Kainan Wolfe
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Affiliation: The Forgotten
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Post by Kainan Wolfe on Jun 16, 2022 7:30:29 GMT -8
"We'll have to make do with what we have, then," replied the Colonel as he led the Mandalorian down the neatly ordered row of structures and into the command bunker. Soldiers otherwise immobile as statues, snapped at attention and saluted crisply as they passed. They wore scarred and weathered armor, tubes linking their helmets to rebreather units on their belts. Bayonets were attached to their rifles. Kraft's office was spacious, but not overly so. Furnishings were simple and spartan, an unadorned desk, some chairs, a computer console of some design that differed from standard galactic fare and a locked book case containing several datapads, two of which the Colonel retrieved. "Let's see... First, the standard briefing on Kalidani law for new arrivals," the Colonel spoke, reading the strange, blocky symbols scrolling on the screen of the first datapad. "In New Selentia, we maintain a strict adherence to Kalidani law and all residents, temporary or permanent, are obliged to abide by... yadda, yadda, yadda..." Kraft said, skipping several sections, before giving up on the datapad entirely and setting it on his desk. "Basically, no stealing, no gambling, no spice running or consumption, no smuggling, no yapping pacifist nonsense, no vandalism, no murders... Ah, if someone insults you or commits a slight against you, you can challenge him to a judicial duel and then you can beat eachother senseless."
"Oh, and there is the obligatory warning that breaking any of these laws is punishable by torture or execution... And... that's about it," the Colonel said. "Accomodation will be provided either at a local barracks, or you may opt to rent property in the city or stay on your ship. Payment is provided in Galactic Standard Credit to the amount of eight thousand credits per month plus bonuses for participating in active operations. And you will need to exchange some of that into Kalidani Scrip if you wish to make any purchases in Kalidani territory."
"Assignments may include anything from security detail and escort, to active combat operations and optional classified missions which may take place offworld or outside of Kalidani territory. If you agree to these terms, I need you to sign here, here and here," the Colonel spoke, pointing to several empty fields on the datapad. "Standard mercenary contract, press this button to translate it into Galactic Basic and Aurebesh."
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Baldr Wren
The Mandalorian Assembly
Posts: 5
Affiliation: Knights of the Mando'ade
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Post by Baldr Wren on Aug 16, 2022 18:25:12 GMT -8
New Selentia Spaceport
Baldr listened as the Colonel spoke. He was a bit surprised by the strict rules and laws that the Kalidani had, although most of them were typical of Military Governments. He was also pretty sure that there were places in New Selentia that one could gamble and partake in a few drinks, whether the higher ups knew about these places would of course be a different matter. Not that he was one to gamble or heavily drink, he of course would have drink once in awhile. That however was mainly done while he was alone.
He continued to listen as the Colonel spoke about accommodations and how that he could stay in the barracks, rent a place or stay on his ship. He had to admit that this offer of accommodations was almost unheard of in his profession. He of course would have to have a look at all options before he decided. The mention of a monthly payment was also nice, although the part of exchanging them to the local currency was a tad surprising but not unheard of.
Then came the details of the type of work he would be doing for the Kalidani and Baldr wasn't shock in the least as those types of assignments, he was used to. All that was left to done was sign the contact in the areas pointed out to him by the Colonel. So he reached out and left the datapad up and started to sign his name in the designated spots, once he was finished he handed the datapad back to the Colonel and then spoke.
What' would you have me do now?
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jun 27, 2023 6:34:50 GMT -8
Continued from here.A shimmering red orb fell through the sky as the Occulori descended through the atmosphere towards a swampy region of the Naboo. The entire outer layer of the uniquely altered Core Ship was coated in ruby coloured meltmassif ore that served as an alchemical transmitter of sorts, glowing luminously with a contained inner fire that was split down the centre by an obsidian black iris that seemed to peer around as though animate. What wasn't as readily seen was that each of the flaming pupils movements was mimicked by the orb of same material topping the black scaled barabel's ornate saber-cane, more than suggesting the two devices were connected in some way.Seated in the back compartment of the modified submersible, the dark duo of Dragus and Ren felt the vehicle shake as the Core Ship struck the surface of a boggy lake and began to sink beneath the watery depths. Scalding steam poured up into the air as swamp water vaporized and the lake boiled around the submerged mobile monster maker. The Dark Apothecary rose from his seat and stalked over to the swiveling head of the modified AT-AT swimmer they were in, affectionately coined the 'Drugon'. Greasy furred ranats with gnarled paws were stationed at the controls, turning their beady eyes towards the villainous velociraptor as he entered what served as the cockpit of the former Imperial submarine they rescued from the scrap heap."Cycle out the atmosssphere and open the hangar." He hissed, pointing a hooked index talon at the massive set of mechanical doors barring their path directly ahead. The sea-rats seated at the various stations complied, venting the atmosphere first from the hangar and waiting as it filled up with swamp water. Once the bay was full, the hangar doors groaned as they pulled apart, creating a yawning opening through which the submersible could exit. Fishguts, the sea-rat on steering, maneuvered the sub out of the bay and away from the Occulori. By now the glowing red core ship had settled into the muddy bottom of the lake, the waters around the hull now sufficiently cooled. The Drugon's pilot took the submarine two hundred feet from the pulsating sphere and hovered in the water just above the bottom, somewhat concealed by a seaweed and loosed sediment. "Alright, time to sssee if all thiz hard work waz worth it. Tell the Occulori to releassse the Sssea Leviathan."A series of fast paced squeaks were the crews response as the sea-rats communicated with the tinker rats aboard the Core Ship. A moment later and an opening could be seen forming in the hull of the great red orb as another hangar was exposed to the murky swamp waters. Something monstrous and incredibly quick surged out of the split set of doors before the Dark Apothecary could get a good glimpse of it through the transparasteel window. The creature was definitely there though. The constant sonar pings confirmed it. As he attempted to peer through the swampy murk, a large orange eye snapped open in front of the cockpit, giving the Dark Apothecary a startle as he backed away into the rear compartment where Mal'ize was. He really hoped that leviathan repellant he had coated the hull in did its job. He didn't fancy the idea of being something else's lunch. Hmmm, now there was an idea. He was rather peckish.“That sounds exciting. Lead the way. But I must admit, these biologicals are not my strong suit. Before you ask, yes we do work together. No, not in the same place. None of your creations will be able to tolerate being in my lab. The temperatures that will be generated in my lab are too great for organics to tolerate. There are some of our kind that mastered flesh crafting with metals and flesh, I never bothered. It’s too messy dealing with organics. I don’t like cleaning up dung either. Most that I’ve dared to venture into the topic was metallic plants.”
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Jun 30, 2023 12:05:42 GMT -8
Ren found a nearby chair and sat down. From a distance, Naboo looked like a glittering green gemstone wrapped in tendrils of blue. She scowled. That much water would mean an abundance of life, not necessarily any salvable or usable metal. She suspected that the planet would offer her, at best, either inferior or subpar metals. The ship began its typical landing sequence as it exited the upper atmosphere and entered the lower atmosphere of Naboo.  "I don't like to see this much organic life. The metals produced by these worlds are... inferior. Perhaps, there's a desert or something nearby for me to salvage or mine something." "Now there's a novel idea, lunch. I haven't eaten anything since that unfortunate situation on Coruscant. Apparently, they don't believe in feeding prisoners." The descent through Naboo's atmosphere was a rough one, given the amount of moisture in the atmosphere to cause turbulence. She sat back and thought to herself, "it's a shame that we had to leave. I was curious to see what would have happened whenever they landed."
She rose to her feet whenever she felt the ship stop and dusted off her traveler's clothing. "It looks like we've made it. Let the show begin." With a few swift footsteps, she found herself at Dragus' side again. A great view port/window stood between them and the small village in the distance, no less than 200 yards away. They were on the terrestrial surface of the planet near the shores of a large lake. From their position, the village didn't look like much. It looked more like a set of ruins than an actual village."What is this place? Does anyone actually live here? It looks like it's abandoned. There's nothing here, just stones, trees, and broken statues."
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jul 2, 2023 10:33:39 GMT -8
"Camouflage, my dear." Explained the scaled scourge who appeared quite the demented vulture in his cloak of dark rishii feathers, tapping a long curved talon on the window as he gestured towards the nearby settlement. "The height of Gungan civilization waz reached many aeonz ago, before the human settlerz came and colonized thiz world. Thiz iz all that remainz of a once sssprawling empire that covered the sssurface of thiz world, now forgotten by time and paved over by progresss." He leaned on his saber-cane as he peered out the view-port beside Mal'ize, his tone sober and somewhat sad. "It iz a tale az old az time."
Only it wasn't so much Naboo that the Famine Lord was reflecting upon, but rather his home on Pzob, or what little of it remained. Once upon a time his people, the Sith servants of the Almighty Eye, ruled a vast stretch of space that included most of the Expansion Region and a great deal of the Outer Rim. An endless train of shuttles would travel to and from the Eye's cradle of holy Pzob bearing slaves destined for the sacrifice pits at the base of the great spire at the heart of the City of the Eye. Together Dragus and the other High Lords had visited an era of bloodshed and violence upon the stars that to this day he still saw the lingering wounds from, though even they had faded into scars with the passage of time, destined to eventually be forgotten entirely. It was an odd thing, watching the end of ones existence like a helpless hostage forced along for the ride.
"Well, thiz and what'z beneath the ssswamp waterz of thiz bog we're sssitting in." He tapped the cortosis tip of his cane on the deck loudly. "Squeakers!" He snapped at the ranat in the pilots seat, calling him by the only rodent name he had bothered to learn. "Take uz down."
The verminous pilot acknowledged with a squeak before guiding the ATAT-swimmer deeper below the watery depths to reveal the luminous glowing vista of an underwater gungan city. Energy barriers that kept the water at bay shone with an orange light as the Drugon's repulsors carried it closer. The submersible shook as a large shape surged passed it in the water, as the Sea Leviathan spotted the series of connected domes and raced towards the buffet of amphibious sentients. Dragus nearly lost his footing, planting his tail spike in the deck as their pilot corrected their path and eased them back into a gentle approach. Through the view-panel in the cockpit of the Drugon they could see the monstrous leviathan clamp its massive jaws on the first of the domed structures, delivering incredible pressure as it sunk its fangs through a shrieking plasma layer that quickly caved beneath the beast's ferocious display of power. Air rushed towards the surface of the swamp lake as the energized barrier finally quit and water spilled in from all directions as gungans were pulled and pushed by the powerful currents.
Sickly green glowing blister pods on the sea leviathan's scaly back drained the fleeing inhabitants swimming through the water of their very life force, leaving vacant husks floating in its wake, before setting its massive jaws on the next of a dozen energized domes that comprised the outer layer of the gungan city. The ranat at the controls guided the submersible lower still until the cockpit of the ATAT swimmer came level with an opening into one of the city's lower domes that hadn't yet flooded with water. "Take uz in." Hissed Dragus as he hunched over the pilots seat, peering at their surroundings as the Drugon glided gently through the opening and emerged in a pool of water that served as a submersible bay for the city's wealth of bongos. As the modified submarine rose above the water and entered the bay, the top hatch cracked open and out climbed the black scaled barabel, reaching down inside to offer Mal'ize a claw up onto the roof of the vehicle. He looked around at the somewhat humid bay, noticing he could still track the sea leviathan's rampage of terror through the semi-translucent energy barrier that kept the waters of the lake at bay.
"An actual gungan city. Remarkable." He exclaimed with genuine awe. "I'm sssure you'd be sssurprised to learn I've never visssited one before given how good my gunganessse iz, but it'z true."
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Jul 7, 2023 22:58:00 GMT -8
Mal Carefully eyed the ruins looking for any sign of life. She paid closer attention to the stones nearby. They were perfectly placed. Too perfect. The mossy vegetation that clung to them looked like they had been haphazardly painted on. She ran her hands across where moss should be, but found nothing except for green paint on stone. She then grabbed at the trellises and gave them a firm tug. The plant broke free of the stone with relative ease.
“I do believe that you’re correct about the camoflouge. These stones aren’t right. They’re painted. This breed of stranglethorn should be deeply rooted, but it’s not. These stones must be new. Maybe a few weeks old, at most.”
She walked back over to Dragus’ side. He seemed to be at home in this climate. She hated it here so far. Everything was hot and sticky in this place. She could feel the beat of perspiration sticking to her face and clothing.
“Oh? Another ride?”
She said excitedly as she jumped into the vessel to take them deeper into the swamp. The murky, swamp water disappeared after they left the surface. It was replaced by deep, clear and blue waters. The ride was anything than she had expected. The swamp wasn’t a swamp at all. Instead, it lead to a deep, underwater cavern with a city built within it.
“What is this place? Do creatures actually live in those structures? What are they?”
Her questions were plentiful as she studied the sprawling city before her. The city stretched out beneath the waters like some sort of inverted octopus with large translucent bubbles on the limbs. She surmised that they were some sort of atmospheric control area for the creatures to inhabit.
“Try not to kill everything. I do want to see the city before it gets repurposed into rubble. Perhaps, there’s some alloys down there that could be of some use.”
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jul 11, 2023 7:54:07 GMT -8
Dragus placed a claw over his chest, feigning insult as he opened the top hatch of the submersible and climbed out. "I asssure you, darling, I am a beacon of civil diplomacy."
As they climbed out they were greeted by three gungans of varying nature. On either side was a shock-spear wielding warrior in oiled leathers, and sandwiched between them was what looked to be a gungan ambassador or official of some sort, wearing long ornate ceremonial dress.
"Who-sa you-sa, then? Huh?" Said the official in gungan gutter-basic, while the cronies on either side of him stared down Dragus and Mal'ize with hostile intent.
"Aaaahhhh!" Shrieked Dragus in reply, immediately twisting the ornate hilt of his saber-cane until the flame jeweled studded handle came free, igniting a screaming energy blade as the Dark Apothecary slid a clawed thumb over the ignition stud. A caterwauling crimson lance extended out to nearly a meter and a half in length, replacing the carrion reek that permeated the black scaled barabel's fiendish feathered form with the acrid stench of scorched ozone. In a flash of movement, the mad draconian swept the searing sword of light through all three gungans at the waste, sending their top halves tumbling back while their legs flopped uselessly to the ground. As the bisected bodies steamed on the floor of the sub bay, the Hungering One turned around and offered Ren a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his scaled head in slight embarrassment. "Apologiez, sssweetest Mal'ize, thessse creaturez gave me a frightful ssstart."
Deactivating the lightsaber, Dragus screwed the hilt back onto his walking stick, once more using the Gorgon's Eye like a cane instead of a true weapon. He stalked out into the bay, admiring as he walked with his echani companion in tow. The scheming saurian used the tip of his cane like an instructor with a measuring stick, indicating things as they entered the lower levels of the city, even as the Sea Leviathan busied itself destroying the upper parts of the underwater settlement. They'd need to be careful otherwise they might find themselves submerged or washed away as water flooded into the city from above.
"The gunganz bioengineered their citiez out of thessse hydrossstatic bubblez we're in sssometime after the human colonistz drove them from the sssurface." He prodded the soft layer that displaced water. "I'd wager building an underwater sssettlement usssing thessse membranouz fieldz the bubblez project iz a cheaper sssolution than say the ssstilted sssatellite citiez of Kamino, or one built on a masssive repulsssor az they do on Bessspin."
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Jul 19, 2023 23:48:03 GMT -8
Mal’ize followed after Dragus silently for now. Her eyes watched him as he grabbed his lightsaber. Instinctively, she stepped backwards out of the way while reaching up to the statue on her back.
She stopped and lowered her hand when the threat seemed to disappear.
“Jumpy; are we?”
She followed his lead and poked at the water. It bounced back beneath her touch. She poked it even harder to see what happened. She poked it harder and harder until eventually her hand went through the bubble. Cold water wrapped itself around her hand. She pulled her hand back, the bubble closed up behind her fist.
“Most fascinating….” She said. An armed gungun approached and pointed what looked like some sort of spear at her, as if it was warning her to stop.
“Hey, stop that!”
Mal’ize swatted it away and moved away from the bubble. She scowled at the creature and moved closer to Dragus. She stood beside him and grumbled under her breath, “majority water, a fat component that I don’t know what it is yet, a surfactant, some sort of gum substance and some other organic substance…”
She tossed her head from side to side as if she was thinking of something. Her face scrunched in thought, “yep- pretty sure I can disrupt it and flood the entire city. No need for your light saber. Just say the word, and I will flood this city.”
She said in with a harsh whisper, but with a smile on her face.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jul 23, 2023 4:02:16 GMT -8
Hold on! She could do what now? Dragus turned towards Mal'ize, his natural red right eye widening in genuine surprise. He knew from what she had told him previous that her abilities lay towards the metallurgical side of alchemy, but he had never considered making use of her talents in such a wicked way. Of course, now that she had let the proverbial cat out of the bag, he had to see it in action. A wicked expression split his scaled visage.
"Do it. Siss, Siss, Siss." He cackled manically like the villain he clearly was, throwing back his arms as he waited for the chaos that was surely to follow.
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Jul 29, 2023 20:44:39 GMT -8
Hold on! She could do what now? Dragus turned towards Mal'ize, his natural red right eye widening in genuine surprise. He knew from what she had told him previous that her abilities lay towards the metallurgical side of alchemy, but he had never considered making use of her talents in such a wicked way. Of course, now that she had let the proverbial cat out of the bag, he had to see it in action. A wicked expression split his scaled visage."Do it. Siss, Siss, Siss." He cackled manically like the villain he clearly was, throwing back his arms as he waited for the chaos that was surely to follow.
"Oh really? Wasn't expecting you to... nevermind, as you wish." Mal'ize looked around the ground for something. She looked from side-to-side, her eyes scouring for a particular object to do the trick."Blast, where is it..." Her eyes fell to Dragus' feet. She spotted something dull and round near his foot. Perhaps, it might work. Small chance it would not contain the correct composition that she needed, but she didn't have much time to really test out this theory. She moved quickly, reached down the hem of his robe to retrieve a small rock the size of her fist. Mal'ize turned the rock over in her hands a few times, looking at it, dusting it off and smelling it. Eventually, she licked it before spitting."Disgusting..." She held the rock in her hand and stared at it. It rose into the air and began to spin violently like a top that was coming dangerously close to flying away. Random particles and debris flew off in all directions. The stone continued to spin until it began to glow with a brilliant, white light. Mal'ize reached out and grabbed hold of the molten ball with her gloved hand. Without saying a word, she threw it as hard as she could at a random spot in the metal structure. The orb of glowing light bore into the metal structure containing the 'bubble' of the gungun structure and disappeared. Mal'ize put her arm back down and returned to Dragus' side again.
A few moments passed by.
She looked up at the hole that had now somewhat disappeared into the metal structure. Her thoughts were running wild. Perhaps it was not enough. Perhaps there were too many impurities in the stone to cause a proper charge. Perhaps it wasn't -really- water outside the dome. She could feel Dragus' eyes boring into her."Any minute now..." Tense moments passed them by. She rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, she heard it, a small explosion followed by a flash of light from outside of the structure. Her orb had reached through the structure itself and contacted the water, eventually reacting with it to cause an explosion. Water began to pour in through the hole made by the orb. Hideous cracking and crumpling noises could be heard as the metal groaned. "Alright, I'm bored. Time to get this party started." She walked over to the metal support structure nearest to her. Large cracks were already forming here. She reached into an obscurely hidden pocket and produced a small hammer that was metal on one end and another softer polymer on the other. She began to tap around the metal with the softer end, listening for something that was inaudible to the others. People and metals. All seemed to behave same way. They all had their weak points, and she was determined to find the weak point in this spider-like column that was securing the bubble in place. Mal'ize let out a delighted squeal when she found it: a spot that resonated differently than the others. She spun the hammer around and tapped it with the metal head. A large crack formed there, which began to spurt water out."Time to go..." She reached down to her belt and stuffed a breathing apparatus into her mouth. The remaining structures holding the large bubble in place crumbled moments later, releasing the large air bubble into the water. Water flooded in around them, submerging everyone. To her surprise, it floated up and then stayed stuck to the surface of the water. |
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Aug 1, 2023 10:07:57 GMT -8
An irritable crease formed in the scaled brow of the Great Devourer as he waited with waning patience, his grit incisors sinking a few more bloody millimeters into his black gums, causing crimson bubbles to froth at the corners of his jaw. A series of sinuous pops sounded off like machine gun fire as the saurian Sith flexed his claws, the razor edge of each obsidian hook glinting in the plasma produced lighting of the gungan city. Famine's frightful form seemed to grow as though his black scales swallowed up the shadows of the room to elongate nightmarish fangs and claws, his mismatched eyes blazing like low burning coals in forge blackened braziers. If there was one thing the Dark Apothecary despised, it was having his time wasted. Irritation festered and boiled until his frustration bubbled over into genuine vexation.It was only as he had reached the end of his patience that he heard the rushing waters of the lake pour into the city, only to witness them moments later before being swept away with everything and everyone else. Reacting quickly, the black scaled barabel sank his toe talons and claws into the ground, carving thick furrows in the surface that he used for grip. Like most reptilians, Dragus had a second set of transparent eye lids that allowed his natural right eye to see clearly underwater, nor was the rakatan implant set in his left hampered by the water. Once the bubble seemed to fill with water and things settled around him, he looked around for Mal'ize amongst all the floating debris, spotting her nearby with a breathing apparatus in her mouth. Unhooking his claws from the deck, the mad draconian pushed off the submerged floor and swam through the water towards the Echani, snout slithering from side to side while his tail swished behind him like a propeller. He came to float next to Ren, his glowing orbs shining in the murky lake water. "Marvelouz! Eck!" Dragus gasped, clutching at his throat as a rush of bubbles escaped his snout as he spoke underwater. A result of using the sewer systems of most civilized worlds as a method of transportation, the Hungering One happened to be quite a good swimmer, and was capable of holding his breath for up to thirty minutes due largely to his reptilian heritage. Of course, that didn't mean he could actually speak underwater. Recognizing the mistake, Dragus squeezed excess water from the sides of his snout before fixing his attention on Mal'ize. Drawing on the malign currents of the fey, the repulsive reptile focused his thoughts into words, which he attempted to telepathically express to his fellow alchemist. << Well done, Mal'ize. True to your word again. >>Focusing on his surroundings, He-Who-Hungers immediately noticed their submarine the 'Drugon' had been washed away as well, likely buried beneath the debris sinking into the bottom of the lake bed. No matter, Dragus had a contingency for that. Bringing his ornate saber-cane in front of his snout, the Dark Apothecary began to channel his intentions through the meltmassif orb capping the handle of the cane, which served as a transmitter for the saurian Sith's will. A shard of the same ruby red material responded from where it was buried inside the grey matter of the Sea Leviathan, causing the monstrous water serpent to cease what it was doing, twisting its massive maw of spear length fangs in the direction of Dragus and Mal'ize.With his saber-cane, the Dark Apothecary could control the... << Hey! >> ...Sea Leviathan. Wait, what just happened? One moment and the Famine Lord was holding his saber-cane, calling the great beast to his side, the next he was staring at his an empty palm. Sensing a disturbance in the water behind him, Dragus turned his snout over his shoulder to see a swiftly swimming gungan, who just so happened to be holding the Dark Apothecary's saber-cane. << That filthy frog made off with the Sssea Leviathan'z control rod! >> Then as if on cue, the Sea Leviathan rushed towards them with its massive jaws wide open, its intention more than obvious.
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Aug 6, 2023 2:57:30 GMT -8
If there was such thing as the feeling of relief, Mel’ize was feeling it now that she was in the water. She swam near Dragus, or as best as she could. She was a relatively fast swimmer, but not as fast as him. Mel’ize could hear his voice echo into her mind. She hated whenever one of their kind did that. It was disconcerting to hear disembodied voices being whispered out of nowhere. Meanwhile, tendrils of white trailed behind her while she swam. The statue strapped to her back was dissolving quickly in the water to reveal an ornate sword. It was a strange combination of crystalline and dark metal covered with Sith tunes that glowed dimly on the water. It was a weapon of legend, rarely seen and only spoken of in the annals of lore. They were the predecessors of the lightsaber, and forged with the most vile alchemy to withstand one. Many had been lost to time in the ancient wars, but hers looked new!
She saw the gun gun swimming by with the control stick. Mel’ize drew her sword from her back, and held it out infront of her. She reached out with her other hand towards the creature, who was attempting to swim away. Mel’ize had an idea. It was terrible, but worked in very specific conditions. She clenched her hand into a fist, and flexed her wrist. A metal hook shot out of bracer towards the creature at high speed. Mel’ize shot forward with the metal dart towards the escaping gungun while using the Force to attempt to pull the creature back towards her. If successful, she would have double skewered the gungun both with her dart and her sword. Failure meant that she would miss entirely with her dart, but would still be close enough to harm the creature.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Aug 10, 2023 14:10:31 GMT -8
With the structural collapse of the domed city, much of what had been illuminating the murky lake water had gone dark, making it all the more difficult to see while submerged. Fortunately one of the Dark Apothecary's many biological adaptions was a translucent membrane that covered his bloody right eye like a natural set of goggles, allowing him an unblemished view of his surroundings, even if it was only in the infrared spectrum. The rakatan ocular implant in his other eye more than made up for that shortcoming with its multitude of visual enhancements, a necessity given that he couldn't rely on his powerful sense of smell while underwater. Even so, he seemed to squint as his mismatched eyes tried to follow the fleeing gungan, watching with some surprise as a red welter of amphibian blood squirted from its back. The point of impact appeared to be the base of its spine, where one of the hooked darts from Ren's wrist bracer had struck the swimming alien hard enough to punch one of its vertebrae out of place, possibly even paralizing it from the waist down. He'd never know for certain, however, as the stunned gungan was pulled back through the water.Turning, he saw Mal'ize floating in the water a few feet away from him, one hand clenched into a fist, the other thrusting the lethal edge of an ornate Sith sword forwards. Time slowed as Dragus watched the squirming amphibian get dragged, first onto the tip of a razor edged blade, then painfully inch by inch down towards the sword's handle. Brown leathery flesh parted as the sword edge carved its way out the front of the gungan's stomach, causing the shrieking alien to expel the last of the air held in its powerful lungs, as its bulbous eyes looked down at the length of blade protruding from its gut. A coil of frog intestine was wrapped around the sword length, pulled through the ruin of its ruptured stomach, then cut the organ in half as the echani Sith retracted her blade out the gungan's back. Exquisite. Not only was Mal'ize a talented alchemist, she was a capable fighter as well. Useful qualities in a companion. The impressed grin splitting his toothy snout quickly turned sour as his gaze followed the fall of the control rod, as it descended towards the weedy bottom of the lake.Using his overlong tail like a propeller, the Famine Lord's snout dipped up and down as he swished through the water, extending one desperate claw towards the glowing red pommel of his saber-cane. As his talon tips came just within inches of its inscribed surface, he felt an eclipsing presence behind him, looking over his shoulder just as the monstrous gaping maw of the Sea Leviathan closed around him. A burst of bubbles escaped the snout of Dragus as his own creation closed its giant jaws, appearing to swallow both the saurian Sith and the control rod whole. From its cranial horns down to its swishing fin, blister pods spread across the sea serpent's green scaled back crackled with unnatural green lambent light, serving as underwater lightning rods as they drew the life force of panicked and fleeing gungans attempting to escape the ruins of their former city. The harvested energy fueled the beast's rampage, thrashing and chomping through the ruins.RRRRRAAAAWWWWWRRRR!!!! After swallowing the Dark Apothecary, the titanic creature let out a terrible howl that sent vibrating ripples through the water, before finally turning its four feral glowing eyes on Mal'ize. Scalding bubbles blew from its four nostrils and its jaws split, exposing a mouth full of triangular teeth, each the length of a sword blade. Slowly it began to swim towards the echani, quickly picking up speed as it intended to add her to its stomach contents alongside another certain scaly Sith.
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Aug 22, 2023 9:02:08 GMT -8
Mal'ize dragged the dead gungun by the cord over to her. It dragged behind her as she swam bobbed towards them. She pulled her sword back and scrutinized its length. No nicks, barbs or any damage to her blade. The Sith warrior slid it back into the hilt strapped to her back. The water grew murkier from the creature's blood.
It will be a waste. She thought to herself as she looked over at the dismembered creature. Mal'ize looked over to the Famine Lord and gestured with her hand. She reached out through the Force to communicate with him.
Do you have any use for this? They don't serve any purpose to you, do they?
She reached out and grabbed the creature's wrist. It flopped around lifelessly. She disliked these creatures. They smelled funny while they were alive.
Likely, they smelt worse now that they were dead. She did not know anything about the physiology of these creatures, but it did not seem to be anything that interested her. She rarely did any work with what their kind called "The 'Biologicals." It was dirty, smelly work and the Sith can be vain. She did not like to get her robes dirty with blood or entrails, but something about the Famine Lord told her that he likely delighted in that kind of work. For her? One time stepping into entrails and dragging it back across the compound attached to her boot was enough.
Suddenly, there was a change in the water. She looked up and saw that the Dark Apothecary had disappeared from sight!
Where did it go... She thought to herself when suddenly the Titanic creature swam towards her. Thinking quickly, she swam up and attempted to swim out of the way of the massive maw that loomed before her. She was still tethered to the Gungun. Then it happened! She too was pulled into the massive mouth. It was unknown where she would end up.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Aug 26, 2023 6:22:53 GMT -8
Gungan bodies floated to the surface of the lake, stripped of their life force by the sinister blister pods spread across the back of the titanic Sea Leviathan, which had just finished swallowing up Mal'ize and the gungan corpse she was currently tethered to. Her own journey down the beast's throat and into its stomach was much the same as Dragus', sucked and squeezed ever downwards until deposited into the monstrous creature's gut. Oddly enough inside of the alchemy enhanced sea serpent there remained a trapped pocket of air, so when she finally reached its stomach she was unceremoniously deposited into what appeared much like a cave. Lake water and mulched gungan corpses sluiced through an opening on one end, arriving from the throat after being swallowed up, where they would be digested by its noxious stomach acids and expelled through a secondary opening near the bottom of the stomach. A squishy lump of fish flesh served as an island in the stomach, the only thing not entirely submerged in bubbling juices.
Standing on the shore of the stomach island was none other than Dragus, who bent down to offer Mal'ize a claw up as she ended up inside the beast just like him. The air inside the creature's stomach was humid and reeked of something foul, but at least it was breathable. In his other claw the Dark Apothecary held the Gorgon's Eye, with its ruby red pommel glowing brightly, providing some illumination to the otherwise darkened belly of the beast. "Mal'ize." Acknowledged the saurian Sith as he helped the echani to her feet. "Fancy meeting you in a place like thiz. Siss, Siss, Siss." He snickered, clearly unperturbed by their current predicament. To be fair, it wasn't the first time he had been swallowed, and most likely wouldn't be the last time either.
He manipulated the glowing head of his saber-cane to shine on their surroundings, noting the growing number of dismembered bodies joining them as the Sea Leviathan continued to make short work of the city's struggling survivors. The stomach was quickly filling up. His mismatched gaze lingered on the puckered secondary opening that most likely led to the beast's intestines. He didn't relish going out that way, but their options were limited without cutting their way free, which could possibly permanently damage the creature. Something he wasn't ready to countenance. No, there had to be another solution. He stroked his chin with a claw, pondering their predicament, when he felt a change in pressure.
Outside, the Sea Leviathan had finished sating itself on the amphibians and was now on the move again, diving deeper down. Down further and darker it went, into the forgotten spaces of world, slipping into one of the chasms that crisscrossed the core of the planet like a maze.
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Sept 1, 2023 18:12:03 GMT -8
Before she could say anything, Mal'ize found herself disappearing into blackness as the great beast's mouth snapped shut. It left her in darkness as the light overhead vanished. The next part was a bizarre sensation of being squeezed and contorted through a long, fleshy tube. For a moment, she wondered if this was what being born felt like. Everything around her was cool, moist and slippery. The entire ordeal lasted seconds, but seemed to stretch on much longer.
At the end, she was dumped on her rear into an unceremonious heap of water, fish and a dismembered Gungan. The entire floor shifted and moved when she landed. Mal'ize looked up and around her. It was dark inside the creature's stomach, and it smelt of something rotting. She reached up and yanked her breathing apparatus out of her mouth before disengaging the dead Gungan from her bracer. "Of course you're here too. Why not?" Mal'ize graciously accepted his help. It was difficult to find one's footing in this place. Everything was wet and slick, made slippery by a disgusting combination of mucus and stomach acid. It also smelled like death warmed over. In fact, death warmed over probably would have smelt better. She stepped on the creature and ripped the hook out of its body with her free hand.
"Before you ask, yes, I did see this. Yes, we do live. No, I don't know what happened because I really don't remember. Frankly, don't blame me for not remembering because who the hell wants to think about being stuck in a place like this more than once?!" She grumbled to herself as she began to coil up the cord used to ensnare the Gungan. She heard a voice nearby and saw the red glow. She was unsure if he could see her face, but she looked less than amused."This leaves us with two, perhaps three real ideas.... one, we go up the way we came, two, we go out the other end. Or three, we go out the more direct way." She paused and thought about it, "Option one is probably doable, though I don't know how. Option two is disgusting and will probably kill us in the process. Lastly, I don't think you want to go with option three. I have foreseen you do great..." she paused as she remember a bizarre, repressed vision from the future flash before her mind's eye.
".... and strange things with this creature in the future. So we all live. Also, do you have a certain penchant for small, rodent-like creatures? Stripped tail, wears a black mask around it's eyes?" She didn't bother to wait for his answer, "one way or another, it is tied in with your future. Perhaps intimately so. Thought I should give you the courtesy of letting you know." |
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Sept 8, 2023 5:13:52 GMT -8
The echani's foresight was remarkable, albeit, her memory could use some work. He'd have to introduce her to his brother Havok at a later date, for the two had much in common in that regard. However, that would require that they first extricate themselves from the beast's stomach. Whether Mal'ize predictions proved true or not, she was right in that he would prefer to not damage the magnificent Sea Leviathan he had spent so much time and energy in producing. He continued stroking his scaly chin with a filthy claw. For one who spent as much time in sewers as Dragus did, the prospect of passing through the creature's bowels did not trouble him overmuch, though he was certain his companion was right in that choosing that route would likely lead to their deaths. Between her sword and his lightsaber they could probably cut their way out, but doing so might cause his precious pet irreparable harm. That surest path seemed the one they had already tread, up and out through the creature's esophagus, though it would be no easy climb."Rodent, you sssay?" The scaled lid rose over his bloody right eye in clear curiosity. "Soundz deliciouz, though it seemz a shame to let all thiz frog meat go to wassste..." He slurped up a rope of drool seeping from the corner of his salivating jaws as he beheld the mountain of mulched up gungans.! It was at that moment that an idea began to form in the spice addled grey-matter of the twisted terrorsaur's brain. One could tell by the way the vibro-blade capping the end of his overlong tail erupted to life behind his head like a luminous lightbulb, glowing orange along the edges as the ultrasonic vibration generator housed in the device powered on. Raising the left side of his feathered cloak, the saurian Sith exposed his satchel of alchemical supplies. He plunged his right claw into the bag, fiddling around until his talons wrapped themselves around a palm sized glass tincture with a cork stopper. Inside the translucent container was a bubbling green liquid that produced an unhealthy green glow."I believe your firssst asssertion waz correct, my dear. If we are to essscape relatively intact, it would be out the way we came in. Fortunately I think I have sssomething here that might...mmm, ssspeed up the processs, shall we sssay?" Bringing the tincture to his snout, he clamped down on the cork and tore it from the bottle with his teeth, before spitting it into the stewing stomach juices where it quickly dissolved. He then took the tincture in one hand and turned it over, pouring the glowing green contents into the beast's bubbling stomach acid where it caused an immediate effect. He gave his accomplice a thoughtful look. "You may wish to hold your breath. Thiz may prove unpleasssant."
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Dec 11, 2023 22:50:49 GMT -8
Ren held her blade her her right hand, flicking it up and down in her palm impatiently. She looked at the soft, pink innards of the creature then at the churning stomach ooze beneath their feet. Every so often, the creature would lurch, causing her to lose her balance. Toppling to the side, she landed on her knee as acid sloshed all around them. Whatever this creature was doing, it felt like it was on the move."What is that?" She asked as she watched the noxious, glowing green liquid drip into the creature's stomach. The possibilities were endless from a poison to some sort of toxin. Their situation was dire, but she doubted that he would try to kill the creature. It felt like a waste. Suddenly, the walls of the creature's stomach convulsed and churned once more, causing Ren to stagger within its belly. "Shit." She cursed under her breath. She could sense what was about to happen next: something unpleasant. A low growl could be felt reverberating throughout the creature's body, followed by the trickling of water from somewhere above. The creature was opening its great maw again!
She stuffed her breathing apparatus back into her mouth and held on tightly to her blade. The walls of the creature's stomach suddenly collapsed around them, coiling tightly then relaxing rhythmically. The bottom of the stomach came up from under them. Water from poured into the creature's stomach from its open maw that tossed the pair into a slurry of bile, digested food and swamp water. Churning violently, the water washed sloshed around them before the creature's stomach regurgitated to the outside world.
As soon as she felt that she was free of the creature, she kicked away from it to attempt to escape its reach.Dragus
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Dec 12, 2023 7:46:32 GMT -8
Getting regurgitated by the mighty Sea Leviathan was an unpleasant experience, but the Dark Apothecary had to imagine it was the lesser of two evils. He didn't even want to think what they'd experience being expelled out its other end, assuming they even survived such a thing. Dragus felt his body twisted and pulled in all directions as a foul mixture of swamp water, stomach acid, and chummed gungan swirled around his tumbling submerged form in a noxious slurry of half digested particles. Upon being puked up by the creature, he found himself back in the lake, his senses quickly adjusting to the environment around him. He could feel the dark presence of his female companion a short distance away, swimming with all due haste away from the creature, and the Blood Wyrm proceeded to do the same. His overlong tail churned the water behind him like a propeller, launching him quickly through the depths and up towards the surface. The saurian Sith's crocodilian snout broke the surface tension of the lake first, opening his toothy maw to expel a lungful of odorous stomach air before sucking in a breath of far fresher swamp wind. Slowing his pulse, he swam over to a muddy embankment on the lake's edge and pulled himself out of the water and onto the shore beside an equally drenched Mal'ize.
They were a sight for sore eyes. The stomach acids of the Sea Leviathan had eaten their way through the Famine Lord's robe, which now fell from his scaly body in wet clumps as he flopped onto the mud of the bank and lay on his back, relaxing his breathing as it seemed the worst of their ordeal was over. Raising a claw, he pinched the edge of a slimy green lily-pad sticking to his scalp and pulled it off, before deciding to hold it over his nether-regions to maintain his modesty in front of the echani. Naked save his makeshift loin cloth, his abysmal black scales even seemed to swallow the moonlight faintly glowing in the night sky, creating an otherwise picturesque setting with the stars twinkling in the heavens above. Even the black scaled barabel's trusty alchemy satchel was gone, now likely at the lake bottom where the various potions and tinctures it contained were having an unnatural effect on the local wildlife. From their place on the lake's edge, they could hear the occasional pop of released gas or plop of surfacing mangled gungans and their various body parts.
Dragus sat up, turning his snout to the side to fix his companion with his mismatched stare. "Well, that went better than I expected. I don't think the creature will be in much of a mood to be ssstudied for the moment. Perhapz it would be bessst to leave it be for now and return for it later after itz had a chance to acclimatize to thiz environment. The food chain on Naboo jussst found itssself a new apex predator. Siss, Siss, Siss." His snout snickered into the palm of his right claw, then he settled and sat back, relaxing his posture as he seemed to enjoy the night air on his naked scales. "That feat of alchemy you performed in the gungan city waz quite remarkable, my dear. Molecular disasssembly iz an advanced ssskill. Where did you learn it?"
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Ren'Xing
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Ren'Xing on Dec 16, 2023 21:40:30 GMT -8
Mal'ize was flung from the Leviathan's belly and into the air. Her arms and legs flapped wildly in the air before she came crashing back down to the surface of the water. She sunk back down into the depths after the Levithan- half from the weight of all of her hidden metals, and mostly because she forgot to kick towards the surface. The shock of being regurgitated violently from the beast's belly took a heavy toll on her body. Dragus' form shot past her, which made her realize that she needed to make her way back to the surface. A loud splash could be heard over the water as she broke its surface. It felt good to feel the dry air on her face. She took a moment to wipe off the slime and bile from her eyes as she slowly doggie paddled towards the shore.
Water sloshed in her boot while she trudged across the muddy shore towards Dragus' form. "That was revolting. What did you do to the creature? What was in that vial? It glowed, and it shouldn't have." She plopped down to where he was lying and began to examine her robes.
They wreaked of a disgusting combination of bile, vomit and rot. She shuddered as she pulled off a piece of entrail off of her shoulder."I suggest that we not do that again. That was... " She stopped speaking, her gaze was transfixed in the distance. Her face contorted as she looked like she was watching something strange unfold infront of her, but there was nothing except a placid lake before them.
She turned to Dragus, no words quite came to mind. She looked like whatever she had seen had shocked her. "I-I... uh... the Academy." She finally found words to speak whenever the waves of shock, confusion and disgust left her mind.
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