freedomliveson

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

No peeking! Almost finished!

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

And when you're asleep, they all will run

The lyrical chant crawled through the floors, up through to Yerbol's spine, a bitter cold enveloping his entire being as he watched the lazily moving rivulets of blood drip onto the ground.
"That's just...wrong."
"On so many levels."

It was a male human devoid of all clothing, body strung up by the ankles. Gashes and bruises covered almost every square inch of the cadaver, the wounds complimented by several missing fingers and toes along with-
"They castrated him." Yerbol finally said after processing the grisly sight, saber flitting to his right hand as the chanting, which apparently Bex and Zora couldn't hear at first, resumed:

Run as fast as you can.

The faster you go, the more we chase

Zora growled, grip on her daggers tightening as Bex withdrew his blaster rifle, flashlight wobbling just enough to catch a glimpse of several red dots perched a few feet apart from each other.
"UP TOP!"

A wailing laugh filled the corridor as the respective owners of the red dots descended on the trio, scattering their formation and casting the hallway into a pitch blackness that was broken only by Bex's wildly moving flashlight and the hum of Yerbol's newly activated double saber, which was quickly moving to counter blows from what looked like quarterstaves(that weren't cutting in half on impact?), the Champion tapping into the training Renso gave the duo only a few short days ago.

Breath. Focus. All living things emanate the Force. Use it to your advantage.

Purple auras glowed around the swiftly moving bodies, three of which had Zora pinned against a wall and looked as if they were about to plunge the end of the quarterstaff-like device into her belly when Yerbol leaped into the air and slammed one end of his saber into the ground, prompting shockwwaves of energy to knock their attackers on their backs momentarily.
"Regroup and let's move! Bex, you're up, right?!"
"BARELY!"
"GOOD ENOUGH! LET'S GO!"

The squadron rounded the hallway and was greeted by more sounds of fighting in the main area they left, sprinting to the circular meeting hall only to find more Xiis locked in frenzied combat with the other detachment of Havoc and Aria, blaster bolts and streams of lightning bouncing off of debris. Behind the arriving trio were the rushed footsteps of the Xiis they had left behind. With a vehement curse, Yerbol lifted a chunk of rubble to the right of the hallway they emerged out of, channeling the Force to launch the projectile at the group of incoming marauders. It landed precisely at the entrance of said hallway, which prompted shards of rock, glass and other embedded materials to rain on the improvised battleground, howling and cursing coming from the now delayed attackers.
"STATUS?!" Elara nearly screamed as she took a few potshots at an oncoming Xiis, dodging a swipe.
"LOW ON AMMO!" Bex cried out as a Xiis' quarterstaff sliced at his chestplate, nearly demolishing the durasteel armor with far too little effort.
"WE'RE SURROUNDED, CHIEF!" Zora yelled, frantically dodging an increasingly voracious Xiis populace that appeared to have no lack of stamina. Yerbol was in the middle of deflecting another blow when he realized that their only way out might be the blocked hallway. Apparently Elara thought the same thing(or maybe Abbeth had), seeing as the Kel Dor was already sprinting in that direction, munition pack out. Although the explosives wouldn't be enough to blow through all the rubble, it might demolish a big enough hole for the others to squeeze through.
"COVER ABBETH!" Yerbol complied with Bex's command and headed towards the occupied Havoc member, swatting away Xiis as best he could.
"Tell me you're almost done!"
"Two...seconds...there." Abbeth motioned to clear the area, dashing past Xiis claws and shouts. A few moments later, an explosion shook the hall, rocking the once solid barrier loose, but also prompting several blocks from the ceiling to give way on the opposite end of the room.
"It's gonna collapse! MOVE!" Hurrying to the sliver of space that would allow each person to crawl through, the squad began to take their leave, Ari and Yerbol choosing to fend off the Xiis until there was a break for them to leave. As the last of Havoc managed to squirm through, one of the Xiis planted her foot against Yerbol's chest, sending him backwards. Gathering himself, he scanned the battleground to spot the remaining Xiis that hadn't been shot or sliced retreat slightly, parting both left and right to make way for the toned, lithe female Xiis that emerged from seemingly nowhere. She looked at the duo with a cackle, pointing at them with her index and middle fingers.
"Somehow I KNEW he would send Sith after us...or Jedi...or whatever you call yourselves now." Her ebony colored ponytail shook as she laughed again, baring her glistening teeth.
"How amusing it is to see such a divided world. So ripe for...consumption." She took a step forward, prompting Yerbol to bend his knees.
"You're so...deliciously strong. Both of you. If you were not Sith, I might have considered you for our ranks...but the stench of HIM is so strong. I couldn't get it out even if I tried." In a fraction of a second, she extended her hands, blue flames shooting from her palms. On instinct, Yerbol threw up a shield, throwing himself in front of Aria as the other Xiis began to chant:

The fire consumes

The mind will burn

And the flesh will rend

"ARI, GO!" He shot her a glare.
"NOW!" He walked forward, sweat dripping off his brow, teeth gritted as the Force wielding Xiis closed in.
"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE HAVOC BEHIND! GO!"

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Yessssssssssssssssssssss

Done. Give me until tomorrow? My next post is going to be super long and emotional, so I need all my brains for it xD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Well, that was a willies inducing post for sure!

So...ok, I've been struggling with this, but I think it might be interesting if...well, I don't know if you'll like it, but here goes:

I want Yerbol to get captured by the Xiis.

Now let me explain why:
-The Xiis are still few in number and need strong figureheads. Illesia(our female Xiis baddie) identifies the capture of both Aria and Yerbol to draw out the "most powerful" of society (ask me to clarify if need be...hamlet has my brain all >_<)
-With the Xiis basically concentrated in that one location, the odds are stacked against all of them making it out alive. Yerbol, being Yerbol, would want to sacrifice himself for the group to make it out alive.
-There's also the draw of Illesia to Yerbol because...well, if you haven't guessed it, she's rather in touch with her physicality. She would see him as a way to begin reproducing even more powerful Xiis(seeing as they're already hybrids) and...well, she would see him as an object to be used(man, this is super dark xD)
-Yerbol would also be able to tip off Aria where he was at and bring her wrath upon the Xiis xD

Think this would fit? Let me know if I'm crazy and then I'll post accordingly

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Awesome! My wife is a runner and I am...a person that runs, so I understand! xD

Sounds great! Looking forward to reading as always :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

And bam! Trying to go super creepy. I've been playing through Resident evil 7, so I was a bit inspired by that.

I'll flesh out what they saw in my next post, so feel free to do whatever you want with Ari and the others :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

"I'm more in awe that whoever went down to where the Xiis came out of." Bex whistled after the sentiment, examining the plans himself before pointing to one of the marked locations, a simple "X" emblazoned along a string of cylindrical objects that looked like pipes.
"If this map uses the standard symbols, then this has gotta be an entrance to the sewer, right?"
"The shape of the cylinders would indicate that." Abbeth commented, his breathliator exuding a minor gasp of surprise.
"What is it?"
"Chief, that's..." He traced his finger along the cylinder with the "X", snaking down towards the bottom half of the map where seemingly randomized dots within a larger square existed.
"That's an entry point, yes, but it leads further down the moon, past even the Works and the Undercity."
"So that means...?"
"It means that whoever drew up these plans was going into uncharted territory and ran into these 'Xiis' creatures. Look at the dots? See how they're all clustered around the center of the square?"
"Like ships on a radar terminal..."
"Right...although I don't know how the scouts could have survived an encounter with the creatures. Maybe they marked pods? Where the creatures were once held and broke out of?" Yerbol nodded.
"That would make a ton of sense. We've seen stasis tubes holding the Xiis. Renso showed us..." He waved off the potentially unbelievable story about their visions before adding:
"Renso told us about the stasis tubes, that they were designed to keep them in a dormant state until they 'could be dealt with'." Bex snorted.
"Could've at least pulled the plug on em when they were asleep."
"It's a lot more complicated than that."
"How?" Zora hissed, pointing in the direction of the bloodied carnage at the entrance.
"They're dangerous, Force wielding maniacs that have super strength. What else is there to know?"
"We can have these philosophical discussions at another time." Elara snapped, glaring at Zora, who stiffened and mumbled a "Yes ma'am" before Elara continued:
"So we follow the map downward and see where it takes us. I like it when things are straightforward."

__

"Chief, more over here." The normally reserved Elara cursed at the sight Zora pointed out, Yerbol grimacing at the gory display that was becoming a normal sight in the sewer tunnels they had descended into twenty minutes ago. Uniformed Alliance guards as well as unmarked civilians(who Yerbol assumed were maintenance workers judging by the tools that were laying close to some of the bodies) lay in various positions of agony, their faces betraying the intermingling of fear and disgust that naturally followed the appearance of any Xiis. Puncture wounds, disembowelment, crushed skulls and other gruesome forms of death were present, causing an unholy stench that was worse than even the reeking battlefields of Balmorra or the cold, rotten scent of burnt flesh on a desolate plain of ice on Hoth. More than once Yerbol thought of Renso's regret about meddling in affairs beyond his control and took his searing lessons to heart. The Xiis would be(ideally) the last egotistical mistake that a Force user made. They would make sure of it.

After gingerly stepping over a downed Alliance soldier clutching a rifle to his chest, Yerbol spotted an opened grate that led at least twenty feet downward to a massive circular shaped room with a heaping pile of rubble in the center. In contrast to the rubble were the ornate etchings on the floor and walls that portrayed elaborate wisps or tendrils that wove around each other in a hypnotizing fashion.
"Gotta be the ruins." Bex grunted as he withdrew several feet of durasteel chord from a pack handed to him by Abbeth, securing the chord around the grating and ominously warning;
"Because the grate is the only thing that'll be a good anchor, it's going to shut when the last person gets down there."
"We'll find a way out, Bex." Yerbol's assurance only caused a shake of the head the burly soldier, who motioned downward.
"Let's see if we can."

The grate slammed closed as Zora made her way down the rope, Yerbol looking over the ruins with a wary eye. There were three hallways, one extending in every direction except south, said direction blocked by huge chunks of stone that he doubted they could move, even with he and Aria's combined force. The north hallway ended abruptly, but two more doorways stood to either side, inviting the curious. East and West hallways snaked down into an even darker portion of the area.
"We'll split up to cover more ground." Elara looked to the Force wielding duo and told them:
"I suggest that you two decide on who's going where. I'll split my team up." Yerbol took another glance at either hallway before pointing at the Western side.
"I'll head that way with the squad Elara assigns me. Stay in touch, ok?"

Cause we still have to go house shopping.

He took her right hand and squeezed it gently in affirmation of the statement transmitted through their bond, giving her a half smile.
"I'll head West."
"Fine. Zora, Bex, go with Yerbol. Abbeth, Aria and myself will head East. Keep your comm units open and meet back here if trouble occurs."

The trio walked forward into the darkness, which was quickly illuminated not only by the stronger blue light that Yerbol emitted from his right hand, but Abbeth's armor mounted flashlight that had a wide enough arc to see several feet ahead. Debris, cracked pottery and shards of various building materials were the only scenery until they hung a right, where a slight dripping could be heard, faint, but nearby. Zora held a finger up to her lips, motioning for Abbeth to lift his flashlight up to the darkened ceiling.
"Oh no." Yerbol whispered.

It was a trap.

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

I am so sorry to do this, but I have a lot more going on than I thought today. I'll post first thing tomorrow!

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Oh man, fights are going to be so epic...

Hey, do you think she could infuse Yerbol's saber with the lightning? That would be kinda cool. Combo, much? xD

Update on post: grading as usual(*sigh*), but on the home stretch. Will be posting near the end of your day :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

"Wicked awesome" indeed! Ari NEEDS to use that lightning more often now XD

Looks good! I'll get us down to the ruins :)