Ask Trouble with Temples

[Talak Rand]

Talak's history going into Sith temples and ancient sites wasn't exactly great. Between being infested with the dark side and traps that wanted to kill you, it wasn't something he was leaping at the idea of doing again. Luckily, it seemed that the Jedi weren't as interested in killing anyone who entered as they were with barring those who weren't supposed to be there.

Although Talak had his lightsaber hanging from his belt, he hoped he wouldn't need it as much more than a light source on this particular trip. Along with Trys, they had come here to recover teachings from the Jedi back in the days when Sith and Jedi alike ran rampant in the galaxy. A number of individuals had become quite adept and tracking use of the dark side, and they were reputed for being quite exclusive and secluded. As such, their outpost was hidden far in the reaches of the Outer Rim and was seldom visited by even other Jedi.

Rumor had it that it had remained undisturbed for centuries by this point.

Recent snow had fallen, but the temperature wasn't as blisteringly cold as most worlds of ice. He stepped down from the Nomad's ramp and took in a deep breath of the cool air as he looked out at the mountainous terrain ahead of them. A temple was said to be set into the rock a small hike's distance away, and although it wasn't dreadfully cold, he was looking forward to getting inside the building.

Well, I've been in worse weather, he said, looking over to Trys.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys had been seeing Talak a lot more now than before, and she was still not used to it. Her son had returned to living with her, and she had to plan when a meeting would take place between Crix and Talak. She couldn’t deny that things between them had gotten….serious, and there was no way around it now.

For now, however, she pushed the thoughts from her mind and decided to accompany him on his journey to becoming a Jedi. A lot of it was for her own curiosities, and she hoped the experience would be much better than when they ever went into dark Sith cult temples.

Trys stepped off the ramp with him, her foggy breath escaping between her lips. She grimaced at the temperature, always used to warmer climates. She looked at him when he commented, “You know, those street noodles we had the first day we met sound amazing right now.”

She walked with him, not thrilled about the chilly weather. Trys took in sight of the mountain ranges and paused for a moment. This was not a sight she was used to, and it felt strange to see so much sky and scenery. He would notice her eyes widen and the look of fascination on her face, “Wow…” She muttered under her breath as she continued to walk, “What do you know about this temple so far?”

 

[Talak Rand]

As he looked over to Trys and saw that she looked less than thrilled with the current temperature. Still, after his trip to Tattooine, anything would have been preferable to him over the blistering, parching heat of the twin suns.

At the mention of the noodles, he thought back to those first days they had been working together. He never would have guessed that now they would be coming out here to explore a Jedi temple together. It was surreal in a way, and it already felt like it was so long ago since then.

It'll probably be a little warmer inside. At least there'll be less wind, he said in consolation. She looked cold, but moments later that look turned to wonder as she saw the sky. It was the same look he had had when he first laid eyes on the mile-high skyscrapers of Coruscant. But even so, he couldn't help but look up at the beautiful mountains as well.

It's kind of an out of the way temple. More secretive and dedicated to people who hunted Sith back in the old days, he said. I'm hoping we can find some old teachings or techniques about tracking dark siders, he said. He knew that he could do comparable things using Sith Alchemy but... well, he was putting that behind him. Alchemy generally required a great deal of connection to the dark side and certainly wasn't something he was interested in delving back into.

I don't know if there are traps, but at least there won't be any... dark side apparitions or anything, he said, hearkening back to their dive into the dark sorcery world.

The crunching of snow under foot left prints all behind them, and he wondered if this was her first time ever being in snow before. It wasn't something they had on Coruscant, but perhaps she'd been elsewhere with it before.

After a short trek, they'd made it to a small bridge that had been broken, and Talak dropped down to the other half. The distance wasn't far, and he landed without the need to use the Force, making his way over to the door only to find it closed. He ran his fingers across the door. It somehow felt old and the carvings in the stone were enough to give him pause. He didn't know what type of meaning it might have, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys quirked an eyebrow, “Tracking dark siders? You should know about all their locations…” In fact, she had to wonder why they weren’t already storming Sith bases. Did they have bases and temples like the Jedi did? Trys crunched through the snow, careful with her footing, “Isn’t there some Sith school we can go bust?”

She was slightly more out of breath than he was after their trek, but she was also in heavier armor. He was always light on his feet and didn’t need to wear armor. Trys paused before the broken bridge, watching Talak effortlessly jump across. She didn’t observe him having to use the Force, so she checked to ensure the edges weren’t icy.

After giving herself a slight running start, Trys leaped over as well, though her landing was far less graceful. She almost fell backwards and had to clutch onto Talak’s shoulder to stop herself. Trys regained her footing and moved up to stand next to him and the closed door.

Trys shoved against the door but it didn’t budge. She stepped back and shrugged, “Well, we can either blow through this or find another way in,” She turned to him with a grin, “What would Jedi Talak do?”

 

[Talak Rand]

There's one, but it'd require a whole fleet and Jedi to crack. In fact, probably something that should be organized, he said. He had said that he'd tell the Sector Rangers whatever they wanted to know, and he had, but no doubt organizing something like that took time.

But there're a lot who were like me, he went on. Spread out all over the galaxy, which is why I want to learn how to track them down if possible, he said. The reasoning seemed sound to him.

As she leapt across the hole, he felt her hand against his shoulder and his own hand shot up out of reflex and clamped down on her forearm in a vice grip, completely uncomfortable with the idea of her plunging down to her death or anything of the sort.

Jedi Talak? he muttered after her. The idea was still weird and foreign to him, but he was trying to adjust to it.

Probably something to do with "patience" or something... he said in a tone that didn't sound excited.

I don't suppose cutting my way through is the "Jedi appropriate" thing to do, he said, mouth twisting up a bit in thought. He started glancing around and his eyes drew up above them.

I have an idea, and I think you're going to hate it, he said. She would be able to follow his gaze to the arches up above the bridge and she would be able to figure out fairly quickly that his idea involved levitating and leaping to the upper ledge perhaps thirty feet above them.

Do you want to go up first or me first? he asked, quirking an eyebrow. He was fully prepared for the objection, but it was the easiest way inside. Above and through the arches was a wide open area with a roof and arches stretching around the entirety of the balcony area. In the center were stairs going down into the temple that they would both be able to guess extended into the bowels of the mountain.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys was already frowning when he began to look up. It was too high to make with a jump, and she knew she would have to rely on his ‘magic’ to help her up. She pondered for a moment as he asked about who went first, “I guess I’ll go…” She muttered quietly, “In case I lose my footing and tumble down,” Trys had no qualms with admitting she could be clumsy at times - especially when it came to icy ledges.

She waited for him to coil the Force around her and lift her up, hating every moment of it. Trys half wondered if it were worth investing in a jet pack - it had to be better than this odd feeling. As she was high up, she was able to grasp onto a ledge and hoist herself up. Trys didn’t even bother to look to see Talak no doubt casually spring up without a second thought.

Trys walked towards the center of the roof, finding some stairs that were partially destroyed. However, she could make the jump from here and sprang over to land at the top of the stairs. Trys began to descend down, already seeing markings on the walls and a second opening that led to the internal chambers.

“This place isn’t giving me an uneasy feeling like the other ones did,” She said as she turned to Talak, “How about you?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak focused on Trys wrapping her up with the Force in a gentle but firm grip and lifting her toward the upper edge. The finesse with which he did it was in stark contrast to slamming a person into the ground, which required far less focus. When she was up, he leapt up himself and landed on the roof.

At first he didn't notice anything off as they advanced over to the stairs. He found himself scratching at himself and itches seemed to spring up all over him. He attributed it to the changes in climate for the moment's consideration that he gave it and then thought no further of it.

As they made it to the stairs, he began to descend after her, watching how she bounded down the steps. As much as she may sell herself short, she was still quite the athlete and he smirked.

He continued down as well, but as soon as his feet hit the floor, the itching became a burning. It felt like a sun burn under hot water, a stinging all over the skin that forced a grimace across his face. He rolled up his sleeve in confusion, not yet having pinpointed its connection to the temple. He didn't even notice Trys's question as he looked at his skin, otherwise clear.

Agh, he groaned as the burning seemed to worsen. There was a look of surprise and concern on his face as he looked up at her, trying to determine if she was experiencing anything similar. Evidently not, and it was clear that he was... having some sort of reaction that was actually worrying him. In fact, his mechanical arm seemed to be the only part of him that wasn't having a problem.