No Such Thing as Coincidence:A Mistake is Made (Competition)

[JediBeldarine]

OOC: Sorry this took so long to post. This is my challenge, and it is a closed RP. Good luck to everyone !!

IC:

An Xwing screamed through hyperspace. The woman known as Beldarine Del'Anar was half-dozing at the controls -- lulled by both the sights and steady sound of hyperspace travel. She was jerked out of her semi-comatose state by a large, red warning signal that illuminated her data screen.

<h2>Warning, Low Fuel..... Warning, Low Fuel</h2>


What? I just refueled two hours ago.. What's going on?


Realizing there may be a leak in a fuel hose or valve someplace, Bel pulls her ship out of hyperspace.. She needed to find a place nearby to refuel and check for any damage that space debris could have caused. The data screen showed she was in an unknown section of the Outer Rim.. a few planets were located nearby, but none whose name she recognized. She began to close in on a nearby planet.


Oh well.. I guess I'm going to have to land on this one.. not like I have much choice


Her ship shuddered and wretched as she entered the planet's atmostphere, but she touched down safely in a large clearing and tested the atmosphere to check for air quality compatibility. After it registered breathable, she climbed out of the cockpit, and walked around to the rear of the "Moonlight Dancer". Looking at the manual fuel gauge underneath a panel, she realized it had markings close to being full..


What the hell? Fuel gauge at 78 %?? It's obviously not a leak anywhere, it must be a faulty signal with the wiring.. I'll have it checked out as soon as I get back home


Walking back towards the front, she hears an odd sound from the trees nearby.. She turned around and in one fluid motion, ignited her sabre.


"Who's there?" she yelled.. a bit louder than she had intended, that noise had startled her more than she cared to admit. It was eerily quiet.. too quiet, she thought. She realized there had been no sounds indicating life on this planet -- not a sound from a bird or a bug, no movement in the trees, nothing, absolute .dead. silence.


You're being foolish, girl.. There wasn't any sound, you have one OVERACTIVE imagination..


Bel turned away, about to take a step back towards the cockpit, when the sound occurred again.. a kind of cackeling, hissing sound, mixed with.. laughter? There was no mistaking it this time, that high-pitched sound was no product of Bel's overactive imagination. Her overwhelming curiousity eventually made her want to walk away from her ship and search for this creature.. hesitating, she disengaged her saber, ran back, grabbed a portable transmitter, and clipped it onto her belt.

She reached out with the Force, trying to locate who or what was out there. Sensing a presence, she zeroed in. What ever it was, it was running in a northeasterly direction, and she began jogging to follow it.. While running, she pushed her mind towards the creature a bit more.. trying to determine what it was that she was following. It was eluding her however, and she did not know why. She skid to a stop outside the delapadated walls of a ruined city.

Once grand, this place looked like it had been abandoned for years, and was falling into ruin. Cautiosly entering the gates, she ignited her saber for the second time since she had reached this planet. The blue blade of "Serpent's Kiss" made the stone look eery in the sunlight, the
shadows dancing around and increasing her nervousness. She again tried the Force, but it kept sliding over the mind of the creature.. she was close, and all of a sudden it occurred to her that this might not have been such a random occurance.. The warning light malfunction, the cry from the woods once, and again when she made as if to return to the cockpit, and this creature's mind somehow able to elude her Force mind-probing -- it couldn't all be coincidence. Her stupidity hit her like a wave and she grabbed her transmitter.


<<Anyone, and I repeat, ANYONE in the vicinity of location 084.21.100379.3788390, PLEASE RESPOND. Jedi in trouble.. I REPEAT JEDI IN TROUBLE, I need backup as fast as possible Again, JEDI requesting aid of anyone in the reach of this transmission.. located on a planet with data of 084.21.100379.3788390, Please HELP!!!!>>


As she finished yelling, she looked at the comlink nervously -- the scene seemed to be so serine and peaceful.. But now she knew, something, or someone, had planted a trap for her, and she had fallen right into it. Armed with only her lightsaber and a standard blaster, she walked further into the heart of the ruined city, awaiting her fate.......

[JediBeldarine]

OOC: Stop THAT! By the way, guys.. That's not part of the damn contest... THREAD IS CLOSED TO MYSELF, AND ONLY MYSELF. I am simply ignoring the last post. Sorry, Gaven. I'll post with you another day.

IC:

It was like a call, pulling her deeper into the heart of the nameless city. She could almost picture what the buildings used to look like -- high, sweeping towers of stone and marble, the streets made of granite, and the gardens filled with bright flowers. But now all that was left were crumbled-down houses, falling in upon themselves, the streets were torn and had surrendered partially to time and nature, and the gardens were weeds -- tracks of an ivy-like plant were curled around everything. Moss was everywhere in the city -- giving the parts it covered a lush, verdant hue. The city was mutely attempting to retain its dignity but was fighting a losing battle..


Unfortunate.... this place must have been beautful; I wonder what happened to the people.


She walked cautiously, like a woman not knowing if she is the stalker or the one being stalked. Her lightsaber was held with the point low to the ground, on guard for anything. A mouse-like creature scurried out from one of the gardens, distracting her. She turned and watched it run into one of the houses, sighing, she was about to turn back to the road..

The weight hit her like a ton of bricks, pushing her forward, lightsaber skidding across the ground.. she was barely able to catch herself before she had hit face-first into the decaying granite. The creature's claws dug into her sides; it was extremely heavy. The creature, realizing she was stunned momentarily, tried to rip the flesh on her torso open -- fortunately for Bel, he was too slow in acting. She let out a grunt as she used the Force to propel herself off the ground. The creature was thrown off her back as she spun in mid air landing in a half-crouch. She used the Force to call the weapon back to her hand, and she pushed the ignition switch. The blade sprang forth, humming, as the blue light brightened the square. She caught her first glance at the creature.


Oh my god.. how awful...


It stood 6 feet, and had a lean, lithe body figure. Its shoulders were hunched down -- giving it a stooped appearance -- and the legs were deformed, it looked like it would walk with a cat-like, rolling gate. Green scales covered the body, but the skin oozed a greenish gel-like substance. The creature had strangely human-like hands -- those hands, however, ended in six inch blades where the fingertips should have been. Its face was even more hideous. Completely black eyes were positioned above two holes that served as the creature's nose. Its head was round, and no hair covered its body. It had no ears, nor eyebrows, and its cheeks were hollow and sunken. None of that compared with the mouth, however. It was grinning. An expression that chilled the hearts of anyone looking into that dreadful visage. The grin, if one could call it that, took up half of the creatures face, and the teeth it displayed were pointed and needle sharp. Each tooth was a fang about 2 inches long. It let out a high-pitched cackle, and inched towards her.


"I don't know if you can understand me, creature," Bel called in a loud voice, "But I am a Jedi. I will not hurt you if you let me go in peace, but if you choose to fight, I will have no other option than to slay you."


To ger surprise, the creature spoke.. its voice a strangely metallic hissing sound. "Yessss, I know who you are.. Jedi" it spat the word, like it left a sour taste in the thing's mouth, "Forssscccee weilderssssssss.. yesssss" it began to cackle, and a long tongue emerged and licked the teeth.. Bel tried again to use the force on it, but it slipped away like the creature's mind was coated in oil. What was going on? The thing had been inching closer, and finally it leaped ahead, trying to gain the advantage of surprise. Bel was ready for an attack, however, and spinning the saber in her hand, she set herself in a defensive stance. Rocking back on her heels, she started the blade moving in an upward arc.. The creature was not prepared for her to fight back, and the saber cut through it's torso -- severing it in half.

Black blood spattered everywhere. She glanced away, trying to retain hold on her stomach. After the Jedi had regained her composure, she cautiously walked up to the creature. With it's dying breath, the thing hissed "It doesssss not matter if IIII dieeeee, Jediii.. You will meetttt your fateeee sssssooonn.. You will dieee..." black blood gushed out from the creature's mouth as it died on the ground.


What in the hell is going on here? This is screwed up, I shouldn't even be here.


But even as she spoke those words, she knew she had to continue. The abandoned city called to her, stirring a curiousity in her blood that she had not felt in quite some time..........

[JediBeldarine]

It did not take long for Bel to realize the city was not layed out like she was accustomed to. The streets did not form straight lines, rather they curved inward. The curves made the city into one gigantic spiral, swirling inward to the main part of the town. She wandered the streets, lightsaber in hand but not ignited, like a vagabond. Aimlessly she followed the streets until they ended, searching for some clue of habitation or maybe of what the creature was. She was in the poorer section of the town, the houses being small and crammed up against each other creating few back alleys. She was still roaming the outskirts of the town when she noticed the daylight had begun to wane. She had found nothing, however; nothing to indicate what happened to the inhabitants, or what that creature was. After her attack, she had not seen anything more of those lizard-like creatures. She had not seen anything living at all -- not a bird, or any more of those mouse creatures -- it was so strange, but she could not find the answers to the unasked questions that circulated through her mind.

I should start thinking about shelter... I'll never make it back to my Xwing before dark..

On pure instinct, she turned down a side street. Something was calling her deeper -- a call that was stirred by the thought of some place to sleep tonight. Abruptly she stopped in front of one of the larger houses on the street. It was .. familiar to her -- she could not explain why or how she felt that way, she simply did.

Calm down, girl.. First you get all jumpy at noises in the trees, now you're feeling like buildings that have not seen human habitation for dozens of years are familiar to you.. You're sick in the head, you know?

Nevertheless, the sun was setting, and she needed shelter -- cautiously she entered the decaying ruin. It was dark inside, "Like a tomb," she mutters, her words echoing off the walls. Realizing she only had a small lighter on her, she ignites her saber. The blue light illuminates the room, causing a few mouse-like creatures to scurry for the darker recesses of the decrepit house. She looks around the room she just entered -- most of the furniture had long since rotted away, and the rest that stood were close enough to detruction that she decided the floor would be best to sleep on. With a curse, Bel realized most of her survival pack was back in the Xwing -- luckily she had most of what she essentially required in the pouches on her belt. Her cloak would serve fairly well as a blanket, and she had a small container of water and some dehydrated food in the packs on her belt. She created a force-shield around the house, ensuring she would awaken if anymore of those creatures paid her a late night visit. After the tiny camp had been organized, she realized how awake she truly was.

I guess it wouldn't kill me to do some exploring, maybe I can find out why this place is so familiar

The way the furniture lay, it seemed like noone had been here since the residents left. The place did not appear touched by the hands of looters; very strange. As she searched through the many rooms, she found many valuable items had been left behind -- gold and diamonds on a broach lying on a table were green with verdigris, a portrait of an older, non-human woman -- smudged and almost indistinguishable, and in the last room, a doll. A child's plaything that seemed to not have aged since the child's hand had last touched it. Bel stooped and picked up the toy. It had tufts of red yarn hair attached to the ball-shaped head, black button eyes were sewed above a large smile crafted out of thread. It was wearing a tattered dress of felt,and it's arm's and legs were dirty. She smiled back at the toy, a sense of happiness and peace seemed to emanate from it, and tucked the toy into her belt..

No child would leave this behind on purpose. The inhabitants either fled without warning, or never left their homes to begin with. But if that were so, where are the remains? Their bones would still be here.. hmmm... those creatures, what do THEY have to do with all this?

As she left the room to return to her camp, dark thoughts made their way through her head. She disengaged her saber, plunging the room into darkness once again. Eventually her eyes adjusted to the light of the moon -- shining brightly into the room, flooding it with a silver-colored sheen. Lying down on the floor, she realized how tired she really was -- a bone-crushing weariness settled over her, and clutching the doll tightly, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

She awoke to the feeling that something was wrong. Hot air wafted over her neck, the air smelled rancid - stale. Before she opened her eyes, she realized the danger she was in. A clawed hand wrapped around her shoulder, she felt the body of the thing moving closer.. a drop of the slime that coated its body fell onto her thigh. Its rank breath breezed across her neck, it was taking its time, attempting not to wake her. She needed to act fast to save her life. Using the force, she reached out.. it's head was close enough... close enough to...

She brought her fist up, connecting hard with the thing's mouth. It was not expecting an attack from her end, her blow caught it completely off guard. It hit the ground with a large thud, but slithered back to it's feet in moments. She jumped into a crouching position, using the force to guide her movements and search for her lightsaber on the ground. The thing's tongue slithered out of its mouth, giving it the appearence of licking it's non-existent lips......

[JediBeldarine]

They circled each other, creature having the advantage of pure physical size and strength. Playing an intricate game of cat and mouse, they felt for the other's strengthss and weaknesses -- all the while Bel kept probing the moonlit room for her saber. With sudden speed, the saber flew out from the darkness, smacking hard into the Jedi's palm. She spun the saber in her hand, igniting it, and prepared to attack. The creature stumbled back, startled by her sudden aggressive act. Using the Force to guide her motions, she cut towards the lizard. It moved in time to avoid a fatal blow, but the saber hissed as it caught the creature's arm -- black blood spurted everywhere. It backed up slowly, and letting out that cackling hiss, it ran out the door.

She let her breath out slowly, realizing she had been holding it in the whole time. Bel let her muscles relax, but the tension was still there.

How in the world did it get past my force shield without alerting me.. I'm lucky I woke up when I did... I'd be dog meat right now.. Damn this was such a bad idea.

She fought the urge to walk outside -- there was no knowing how many of those creatures were congregating. Instead, she sank down onto the floor, leaning herself against a nearby column. Her muscles spasmed, and she was afraid. For one of the few times in her life, she felt the knawing pain of fear. What if it comes back, only this time with more allies? What if she didn't wake up the next time?

She shuddered, her pulse racing as fear clouded her mind.

I cannot give in.. I will not lose to my fears, I will not take that step to the dark side.

Closing her eyes, she Reached out to the Force, letting it fill her, calm her. Upon opening her eyes, Bel immediately felt better, but there still was a small part of her that she could not deny was filled with fear. She sat there, determined to stay awake all night, but before she knew it, she began floating in a dream-filled slumber.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dream took hold of her immediately. She was drifting, her soul disconnected from her body, on clouds.. floating down, she entered a forest teaming with life -- squirrels jumped from tree to tree while cardinals trilled in their nests. The forest was lush with undergrowth, and various kinds of trees ranging from oaks to vallenwoods to evergreens were evident. Suddenly, beautiful wrought-iron gates appear before her. They appeared so suddenly, it seemed like they were made by the forest -- instead of intruding on the beauty, they magnified it tenfold. Curved and carved in intricate designs, they were inlaid with beaten gold and silver. The wall surrounding the colossal city was high and thick, it seemed to grow from the forest floor. The wall and the gate seemed purely ornamental as opposed to serving any defensive purpose. The gates opened before her to reveal a city whose beauty rivaled any modern day structure. People walked sedately through the streets, and children played in the garden's. The buildings were tall and graceful, spires climbing high into the sky. They were constructed out of arches and curves -- a very old-fashioned style of architecture that did not incorporate sharp edges. Even though the outskirts seemed to be the poorer section of town, the houses and shops were ornate. Small by modern standards, and pushed closely up against one another, they were nevertheless, stunningly beautiful.

Each house had a well-tended garden, with flowers blooming in every shape, size, and color imaginable. Trees lined the streets and filled the gardens, shading the city from the intense heat of the day. The creamy white granite and marble that shaped the city were a stark contrast to the riots of color in the gardens. The citizens who walked the streets were equally as colorful. About the only similarity between the men and women was their skin tone -- an alabaster white that was only slightly lighter than the stone that built the city. The men had varying shades of dark green hair, and clear, light green eyes. Their ears came to more of a sloping point than the women's -- whose ears were tall, and sharply pointed. The men were tall and muscular -- they wore a loose fitting robe of the purest white.

The women were stunningly beautiful. Their hair was the deepest blue, but their eyes were lightest, crystalline blue anyone has ever seen. Their short, lithe bodies were contained in a tighter fitting robe than the men -- it was draped over one shoulder, and caught at the waist with shiny belts of silver and gold. Everyone walked with a casual, unconcious grace; they practically waltzed down the street as if they had all the time in the world.

Beldarine peered closer into the townspeople's eyes.. something was bothering her, something that was itchingly familiar.

Oh my god.. my eyes.. They have my eyes !!!

Looking into one female's face, it was almost akin to looking into a mirror. The female's eyes were irridescant, almost like they had been coated by oil -- exactly like hers. With a horror, she touched her ears; they were shaped alike as well. As she looked close, she could find subtle similarities that had escaped her the first time. Her skin was only slightly darker than these people -- perhaps a symptom of living on Tatooine for most of her life. Her bone structure was remarkably similar; she could use one of the women for a mirror except for the hair.

What in the name of Ramah, Odin, and Shiva does this MEAN? Why do I look like them???

This is only a dream, Bel.. only a dream.. it's a product of your overactive imagination.. Your parents were moisture farmers on Tatooine, they died there.. This city has not been inhabited for a hundred years.. get a grip on yourself and stop reading into your dreams.. It's ONLY a dream, only a dream

Her thoughts trail off as she begins wandering the streets in her dream -- the same streets that she had wandered yesterday when she was awake. The people carried on their days as if they were truly alive, buying produce at a market or taking their children for walks. To her concious mind, she was simply drifting through various streets, but her subconcious was traveling to a precise spot in town.

She stopped in front of one of the larger houses on the street. Bel recognized it as the house she was currently sleeping in. A small brass plaque decorated the wall besides the oakwood door:

<<Welcome to the De'Laniar homestead. Please make yourselves at home in our humble house. Anything you wish, we freely offer. You will find only hearth, love, and happiness here -- enjoy your stay.>>

De'Laniar? hmmm.. that sounds remarkably close to Del'Anar.. what does this ... DAMN IT.. Stop reading into things. It's simply a coincidence that this house that seems so familiar to me would happen to be owned by a family whose name is remarkably similar to mine. It is ALSO a coincidence that I look strangely akin to these people. Besides that, this is ONLY a dream.. I need to stop eating so much caffeine, it's doing strange things to me.

She reached out a ghostly hand, and the door opened for her, pulling her inside the house. It was a large family, filling every room in the house. The room she was sleeping in appeared to be a sitting room -- where everyone ate dinner, and the family spent time with visitors and friends. The house incorporated all of the extended family -- there must have been four generations of the family living here. A small babe, not older than a few months was nestled in a crib, while a young child - perhaps five at the oldest - gazed at her.. all the while clutching on to that doll that Bel had picked up.

The child turned to Bel's shadow, the first person here who acknowledged her ghostly presence in the room.
"I knew you'd come back."

Suddenly, blood appeared all over the child's face, her arms and legs became terribly mangled.

"I just knew you'd return"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bel startled herself out of the dream. The image of the child, horribly mangled and bloody replayed itself in her mind. Before she could think about it, sleep overcame her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instead of being in the house, she was standing beside the same child, playing in the streets by the main gate. She was alone, picking flowers that grew by the granite walls. Out of some nearby bushes, something emerged. It was tall and scaly...

The CREATURE!!!!!

The child seemed to notice it, but kept picking flowers as if the thing's presence did not disturb her. It inched closer, and Bel started to panick.. she had to get the child away from it before it attacked, but she was powerless to stop anything. Looking up, the child smiled at the creature inching closer to her. Offering the flowers in her hand, "Hello.. My name is Katalina, I'm 5.. would you like to play with me?" She had no fear of this thing -- the child seemed to not know what fear was. The creature cackled and launched itself at her. With a desparing wail, Bel threw herself at the child -- trying to knock her out of the way -- but she moved through the image. The child's eyes held a note of surprise as the thing grabbed her with its talons, sinking them into her skin. She screamed with pain as the thing drug her into the forest.

Bel shook and screamed, tears running down her face from her inability to stop what happened to the child. She was enraged at the horror, and stood shaking, staring at the child's blood covering the flowers she had so painstakingly picked. Townspeople began to gather, startled by the screams of a child near the edge of the city. No one besides her had seen what happened. They stared at the blood on the ground, as if not comprehending what was going on.

A small woman thrust herself out of the milling crowd. Shaking her head back and forth, she seemed to be looking for something. She was muttering to herself, "Katalina.. where could she be.. she said she was picking flowers at the gate.. she's been gone for so long, I wonder where she went off to? .. she must be in the crowd." Glancing up, she saw the flowers on the floor.

"What? Those are Katalina's favorite flowers.. Where is she? Katalina? KATALINA?"

Her screams echoed through the throng, but it was evident the child was not forthcoming. She a strangled cry, she lurched forward, grabbing up the blood-coated flowers with a look of horror on her face. She had blood all over her, the deep red a strange contrast to her dress and skin. She sunk down to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

The scene faded to black, to be replaced by the familiar De'Laniar homestead. The woman was rocking in a chair, clutching the child's doll to her breast. She was wearing a diamond and gold broach on her dress, and the picture of an older, alien woman hung about her. There were many people in the room, all talking at once.

"Dozens of people missing.. ".. "What are we going to do.." .. "Our people have no weapons, no defenses.." .. "We are peaceful, we have not fought a day in our lives.." .. "Poor Sarah, to have Katalina disappear like that.."

Suddenly, a man with long green hair walked into the room, and everyone quieted. "My family and friends, our family has decided that we cannot stay here. If you wish to stay, then so be it. We will miss everyone, and keep you in our hearts forever. The city council has agreed to let anyone leave who wishes to. We have many children to think of, and we cannot protect them from whatever menace is unfolding. It breaks our hearts to leave -- our family has lived in this house for over a thousand years -- I cannot describe the pain of leaving Kith'Karrennall. I do not know what the outside world is like, and for the first time in my life, I know the bitter taste of fear. But my children need safe homes, we have already lost one child.. I will not lose another. We will be leaving quickly, a few other families are leaving with us on the "Skylight Mourning" -- the Ferani's, and the Gaminia's. Good luck to you all, and with hope we will return to our home one day."

The scene fades to a new one. The De'Laniar's were still packing a few days later when the downfall of the city finally occurred. Hundreds of the creatures swarmed the gates, clammering into the city.. hungry for blood. Running for their lives, the family left most of their belongings behind with hopes they could make it to the ship. Barely making it there on time, the three families took off -- launching themselves into the oblivion of space, and the daunting prospect of living in the unknown.

Kith'Karrennall, the gleaming city whose inhabitants had never seen a weapon in their lives, who did not know the meanings of the words anger, aggression, who had lived for thousands of years in peaceful harmony with their homes -- fell that day under a swarm of blood and teeth. Bel watched as thousands upon thousands fled into the woods - only to be rounded up later, or were taken captive in their homes. She watched as those who resisted met an ultimately bloody death. She watched the forest life flee, everything fled from the hateful creatures that so suddenly came to reap destruction on their beloved homes.

Kith'Karrennall, the city of hope, peace and love, died that day, leaving only memories of bloody death interred within their walls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A beam of light struck Bel's closed eyes, causing her to wake slowly from her haunted sleep. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she stood from her bed. She walked to a nearby window to peer outside. It was barely dawn, the sun just barely above the horizon. Mists swirled through the streets, making everything hazy and indistinct. She put a hand on the wall, thinking about her dream. She had never felt like that during a dream, all the others were dim memories when she awoke.. but not this one. She still remembered the horror she felt at the child's death, the fall of the city to those creatures.

It couldn't have been real.. it would explain many things, but it could not have been real... It seemed so vivid, like I was reliving it instead of simply dreaming it, though.

She stared again through the window. The combination of the early morning sun and the mist gave the city an unearthly beauty. She looked down the street, trying to see if any more of the creatures were present, but she saw none. No more had returned to visit her during the night. Sinking herself deep into thought, she continued looking out the window. Losing herself in the sun-bathed buildings, she began to reconstruct the dream -- trying to understand what it was, and what it was meant to be......

[JediBeldarine]

Her mind shied away from the dreadful implications of the dream. Passing off most as simply random coincidence, Bel explained the rest as the result of a restless imagination, and something she had eaten the day before. She was firmly trying to convince herself the dream could not have been real, no matter what. She did not have the power to see the past in her dreams, or did she? Shrugging off her daydream, she again focused her concentration outside. The buildings were no longer white, but a ruddy orange under the heat of the rising sun. The mist had disappeared, leaving behind a cool, crisp morning.


Well, I'll get no farther into the city if I stand here all day thinking about the past night's events. Let's go, Bel.. let's find out the reason why you feel compelled to wander into a city that has been extinct for a century.


She threw on her cloak, and clipped her saber to her belt. Munching on some dried meat she had in her pouch, she picked up the rest of the few items that littered the floor, and walked outside. A stiff breeze whipped her hair and cloak, but otherwise it was a prosiac morning -- only a few clouds occupied the otherwise gloriously blue sky. Following the side street back to the main road through town, she walked quickly, fearing to lose any part of daylight to idleness. Goosebumps suddenly rose on her arm as she walked; she felt the eery prickle of unseen eyes watching her every move.


Waiting for me to make a mistake, right Bel? You're just jumpy from last night, there's nothing watching you


She did, however, stay extremely alert, and did not bother going into anymore houses -- afraid of the horrors that might have been lying there for a hundred years. About midday she passed out of the poorer districts of town, and into a more middle class environment. The facades of the buildings looked exactly the same, but they were larger, and the spaces between the houses left enough for decent sized back alleys. A large number of the buildings in this section of town had no gardens, and she reasoned those to be the businesses of the ancient city. The wooden banners that had hung over the doors had long since rotted away, hiding their true nature. The feeling of eyes still followed her, causing her to grow more and more anxious. Her eyes scoured the street she walked on, looking for any sign of her hidden watcher. She avoided the side streets, knowing their smaller, more enclosed areas would be the perfect spots for ambushes by whatever was stalking her. Suddenly, her eyes caught a reflection of light coming from one of the backalleys. Pretending like she had not seen the flash, Bel kept walking steadily ahead towards the center of the city. Her eyes, however, calmly watched the blackness of the alleys, seeing a few outlines creeping back there -- keeping pace with her, but obviously not wanting to show themselves. It was more of the creatures, of that she was certain, and the reflection that had alerted her to their presence must have been the sun off their scales. It was puzzling that they were attempting subterfuge now, after trying to kill her the few times before. She kept a wary eye on them as she walked deeper into the heart of the city, as long as they stayed in the shadows and were not attempting to kill her, she could care less what they were doing.


They trailed along like faithful hound dogs, marking her every step, content with the shadows between the rotting buildings. As she rounded a bend in the road, she came across something that was monumentously beautiful and horrific at the same time. She had come to another division in the town, this time marked by an extremely large square. The plaza was the largest open area she had ever seen inside a city before -- dwarfing even some smaller towns she had visited in her youth. Multiple large fountains stood empty, long since having any running water to keep them going. The road was especially torn up in the square, large rock formations cluttered the area. Enormous statues that dwarfed the fountains stood battered, and pitted by age and the weather. The seasons had long since eroded any plaques that identified the statues, and the once proud expressions on their faces were worn away. Many had no faces at all, just smooth granite -- some were even missing appendages. Large crystals were set in strategic places atop the buildings surrounding the square. They refracted the sun's light into rainbows, giving the plaza a beautiful, multihued glow. Every color of the rainbow painted the area, reds fading into violets which melted into yellows that fused with indigos. The scene was more glorious than anything she had ever heard described, even in fairy tales, and it must have been more so when the city was inhabited, hundreds of years ago.


But something was wrong, something abominable and abhorrent distracted Bel's eye from the colors dancing through the plaza. Underneath the beautiful, prizmatic colors, lay stains. Large stains marred the buildings, fountains, statues, and the ground. Stains black with age. Stains that could have only been one thing; only meant one thing. She had to know, walking forward she placed her hand on a nearby statue -- some things were so gruesome they ingrained themselves in the surrounding area. The horrors seep into every fiber of the building and rock, so that everyone who passes can know their tale. Her eyes clouded over as she touched the statue, one that was adorned with deep claw marks in the bottom and painted with large black splotches.


She saw the citizens of Kith'Karrannell. Close to a thousand of them, packed into this square, nervously clutching loved ones with horrific fear in their eyes. They had come here, waiting for the city council's advice on what to do. They were scared for the first time in their lives, scared of the lizard like creatures that devoured the flesh of man. This was the meeting square, the arena for all of the elected politicians to give their edicts to a small portion of the masses. Thousands more filled the city, hiding in their various houses, and thousands had fled to the wilderness beyond. Thousands had already died in the streets, and inside their homes. Only a few had escaped into space, the lucky few. People gathered in the square for news out of habit; whenever an important decision was made, it was broadcasted here. The people did not realize the single most important factor about the plaza, there were no escape routes. Only two ways in and out of the square made the plaza into a deathtrap for the frightened citizens. The lizards cut off both routes before the townspeople knew what was happening, they began to drop from the buildings into the square. They fell in on the citizens, attacking with their teeth and their claws. The fountains which had been running clean, clear water, began to run red in the sun. The creatures gave no advantage, seeming bent on obliterating the people starting to scatter, running for their very lives.


The citizens of Kith'Karrannell were screaming. Bel's vision blurred -- blood, so much blood filled her eyesite. The square became littered with the fallen townspeople, the ground literally awash with red, viscous liquid.


The citizens of Kith'Karrannell were screaming. The plaza that had served as the meeting place for the people for a thousand years had been turned into a slaughterhouse. People slid on the ground, the red liquid making the granite slippery -- falling that much faster to the unbelievably viscious attack of the beasts.


The citizens of Kith'Karrannell were screaming. The creatures slaughtered every person there, sparing no one. They were indiscriminate to age, or gender -- felling both the children and the seniors, the women and the men with equal facility. Some lashed out with the Force, surprising Beldarine. Evidently some in the city were Force-weilders, but they were clumsy, not knowing how to effectively use it to ward off their enemies. The dead numbered hundreds upon hundreds, their cries grew to a startingly loud crescendo.


The citizens of Kith'Karrannell were screaming, and Bel screamed along with them. The horror was too much to take, she covered her eyes with her hands, collapsing onto the ground weeping uncontrollably, but she could still not escape the vision before her. Even with her eyes shut she saw the people murdered where they stood, one by one before the only living things standing in the square were the creatures. Everything was covered with the red blood of a thousand people, bodies littered the floor.


The citizens of Kith'Karrannell were no longer screaming, but Beldarine was. She screamed for the people of the town, for the horror they faced, for the loss of such a beautiful and magnificent civilization. She screamed for herself, for her past, for her future, for the unknown. She simply screamed. Not knowing how to handle the horror she had witnessed, she screamed for what seemed like hours -- her voice echoing off the walls of the empty plaza, making it seem like the buildings of stone and marble screemed with her in a chorus of anguished voices. The scene faded to black, and it took her some time to regain her composure enough to open her eyes. A steady stream of tears flowed down her cheeks, weeping for the destruction of the civilization that had occurred here, weeping for the countless number of innocents whom had their lives violently reft from them in a single afternoon. She gazed around the square, now seeming peaceful and serene once again. But her eyes began to focus on objects littering the ground -- bones. How had she missed those when she first walked into the square? Thousands of bone fragments covered the ground, some being swept into neat piles, some simply lay where the owner had fallen. A thousand people's bones, all lying on stones that had been awash with a thousand people's blood.

[JediBeldarine]

Suddenly something twitched at her belt. She jumped and looked downwards, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. The doll still lay securely tucked there, and her saber hung by its side. The feel of unseen watchers was back, however, with a malicious feel. Whoever was watching was no longer intent on simply keeping an eye on her, they planned on acting. She had been sitting in one place for too long, the sun had dropped about half-way to the horizon. Bel began to run, hoping to make it out of the square in time; her nervousness began to increase, and with that, her speed.


With a loud crash, a creature dropped off a building in front of her. Skidding to a stop, she shrugged off her cloak and ignited her saber at the same time. She tensed herself for an attack, but it just hung back, content with simply watching her. She heard the sound of claws on granite, and she realized what she had done. It was a trap. They were herding her towards this part of town, knowing the square would be a perfect ambush spot. She had taken long enough to regain her composure after her vision of the past, that the creatures were able to formulate a plan of attack. She reached out with the force, and it slid away from the minds behind her, but it was still able to tell her that four lizards were approaching her. Enveloping herself in the power of the force, she let go of her concious self. If she were to survive this encounter, she had to be one with the energy surrounding her -- one with the Force. She also had to strike first.


Bunching herself up, she slid towards the first creature slicing her saber towards the thing's shoulder. Her momentum would have carried it through the lizard's body, cutting it in half, but it avoided her slice. Feeling something move behind her, she continued the motion fluidly, spinning, and cut the tip of the saber upwards -- impaling the attacking creature on the end. She jerked her weapon from the body of the inert beast. Advancing on the three left in front of her, she began to worry about the one creeping closer to her back.


Their minds slip away from me when I try to use the Force on them.. they must be partially immune to it.. hmmm... That means that more than likely I can't pick him up.....


Another thought came quickly to her mind, and in one fluid motion she reached out with her hand and the force, hefting one of the larger sections of the broken road. She threw her hand behind her, and her power sent the rock shooting towards the creature. Through the Force, she sensed the thing springing to attack before the rock connected sharply with it. The claws never reached her back, the rock having done its job. The remaining three creatures, however, took her moment of unawareness to attack. One reached out with a scaly claw and knocked the saber out of her hand, another advancing on her left side took a powerful swipe at her. She threw herself to the ground, escaping the death blow the creature had hoped for. Her arm stung, there was a large gash in her shoulder, and bright blood was beginning to stain her beige Jedi tunic.


The middle creature dove at her legs but she warded it off with a powerful kick to the face. Jumping up into a crouching position, she attempted to locate her lightsaber, but it was impossible to ward off her attackers at the same time. Backflipping to gain more distance between her and her opponents, she landed besides the body of the lizard crushed underneath the rock. Bending down, she smoothly grabbed an old bone -- well worn by the decades of lying exposed to the weather. It seemed to be a femur, quite large with a sharp point at one end.


Well, I've always been admired for my inventiveness.. so here goes.. when one doesn't have a lightsaber, and you've lost your blaster somewhere down the line, one can always fall back on random sharp bones from an extinct race of beings... Oh, please Force.. don't let me fail here


The one she had kicked had risen, and once again all three were advancing towards her. Her left arm throbbed, her whole body aching at the loss of so much blood. She pushed the pain aside, overcoming her weakness in the deadly battle for life. Without a warning, she launched herself at the one circling around to her right. Rolling twice on the floor, she bounded to her feet, warding off a clawed strike with her left arm before connecting with a roundhouse kick to the face. As the creature was falling to the ground, she jabbed with the bone -- piercing the scaly hide and sliding through the creature's heart with silken ease. It slid smoothly off her bone weapon, and was dead before it hit the ground.


Two more opponents to go. Three new corpses littered the plaza where so many had been slain a hundred years ago, but only this time they were the bodies of the lizards themselves. The two approached her cautiously, knowing the time for rash, one-on-one attacks was past. Only attacking as a duo could they hope to defeat her. They circled each other, the creatures licking their teeth with the obscenely long, pointed tongues they had. The bone was dripping with the lizard's black blood, but Bel paid it no mind. Her movements were guided by the Force, and she knew what a powerful ally it was. They launched themselves at her, clawed hands extended and mouths agape. They giggled those cackling hisses while their tongues snaked out of their mouths. Bel ducked one, but it's shoulder rammed into her side, knocking the air from her lungs and causing her to fall to the floor. The other completely missed, landing hard on the ground, and rolling a few meters before finally stopping in an inert ball. The creature who managed to knock her breathless stood triumphantly over her. She felt like a rib had been broken, and it was pressing hard into her lungs -- causing them to burn like fire. Leaning its face in close, it made a fatal mistake. Instead of bringing the claws around to kill her, it began to gloat, bringing it's scaly face close to her own. She brought the bone up, plunging it point first into the creature's black eyeball, and continuing out the back of the skull. The eyeball collapsed, and the creature let out a scream of pain and surprise as the bone pierced it's brain. She shook the twitching lizard off her sharply pointed bone, and stood unsteadily. She began to search the plaza with her eyes, looking for her lightsaber so she could make decisions on what to do. Her eyes came across a flashing light about a hundred feet away, and sent the force out to it. It came whizzing back into her palm, smacking hard. Suddenly her mind screamed an alert, in one motion igniting the saber, and spinning around. It connecting with the thing's neck, causing the head to bounce away from her like a child's ball. The body crumbled as she peered around the square, her five opponents lay dead on the ground. No more creatures stood in the plaza, and the feeling of an unseen watcher had vanished.


If anymore of the creatures decided to come looking for their fallen comrades, Beldarine was in a dangerous spot to meet them. Trembling violently, she began to trot out of the square, holding her hand to the still-bleeding wound on her arm. A few minutes later she was out of the square, following a normal street again. The houses were palatial, reaching high into the sky . The distances between buildings did not just create decent sized back alleys, the spaces were almost the size of the side streets in the outskirts of the town. She kept trotting until she felt she had put a goodly distance between herself and that awful square. Stopping, she placed her back against the wall of a building and sat down. The sun was a few hours away from setting, and she needed to find a place to sleep. Her arm was still bleeding, and she was certain the piercing pain her right lung felt was caused by one or more broken ribs. Managing to rip a large portion of her sleeve off, she wrapped it around her deep arm wound like a turniquite.


She stood up again, looking around at her surroundings.


I want to get a little farther into the city before I settle down for the night.


She glanced up at the clouds, and for the first time since she entered the city she saw the central palace. Still a far distance from it, a gigantic building reared up -- defying the very sky with its height. It had tall, graceful parapets, and sweeping buttresses supported airy catwalks high above the rest of the city. How could she miss that before? Knowing she couldn't reach the palace before dark, she vowed to get close enough that by midday tomorrow she'd be inside. Taking up a fast trot, she jogged further into the city. Enveloping herself inside the Force, she barely noticed the scenery fly by, staying alert for the sounds of reptilian pursuit or an ambush. Twilight began to fall over the decaying city, and she sought shelter in one of the sturdier buildings on the main street. Dust coated everything in the house, making her sneeze.


Strange.. there was no dust in the De'Laniar home.. why no dust there, but yet decades worth of dust here?


The furniture was in the same state of disarray as her last shelter. She set up camp in a large room on the second floor -- large enough for her to be able to defend herself against anything that may creep in during the night. She spread her cloak on the floor, and looked at her flint and tinder in her belt pouch. It was substantial enough that she could make a few fires a day for a little under a week -- enough so that if she lit one tonight she would still have enough to last her a while. The chairs and a table that occupied the room were made of sturdy wood, and caught fire easily. She set up the force shield around the home, but went a step further in her preparations -- creating actual traps to alert her to anything that might bypass her first line of defense. Noisemakers were set strategicly so that anything large entering the house or any of the various rooms would wake her immediately. Tired from the long day, she sank to the floor beside her campfire. The room had a small window -- the glass had long since been broken -- and twilight still stained the sky over Kith'Karrannell. She unwrapped the bandage around her arm, and glanced at the wound. It was deep, and she had left all of her bacta in the XWing with the rest of her survival gear. Bel rewrapped the wound, knowing there was nothing more she could do to it this evening -- at least the blood had mostly stopped flowing. She ate a light dinner of dried meat and drank a little bit of the water -- her stomach growled and for the first time that day she realized how hungry she really was. There was enough meat and water to last her tomorrow, but after that she had to fend for herself.


I wonder if those mouse creatures are any good if you cook them... ah... I'll think about food tomorrow.. tonight, I'm exhausted.


Bel decided to not explore this house, feeling safe and secure next to the cheery campfire. It was a wise decision because night fell fast, and soon the warm light of her campfire was the only thing that illuminated the dark room. Leaning with her back against the wall, her cloak wrapped tightly around her, and her lightsaber already in the palm of her hand, Beldarine drifted off to sleep. A sleep that brought a different kind of dream, and a different kind of awakening...