Ask Trial of Insight

[Izel Thral]

Izel turned to look Crix in the eye as he gave his reasoning for splitting them up. It was a fair assessment, and while he might have been walking into danger, he did so with courage and tact. He was well aware of his options and Izel felt she could trust him to act wisely. "Very well, I will remain here." She agreed, bowing her head respectfully as he saluted her. "May the Force be with you Crix Aran."

She watched him go, then turned and walked back to the monks as they were preparing to begin the ritual. She called Hun's name and then tossed him her wooden staff, seeing as she wouldn't be needing it anymore. She then immediately dropped her bags and pulled off those insufferable blue robes, revealing a plain white tunic and brown pants beneath. Curga looked up at her confusedly. "Sister?" He asked.

"He knows." The Vratix replied plainly as she rooted through her bags, retrieving her shoto saber. Obviously bringing her pike was impossible given the difficulty to conceal it, but she had thought ahead enough to keep part of her weapon with her. She didn't like using the shoto, it was designed to be a last resort, but in this situation she felt it better to be armed with something rather than nothing. "There may be a threat deeper within the temple. I'm going to stand guard while Crix investigates." She stood up and looked at the pilgrims, antennae flicking slightly. She tried to take on a more polite tone. "Please, continue with your ritual my friends. This will be no trouble at all."

The pilgrims stood still for a few moments, somewhat surprised by the Jedi master's revelation. The Hun snorted in amusement. "I knew he'd figure you out." He said as he moved to his place in the ritual circle. "You were far too obvious Master Jedi..." Izel just clicked a bit in annoyance, not bothering to dignify the Bardottan's teasing with a response. Turning back around she walked to the edge of the chamber by the passage Crix had taken and sat down. There she began to meditate, saber in hand, waiting to see how the prospective Knight faired.

In the meantime as Crix moved deeper into the temple ruins the foreboding feeling in the Force would grow stronger and stronger, until faint voices started to add to it. They were harsh and guttural, definitely not human, but they were speaking Basic. Eventually they would become intelligible, just as there was the sound of a loud crash and a frustrated growl.

"You sssaid there'd be valuable relicsss here!" One voice snapped. "Thisss isss nothing but junk!"

The first voice was answered by another, much smoother in tone. And as the words trickled from their mouth Crix would feel an unpleasant tingling in his gut. "The true value in this place is knowledge..." They said. "And power..." They added with an all too familiar hunger.

There came an angered hiss as the first voice spoke again. "I didn't drag my men out here for your cultish nonsssensse Avesh! If I don't get a payday out of thisss we're ssselling you on the market!" It didn't seem that anyone had noticed Crix's presence yet. He could move closer to try and learn exactly how many people were there, but he would also risk being spotted.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix flashed Izel a grin.

“And with you too, Master.”

With that last word of support, Crix disappeared into the maze-like corridors of the Temple and already he could tell that things were going to get complicated fast. He couldn’t sense how many people there were because, as Hans was fond of saying, The Force didn’t work like that. But what he could tell was that their intent wasn’t anywhere near as wholesome as the monks back up top.

There was an underlying hunger to some of the words that radiated as ‘true’ in the Force when he mused on them. They were feeling that way, near as he could tell. Well, one of them was at least – the other speaker just seemed impatient if his read on the inflection of their accent was right.

Drawing on the skills his Master had been teaching him in regards to the Shadow skills, Crix muffled his footsteps to be all-but silent as he moved just by changing the way that he walked. It didn’t require the Force so much as it required instruction – which he had had. Reaching the end of the corridor, he would lean his head out ever so slightly to try and catch a glimpse of the people who were talking.

He didn’t believe it was possible to tell from a glance who was evil and who wasn’t but it might help if he saw if they were armed.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's training served him well. As he approached and peeked his head around the corner, no one seemed to take notice of him. Either that, or they were just too busy arguing. From his position he could see three figures standing in a bare chamber. Two Trandoshans and one human. At least, he appeared human. He could have been some kind of alien given his complexion. His skin was a sickly pale with dark, purplish veins creeping across a shaved head. He had dark rings beneath his eyes and discolored lips. In the Force there was a coldness that surrounded him that did not follow the others.

The Trandoshans were dressed like your typical mercenaries, wearing a hodgepodge of well-worn armor and carrying blasters. The pale man appeared unarmed, wearing a loose fitting white tunic and ragged pants. He looked like a beggar about to keel over from disease, but he spoke with clarity and a cool confidence.

"You'll have your money Croff," The pale man said, maintaining a calm demeanor despite the threats of the lizard-man twice his size. "Once I've found what I'm looking for I'll be able to give you whatever you want. And more." The Trandoshan that had spoke earlier looked unimpressed. Given his bearing he was likely the leader.

"And jussst what are you looking for?" He asked with begrudging interest. The pale man smiled.

"There are secrets in this place." He explained. "Secrets of the Force. They'll make me stronger, strong enough to take whatever I want from whomever I want. And once I've got that power I'll repay the people who helped me get it..." The Trandoshan snorted in reply, seemingly unmoved. It was quite obvious the Trandoshans were not overly fond of this Avesh they were working with.

There came a lull in the conversation as Croff and the other Trandoshan turned to walk away while the pale man Avesh went back to studying the carvings on the wall. None of them were facing in the Padawan's direction. Crix would then hear more footsteps coming from a hallway adjacent to where he was hiding. There were more people here. If he did not move soon they would spot him.

Meanwhile Izel remained with the monks, sitting in a meditative state. The Adherents had begun their ritual, adopting a position very similar to the Jedi master as they sat around their circle and began to commune with the Force. The Vratix could sense Crix and the dark presence, but for the time being he seemed not to be distressed. That was good. She would maintain her position until either he returned or she sensed he was in danger.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Well… he had made an internal comment about not being able to tell if someone was evil from appearance alone not a few seconds before and, well, the group seemed determined to prove him wrong. Trandoshans had a reputation for a damned good reason and the near-human character off to one side? He looked like he main-lined the Dark Side directly into his veins, let alone how he felt in the Force.

He looked off and he felt wrong.

Crix could hear more people coming and he thought, for a second, about his options. There were a few options available to him but which was the best one? Stealth was an option but Crix didn’t have anything with him other than his lightsaber and if he wanted to go non-lethal by methods… he kind of had nothing.

Except that wasn’t really true now, was it?

He was Crix Aran and he was the Padawan learner of Hannibal Grayza – the fastest talker in the Jedi Order. Taking a deep breath, Crix rested his hand on his lightsaber but otherwise stepped boldly out of cover with a smile.

“Hello there!”

Speaking loudly and clearly, he kept his eyes on the trio ahead of him but kept his ears open for the other group coming through another passage. He was outnumbered… but his enemies weren’t united at all and that was what he was going to play with.

“Couldn’t help but overhear – you know he’s lying to you, right?” he asked the Trandoshans, nodding to the Dark Side user, “The only salvage in Zeffo ruins are ancient battledroids that kill anyone they see. So I gotta ask… why do you think he’s brought you guys here? He probably thinks the rumors about Trandoshans being idiots is true and is just trying to use you... sad really.”

Gotta play the angles… drive the wedge between them.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

The moment Crix spoke up the two Trandoshans whipped around and raised their weapons, clearly on edge. Croff seemed surprised by Crix's appearance however, slowly lowering his weapon and motioning for his comrade to do the same. Avesh turned around more slowly, at first confused by the Jedi's appearance the same as the lizard-men. However as the Padawan kept talking his expression changed dramatically. As Crix tried to play the Trandoshans against him his eyes flashed with fear as he looked towards his ill-chosen allies. Then he looked back towards the young Jedi with a furious expression.

The other individuals Crix had heard entered the chamber. Two more Trandoshans, looking like they had just been in a fight. They too raised their weapons instinctively, but again Croff gestured for them to stand down. It seemed the Jedi had succeeded in getting his attention.

"Isss thisss true?" He hissed, turning his gaze back towards Avesh.

"No it's not true!" The pale man snapped back, suddenly much less calm and confident. "I didn't know anything about droids!"

"Well there are droidsss." One of the other Trandoshans who had just arrived said with an exhausted huff. "They got Slas." Upon hearing this Croff looked back to Avesh with another growl.

"How was I supposed to know that? I've never been to one of these temples before!" The pale man argued desperately. "Look, we already have a deal, don't break it now..." He pointed at Crix. "This one, whoever he is, he's trying to turn us against each other." He closed his eyes and showed signs of strain. He seemed to be using the Force, though his difficulty doing so suggested a lack of training. After a moment he opened them again and looked back to Croff. "Yes, he didn't come here alone. I can sense more of them. They must be after the same thing we are. You said you wanted a payday? You can have him. He's young and healthy. He'll fetch a fine price on the market." Croff looked back towards Crix, giving it some consideration. The other Trandoshans had their weapons ready as well, although they weren't pointing them at anyone yet. Avesh looked nervous, but he seemed determined to turn the lizards' aggression back towards Crix and away from himself.

"You a Jedi boy?" The leader of the Trandoshans asked Crix after a pause. The robes and lightsaber made it obvious enough, but the lizard appeared to be sizing him up as a threat. How the Padawan reacted would likely determine whether or not the mercenaries considered it worth the risk of challenging him.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Looked like he had managed to call it just right - the sleep-deprived looking Dark Sider had likely been planning on betraying the Trandoshans and likely hadn't been thinking about doing it in a nice way either. Hells, apparently one of the droids had already managed to kill one of them, when the newcomers announced that, Crix lowered his head a little bit.

"I'm sorry for your friend, Slas." he admitted, genuinely being rather sorry that he didn't get there in time to warn them about it, "If you see another droid like that the books from the Temple say the best thing to do if you gotta fight is to try and shoot out their power core in the middle - on these droids they're often kind of exposed."

Of course then the Dark Sider started trying to literally - and figuratively - sell Crix down the river but it seemed that the Trandoshans were less likely to actually believe him now. Before they likely would have snapped up the chance to snatch someone to sell into slavery right away but now? Well now they were questioning it. Crix rolled his eyes and gestured with his left hand to the Dark Side scholar.

"Listen to him - the second things start coming undone he's trying to distract you with promises of wealth... the wealth of ONE potential slave." he shook his head a little bit, "Shows how poorly he values your time and effort - your dead friend's life and their Points? - that one, potential, slave is enough to make it all even? And yeah... 'potential'..."

He shrugged and smiled brightly.

"Cus yeah. I'm a Jedi and I've got an offer for you." he nodded toward the Scholar, "I came here so some monks could pray to their God. If you leave here with him then that's all good by my book - you can do whatever you want with him too. But the offer is this... you'll do it because you and me are gonna swap Points. Single combat, right here and now with vibroknives only. You win? Me and the monks leave with you. I win? I take half your Points and you leave with him tossed over your shoulder. Shall we see who the Scorekeeper favors?"

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Croff listened quietly to Crix's words, giving a look of surprise when he brought up their Jagannath Points. It seemed the lizard didn't expect an outsider to know anything about their faith. It did well to earn the Padawan some much needed respect from the Trandoshans. Avesh on the other hand was only getting more angry and afraid the more Crix talked. His hands balled up into fists, his jaw grit his teeth down, his eyes bounced fearfully between the Jedi and the Trandoshans. He knew he was quickly losing ground.

As Crix finished his spiel the leader of the mercenaries chuckled. "You're no fool are you?" He asked the young Jedi. "Certainly more interesssting than our lassst offer..."

"What are you talking about?" Avesh cut in, looking completely astonished by the lizard's words. "Are you an idiot? He's a Jedi! He wants you to fight him one on one because he knows he'll win! You have him surrounded, just pump him full of stun shots now and you'll have your slaves!"

"The easssy way doesssn't get you many Pointsss." Croff explained with a growl as he turned and handed his blaster to the Trandoshan behind him. The lizard then proceeded to roll his neck and crack his knuckles. "You'd underssstand that if you weren't ssso pathetic Avesh."

"You're the one that doesn't understand anything!" The pale man hissed through his teeth. "I'm telling you... I'm worth more to you than a slave! I am!" His tone grew desperate, his eyes widening.

"Maybe." Croff replied dismissively. "Once I've beaten the kid to a pulp we'll see how well you fare." He finished with a laugh shared by the other lizards. Avesh looked like he wanted to say more, but he could see things weren't going the way he wanted. It was best to remain silent for the time being, so he backed into a darkened corner of the room and remained there. His eyes, burning with an impressive hatred, remained fixed on the Half-Zabrak that had foiled his plans.

But Crix would be more wise to keep his focus on Croff, who strode forward with a smile and a confident gait, reaching behind his waist and producing a large, insidious looking vibroknife. He was tall, even for a Trandoshan. Towering over the Padawan, just a few inches shy of seven feet in height. He leaned forward slightly, getting ready to fight. "Tosss him a blade if he needsss one." He said to one of the lizards standing behind Crix, who would do as asked. "No tricksss Jedi." Croff warned his opponent. "You use your magic, my men will blassst you to piecesss. Fight me like a real warrior!" He would then wait for the Half-Zabrak to make the first move, clearly eager to see what he was made of.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

The Points had been a bit of a gamble - something to show that he did actually know about the system by which they operated and that he was willing to play the great Game by their rules. Judging by how scholarly the Dark Sider appeared to be, Crix had taken the risk of assuming that he had just waved credits at the Trandoshans and left it at that. There was no greater understanding of bonding there which meant they were that much easier to pick apart.

So long as he could survive a knife-fight with a Trandoshan of course.

"Because he's totally gonna share what he finds here with you guys - because he's been absolutely trustworthy so far." he 'agreed' with Avesh, his words dripping in sarcasm as he gestured for one of the other Trandoshans, "Can you believe this guy? Trying to talk shrak about the Points when he's probably got ten plans to backstab you guys? Some people are just sad."

Catching the knife that was thrown to him, Crix took a moment to check the edge of the knife and was happy that it was fairly sharp. It felt a bit long for him but that was alright, he could adjust for that. Flipping the blade in his hand, he caught it in his palm again before activating the vibroknife, the ominous noise of the activated blade cutting through the air.

"No tricks huh?" he smirked ever so slightly but inside he was focusing himself up as best he could, "Then let's dance, friend."

Crix didn't wait for a second - whereas the Trandoshan was obviously waiting to see what he would do, Crix didn't want to disappoint. He immediately pushed forward, on the offensive, giving a quick slash toward the Trandoshan's chest with the blade in his right hand before pulling his upper body back to evade any quick counter. His left hand was also held up, hand balled into a fist as he waited for an opening.

Knife fighting was, usually, not about the knife so much as it was about disarming the other person of their knife.

@Phoenix

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's mocking of Avesh earned some chuckles from the other Trandoshans while the pale man fumed in silence. The lizards seemed to show much more respect for the Padawan, viewing him as an actual warrior and not just some disappointing client. Croff certainly took him seriously, as he said nothing, only grinning hungrily as he engaged the young Jedi in combat. The Trandoshan avoided Crix's opening swing fairly easily by leaning back, but then moved forward again with surprising speed as the Half-Zabrak's knife swung past his torso harmlessly. Rather than make a swiping movement himself he would extend his long right arm to it's fullest, taking advantage of his superior reach as he attempted to stab Crix right in the chest.

Meanwhile Izel could sense that something was happening from her position back in the entry chamber. Even if Crix wasn't fearing for his life, she could feel the aggression in the air. There was definitely a battle taking place deeper within the temple. The Vratix stood up, but didn't enter the tunnel just yet. Crix had been very adamant about wanting to do this on his own after all, and the monks still needed protecting. Even so she worried over the Padawan, gripping her lightsaber tightly in her hand as she started to pace back and forth at the tunnel's entrance. As the fighting continued she would attempt to reach out and touch the Padawan's mind as unobtrusively as she could. Depending on the state of his thoughts, be they calm and controlled or panicked, she would know whether or not he needed her assistance.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix wasn't really one for knife fighting as a rule but Hannibal had made sure to try and keep his young Padawan appraised of different fighting techniques. His first slash hadn't been intended to actually cause any damage because it was entirely devoted to trying to figure out how quickly his opponent would, and could, react and counter. The answer was quicker than he would have expected someone of the size of the Trandoshan to be able to move in the first place really.

But not as fast as Hannibal even when his Master was holding back.

Twisting himself to the right, Crix let the Trandoshan's arm extend and the tip of the blade slice along the front of his armored robes purely so his left hand was able to come up and grab the Trandoshan at the wrist tightly. It wasn't going to be a hold he could keep for long but even a few seconds was worth and eternity in a knife-fight and Crix planned on using the second or two wisely, pulling the Trandoshan's arm further, unbalancing him ever so slightly.

With his opponent even slightly off-balance, Crix would lash out with his right foot, slamming it hard into the side of the Trandoshan's right knee. The idea being to weaken the knee, get the Trandoshan to bend down so he would then slam the base of the knife into the Trandoshan's nose, looking to break it to cause both pain and disarray.

Hans taught him that a Jedi never went looking for a fight but if he found himself in one? In a fight to the death? With the fates of others resting on it?

There was no such thing as fighting dirty.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Croff fell neatly into Crix's trap, taking the blow to the knee and then the nose. He growled as the Padawan's foot made contact with his knee, bending slightly but managing to shrug off the pain for the most part. The blow to the nose though showed a much stronger effect. The lizard's face scrunched up in pain and he squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, hissing as blood immediately started to gush from his nose.

His attack had been successful but Crix had also allowed the Trandoshan to get very close to him in order to do so. Croff now used that to his advantage. Twisting his torso at the waist forcefully he would yank his right wrist free of Crix's grasp, making a wide slice and attempting to cut his left forearm or hand as he did so. At the same time he brought his own left arm around, hand balling into a fist and attempting to deliver a powerful blow directly to the Half-Zabrak's gut. Two could fight dirty.

Meanwhile, depending on how much attention Crix was keeping on his surroundings, he'd be able to notice Avesh slowly inching his way towards one of the corridors leading away from the chamber. The other three Trandoshans, too busy cheering on their leader and enjoying the show, were failing to keep an eye on him.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Well shrak, he had managed to break the Trandoshan’s nose (it looked like) with that combo both exactly as planned and somewhat terrifying. The Trandoshans had been pretty chill with him so far but if he was going to prove himself by drawing blood then they were going to start holding it against him for good and bad. Bad because he’d hurt the dude and that meant he’d try and take it out on him.

Good because that was exactly the kind of thing that Trandoshans actually respected.

With the Trandoshan forced to close his eyes due to the pain he had elicited with his strike to the nose, Crix was able to spot what was coming as his opponent readied himself. It gave him, perhaps, a single second to actually do something about it.

Not enough time to avoid all of it but enough time to mitigate some of it.

Throwing himself forward, even closer to the Trandoshan, Crix evaded the slash to his left wrist by just simply not being in that place any longer. The punch still impacted his side, rocking him but he had thrown himself purposefully forward with the knife held in a reverse grip. His knife would be thrust into the Trandoshan’s chest, pinning Crix in place so he couldn’t avoid the punch.

But, on the plus side, impalement of his enemy was an option. Keen to keep his opponent off guard, he would pull down on the knife in the Trandoshan’s upper chest at the same time he jumped up – using his horns to slam into the large being’s face. Ideally he would blind the guy with his many horns but if not it would still be like being stabbed several different times in the face.

Focused on his task as he was, he would not notice the other man leaving.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's efforts were rewarded with a pained hiss as his vibroknife tore into Croff's chest plate, wrenching through the durasteel and cutting into his chest. Not as deep as he may have liked, but certainly enough to give the lizard a bad day. Jumping to attack him with his horns was unorthodox, and would end up costing him. As while he was in the air he would have no way to avoid Croff's own blade as he brought it back up, stabbing the Half-Zabrak in his left side just above the waist. At the same time the Trandoshan started to turn his head upwards to avoid the horns, but they still made contact witch him below the chin, tearing into his skin and sending the lizard sprawling backwards onto the dusty earth.

Croff's friends jeered as their leader fell. The Trandoshan meanwhile scrambled backwards to put some distance between himself and Crix, raising one hand to wipe the blood from his face before getting back to his feet and trying to catch his breath. "Good fighter..." He murmured between breaths. "The ssstoriesss about the Jedi are true huh?" He swallowed and panted some more. "Not done yet though..." Croff was bleeding and hunched over slightly in obvious pain. And suddenly Avesh was nowhere to be seen. The Trandoshans still didn't take notice though, and after a few more seconds of trying to catch his breath Croff let out a guttural reptilian cry and charged forward, ducking to the Padawan's left and trying to attack him where he had been wounded, swinging his knife around to try and get him in the ribs.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Getting stabbed?

Getting stabbed sucked all the dicks.

Unfortunately he managed to twist his body in some last-ditch effort to avoid being stabbed but in the end it just meant he caught the blade in between the armor of his front and his back. Although both the front and back were armored, where they met was weaker, allowing the blade to dig in even if it didn't go as deep as it would have into unprotected flesh. Still... getting stabbed sucked so much.

Still, he was going to say that having your face gored at by horns was also not fun and he did kind of stab the Trandoshan at the same time so he was going to call them even. Pressing his left hand to the wound in his side, Crix took a deep breath and hissed ever so slightly. If a regular human had been stabbed like that they'd have had much more trouble but as a Zabrak (enough of one to count), he had a higher tolerance for pain than most species.

"You've earned your score too, I see ya." he shot back with a grin, eyes still mainly focused on the Trandoshan, though he did note the absence of the Dark Sider, "Wait... where's your Goth guy?"

Of course that was kind of cut off when the Trandoshan charged at him, leaving him no time to think of a second thing. There were times when you could only think of one thing and "not getting stabbed to death" counted to him. It sucked that he needed to focus on something that wasn't Avesh but it was more imminently important to him.

Not being dead was important to him.

Taking a deep breath, Crix roared in response as he braced himself. Dropping the knife from his right hand, Crix threw himself forward not at Croff in general but specifically at his right arm. Once again he grabbed at the Trandoshan's forearm and wrist to immobilize his arm but he did one better this time. With both hands grabbing on, Crix would jump up, wrapping both legs around the Trandoshan's upper arm as well.

The added weight of the Jedi would likely put the Trandoshan off balance but Crix wouldn't focus on that, instead immediately twisting and pulling at the lizard's right arm with his entire body. Simply, the aim was to twist the Trandoshan's wrist until it broke, then twist and pull until he achieved the same thing with its elbow too.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's comment may have inadvertently helped him out a good deal, as at the last moment Croff started to halt his momentum, head turning in the direction where Avesh was supposed to be. As such, he was unable to defend himself as the smaller Padawan leapt onto him and put him into a lock. The Trandoshan yelped in surprise as he teetered on his feet, struggling to maintain his balance with the added weight. He raised his free hand to try and tear the Half-Zabrak off, and Crix would feel the claws rake along his back. Although with his armor the damage would likely be minimal.

As Crix twisted his arm violently they would both go to the ground, Croff crying out in pain as his wrist broke and his grip went slack, the weapon slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor. The other Trandoshans no longer seemed to care though. Their eyes went to the empty corridor, one of them hissing in annoyance. He stepped forward and looked down at his incapacitated leader. "He'sss gotten away!" He hissed, although Croff wasn't exactly in a good spot to respond properly.

"Alright alright!" He cried, focusing instead on the Padawan. "You win, now get off me!" Once Crix had released him he would get up on his knees, panting heavily as he looked to his three comrades. "What are you ssstanding there for?" He snapped furiously as he cradled his broken limb. "Go find the rat!" The other Trandoshans would immediately prime their weapons and start making their way towards the corridor Avesh had supposedly escaped through, leaving their leader behind to sulk in his defeat. At the very least, they no longer seemed to be posing any threat to Crix and his companions.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

The other Trandoshans seemed to have jumped into action but Crix didn't deviate from his plan until Croff submitted - at which point he immediately let go of the Trandoshan and rolled slightly back into a crouch. Taking another deep breath, he pressed his right hand to the stab wound on his left side with a grunt of pain. Still, with the fight over for now he let go of his own wound to reach out to Croff's broken wrist.

It didn't need a visual tell but he made some light with the Force so that the Trandoshan would know what he was offering him even as he spoke.

"Come on - lemma fix your wrist up and lets go catch ourselves a rat-bastard traitor." he offered the Trandoshan with a wide grin, "You fought well, man, lets go get ourselves some more points and work together yeah?"

Crix was willing to work with the Trandoshans because they had a code, a set of rules that they followed. Sometimes those rules didn't make sense to outsiders but that was fine because they didn't need to make sense to anyone but the Trandoshans. They were internal consistent and, because of that, they could be relied upon.

Both the rules and the Trandoshans themselves.

Reaching out through the Force if he allowed him to heal him or not, Crix would send out a pulse of the Force through his emotions. It wasn't telepathy so much as it was sending out the general feeling of "WARNING, DANGER APPROACHING" to anyone keeping an 'eye' open with the Force - like the Master he had traveled with.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Croff seemed reluctant at first, giving Crix a sidelong glance. But as the Padawan explained his intentions the Trandoshan would cautiously extend his wounded limb to be healed. As the Half-Zabrak spoke, the lizard gave him a toothy grin and chuckled. "You're not what I expected from a Jedi." He said as Crix worked on healing his wrist. "Fighting together isss... Acceptable."

Once his condition was improved Croff would pick up his blaster and start after his comrades, ready to fight alongside the Padawan. Unfortunately the passage Avesh had taken splintered off into several different tunnels, and the Trandoshans had, perhaps foolishly, split themselves up to hunt him down. Croff at least seemed a bit wiser than his brethren, as he hissed in caution and suggested to Crix that the two of them stuck close together. While the lizards might have had trouble tracking down their target, the dark aura that followed him would be fairly easy for a Jedi to trace. Avesh didn't seem to know how to mask his presence like many Sith did.

Izel would receive Crix's message and immediately be on guard, watching the entrance to the tunnels with an extremely critical eye and reaching out with her Force sense to feel for any approaching danger. She held the lightsaber aloft in her hand, ready to ignite it on a moment's notice. There was no sign of the danger the Padawan mentioned yet though. The Vratix glanced back at the monks still performing their ritual then looked down the passageway again. She moved uneasily on her feet, itching to move in. "What is going on down there..." She muttered worriedly to herself.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix was glad the Trandoshan was happy to accept his healing in the end not just because he was glad he could fix the damage he had caused. Though that was a part of his decision making process, Crix would be lying if he said that a large part of it wasn’t purely because of the practical side of things. The Trandoshans were already chasing after the loose Dark Sider but they wouldn’t respond to any directions by him.

But they’d listen to Croff.

“Learned from a weird Master.” He replied with a lop-sided grin as he fixed Croff’s wrist before healing the wound in his side enough that it wasn’t open any longer, “No point expecting everyone to act like a monk; gotta figure out how to be a regular person and all that.”

With them ready to go, Crix took the lead alongside the Trandoshan leader. The stab to his side wasn’t fully healed, a decision against healing it completely to not be utterly drained when it came to the Force. Feeling the presence of the Darkness down one of the passageways, he nodded to it as they reached the fork.

“This way, Croff.” He urged his new ally, “It reeks of him this way.”

This time Crix did have his lightsaber in his hand – he had fought the Trandoshan with blades but he wasn’t about to limit himself when it came to a Dark Sider.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Croff followed Crix's lead, walking behind the Padawan with his blaster up, scanning the darkened halls for any sign of their quarry. It quickly became more and more like a maze the deeper they went, but the growing feeling of dark side energy would continue to guide the Half-Zabrak in the right direction. Eventually the passage opened up into a larger chamber. Tall, half-destroyed statues lined the main pathway through the room. Flights of uneven stone stairs led to five separate altars, serving an unknown purpose. Behind them were murals and more writing in the Zeffo language, much of it faded or cracked. All around there were more ancient vases and urns, easily large enough for a grown man to hide himself behind. In fact there were a lot of places in this room where someone could hide, and given the sudden overwhelming strength of the dark side, it seemed very like this was where Avesh was.

Crix would be able to feel hatred in the air. And fear. Croff stopped by the doorway and gestured further into the room as he looked at Crix. "Sssmoke him out." The Trandoshan directed him. "I'll make sssure he doesssn't ssslip away again." Careful listening would tell more of the story to Crix. Tiny animals scurrying about, dripping water, skittering pebbles. And the whispers of the Force.

Were he to move deeper into the chamber, he would hear Avesh's voice speak to him. Where it was coming from however was not clear. The room's structure produced an echo that bounced all around him. "Why are you here?" The disembodied voice hissed in almost hysterical frustration. "I had no quarrel with you Jedi! Why? Why why why couldn't you just walk away?" There was desperation in his voice, like that of a cornered animal.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Oh yeah, this was the right direction – Crix had played enough video games to know that you were going the right way when the music and atmosphere started to feel more oppressive. This right here? This was the Force-based version of hearing boss music but not seeing the boss themselves yet and Crix was already trying not to laugh at the comparison he had made. He really didn’t want to jinx it and have this bloody Dark Sider somehow have several different forms he could change into with different movesets.

Lot of hate and fear wafting around in the room actually.

He wondered, not for the first time, just how people felt when they knew that a Jedi was on their tail. Perhaps it was the same kind of feeling? The sudden oppressive feeling that there was a Boss Battle coming up, just this time the boss was the Jedi warrior monk walking up to you and asking you to come peacefully? It explained the fear.

“I’ll be back with him or I’ll not be back.” He told the Trandoshan with a small, lop-sided, grin, “If I’m not back then good luck. But… I’ll be seeing you soon Croff.”

Moving deeper into the chamber, Crix held his lightsaber in his right hand but didn’t ignite it as he stepped slowly forward. His breathing slow, measured, as he glanced around the room as the voice vibrated around him.

“I was in the neighborhood.” He answered bluntly, honestly, with a small shrug, “Escorting some peaceful monks through the planet. But I sensed you – sensed a threat to their safety I needed to deal with. So let me ask you something…”

He frowned ever so slightly.

“If those monks had wandered down here – would you have just let them walk away? The Jedi Padawan and Master with them too?”

@Reyn