They soon found that going back up wasn't nearly as easy as their descent had been. Over and over again they came to dead ends, passageways which were either to small or narrow to fit through, or had been blocked off long ago by falling rocks. Each time they were forced to turn around and retrace their steps, and in the dim light provided by the energy blades, nothing seemed to look the same going the other direction.
At one point, they accidentally back tracked too far, having missed the other passageway and it cost them nearly another hour before they realized it.
As close as they could estimate, it took them nearly two full days, and when they finally reached the exit to the caves, they found it was choked with fallen debris.
Trychon climbed the loose talus to the narrow hole. He could just get a glimpse of the sky and smell the warm air, but couldn't get any closer. Suddenly he heard a low rumble from somewhere behind him.
He paused to listen, but it was gone. "Raez... you hear that?"
"Yeah."
"What do you think that was?"
"That was some sort of internal communications," the younger brother replied.
Trychon slid back down the debris and looked at his brother, then back down the passage they had just come. "Then we better get to digging before whatever was communicating shows up."
"I don't think we have to worry about it," Raezyr said and reached out with the Force and began levitating rocks and tossing them back behind them.
"How do you know that?" Trychon asked as he began assisting in the excavation.
"Because it was my stomach complaining. It thinks my throat has been cut."
-----------------------
Indeed it had been several days now since they had last eaten, and they were out of water as well... despite having used it sparingly. Neither of them talked about it, but they both knew it was an altogether too real possibility that it might be quite some time before they could get to water.
Fortunately that proved not to be the case. It was night time when they emerged onto a hillside over looking a medium sized village which sat in a lush, tropical river valley. A few lights were shining down below in the village which surrounded a larger, columned structure which resembled one of those from the bigger city where the conference had taken place.
"At least we should be able to get to water without having to fight a whole village," Raezyr remarked. "The only problem we have now is figuring out just where exactly we are. We could be 50 miles or more off course."
Trychon turned and grinned at his brother. "You probably don't recognize it from this side, but look again at the structure with the columns... that's Rodas' pavilion."
"Great," Raezyr remarked sourly. "So much for not fighting a whole village."
They cautiously approached the village, taking the long way around to reach the river first, hoping that they could at least get some water before being attacked.... though they remembered their welcoming committee from their first arrival and weren't taking any chances.
They were pleasantly surprised to find that they were not challenged at all as they walked up to the river at the edge of the forestry and grabbed themselves some water. It was strangely calm, and there wasn't even any signs of the local natives watching them. Even the local wildlife seemed to be in hiding.
They sat at the water's edge for several minutes and pondered the feeling.
Trychon stood up and looked at their surroundings one last time. "Well, then. Do you want to get a short rest in?"
"I do." Raezyr stood up. "On our ship. Let's go get this over with."
They both extended their senses, wary for a trap. Feeling nothing, but still on edge, they slowly moved through the foliage and followed the river into the village. As they neared, they did see or hear the occasional wildlife, but the level of activity was still alarming. Even the lack of a breeze put them on edge.
They got to the edge of the village before they saw their first Meisosian. There was several warriors at the gate. They had their various spears and swords, but they held them to the side, in a passive position. They watched the Sith approach without saying a word or even flinching, though their eyes were open wide with either anticipation or awe.
As they crossed through the main gate and into the city, they found that the walkways were lined at the edges almost in a similar manner to the festival they'd been at. They all had the same expression as they walked towards the pavilion.
Trychon tried getting a response by making faces at a few of the small groups, but he failed to get any response, outside of a small child who stuck out its tongue at him before its mother could drag it away.
They entered the pavilion, still keeping a close eye on their backs as 'outnumbered' didn't begin to describe their situation. The town's population seemed to have grown or been augmented, and they were nearly all glaring at them now from their rear.
The door to Rodas' audience chamber was cracked open, but they couldn't see into the chamber at all.
Raezyr gave it a quick Force shove and it slammed open, making a large cracking noise as it slammed into the wall.
Vathka Rodas was waiting for them from his throne at the far side of the chamber.
After the echo dissipated from the chamber, they could hear him softly clapping.
"Yes....." The elder hissed. "I knew you would make it back. I foresaw it and I could still feel you. They left you for dead, but I knew you would come."
They approached without word and ignited their lightsabers.
"You kriffing pile of go-se!" Raezyr growled. "You set us up, for some twisted power grab."
The old man chuckled. "Don't be foolish. I could have arranged that without your help. It was merely a bit more amusing this way."
"We've come for our belongings and our crystals!" Trychon yelled, now pointing with his free hand at Rodas. "How painful this is for you is up to yo..."
Neither Sith could have anticipated the speed with which things unfolded. Rodas struck them both with a Force lightning attack that put Lord Vikon's to shame. He relented his attack only long enough to blast them both across the room in separate directions and each into the very sturdy columns, cracking their heads against the stone.
They fell to the ground, stunned in several different ways.
"Oh Wahnri Rahz...." The old man croaked, nearly singing the words. "Come out and play....."
No comments:
Post a Comment