The Master beamed an eye at Rykounagin, his mouth set in a sneer.

“I suspected as much,” he said. “The runes tell a story, albeit a bit lacking in plot and character development, but a good story nonetheless. It tells of a cycle, one initiated by the discovery of the All. We have the Sith Triumvirate, you see, the ancient ruling body that has led our people through many countless generations. But when the Dark Lords of old learned of the All, this brought with it greed and a lust for power, and I think you can guess where that sort of thing would lead. That is why Trelanicus was hunted down, and why he allowed his secrets to die with him.”

The Master then ran his finger over several of the raised runes, tracing their lines and curves.

“But his cult lived on,” he said. “To every corner of the Sith worlds they fled, hiding their secrets and burying them in shrouds and riddles only a member of the sect would recognize. They hid clues in temples, on mountaintops, in deep frozen caves, and in simple peasant huts with deep wells.”

The Master continued to run his fingers over the runes, his face becoming more and more calm.

“But this set of runes tells more of the story,” he continued. “It mentions the triumvirate of old, and the path down which it led. The path to its ruin. It tells of the rise of the new triumvirate, and warns against it – that of the female. Oh yes, a female triumvirate alone would be scary enough, but that is not the reason of this warning. This rise will bring about the end of the game.”

The Master moved his hand further along the runes.

"Ahh- right," I opened with, then laid a hand on the Sith's shoulder. Pressing in, be he Dark Lord or no, I gritted my teeth and turned him to face me.

"Right," I repeated, letting my hand drop. "Look, pal, I'm really not quite certain of all the political intrigue you seem to be conjuring up--" For why else would someone clone a lot of a particular someone else? "What I do know is that standing here, wherever the hell here is, and dithering away isn't getting us any nearer to finding the friends I said I'd help find."

I stared him smack straight in his brilliant green eyes, daring him to even think of going off in another direction. I didn't give up the best ship ever to fly the spaceways in order to play patsy to some unknown culture's magical machinations.

--------------------

“Your problems are petty,” he said. “But I suppose in the big picture so are mine. So are all of us. The best one can do is make use of the time at hand and strive for what makes you happy. Your ship makes you happy, as does being with your friends.”

Phalomir looked again at the rows of clones, and shook his head.

“And I will help you, as I promised. Our paths have crossed at this juncture, and this must mean something. But I do not know how to leave this planet, not without the use of a portal. However, I believe I have found my answers, and we may leave this place at least.”

Phalomir placed his hand on Yaoksi’s shoulder and walked past, towards the door.

“The Master can take perhaps take us to the Darker Realms, and then from there back to anywhere in our own realm. If we find him, that is right now our best hope.”

--------------------

The power coursed through the tuk’ata now, and it fed into Shayla as well. He could feel her as well, and Llarnalth was beginning to like this new relationship.

Ahhhh...the foul of the air does produce great sustance, she thought back to the creature. And as for what you can kill otherwise, well...

...a time may come for that as well. There are those here, after all, who seek to destroy what their small minds cannot understand...

--------------------

Must be prey…

The tuk’ata lifted its head high into the air and sniffed deeply. It smelled the Sith, and of the other tuk’ata. It would be a challenge indeed, but it lived for the hunt.

And the hunt was life.

"Hey look, buster," I couldn't help bristling. "My so-called problems didn't even exist until certain people came along and sidetracked me from hunting for the people I've been trying to help find in a logical, normal manner. No Darker Realms, no demons from hell, no tomatoes who tell you where to go on planets taken out of the universe--"

I puffed for air.

"And no ship! Dammit, why do I do this? Why do I just go along with what every gut instinct I have tells me is wrong? Look, you might have some weirdo from thousands of years past out after your most Royal Lordshipness or whatever, but all I ask out of life is to get back to it.

"And a return trip to that place worse than hell is not my idea of how to go about doing it! You're the High Mucketty-Muckness of Sithydom, you're the ones with all the hoo-doo; you just figure out a way to get us the hell out of here and back to normalcy!"

I don't know why I snapped; probably just the thought of having to face another trek through horror once again. And I didn't know if it was the actual place itself that was making me react this way... or the prospect of stumbling across the sad remains of my poor Devil.

Who knew.

--------------------

Find out what weapons...

Shayla pursed her lips.

The Dark Lord is the supposed Clan Leader of the Weapons Clan. Here lies knowledge of things that may be used to control the natural unnaturally, and he will attempt to access them. I must first know of any devices, and what they can do...

...before the pretender is dealt with...

As these final thoughts passed through Shayla's mind and to the tuk'ata's, the shadow of the looming Temple began to show in the distance in front of them.

[ 04-27-2007 11:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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"Sure." I said, beginning to examine the room more closely, while my thoughts went over the triumverate. Specifically the Female Triumverate.

It was a curious thought in my mind, that so much could be set upon the gender of one. I supposed it was important in one way or another, but in my cult training, no distinction had ever been made upon ones gender when it came to ability or skill. The only importance in gender for the cult had been the continuation of the bloodline, and thus, the continuation of the cult.

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“I said I would help you, did I not?” he said. “The problem we have, however, is that there is nothing in the arsenal that would assist us directly in finding a way home. That leaves two immediate options. First, we find the Master and travel through the Darker Realms. I understand your fear of this, and I cannot fault you for that. I too have my trepidations of that option, but with the combined power of myself, the Master, and--”

Phalomir paused, as if trying to force a bad taste upwards.

“—Rykounagin, we should be able to stall long enough to get the hell out of there without harm. It would only take a second or two. Another option, although this will seem strange to you also, is to take advantage of one of many random doorways out of the Elseness. This is a world between worlds, and there are countless portals that lead out of here to other worlds. The problems with this are, firstly, we need to remove ourselves from the planet to find a portal, and, worse, we have no idea where – or when – such a portal would lead.”

Phalomir shook his head.

“So, unless we somehow find another option, that is what I must go by. I suggest we find the others, so we may all be together, whichever option we are able to take. Are you in agreement with that much?”

--------------------

Suddenly I felt badly about snapping at him. I lifted my chin, and in strove to lighten my tone a bit.

"Well... it's the best we can do at the moment, and I suppose that since you're who you are with all your hoo-doo, if someone begins to act up against us you can offer protection to complement what I can."

I patted my holster, and let a little smile creep about my lips. Funny how it's presence, along with my attempt to not be so witchy to Phalomir, seemed to suddenly lighten my own terrified spirits.

I took another look around, waved a hand to indicate the clones.

"Ummm... I know I said these guys would more than likely be unnoticed here, if not unattainable. But do you think you should maybe, well, muzzle them or something? You know, just in case--"

I didn't finish that sentence, not wanting to give myself a recurrence of heebie-jeebies. Anyone who could blithely parade onto this strange world, hidden as it was in this strange place, and who would then put into action whatever it was he was thinking of doing, was someone I didn't want to come close to meeting.

Not even in a dream. And what with Phal's talk of being displaced in time... and now the announcement of these portals that send you to when he didn't know... well. It suddenly seemed that leaving these clones unattended didn't seem to be in the best interests of the Sith Lord.

But then, who was I to tell him what to do. So I just put the biggest smile that I could on my face, gripped my blaster, nodded backward over my shoulder and said:

"Are we walking, or is Fido gonna carry us?"

[ 04-30-2007 09:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“Not carry,” he said. “But go to him, he will show us the way. I feel better about this decision, my instinct is still to ‘muzzle’ them…”

Phalomir waited as Yaoksi gave him a strange look but then moved past. As soon as Yaoksi was free, Phalomir raised both of his hands and held his palms out, one each towards the first block of ice in each row. A bright light shone from his eyes as a fiery red energy struck from his hands and blasted into the ice. The energy then arced to the next block in each row, then the next, until each block was part of the chain of red power. Phalomir let loose with a loud, vicious roar and the red power surged. One by one, along each row, the blocks of ice exploded into chards and smoke.

Phalomir let the power subside, and before the smoke cleared he turned to accompany Yaoksi from the room and to the tuk’ata. The animal snorted, then turned to lead the way back through the dark halls.

--------------------

Lair, it sent to Shayla. Close, lair am here. Blood-clan, not mine, not friendly. Mine killed, dead all, but other clan live here. Move we, smelling me. Smelling blood-clan, here living; smelling Dark Lord, in there being

The tuk’ata snarled low.

...and more importantly, what it may be used for...

Trailing at this, a little dark thought crept into Shayla's mind of a threat which was a very real and palpable thing to her. for if there was weaponry here accessible to certain individuals who may be able to learn how to use such weaponry...

Intolerable.

--------------------

The Master continued to touch the runes, quickly traversing through sequence after sequence. His hands moved unnaturally fast and after a few moments he stopped and sighed.

It was only a momentary flare, the backdraft leaving a momentary void in the air before it was filled by rushing air from the stairwell.

But more importantly now, there was only one rune that stood out, that now glowed with the appearance of trapped fire. "You see, like magnets, magic attracts magic. That's our key." I said, gesturing at it casually. "You can figure out how to trigger it." I said, not up to full strength yet even considering the healing.

I knew that within half an hour or so I'd be fine, but for now I didn't want to push it. "Let's hurry up eh?"

--------------------

Which was just fine and dandy with me!

--------------------

He understood immediately. Setting Link down, he approached more closely and stopped a meter or so from the edge of the strange device.

"On Sith world, how heavy blockade is?" he queried, feeling that the answer to this question might indeed prove to be helpful in the future. But to his amazement, nothing happened. The device merely remained stubbornly blank.

He turned to Aaron, clattered his mandibles a bit and then returned to the device.

"On Sullust, Piringiisi volcano erupting, is?" he tried experimentally.

Nothing.

He would have frowned had he the ability. Instead his mandibles set up a staccato racket for a second or two before quieting enough for him to ask a third question.

"World this is?" he asked hopefully.

The device acquiesced to reply to this, the greeny-golden mystery within it now swirling in loops and coils to finally coalesce into a rather mediocre looking world. Over this world an image of a sigil appeared, one that once again mirrored the one on Phalomir's wrist. Behind the world, however, lay a murky smog that was clearly not the black of space.

K'kihl nodded, his understanding now complete.

"Limited in power, is this device," he asserted then. "Of this world only can it reveal; of otherness, not. Whether built to reveal this world only, or also trapped by strangeness, speculate I not."

He shrugged, then straightened.

"This room, of itself or larger place is?" he asked, waving a manipulatory appendage to the side. Once more the device obliged him, the image of the world warping and fading only to be replaced by a schematic view of a rather imposing looking ediface. From one spot along it's boundary outline a thin line ran straight and true off into obscurity; close to where that line intersected the outline of the building four bright green dots were blinking.

"Ahh--" the Verpine stated then, and stated no more but leaned in more closely to study the schematic with his engineer's eye. At length he whirled and moved quickly away, coming to a halt in front of one of the bookcases. He studied the book titles with great care, at last coming to one bearing on its binding the same sigil Phalomir wore. With a little clack of his mandibles, K'kihl reached out and pushed the book.

The entire bookcase rotated on its axis, stopping perpendicular to its original position. Beyond, the insectoid could make out a great, shadowy room, one filled with richness and wonder and even more strange looking devices.

He looked back at Aaron, who was still eyeing the image in the device.

"In go we again," K'kihl stated, nodding first to the others and then toward the bookcase. Without waiting futher he stepped through the opening the bookcase revealed to then begin inspecting his new, immediate surroundings.

--------------------

“Yes,” he said. “You have managed to discover that the runes are lined with Sith magick. I could have told you that. But it does not provide an answer as to what sequence, or combination, or even with what body part to touch them. However…”

The Master studied the statue, his eyes moving slowly up and down the ancient stone.

“Perhaps the runes are a distraction,” he continued. He raised his hand and held it over the statue’s face, and a line of intense red light flashed from his hand and shown on the stone. He moved his hand slowly down the statue, sliding it left to right as he made his way down. When he reached the midsection of the statue, a small rectangular shape was outlined in the red.

Eyebrow raised, the Master reached for the rectangle with his other hand and pressed the middle of it. A nearly inaudible click preceded a rumbling that reverberated through the chamber, and the area of wall in front of the footsteps slid slowly open. The Master waggled his eyebrows at Rykounagin, let the light from his hand go out, and together with Rykounagin stepped to the now open doorway.

A set of steps let down into darkness.

Eventually they up far enough where the water ceased to show on the walls, and after walking for seemed like an eternity the smell of fresh air came into the halls.

Then the tuk’ata stopped abruptly, causing Yaoksi to stumble into its tail. It sniffed at the air, over and over, in long breaths. After a moment it lowered its head and uttered a low growl.

Other near is, it sent to both Phalomir and Yaoksi. Welcomed not, enemy maybe is. In Temple is. Fighting am I, calling bloodclan am I.

The tuk’ata let loose with a long, loud wail that resounded though the hall. Both Yaoksi and Phalomir were forced to hold their ears as the tuk’ata’s vocals blasted through the temple. After a full minute it finally went silent.

Brothers told. The tuk’ata again sniffed the air. Others here is, temple in is.

Another low growl came forth, but this one held more contempt. The tuk’ata stalked forward, leaving Phalomir and Yaoksi to look at each other in momentary confusion.

In a few minutes, the distant top of the temple was visible through the sporadic clearings. The tuk’ata pressed on, slowing only for maneuvering around trees and brush, until all at once it stopped, front paws skidding into the dirt. Shayla again nearly tumbled off, this time grabbing tightly to avoid flying over the beast’s head.

A quiet animal wail could be heard, carried by the wind from the distant temple.

I lifted a brow at this, turned to Phal.

"I thought you said this world was empty?" I asked, now turning away to watch the staccato go muffling off, grumbling to itself.

"Who in all the known universe could it be that he senses here? It couldn't possibly be any of our party; I rode Fido there for simply ever to get here to you. I can't imagine that everyone else managed to find tuskereenos of their own to use as personal taxis..."

--------------------

“Yes, there is something else in this temple. A tuscata’s -- tuk’ata’s -- senses are very acute. It said it was something unwelcome, perhaps an enemy. Ours, or his, I am not sure, but we can be fairly certain that any enemy of his is an enemy of ours. I suggest we stay close to him, and you stay between him and me. I can provide protection with my magicks, and can draw upon the energies of the Temple.”

Phalomir turned to look behind, the halls dimly lit and now foreboding with the tuk’ata’s warning. He sighed and turned back to face Yaoksi.

“He said he called his brothers, so there will soon be a host of tom—of tuk’ata outside. Do not be alarmed when you see them, they are part of his pack, and will not harm you. At least, they should not.”

Phalomir half-smiled and began to walk with Yaoksi.

“You should have been with us when I first came here with Galen, Jharmeen, and the others. The tuk’ata lined the road to the Temple and sang for us. It had been a very long time since a Dark Lord walked these halls, and this clan had been the lone guardians of the Temple all that time. They are fearsome allies.”

A thought struck Phalomir as they walked.

“What did you say happened to the others after I was taken by the tuk'ata? Especially Shayla?”

[ 05-02-2007 09:06 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

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I shook my head, my thoughts darkening as memories came rushing back.

"Well, there was a general brouhaha and confusion when you were snatched; the consensus was that you were din-din for Fido, although she kept insisting you weren't. Your dear ol' dad didn't believe her, and wanted to take us back to reality through the Darker Realms, and his sidekick wasn't doing much to try to dissuade him.

"Me? No way in hell, buster; I thought it would be better to go see if you really had been made into mincemeat, and suddenly your papa changes his ever-lovin mind. Poof-- he makes a nice little path where the taskerdoodle had run off with you. We were in the middle of debating what to do then, when Blondie goes all dark and ballistic on us, and whammies your pop and his little stooge. Puts 'em into some kind of sleep, covers 'em with vines.

"That didn't cotton well with me. And then soon thereafter, Thea drops down in some kind of sleep she insisted she didn't create. I still don't believe her, though..."

I paused a moment to study the walls we were passing. They seemed to stretch upward into infinity, covered with runes and sigils and strange images and pictoliths. I shook my head, brought my wondering senses back to earth again, and taking a deep breath of air pressed on.

"Basically, I said I was going to find you. I left K'kihl with the kids and took off, and finally met up with Fido at the little stone hut.

"The rest, as they say, is history."

[ 05-02-2007 09:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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Phalomir continued walking, looking at the walls much in the same way Yaoksi had.

“I do not wish to harm her,” he said. “I must continue to hope that I am wrong in what I fear, but she continues to give me reason to doubt that she is control of her actions. If there is a way to bring her around, to free her from this possession, if that is what it is, I must find it. Not only is she a dear friend, but freeing her may help me understand how to free Jharmeen as well. What was her demeanor when she insisted I was alive? Was she acting concerned, or more like a predator making sure?”

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