly off, although much better in comparison to Hun's. While she carved them she continued to make her fingers twitch occasionally, to create the impression of some nervous tick. Her accent would sound slightly different as well, although she figured she could always play that off as having difficulty forming the words because of her insectoid anatomy. She hoped she had done enough to ensure he didn't immediately suspect her. Once she had completed her part of the ritual she stepped back and all four of them finished the hymn before bowing deeply. Curga then reached into a small bag on his hip and produced a handful of a blue colored sand, which he threw over the circle. The wind carried it back towards his feet, indicating that they were to continue heading north, as was the plan.

After the ritual was completed Iude approached Hun and nudged him playfully, still smiling ear to ear. "Having some difficulty Brother?" She asked with amusement. The Bardottan grumbled as he poked at the ground with his staff.

"The ground is... Uneven... That's all..." He insisted. The Mirialan just giggled and patted him consolingly on the shoulder before leaving him to his book.

"The ritual's meaning is to discern the will of the Force, and to give thanks for it's guidance." Curga explained to Crix while giving his Bardottan brother the stink eye. "It's how we determine where to go and what to do." He turned his gaze up to the Padawan. "That's all for this spot. We can continue when you're ready. Just be prepared, there's phillaks ahead." Giving the Jedi some time if he desired it the Lannik would hobble over to a rock and sit down to take a break and rub his aching feet.

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Crix Aran

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Alright so first part was fine – they didn’t seem to be offended that he wanted to watch them do their little ritual. He hadn't thought that they would be offended, to be honest, considering it was their religion. In his experience, people liked to talk about their religion and liked to show it off to impressionable young people who expressed even the slightest degree of interest. Probably a little bit too cynical to be the case here though he would be the first to admit.

They were good people.

Still, he nodded in agreement to Curga and took a few steps back but he kept his gaze on the circle and the work the brothers and sisters were putting in. He reached out with the Force, using it to enhance his senses and to see if there was something else at play there. From what he could see, Curga was confident in his movements, too certain in his actions to have ever doubted them.

Crix filed that away as a mark against the man being the Jedi Master he was here to find. Though he was happy to see that it didn't seem that they were all going to be bad, some of them actually being better than others. His suspicions were raised when Hun made a mistake on the first rune, suddenly sharpening his gaze.

Had it just been the one flub he would have believed it - the cultist look clearly slightly puzzled by his own failure. But that could be chalked up to thinking that they had it right the first time. However, the second time Crix was ready to tentatively put it down to sabotage. Unfortunately by the time he thought about that, he wasn't able to see any signs from the others.

The person who followed after Hun was slightly unsteady but nothing that he could point to. It seemed more likely that the first two, with their excellence, were actually just more practiced.

Crix would have cursed but it kept it inside as he instead just smiled a little bit. Reaching out, he touched Curga on the shoulder as he reached out with the Force. Healing was something that Hans had started teaching him and Crix had had an interest in it since it had saved his mother. Curga would feel a warm sensation as Crix took the aches and pains from his feet.

"We go at your pace."
he assured the older man with a smile, "I've got some ideas for the phillaks don't you worry."

And unlike several of his ideas, these ones he had actually fully formed before even arriving. As they started along the trail, he would reach out with the Force. A lone phillak tried its luck, kicking up dirt before making for a charge. Reaching out with the Force, Crix projected an illusion of a cliff face. The animal, driven by its instincts, dug its heels in quickly to try and stop itself flying off a cliff's edge. As it did so, Crix waved a hand, giving it a mental suggestion to back away and it staggered away without issue.

Unlikely to work on large numbers but a start and without resorting to violence too - win!


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Izel Thral

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Curga perked up in surprise as Crix healed him, looking at the hand on his shoulder and then up at the half-zabrak confusedly before comprehending what had just happened. He offered the Padawan a smile in return. "Oh, thank you Crix." However he would then grunt as he hopped back to his feet, stretching a bit. "I'm not going to slow us down though. Just needed a breather that's all." He would grab his staff and start up the path again, allowing the Jedi to take the lead again. The line reformed in the same sequence it had before as they resumed their journey, Iude chuckling at Curga's determination.

"Brother Curga likes to pretend he's as young and spry as the rest of us." The Mirialan informed Crix as they walked.

"I am as young and spry as the rest of you." The Lannik replied with feigned offense. "Your eyes are lying to you. I'm barely thirty." Iude and Curga shared a good laugh over that while Izel and Hun remained silent. The Bardottan had a pointedly sour look on his face now, clearly annoyed at himself over his muck up during the ritual. Izel constantly looked at her feet and the edge of the cliff as their path became narrow again. In truth the Vratix had no fear of heights whatsoever, but figured cultivating the image of a more timid and frightful pilgrim might dissuade Crix from suspecting her.

When the lone phillak charged at them the procession ground to a halt behind the Padawan. As it charged Iude gasped with fright and leant over to grasp Curga's shoulder, as though she was prepared to push the frail old Lannik behind her. When Crix succeeded in using the Force to turn it away she appeared quite impressed.

"Well done Master Je- Crix." The Mirialan started before correcting herself as the group began moving again. "I only ever see your people swinging your laser swords on the holonet. One forgets you have such powerful command of the Force as well." As they continued on their path they would only move deeper into phillak territory, raising the risk of being attacked again. But at least for the time being they remained relatively safe.

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There was banter here that was easy and free-flowing but it seemed... limited in who was actually involved in it. Xipil and Hun seemed to be isolated from the others when it came to the good-natured fun that the rest of the group was having. Hun looked like he had bitten into something vaguely sour and Xipil appeared to be rather worried about the edge of the cliff.

Through the Force he could feel the dissatisfaction Hun was feeling, as though he were disgruntled about something. It made some sense, he supposed, but when he tried to sense for the familiar feeling of fear and trepidation from Xipil he felt... nothing really.

It wasn't often than a Jedi was blocked from sensing, at the very least, the vague sense of a person's emotions. From what Crix knew there were so species that were naturally more emotionally closed off but most species had to be using Force techniques to hide their emotions in such a way. Which it was? He honestly couldn't actually put his finger on which, however.

He smiled a little bit.

"Sometimes we need to swing our lightsabers around but... we try not to need to."
his smile grew a little smaller, "Sometimes the Galaxy decides differently for us and sometimes we make mistakes. But I'm not going to come out the gate swinging at creatures who've always lived her just because we want something."

As they approached the second site, a growing herd of phillaks began to grow at the edge of the area. They were eying them all rather critically, as though daring them to leave the ritual area.

"Start the second ritual - I'll see if I can't discourage them."



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"Well said." Curga responded to Crix's words with a nod and a smile. He remained calm while Iude became markedly more on edge as the herd of phillaks came into view. She gripped her staff tightly in both hands, as though expecting them to charge at any moment.

"Yes, well, I'm sure a good Jedi needs to know when it's time to fight as well." She suggested to the Padawan. Izel looked over the gathered animals with a tinge of worry herself. There seemed to be an awful lot of them, and these creatures were known for how aggressive they were towards trespassers. If one managed to get past him she would be bound by principle to protect the pilgrims, although that would almost certainly reveal her true identity. Of course it wasn't completely hopeless. The Jedi Master had a wide range of experience to draw on, and she had a few tricks she thought might work in such a scenario.

"I am sure we'll be fine," Curga assured Iude as he nonchalantly began carving the second ring. "The Jedi would have sent us more defenders if they didn't think young Crix was capable of doing the job on his own."

"Although perhaps we should keep our voices down just a bit," Izel suggested as she looked towards the frightened Mirialan. "So as not to disturb them." Iude nodded in agreement, and the process commenced yet again.

The ritual proceeded just as the last one had, although when they began to sing the phillaks became visibly agitated, huffing, stomping their feet and tossing their heads threateningly. Curga remained perfectly at peace, completing his portion of the ritual with no difficulty just like the last time. Iude kept her eyes on the herd and on Crix the entire time, resulting in her part suffering somewhat. Hun was not interested in the present danger at all, as this time he was laser focused on completing his part in the ritual perfectly. Izel did not sabotage him this time and he was able to do so, coming away in a much more satisfied mood. When it was her turn Izel was much more careful and patient, taking the time to make sure her runes were as perfect as could be. She believed she was doing significantly better, but that was interrupted when the largest of the phillaks trumpeted a territorial call and started to encroach on their space, followed by it's herd mates. This could be problematic...

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Oh boy looked like things were getting a touch more heated with the herd this time – he wasn’t going to be able to just use an illusion. Even if he did, there were enough of them that some of them would be pushed too far forward and they would ‘fall’ over the edge of the cliff. And when they did even their primitive minds would confirm that the cliff didn’t actually exist.

He gave the monks a reassuring smile and gave them a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry about these guys – I’m here.”
He assured them brightly, “You focus up on your rites and I’ll make sure you don’t get disturbed!”

Easier said than done but still.

From what he could see, none of the brothers or sisters was messing up this time, including the one who had messed up a little last time. Strange that they weren’t messing something up, even a little, when there was the danger of the wildlife taking exception to their presence. Reaching into the Force, Crix threw both of his hands forward.

Another illusion, this one more taking than the other because it was so out of place so it needed to be stronger to actually work. Illusionary flames leapt up in a wall to bar the way of the herd with illusionary fire and heat. The majority of them faltered but one of them charge through regardless, heading straight for one of the monks.

Without hesitation, Crix enhanced his own strength with the Force before grabbing the bucking animal around the neck from the side, dragging it down to the ground with his strength and body-weight. Keeping himself from its horns and its bucking, kicking, feet was all he could do as he applied a blood choke. Choking out a living creature was not something Crix enjoyed but he had learned from his Master how to apply a blood choke to render a creature unconscious.

He also taught him when to stop to prevent it from being damaging. As the creature slumped, Crix released the hold before placing a hand on the creature’s head.

“Sleep.”


The command would pierce through into the creature’s mind and force it to comply as Crix took a deep breath before standing. Using that much Force in a short time was draining, though the illusionary flames were still going strong.

“Don’t worry about the flames – they’re an illusion.”



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When the phillak burst through Crix's illusion and charged towards them Iude screamed with fright and stumbled, starting to fall backwards. Acting on instinct Izel dropped her staff and rushed forward, catching the Mirialan before she could hurt herself on the rocks. Fighting against her own training she turned her body away and cringed rather then prepare to fend off the beast. This time were Crix to reach out there would be actual fear running through the Vratix, as she was perfectly aware this could easily result in serious injury, but at least she would be the one receiving the worst of it and not the pilgrim.

Hun reacted with a surprised gasp as well, finally tearing his eyes away from the circle to watch the incoming phillak. He was paralyzed by his fear though, standing in place and shivering frightfully, holding his staff in a defensive posture. The only one not to react was Curga, who remained standing with his back to the danger as he tried to proceed with the ritual. While everyone else cowered in fear he slowly glanced over his shoulder to see Crix subduing the beast. He then looked back to his fellow Adherents with a mildly annoyed expression.

"See? The boy has it handled." He snapped at the other pilgrims while the Jedi wrestled the animal to the ground. "Focus! All is as the Force wills. Get back to your positions and complete the ritual." Slowly Izel helped Iude back to her feet and returned to her position at the southern point of the circle. Although Iude and Hun were clearly worried about the present danger, they proceeded to finish the hymn and complete the ritual. This time the sand did not carry to the northern point of the circle but to the western side, directing them towards a narrow and very precarious looking path through a crevice in the ridge. Izel sighed as she witnessed the result. This could be very bad. The Adherents' customs demanded they alter their route to follow the path the Force was showing them.

"Thank you Crix." Iude said after the ritual, bowing deeply to the Padawan. Hun and Izel made the same gesture, though the Bardottan characteristically kept his mouth shut. He still seemed quite shaken by the attack, as did Iude. "And thank you Sister." The Mirialan said, putting a hand on Izel's shoulder.

"I-it's nothing." Izel insisted, still worried herself. The initial phillak attack had given her a fright, but now she was back to being more concerned over whether she was coming off as suspicious or not. Curga just sighed at the sight of the three of them and shook his head before turning to the Jedi.

"We must take a detour," He explained to the half-zabrak, pointing towards the crevice. "The Force wishes us to take a different path to the ruins. All the better, this might be a way to avoid the phillaks." Or get ourselves killed Izel thought to herself as she observed the cliff face. The other pilgrims looked skeptical as well, though none made a protest. To make matters worse the sun was starting to set. The Vratix figured they had about an hour of daylight left before they'd need to make camp for the night.

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Flashes of fear from the monks and sisters were like bright plumes of light in the darkness even as he did his best to take down the runaway creature. They were like flashes of fire, fireworks, in the sky of his mind and his wider senses. Already Crix could feel them in his mind as he wrestled with the creature to bring it down.

Fear for one’s self was a common occurrence but fear for another was just as common… though in this situation, none of them should be devoid of the first but filled with the second. They were all supposed to be monks and sisters, untrained in defense. So why, then, was one of the sisters afraid for another but not even slightly for herself?

It warranted further investigation to be sure, still not enough for him to make a conclusion, not when he needed absolute certainty.

Their chosen route was… problematic. Crix nodded as it was explained to him, externally keeping a calm smile in place. Any of them versed enough in the Force to pick up emotions would be able to tell that he was, slightly exasperated.

Because seriously?

Really?

Still…

“Best we get started then.”
He answered with a little bit of forced cheer in his voice even as his smile widened slightly, “We don’t want to get caught camping out in the dark along a ridge that narrow and we know this area is within the area the herd considers theirs – so best we head on through. I’ll take point.”

Leading the way, Crix had to admit that he was making slow headway purely because he was making sure to keep checking over his shoulder to the monks and sisters. Trying to make sure that they were steady on their feet as they progressed slowly.


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Izel Thral

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It was a good thing Vratix weren't capable of smiling, because if they were Izel would have the widest grin in response to Crix's thinly veiled annoyance with their unexpected detour. She appreciated him maintaining his patience with the pilgrims though, she was certainly being tested herself.

As they entered the crevice Izel actually hung back this time to take up the rear. It would be cramped enough for her humanoid companions. For an insectoid of her size it was almost impossible. She had half a mind to simply scale the ridge and follow them from above, but that would put too much distance between herself and the group. And she couldn't very well put herself in the path of the phillaks when she was supposed to be acting the part of a defenseless monk.

As they proceeded it seemed the tiny little Lannik was the only one capable of moving through the crevice comfortably. Everyone else had to turn to their side and shuffle in one shoulder ahead of the other. Izel herself had to awkwardly crawl partially up the side of the rockface an straighten out the length of her body so she could maneuver inside. Her pace became significantly slower than everyone else's as she essentially had to crawl on all six limbs through the narrow passage.

Iude glanced back at the insectoid as they moved and kept her usual smile. "Tight fit Sister?" She asked amusedly. The Vratix simply sighed in response as she took a moment to catch her breath.

"Have I ever mentioned the Will of the Force can be a real pain in the-" She started before Hun, who was moving between the two women, piped in.

"Blaspheming." He warned the Vratix, who simply groaned in response. Iude laughed, and Curga shook his head again. As much as the pilgrims tried to make light of this troublesome change of route, Crix's senses would alert him to subtle cracks in the crevice wall, and the sound of pebbles skittering along as the rock shifted ominously.

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Crix Aran

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Pilgrims were quickly becoming a group that Crix wished he never had to escort again and it felt unfair to think that because none of them had been anything other than polite. Though, admittedly, some of them were a bit more like brisk than polite but whatever. But he was already dreading future missions to escort them because if this was the norm? Being directed by the living Force without a hint of practicality involved?

That could get complicated fast.

A fact that seemed compounded by the fact that they were forced to go in sideways to have a hope in actually getting through. It was painfully slow going and he could just tell that things were not going to go smoothly. He wasn't sure if it was the will of the Force of just murphy's law but something was going to go wrong simply because it could.

The little banter at the back of the group was kind of missed by Crix as he inched further along the crevice, wincing as he both felt and saw cracks beginning to form. Cursing under his breath, he reached out with his left hand to grab onto the forearm of the pilgrim after him.

"Everybody grab onto each other, link up!"
he commanded them, "The rocks are becoming unstable - if we link up we can help people up before they fall."

Of course it was only a second after he said that that bigger cracks began to form and parts of the walkway they were standing on began to fall away. Grabbing onto the rock face in front of him, he tightened his grip on the pilgrim he had, stopping them from tipping over.

He smiled.

"Together, right brothers and sisters?"



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Izel Thral

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Izel's mindset was much the same as Crix's. She understood this was all part of the Adherents' beliefs and customs, but that didn't mean it wasn't horrendously inconvenient for all of them. And dangerous. Thankfully not too dangerous for her though, her species' natural abilities giving her some advantages.

As the ground beneath them started to give way the pilgrims promptly followed the Padawan's orders, each reaching their arms out to grab those next to them. Curga took hold of Crix and Iude. Iude took hold of Hun and Hun took hold of Izel. As the walkway fell the Bardottan let out a yelp, his feet suddenly hanging in mid air. Iude also lost footing for her left foot and went down on one knee, gritting her teeth and straining to hold on to her brother. Curga grunted in pain as he was consequently yanked between Crix and Iude, his little arms being strained badly. At the end of the line Izel was able to hold tight to Hun's other arm as he slipped, her insectoid legs more easily clinging to the cliff face. She slid down a bit, but with effort was able to maintain her footing. The Bardottan, petrified, just watched in terror as his staff fell down the hole, clattering off the stone as it seemed to go on forever.

"Hold on!" Iude grunted as she strained to stand back up and move further along the walkway. Izel inched forward as well, together the two women pulling their brother back up to safety. Hun promptly clutched his chest and took several deep breaths, likely fending off a heart attack. Curga groaned as the pressure being put on his arms was released.

"Ugh... Quick thinking Crix..." He complimented the Padawan, although he clearly would be feeling sore in the morning after that. But no sooner had the words left his mouth then some rocks started to fall from above. Just pebbles at first, but it looked to be getting worse by the second. The beginnings of a rockslide.

"I suggest we make haste..." Izel said worriedly as she looked up at the oncoming stones. "Now!" There wasn't much further to go, but the path was still narrow, and would not be easy to traverse quickly.

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Crix Aran

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Rocks fall and everyone dies… that was from some ancient Jedi text, right? Sounded about right but Crix really didn’t want to see it in action just to follow his history lessons. Still, managing to keep everyone from being dropped off into the abyss was an accomplishment that Crix himself wasn’t going to call nothing.

Damned near lost one of the monks that way and only the fact that they were all linked together saved their lives. He gave them a smile that seemed oh so very confident even though his nerves were beginning to become slightly frayed on the inside. Again, the Jedi Master would be able to tell his true emotions but he was doing his best to put on a mask to reassure those who couldn’t read his emotions directly.

“I’ve got you.”
He assured them as a group, voice firm and certain, “No one left behind today – the Force wills it.”

Probably.

Hopefully…

Of course the rocks beginning to tumble from above were not appreciated at all! Reaching out with the Force, he slammed one of his hands into the stone in front of him and began to alter the ground, willing the stone to obey with the Force. Above them a shelf of stone grew out of the sheer rock of the side to act as a shield against the stones falling.

Thank you Sevrin for that idea!

It was… tiring to keep up so Crix knelt down.

“Climb over me while I keep this up…”
he commanded the monks, his breathing coming slightly faster as he pushed more and more of himself into the stone to command it, “Please hurry…”


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They were almost through, but that certainly didn't mean things were going to be easy on them. As Izel watched the rocks falling she very desperately felt the urge to stop them herself. No trial was worth people getting hurt or killed over. Thankfully before she could reveal herself Crix was able to use an interesting application of the Force to create a sort of stone canopy above them. That would protect them... At least as long as the Padawan could hold it.

The pilgrims didn't waste any time in following Crix's lead. Iude essentially lifted Curga up over the young Zabrak and allowed him to keep moving to the crevice's exit. She was next, stepping over him carefully and apologizing as she did so, trying not to put any extra pressure on the Jedi. Hun, who was thoroughly scared out of his mind, was much less tactful and simply clambered over the Padawan gracelessly. Finally Izel brought up the rear. Because she was crawling on the wall itself and not the ground she was able to go over Crix without disturbing his concentration. The Vratix made it the rest of the way to the end of the crevice and gathered with the rest of the pilgrims. She held out a hand to him, shouting "Come on!" to let him know everyone was safe and it was his turn. The offered hand gave the impression that she was prepared to grab his arm and pull him out if need be, but she was also prepared to use the Force to stop the falling rocks if Crix's concentration was broken.

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Crix Aran

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Did… did one of them literally just climb atop of him?

Well they said that the life of a Jedi was one of service to their fellow sentients but Crix was willing to bet that no Jedi had ever had to serve as a literal step for the other sentients of the Galaxy. He instinctively wanted to say something snarky at the way he was literally climbed atop of but, well, he had told them to climb over him.

Probably his fault for not being specific enough.

That one of them was able to stick to the wall itself rather than climbing over him was a relief, allowing Crix a chance to slowly ease himself to his feet. With his feet under him, he nodded to the sister even as he took a deep breath.

Releasing the shaped stone with the Force, he forced his body to move rather than give into his growing exhaustion. Kicking off with his feet, he jumped the short distance from where he had been standing to where the sister waited for him on more solid ground, grabbing hold of her outstretched hand with his own for aid.

Her hand was not near human but he recognized the signs of wear on them regardless because it was the same kind of wear he’d felt and recognized on other Jedi. The kind that came from handling a saber or something similar. That last part was why he didn’t immediately try and name her as the Jedi Master despite his growing suspicions.

“Thank you, Sister.”
He told her, breathless now that he was out of imminent danger, “How far until your next camp?”

He was immediately doing his best to try and hide it but he was… fatigued would be the best word for it. Mentally he was drained even if his body still had more energy to keep on going, the result of using so many higher concentration Force techniques within such a short time period.


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