westwhere | Stepping into the dark

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Stepping into the dark

WHO: Eleven & Archeval
WHEN: April 12th + 13th
WHERE: Salt Mines
WHAT: An excursion at full strength
WARNINGS: violence

[It's afternoon by the time he's finished with his unexpected errands of the morning and he can't find Xingchen. Which makes sense, really. The man likely has plenty else to be doing, even assuming he hasn't already left.

Eleven mulls it over as he pulls on his armor. There's still time, and he's likely strong enough to go it alone, but.. it would be pretty reckless. Still, he's spent too much coin this morning that he needs to make up for it.

He pulls a cloak over himself to hide the metal shine of his armor, then secures his swords. Perhaps he could ask someone else. If he can't find anyone, then he'll resign himself to enduring a grueling day at the docks.

Eleven casts a thoughtful glance over the servant's quarters, mind trickling through various possibilities, then grins as he spots a likely target]

Archeval. Are you busy today?

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[ From the tunnel where Eleven can still hear noises of battle, abruptly a shriveled undead body comes flying backward in El's direction -- headless. It smacks straight into one of the other creatures, sending them tumbling again, but the still 'living' one is in prime position to swipe at Eleven's feet even as Archeval himself comes sprinting down the corridor with blade in hand-- ]

More on my tail-- [ indeed, another rears up directly behind him as he pauses to spit some stray blood out of his mouth; with a grimace and a swiftly flung hand its limbs seize up under a quick electric shock and Arche gives it a kick straight backwards where it came from. ] You're not done yet, are you? How much do we care about that tunnel?--

Edited 2021-04-14 20:14 (UTC)

We don't.

[Eleven decapitates the fallen undead with a decisive strike, then extinguishes and sheathes one sword to free an arm up for magic. With a swift gesture from his hand, a wall of fire springs to life across the mouth of the tunnel Archeval's pursuers had come from]

That will slow them down at least. We can take what we have and find somewhere else..

[ There's a horrendous screech from behind the fire as one creature can't quite stop its momentum in time and goes barrelling straight through it, dropping to the ground writhing with flames eating up its blackening limbs, even as it continues to try to drag itself forward. Archeval steps forward with a sigh to swipe the head off this one as well, watching several more mass behind Eleven's flickering wall, screeching out their frustration even as they try to crowd close-but-not-too-close to the source of warmth-- ]

Enough of this. [ He scowls as he thrusts out a hand. If he starts collapsing tunnels entirely there's no telling what he could do to the stability of this place, but there's plenty of debris here to work with; so he's going to just start flinging stray boulders and salt and gravel piles straight into the tunnel mouth, sending a few creatures careening backward as he fills it up. ]

Which way next with us--?

[He suppresses the urge to gag as the scent of burnt, rotting flesh becomes far more prominent. His eyes water with it while he rushes to collect their bags in the wake of Archeval's seeming invisible force at work against their pursuers.]

This way. [He steps around severed limbs as they go and runs them a good distance back until he can no longer feel the dark hunger of the undead, then settles to a walk and finally sheathes his second blade. He turns his handful of fire toward his companion for a quick examination]

..Are you injured?

[ After a moment, the violet glow in the darkness vanishes again, Archeval's lightsaber returned to its spot on his belt. The flickering firelight reveals a little bruising and a trickle of blood out of Arche's nose and mouth, perhaps the imprint of a fingernail, but honestly he looks more annoyed than seriously hurt. ]

Just a little swipe to the face, nothing exciting. Turned around and one of them was right behind me-- [ sighing with a rueful grimace as he tries to quiet his voice more ] Embarrassing. The bigger concern will be getting the smell of burning corpse out of our clothes... I'd just about trade a few capital ships for a proper laundry right now--

[ He reaches up to carefully start prodding at his own face with another small grimace, seeming unfazed by the stench or the moment of excitement. To be expected of a Dark Lord, perhaps. ]

[He nods, relieved Archeval is relatively unharmed. It's on the tip of his tongue to offer to heal it, but isn't serious enough to warrant navigating the man's pride. Or perhaps he's simply spent too much time with Lan Wangji this morning. In either case, he resumes their careful trek through the mine on the lookout for both healthy deposits of salt and unwanted shadows]

..I've never seen someone move things without touching them before. It seems your Force can do a lot of things.

[ Nobody could blame Eleven for not offering given Archeval's prickly attitude, but fortunately it seems he doesn't need to. There's a sudden, noticeable surge of dark energy directly next to him, but -- while Eleven might look over in startlement, the only thing there is to see is Arche wiping dried blood away from his face with another irritable frown, the bruises vanished entirely from his cheek. ]

One who masters it is capable of a great deal. There are a very small handful I'd even call close to being gods in their own right... [ he pauses for a second at this, sighing quietly in the dark, but it's hard to see what kind of look that is on is face. ]

...Though oddly enough, I've never known a Sith or a Jedi who could make fire. [ he glances over El's way sounding a little bit amused. ]

[He jumps, the surge of dark energy far too close for comfort, then settles with a careful breath. Eleven takes in the healed effect with some surprise, both curious and not about whether that healing could extend to others. He imagines it wouldn't be a pleasant sensation.]

..Fire magic is somewhat common in my world. The curious thing about you is that lightning is very rare, and considered holy in Erdrea.

Holy---

[ Arche's immediate snort of startled laughter is a little imprudently loud, and he freezes for a second after he's done it to glance up and down the hall again in the dark, utterly silent; but anything he might have attracted seems to remain a ways off for now. ]

...Well, that's a riot. [ he goes on more quietly this time, but equally sardonic ] The Jedi consider Force lightning a sign of someone they can kill on sight, for they can only be the most evil of Sith.

[ he has not at any point seemed to care about working too hard to convince Eleven that he's not secretly evil, and he continues the trend now, moving right along with no disclaimers on that statement as they trek deeper into the mine. ]

Fire is common, though? I suppose you did mention your 'magic' can be accessed by many. [ it's curious -- a whole planet of low-level Force-sensitives perhaps? Or instead, one fantastically saturated in Force energy, a whole world like the Temple on Yavin? Or, well -- perhaps, as Mingyu speculated, some different phenomenon entirely is happening with all these otherworldly visitors. But that still seems awfully unlikely to contemplate.

Lost in thought, he almost misses some of the details of the dim terrain around them-- ]

Hm-- This turn looks familiar.

Edited 2021-04-15 01:28 (UTC)

[The thought both beliefs could be correct holds his attention for a moment. Really, he should be more wary of a man capable of dark healing magic. For a certainty, there are marked differences between them. He's even sure that if they'd both had their powers when they first met, the man would have unnerved him enough to shy from his company without question.

But evil would have left him to freeze to death in the snowfield, not haul him into town on its shoulder for hours. Much less-

He stops, lifting his flame to peer at their surroundings. They do seem familiar]

..We aren't lost. [Or well, they might be a little- temporarily] I've been through here enough I'm sure I'll be able to find our way back out..

Been doing half Sa-Hareth's salt mining for them, have you? [ his voice is low and wry again as he continues to absently glance around, resisting the urge to draw his saber for more light -- they don't need the extra noise right now ] Who was it that stood you up today anyhow?

[ For Arche's part, what exactly he thinks of Eleven doesn't seem strictly clear. But apparently he sees some merit in sticking around the other young man, or -- perhaps the local hero has just proven a useful resource in their mutual efforts to leave this place. The real truth remains to be seen. ]

[He grins, feeling that wry tone strike home as he glances around for a familiar path]

I stood him up, I think. Xingchen. I spent the morning helping Lan Wangji attempt to lay souls to rest. ..I'm still not sure we succeeded. But don't let Haltham hear you say I'm looting too much of the mine.

Xingchen. [ he repeats it slowly ] Doesn't ring a bell. [ of course, he probably ought to better know those who came up out of the mines, but given the conditions he hadn't exactly stopped to talk to everyone ]

And I imagine Haltham will live. [ scoffing sardonically a little as he continues to plod along in the dark ] He can think of all the salt as the ransom he's paid for a clean conscience.

Xingchen is nice. [Or at least, they have a fair bit common. Amusement creeps into Eleven's voice] You might not get along.

[He spots something as they wander and veers for it] I think I know where we are now.

[ his voice is bone-dry in return ] In case it's not obvious, I don't get along with most people.

Near to something useful, I hope?... [ At last it occurs to him to reach over and tug one of those bags off of Eleven's shoulder as well, to sling back over his own. He didn't actually mean to make you lug both of those everywhere, although it's tempting to conveniently forget about it a while longer. ]

[He hums amusement, then flexes his shoulder as Archeval relieves him of some weight] Somewhat useful, maybe.

[The campsite they'd stopped at when they first escaped, complete with scorch marks, a splintered crate and charred remains of a barrel right where he left it. He shivers as he steps through it, peering about for useful remnants of tools, then drops to a crouch to sort through worn and warped metal he'd dubbed useless as potential weapons before. Properly handled with the help of a forge, they could be given new life and use]

At least we have an idea where to go from here. I recall running through a large salt cavern, so we can stock up there as we leave..

[ It's not the first time he's spent an afternoon following around a crewmate as they scavenge through scrap metal; while he isn't much use himself at telling the good from the unsalvageable, he at least stays out of Eleven's way, setting the bag down to open it up for new deposits and wandering off to have a third look around this familiar alcove. They'd left here in quite a hurry last time -- he finds a half-empty barrel of water open in the back, tasting to find that some salt has fallen into it. What a waste. ]

A near thing here, wasn't it? I trust you healed yourself up after that nonsense once you could.

[ crossing over to stand behind Eleven and watch him work for a bit ]

So you said you were in.... what was it, manufacturing?

[ he heard something about a 'forge' on the network, but he's only vaguely familiar with that word at best. Maybe saw something like it on a history holo once. ]

Of course.

[He doesn't enjoy pain, after all. But he does pause a moment, working through the word 'manufacturing' before turning his attention back to task]

Um, I'm a blacksmith. I can forge metal into weapons, armor, and such. With proper cleaning, these could be melted down and recast into useful metal. I'm hoping to save us on weapons and supplies this way.

[ catch him mouthing the word 'blacksmith' to himself, trying to make sense of whatever the translator is giving him ]

Hm, sensible enough. With access to the right facilities anyway. [ giving a curious glance down at El's own armor and swords now ] Did you make your own gear, then?

[He's glad Archeval is at his back, because he flushes a bit as he works.]

The armor, yes, but falcon blades are treasures. I did not forge them. We found one of them, then traded for its twin.

[Eleven shifts to pack up what he's deemed salvageable] This should be plenty for now. I doubt I'll have all that much time at the forges to work.

The best weapon is one with a tried and true history, I think. [ musing to himself, reaching to shoulder the second bag again once Eleven's packed his fill into it. Despite how scrawny Arche looks, he lifts the thing with relative ease; maybe by now El might have gathered that he's probably cheating a little. ]

Think you'll be able to dodge the locals long enough to produce something useful, then? Or did you persuade someone to do you a favor?

[He suspects, given recent evidence and how Archeval had struggled beneath his weight without his powers before.

Eleven stands, glancing about for unfriendly shadows, then leads back the way he dimly remembers running through]

I don't have coin enough to bribe with. [The ladies of Dew might be able to persuade, but he has no such charm and he's already found the townsfolk to be far from compassionate.] But I think, with some luck, I may be able to pass for an apprentice.

Hmm. Perhaps you could look the part at that, with some different clothing. [ He glances Eleven up and down thoughtfully for a second before he goes to start casting a wary eye down the various corridors. ]

That still leaves the language as a mark against you, but rather than rely on some rubbish like luck, I suppose you could always bring along someone who's very good at escaping notice. [ shrugging with a wry glance again ]

[Language. That's right. But there isn't much he can think to do about that. ..Although, it almost sounds like his companion may have a solution. He knows better now than to approach it directly.]

Oh? [He can't help the smile on his face though] Do you know someone that might be willing to aid me on that front?

If you need to be somewhere that you can almost pass but not quite, I am your Sith. [ shrugging carelessly again, though as they head further into the lightless tunnels once more his hand doesn't stray far from the lightsaber on his belt ] Not like I have something better to do -- yet, anyway. Nudging a few minds to believe you're obviously apprenticed to one of their 'blacksmiths' for an hour or three is child's play.

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