Phalomir inhaled deeply and sent a sidelong look at Aaron.

“And he said he saw another clone,” he continued. “That must be dealt with. Plus it could mean that whoever is responsible for those also is involved with this secret area.”

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

“Then we shall rely upon your skills as an assassin,” he said. “Magic is not always the answer, and this shall be one those times when we rely upon ourselves.”

He stood tall finally, and glanced down the hallway.

Aaron trailed, his frown deepening. "We heard some pretty ugly sounds just outside the hut before we started moving. We'd better hurry up and get to him, which means we need to decide on something and do it. Problem is that I'm not so sure how we found that stairwell underneath that large statue anyway. You're certain there is no way for us to get back to K'khil or at least sense him from here? I thought you had some sort of powers or something?"

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

Phalomir looked back to Yaoksi. And nodded.

“But Aaron is correct, if we are to move then let us do it now. I believe we should go to the hut, immediately. Do you object?”

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

I came back, and chuckled. "Someone made a very, very good attempt at hiding it, but they're stupid. Why would you clear out all the debris and dirt from the crossroad and then leave your tracks openly so close to it?"

I gestured down the trackless tunnel. "They went that way in all likelihood. If we don't find their tracks within five hundred feet or so, then we know I was wrong."

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

"Do I ob--" I began taking a step toward him when common sense rose up to halt me in my tracks.

Look Yaoksi, you ol' pirate; he's pretty adamant that he can't just twirl his pinky and have the Cricket pop in from thin air. If he says we have to go back to the hut, then we have to go back to the hut.

I sighed.

"No, no objections. Other than I think we might be placing Thea in a possibly compromising position. She can hardly run, and one of us, preferably you, is going to have to carry her. That is going to slow things down, not to mention provide a means by which our unknown tomato-tweaker might get an upper hand.

"But hey, if this doesn't bother you, then lead on, lead on."

I gripped my blaster more tightly, bracing myself for who knows what.

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

Phalomir turned and strode back to the hallway, where Md'diffnnd waited. Without so much as words, the tuk’ata turned and lowered its back so it may be mounted. Phalomir climbed on, tucking Thea safely into his arms.

“The journey would be quick,” he said, calling back. “But being weighted down with all of us will slow-”

Phalomir’s words were cut short as the low growl of tuk’ata came echoing from the other end of the hallway. Two hulking beasts walked into view at the other end of the sunlit hallway, and after a moment of staring at Md'diffnnd, both looked towards Yaoksi, Aaron, and Cel and lowered their front legs to come closer to the ground.

“It appears that we have a fleet at our disposal,” said Phalomir. “Let us take advantage of it.”

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

"I hope these guys are going to follow your lead," Aaron said then, still looking down at the animal hesitantly, still uncertain.

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

To my great surprise, words-- no, sensations of words crept into my mind.

Fearless be, harmless not I you...

"Wha--?!" I jumped back a step, surprised not only by the unexpected communication but by it's even more unexpected gender.

She--??

I gulped, took another step closer, reached a trembling hand out and laid it against his-- no, her glistening hide. Up close I actually found the courage to put aside my fears and marvel at her intimidating beauty. She was a deep teal, with violet spotting that blended up to a solid colored back. Her eyes, eerily pupilless, were an intoxicating icy green.

"S-sure thing, sweetie," I mumbled as I holstered my blaster. Then taking a deep breath I clambered aboard, gripping instinctively with both hands and knees as she rose smoothly to a fully upright position once again. I could feel her muscles rippling beneath me, and remembered the size of her fangs and claws.

Oh yeah, we're going to have a good defense! Before I could stop myself, an idiotic grin had plastered itself across my face. I turned to Phalomir.

"Lead on, MacDuff!" I repeated, giddy with the knowledge that I was astride certain death, and that it was undoubtedly only by the whim of this horned Sith Lord that I wasn't being shredded into a tasty, midnight snack.

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

“Be careful, Yaoksi, she may take a liking to you. Tuk’ata are very jealous, you best hope she has no mate.”

Aaron had finished climbing onto the other tuk’ata, but paused as he held out his hand to help Link up. Phalomir burst out into unexpected laughter, letting the momentary tension pass. Md'diffnnd sprang forward and trotted down the hall, soon followed by the others.

In a few moments all were back into the sunlight, moving quickly down the stone steps of the temple and into the ruins of the vast courtyard. When he reached the opening of the path that led into the jungle and to the hut, Md'diffnnd broke into a full run.

Unable to do much but hold on while the tuk’ata went sprinting along the path, jumping roots and bushes and avoiding other obstacles, Phalomir contemplated the statue and its secrets. After reading the book in the Temple, he felt confident he could find the trigger. But what he did not know was who placed the statue there, and who built the secret area that Aaron and the others had discovered. And why.

He also prepared his magicks for the confrontation he was certain would happen. If the others had been pursued, if were not a tuk’ata then it left little choice. The Master, Shayla, or something else. He would bet on Shayla had it not been for the fact that she left the group on her own accord. The Master was knocked out and subdued. So it could very well be something else…

He glanced back to see the other tuk’ata carrying their own loads. Aaron and Link seemed to be coping as best they could, but Yaoksi appeared to be on the edge of sheer delight.

He returned his attention forward, and marveled at the speed and agility of the animal he rode.

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

The thought of my poor Devil burst through my euphoria, and to my surprise it didn't bring with it the pain I was so used to carrying. To my delight, I found it was the beast I was riding who was somehow alleviating my misery over my ship.

"Oh, I have GOT to get me one of these!" I crowed as we galloped along, all trepidation and worry momentarily tossed to the wind in the face of the wonder I was experiencing.

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

The Master walked to Rykounagin. He held out his hand and ignited a light from it, using Sith magick this time.

“Well, at least we know now that it is All power that this area sucks out. It’s like an entire hallway with the properties of an Eye of R’lous… perhaps we should name this the Hallway of R’lous… or, sticking to body parts, the Veins of R’lous.”

The Master laughed to himself as he followed Ryounagin.

“Not to distract you from your tracking,” he said. “But I am curious. What is it that makes you hate Graysith so much?”

I considered elaborating, and decided "hell, why not?"

"You see, the reason I hate Graysith is also the reason that I hate the Finger of R'lous. That thing is a pandora's box. I was instructed to steal it by a previous master so that he could regain certain lost bits of himself. As usual, the thing led to its' new owner's betrayal, and voila, I was put here."

I smiled as the tracks before us began to loom into view. "Ah and here we are." I looked at the Master. "So, I got to ask a question. Here's my question for you. Why do you care so very little for your son or his death?"

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

...and dared not prod out with the Force too much at that point. Her greeny-blue eyes darkened to the shade of murky sea-water, clouded by black oil. She pursed her lips into a hard line, her mind now set to the task.

Keep an eye out, my friend. But be wary. Others lurk here who would dare to do harm...

Slipping that tendril of a thought into the tuk'ata's mind, she began to ascend the temple steps, quickly reaching the top. There she paused once more, knowing what her objective was, knowing that the task required a great deal of stealth and care...

...knowing of at least one individual who was, at least to her last knowledge, inside. She took a few steps away from the main entrance to the Temple to consider its grandeur...

...as well as to consider another, less expected entrance. This Temple, like other Sith temples, had great balconies...

...and Shayla suddenly found the already strong levitating abilities she had to be further strengthened by something other, something powerful. Stretching out with the Force as well as with that something dark now oiling in power within her, she chose her target, and levitated herself into the balcony on the second story.
Keep watch for me, below, she thought to the Llnarth. And then she quietly slipped into a richly-decorated suite, laden with tapestries and dense carpet. Paused a moment to consider.
Now. What you are searching for is not the sort of thing that would be laying about on the surface...

Nodding in agreement at these thoughts, knowing the Temple well enough to then carefully and cautiously begin working her way to other places, Shayla entered the room to which the balcony was attached, and then headed out of it entirely, stretching out carefully with the Force to discover, with some surprise, that the familar Force-signature she had been tracking her seemed to suddenly and quickly be fading away.

Leaving so soon? How interesting...

Deigning not to concern herself with that observation, however, Shayla continued to shield herself only with the Force, and searched until she came upon what she sought, one of many within the walls of the Temple:

A stairway spirling downward to...

...something. A darkness oiling up deeply within Shayla locked onto something familar, something known. She began making her way downward...

[ 05-13-2007 08:49 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

...and his thoughts strayed to the fact that perhaps Terrin was killed by a creature such as this one. He was killed by something wild here, anyway...

Frowning at this thought, Aaron's mind wandered for some length of time until they finally reached the clearing where the hut was. As they began their approach, the tuk'ata he and Link rode seemed to slow inexplicably beneath them.

The reason for its slowing, however, became readily apparent as they neared the hut. In front of it lay a mass of bones and gore. By the looks of it, whatever the thing had been it certainly wasn't human...

...and appeared to have something stemming from its appendages that looked very much like large, large claws. Aaron's eyes widened in shock mixed with something akin to horror.

"What could have done that?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, suddenly very disturbed.

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

Excepting one major difference. For upon the handles of this door was a strange sort of locking mechanism bearing an infinity symbol. In one side of the symbol for life had been placed; in the other, the symbol for death. Hovering above the sign were a set of chrome eyes.

And below, were three pairs of runes, resembling eyes as well: one pair was violet, one was turquoise shot with violet...

...and the final one a sea-like greeny-blue shade.

Shayla didn't even blink, but reached out for the door, placing one small hand upon it. The locking mechanism suddenly came to life, wrapping about her hand, molding upon it. Shayla didn't even blink at this, for something deep within her welled up in a strange sort of recognition at the process. After a few moments the mechanism seemed to find the desired match, and it withdrew itself from her hand, the doors oiling open to then reveal a lavish room decorated with thick tapestries and plush carpeting.

And in the center of that room sat a single object:

A large globe, its edges golden, and its center greeny-gold.

The greeny-goldness swirled, and shifted and morphed until two words splayed in its depths:

Welcome Stargazer.

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

"What is this? How do you know me?" she whispered quietly, darkly. The center of the globe swirled and shifted, answering the final question.

You are a part of the Nexus. It is time.

After these final words splayed forth, a set of winding passageways below the Temple then appeared in the center of the globe. Two individuals were also shown within the image: One Rykounagin, and one Aeolmir. Shayla's eyes slitted further, and her lip curled in disgust.

They must be eliminated, she hissed. Strangely enough, the globe seemed to respond to that statement. The ground beneath them began to shift as the celing above them began to inexplicably crumble.

Another shift within the greeny-golden depths to reveal the images of Phalomir, Aaron, Thea, Link, and Yaoksi, all heading through dense forest to then approach the hut.

Oil rose in Shayla's eyes, darkness now filling them. She stretched out to the semi-sentient mind of Llarnarth, sending him a mental image of what she was now seeing in the globe.

Prey... she thought out simply. Prey...

[ 05-15-2007 10:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“I do care for my son,” he said. “I care for him a great deal. I don’t expect you to understand this, but only one thing rivals his place in my heart, and that is the Sith people. You see, I was blessed – or cursed – with the gift of ingenuity, and a serendipitous discovery into the workings of time. This allowed me to see things, terrible things, that would befall the Sith. And to save them from this dark fate, I did the only thing I could imagine at the time – I made a deal with the Devil. In exchange for the power and means necessary to alter the events of the future, I agreed to sacrifice the thing that meant the most to me – my son.”

The Master looked Rykounagin squarely in the eyes.

“All I do is for the sake of my people,” he said. “And there are great things that need to be done still. The years of planning, of preparing, were ruined by the actions and emotional devotion of my son to that – that witch. I love him still, for he may yet be key to saving the Sith, but I am well beyond the hope of any sort of reconciliation with him. He hates me, and he has every right. But I do know that it will take something much worse than a tuk’ata to kill him.”

Tapping his long finger to his head, he smiled slightly.

“I foresaw his death,” he said. “I stole him from it, and cast him backwards while I prepared my plan. I knew I was still changing the future, even though through a different course than I had previously planned. In my preparations, I saw the new course of his life, where he dies at the hands of the one he loves the most. That is why I do not grieve, for he is not dead. That is the faith I hold, and the love I hold.”

Flashing a quick smile, the Master turned to look at the surroundings.

“And if he is alive, then he freed you,” he said. “For whatever reason, he felt you should not be under his control. In fact, I—“

The ground beneath their feet began to shake, violently. The Master stumbled against the wall, and grabbed Rykounagin as the ceiling above cracked and split open, tumbling tons of rock before them. Holding Rykounagin closely, the Master blasted out with a burst of energy to shield them. The rocks slammed into the hastily constructed shield and both the Master and Rykounagin were knocked the ground.

A few seconds later, the Master realized he was still alive, but the weight of the stones was bearing down upon him. Though the shield still held he was forced to expend enormous amounts of energy to keep from being crushed.

“Rykounagin…” he gasped. “Are you alive?”

"Ahh, who the hell knows." I swallowed thickly, averting my eyes from the scarlet mass. It was presented entirely too vividly against the emerald green backdrop upon which it lay; the mere thought of it made me shudder once again. Beneath me, the female tomato felt like solid rock, she was coiled so tensely. Her face tentacles flapped everywhere.

"It- it looks like it's.. inside out."

That did it. Quickly I slid from the animal's back upon which I was astride, and made a beeline for the surrounding forest. After a moment or two of self-purging I emerged, coughing and snuffling, wiping my mouth, feeling pale and weak but worlds better. The beastie lowered herself obligingly so I could climb aboard once again, which I quickly did.

Better to be sitting on top of a living arsenal than standing small and alone, should whatever had done this decide to make an unexpected appearance.

[ 05-16-2007 05:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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

“We will not be able to ride the tuk’ata into the hut,” he said. “We should enter now, and leave them alone to their sorrow for a few moments. They will follow.”

Registering the blank stares, Phalomir continued.

“This was a tuk’ata, a member of their hunt pack. The way this poor beast died, this deed stinks of darkness. I would guess it to be Shayla, or even my father. Either way, they are most likely inside, and probably close to finding your friend. I will go first, then let you know if it is safe to follow. Agreed?”

Phalomir did not wait for a response, but turned and walked for the ancient stone hut. He pauses for a second at the opening, then prepared his magick and stepped inside.

The first thing he did was send a blast of light into the darkness, illuminating the stairwell and the bottom of the well. He descended quickly, prepared to defend himself. But there was nothing when he reached the bottom, just the statue as he had left it.

But not exactly as he left it, for he could sense a touch of magick residue on the statue, as if someone passed it over with a crude wash of magical energy.

“Follow!” he called up.

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

I sighed. So be it.

Sliding off, I gave her sleek hide what I hoped she would recognize as a reassuring pat before, blaster once more gripped firmly in my hand, I hastened after the Sith Lord. While I really hated being parted from the tomato, for in the short space of time since we "met" I had grown unreasonably fond of her, I sensed somehow that she needed her "space."

But whither Phalomir ledeth, thereby shalt I followeth, or something like that. Besides, he was still carrying Thea.

Knowing that Aaron and Link were behind me I hastened down the steps, to find the Sith frowning in front of the weirdly carved, immense stone statue. I drew up beside him, settled my grip on the blaster.

"What?" I asked, not knowing what else to say, just understanding immediately that something wasn't kosher in Alderaan, as they used to say back in the day.

[ 05-16-2007 09:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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

I gave a cry and lifted up as hard as I could with my right and left leg, before rolling to the side; feeling the jagged surface of the boulder cut my back as I barely made it out of its falling area.

"Feth that..." I groaned, getting up slowly, the back of my clothing torn and cut, but not badly. I looked around, waiting for another trap of some sort.

"So... got any idea what caused that?"

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

“Someone has used a crude form of Sith magick to study the statue, perhaps searching for magick upon it. It leaves a residue, although not for long. That rules out Shayla, so I think our tuk’ata killer is the Master. I feel somewhat better about that, oddly enough, for I do not believe he intends to hurt your friend. He may even have just gone in search for the rest of the group, upon waking and freeing himself from the vines Aaron described.”

Phalomir placed his hands on the statue and ran them across the stone.

“But this is most interesting,” he continued. “Aaron said there was a secret door, I wonder if there is a magickal trigger here. Aaron, do you remember where the door is? Is it wide enough for the tuk’ata?”

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

Slowly the heavy stones began to rise, being lifted by the magick shield as their weight decreased. Soon the Master was able to throw them aside and roll closer to Rykounagin. The Master sat up against a stone and panted.