Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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          The dilapidated Cathedral still stood on the outskirts of Old Tatooine.  It was a monolithic testament to the passage of time.  Made of dark grey stone long weathered by age and a lack of upkeep.  Twin spires and a great stained glass window once proudly stood among the fresh open highlands; now only one spire remained and the once beautiful ornate window was scorched and cracked. 

          Originally it had been built by the Horadric Order to house and guard a most ancient and terrible evil.  Over time the order had faded, no longer necessary in a world of peace and prosperity.  It became a place of worship for the king of the region and had regained its luster for some time.  But after a tragedy sent the king into a dark spiral of madness and murder, ultimately ending with his own death, the once exquisite cathedral had again fallen to ruin.  It now stood morosely at the center of a crumbling overgrown cemetery filled with dying trees and decrepit mausoleums. 

          Unknown by the many inhabitants of New Tatooine this cemetery hid a vast network of corridors and catacombs attached to the grand cathedral.  It had been used to lay to rest the great kings and queens of the land alongside noble heroes and even the loyal citizens who served them.  Now it was unkempt and overgrown with weeds as the elements beat away at the dark stone.

          The Inside of the cathedral had not fared much better.  It was sparse as the adventurers and treasure seekers having long stripped away any object of value.  The only things they hadn’t managed to find were a few ancient cashes of Horadric tomes and scrolls hidden in a secret chamber that had been repurposed into a Zakarum alter, the only thing that spared them from some brigand’s greed. 

          As the years had gone on, the degradation had rendered this holy site virtually unusable; certainly it would never again be used for one of the Zakarum priests long winded sermons. 

          It smelled of mold and decay; the whole area was filthy with dust and water damage from the leaking roof.  The pews had been repurposed, destroyed, or simply left to the elements.  Now they had been pushed to the side of the nave, and opened up a wide area from the main door to the apse and altar at the end opposite of the building.

          The area now held a rickety set of chairs and a massive table overladen with ancient texts and scrolls from all over Sanctuary.  In the dark of the night with just the waning moons light coming through the ornate window the only reliable source of light came from several precariously placed candles that leaked hot wax onto piles of discarded books and papers.  Water from the cracked ceiling dripped rhythmically into the small buckets and bowls that had been placed haphazardly keeping a low staccato which marked the passage of time.

          And in the midst of this organized chaos sat an old man.  Not very old, certainly he looked older than he was.  He was disheveled, his hair and beard unkempt, and streaked with grey that hadn’t been there a year ago.  His beige robes although relatively clean were patched and wrinkled as if they had been slept in, regularly.  His prosthetic hand was able to turn the pages of the tome he currently poured over while his other hand scribbled notes into a well-used leather journal. 

          Luke was still pouring over the pages of what had thus far been a largely useless scripture, when Leia dropped two more large leather bound books on the table across from him kicking up dust and causing the candles to wobble and flicker.

          “This one looks promising” she says as she gestures to one of the books.  Luke looks up and notices the peculiar shade and wear of the leather.  He raises one grey eyebrow. 

          “Is that another skin book?” he asks bluntly.  Leia only hummed in response.  Both wishing they couldn’t say they knew what a book bound in human skin looked like off hand.

          His sister slipped into the chair across from him.  She sagged into the wood with exhaustion and released the mask of unflappable confidence she always seemed to wear.  Gently Luke put down his quill and reached over to place his warm hand on top of hers, squeezing to reassure her.  And while they both new neither of them was fine, it was somewhat comforting to knew they weren’t alone in all this. 

          Luke and Leia weren’t just siblings and twins, they were also the last of the Horadrim.  For many years they had both let their sacred duty fall to the wayside.  Leia had made a family, and Luke had traveled Sanctuary on adventures and for study.  Before that they studied and fought the dark side and the forces of evil, all they had wanted was to rest so sure that peace was upon the land and so tired of the endless pain they constantly carried with them.

           However, during Luke’s travels he began to find a specific prophecy, common throughout cultures and people; it spoke of the end of days. 

          At first he had held little regard for it, there were so many dismal prophecies, most of which came from heretics and cultist in an effort to gain a following.  But this one was different, it was everywhere.  Every new land and every ethnic group he came across had some variation of the same prophecy, there was no one origin for it, as if at the same time, all over Sanctuary, seers and mystics shared a dream. 

          He began to look more closely at it, and soon he began no notice worrying trends and signs.  Unnatural weather patterns, green skies, and a series of missing people in every town he went through.  Not only that but in the last year the monsters and beasts that roamed Sanctuary became active and violent, aggressively attacking people in a manner they hadn’t done in living history. 

          He went to Leia with this information and together they scoured all of Sanctuary to find more information and with any luck, prevent the oncoming apocalypse. 

          That’s how the twins had ended up in New Tatooine at the Cathedral of the Dark King, a place both hoped they would never have to see again. 

          But Luke was certain that the prophecy was soon to come into effect and with so little information he was becoming desperate.  

          Currently he was squinting and cursing at a particularly frustrating page he was attempting to translate through the dim candle light.  They had been at this for hours and the sun had set a long time ago; when a bright light came in through the stained glass of the window over the apes and settled on the table. 

          Confused the twins rose from their seats and went to investigate.  A ball of blue light streaked through the heavens lighting up the sky.  It got closer and soon the walls began to rumble and shake, sending chunks of stone and wood falling from the walls and roof.  A falling star was streaking toward the ground; and it would impact, if not on top of them, then damn close.  At that moment they knew;

          They were out of time.

          Leia made a break for the door at the other side of the cathedral, but Luke had stopped trying to gather his translations and journals.  Hastily he shoved them into his satchel trying to grab as much as he could carry when Leia ran back tugging his arm to move faster.

          “Forget them!” Leia shouted over the rumbling. 

          “No, if we hope to survive our work it has to be saved!” Luke hollered as his sister grabbed his arm.  Finally Leia grabbed the books from his hands and managed to tug him away, and both twins fled toward the main doors still holding what Luke had managed to grab. 

          Before they reached the entrance way, the star collided with the glass window above the old alter. 

          The crash was deafening and the light around them was blinding.  It threw Leia towards the door, tomes flying from her hands sending an arc of paper across the old wooden floors.  Blue fire erupted from the area behind her and then vanished just as suddenly.  She rose shakily from the ground and turned to look for her brother, finding only a deep crater that glowed an eerie blue where Luke had once been. 

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And, at the End of Days,

The first sign shall appear in the Heavens.

Justice shall fall upon the world of men.

Darkness rises and Light rises to meet it.

So shall they clash across the fields of eternity ~

Valor shall turn to Wrath ~

Hope will be swallowed by Despair.

Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all ~

As Fate lies shattered forever.

╚══════════════════════════╝

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          Meditation isn’t always about emptying your mind and clearing all the thoughts from your head.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is to let your mind follow the path it wants.  Mediation is about taking in the life energy from around you and releasing yourself from conscious thought.  Finding that mysterious force that surrounds you and absorbs you until you become one with it.

          The monks of Takodana specialized in many different forms of meditation, every day they set aside many times to meditate.  They used this time to ground themselves, to relax and to train. 

          The most powerful among them could channel this energy to heal, to find places, people or things; even see visions from the past or future.  Rey was one of these monks. 

          She had always been powerful, even if she didn’t always have control over it to make it to do what she wanted.  Whenever she would get frustrated at another failed attempt Maz would tell her “this energy is not for you to own, it’s yours to borrow for a time.  You work with it, channel it, and then one day you will return to it in death”

          As a young girl she was taken in by Maz and the Takodana monks.  They found her, a scrawny little thing, dirty and hungry scavenging for food at an outpost in the Jakku dessert. 

          It had taken them a while to get her to trust them and even longer to convince her to leave the outpost she had been attached to for so many years.  They brought her to the temples and lush hills and valleys of Takodana, where she trained and lived with them for years before she finally took the initiation to become one of them. 

          She could safely say that she was content now, life here was simple compared to the harsh struggles of her childhood and she loved Maz and the monks who gave her a place not just to live but to thrive.  Still she couldn’t give up the hope that one day her parents would return and take her back to where she belonged; to the home she had never seen but continued to long for. 

          Here everyone worked together on chores, and ate every meal together in a long open hall, before heading off to study, train, or meditate.  Every day was the same with little variation. 

          Which is why when they had seen a bright star fall from the heavens it seemed as if the whole atmosphere changed.  Maz had been particularly worried, and secluded herself for the rest of the night to mediate on what was to come.  While Rey shared the unease of her fellow monks (and a morbid curiosity) she had little interest in pursuing the issue and set about keeping her days the same as they had always been counting of each with a mark scratched into a stone slab positioned near her tent. 

          Currently Rey sat in her favorite mediation space, she had a perfect view of the tree she loved so much and the vast stretch of lush green land that surrounded Takodana dancing in the breeze.  She was surrounded by a dozen or so other monks all in deep mediation, likely focused on the falling star that had appeared early in the still dark morning sky. 

          They had started before the sun had risen over the horizon, and now dawn was just breaking the sky into an explosion of pinks and yellows.  Despite the fact the others where mediating on the star Rey looked for the same thing she always did, her parents hoping maybe today would be the day she found them.

          She slipped comfortably into her trance, listening to what it told her, what she could feel and understand, and what she couldn’t.  The deeper into her trance she slipped the less she understood but the more she felt. 

          Life.  Death and decay that feeds new life.  Warmth.  Cold.  Peace.  Violence, and between it all an energy.  She knew this energy it was a familiar presence to her, but this time something was different, something was wrong. 

          There was a pressure on her chest as her mind became foggy.  The world around her fell away.  She was left alone staring into endless black before the scenes came to her in rapid succession. 

          Fire.  Destruction.  Pain.  An army of demons.  They covered the land like a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing but black scorched dirt behind them. 

          Small towns and great cities were overrun and fell.  People screamed and cried as they were slaughtered and mutilated.  Blood like a river pouring from a cup, stained the streets. 

          She was surrounded, it was so intense that she could feel heat from the flams, soot and grime coating her face and skin. 

          And above them all a mighty demon lord.  He was monstrous towering over burning mountains and ashy valleys, covered in spikes that ripped from his flesh.  His face was a crimson skull with tight leather skin stretched across it, exposing an open jaw of lethal teeth.  His eyes like the embers about to start a devastating wildfire as he surveyed the horrors he commanded with satisfaction and triumph.  He urged his army forward with long pointed claws. 

          His massive face turned to her, and they locked eyes. 

          In all her training and studies, she had never seen this demon, or anything like it.  Despite that she knew who this demon was, like an instinct long suppressed. 

          Diablo. 

          All at once everything overwhelmed her, rushing toward her forcing the air from her lungs preventing her from screaming.  And everything went dark once again. 

          There was a heavy weight on her body and mind, like waking suddenly from a deep sleep.  She had to fight to suck air to her lungs, which felt cold despite the warm weather. 

          Slowly her mind began to calm and clear.  Opening her eyes finally she looked up from the floor where she lay, surrounded by concerned and curious faces.  Rey sat up abruptly and almost blacked out again, she swayed and steadied herself on the cool stone underneath her. 

          Maz was at her side, and handed her a clay cup filled with sweet tasting water.  Rey drank greedily as the older woman shooed the onlookers away. 

          Maz had overly large and cloudy eyes.  Dark skin wrinkled and hunched.  At just a foot shorter than Rey and 20 pounds lighter, no one would suspect that this woman was one of the most formidable monks in all of Takodana.  Maz had taken Rey under her wind and trained her, even before the discovery of Rey’s hidden power. 

          Finally when Rey could rise to her feet on wobbly legs she was taken to Maz’ tent.  She ushered Rey in and patted her bedroll for Rey to sit. 

          “What did you see my girl?”

          But Rey had no idea how to reply.  It was like her other visions, of which she’s had many, but so much more intense.  She did her best to recount what she saw, it was vivid in her mind, but so much of it had been experienced through feelings and emotions.  Rey could see the worry was etched deep into every line of Maz’ face and the terror in Maz’s eyes at the demons name.

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          The temples they lived and meditated in were light and airy.  Built from white and pale grey granite and strong light wood.  Much of the areas they lived in were open to the air shaded only by trees and brightly colored cloth tarps.  The only places not open to the air were for practicality.  Most monks even preferred to sleep in tight clusters of mobile tents which dotted the land with spots of pink, yellow, orange, and blue.

          Everything was centered on the massive central courtyard.  Smooth stones in natural colors formed intricate patterns that danced and twisted in patterns on the ground.  The very center of the courtyard had a small green patch with brightly colored wild flowers surrounding a twisted and gnarled tree.  It wasn’t the only green space they had built around but it was the most beautiful, in Rey's opinion. 

          The courtyard was filled with small groups of initiates practicing against one another with Bo staffs and metal knuckles or against the thick leather and wooden training dummies.  Many more monks filled brightly colored and comfortable alcoves reading, writing and talking.  Little alters and shrines to their vast pantheon tucked into any area available, no space was left unused. 

          Maz guided Rey to the archives situated in the largest building besides the hall in which they ate.  It held all of the history and teaching of the Monks.  There were tablets, scrolls and books dating back generations. 

          Rey sat on a bench tapping at the long wooden table where Maz had told her to wait.  When Maz returned she held a thick carved stone, it was heavy in Rey's hands and the symbols that covered it made no sense

          “Last night, a star fell from the heavens.  The first sign.” Maz told her tapping the carving in Rey's hand “this tablet is one of the oldest in our possession.  It speaks about the ‘End of Days’” the apocalypse.

          “You think this prophecy is coming into effect?” Rey questioned eyes wide at the implication.  The world couldn’t end, she still hadn’t found her parents. 

          “Years ago a man came to Takodana, he was an explorer and a scholar.  He was particularly interested in if we had any prophecies.  He didn’t specify what about.  But when we showed it to him, he turned grim and explained that this particular prophecy turned up in literature all over Sanctuary.  He was convinced this prophecy was soon to come to pass.” Maz stared off into the distance recounting the memory.  “Later I had a dream; in it I found a bright white light.  I knew with all my being that it would be the light that would hold back the encroaching darkness and bring about balance.  The next morning, we found you.  When darkness rises light rises to meet it.  It’s you Rey.  You must find that fallen star, it may be humanities only hope.”

          Maz turned to Rey to find her staring at the older monk blankly.

          “You’ve got to be joking” Rey laughed

          But when Maz kept her face straight Rey could see her mentor was not joking.  They stared at each other in silence. 

          When it appeared that Rey wasn’t going to continue speaking, only laugh (which sounded progressively more forced and hysterical) Maz sighed and reached out to hold Rey’s arms. 

          The older woman had made no secret that she thought Rey's continued belief that her parents would return was foolish and did more harm than good.  But she loved Rey like a child she never had and only wanted to ease the girls’ feebly concealed pain.

          “I know you’re waiting for your parents.  But you have greatness in you, child” Rey snorted when Maz said this but Maz ignored it “Hope is very powerful.  It can lessen your pain, drive away fear, and ignite a passion in your heart.  But you can’t wait forever, Rey.  Dear child, the belonging you seek is not behind you, it’s ahead.  You must go out and find it.”

          Rey stared at her lap and hands, still dirty from the ground.  How can I be humanities greatest hope? I’m no one.  She thought bitterly.  I’m nothing.

          As if reading Rey’s mind Maz smiled and patted her arm again.

          “I’ve always known you’re special Rey.  There is a different kind of power in you.  Different isn’t bad, and it may just be what the world needs.”

          Rey nodded, the vision of Diablo burned in her mind.  Even if Maz was wrong and it had nothing to do with her (which Rey thought was most likely), she couldn’t just ignore it she had to at least warn people, and then she would return.

          “Besides,” Maz said, snapping Rey out of her thoughts “if your parents actually do come back while you’re gone, we’ll hogtie them and hold them here till you get home”

---

          Before the sun had reached its highest point in the sky, Rey left Takodana.  She was headed toward New Tatooine, almost two days walk. 

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◞┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈◟

There is light and dark in all things. 

Everywhere there are signs of change, the scales are tipping out of balance.  An uneasy chill has fallen across the land, and the people of Takodana grow uneasy. 

Fire burns through the sky, and I am being sent where the heavenly fire has fallen as the prophecy foretold.

Darkness rises and light rises to meet it. 

So they say.

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Chapter Text

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          Finn had been running for days, he was far from Coruscant when the blazing blue star streaked overhead and saw the bright explosion of light when it struck the ground. It lit up the sky and smoke rose over the horizon, then descended back into darkness. He knew people were in trouble.

          The rational part of his brain told him to keep running, use this event as an opportunity to hide his trail; but he couldn’t bring himself not to go.

          As a Templar it was his sworn duty to uphold the light and help those in need. And even if his idea of the light may no longer align with the First Orders idea of light, he couldn’t leave when he knew his help would be most needed.

          That’s how Finn found himself trekking through the ravaged and khazra infested highlands in the direction of New Tatooine.

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          Of all the holy orders in Sanctuary, the Templar in their unique and elaborate armor were some of the most recognizable. They had a particular style of battle that warranted large thick plate metal and massive shields. Using their own body as a human battering ram they barreled head first into groups of assailants, breaking bone tearing limbs and sending opponents flying.

          Alone they could do substantial damage before they even had to use a weapon; in groups they formed impenetrable chains to halt any oncoming attack.

          Finn was a Templar. Or, he had been a Templar.

          Typically covered in plate metal from head to toe, he had lost his great helm when he fled the order in the night, and the only shield he’d managed to grab was an old wooden buckler that wasn’t nearly as useful as his favored large great shield. At least he had his lance when he left, it was a magnificent weapon and Finn was one of the most proficient lancers in the order.

          Or, he had been. His current standing in the order was in question at the moment. But by the grace of his training his body was strong and tough enough to face any enemy that came his way. Something which came in handy as he made his way to the town.

          He’d never been to these highlands before, but had been to similar ones, though he had heard they were good for farming, however at every farm he crossed there was only small, pest eaten and diseased crops.

          These farms had mostly been abandoned, and in a hurry from the looks of it. At one of the farms, he was searching around the back when he found the mangled body of a man. It appeared to be the owner of this land. Finn said a quiet prayer over him and looked for clues as to what had attacked him.

          All Finn found was a journal, it wasn’t the best quality but it had clearly served its purpose:

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

I don’t understand why people are fleeing their homes.

All this fuss over a few dead farmers. I’ve been farming this land since I was a boy I’ve never had to deal with any bloodthirsty monsters.

I’m not going to leave my crops to die. Not when it’s such a particularly good harvest.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

          There was nothing written after that.

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          The Khazra goat-men are not something to be trifled with.

          Standing a foot taller than the average man the khazra were large heavily muscled and covered in thick skin and fur. They had the hind legs and head of a goat but the torso of a man. (A very muscled and hairy man) But where goats had dull teeth for chewing animal feed, khazra teeth came to a sharp point and arched like a humans. Good for tearing into flesh and chewing down bone and leaving little behind.

          They fought with rudimentary traps and weapons as well as basic elemental magic but they pack a lot of power behind their hits. Finn had already managed to set off two traps, and dispatched a score of the goat-men before he’d even gotten within view of the town.

          He found that, the further into the highlands he got, the more ferocious the goat-men became. He had never known khazra to seek out battle before, or to lie in wait and spring complicated hidden traps on unsuspecting travelers.

          In fact they were said to be sluggish and dumb, attacking only when someone encroached onto their territory. This was nothing like the brutes he had faced before. All along the main road he found the bodies of families headed toward New Tatooine all of them showed signs that they had been attacked by the khazra, but then left to rot.

          Currently Finn was inspecting the wreckage of a tiny camp with a single body. This one looked different from the rest. It almost looked like it had been hit and torn at by multiple assailants. Chunks were missing from his arms, legs and chest; the head was twisted at an angle jaw broken and stretched making it look like he was still screaming. Nearby he found what looked like dried vomit on a bare patch of earth. He was rummaging through the mans’ pack, looking for a notebook or something, when the bolt from a crossbow whistled through the air beside his head and struck deep into the earth.

          Spinning Finn drew his lance towards his attacker, and found only an older man, rugged and roguish looking, he held Finns gaze with a steely glare holding an already loaded crossbow pointed at his head.

          The man approached Finn carefully lowering his cross bow and Finn got a better look. Older and gruff the man had a unique charm about him. Finn could see that his clothing was good quality but soot stained and burned in some places. He was wearing a tool belt and a leather apron, blacksmith then.

          One with really good aim.

          Absently the man passed Finn and dug the bolt out of the ground.

          “Sorry ‘bout that. Thought you were one of them damn corpses.” He grumbled while he check his crossbow with a swift movement tucking the bolt back into a pocket of his leather apron, as Finn eyed him suspiciously.

          “There’s goat-men everywhere,” Finn told him “what are you doing out here?”

          “I was out looking for my fool of an apprentice” the stranger told him as he nudged the corpse with his foot. “Found him like this. And it’s not the goat-men you need worry about boy”

          “You may not think they’re a threat old man, but they have gotten wicked strong, and aggressive too. Setting traps, I tripped one and almost lost my leg back the-… what was that about corpses?”

          The older man jut his chin out and said nothing. When Finn gave him a confused look the old man did it again.

          “What’s this all about hum?” Finn said copying him “what’s all this?”

          Finn was getting agitated and all the more ready to leave this guy to his own defenses when he heard an unusual sound.

          His first thought was that it sounded wet; a cross between a moan, a sloppy bite of food and deep gurgling groans. His Lance was already in positon when he spun towards the offending noise. His eyes widened, almost comically, at the horror scene before him.

          Corpses, five of them, fetid and foul were making their way towards the men through thickets of brambles and trees.

          One of them was bloated and rank, the others looked little more than flesh hanging loosely off bones. Arms reached towards Finn and the blacksmith. Finn couldn’t help but to stare at one of the risen dead whose skin had been ripped completely clean from it forearms revealing meaty tendons and bone. Another’s head lost the skin from the side of its face, giving full view of the skeletal jaw and bulging eyeball, while one more had been gutted leaving long tangles of intestines to dangle from its open belly. All of them had the same waxy grey skin and blood drenched the front of their chests, or whatever they happened to have left.

          They gnashed their teeth at the two men, they may not have been particularly fast but their relentless determination and repulsive appearance more than made up for it.

          Not to mention the smell, when it first hit Finn he had to suppress the urge to heave. That explains the vomit from before. He thought despondently. (Later he would look back on this exact moment with horror. For many reasons)

          Finn had to give thanks to the Order, however briefly, that they had trained him as well as they had. Being able to put aside his thoughts and feelings and focus only on the battle before him proved useful.

          The old smithy had a surprisingly good shot, and if a corpse got to close the old man had a heavy hammer he used to crack open skulls and let its putrid contents splash to the ground.

          Traditionally this is where Finns great shield would come in handy, as the corpses fell easily exposing handy targets. The buckler however, was never made to withstand those sort of attacks, and with one final swing the already cracked wood splintered.

          The oncoming hoard had been flung to the ground and before it could scramble to its feet, Finn plunged his lance through one corpse’s eye and into another’s neck forcing them back to the ground as the blacksmiths hammer smashed through them.

          Finn shrugged off the leather straps from the now useless buckler and tossed them to the ground. The old man came up beside Finn and pat him heavy on the shoulder, though Finn hardly felt it so much as he heard it.

          “Not bad kid, not bad” he wandered through the remains digging his bolts out of the bodies before he continued. “Looks like you’re going to need a new shield, I’m the current blacksmith in New Tatooine, and I think I can help you out if you give me a hand getting back to the town”

          Finn nodded grinning

          “Not bad yourself old man, seems cataracts hasn’t dulled you too much, yet” the old man laughed and introduced himself with a firm handshake.

          “Han, pleasure to meet you kid”

          “Jon- Finn, My name is Finn”

---

╭ ✦ ⋟─────────────────────╮

Khazra goat-men were human once.

Corrupted by magic and controlled by demons; created to fight mock wars for their amusement. Bound in servitude to a powerful demon Zagraal, they became furious marauders attacking villages and travelers to find sacrificial victims for their master.

Zagraal was eventually defeated by a great Umbaru Witch Doctor. And while the khazra will still attack those who cross their paths, without the power from their demonic master they steadily grew weak and sluggish and lost their tactical prowess.

Now they are more of a nuisance then an actual threat.

~ From the writings of Obi-Wan Kenobi

╰ ─────────────────────⋞ ✦ ╯

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🌠

          The sky was dimming and the thought of traveling the highlands at night did not sound appealing. Though Han assured Finn they were close and that the lanterns along the main road glowed with a magical flame that would not die and keep the shadows illuminated. It did little to ease the young man.

          They had to take out a couple more groups of shambling corpses, going out of their way to avoid as many as they could.

          Finn kept an eye on a larger group in the distance, they meandered aimlessly in an open area. When all at once, they stopped. As a group they moved towards a single point behind a large cluster of trees. There was no way that was a good thing. Han had seen them too, he let out an exasperated sigh.

          “She’s a bad influence on me yah know?” Han said almost blissfully

          Finn looked at him quizzically as Han left the main road and headed in the same direction as the corpses; and after throwing up his arms in defeat, Finn followed after him.

          They weren’t far from the outcropping of trees when they could hear the sounds of a scuffle. There was a distinctly female grunt followed by the sound of wood hitting flesh. Someone was fighting off a hoard far larger then what he and Han had fought, and she was doing it alone.

          Breaking into the clearing at a run the two men saw a lone woman, scrawny and dirty from travel, hair was falling lose from three buns on her head; wearing no armor wielding only a thick wooden walking stick, surrounded by fifteen festering corpses.

          The men sprang into action Han readying his crossbow and Finn raising his lance.

          They hadn’t even joined the battle when they stopped in shock.

          The woman, apart from the firm concentration etched into her face, seemed completely calm. She knocked away two bloated corpses before taking a deep breath, then letting out a fearsome cry, she released a blast of energy from her body in all directions.

          The force of the energy was enough to rend the already loose and mottled flesh that clung pitifully to the bones and leave the corpses all but obliterated.

          Finn watched in awe as she straitened and tried to remove some of the grime from her clothes, giving up in the end, and surveying the area.

          One of the larger corpses had been completely ripped in half; and while its legs let out one final twitch before falling still, the torso began to crawl rapidly toward her, somehow faster than it moved before.

          She looked down at it indifferently and with one powerful kick crushed its head, breaking through the skull with a sickening crunch. The torso let out one last weak shudder before stopping completely.

          She pulled her foot out of the caved in skull with a squelch pausing to try and wipe the grey matter off on what was left of the torsos tattered shirt.

          She teetered slightly and when she regained her balance her eyes landed on Finn and Han who, in their bewilderment, still had their weapons raised. She rounded on them with a snarl ready to take them out the same as the corpses at her feet.

          Finn almost dropped his lance in his haste to put his hands up, Han at his side did the same, but with a sly grin plastered on his face.

          “We heard a small scuffle, thought someone might need our help.” Han pointedly looked at the corpses she had destroyed “clearly we were wrong”

          She relaxed slightly, but remained wary as she approached. Han extended himself and introduced himself laying the charm on thick. She wrinkled her freckled nose with a slight smile, warming up to him slowly. Taking Hans outstretched hand and introducing herself to them.

          “Rey, of the Takodana Monks. I was sent to find the fallen star”

          Finn noticed Hans’ eyes darken, and his shoulders stiffened.

          “Tatooine” he told them grimly “That’s where it fell, not too far from here”

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

The First Order of the Knights Templar, while not officially sanctioned by the re-emerging Zakarum faith, profess a dedication to the light, and ridding corruption from Sanctuary.

They believe themselves to be the new pure and natural continuation of the faith.

~From the writings of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

          Han had been in New Tatooine when the star had fallen. He came to town with his wife and brother-in-law, they were scholars who were studying some sort of prophecy in the old cathedral of the Dark King close to the ruins of Old Tatooine.

          Despite the fact that the two towns are relatively far apart the crash of the star had sent an explosive shockwave of mind numbing cold and wind all across the town.

          Many people had panicked and fled, as of yet none of them had returned. When Hans’s wife had made it back from the point of impact, the cathedral itself, she had been injured but otherwise fine. The same could not be said for his brother in law, Luke.

          Leia had returned talking about skeletons crawling out of the labyrinthine catacombs below the cathedral. She kept saying that Luke was alive and they had to send a search party out to find him.

          No one had really believed anything she said of course, the townsfolk viewed the twins as secretive and strange (if you were being polite). But eventually they agreed to send out a search party, if only to placate her, not really taking Leia’s words to heart. When they got there, they had been over run. Barely making it out with their lives, the only thing they could do was to close the heavy wooden doors and hope it would hold the advancing skeleton army at bay.

          Of the nineteen men that had left, only seven returned.

          Luke had not been found.

---

          Once he knew his wife was safe within the town walls Han had rushed to find his apprentice who regularly made camp in the highlands.

          He didn’t make it in time, when he found the camp it had been completely destroyed and his apprentice was dead. He thought to bring the young man’s body back to town, give him a proper burial and what not. Those plans changed when his apprentice’s broken corpse rose from the ground.

          By then night had fallen so once he had finished with his apprentice, he had opted to hunker down at the camp using what he could to build himself some makeshift protection. He didn’t sleep, spent the whole night fighting the undead. He was exhausted by the time Finn had appeared, starting to believe his notorious luck may have finally run out.

          Rey and Finn listened with rapt attention as Han recounted his story on the way back to New Tatooine, between the occasional zombie attack and a couple more khazra traps.

          They followed the open road which provided no shelter, as the evening inevitably came. Any movement from the shadows beyond the magical lights reach put the whole group on edge, but they had no place to go to stay safe, they could only push forward and hope they would make it to the town soon.

          The once beautiful highlands were deserted.

          In its heyday it boasted rich farmland tall green grass and an abundance of strong trees for buildings. But now it was like walking through a nightmare. The sun had completely set and an unnatural fog crawled over the ground.

          The grass and trees, which at this time of the year should be a vibrant green and filled with life, seemed as if the color had drained away leaving everything a muted approximation of what it should be. And where there should be constant sounds from farm animals and wild life, a symphony of insects and birds calling to one another, there was nothing.

          The quite alone became suffocating and fear inducing. No one was immune.

---

          Finn was overcome with relief when the town finally came into sight. Big bon fires had been lit next to the main entrance bathing the whole area in blessed light.

          But as they got closer that relief quickly dissipated.

          The bon fires had been made in order to destroy piles of bodies; drenched in oil and set alight. Guards tending the fires made sure everything was destroyed, their faces were blank as they stoked the flames that consumed their loved ones remains. They had clearly seen too much over the last days, it seemed as though they had completely shut down.

          Makeshift barriers had been thrown together around the main entrance with exhausted men keeping a look out. Some of the men used sticks and pitchforks to push rotting bodies off the spikes of the barricades. It looked as if these bodies had actively impaled themselves in an effort to kill the people inside.

          They looked relived to see Han though, greeting him weakly. And letting them all through the gate into the town, informing Han;

          “She’s in the Cantina”

---

╭───────────✧───────────╮

Who living today does not know of the Zakarum faith? It’s worthy and most loyal, valiantly preaching the inner light of the founder, the Great Akarat!

This humble order began with a scant few true believers and has grown to impact Sanctuary in remarkable and fundamental ways over the centuries. The loyal followers of Zakarum have the power to forge nations, raise great kings to the throne, and bring peace throughout the land.

Its teaching ensure resistance to all things dark and evil, and embracing the light with total devotion. All Humans are vessels of light and all must seek their inner light in order to live a good and pure life.

The light exists in every one regardless of race, religion, or status

Embrace the light with total devotion

Trust in the glory of the light

Resist all things evil

~ From the preaching of Brother Malachi

╰───────────✧───────────╯

Chapter Text

--- 🌠---

          Rey had never been in a more depressing town.  (And she spent her childhood in Jakku) The inside New Tatooine was just as dismal and depressing as the outside.  Garbage and broken furniture piled high in any area large enough for waste to be dumped.  Nothing could be taken out of the town walls for fear of the horrifying and painful death that awaited.  Nor could anything come in, all the town had was what they had when the star fell and what little supplies panicked farmers managed to bring with them. Oil was being rationed, with priority obviously given to the disposal of the bodies of the dead, which caused a heavy shadow of unease to hold the town as the lights remained dim to conserve dwindling supplies.  Water was in short supply as well, along with vegetables as most of the crops had withered before they could be harvested.  

          It was quiet in town as well. No one wanted to talk as they only thing to talk about was too horrible to imagine.  Instead the people sat, or paced aimlessly.  No children played, no merchant called out to sell their wares.  People whispered, or cried, or stared off into the void of their own mind.

          As Rey, Finn and Han moved further in people seemed skittish and wary of the new arrivals.  How could they not, strangers from the wastes of the highlands appear out of nowhere when everything has abruptly gone to shit.  They whispered to one another as soon as the group passed.  Everyone was scared, Rey could feel it in her bones just as much as she could feel the cold wind.

          Many of the citizens and farmers that had made it into New Tatooine had been forced to take up whatever arms they could to defend the town from the constant barrage of the dead.  They seemed to come in waves at all hours with no discernable pattern announcing the arrival.  The townspeople worked tirelessly in shifts wielding pitchforks, sharpened sticks and old dull swords waiting anxiously for the next attack.  Only to return within the walls to wait anxiously for their next shift at the gates.

          In several open spaces not taken up by refuse children and the elderly were tending to the injured in sectioned off areas throughout the town.  Among these villagers were two Zakarum priests who must have gotten stuck with the rest of the villagers on their way to somewhere else.  Neither looked as if they belonged here amongst the dirt and waste, to clean and to well put together.

          One was walking among the injured, gently tending to their injuries and offering them water, holding it up to their lips so they could drink.  His shoulders were stooped, using a cane to get around, and the hood of his crimson cloak was up but pulled back just far enough to reveal a pointed wrinkled face with a protruding chin and thin lips.  It was clear the comfort he was able to offer was minimal at best but he did what he could to provide some emotional balm. 

          The other however, looked to be in his 50’s tall and thin, clean shaven with wiry white hair.  The hood of his green robes were pulled back to reveal his long face.  He stood at the side of the road on a stump surrounded by several forlorn looking families, while he preached about judgment day and making peace with the Light before death and damnation.  His evangelization seemed less useful than offering water and comfort and it seemed to Rey that it only caused people needless suffering and shame.

          But when the old Zakarum priest in the green caught sight of Finn, in full Templar armor his face lit up. 

          “Brothers and Sisters! We are blessed this day with a symbol of The Light! A Templar!”

          Weakly Finn raised his lance in a salute.  And the old priest saw an opening.

          “Come noble brother this despondent flock could use some words of hope from a fellow follower of the Light” he gestured to Finn from his makeshift podium.  A rich request from a man who had just proclaimed that people without enough light in their hearts would burn for eternity in the pits of Hell.

          “uhhhhhhh-” Finn had frozen and was clearly uncomfortable with the attention as a group of weary and desperate people fixed him with intense stares.  Rey couldn’t help but feel bad as he struggled to find the words, any words.  

          “Sorry Brother Malachi,” Han interrupted standing in front of them “the ‘noble brother here’, is on official business.  No time to talk” Han took hold of Finns elbow and pulled him along, as Finn repeatedly whispered his thanks while the old blacksmith rolled his eyes.

          They continued on further into the town, behind them Brother Malachi’s speech began to sound just a little more hopeful, now that he had seen a sign of “the Light”

---

          Han directed them to an ugly yellowing building that was attached to a two story inn.  Outside the door was a swinging wooden sign with a long crack through it, the painted letters were still legible despite being faded, as if someone recently gave up on the upkeep.  Mos Eisley the sign told them.  Han mentioned that this was the exact cantina that he had met his brother in law in, all those years ago, but couldn’t be persuaded to elaborate.  He pushed his way in greeting a couple people around the entrance with Rey and Finn following along behind, it was a drastic and welcome change to warm dry air from the cold wet of the highlands and town.

          It was obvious that Mos Eisley had been nice.  Once. 

          The floor had been gouged and scraped and stained in large dark brown patches Rey could only hope that was from food and drink.  The celling had been darkened with soot and years of grime.  Yellowed glass windows wouldn’t have let much light in, even if they had been cleaned.  The whole area smelled heavily of pipe smoke, stale liquor and cooked meat (although it may have been the guards burning bodies at the front gate).

          Next to the largest of the windows at a table large enough to seat six people, sat one of the most beautiful women Rey had ever seen. 

          She was dignified and delicate yet had an air of command that radiated from her.  Her greying hair was streaked with white, and piled up on her head in twisted and intricate braids.  Her dark grey dress was simple and her cloak was made of fine thick wool, with a high collar that obscured part of her face.  She had a royal decorum about her that made Rey feel like she should bathe and change before being graced with the woman’s presence. 

          Her face lit up when she saw Han however, and it made her all the more beautiful.

          “That’s his wife” Finn whispered in disbelief to Rey. 

          They were so different it was almost laughable that this couple could be married.  But sure enough they embraced deeply and the woman allowed herself to rest against Hans’ chest.  She was a tiny woman, but there was no doubt she was not someone to be trifled with. 

          “Must be” Rey snorted when Leia snapped at Han that he shouldn’t have gone out, but it was undercut with sweetness when she quietly added. 

          “I was afraid I lost you too”

          Neither Rey nor Finn wanted to interrupt this moment so they stood there awkwardly, not sure where exactly they should be looking.  Rey was staring at some empty cots hastily pushed off to the side when Finn elbowed her.  Leia was staring at them.  There was a quirk to her lips as she gestured for them to have a seat at her table.  Rey watched as Finn took a seat, he was surprisingly graceful despite the massive armor he wore, she took the seat next to him.  Less graceful. 

          “Any news about Luke?” Han asked

          Leia shook her head, as she slipped back into her seat.  Han sat next to Leia and draped his arm around her shoulder.  Leia took a sip of wine from the stone goblet on the table before her, and let the silence surround them once again. 

          Silence was often where Rey found the most solitude, but she was simply to twitchy to let it last. 

          “I’m looking for the fallen star” she blurted out. 

          Leia raised a delicate eyebrow at Rey before she spoke.

          “You don’t hold back do you?” Leia asked calmly.  Rey felt the heat rush to her face in a blush.  But Leia waved it off “don’t worry.  It’s refreshing.  So many people here tend to beat around the bush, as if I’m some old lady who can’t handle it.  I’ve seen more than them, that’s for sure”

---

          Leia ordered them food (turns out it wasn’t the smell of burning bodies, but delicious mutton and organ meat stew, at least some of it ), which Rey ate with little regard for manners, something Han apparently found highly amusing, egging her on and handing her pieces of meat with his fingers while the ever respectable Leia glared at him. 

          Once they were comfortable, nibbling at what was left, Leia told them her story; about being in the cathedral studying a prophecy when the star had struck, Luke being gone when she looked for him, how she knew Luke was still alive, despite the odds.

          “We have a bond” she told them sternly “It’s hard to explain, and harder to understand, but I know he’s alive, I would feel it if he was gone”

          Leia hid it well, but she was tired and losing hope.  She had to be strong for the people around her, the many that clearly looked up to her.  Every couple of minutes someone would approach the table to speak with Leia, ask her a question or offer her condolences.  And every time she would answer them with diplomacy and poise. Leia reminded Rey a lot of Maz, both strong leaders, and Rey felt a powerful connection to her and her family.

          Soon enough she told them that she feared this star may be the same one in the prophecy that heralded the beginning of the end.  Rey confirmed that was also the monks’ suspicion, as she briefly explained why she had been sent. 

          Rey had to act.  She would find the star, and bring it back for Leia to study, along with her brother.  They would be reunited as a family.  After all, what wouldn’t she give for the same thing?

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

The order of Zakarum, also known as the Church of Light, is the dominant religious order in Sanctuary.  It boasts around 50 000 followers as well as the off shoot organizations: the Paladins and the Crusaders.

Dedicated to the worship of ‘the Light’ this group has existed for generations, which has of course left it open to manipulation and corruption from within; including a time when it had been warped by the greater evil Mephisto.

While its reputation was negatively affected for a time, it’s bounced back with vigor, leading to a rise in fanaticism.

You will find that followers of Zakarum have the persistence of zombies, although they lack the charisma

~ From the writing of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

          Leia had convinced Rey and Finn to try and get a few hours of sleep in the connected inn before they were to head out, something which all of them were in desperate need of.  Despite that Finn was up early, to make what he was about to do perhaps a little easier. 

          The light of a new dawn stretched across the sky outside his window; Maybe Rey would still be asleep he thought.  She had been yawning widely when he saw her head into the opposite room, then he wouldn’t have to confront her.

          The town had things under control, Finn tried to convince himself, there were no other attacks that night.  Between Rey and Han he was certain that they would be fine without him. 

          Right?

          Finn was packing up the necessities he felt he would need as he continued his escape from the First Order.  He knew that if he stopped now they would undoubtedly find him, just as he knew what would happen to him if they did.  The Grand Maester was not known for understanding and forgiveness. 

          Still there was a nagging in the back of his mind, talking about the importance of a mission like this, and most importantly, Rey.  Could he really just leave her like this?

---

          Han had offered to take a look at both Finn and Rey's’ weapons and get Finn a new shield.  He had happily taken Han up on that offer, the khazra were getting so aggressive and the dead were popping out of their graves like spring flowers, he could only imagine what other horrors he may have to face-

          And that you’re leaving Rey to face alone;

          No! His mind was set.  Besides with all of this chaos it would be easier for him to slip away unnoticed, the order may even just give up on finding him all together. 

          He tossed the pack over his shoulder and made his way to the plot of land Han had liberated to set up his makeshift smithy.  The products Han made were of surprisingly good quality, he was an expert blacksmith, stuck in this dingy little town.  He could make good money in a larger city.  Finn thought about all this while he examined some swords and daggers Han had made, when he heard a cute snort behind him.

          “We’re just going to the cathedral and back, we don’t even need an overnight pack.” Rey teased him.

          Finn felt guilt deep in his chest.  He obviously hadn’t told Rey, he wasn’t even sure how he would start.  They had gotten on really well; he enjoyed her company and he actually wanted her to come with him.  Leave all of this madness behind and travel Sanctuary with him. 

          But Rey stood before him, grinning brightly with the crinkle of her nose and the words got caught in his throat.  He started stammering, and now Han was staring at him as well, disappointment written all over his face. 

          I’m not just leaving, I have to go Finn thought desperately,

          But why.  Really? His traitorous brain countered. 

          Rey’s smile had started to falter her eyes were awash with emotion and hurt. 

          His defenses started to crumble, I’m probably going to die anyway.  It may as well be while doing something worth while

          “I believe in being prepared” he finally said, glancing at a small commotion over Rey’s shoulder. 

          Finn froze as fear punched him in the gut.  Something far more frightening than a couple walking corpses or angry goat men was walking the streets of New Tatooine.

          It’s Him.

          At the main entrance of the town a familiar figure loomed.  Absurdly tall and wide, even more so in full Templar armor.  A white tabard with the black psi symbol emblazoned across it hung snugly over His chest.  Unlike Finns silver armor His, was black and gold, a wide gorget and large pauldrins covered his neck and shoulders a massive shield hitched to his back and a longsword at his side, his face was completely hidden by the black great helm Finn was so familiar with. 

          He would not be there to bring Finn back if he could help it, not all of him anyway.  He was ready for battle. 

          “We should go now, easier to see in the light, so no one- or thing- can sneak up on us, right?” he said happily, taking his lance from Han, and gathering Rey's’ staff, shoving it into her hands. 

          She was thrown off only a little by his sudden mood change, and was soon heading off with Finn towards the back gate of the town, away from the black Templar, towards the road which goes straight to Old Tatooine. 

          For a very brief moment, Finn considered slipping away before they got to the cathedral when Rey wasn’t looking.  No matter how fleeting the thought though, guilt ate at him.  He couldn’t do that, certainly not now.  Rey, to her credit, didn’t question his strange behavior.  She simply seemed happy that Finn was coming with her. 

          Clearly she hadn’t seen the terrifying knight in the town behind them. 

          With any luck they had gotten out before He had noticed them.

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

Takodana Monks worship thousands of gods.  They believe that every living and moving thing has a spirit and patron god and that they must participate in the natural rituals of the world around them.

One part of their scripture talks about cleansing using rain,

Another talks about gaining strength and grounding oneself from bathing in the light of the sun,

Yet another part of their scripture talks about the majesty of greeting the dawn with their gods every morning.  As such it has become ritual for them to begin each day with mediation facing the rising sun.

~ From the writings of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

Chapter Text

🌠

          They hadn’t even gotten 100 feet from the towns’ gate when they heard the distinct sounds of someone retching.  Violently.  It was a truly horrible sound, wet and sloppy, that sent shivers of disgust up Finns spine.  There was an almost obnoxious splashing sound that accompanied another loud heave. 

          There was a lot Finn had seen and done, things that tormented him in the night, which would continue tormenting him for years to come only to ebb away and slowly be replaced with fresh new horrors.  But when he found himself thinking back to the moment everything changed, it would be this sound that came to his mind; and it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

🌠

          “Sounds like someone needs help” Rey said weakly, Pulling Finn along with her. 

          The sounds came from a dense thicket of woods with a narrow path leading through them.  Brambles and broken branches snagged at her loose clothing as she pushed deeper, coming to the other side revealing an area with some large boulders and crops of trees scattered about.  They stayed in on the edges of the thicket, out of sight, as they surveyed the area. 

          In the center of a large clearing a scrawny and pale woman with matted stringy black hair and filthy tattered clothing stood with her back to them, completely surrounded by vomit. 

          They could only stand in horror as they watched her hunch again letting out another loud retch and a flood of vomit spilled from her mouth.  It was thick, and a sickly shade of rusty brown and green (it may have even been a little lumpy). 

          It kept pouring out of her mouth, more than Rey had ever seen, she knew of more than a couple sicknesses that could do this to a person, never seen it in person before though. 

          This woman might be saved if they could get her back to the town.  The retching stops for a moment, as the black haired woman wandered over to a nearby boulder and began to retch there too.  Rey could see the woman’s emesis dripping off the front of her dress. 

          It might be too late for her. 

          Familiar moans caught Reys’ attention, and the shapes of five raised dead wandered through the vomit tracking it with them with every step they took towards the woman.  Two more hobbled around from behind the boulder, the woman was surrounded. 

          No one deserves to die that way, Rey thought to herself stepping out from the trees protection. 

          Rey called out to the woman as she rushed toward the risen, attracting all of their attention.  Readying his lance Finn boldly charged after her, only for both of them to stop short as the black haired woman finally turned to face them. 

          She locked her sunken eyes with theirs and let out a horrifying screech.  Blood and vomit swirled and mixed as it dripped from her mouth and chin and she began to retch again.  Spewing another wave of vomit on the ground in front of her, ignoring the fact that it splattered against her own body and dress. 

          Then, just as quickly, she turned and bolted away from them.  Heading behind the other risen that were now shambling towards them. 

          Another retch, another splash of vomit. 

          Ok defiantly no hope for her.

          Apparently spewing an inhuman amount of vomit wasn’t her only trick.  The ground under every spot her stomach contents covered in a thick patch started to move and shift, exposing hands clawing their way to the surface as more corpses dragged themselves out of the ground.  She maintained a set distance from Rey and Finn but didn’t leave the area.  Stopping only to spew more corpse summoning vomit every few feet, then moving on. 

          “Rey, you target the Wretched Mother, and I’ll clear out her minions.” Finn announced as he lunged toward the growing group of wandering corpses as they dragged themselves out of the ground. 

---

          The black haired lady corpse was surprisingly fast.  Faster than the other corpses Rey had to dodge to get to her.  Often she would stop to lash out an attack at Rey or vomit more risen dead into existence, Rey would get several hits in, and then the Wretched Mother would take off again.

          “Stand still and let me hit you, you disgusting.  Corpse.  Vomit.  Bitch!” Rey shouted punctuating every word with a heavy swing of her Bo staff as the Wretched Mother, despite having been injured by Rey’s swift strikes, still tried to make another break for it. 

          At this point Finn was now facing twenty risen dead when previously there had been less than a dozen.  Using his great lance he was able to hit multiple at one time throwing them to the side while he skewered them or bashed them with the new shield he had gotten from Han. 

          It had a solid metal stud in the center and a sharp spike he could use to make deep gashes that the risen couldn’t seem to recover from.  Again Rey found herself impressed with Finns agility and speed.  He used his thick studded pauldrins to body-check any risen that managed to get close, throwing them to the side like rag dolls, before impaling or slashing them. 

          After chasing her and dodging her vomit spawn for what felt like ages, Rey finally managed to finish off the Wretched Mother with a firm precise strike to its face, caving in the mouth and nose, and another sharp final strike to the back of the head that internally decapitated it, cracking loudly and causing large bulges where broken bones pressed internally against her loose skin. 

          She gave the motionless body a final kick, more out of frustration than anything else, and headed back to Finn who was now able to easily finish of the remaining hoard without being inundated with more.  She stood to the side and watched him with a blank face not offering any help.  Finally as he dislodged body parts and viscera from his lance she managed to lock eyes with him.

          “Wretched Mother?” she deadpanned.

          “Hey, I thought that was really clever.”

--- 🌠---

          The area he stood in was littered with rotting bodies and thick, foul smelling sludge that attracted a plethora of buzzing insects. 

          The Black Templar actually found himself impressed with the amount of carnage he had found.

          Jondar had been one of them after all. 

          Despite the corpses being weak individually, even a handful could overpower a lesser warrior.  A large hoard like this would be substantial risk, even for a Templar.  He kicked over the body of a gaunt woman, her lose head flopped dramatically to the side. 

          A few late comers to the party wandered about, dispatched easily by a single slice from a long sword, with a blade that glowed red with holy light. 

          Once finished the black knight continued to follow the path of Jondar and his companion. 

---

╭•✦──────────────╮

Old Tatooine was destroyed in the darkening. 

This event would permanently mark surrounding area, and the old town was abandoned. 

After years of peace and calm it became a destination for adventures and treasure hunters.  Soon a new encampment was built nearby for those adventures to rest.  It consisted primarily of a collection of merchants looking to make a profit.  This encampment grew and became a town in its own right. 

However, once the cathedral and surrounding areas had been stripped of all its valuables, New Tatooine was no longer the treasure hunter destination it had been.  People left and visitation dried up, but there were some who were content to stay and make their home there in the lush highlands. 

And so the town of New Tatooine was formed.

~ From the books of Luke Skywalker

╰──────────────✦•╯

---

--- 🌠---

          The ruins of Old Tatooine were falling apart as nature returned to reclaim the area.  What was left of the old stone and wood houses still bore the marks of attacks and fire.  The cobblestone roads were uneven and cracked, over run by large bloated corpses whose torsos would detach and continue attacking and yet another Wretched Mother, much to Reys’ disgust.

          “You know, once you get rid of the zombie guts, and after a thorough scrubbing, this place could be really nice.” Rey said absently as she scraped chunks of, something, off the bottom of her boot.  Finn snorted

          “Yeah I’m sure the autumn’s here are lovely, and the bases of these structures seem pretty stable.” He said, as a conveniently timed chunk of gutted house fell in the distance. 

          “Just make sure you cremate your dead before the next uprising” Rey responded.  Finn chuckled and let out a little strangled cough. 

          “We should make sure we got them all, we don’t want any to make it back to town” Rey told Finn. 

          But there was no response.  She looked around the house he had been next to.  Nothing.  The town was not that big, and the streets were empty, no risen left, no skeletons or other monsters, no Finn.

          There was a sinking deep in Reys’ gut and her chest felt tight.  He had faltered that morning, when they talked about coming to the cathedral with her.  She knew he was trying to get away from something, but he hadn’t given her much in the way of details. 

          It’s not like she actually needed him, she’d been very independent her whole life.  But having him around had been… nice, fun even.  It had been such a long time since she met someone she connected with, someone to talk to, the other monks were kind enough but it was obvious she wasn’t completely one of them, powerful but different. 

          Finn hadn’t cared she was a little strange, cause he was just as weird.  However short, his friendship had been welcome, she was afraid it had already come to an end.

          Before her mind could spiral, she caught a glimpse of bright red behind one of the distant houses nearer to the cathedral.  As she got closer, she heard a metallic clunk and grinding sound as if something metal had been dropped then dragged for a bit. 

          Along the way she found deep gouge marks in the stones that made up the road, exposing a lighter shade of rock beneath, which meant these were new. 

          Something heavy was being carried and dragged toward the cathedral. 

🌠

          Finn choked on the rag before he blacked out. 

          He had let his guard down around Rey, enjoying her company glad he hadn’t chosen to leave, which had allowed someone to sneak up on him. 

          How embarrassing. 

          The First Order was methodic when training its Templars, they had been poisoned and drugged repeatedly to build up an immunity, so Finn found himself coming to quickly.  He still couldn’t move his body but he got a good look at who was currently carrying him. 

          Mages, with long bright red robes, they all had their hoods up and an opaque veil covering the bottom half of their faces.  The one carrying his feet dropped him and Finn could feel shocks rocket up his spine, like the white static when your arm is asleep. 

          “Watch it!” one of the mages snapped.  They hadn’t stopped, just kept dragging him as the last guy ran after them grabbing at Finns’ feet trying to host him back up. 

          They were taking him to the cathedral.  He could hear the heavy wooden doors open and the tell-tale groans of the risen dead, along with a couple howls of pain. 

          Clinking metal was new though. 

          At his side another mage muttered the words of a spell and sent out an electric blast from his hand, its force not nearly as strong as Reys’, and lit with a dark red light where Reys’ magic was colorless.  The sounds stopped and the mages pulled him inside the cathedral.  He could see above him a mage wearing yellow was standing on something so he could see over everyone’s head.  He was shouting orders at them. 

          “Quickly! Before his companion shows up, get him to the chamber in the catacombs before the sun sets! Move faster” it was then that the yellow mage noticed Finns open eyes.  “Dose him again! He’s awake!”

          Finn had no power to stop them, and sank back into the black.

🌠

          Rey made it to the Cathedral courtyard as the mages were carrying Finn through the doors.  A single yellow cloaked mage was screeching orders at the others while standing on some rubble to see over their heads.  Whenever he turned his head Rey struggled to hear his voice. 

          “Quickly! Before ---- up, get him --- the chamber in --- catacombs ------ sun sets! ----- Faster! Dose him again! ---- awake!”

          She was certain Finn was alive but any group of mages that took living prisoners never kept them that way for long.  She rushed them, four red robes stayed behind to prevent her from going further, they cast dark crackling red bolts of magic at her. 

          The yellow robe rushed inside, leaving the rest to face Rey alone. 

---

          Like all mages, they were not much of a fight.  Dodge their magic blasts and once you get close enough, hit them really hard.  They went down like rocks. 

          She got through just in time to see the shrill yellow mage chanting while they all stood on a raised stone platform.  Underneath them a spell circle began to glow, light surrounded them, and once it was gone so were they,

          And so was Finn. 

          The platform had marks where the spell circle was inscribed and no longer glowed but she had no idea how to activate it.  There had to be another way in.  Rey was frantic, she knew where they were going, the catacombs below the cathedral, Leia had told them as much as she could, but Rey had no idea how she was going to get there the door to the lower levels had been destroyed, the back of the cathedral had a big ass crater in it. 

          It took Rey longer than she wanted to admit that the solution was very simple. 

          Go into big hole.  Leads directly into lower levels.

Chapter Text

--- 🌠---

          Cautiously Rey approached the edge of the crater.  It was too deep to see the bottom, too deep to be able to survive if she slipped and fell.  Even days after the impact it continued to glow an eerie blue light. The light wasn’t hot, she could brush her fingers against it with no ill effects; still she tried to avoid it if possible.

          She followed a ledge around the top of the hole until she could see a room below her, if she scaled down the side of the crater and jumped at the right time, she could make it; that would be her way in. A firm kick propelled her neatly into the open room. 

          Rey dusted herself off and looked up to find the room was filled with skeletons.  Walking skeletons.  With weapons and rusty old armor.  There had to be a dozen in this room alone.  Her sudden arrival seemed to startle them, and they were unable to recover right away. But the element of surprise didn’t last long; and once they came to their senses they attacked with surprising skill which the zombies above ground didn’t poses.

          A loud horn sounded as one of the skeletal warrior sounded an alarm calling more to the room from the surrounding area.  They poured in from the door, crawling through balcony pillars to the side, soon Rey found herself overwhelmed, there were just too many and she didn’t have time for this.

          Rey focused, just like Maz had taught her.  She pulled the dry air deeply into her lungs drawing from that familiar and mysterious force around her and she allowed the calm washed over her, she could feel herself becoming one with the flow of energy, and in a single burst she expelled the power out of her center and away from her.  Pushing the crowd away from her and giving her room to fight.

          It was the sheer numbers that made them formidable, but that was also their greatest weakness.  She could aim for one and hit five others next to it causing a chain reaction as those skeletons fell taking out the ones behind them.  They had more skill compared to some of the other undead she had faced, but they were still as weak as a mage. 

          Right now she would use everything at her disposal to get to Finn quickly.  She focused the energy from where it seemed to sit at her core onto her weapon, her strikes would now pack a stronger punch and carve out a path through the skeletons clearing out the room with ease, targeting the ones with blowing horns to stop them from calling more friends. 

          She dashed out the door and found herself in a massive underground structure, with several rooms and openings, balconies facing into deep open space. Looking over the side she could already see several flights of stairs descending deeper into the darkness. Several of the torches along the walls were lit with magic, providing weak light to see by.

          She moved on crossing many walkways, down several flights of stairs and following sounds of chanting that echoed making it difficult to pinpoint. Rey found that the walkways were mostly empty with the skeletons and bats sticking mostly to the circular open areas.  She was able to take out a couple groups of zombies that had shuffled their way down by unlatching massive round metal light fixtures that had been attached to the ground. Otherwise it was pretty easy to circumvent them and speed up her search for the mystery chamber she heard the mages talking about.

          There! A light caught her eye.

          An opening down deep towards her left, the tell-tale glow of the magic circle.  They were bringing in more mages for whatever they were planning down here.  That looked like it would be a good place to start.

          She raced towards them, dodging skeletons and bats, the occasional risen dead, and launching herself down stairs, past statues and old rotting furniture. 

          She reached the mages circle and spotted a massive chamber behind it just on the other side of yet another narrow walkway, that’s gotta be the one she thought to herself. 

          Rushing towards the chamber she could hear the chanting getting louder she was half way across the walkway when several of the red robed mages rushed her, attacking with blots of magic and sharp bloodstained daggers. Most of them got tossed over the sides of the walk way, screaming as they plummeted below.  The rest were left in bloody heaps on the ground behind her grunting in agony from broken bones and internal bleeding.

          The chamber had no door, only a wide archway as an entrance, there were no other exits.  Tall ceilings and a raised covered balcony facing the center of the room accessible by a short flight of stairs were the only things that set this room apart from all the other rooms she had passed on the way here. Hundreds of lit candles flickered in every corner of the room, spell circles and sigils covered the walls painted in a thick red liquid that could only be blood.  

          And at the center of it all, she found Finn.

---

          He was being held aloft by seven mages using the same crackling red magic they had shot at her, seven more were holding tablets and chanting in some unfamiliar language.  They had stripped Finn of his armor leaving him in only his leathers, clearly still disoriented from whatever they had dosed him with, he writhed in pain struggling to break free from the magic concentrated at his chest with no success.

          Underneath him another larger spell circle began to glow not unlike the transportation spell, this one in a deep orange.  The edges began to darken and soon a swirling blackness began to form at it center.  It was as if the spell circle was absorbing all the light in the room while at the same time radiating heat.  They were opening a portal, a big one, and Finn was to be their sacrifice. 

          These idiots were summoning a demon!

          Mages in brown robes rushed her at the entrance to the room. They were doing anything in their power to slow her down even if it meant flinging themselves bodily at her, these were the fanatical type in many mage cults who would impale themselves on weapons to make it harder for someone to attack, so consumed by the cult’s power they would willingly act as glorified meat shields. 

          The red robes continued to chant, and the portal beneath Finn continued to grow.  Sparks of raw electricity and a bright orange light appeared at the center.  The room was getting hot, and the tortured sounds of an animal hissing and growling echoed throughout the whole area. 

          Rey had just managed to throw off some of the brown robes when a large black shape barreled through the circle of red cloaks, taking out three.  She could swear she even heard the crack of bone as the black shape connected with them casting them to the side. 

          The slice of a sword, its long blade glowing red, cut through two more of the tightly packed mages.  The magic that held Finn began to flicker as more mages lost their hold.  She could see what it was now, or more accurately who. 

          A great black knight began to cut down mages, proficiently and systematically.  His armor was the same as Finns, only where Finns was silver white in color this knights was black trimmed with gold. 

          Relief flooded through Rey, he must be another Templar someone from Finns order come to help.  With the help of the Black Templar Rey was able to turn her sights on to the mages holding up Finn.  As they fell their magical hold on him evaporated and he fell to the ground.  Rey rushed to his side, offering her hand, and helping him up and away from the growing portal. 

          The other Templar cut through most of the remaining mages with ease.  While Finn stood on shaky legs.  He swayed and shook his head to regain his bearings.  He looked past her face focused and more serious than she had ever seen him He gave her no warning when he took a powerful swing beside Reys’ head his fist connecting with a brown mages nose, breaking it and sending blood splattering down the side of Reys tunic.    He locked eyes with her and nodded before separating.

          Off the balcony just feet above them, the yellow mage in charge screeched out his orders at his rapidly declining, confused and disorganized minions. 

          “Stop them! Stop Them! Get them!” He howled uselessly “There must be a sacrifice Mistress Bazine orders it!”

          He hurled red bolts at them desperately, but Rey was faster than he was.  She made it up to the platform on which he stood quickly.  She kicked his feet out from beneath him and with a powerful swipe of her staff she sent the yellow robed mage to the floor below. 

          Just as a monster burst out from the center of the swirling black torrent of the still open portal below them.

          In horror Rey watched as a massive demonic crab claw reached out from within the portal and caught the screaming mage, the claw tore through the mages body.  Roughly it shook the screaming mage like a hunting dog shakes an animal it’s caught, until the mages body tore itself apart blood coating the floor and stairs up to the podium. 

          The giant thick body of a demon followed the claw and it continued rising several feet above the trio as it hauled its massive form through the portal.  Now Rey knew why they picked this room in particular.   

---

╔════════✧════════╗

Summoning demons is no easy task.

It requires absolute concentration. 

And a lot of blood.

╚════════✧════════╝

---

          With no mages left to control it, the demon turned to face Finn and the Black Templar.  Its bellow sent blood and saliva across their faces and chests.  From her vantage point Rey could see the thing in all its nightmarish glory.

          At its full height standing at least seven feet above the two men it was covered in lumpy red and blue flesh.  Its lower half was shaped similar to a scorpion with a massive lumpy growth at the tip of its tail which it swung like a mace breaking stone with ease.  The crab claws snapped at the air revealing twisted spikes on its inner edge.  The claws were attached to a fat humanoid chest, its belly jiggled every time the beast moved, clothed only in straps of brown leather.  Its thick neck was attached to a pointed head with two long horns pointing skyward from its flat forehead, a metal cage wrapped around its face with spikes stabbing inward, it had no nose, or lips just rows of five inch teeth and beady black eyes that narrowed in on them as it prepared to strike. 

          Finn took off to a large chest in the corner of the room, where his armor must have been kept, but the Black Templar kept his ground, readying to fight. 

          Rey made a split second decision and leapt on to the demons back wrapping her staff around the many folds of skin on its neck and holding tight to both sides.  This caused the demon to bellow and thrash trying to throw her off.  Its claws smashed wildly through the balcony where she had just been standing.  It took several steps blindly toward the black Templar and reared up, smashing its horns into the ceiling and exposing its fleshy belly to the Black Templar. 

          From behind his massive shield the Black Templar thrust his sword up and into the demons stomach twisting and cutting with a powerful swing.

          The demon roared in agony and thrashed wildly finally throwing Rey off who tumbled down the beasts massive wobbly body to the hard ground below.  Finn rushed back into the fray coming up between her and the beast standing next to the black Templar, still barefoot with no armor only his lance and shield. 

          As the demon began to drop back onto its (way too many) spindly legs that looked like it couldn’t possible hold its massive body, blood still pouring from its gaping stomach wound, Finn lunged forward impaling the beasts great head on the end of his lance with a sloppy crunch slipping in through the metal caged keeping his lance in place. 

          The sheer size of the demon forced its head further down onto the lance and the tip burst through the top out the eye socket opposite Finn.  It wiggled in vain trying to remove the lance but was stopped abruptly as the Black Templar deftly removed its head with a final swing of his sword. 

          The three stood silent for only a moment, Rey turned to the two men and was about to thank the Black Templar when he readied his sword once again,

          Only this time he aimed it at the armor-less Finn.

--- 🌠---

          Again, moving faster than one would expect in armor that large, the Black Templar rushed Finn.  He was able to dodge Finns lance, and struck Finns shield as he held it aloft. Finn grunted under the effort. 

          Forced him back, Finn readied his lance, and made to lunge at the Templar, but was stopped abruptly when a thick wooden staff struck the back of the Black Templars head.  Another strike from Rey caused the Templar to stumble. 

          He blocked a blow from Finns lance, but his great helm was knocked off by another of Rey’s strikes imbued with her power dazing him somewhat. 

          The Templar underneath was younger than Rey had expected.  A broad nose and black eyes on pale skin.  Sweat soaked black hair curled around large ears.  The lower half of his face was mostly obscured by his bevore.  He looked between them with ferocious intensity reading his sword to fight them both, but Rey had enough.

          Between her energy blast and the downward swipe from her staff, she sent the man flying to the ground sliding backwards a bit until he hit a hard stone wall.

          He struggled to his elbows and looked up at her shock clear in his eyes, the armor that protected the lower half of his face was not able to stop her magic as blood from a long gash beside his eye dripped down his cheek.  She had even broken through some of the straps holding the pauldrins in place and dented his armor.  

          She stood over him huffing angrily fist on her hip as she prodded him hard in the chest with her staff while he continued to gape.

          “What the Hell” she snapped at him “you help us fight off the freaky mage cult, and the demon but then you try to kill us? What is your damage?”

          “Not us” Finn whispered behind Rey “Me”       

          Rey looked between the two of them.  The Black Templar now glaring at Finn still resting on his elbows.  Finn wouldn’t look at Rey, instead he moved back to the chest and began to pull his armor back on. 

          Rey left the injured Knight on the ground behind her and walked up behind Finn.  She could hear the sounds of metal scraping on the stone as the Black Knight staggered to his feet.

          “Finn, what are you talking about?”

          “He was sent to kill me” was all Finn supplied. 

          Rey was getting impatient.  She turned back to the other man.

          “Why are you trying to kill Finn?”

          “Jondar is a traitor!” the deep baritone voice shook as the man fought to keep his calm, never once taking his glare off Finn. “He’s turned his back on the order, took sacred texts and fled, and for that he must return to face reconditioning or die”

          “Jondar? His name is Finn, isn’t it?” Rey questioned.  She looked at Finns back he was tense and shuttering every time he took a breath.

          “He is Marshal Jondar Storm, Templar of the First Order of Light and a traitor.  I have come to take him back to the order to be judged, or he is to perish here and no-”

          “MY NAME IS FINN!” He bellowed back spinning to face the much taller Knight “My name is Finn, and they took that from me!”

          Finn wasn’t as tall or wide as the Black Templar but at the moment he was just as ferocious.  They continued to glare at one another until Rey gently waved her staff between the two men gaining their attention.

          “Ok Finn, you’re going to have to tell me your story.  The full story.  And you!” Rey rounded on the other man, he sniffed down at her. 

          “I am Master Kylo Re-“    

          “I don’t care.  This place is swarming with skeletons, the dead are walking Sanctuary, that chap-” she motioned to the head, shoulder and left arm of the yellow robed mage (the largest chunk that was left) “summoned a demon, and all you can think about is some books and an unscheduled trip.  I think you need to evaluate your priorities!”

          She used her staff to scoop up his great helm and shoved it into his chest. 

          “There is a man trapped down here that may have information regarding the end of days! You know, the apocalypse! The end, which started when a star fell from the heavens.  People are going to die, a lot of people, all the people! So suck it up! Either help us, or piss off! But know that I won’t hesitate to strike you dead.”

          Rey huffed as she stared between the two men.  Each wearing blank looks.  The clanking and creaking of old metal armor behind her signified the return of the walking skeletons.  When neither men made any affirmation that they understood she got frustrated. She poured all of that frustration into a magical attack directed at the skeletal warriors sending pieces of them scattering, and returned her irritated glare at the men before her.

          Kylo ended up grunting his agreement, and put his helmet back firmly on his head. 

          “After this mission is complete, I will return to the First Order with Jondar to face judgement” he told her.

          “Finn, and no.” she said simply turning on her heal and heading back out the room the way she had come.  Only the sounds of the two heavily armored men following her was indication they had reached a shaky truce.

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

The Templar are easily recognized by his armor.  Large and ornate pauldrins covered in studs or spikes protect the shoulders and armpits. 

A bevor or gorget protects the neck and chin.  Faulds cover their chests overtop scale or chain mail.  Underneath it all another layer of leather to separate skin from metal. 

Great helms are worn by all Templars of every rank to protect the head.  Each Templar has a shield and a sword or lance, all of which can weigh up to 50 pounds each, on top of the 120 pound armor (not including the mail). 

Despite this, Templars have shown great skill and speed while in battle.

Each Templar has a rank and corresponding armor.  For example a Master or Commander has black plate metal lined with gold while a Seneschal’s black armor would be trimmed with silver.  A marshal or under-marshal would have simple Iron or steel plate metal polished until it shone almost white, but still wore expensive and durable scale mail.  Sergeants or lower would be adorned only with basic plate metal, chainmail and leather armor. 

The highest rank is the Grand Maester, whose armor is composed of precious gold and jewels, befitting his high title.

~ From the writings of Luke Skywalker

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

Chapter Text

---🌠---

          “Ok Finn, tell me what’s going on” Rey whispered to her friend while their tall, dark shadow maintained a steady pace behind them, always keeping an eye on Finn.  “What’s this guy want with you?”

          Finn looked tired and overwhelmed. He didn’t respond right away, carefully considering his words.  Finally he let out a deep sigh and began to explain.  

          “I was a Templar.  Trained by the First Order to cleanse the world of corruption.  While I was cleaning out an old storage space, I found a book hidden behind a loose stone in the wall.  I opened it and began to read.  In the margin words were written.  Words that made no sense but once I saw them I couldn’t get them out of my head.  I kept reading, and then the memories started to come back.” Finn took a deep breath before he continued.  Their companion had gotten closer clearly curious as to what Finn had to say.  “You are not born a Templar.  The order finds you.  I was told that when they found me I was full of sin and close to death.  That they saved me and I owed them my life and fidelity, I was lucky they found me when they did.”

          “What did you do that was so bad?”

          “I can’t tell you” Finn muttered despondently, burdened by some hidden shame he began to close himself off from her.  Which caused Rey to huff in irritation, she couldn’t help if he didn’t open up.  She had started to scold him when Kylo spoke up from behind them.

          “You misunderstand” the sudden baritone behind them caused Rey to jump “we are completely unable to recall our pasts.  The inquisitors stripped us of our sins and took the memories with them.  Leaving us pure”

          “How does that make someone pure? Your past is what makes you who you are”

          “Our initiation opens our eyes to see a clear future, and prepare for our final battle, unburdened by our sins.  The only way to do that is to let the past die.  To kill it, if you have to.”

          He didn’t see Rey roll her eyes, at his flowery explanation.  She did see Finn, who remained silent throughout Kylos explanation, occasionally mouthing the words they had obviously both been trained to repeat when someone asked.

          “And how exactly does your order purge you of your memories” Rey asked Finn, turning and walking backward so she could face him.  “Magic or-“

          “New initiates are chained to the wall and beaten.” Rey stopped suddenly and stared openly at Finns blank face “By the third day we are mad from the pain and hunger.  That’s when the whipping starts.  I was told I relived all of my past transgressions, every tainted joy.  The whip takes away that joy, and then the sin, leaving us pure”

          Rey couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  She could see Finn clearly, when she read him there is no darkness, and there never was.  In the west cults had been known to sacrifice people for their personal gain no one expected the victims to be grateful for it.  She looked to Kylo who had also stopped, he nodded in affirmation, Kylo was harder read but there was nothing about either man that hinted towards the unforgivable sins they talked about. 

          “But when I read the book, the memories I got, they were not those of a sinner, I saw a farm, warm countryside.” Finn continued, as if he had been talking about a good harvest and not his own torture. 

          “Then you have been deceived!” Kylo growled.

          “But by who?”

          Kylo was silent then.  He started walking without a word, and Rey could sense turmoil.  Maybe this Black Templar also had doubts of his own but was too afraid. 

          She turned to continue walking forward, speaking to Finn again

          “What are you going to do?”

          He shook his head “I have no idea, how does one recover lost memories?”

          “Ground oatozo root can recover any memory.  Or blind you.  It’s a dangerous root”

---

╔══════════✧══════════╗

“As a farmer reaps his wheat, so must the order harvest and purify the weeds” – ~Templar scripture

╚══════════✧══════════╝

---

🌠

          They found Luke at the bottom of a grand marble staircase.

          The room he was in had been mostly destroyed by the falling star.  At the opposite end of the room was another descending staircase leading to an ornately carved set of double doors.  There were a couple bookshelves dotting the walls copious amounts of urns of ash collecting dust, and the massive hole that tore up half of the floor leaving a gaping glowing hole that lead still deeper into the catacombs. 

          As they rushed closer they could see that Luke was battered and dirty, obviously tired but otherwise ok.  He was pretty spry for an older guy and managed to hold his own against the few skeletal warriors he was facing.  However, when they cleared out the last of his assailants he didn’t seem relived, or even happy to see them. 

          Hardly speaking to them at all he began to gather his belongings and made his way towards to staircase that lead further down towards the beautiful doors, motioning for them to follow him. 

          “You chose an interesting time to finally show up” he grumbled turning his back to them.

          “We came here to help you, to get you out of here and back to Leia, and that’s the thanks we get” Rey spluttered

          He paused at an old stone bookshelf raising a grey eyebrow at them.  This bookshelf was stone and set apart from all of the wooden bookshelves around it, it didn’t have much on it, some moldy books, and melted candles.  He reached to the back of one of the shelves, and must have pushed a hidden lever. 

          The bookshelf groaned open, pushing slowly through the dirt and debris.  Rey could feel a cool breeze from the outside, and smell rain that must have started falling.  Luke stood beside the secret exit, eyeing them unimpressed.

           “So you didn’t need help at all” Finn snapped “you could have gotten out on your own?”

          “Eventually” he conceded still blank faced and monotone. 

          “Whatever grump; let’s just get you back to your sister” Rey said as she pushed him toward the new opening. 

          “No.  The star fell in this cathedral.  It ended up on the lowest level.  It must be found and removed to stop the oncoming wave of skeletons” Luke turned to the stairs that headed down “you can go back up if it’s too hard for you.  Close it after you”

          Rey swore she heard Kylo grunt “Charming” under his breath.  Like he could talk, but he wasn’t wrong.

          “It’s not just skeletons” Rey snapped.  “The dead are rising everywhere; and coming back weird”

          The images of the Wretched Mother would be seared into her mind forever.

          “How would you expect the dead to come back?” The old man questioned.

          “The Khazra too” Finn added, Kylo grunted his agreement “I’ve never seen them so active, so violent”

          “We’ll take you back to Leia, and then we’ll get the star” Rey told him. 

          Before Luke could argue (and he was clearly about to), the room they were in started to shake.  The old stone shifted and dust rose into the air, spinning as if it was carried on some wind no one could feel.  Everything seemed to be drawn toward the crater and as they watched in awe an apparition formed over the massive hole. 

          It was a ghostly skeleton, nine feet tall, decked out in distressed antiquated black armor, which would have been exquisite if it hadn’t been so aged.  A long tattered black cloak lined with fur billowed behind him and its skull was bare where a crown should have been.

          “I have been awakened! Soon all will suffer as I have suffered.  You will join the ranks of my army.” He boomed pointing towards them.  “Guards! Harvest their bones and bring their skeletons to me!”

          The Skeleton King vanished leaving empty space and falling debris over the crater.  Rey readied herself as dozens of skeletons began to pour into the chamber, from every crack and crawlspace.  Soon the whole room would be overwhelmed by the wave of bone, rust and steel. 

          Rey relished the fight, she was not afraid, the old man had some fight in him, they wouldn’t have any problems.  She thought. 

          But when she turned to make some charming quip, it died on her tongue.  Luke was frozen in shock.  He continued to stair in horror where the apparition had once been, even though it had long since vanished. 

          Rey shook him, trying to get his attention, calling to him in vain.  The skeletons were surrounding them now, Finn and Kylo lashing out to keep them at bay.  Finally Luke regained his senses, and turned to her.

          “We should return to town” he muttered and the group was forced to fight their way back to the still open secret passage behind the bookshelf. 

          With all the attention on them, none the skeleton warriors had attempted to escape the still open passageway that lead to the surface.  Rey led the way up the secret passageway, around dozens of circular flights of stairs, knocking apart anything in front of them.  Luke followed closely but never spoke a word holding out a magical blue flame to light their way.  Kylo brought up the rear, his bulk and shield easily holding back the swell that followed them.  They were able to get out closing the passage with few skeletons making in out behind them. 

---

          Once Rey was convinced that everything that had followed them up were disposed of, she rounded on Luke.  Coming up in front of him and looking him right in the eye she poked at his chest.

          “What was that? One minute you’re kicking ass, the next it looks like you’ve seen a ghost!” she turned to glare at Finn who had meekly raised his hand “Yes I recognize we did in fact see a ghost.  The ghost of a skeleton.  A skeleton ghost” She was frustrated she just had to run up a dozen flights of stairs and flustered by everything she had seen and heard, all of this compounding together to make her snappy and irritable.

          Finn dropped his hand back to the side. 

          Luke didn’t answer though.  Instead he quietly asked about his sister as he led them to a familiar platform.  It was the same raised stone platform with a spell circle that the mages used.  Rey sent him a dirty look.

          “You don’t happen to know a Mistress Bazine do you?”

          “Bazine? She leads a widespread cult.  I know they’ve been spotted popping up more recently, but I’m not affiliated with them” Luke responded casually. 

          He whispered a simple chant and the spell circle came to life, glowing just as brightly as before.  Rey still eyed him warily. 

          “How do you know how to use their transport spells?” she asked.  He regarded her with an offended huff. 

          “These are Horadric circles.  Over the years cultists and mages alike learned to use them, but they did not create them, nor do they know all of the circles secrets.” He explained calmly.  “You can find them all over Sanctuary, I can teach you later how to use them, if you wish.”

          Rey wasn’t sure if she could trust Luke, his wishy washy trust in them did not do anything to endear her to him.  But the fact remains, if Bazine’s cultists could use them, then so should Rey. 

          Just as before the platform lit up in an eerie blue.  And before she had time to register the swirl of feelings, the uncomfortable twist in her stomach and the pressure behind her eyes.  It was over. 

          They now stood in the town square in the middle of New Tatooine. Rey looked down at her feet where she could see markings etched into the stone that covered the circular courtyard at the center of town.  She had never noticed the designs of the stone paths came together to form a spell circle.  Luke’s only response when questioned about it was;

           “What would someone want in Tatooine, there’s nothing here.”

---

╭ ✦ ────────────╮

Tasked with protecting Sanctuary from demons that stalk this world, the Horadrim were brought together by Tyrael, the archangel of justice, in response to the dark exile of the three greater evils centuries ago. 

Using soul stones given to them by Tyrael they trapped away the greater evils entombing the stones in various locations all over Sanctuary. 

Over the centuries the Horadrim began to wane. 

With no missions for them to undertake, the threat of imminent danger gone, the Horadrim slowly dissolved.

Over time the world largely forgot about them

~ From the books of Luke Skywalker

╰ ──────────── ✦ ╯

---

Chapter Text

--- 🌠---

          The whole cantina greeted Luke with uproar and applause, no one but Leia had expected to see him again, and good news of any kind was enthusiastically relished.  They surround him pat him on the back and bombarded him with somewhat tactless questions.  The Barkeep brought him a hearty meal and everyone crowded around eager for stories. 

          To his credit the old man tried.  He greeted people and answered questions, but Luke was clearly not up for it.  He grimaced at every touch his answers grew shorter and more clipped with every question but through it all remained stoic.  Leia moved in quickly and dispelled them, telling everyone that he was injured and exhausted, and provided him with a breath of air as she ushered him to her table and called for a healer.  The siblings shared a look like they were engaged in a conversation no one else could hear.  Then Leia turned to the group. 

          “You three really must get some rest.  Even you with the helmet.” she motioned to Kylo.  “You must be tired and we still need that star.”

          Rey couldn’t help but agree, her limbs were stiff and all the adrenalin she felt earlier had evaporated.  But before she could do anything she stretched to her full height and rounded on Kylo with all the fury she could muster, only getting a glimpse of his dark eyes glaring at her through the slit in his great helm. 

          “We will deal with you in the morning.  Finn and I have a mission and regardless of what you think, he’s not going anywhere with you” she glared at him, pointing first to her eyes and then to his “don’t think about trying anything.”

          She then dragged Finn off to the decrepit old inn.  She hardly gave Kylo any acknowledgement, save for an exasperated huff when the black Templar followed them maintaining that he would be returning ‘Jondar’ to the order and he wasn’t going to leave them any time soon, even if he had to join them on their mission.  Rey couldn’t help but think it was a pity he was such an asshole, he would be useful to have around, but if they could get rid of him, they would.

---

╔═══════════════════╗

There is no Porg Level

╚═══════════════════╝

--- 🌠---

          Luke, Han and Leia sat at their table quietly as the night got darker and the cantina emptied.  They all picked at the food before them trying to register everything Luke had told them.  That a ghostly apparition of the Dark King had appeared, wakened by the falling star, bringing with him an army of skeletons, and the more his army killed the larger it would grow. 

          It had been said that when the King had been killed he used his last breath to curse his followers, apparently it worked. 

          “If the Mad King has risen again we need to destroy him, for good” Han thumped the table.

          “First we need the helm” Luke whispered

          After the kings death his cursed crown had been dislodged from his warrior helm, by his own knight and loyal friend.  Both pieces had been given to the Horadrim for safe keeping.  If the crown and helmet were reunited and ever placed again on the Dark Kings head he would be bound to the land of the living, stronger than before, but in a form that could (in theory) be destroyed. 

          What was left of the Horadrim took them and hid them away so no one could use the power of the Dark King; but now such a cursed artifact was to be brought back into the world again, the only thing that could tie his soul to the earthly plane. 

           “Rey” Han whispered quietly “Rey can fight him.  I’ve seen her do battle, she’s more powerful than any Horadrim, powerful like Be-.” Han stopped himself, pain gripping his heart.  There was no need to bring that up now “I’ve seen her fight.  She can stop this prophecy from taking effect”

          The quiet was somber then, no one certain it was the Dark King the prophecy was talking about.  It was possible he was merely a symptom of the oncoming destruction.  But in a group so small, they could only do so much at a time; first the Dark King had to be stopped and the star found and examined, and then they could think about the prophecy. 

          But despite the overwhelming and time sensitive predicament Luke and Leia struggled to move past a lingering memory that lay before them.  They found themselves frozen, and all they could think about was the risen king.

          The Dark King had many titles.  The Mad Lord, the Fallen Knight and as his madness grew he took on a new moniker;

          Darth Vader.

          But to Luke and Leia he would always be, Father.

--- 🌠---

          Rey and Finn awoke early the next morning to find that Kylo was ready to go the same time they were.  He had apparently taken breakfast in his room, based on the empty dishes that now stood outside the door opposite them waiting to be picked up, and spent some time mending what pieces of armor he could.  And it seemed that afterwards he had stood guard outside the room Rey and Finn had shared the night before, waiting for them to come out. 

          He had no intention of leaving them that much was clear, he was steadfast and determined, both beneficial traits to have in an ally.  But Rey refused to blindly accept someone who had attacked them, who maintained the intention to do them harm again, and still wouldn’t take off that stupid helmet. 

          No matter how useful he could be.  They had to get rid of him. 

          Upon seeing the tall man decked out in full Templar glory standing vigilant outside their room Rey looked up at him and casually remarked

          “How’s your face?”

          “Healing, you’ve probably left me with a scar.  It was an impressive strike, even if it was accidental” he responded calmly, almost friendly-like.  “However you clearly need to work on developing your technique”

          Oh screw him, what an arrogant jerk.

          “The old man, Luke, wants to speak with you” he continued stoically.  The unspoken “I’m coming with you” in his tone really left no room for argument at the moment. 

          And despite the fact that Rey kept shooting him glares and that neither Rey nor Finn spoke a word to him, he followed them back to the cantina, and to the table frequented by Leia, Han and now Luke.

          “The Skeleton King” Luke said before any on had a chance to speak “he cannot be allowed to remain”

          Out from underneath the table Leia extracted a finely made wooden box with delicate filigree and detailed carvings and placed it on the table. 

          The box itself was empty, but the siblings informed the group that Han had spent the better part of the previous night fixing the Skeleton Kings crown, this crown would drag him from the spectral plane and onto ours.  The only way to defeat him, would be to return to the cathedral, place the crown upon his head, which would reanimate his bones, and destroying him in combat.  He would be unable to curse his killers this time. 

          As long as he existed in his spectral form, he couldn’t be touched, and was therefore impossible to kill. 

          Luke and Leia walked with them to Hans’s makeshift smithy.  Leia’s husband was sitting on a stool, polishing the black helmet and crown that reflected the new day light despite its dark color.  While there was still damage that inevitably could not be removed Han had done a fine job repairing it.  

          Upon closer inspection, Rey could see that the crown was exquisitely crafted and as finely detailed as the box that would hold it.  The helmet was made to resemble the helms worn by the elite fighters of the east and instill terror in anyone who looked upon it.  It would be truly magnificent if it wasn’t for its owner and cursed history.  Han tucked it away safely into the wood box from Leia and passed it on to Rey who held it reverently before being ushered her away by the twins, leaving alone the two Templars and Han. 

---

          Han looked over the tall masked Templar trying to get a feel for the man.  He was obviously powerful standing several inches taller then Han and broad as a barbarian. But not once in the short time they spent together had the younger (Han assumed) man taken off his helmet.  In Hans experience the only people who hid their faces like that were people who could not be trusted.  If Han could just get him out of that armor long enough to get some sort of read on who this man was he would be a lot more at ease.  He took in the dents left from Rey’s attack on Kylo the day prior, the makeshift straps that had been broken in the fight.

          “I can fix those up for you” he told imposing man “maybe clean off that helmet”

          Kylo shook his head refusing.  But awkwardly thanked the blacksmith regardless.  

          “The armor is sacred” Finn told Han “only the Orders blacksmiths are supposed to work on it”

          The three then stood in an uncomfortable silence shifting back and forth while they waited for Luke to teach Rey the finer details of the Horadric teleportation spell circle.  They couldn’t come up with a single thing to talk about, not with the looming knowledge that Kylo wanted to take Finn back to the order. 

          Thankfully it wasn’t long before Rey returned to them excitedly her eyes were bright and her smile lit up her face practically bouncing with pride and excitement.

          “I did it!” she announced, gesturing to the now glowing spell circle that the twins had taught her how to use “come one we have to go quick before it closes”

          Before they left Han grabbed Reys upper arm and pulled her into an out of character hug, using it to whisper in her ear

          “Be careful of that Black Knight, there’s something familiar about him but I can’t quite place it.  Any one that practiced at hiding their face has something they don’t want people to know.  Don’t let him deceive you” Han patted her shoulder and shook Finns hand. 

          Neither Kylo nor Han made any effort to reach out to each other.

---

          They returned to the same passage they had escaped with Luke from and found it, devoid of life.  Or un-life really. 

No skeletons, walking or otherwise. 

          The stairway Luke had initially directed them towards was the only way they could go.  However, where the catacombs before were black as pitch save for their own lanterns and the mage cults spells now the chandeliers and wall torches were all lit; like the king had formally taken up residence and his servants had gone through lighting up the catacombs for their arrival. 

          With the new light the group was able to see murals and plaques on the walls depicting glorious events and listing the names and great deeds of those who were entombed here.  In the dark they had been hard-pressed to forget that they were in a maze of catacombs but now in the light it was easy to forget that they were in someone’s final resting place and not an ancient and magnificent castle.

          They found what was left of the Skeleton Kings corpse sitting on top of a stone throne surrounded by funerary urns, and dust.  His remains had fallen apart over the years, one arm was lying on the ground beside him, and his legs had both detached from the body laying neatly on the ground in front of him.  Rey approached the body cautiously, and without much fanfare placed the restored crown on the Skeleton Kings mummified skull. 

          The three fighters stood in silence for a while waiting with anticipation when the bones started to quiver and reconnect to the body.  The Kings armor was summoned from where it lay to his boney body and he picked up a massive red stained mace from the ground beside his throne swinging it into the stairs that led up to him, cracking them and leaving portions in rubble. 

          He let out a roar which echoed like a dozen voices and shook the walls causing cascading dust to cover the area and finally turned to face the group.

          “HOW DARE YOU BRING THE WARMPTH OF LIFE INTO MY TOMB!”

---

╭ • ✦ ──────────────────────╮

The Skeleton King, King Anakin, the Dark King, Darth Vader are all names for the same person. 

Anakin was originally a slave in Tatooine, a land without a King. Found by members of the diminishing Horadrim he was freed and rose up to clam to throne for himself.  Along with his beloved wife Padme, their two children, his knights and the arch bishop Palpatine, he became known as a wise and just King. 

He established his manor in the small town near the old Horadric monastery. Breathing new life into the structure and the surrounding area.

 Unknown to him, hidden beneath the monastery was a soulstone that held the essence of Diablo, Lord of Terror. 

After centuries trapped away Diablo had corrupted the stone and was now strong enough to send forth his will in an effort to possess King Anakin.  While the King managed to fight off full possession, he was driven mad by the ordeal.  All the while Arch Bishop Palpatine, already drawn in by Diablo, instilled fear and whispered lies into Anakin’s ear.

He managed to turn the King on his own people.  Palpatine was even able to convince the King his beloved wife had betrayed him.  Heart broken and half mad Anakin confronted her in a rage, and the Queen lost her life. 

His horrified subject began to call him the Dark King, which only pushed him further into fury and madness.  He took up the moniker Darth Vader and began to execute anyone who questioned him. 

The Lord of Terror still struggled to control the King completely, but found that there was one part of the Anakin’s soul that would not yield, unable to hold on to him much longer,

Diablo abandoned the King, and stripped him of what little was left of his sanity.

The Dark Kings knights feared for the safety of his children and whisked them away.  The King was furious, the killings increased triple fold until his most loyal knight, and closest friend, General Obi-Wan Kenobi, faced off against him. 

Eventually The King was slain by his General Kenobi - but before he drew his final breath he cursed all who bore witness. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi the only survivor of the Kings Curse ventured down into the catacombs below and sealed Diablo away again, at the expense of his own life. 

The rule of King Anakin was remembered as a time of joy and plenty,

And then a time of great tragedy.

~From the books of Luke Skywalker

╰ ────────────────────── ✦ • ╯

---

          The Skeleton King did not go down easy.  The length of the battle wore heavily on the two Templars, in there cumbersome armor.  Even Rey who excelled in endurance finished the battle exhausted and battered, drenched in sweat.  Kylo had removed his helm for the second time since she had known him after the battle had completed, sitting on the steps that lead to the old throne. 

          Rey glared at the crown which had now molded itself to the Skeleton Kings head.  She took Kylo’s sword, without much fight from the tired Templar, who seemed mostly impressed she could even lift the damned thing, and with all her strength brought the blade down on the crown. 

          It cracked in a flash of bright light the crown and the helmet attached to it shattered sending pieces in all directions. 

          A ghostly blue haze drifted up from the spot the helmet had once been, and soon a new apparition appeared.  But this time it was of a handsome young man. 

          Despite their exhaustion, Kylo and Finn sprang to their feet, ready to face another challenge.  But the apparition seemed completely uninterested in fighting, in fact it almost looked like he didn’t even see them.  He looked beyond them, and was soon greeted by another apparition, a beautiful woman in an extravagant and ornate dress, with her long hair in intricate braids similar to the ones Leia always wore.  They greeted each other as lovers would, and began to walk together.  They stopped before the trio and looked directly at Kylo. 

          Their lips didn’t move but the three could hear quiet whispers of many voices, speaking to them and echoing all around them - thank you, thank you they repeated.

          “Ben” the man said looking at Kylo fondly “Ben my ring, take it.  It’s yours.  Thank you”

          The apparitions vanished as swiftly as they had appeared.  Kylo stared at where they had just been confusion etched onto his face.  But he made his way to what remained of the Skeleton King removing his gauntlet to reveal boney fingers and a tarnished sliver ring, a strange symbol marked the top like two wings.  The skeletal hand fell to pieces leaving the ring in Kylo palm.

          “It looks so familiar” he whispered reverently.  Slowly he removed his own gauntlet and put it on, examining it on his pale hand before covering it again. 

          “Why did the King call you Ben?” Rey asked quietly

          “I have no idea” Kylo told her with wide eyes “perhaps I look like someone he knew.  He has been dead for a while, or maybe he was trying to say Ren”

          “Is it possible that like Finn your rea-” Rey was cut off by the crumble and crash of a massive pillar.  Dirt trickled from the ceiling and bits of the cathedral hit their heads.

          Finn approached them uneasily

          “You don’t think the magic on the Skeleton King also kept the cathedral from crumbling on top of us?”

          The ground beneath them gave out and the trio tumbled through the floor falling quite a distance before landing in a crumpled heap in the cave floor below.    They had made it to the lowest level of the cathedral, the same cavern Diablos soul stone had been trapped away in.  The stone slab that had once held the stone was still there, but the soulstone was long gone only a warped and charred outline of where it had once been embedded remained.  The whole area was bathed in an eerie blue glow that seemed to cling to the walls and hang in the air around them. 

          They had finally found the star.  They peered into the center of the crater and instead of a glowing rock or crystal-

          They found a man.

Chapter Text

---✹---

          Lying on a hard wooden cot in the inns cool cellar he didn’t look like much, this strange man they had found at the impact of a fallen star.  He was continually drifting in and out of consciousness waking long enough to tell them that he knew something, something of great importance, something he just couldn’t remember, and then he would drift off again.  Constantly he fought against sleep thrashing and groaning, but despite his great effort he couldn’t force himself awake. 

          Kylo could relate to what this stranger was going through.  For as long as he could remember, he suffered violent nightmares, the images never stayed long after he woke up, but the feeling it left him with would remain throughout the day.  Perhaps the warning the stranger had was tormenting him at night.

          Deep in the crater Kylo had watched as Rey used her impressive gifts, a concentration of light forming at her hand, to wake the stranger and give him enough energy to make it out of the crater, though he still had to be helped out to the secret passage they had been using, (the cathedral stayed mercifully in more or less one piece), and back towards town.  It took a great deal of time making their way back to the exit.  The man would occasionally stumble and fall requiring frequent stops to rest. 

          The Skeleton Kings army was now aimless like the risen dead above ground.  They didn’t attack enmasse like they did before and when they did attack they were easily held off.  For the most part they didn’t even try to follow the small group up to the surface through the secret passage, as they remained wandering through the cathedrals catacombs without purpose.  As the group left the hallways were already growing dim as one by one the torches and candles burnt themselves out. 

          They were back in Old Tatooine now and despite all that they had seen, and all the information he had to sift through, he found his mind kept wandering back to Rey.

           She was unique in many ways, a spitfire, and cheeky, but also filled with so much light she seemed to glow.  It was a marvelous sight watching her fight, the power and calm she exuded.  Not to mention the healing magicks she possessed.  He had even let her help with the gash on his face, once they had been alone of course, and now all that was left was a thin scar.  Rey had made a joke that it made him look dashing, (or at least Kylo thought it was a joke). 

          He found that he had a very hard time understanding Rey.  Earlier she asked about the injury to his face and he answered and complimented her on her attack, it was impressive that she had gotten under his mask.  But while he was under the impression they were having a casual conversation, she reacted hostilely, and he still didn’t know why.  It must be Jondar’s influence he thought to himself.  Constantly his mind would wander from his current task and he found himself thinking of hazel eyes. Every time it happened he would repeat the mantra his order nailed into him when his thoughts strayed too far.  Mea fides est clypeus.  Over and over until he was focused.  Mea fides est clypeus. 

          Once he was centered, he dragged his attention back to the stranger.  He was black, like Jondar, but where Jondar had the face of a handsome young man, this stranger was weathered, looking more a hardened warrior then Jondars boyish charm.

           He certainly wasn’t dressed like a warrior though in a scratchy beige robe with a simple rope belt, he had no pack or bags, no gloves, and no shoes. 

          And upon closer inspection he didn’t have a single scratch on him. Not when they found him, and not now lying on the cot.

          Luke and Leia clearly had suspicions about who this man was, but they kept it close to the chest.  Secretive not just from him (who they clearly didn’t trust) but also from the people in the town, and from Jondar and Rey.  Without confirmation of the stranger’s identity and the strange circumstances surrounding him they all kept a close eye on this strange man each taking turns in pairs watching over him while the other filled the older siblings in on what had transpired under the cathedral.  Or that had been the plan.

          Neither Rey nor Jondar wanted to be in the same room as Kylo so he ended up taking watch by himself.  Kylo wasn’t complaining, it was nice to be alone so he could take the helmet off and breathe.  He wasn’t worried about people seeing his face, he was proud of the great helm he wore, he worked hard to earn it.  But he was hard pressed to admit he didn’t have much of a poker face.  The mask earned him the respect of his position that his young face could not.  He wouldn’t have minded if Rey stayed with him longer.  Once she had healed up his face she made little small talk threating violence if he did anything but watch over the stranger and headed back to the others. 

          Again his mind drifted back to Rey, he could pick out her voice through the old ceiling, muffled but unmistakable.  Why was she so close to Jondar, what could he possibly have to offer.  He sat quietly in thought for a long while until the stranger started to move slowly on the bed. 

          Kylo jumped into action, he brought over a shallow bowl of water and tipped it against the strangers’ lips.  Soon he was able to help the stranger sit up the thin blanket scrunching at his waist. 

          Kylo grabbed his helmet and went to inform the rest.

✹

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

“Might and Magic are two spokes of the same wheel.  Lacking in one you lack in both”

“Keep your spells close, lest your enemies get closer”

Magic exists in everything in Sanctuary it’s immensely powerful, but fickle and unpredictable.

Only the most hardened of humans can harness it for anything more than cheap tricks and illusions.  It can be studied, aspects can be learned, but no mortal shall ever master it.

It can be felt, it can be smelt and absorbed.  There are several magical disciplines; Arcane, Blood, Elemental, Holy, and Demonic are such examples.

Traditionally it is taught under strict conditions.  But there are some who forsake the restrictions believing that the power it grants is all that matters and anything else that comes about as a result is not important.

~From the writings of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

          “He’s awake”

---

          The stranger came with a warning, what the warning was they were still trying to figure out.  He couldn’t actually remember anything; not his name, where he was from, or how he had come to fall from the sky.  The only thing that came to his broken mind, besides a dire warning he couldn’t recollect, was a sword. 

          When the stranger had fallen, there was word smaller shards of light had broken off during his decent. Most of them fizzled out of existence high above the horizon, but the largest of these smaller lights had fallen over a small town called Alderaan just across the river.  The residents of Tatooine hadn’t heard anything from the small town since, though they had been quite preoccupied with their own problems. 

          “Go down to the docks” Leia told them “there you will find a man named Admiral Ackbar, he tends to the docks and can ferry you across the river.”

✹

          ‘Admiral Ackbar’ was easy to find.  A short old man with lose reddish skin, big eyes and long thin lips, he was watching the shore with a beautiful old spyglass, muttering to himself.  The ‘Admiral’ wasn’t much, and his boat was really a little dingy with painted letters on the side naming it the Raddus.  His feet slapped against the wet docks as he got the boat ready to take them across.  All the while he talked about the strange things that were happening.  Giant beasts he had never seen before, the khazra actively building nests close to the water, and groups of people in the distance who just meandered through the highlands aimlessly.  He mentioned that he had seen the ferryman from Alderaan a few days ago, everything seemed fine from their end but the man had been tight lipped, and easily spooked. 

          But then again, everyone had been. 

          In the last few hours, the Admiral explained, a light consumed the town and smoke was rising from the horizon. 

          “A bad sign it is, very bad” the Admiral had grumbled constantly peering through his spyglass to get a glimpse of the city on the other side.

          As the ferry neared the small town their worst fears were confirmed.   The town was in trouble and they had to do something.  The sword would have to wait. 

          “I’m not sure about this lass” the Admiral whispered to Rey “it’s to convenient, you best be careful, I think it’s--“

          “Dangerous” Rey cut him off absently “yeah the whole area has been in a state of chaos” equal parts eager to get off the dingy and concerned for the townsfolk.

          It was worse than any of them could imagine.  Towers of flame brushed the sky.  The whole town was burning; and through the flames and smoke Rey could see the distinctive yellow and red robed mages. 

          Bazine’s cultists had overrun Alderaan, and clearly they had brought some friends.  

          Dozens of demons, no larger than an average dog.  With no visible eyes and large horns and even larger mouths filled with teeth, they were thin with ribs poking through their side and instead of paws or feet they had only one large claw they used to hook and drag their victims to their mouths. 

          The fury Rey felt bubbled up inside her chest.  Demons and destruction, everywhere Bazine focused her sadistic attention became a target to be beaten into submission.  Even if the sword had fallen here there was no rhyme or reason to it, just the mindless deaths of people who had never done anything wrong. 

          Smoke burned her eyes as she leapt into battle with only one thought grounding her and tying her to this moment: Get the sword, lead the cultists away and kill them.  Her Templar shadows were close on her heals as they dodged debris and cut down anything that got in their way with single minded focus. 

          A conspicuous group of cultists drew the trio’s attention into a beaten down garden plot.  A ring of mages surrounded a lone figure curled up on the ground, they were using their dark magic and torturing whoever it was with small sharp blasts of red electricity. 

          Rey felt the power within her blast forth as she directed it to the mages blowing them back into the fence before them.  Quick work for Kylo to dispatch as Rey helped the man to his feet.  Dark Blue robes and a clerical collar identified him as another Zakarum priest.  He was hysteric telling them that he had been out looking for any survivors to bring to the small church to keep safe when he was attacked. 

          He kept going on about how he never should have brought that sword into town, but he had been certain it was a holy artifact based on the scriptures on the blade.  Rey shook him to get him to look at her, tell her exactly where the sword was, even then his eyes were glazed and not entirely focused.

          “I thought it was holy, and holy objects belong in a church”

          The same church he had told his fellow townsfolk to hide in. 

          They rushed past numerous corpses that lay where they had been cut down and carved their way through demons to get to the church. 

          All the while the priest explained to them that when strange things had started to happen he had transferred the sword into the cellar below the church to keep it safe. 

          When they had arrived at the small town church it was surrounded by fire and much of the roof had been destroyed. 

          Rey broke off and headed straight for the cellar door while Kylo rushed inside to help the towns’ folk the priest had led there.  Finn stayed outside to keep watch and protect the priest whose incessant wailing kept drawing the attention of the summoned demons. 

✹

          Kylo threw open the doors and was horrified by the scene before him. 

          Men women and children, all dead.  Their bodies showed the tell-tale signs that they had been used by the cultists to summon the demons, open chest cavities revealed missing organs and bodies drained of blood. 

          He wandered through hoping to find a survivor, the mutilated body of a child looked up at him with lifeless glassy eyes, their straw colored hair was matted with blood.  Kylo got down to one knee and gently closed their eyes saying a quiet prayer.  It was as he knelt down surveying the area that a blue robe got his attention. 

          He moved closer and under one of the church pews initially hidden from view Kylo could see the body of an older man with long dark blue robes and a clerical collar. 

✹

          The doors of the cellar opened for Rey easily, she descended into the cool room finding several of the torches still lit from when the priest was here last.  It was mostly empty, barrels of sacramental wine were stored in the corner, a small collection of books lined a rickety bookshelf, and mostly it was taken over by general storage. 

          In the back she found a small makeshift altar with a red velvet cloth, and resting upon it was an elegant great sword.  Gold and silver with a sunburst hilt, in the center a beautiful blue stone, and runes etched all through the blade.  Rey was mesmerized and reached for it tenderly, only for her fingers to brush the velvet underneath.  Once her fingers passed through the illusion the sword flickered and vanished.

          A cackle rang through the room.  Rey spun to find a long thin woman whose bare feet hovered several inches off the ground.  She was bald with a tight black leather hood, her pale face was caked in black makeup and she was clothed in skin tight black leather and sheer purple silk.  She examined Rey playfully her long fingers stroking her lips.  This must be Bazine.

          The cult leader moved like an exotic dancer as she glided towards Rey hips swaying. 

          “You’re too late little hero” she crooned “you won’t need the sword anymore any way.  My master however, will be very pleased.” Bazine cackled again and just as the sword had before her, she flickered from sight. 

          An illusion, Bazine herself had never even been here she just sent her minions to destroy everything.  But why, what could she possibly gain from destroying a town and having Rey, Finn and Kylo kill more of her followers? 

          Rey exited the cellar to see both Finn and Kylo fighting off demons and cultists, the priest lay dead on the ground, his neck snapped. 

          “The sword wasn’t there!”

          “We’ve been had!” Kylo shouted as he broke the spine of a demon with his shield. 

          “The priest lied to us” Finn added, shaking a head off of his lance “Kylo found the real priest dead in the church, the townspeople have all been dead for a while”

          Tatooine is in danger. 

          It was the only thing that made sense, Bazine lured the three most skilled fighters the town had out so she could attack Tatooine. 

          “Bazine is going after the stranger, she must be.  We have to get back now”

---

          With new urgency they reached the dock, Ackbar was completely untouched, leaning causally on the oar.  Next to him another man lay face down half way into the water.  It looked like another ferryman probably the one Ackbar had once been friends with, replaced by a cultist who knows when.  No one needed to say anything as Ackbar let out a deep sigh

          “I thought so” he said.  As the ferry started to make its way back to Tatooine.

---

╭ • ✦ ──────────────────────╮

Bazine’s Coven was originally formed as a collection of ‘lost souls’ seeking their destiny in the eternal conflict of heaven and Hell. 

Members are practiced in both witchcraft and demonology. 

For years the coven floundered, content to serve lesser demons and dabble in dark magic, it was weak and idle.  Bazine conspired against their leaders and assumed control, dedicating herself to Belial, Lord of Lies. 

The cult was re-forged into a dangerous new order, one that practices torture and demon summoning, willing to sacrifice even themselves to achieve their ends.  They are fueled by the belief that they are destined to become the heralds of the Burning Hells in Sanctuary. 

~ From the books of Luke Skywalker

╰ ────────────────────── ✦ • ╯

---

Chapter Text

---✹---

          Tatooine had not yet suffered as much damage as Alderaan.

          Citizens were nowhere to be found and only a few bodies lay on the ground. The buildings were largely still in one piece. The trio made it to the tiny town square to find the cultists pounding on the door of the inn, which had been barricaded from the inside by the towns people who had hidden there. Bazine hovered a foot off the ground over the Horadric circle in the square center. She was holding down the sword and the stranger with her red magic, cackling as the stranger writhed against his restraints and screamed as she inflicted some psychic torture on him.

          She continued to taunt him losing in her hold briefly and then starting again just to watch him flinch and call out in agony. All the while she remained unaware that the blacksmith was hiding in his makeshift stall was aiming his crossbow at her.

          It happened fast. The metal bolt pierced Bazine’s shoulder, she let out a screech, and rounded on Han. He had always been so fast in his youth a quick draw and a quick tongue, but age has a way of creeping up on you making you slow. The blacksmith almost had another bolt ready to go but the crossbow was knocked from his hands as he was caught up in her crackling red magic and dragged violently towards her.

          “How dare you!” she howled at him blood pouring down her shoulder “you won’t live to regret this” She summoned her magic to her hand, dropping the stranger and his sword as she focused all of her attention on Han. It crackled and sparked and took the form of a long sharp spike. She looked him directly in the eye and thrust the magic into Hans’s chest and out his back. The smell of burning flesh reached Rey’s nostrils, even as her eyes welled up with tears blocking her view. Hans’ eyes went wide, as he fell limply from Bazine’s magical grasp.

          Tears spilled from Rey’s eyes and beside her Finn yelled but she couldn’t hear anything over the pounding blood in her ears. Kylo raised his sword and lunged, only to be swatted away, he maintained his upright position but had to shake off the residual energy from the attack. The two Templar attacked simultaneously drawing all of the deranged cultist’s attention, Bazine turned to Finn and her eyes flashed as the pointed magic formed once again at her hand.

          Power welled up in Rey’s chest, she breathed deeply just like Maz had taught her, and the world around her seemed to slow, the noise fell away and at her center she could feel that mysterious entity inside.

          The blast that came from her this time was split between Bazine and her cultist minions, half still pounding on the door of the inn the other half heading towards Finn and Kylo, it was so strong it forced Bazine through the air, slamming her back against the rough side of a hut. Her minions were smashed face first into the walls and went limp dropping to the ground.

          The injury Han had made to Bazine had now been ripped open and widened onto her chest and back. Bloody and battered Bazine was panicking, looking up at the monk who stool stalk still and calm before her.

          Before anyone could finish her off she made a break for it through the Horadric portal and was gone.

---

╭ ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

Dark Hellion

A favorite of cultist and summoners, the dark hellions are the most common demon summoned from the Burning Hells.

They come quickly and attack ferociously thinking only about their next meal.

Swift and tireless they can out run any creature on Sanctuary. They are not the smartest of demons but their single focus mind makes them easy to summon and hard to stop.

In addition to their use as attack and guard hounds many magical reagents can be harvested from their bodies.

Ground teeth, claws, and horns once ingested will induce vivid hallucinations of hell. Their heart can be used to raise the dead, making them more obedient to their master.

~ From the journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ ╯

---

✹

          Rey went limp slumping to her knees when Bazine fled. Finn rushed up to make sure she was ok. Kylo pulled off his helmet and went to Hans’ side, he was still alive, but his wounds were mortal, he would not last much longer. He looked up into Kylo’s eyes and gasped softly

          “Ben?” his hand stroked the now pink scar on Kylo’s face, Han smiled weakly up at him “Oh Ben you’re alive”

          There’s that name again Kylo thought, holding Han in his arms. Han tried to hold onto Kylo’s shoulder but was too weak, all he could do was occasionally reach up and touch Kylo’s face like he was trying to make sure he was really there.

          “We’ve missed you so much son. Your mother is going to be so happy. She never lost hope” Han choked out another sob, and blood dripped from the side of his mouth. Kylo gently brushed it away.

          “You’ve grown up so well, you’re so handsome, you get that from your mother’s side you know, you’re going to have to beat the ladies away” another choke, with more blood, before he continued “I hope you know I love you, no matter what happens, Ben, my son, my little Starfighter. We can be a family again, your mother, you and me. We’re finally together. I love you.” Hans’ voice began to fade as he spoke, and his breathing slowed.

          Kylo had no Idea who this man was talking about. But he was being comforted in his final moments so Kylo stayed. Hans hand began to slip from Kylo’s face and Kylo knew this was the end. Hans breathing stopped completely and his eyes went blank, but the soft smile stayed on Hans lips, even as his body went limp. Carefully Kylo closed Hans’ eyes. And he felt a tear slide down his cheek and drip onto Hans.

          Kylo was crying, and he couldn’t figure out why. He hardly knew Han, Never really had a proper conversation with the older man and never even seen this man before coming to the town, but something in his heart ached.

          The tears continued to fall.

✹

          By the time Rey was strong enough to make it over to Han, he was already gone. And Kylo had put his helmet back on. But Rey knew, she had seen the tears that dripped down Kylo’s face, maybe he wasn’t as heartless as he had led her to believe.

          The people from the Inn were starting to trickle out now, looking around in fascination. The stranger had also managed to gain his feet and he stood now, limping toward the sword. The moment his hand touched the hilt the pale blue stone glowed like the star had when it had fallen from the sky, blinding and consuming the entire town square in its light.

          And when it had finally dissipated the stranger stood in the town center, no longer wearing the tattered beige robe, but decked out in white and gold armor that put Kylo and Finns to shame.

          “I… I remember” He held the weapon aloft and with one sweep the bodies of the cultists were destroyed. “I am Tyrael, the archangel of Justice.”

---

╭ ✦ ⋟──────────────────────╮

Seven is the number of powers of hell and seven is the number of great evils. The most powerful demon lords of the Burning Hells.

They are divided into the three Greater Evils; Mephisto Lord of Hatred, Baal Lord of Destruction, and Diablo Lord of Terror; and the four Lesser Evils; Andariel, Duriel, Belial, and Azmodan.

The soul stones were given to the Horadrim by Tyrael. Three stones created to hold the essence of the greater evils and trap them after they had been exiled to our world.

Over time the stones became corrupted by their demonic prisoners. And they were able to exert their unholy will upon mankind. Eventually a group of heroes set forth to destroy them and wipe them out of existence once and for all, by taking the stones down into the depths of hell and destroying them on the anvil of destruction. For it could send anything broken upon it into the nether, and take the demonic soles with them.

However, a rouge Horadrim created another soul stone in secret, a black soul stone.

Capable of trapping multiple souls of both angels and demons. He came close to finishing it, but was hunted down by his own former comrades, he was killed and quartered, his body buried in numerous locations across the desolate sands.

If the black soul stone could be finished, it could hold the souls of all seven of the great evils. Trapped away for all eternity.

~ From the writings of Obi-Wan Kenobi

╰ ──────────────────────⋞ ✦ ╯

---

          Han was cremated. His funeral pier was as grand as they could make it. Kylo had opted to stay far to the back of the group watching with reverent silence. Finn stood just behind Rey who stood directly beside Luke and Leia. It was a painfully somber affair, no one had any reason to talk. Tyrael approached them and gently spoke to Leia

          Han sacrificed himself for the greater good, what he-“

          “What would you know of sacrifice” Rey snapped. Han didn’t deserve to die. He should be safe with his wife and brother in law. Tears poured down Rey’s face. Tyrael had no right to talk about the greater good.

          Tyrael lowered his golden eyes to her, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder suddenly Rey was looking up into the empty hood of a powerful figure aloft on a magnificent throne.

---

          “By the ancient laws that bind us we are strictly forbidden from interfering in the mortal world. That you would so brazenly descend upon them regardless of your intention cannot be permitted.”

          “You cannot see beyond ancient laws we were meant for than this! We cannot stand by while the innocent are slaughtered! All I am guilty of is bringing justice while you cower on your throne Imperious!”

          “Silence!’

          The two angels came to blows. The fight was swift and decisive, ending with Tyrael standing above Imperious

          “You cannot judge me! For I am justice itself! You can refuse, but if you do then I refuse to stand as one of your brothers” Tyrael began to tear at his armor detaching his wings and throwing them to the ground. Imperious looked up whispering Sacrilege in horror.

          Tyraels hood dissolved away revealing his human face; and so he fell from the heavens.

---

          “You chose to be one of us? You gave up your wings.”

          “I couldn’t stand by and watch all of humanity be destroyed.”

---✹---

          Where do we begin?

          That was the question that hung in the air for the last several hours. One that no one could answer.

          Tyrael knew only that the last two lords of Hell were planning an attack on Sanctuary, but not where. Luke and Leia admitted that though they had studied the prophecy for the last five years, they had not been able to find anything concerning how to stop it, or what to do once it started.

          But they did have the story of the Black Soul Stone. Created by a rouge Horadrim named Maul, it was similar to the ones Tyrael had given the Horadrim when he first came to Sanctuary to trap the three greater evils, only this one could be used to trap multiple souls, both Demon and Angel.

          If they could find it, and complete it they would have a means of trapping away the last great threats to humanity. But it would mean nothing if they couldn’t find Belial or Azmodan in time.

          Eventually they decided that the group would split in two, Luke, Leia and Tyrael would travel to the desolate sands to find and complete the black soul stone. Rey and Finn, along with their Templar shadow that refused to leave, would travel to the larger cities Coruscant, Mandalore, Corellia, and Canto Bight, to see if they could find any signs of the oncoming invasion.

          Also with the added mission of finding and killing Bazine and destroying her cult.

          After they made their plans, Leia took Rey to the side. Leia was easily the strongest woman Rey knew, having only just lost her husband, she maintained an air of dignity and control taking charge of the chaos around her, calming the town’s folk. She brought Rey to her traveling trunk, it was filled with papers and scrolls, clothes and jewelry were stashed rather haphazardly she rustled through it before finally pulling out the item she was after. A scrying glass. Leia handed it over to Rey so they could keep track of one another throughout their travels telling her that she would hold onto the other, they will be able to communicate no matter how far away.

---

╭ • ✦ ──────────────────────╮

A Scrying Glass is used by magic users and mages for many different purposes. Primarily it’s used to aide in augury or divination similar to a crystal ball.

It can be used to locate someone so long as that person wishes to be found and hasn’t been warded against such magicks.

Lastly it can be used to connect to other scrying glasses throughout Sanctuary and allow people to talk to one another over vast distances. This spell requires two or more scrying glasses made from the same mirror during the same creation spell.

~From the books of Leia Organa

╰ ────────────────────── ✦ • ╯

---

          The next morning was bleak. The skies were grey and the whole area smelled of rain before a storm.

          “Can’t say that I’m going to miss the weather here, really does a number on these old joints” Luke told the group as they walked down the main road that head away from the town, away from the cathedral and the ruins of Old Tatooine. No one really felt much like talking with the weight of everything that had transpired still hanging heavy on their hearts.

          They made it to the ends of the highlands to a fork that lead onwards to the Desolate Sands and across a rickety covered bridge that would eventually lead the way to the larger cities. The group said a series of awkward goodbyes to one another.

          Luke informed them that they would try to get a hold of an old friend to meet up with them, if they could find him. And Leia Gave both Finn and Rey a hug good bye. She warily approached Kylo off to the side.

          “I wanted to thank you” she said quietly. “For being with Han during his final moments, we may not know each other, but I am glad he had someone there to see him off.”

          “I am glad I was there too. He was a good man” Kylo responded quietly nodding his covered head slightly

          “Perhaps the next time I see you, it will be without the helmet” she teased lightly. He remained quiet putting a hand over his chest and bowing somewhat.

          “Good luck” Leia said as she patted Kylo on the shoulder, not sure what else to do.

          With little other fanfare one group, became two.

---

╭ • ✦ ──────────────────────╮

I have come to suspect that it was Tyraels’ fall that caused the dead around Tatooine to rise.

As the aspect of justice it’s only natural that he would affect those who thought they died unjustly.

~ From the books of Luke Skywalker

╰ ────────────────────── ✦ • ╯

--- End Act I ---

✫

Chapter Text

--- Act II ---

⦾

       The countryside came to life the farther they got from the site of the fallen star, or fallen angel as it were.  The welcome noise of animals and insects created a dim hum that filled the air.  The wind was cool as the sun shone down upon them.  The foliage seemed to be recovering with hints of green peaking its way through the dried and withered weeds. 

       As they walked most of their conversations focused on coming up with a plan and what to do next. 

       They still had very little information on the Lords of Hell.  Tyrael provided the group with their names; Belial, Lord of Lies and Azmodan, Lord of Sin, and that they would be drawn to large cities to exert their influence over as many people as possible. 

       So they would start by heading to the coast to sail across the Kamino Sea.  There they would find the two of the most densely packed cities in Sanctuary.  The illuminous city of Canto Bight and the desert trading hub Mandalore. 

       Their second task was finding Bazine and her cultists.  It was assumed that after her defeat in Tatooine she would also make her way to a large city, to recruit more followers or kidnap more sacrifices, or sacrifice more followers.  It was hard to tell. 

       It was also assumed that she would go to wherever her master, Belial, would be.  She would be far easier to find as she left a trail of blood and death wherever she went. 

⦾

       Rey had never really learned how to swim.  Takodana was lush and green but mostly marshlands. 

       She had once played with the other young monks in the river that ran through a valley nearby, but never went in very deep. 

       She had seen an older boy, who was several inches taller then her (and quite a bit heavier), get swept away to the rapids downstream.  When they found him he was bloody, badly bruised and had several broken bones.  They did their best to heal him, but he eventually succumbed to his internal injuries.  After that she had no desire to stray from the shallows. 

       So when they reached the covered bridge they were supposed to cross she blanched.  The bridge she had been told about, was not what they came across.  Luke told her it was built to withstand the tests of time, but the rickety rotten thing in front of them looked about ready to collapse with the slightest breeze. 

       She did her best to stay calm, placing one foot in front of another, gently, slowly, until one of the rotten out planks sagged and splintered beneath her foot causing her to look directly into the rushing river below.  She grabbed one of the support beams that held up what was left of the covered roof, feeling it wobble dangerously. 

       Kylo and Finn were already three quarters of the way across when they finally noticed Rey was not with them.  They walked back, unperturbed by the groans of each step.  Finn reached out and offered her his hand.  She clutched to it, like a child.

       “You’re afraid of water?” Finn asked gently noticing the white of her knuckles

       “The water barely comes up to my chest” Kylo said pointedly

       Rey glared at him, hidden behind that stupid helmet.

       “I was never taught to swim.” She snapped “And you’re huge! So it coming up to your chest is not comforting”

       “You should learn, it’s an important skill, I can’t believe you don’t know how to swim?”

       “But for now, lest just get across this bridge” Finn interjected

       “This very short bridge” Kylo grumbled under his breath from behind them, crossing his arms over his chest, earning him a donkey kick to the stomach from Rey. 

---

       They took a break at the other end of the river.  Kylo removed his helmet to rinse his face with cool water.  The highlands weren’t graced with a lot of sun, but they also weren’t cold, Rey couldn’t imagine how hot it must be for the two Templars.  But when he went to put his helmet back on Rey couldn’t stop herself.

       “Do you really need to wear that all the time?” she snapped

       Kylo paused and looked at her with a raised eyebrow a couple droplets slipped down his brow stopping at the side of his lips.  Rey saw a little bit more of his face standing above him as she was it was angular and very masculine she wasn’t sure what to make of it.  He’d be a lot more attractive if he wasn’t such an ass she thought and then as if he could read her mind-

       “I wasn’t aware it was such a problem, being properly attired for the inevitable battles we will undoubtedly face, it’s not like the head is an important part of the human anatomy”

       “Finn does fine without it”

       “Jondar, has proved he isn’t worthy of the holy armor he’s still wearing”

       “Maybe Finn is just a better fighter than you are”

       Kylo raised to his full height, helmet in his hand as he approached Rey ready for a fight when Finn interrupted them

       “I can see a couple farmhouses in the distance, we may be able to make up what supplies we’re missing from them.  We need to be careful though, there are a lot of outcroppings of trees that could be used for ambushes and traps.  I can already see two Khazra traps.  Also there’s a forest to the left, it looks ominously darker than the rest of the area.”

       Finn was standing on the path looking through a familiar old spyglass.  Rey moved closer to get a better look, ignoring Kylo as he grumbled and put his helmet back on with more force than necessary. 

       “That looks just like the Admirals” she told him

       “It is.  Right before we left he stopped me, told me to always keep my eye on the horizon, then gave me his spyglass.”

       It was a very nice spyglass, brass parts wrapped in red leather and a removable lens cover.  Finn handed it to Rey so she could take a look.  It was cool in her hand and heavier than she though it would be as she peered through to the distance. 

       Rey could see the farm houses Finn mentioned in the distance, all of which looked deserted.  Surly no one would have stayed behind not willingly, but it would be prudent to check and make sure.  At this point if they did find anyone they were too far away to escort them back to Tatooine so anyone they found would have to come with them to the coast. 

       To Rey’s delight there was a small heard of the Great Horned Banthas, far enough away that there was no chance the group would run into trouble with them but close enough that Rey could get a good look.  The largest of the herd was taller than Kylo at its shoulder.  The curled horns on each of their heads would be a tough match even for Finns lance.  Banthas were typically docile creatures with no natural predators and no need for violence.  This heard however seemed uncharacteristically aggressive, stamping their feet and head-butting one another, a single hit from one of them would be more than enough to break bone and shatter skulls. 

       And finally Rey found the forest Finn talked about, indeed darker than the surrounding area, but it didn’t scare Rey, or even make her uncomfortable, instead it seemed nice and calming almost, and she was filled with a great need to go see it for herself.

---

╬╬═════════⊙═════════╬╬

From the very moment all of creation came into being - the High Heavens and the Burning Hells have engaged in the Eternal Conflict.

An unending war between angels and demons.  It has raged longer than the stars in the sky have existed and will continue long after they have blinked into nonexistence. 

They battle for power, dominance and for control - of the Worldstone.  For whichever side gained control of the Worldstone had the power to alter all of creation to their own desires.

~ Tyraels scrolls

╬╬════════════════════╬╬

---

       The first house they came across really had nothing to offer them, dirty and dimly lit with peeling walls and scuffed floors, it had clearly been abandoned early (as soon as the star fell it looked like, these folks probably made it to New Tatooine, if they survived is another story) and anything worth taking had been looted by the people and monsters that had followed. 

       The second building they found had been completely destroyed.  The bodies of the family were found in a back room, huddling together, as if they had been hiding from something big which broke through the door.  Finn confirmed that the wounds were made by the khazra.  The father appeared to have tried to fight the goat men off while his young wife and small children had hidden.  The group laid them all out gently next to one another and covering each of their eyes with a copper coin before leaving.   Once again there was nothing worth taking, the khazra had made sure of that. 

       They continued on for some time avoiding the goatmen’s traps that had been laid out and picking off the risen dead that had made it out as far as they had.  The zombies that walked the grasslands were slow moving and aimless, far less dangerous then some of the monsters they came across. 

       The farther they got from New Tatooine the farther the distance between the homesteads.  The third farm house they arrived at just as dusk fell.  There were still a couple more in the distance but they decided that it would be a good idea to use the sturdy shelter for the night rather than risk traveling in the dark. 

       There was only one bedroom, which Rey was given to sleep in, and the Templars made camp in the main room.  Despite the night time chill it was too dangerous to start a fire in the hearth but they found some spare blankets to help fight off the cold.  There was also a small cupboard of food that was still good to eat, so to save their supplies the group ate a dinner of dried meat, pickled vegetables and stale bread, as well as tea from a small metal tin, that was far from the best, but served to warm them from the inside. 

       Rey and Finn made idle conversation well into the night before finally turning in, with Kylo mostly keeping to himself in quiet supplication.  Neither of the Templars removed much of their armor to sleep and their weapons were kept in arms reach at all times. 

       Rey said goodnight and left them to go look around her borrowed bedroom for the night.  It wasn’t much different from her tent back in Takodana, although she had a couple more shelves filled with trinkets and nick knacks, there was a bed pushed against the wall with a straw mattress, and a thin well used pillow.  A small table next to the bed with a candle and a tiny mostly empty wardrobe. 

       It was simple but cozy and felt safe.  She crawled under the thick quilt, which was probably the nicest thing in the room, and curled up to sleep taking a page from the Templars and kept her Bo staff in hand.

---

       That night Rey’s dreams were strange and warped.  They weren’t the prophetic dreams of her youth, or the nightmares one would expect with the threat of apocalypse hanging over their heads.  They were all together unusual and left her with an unsettling pull in the pit of her stomach when she jerked awake in the middle of the night. 

       She lay in the bed, breathing deeply trying to get a few more hours of sleep in when she heard grunts and whimpers coming from inside the house.  Had something gotten in while they slept? It didn’t sound like the risen dead, or the khazra, nor any beast she knew of.  (But then again, neither had the wretched mother).  Holding as still as she could Rey tried to pick out the noises as they came and went.  No beast or monster would wander through trying to keep quiet as they slept and the risen dead weren’t capable of sneaking.  Finally her curiosity got the better of her.  She slipped out of the bed holding her weapon close and crept to the door a quiet as possible. 

       She entered the main room relieved to see nothing had gotten in.  Everything was in its place, and the boys were right where she left them.  Everything was silent until Finn jerked in his sleep huffing and then stilled.  A whimper came from the other man and then a gasp as if he was struggling to breathe that soon evened out.  Kylo and Finn were gripping their bedrolls, their faces were scrunched up and their sleeping bodies were rigid, caught up in some similar night terror.  They clutched the fabric so tight she was amazed nothing had ripped. 

       Despite Kylo’s continued defense of his order and the Templars themselves, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was their so called “initiation” that seemed to haunt them so. 

⦾

       THUD

       Everyone sitting at the tiny kitchen table was caught off guard early in the morning as they were preparing to leave by the sound of something hitting the front door.  They locked eyes with one another as Rey paused with the can of tea halfway in her bag (poor tea is better than no tea).  Kylo drew his sword and Finn got ready to open the door.  Another thump shaking the hinges and handles of the wooden door, followed by a long loud bleat.  The khazras bleats were low bellows mixed with snarls and growls, this just sounded like regular livestock. 

       Finn swung the door open to unceremoniously reveal a fat, orange and white goat that had clearly been head-butting the door.  Its thick coat was clean, its hooves and horns maintained with care, and the animal obviously was well fed. 

       This wasn’t just livestock, it appeared to be someone’s pet.  It had a fancy leather yolk and harness with a unique specially made hitch that wrapped snugly around its neck and belly.  Kylo huffed in irritation and Finn wrinkled his nose, but Rey seemed to be absolutely smitten. 

       “Oh what a sweet goat” she crooned as it trotted up to Rey bleating happily before chewing on her leather bag, pressing its body against hers and murmuring contently as Rey rubbed him down.  The little orange goat relished in her attention ignoring both of the Templars completely.  Which suited them fine as neither Kylo nor Finn seemed to share Rey’s affection for the animal. 

       Rey noticed a small metal plaque neatly stitched into the goats harness with fine engraving that’s said “Beebee VIII” which Rey read out loud to the room.  This goat’s owner was clearly as smitten as Rey who happily offered him some food and water before insisting they bring him with them.  (All the while Kylo pointedly implied the goat was fat and didn’t need any of their food, and Rey pointed made no indication she was listening)

       They headed out back on the path that would take them past the other farms in the area the goat trotted along beside Rey happily, with the grumpy Templars taking up the rear.  While neither would admit it, both were sullen over the fact that the goat had Rey’s affection and undivided attention. 

       The next closest farm had been badly burnt and there wasn’t much left but charred rubble and debris, but as they came up on the fifth farm the sounds of a fight drifted through the air.  A man’s voice could be heard, distinct, but not well enough to make out what was being said.  However, as soon as Beebee heard it, the goat let out a loud bleat and dashed towards the farm and the source of the fighting at a speed quiet unexpected for such a fat little thing. 

       “That animal has no sense of self-preservation” Kylo deadpanned

       “That’s the goat’s problem and we should move on” Finn added with a similar inflection

       But Rey wasn’t listening she had already rushed off after the goat.  Exasperated the Templars followed her. 

---

       They came upon the modest field of a forlorn little farmhouse. 

       A farmer was wailing and crouching over a cellar door protectively.  On the other side of the small field was a large shed with peeling paint, its soggy and rotten doors were flung open, and about a dozen acid green bats about the size of a large fat cat were twitching and swooping at a man in the center of the field with a short bow in his hand and a long bow hanging at his back.  There was a quiver at his hip and several arrows planted in the ground.  He was fast.  Nock, draw, fire, a bat falls from the air, repeat.

       Rey was already next to him when the Templars got there, her speed and long weapon allowed her to knock the vermin out of the air where she would crack their bones on the ground. 

       The Templars, unable to do as much damage as the other two to such small fast targets, took on the swishy pulsating plague nest that had formed in the farmer’s shed. 

       It writhed and twisted with every hit dripping thick green and black goo to the dead grass around it as the bats seemingly spawned from its thick underbelly furiously attacked them making the diseased mass hard to cut up.  Kylo had to get in close to cut away the tendrils that held it attached to the structure smashing through the smelly rotted wood and ended up burning himself when some of the goo found its way underneath his wristbands. 

       With Finns help Kylo managed to bring what was left of the shed down around the plague nest and they worked together the try and get the sodden wood to ignite. 

       The flames took hold of the plague nest in a small explosion of fire, setting the bats and much of the dried ground in the area a blaze burning up quickly and then dying to ash just as fast. 

       Bats screeched as they perished, spitting the green foam that slicked their mouths everywhere.  They were already half rotted from the inside, their cloudy white eyes bulging from their heads as pus pushed outwards.  The sickness controlled by the plague nest that consumed them having almost run its course.  All of the bodies had to be gathered up and burnt along with the nest to ensure it couldn’t spread.  Leaving the whole area reeking of burning flesh and disease. 

---

       The mysterious bowman introduced himself as Poe Dameron, a traveling ‘adventurer’ that was always willing to ‘help out’ those in need.  He was charming and roguish, much like Han must have been as a young man.  He was very handsome, with thick black hair, smooth tanned skin, and a carefully groomed goatee.  He wasn’t as tall or broad as Kylo, but his arms were strong and well defined with muscles. 

       He even smelled nice. 

       The farmer came over meekly, holding his straw hat in his hand crushing and staining it with dirty palms. 

       He was nothing like Poe, scrawny with patchy blond hair and dirty clothes, he grinned at them revealing a smile filled with missing teeth.  Greeting Poe as if he was an old friend.  Poe thumped him on the back when he got near.

       “Our friend and I offer you our thanks.  This poor man has been getting tormented by plagued bats for several days now.” Poe told them, the farmer stood next to him nodding.

       “It’s been awful.” The farmer moaned “The plague nest must have grown in the shed, and when I opened the door to get a tool I was surrounded.  I barely got back to the house in time.  Nearly scared my wife to death.”

       “This honest farmer, offered a reward for anyone who could get rid of them”

       “No one answered for so long” the farmer told them gravely.  But he picked up as a thought came to him “come inside! Meet my wife while I get you your rewards.”

       The farmer brought them to the house but headed towards the cellar, telling them that his wife preferred it down there, which explains why he had been so concerned about the cellar door. 

       “It was love at first sight” he told them “I lost my heart, and she lost her head.  She’s not great with the farming but she’s a wonder with the books, got a good head on her shoulders.”

---

       The cellar was… actually very nice.  It had been converted into a main room, with a good sized bed, and a table.  It even had a large fireplace with a roaring fire that cracked merrily.  And in the middle of the room next to the fire was a finely carved rocking chair, with ---

       “Is… this… your wife?” Rey asked unsure “She uh… seems unwell”

       The farmer looked down longingly at the figure in the chair while Poe had to cough to cover up his snort.  Finn and Kylo could only stare in uncomfortable confusion.

       “Well she has been feeling ill as of late, but my love will see her through” the farmer said affectionately

       “Well I’m certain she can’t get any worse” Rey told him brightly

       --- In the chair was a desiccated corpse.

       Most likely a woman, based on the long stringy hair, and lose flower print dress that hung limply off her skeletal shoulders.  What was sitting in the chair was being taken care of, but there wasn’t much there except leather dried skin and bones.  His “wife” had clearly been dead some time.  Long before the star fell.  The farmer stood proudly beside her before shouting and turning to a large chest in the corner of the room.

       “Oh!” he jumped making everyone tense up “Your rewards!”

       He gave them each a small bag of coins and a special item each, a pair of socks (with no holes), a tacky gold chain (very fashionable), an empty book (best read before bed) and a ‘healing potion’ (for that nasty burn), which looked like murky water.  Kylo leaned in towards Rey and whispered, I’m not drinking this.  Rey had to fight a snort at his very serious tone. 

          The farmer returned to stand behind his wife and put his hands on the back of her chair, causing the body to shake and her skull to drop onto her lap. 

       “Whelp! It looks like she’s nodded off.  Wouldn’t want to keep you.  We should get going” Poe said enthusiastically giving everyone an easy exit. 

          They managed to keep themselves in check until they were several feet from the farm house after leaving the farmer to carefully tuck a blanket around his, now headless, ‘sleeping wife’.  Even Kylo let out a deep chuckle at the poor man’s expense. 

       It was a welcome moment of comradery. 

       Poe as it turned out, was also heading towards the coast.  He and Finn bonded almost instantly.  Poe formally introduced them to Beebee, the orange and white goat, who came trotting out from behind the farmhouse attached to a wooden wagon.  The unusual harness was specially made by an old friend, Poe told them.  Beebee was trained to hitch and unhitch himself, it was incredibly handy, unless the goat was tired.  Or hungry.  Or in a mood. 

       He seemed to be on his best behavior in an effort to get Rey’s attention though. 

       Rey however was constantly being drawn towards the dark forest, still far in the distance, but creeping ever closer. 

Chapter Text

⦾

       Finn noticed Rey was acting strange.  She was forgetful, and distant.  When they stopped to eat she wasn’t the first one done (which, honestly, was the most concerning).  The cause of her strangeness became clear the closer they got to the darkened woods.  A low unnatural fog poured out of the tree line and dissipated into tendrils that licked the ground.  

       The path they had plotted would take them far past the forest and if Finn had his way they wouldn’t even stop near it.  But even the best laid plans are hard to enforce when being summoned by a mystical forest. Often they would be following the main path one minute and the next they would be half way to the trees following Rey as she made a beeline for the trees.  They did what they could to direct her back to the path, but the closer she got, the more it seemed to call to her in.  And as they ventured ever closer it wasn’t just Rey that was affected, Kylo, although not to the same degree, could feel the pull as well.  She told them that there was something in the forest that was calling to her, like it was trying to tell her something, something crucial.  Finn wanted so badly to get past the forest and put it behind them, but try as he might even he could not seem to resist. 

       The obvious threat of the forest was not enough to sway the majority of the group, it was determined that they would investigate the foggy festering woods.  Poe, being the lone member of the group who was not being drawn to the darkened forest and the soul voice of warning, agreed to go with them in an effort to keep them out of trouble.  There was no obligation for him to go, at any point in time he could leave them to their own devices, instead he chose to remain with them, regardless of their decision. 

       Despite the unnatural pull to the forest, Finn was nervous the second they left the main road.  Rey was glassy eyed but determined, the already quiet Kylo had gone completely mute, and with the lack of any noise coming from the forest itself even the smallest crack of a stick or the shuffling of their own feet put everyone on edge, Poe having long since given up on his idle nervous chatter.

---

       They entered the forest and although it was still bright day, the canopy of the trees blocked out most of the light, letting only dappled beams to pass through.  The fog on the ground was thick and cool, obscuring any foot level obstructions making their progress slow.  All around them the forest seemed to shiver. 

       As they ventured deeper into the trees they found what appeared to be the crumbled ruins of a long forgotten culture being reclaimed by the nature around them.  Kylo searched his memory and couldn’t think of any record of a village or people having been in this area at all. 

       All around him he could hear whispers, like the wind was talking to them, frustratingly, these ‘voices’ were just quiet enough that he couldn’t make out any of the words.  Hearing disembodied voices would usually be suspicious at least, but at no point did he feel as if they meant any danger, instead they felt familiar, pleasant even.  But Kylo was no fool, and he knew that just because they didn’t sound dangerous didn’t mean this wasn’t just a trap meant to kill them all no matter how beautiful the surrounding view. 

       Pale birch and dark green ferns made up most of the flora. Mushrooms and moss dotted fallen trees while tiny white flowers peeked out from the greenery.  The air outside the forest had been quiet dry but inside it was cool and humid causing cold beads of sweat to drip down their backs, sending shivers up their spines.  

       They had been wandering rather aimlessly for a while and they were finally starting to think that maybe there was nothing here for them to see a pained cry pierced the air cutting the tense silence, bringing them back to the present, and drawing Kylo from his thoughts. 

       Kylo charged through the forest, shield ready, weapon drawn, breaking branches tamping down bushed and leaving a clear path behind him.  He was the first into the clearing, followed by Poe, Finn and Rey brought up the rear, making a point not to reveal themselves too soon, wary after what happened last time they rushed into a clearing. 

       Along a patch of trees there was a tiny woman well-dressed in pale green robes but covered in soil, kneeling on the ground before an ancient shrine that held a thin discolored column with a dark orb on top filled with a swirling purple light. 

       The woman’s face was tear streaked and twisted in sorrow while she shook and sobbed into her hands.  Next to her just in arms reach but completely forgotten, was a long carved staff with a clear crystal on the top.  Occasionally she would reach forward and try to shake someone where there was only air. 

       The cause of her distress was identified as a ghostly reaper, working its magic on the ancient artifact and trapping her in her mind, and then feeding off her resulting pain with a rattling intake of breath. 

       Kylo bore down on it in an instant.  His blessed red blade swinging through the reapers robe, leaving long gashes in the transparent fabric.  It hissed taking a swipe at him, and lunged towards him with claws bared.  Rey’s Bo staff carved through the air, narrowly missing Kylo and striking the phantom in the head, drawing it to the ground.  Its magical hold on the artifact had been severed and thus its hold on the mysterious woman was broken.  With her mind now free she made to grab her staff, but the reaper had clearly decided this meal was no longer worth it, screeching at them one last time and sped off thorough the trees. 

       Kylo watched as the other men reached her side, offering her a hand up being ever the gentlemen.  She accepted shakily standing while they helped her to a log to sit.  She was dirty and a bit tired, but otherwise unharmed.  Finn offered her water from his water skin which she drank from gratefully, if a bit clumsily, before introducing herself.

       “Thanks for helping me out back there.  My name is Rose, from Hayes Prime.” She was very pretty up close with sweet dark eyes and rosy cheeks, she certainly looked fitting for her name.  “I was investigating the forest, I saw all of the ruins, and that one just looked so unusual, I didn’t even touch it, and before I knew it I was…”

       Kylo left it to Finn and Poe handle Rose and he turned to examine the orb, but Rey was already there, looking at it closely.  He took a minute to observe Rey, from her loose monk’s robes and tabard to the three buns her hair was in with loose locks and curls framing her sun kissed and freckled face.  Rose was not the only pretty girl in the forest Kylo thought, although he figured Rey has much nicer legs.  He shook these thought from his head, looking away from the body parts in question, and joined her next to the orb. 

       “Should we destroy it?” Rey asked him, looking up at him with her almond eyes.  She held her staff tightly “I can’t use it, and we can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands”

       Kylo nodded tightly, and motioned for her to step back, as he drew is sword once again.  He was only vaguely aware that everyone had stopped talking and was likely watching him.  He swung up and brought his sword down hard on the orb.  The orb cracked down the center, but was silent. 

---

       Their minds went blank.  Everything they knew, forgotten, the world dissolved and reformed around the buildings and statues that surrounded the holy site.  

       Battle was all he knew, surrounded by his brethren.  Fighting off the encroaching threat.  They had to protect it, they could not let it fall.  He turned to the men following him and called out.

---

       The crack echoed throughout the forest as soon as Kylo struck the orb.  He and Rey were froze eyes wide staring at some unseen vision.  Loud booming voices rang out around the group, as if they were surrounded by people who weren’t there.  When Finn, Poe and Rose looked back at Kylo and Rey they were holding up their weapons and staring down an invisible enemy. 

       Kylo turned and called out to nothing behind him “Brothers! With me!”

       “We must hold them back! Don’t let them reach the temple!” Rey added

       In a flash they were surrounded then by ghostly figures, but instead of attacking Rey and Kylo, they appeared to be fighting alongside them, against the same unseen enemy.  Occasionally one of the specters would be cut down dramatically and vanish.

       Even though the others could not see their enemy both of their trapped companions were receiving actual wounds, a long cut to Rey’s arm was dripping blood into the grass.  Kylo had been struck from behind, protected by his armor, causing him to stagger before turning and swinging around to, assumedly, strike down his assailant. 

       At the edge of the small clearing numerus dark shapes started to appear, drawn in by the sounds and the smell of blood.  A beast from the shadows leapt at Kylo, still trapped in the memory of battle, who could do nothing to get it off or defend himself against it.  With their allies defenseless and Finn, Poe and Rose, safe from whoever, or whatever, the other two were fighting, they took up position around Rey and Kylo to force away the surrounding fauna.  By the time the beast had dropped from Kylo’s Poe had another arrow in his bow and aimed into the trees.  Rose proved herself a valuable support and a surprisingly proficient spell caster, particularly skilled in electric shocks that would cause extensive pain, jumping from one enemy to the next, if it didn’t outright kill.

---

       The beasts had all been killed or fled by the time the battle was finished.  Both of them sank to the ground exhausted, looking around in a daze as Kylo removed his helmet to gulp down air as Rey coughed and gasped holding on to his broad shoulder for support. 

       The orb that had started all of this was still sitting on the column but now dead, no longer glowing and cool to the touch.  Whatever had happened it didn’t look like it would be happening again. 

       The party took a moment to rest in the wake of the battle, a chance to sort through what happened and introduce themselves with a cup of tea.  When asked what they had seen and felt Rey struggled to come up with an explanation.

       “It felt like- I was there, like it was a- a-“

       “A memory.  Of a battle fought here.  A long time ago” Kylo finished.  Rey nodded, taking another sip of her tea, ever grateful that she had brought it with them. 

---

╭────────╮

Some festering sickness has begun to plague animals in the highlands.  It seems as though primarily affected are the carrion and blood bats.  It seems to stem from a pulsating fleshy mass we’ve begun calling Plague Nests. 

They grow in dense patches of trees or in other moist dark areas.  They infect the bats and other vermin, and cause them to become aggressive foaming at the mouth and glow an unnatural green hue similar to the nest itself. 

Eventually the bat is consumed by this sickness and finds a suitable place to die where it will attract other bats, plagued or not. 

This body will then become sustenance for a new plague nest. 

~Luke Skywalker

╰ ────────╯

---

⦾

       Rose and her sister had grown up in Hays Minor, a mining town a great distance away.  They were ‘indentured servants’ to a powerful mage there.  Every night they would sneak into his library and read his spell books.  Rose had a knack for picking up most spells quickly particularly electric based magic and her sister, Paige, was gifted in explosions small or large, which came in handy more than once. 

       But one night when they had gone down to the library they found the mage there, trying to summon a demon.  They had a young woman in a sheer slip of a gown tied to a table, she cried and begged them to release her, but they ignored her.  The sisters could do nothing as she was cut open blood drained to be used as a sacrifice.  The mage and his friends had created a coven planning to use demons to take control of the city and its wealth of resources.  With the cults trial run complete they were ready to try again, on a much larger scale. 

       Rose and her sister knew these mad mages had to be stopped, and the sisters had very little time to prepare.  And so that next night, they slipped into his private study, and made several small changes to the spell circles and sigils in his books.  Enough to ruin the spells but not enough that he would notice something had changed. 

       They had intended to flee afterwards, stealing what they could but as they were finishing tampering with the spell books the mage and his coven had come to his study to work.  The sisters had no choice but to hide away in an overstuffed storage room and attempt to climb out the window.  They had almost been free when the cult’s ritual began.

       Spell circles are very precise, even the smallest mistake could cause the spell to fizzle, the girls were counting on that.  What Rose and her sister didn’t know was that fizzling could be expressed by a massive explosion. 

       The whole house had come down around them, splintering and throwing shrapnel hundreds of feet away.  Paige and Rose had succeeded in stopping him though, he and his coven had all perished.  The dark things being done in the secret of his house was exposed to the city. 

       But both sisters had suffered severe injuries.  With Paige receiving the worst of the damage.  Rose held her sister in her arms as they both faded. 

       Before Rose took her last breath she was approached by a tall thin man, his face obscured by a hood.  Paige was already dead in her arms when the figure asked if she wanted to become his apprentice.  He would teach her magic, so she could help stop this thing from happening to anyone else.  He took Rose in, nursed her back to health, and trained her in various types of magicks.  She still missed her sister but she knew Paige would be so proud. 

       One day the man told Rose he was a Prophet, that he had a vision of the future.  That the Burning Hells would come to Sanctuary.  Years passed and Rose learned all she could from the Prophet. 

       Then he disappeared, leaving only a cryptic message telling her that the only hope lay in the Je’daii, that Rose must head out immediately and find them, to aide them. 

       That was the day after the star fell over Tatooine. 

⦾

---

       Before the group continued on Rey gave their new recruits a quick rundown of what had happened.  The story behind the star and the looming shadow of the burning hells.  Both had very different take-aways from the story. 

       “What do you mean walking corpses?”

       “So the star… was… a man”

       “One threw up more corpses?!”

       “Like, just a dude, fell from the sky?”

       “And a skeleton army?”

       “You just found some guy in a hole?”

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟───────────╮

The Raw Materials of Life (Blood and Bone)

Blood alongside bone is one of the raw materials of life.  Essence is carried in blood and can be drawn from for spells and great feats of power.  Blood in some form is possessed by most beings in Sanctuary.  Using demonic magic can corrupt or taint the blood and in turn corrupt the essence. 

Fresh blood, generally human, is a requirement for summoning demons. 

Bones alongside blood is one of the raw materials of life.  Its use is primarily for strength either increasing or leeching.  It’s also used in the forging of powerful weapons.  The strength of the magic that utilizes bone is dependent on the strength and type of bone.

Bones are also required for spirit work as it’s the bone that ties you to the earthly plane. 

Both blood and bone is required to construct a simulacrum. 

~Qui Gon-Jinn

╰ ───────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

Chapter Text

       Rey was deep into the forest when she finally found what was calling to her. 

       The temple was built deep into the ground accessible only by an old stone stairway that led down to a cracked stone bridge across a deep rocky chasm leading to the entrance.  The dirt around the temple had been worn away in many places by running water allowing several small waterfalls to form, spilling into the lower structure, or draining away into the stone.  Vines and ivy had consumed much of the ancient stone work, slowly ripping it apart at its seams. 

       She looked down at the temple with calm reverence.  Noticing, only vaguely, that Kylo was the only one of her companions that was still with her.  She couldn’t tell what he was feeling with his face hidden, but his body language was at ease, not as ridged as when he attempted to engage in conversation, and not the powerful stance that preluded a battle.  Together they walked down to the landing that faced the temples stone entranceway which was blocked off by a massive metal and stone door.

       Here the whispers that seemed to permeate the trees constantly were louder, more defined, but still incomprehensible. 

       “Welcome”

       Caught off guard Rey and Kylo jerked to the side and turned to face the voice beside them.  Where before there had been no one, now they found the transparent image of a man gaunt and not tall as much as he was just long with dark eyes and a pleasant smile.  He spoke again.

       “Welcome, to what was once the grand forest temple.  Though it is now drowned and the forest around festers, within its walls you will find the trials of the ancestors.  In a place where only the ancients can step foot.”

       Rey was curious she wanted to explore the inside, Kylo was less impressed.

       “What are the trials?” Kylo questioned “and how are we supposed to enter a place where only ancients can walk, none of what you said gave us any actual information”

       “There is power within you” the temple guard continued, ignoring Kylo’s outburst “you are of the Je’daii.  Only then could you feel the pull of the temple trials.  Enter the temple and it will provide answers to the questions you may not yet know”

       “Any questions?” Rey asked quietly, thinking of the question that had plagued her since childhood. 

       The spirit only nodded in response. 

       She was joined at the entrance by Kylo, secure in his faith, with no fear of dying.  The metal door creaked and hissed as it opened slowly, pulling apart the plant matter whose roots had dug deep into the stone.  Dropping clumps of dirt around the two.  When all of the movement had stopped and the temple was open before them, they entered side by side. 

⦾

       Rose, Poe, and Finn, had tried to keep up with the other two, as they wandered deeper into the forest.  Soon though they had lost sight of them, the forest seemed to get thicker, and the trio found themselves completely, hopelessly, lost.  Poe’s compass that they had been following was now spinning wildly offering no use.

       Rey had been so quiet when she slid away, Kylo following close after her.  If it hadn’t been for his size they would have lost him sooner.  It was as if something in the forest was trying to separate them.  Rose tried a location spell which refused to move and flickered out of existence.  Finally with nothing left to try Finn took a deep breath and let himself calm down and focus, just like Rey had shown him.  He took several deep breaths when he heard it.  The sound of grinding metal and whispers.  The clank of armor on stone, and splashes of water. 

       They broke through the trees and fog and found themselves standing before a massive structure, probably built at the same time as the surrounding ruins, though it had stood up to time better than the rest.  It was built deep into the ground, with magnificent stone staircase leading to the entrance and to their missing companions.  There was a ghost speaking to them, the metal door ground open and the trio watched uselessly as Rey and Kylo entered the temple. 

       The door had crawled shut just as the group arrived.  They tried to force it open with strength and magic, the ghost remained watching them passively. 

       “The temple will not open until the trials are finished.”

       Finn glared at him

       “I’m not letting them go by themselves!” Finn shouted. 

       “You cannot take the trial for them.  Whether the succeed or fail, it must be up to them”

       “And if they do fail?” Poe asked “what then?”

       “Then they will die.”

⦾

       The temple inside was no less exquisite as the outside.  Tall ceilings gave it the feeling of being much larger than it actually was.  On the opposite end of the room were three doors.  All closed tight with the same metal covering the front entrance.  In the center of the room stood a familiar pedestal topped with a dimly glowing glass orb.  

       As soon as they stepped off the staircase leading deeper into the temple they found that the whole area was flooded with water, which reached up to their mid calves seeping into their shoes and soaking their pants.  They pressed on, heading towards the glass orb.  It had a different hue to it then the last one, this one had more of an orange color where the last one was dark purple.  The pedestal was standing on a platform out of the reach of the water.  Rey approached and looked back at Kylo.  He stood ready to intervene or protect her. 

       She looked deeply into the orb and asked the same thing she had asked her whole life, “where are my parents?” the room stayed silent in the orb she could make out shapes in the smoke many people then less and less till there was only a few, then only two.  The shapes began to focus and shifted into only one, a reflection of herself was all that stared back at her.  The darkness of the orb, dragged her focus in, still she saw nothing. 

       In that moment she felt more alone then she had her whole life.

---

       Kylo watched the scene before him, Rey was so intent on the orb so desperate to see a vision of what she had whispered to it, just quietly enough for him to not hear what she asked, he could tell immediately when it didn’t show her what she wanted to see.  Her shoulders slumped, and she was shaking in the cool darkness.  Kylo was overcome by the sudden urge to comfort her, to wrap his arms around her and hold her till she felt better.  To keep her warm and dry, and wipe her tears.  It wasn’t a normal feeling for him, but it wasn’t wholly unpleasant either.  So while Rey had stared into the orb, Kylo stared into her. 

       Kylo was so distracted by Rey he almost didn’t notice a door on the opposite wall begin to drag open, he was notified only by the sounds of debris hitting the flooded floor and a sudden rush of water bringing the flood up to his knees. 

       He squinted into the darkness and a new figure emerged.  Ghostly and transparent just like the first specter that greeted them, with a simple featureless mask, only this one was armed, and ready to battle. 

       “A Je’daii must always be ready to defend.  I am the first of the trial wardens! If you so possess the power of the Je’daii step forth and face me!”

       Faster than an average human the massive ghostly figure lunged forward aiming their strike directly at Rey who was still reeling from the orbs vision.  Kylo reached her in time raising his massive shield to block the attack.  Despite the trial wardens transparency it hit with the strength of a corporeal being.  Kylo felt the strike shoot up his arm and shoulder. 

       He and Rey staggered and sloshed away from the warden the flooded temple hindering their movements and making it difficult to dodge their attacker who seemed unaffected by the obstacle. 

       Their weapons alone were not enough to fight the trial warden, who seemed to become solid and ethereal at will.  They had to work together the strike when he materialized and hold him off when their weapons went right through.  All the while fighting against the environment of the temple itself. 

       It was with a sudden attack from Rey, the weapon charged with power, from hidden behind Kylos great shield that they were finally able to defeat the first warden. 

       The second warden appeared almost immediately as a second door at the opposite end of the room opened raising the water again now up to their thighs. 

       “A Je’daii must always be willing to defend the vulnerable!”

       This trial was focused on Kylo and Rey defending a small cluster of scared ghostly civilians and animals.  This warden would vanish as soon as they were hit, only to re-appear and attack from another angle.  It wasn’t enough to defend these civilians they had to be herded to the still dry platform that held the orb.  One by one the civilians would slip back into the swirling mists of the orb.  When the last one safely made it back into the orb, the second warden’s attacks stopped. 

       The third door opened.  Rey was now waist deep in the murky water.  So much water had seeped into Kylos armor making it twice as heavy and tight as his clothes underneath plastered to his skin. 

       “A Je’daii must be willing to defend the balance!”

       Around them the water began to churn and swirl.  Rey’s eyes widened in horror as the unseen currents began to push at her legs.  This time their attackers were not just the wardens, all three of which had returned to face them, but also several hissing slashing shadows that like the wardens moved through the water un impeded and hit like a corporeal being. 

       Rey struggled with the water her fear getting the best of her as she began to thrash and panic.  Kylo could only stand next to her with his shield at the ready and let her clutch at his already cumbersome armor. 

       “Rey its ok” he shouted at her over the sounds of battle “I’m right here hold on to me!”

       He sliced at a warden as soon as they came within his long reach.  Rey was terrified and depending on him.  He wrapped his shield arm around her body, hiding her from attackers and took a deep breath and steadied himself as best as he could.  With focus came intense feeling.  His power welled up within him and when he thought he couldn’t hold it any longer he brought his sword down in a powerful slice.  He cut down a warden and two attacking shadows, his sword cutting through them like fire through paper. 

       The attack also caused the water to spray away from them at the waist.  Rey still held on to him tightly but her breathing had become less erratic now.  Kylo attacked again forcing the water away from them again, seeping away with every strike till the water level had gone down considerably.  She took deep breaths before locking eyes with Kylo and releasing him, clutching instead to her Bo staff. 

       He recognized her stance, back to back they stood.  Focusing on breathing, on feeling.  This time when he attacked she did as well.  An arch of a sword mirrored the arch of a staff he felt electrified and powerful as their weapons cut through the water sending a wave away from them only this time it didn’t come back.  The water was now at their shins again and Rey was able to calm herself. 

       Together they fought off the remaining foes, moving in sync like a dance, Kylo found it to be a strangely intimate affair giving him a much needed boost of energy.

       When the last foe had been felled the temple keeper reappeared before them.  The wardens they fought took of their posts at the doors from which they came. 

       “Your trials are complete!” He told them proudly, his voice echoed in the now quiet temple chamber “you have fought with honor and determination truly befitting of our greatest warriors.  Truly the power of the Je’daii flows in your veins, and with it hope.  Not just for Sanctuary but for all of creation.”

       The orbs platform began to rise, the water at their feet rapidly began to drain through a newly revealed opening. 

       “The grounds of the temple are consecrated, evil dares not step here you will be able to safely rest.  Go, find your companions, regain your strength and carry on east.”

       Rey faltered looking at the wardens then down at her feet. 

       “How can the world have hope when I’m almost defeated by water?” she grumbled.  But it seemed that no matter how quiet they spoke, the wardens could hear her. 

       “Strength and bravery are not based on being unafraid.” the second warden said “Strength and bravery are being afraid, but doing it anyway”

⦾

       Finn had refused to accept that was the end of it.  He insisted that there had to be some other way, it was an ancient crumbling temple filled with water.  There had to be a crack or an opening, some way to get in.  They walked the entire perimeter of the temple, twice, searching for an entrance.  They had seen monsters and beasts in the forest, but they either couldn’t or wouldn’t approach the temple, which was fine for Finn who was considering climbing on top of the building when the ground beneath them shifted, and an opening hidden under centuries of undergrowth came into view.  For a moment nothing happened, Finn approached peering into the darkness.  A massive shape could be made out in the shadows. 

       “Good job Finn” Poe mocked “you pissed off the temple”

       “Did not” he snapped at the other man. 

       Rose ignored the bickering boys and cast a spell that consisted only of small twinkling lights dancing above their heads.  They darted and twirled into the dark.  The hulking shape was illuminated to reveal Kylo, soaked and beaten, a split lip and a dark bruise forming on his cheek.  His helmet hung low at his side.  He climbed out of the tunnel and reached around to offer his hand to someone. 

       Rey peaked out behind him holding on to his hand for stability.  She grinned weakly at the group, her hair had mostly fallen out, and she was grimy and covered in thin cuts.  They were both shaky and tired, but alive. 

---

       Rey and Kylo came out in a clearing to the side of the temple, a crumbling stone wall surrounded most of the area, and tall birch trees provided enough shade in the dimming light of the day, but also let more sun through than any other part of the forest.  It was here they decided to make camp, earlier than usual, but much needed.

       True to the ghostly trial warden’s words, the area was free of any animal or beast that lived in the forest.  Poe, Finn and Rose, took up the task of preparing the camp well Rey and Kylo did what they could to clean up and dry off.  It was the first time Kylo had ever fully removed his armor in front of them, carefully cleaning it out and fixing what he could.  Rey sat silently next to him after she swapped out of her wet clothes into new ones she had pilfered along their travels.  She rung the water out and lay them out on some stone to dry. 

       Finn and Rose were happily chatting as they got to work preparing the food, when Poe and Beebee returned with a bucket of water.  Rose had formed a quick and easy friendship with the two other men and she no doubt had skills that would be beneficial to their quest.  Although she had yet to have a real proper conversation with Rey.

---

       Rey who had been so shaken now acted completely fine, if anyone noticed she was still acting a little strange, no one commented.  She managed to tell the group about what had happened, leaving out her experience with the orb, Kylo noticed but didn’t say anything. 

       He found himself sitting to the side of people around the fire.  While they all seemed to connect in some way.  He just couldn’t manage to join in.  So he sat on the outside, listening, just enjoying the voices and laughing, not something he’d ever admit aloud. 

       There were many times in the Order he longed to be able to initiate such easy connections like them, but always he had found it difficult to relate to his brothers, he tended to be significantly more intense than them, which held people away.  Not to mention he had risen so fast through the ranks many of the older men would resent him, the higher you got in the order the more competing you faced. 

       He was a good soldier though.  He got the best results, he was the fastest, the strongest, and he was by no means unintelligent, and in fact he was quite gifted.  Technical and book smart, Grand Maester Snoke had always told him.  With the potential to do great things.

       Things like saving Sanctuary from the Lords of the Burning Hells, he thought.  But he couldn’t help but to think back to what the ghostly figure had told them, the power of the Je’daii flowed through their veins, were there things the Grand Maester hadn’t told him? Maybe he was just waiting for the right moment.  He was one of the best Templar in the order.  After all, it was he who had been called by the temple, not Jondar. 

       He watched his fellow Templar laughing and joking with the others and Kylo had to bite back his feelings of jealousy as Rey laughed obnoxiously and slapped Jondar on the leg causing him to kick some supplies.  The bag at the younger man’s feet shifted slightly and opened to reveal a Templar book. 

       Kylo sat up, looking at the very book that had sparked Jondars betrayal.  At first all he could do was glare at it, an obvious trap, he told himself.  But soon his curiosity sparked, it didn’t look any different than a regular Order book, perhaps it wasn’t completely an obvious trap.  Maybe it was just Jondars weakness that had caused him to turn away from the order, and not the book itself, perhaps instead it was a test, and Jondar had just failed.  He had the book in his hands before he even realized it.  The chatting had stopped and everyone was watching Kylo for his reaction.  The younger Templar tried to warn Kylo weakly but he was ignored as Kylo opened the book, and began to read.

       Nothing - as far as Kylo could tell it was an ordinary book, like any that were easily found in the Templar libraries.  It was filled with scriptures of his order, psalms and hymns, nothing peculiar at all. 

       He flipped through the pages, and about half way in, it appeared that a member of the order had started doodling in the margins.  A cat with a ball, two people picking what appeared to be penises off of a tree, a fat nun, it was a rich tapestry really. 

       Then there were the words, words he had never seen before, in a language he didn’t understand.  Soon they covered every open space, the margins, the corners, they trailed into the spaces between the lines, and he stared intently at them, willing them to reveal their message to him.  The longer he stared the more engrossed he became, the world got quieter and darker and seemed to fade away all that existed were the words on the page. 

       The words blurred over, and started to mold into one another, swirling, forming pictures.  Slowly, and the then all at once they bloomed with color, and became images before his eyes, moments in time like dream, these were memories.  Hazy and unfocused, but there was little doubt in his mind that’s what he was seeing, and somehow he just understood what he saw.

       He couldn’t see faces only blurry shapes, two people were standing together, they had been traveling and finally made it to the town they had been trying to get to for three days now.  These people, who fought all the time, but were no less in love.  He wanted their attention he wanted them to look at him, to play with him, to give him hugs and kisses.  He couldn’t hear, or understand when they called to him, but he knew that they were calling just for him. 

       He was in a cathedral in one of the larger cities, Chandrila possibly, it was similar to the one in old Tatooine only new and built of wood.  He was sitting with another older man, but young in spirit. 

       They’re sitting together in the dim light, a full moon glows brightly through the windows, this man, their teacher, is holding in his hands a flickering green flame.  Its magic, and beautiful it fills him with warmth.  There are many people in the cathedral proper.  And all of them practice lighting a glowing flame in their hands.  He’s the first to get it to work, it’s easy for him, easier than all the others; it’s a very bright, very pale blue. 

       Soon more flames join there’s, some blue, some green.  That was a successful lesson, and he feels his teacher’s pride. 

       A ceremony, surrounded by food with a beautiful candelabra in the center of the busy table, not all of the candles are lit, but that’s how it’s supposed to be, each day, they light another candle. 

       His wine is as watered down as much as usual.  But it’s still making him dizzy and warm.  Across the table is a pretty girl with blond hair, well as far has he can tell, he still can’t actually see any faces, but he just knows.  The story is important, but he knows it by heart now, so he smiles at the girl. 

       He wanted to give her a trinket earlier, but was beaten to it by another boy, now that trinket is burning a hole in his pocket, he could still reach over and give it to her, there’s nowhere that says he can’t.  But she has the one given to her by the other boy on the table next to her, she keeps looking at it happily. 

       Maybe he’ll wait till after dinner. 

---

       It took a great deal of willpower to rip himself away from the memories - visons- he corrected.  He did so with a bellow hurling the book at the ground.  He stared at it panting and angry, all around him the forest came back into view, along with his traveling companions.  They stared at him, shaken.  Rey’s eyes were wide with fear and he felt very ashamed, which only served to anger him further.  He tried in vain to reign in his emotions to get control of his mind, but he was so overwhelmed that all that came out was raw fury. 

       “Kylo, what did you see?” Finn asked meekly

       “Lies!” Kylo roared “spells, to trick you and lead you away from the light!”

       “But didn’t it feel right? Like something that was missing?” The other man persisted

       “No! It felt like a trap! It’s dangerous, and you’re a fool for falling for it!” fear was bubbling up in Kylo’s chest, making his lungs constrict, his breaths coming in sharp. 

       His eyes darted between his companions, all of them look at him with eyes wide with shock and fear, fear of him.  He swung his arms out wildly trying to get them to look away, he could feel the ghost of some unknown power escaping him.  They flinched but continued to stare.  He backed away then spun swiftly grabbing his sword and marching off into the woods.  He stammered that he needed a walk, while he stormed away, away from the safety of the clearing, into the dense woods with only this leathers to protect him.  As he left he repeated his orders mantra in a hopeless attempt to calm himself.

       No one said anything, nor made any movement to stop him, and he couldn’t understand the unreasonable sting of that.  They weren’t his friends, he reminded himself; they were hardly his companions. 

Chapter Text

⦾

       The group was completely stunned watching Kylo leave, unable to do much else.  He had always had something of a temper, which seemed to be constantly on the verge of exploding.  And while they had seen it do just that a couple of times this was something different.  His eyes had been wild and he couldn’t hide the fear.  His sudden movements and loud shouts had put everyone on edge.  He grabbed his sword with enough force to leave a long gouge in the ground, without even pulling it from the sheath.  He spun while grunting and whispering incoherently, before repeating his now familiar mantra as he went.

       “Mea fides est clypeus, Mea fides est clypeus, Mea fides est clypeus”

       And then he was gone.  The man who hardly removed his helmet when he spoke to them had just stormed off into a dangerous forest with no armor, in a blind rage, and no one knew if they should go after him or not.

       Finally Rey turned to Finn whose face was firm, as he watch his tormented brother in arms go. 

       “Was it like that for you?” she asked quietly

       “It was very similar, it was a terrible experience, that left me shaky and terrified, but I can’t really explain why, it felt like my mind was being attacked.  Like something in me had been taken away and my heart longed to have it back.  All I wanted to do was run, to lock myself away”

       Finn was cut off by Kylo’s roars as he fought whatever had been foolish enough to attack him, screeches as Kylo cut down his enemies with ease.  Even the sounds of trees crashing to ground as they took the brunt of Kylo’s attacks.  Finn turned back to his friends and shrugged, Kylo was one of the best; he’d destroy a bunch of things then come back calm.  He was in no danger. 

       “Although when I secluded myself, I didn’t break everything”

⦾

       Just as Finn had told them Kylo returned a while later, calm and unscathed.  Everyone was getting ready to bed down for the night.  He didn’t talk about the book or his tantrum in the forest, and no one brought it up.  They were tense for a bit, but he seemed lost in thought and unlikely to attack them so soon they settled.  Rose was the only person to approach him at first, bringing him his bedroll from Beebee’s cart.  He quietly thanked her for it, but didn’t unroll it, just continued to stare into the fire.  Despite the fact they would be safe here, he wouldn’t get sleep any time soon, he might as well keep watch. 

---

       The sky had long since darkened when Rey came to sit next to him, she had a ratty brown blanket wrapped around her shoulders.  Her hair was down and no longer damp, gently curling around her face.  The light of the fire Kylo had kept burning bright dancing across her face and in her eyes as she looked at him closely. 

       “You don’t need to keep watch” she told him quietly “come join the rest of the group and get some sleep.”

       The rest of the group.  It was the first time anyone had implied he was part of the group. 

       “Old habits die hard, I suppose” he murmured poking at the fire, too nervous to look her in the eyes. 

       Rey didn’t leave as he had expected her to.  She nestled onto the ground next to him a sat quietly, enjoying the warmth and the stillness of the night.  They were quiet for a time before she spoke.

       “I was found wandering the desert of Jakku by the monks all by myself.  I was eleven.  It took them days to convince me to go with them, I was waiting for my parents you see, I have this memory so solid and clear of them promising me they would come back.  I clung to that memory so hard, it drove a wedge between me and the other monks for a long time, by the time I began my training the damage had already been done.  I was scared to get close, I never meant to push people away.  I was surrounded, but I always felt like I was by myself.  I always felt so… different”

       He watch her as she told him all of this, staring off lost in her thoughts.  Kylo shifted and finally began to speak as well.

       “I am good at what I do, but the competition in the higher ranks of the order gets so fierce, you can’t always trust your fellow Templars.  It often feels like less of a brotherhood and more of a battle to the death.  Even when I was amongst the lower ranks, I struggled trying to bond with others.  It seemed like I was always too much to handle, too angry, to passionate, to emotional, too intense.  The Grand Maester took a liking to me and took me under his wing, trained me and I shot up the ranks, that just made it worse.  So I isolated myself, it’s better to do it to yourself then for others to do it to you.”

       They were quiet for a time.  Unconsciously they had scooted closer to one another. 

       “I asked the orb to show me my parents.” Rey whispered “I saw nothing, just me, endlessly.  And I heard the words that I was so certain had come from my parents, but it sounded like my voice, like I tricked myself into believing it came from them.  I’ve never felt so alone”

       Kylo turned to face her then, hazel eyes locked with rich brown.  He was so serious, staring right into her.

       “You’re not alone”

       “Neither are you”

       Their voices where barely above a whisper, but it sounded so clear, like they were in one another’s head.  Gently Rey reached out to him, palm up, and waited for him to respond.  Slowly, almost nervously he removed his glove.  It felt so important to him, how such an act could feel so intimate he wasn’t sure.  Their fingers brushed and they sat together like that just staring into one another like a trance, with their fingers barely touching, together they felt calm and secure in the other presence. 

       A low pained moan from Finn shook them out of their reverie and the moment was gone.  Rey pulled the scratchy blanket tighter around her shoulders and stood numbly.

       “I’m going back to sleep.  Please don’t stay up the whole night.  Try to get at least a little sleep”

       He watched as she returned to her bedroll next to Finn and curl up with her back to him.  Long after her breathing resumed its steady pace, something lingered in him, something he couldn’t remember ever really feeling before.  A little flicker in his chest, like a long dead flame that had recently reignited, weak now, but with the potential to grow. 

╭ • ✦ ⋟─────────╮

There are many stories of the ancients from every civilization in every corner of Sanctuary.

However very little is known of them.

The Barbarians of Kashyyyk worship them as gods while the scholars of Mandalore and Coruscant both view them as much myth and legend as the stories of Anu.

There is evidence to suggest that ancients were very much a real people who lived generations ago, the stories of their powers and longevity are largely debatable and not given much credibility.

~ Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ─────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

       The little group had grown significantly since they had left Tatooine.  They finally made their way out of the Festering Woods, Rey seemed to have an innate understanding of the forest and despite everyone’s pleasure at finally putting that place behind them, Rey missed the unspoken comfort almost immediately. 

       She never brought it up to anyone, but shortly after they left Kylo quietly slipped a stick into the palm of her hand without a word, making a point to not touch her directly.  It was no longer than her hand, dried and gnarled the same greyish blue the forest had been.  A little piece of the Festering Woods for her to keep with her.  She beamed up at him but he quickly looked away, the tips of his ears turning red. 

---

       Kylo had finally agreed to keep his helmet off unless they were in battle, hanging it loosely from his hip.  It made him much more approachable.  They had finally started to become a real party of travelers.  With Kylo being integrated bit by bit.  He had developed a fondness and friendship particularly with Rose, who in turn seemed completely unafraid of him. 

       Rose had a sweet bubbly personality, quickly making friends with most of the group.  It seemed she was able to charm anyone with just a smile and some happy words.  Every one that is but Rey.  They managed to get along well enough, making polite conversation, but struggled to find a common ground.  They worked together well enough to get by. 

       Finn had managed to connect with Kylo to a degree.  They had taken to reciting traditional morning and evening prayers together, something that Finn had avoided doing previously.  Rey had questioned him about it when no one else was listening.

       “I didn’t expect to find comfort in it” Finn explained “but it’s familiar.  When the whole world around you is changing and spinning, familiar can be nice.”

       Despite Kylo’s outburst after reading the book the two Templars were able to talk with one another about the visions they saw, the possibility that they really were stripped away memories.  Kylo was coming around to the theory, and together they talked about what should be done about it. 

       Kylo and Poe however were a completely different story.  Poe had no regard or respect for the Templars or their Order.  Although he seemed quite taken with the open minded and curious Finn, the deeply and openly faithful Kylo got on his nerves, and he took every opportunity to let the Templar know it, constantly pushing his buttons, actively making Kylo angry and taking great pleasure in watching the large man explode. 

       “Did you have any friends in the order” Poe asked innocently one day

       Kylo sniffed at his question “we are brothers in arms.  Our bonds transcends friendship”

       “So you didn’t have any friends then either”

       Rose scolded Poe shooing him away from the progressively infuriated Templar.  Poe chuckled and darted up to walk beside Finn and Rey, both of which had wisely chosen to stay out of their squabbles completely. 

       “Ignore him” Rose told Kylo, giving him a friendly shoulder bump when he didn’t respond “he picks fights with people because he’s scared of seeming weak”

       Kylo gave a non-committal grunt in response, still watching Poe intently as he threw his arm around Finn and said something that made Rey laugh, she gave Poe a big grin wrinkling her nose as she joked with him.  Roses’ eyes darted between Kylo and Rey and she grinned slyly, leaning in and whispering.

       “Ooooh I see”

       At this Kylo’s head snapped towards the mush shorter woman.  He leaned in whispering back as if he was worried someone might hear.

       “See what? There is nothing to see”

       “Oh sure, obviously not, I mean it’s not like she’s cute or anything” Rose teased

       “I have no idea what you’re talking about” Kylo bristled

       “Whatever you say, big guy”

       “I am a Templar.  Beholden to my vows of ch-“

       “There is nothing wrong with having feelings for someone”

       “I don’t have feelings!” He spluttered loudly, then added quietly “She is an honorable warrior, powerful and devoted to her cause.  I admire that, just that”

       “Also her butt is perfect”

       Kylo’s eyes flicked to Rey’s backside, she had long lean legs strong thighs, and yes her bottom was firm and full, but Kylo would never allow himself to dwell on such things.  He looked back at Rose, who had caught him taking a peek and was now grinning.  Horrified he stood up straight eyes focused firmly over Rey’s head, and refused to continue this current conversation.  Mea fides est clypeus he thought to himself Mea fides est clypeus.

       “Awe.  Even your ears go red”

---

╔══════════ ⚔ ══════════╗

Mea fides est clypeus = my faith is a shield

~Templar Mantra

╚═══════════════════════╝

Chapter Text

⦾

       They had spotted one of Bazine’s cultists in the middle of an intricate spell.  He stood proudly in his yellow robes chanting over three large mummies on the precipice of a rocky cliff.  They crept as close as they could without alerting him to their presence, trying to get a better understanding of what he was doing.  Finn watched intently through his spyglass telling them everything he could see.

       “He’s chanting out of a book.  Looks like he’s been camping out here with those big ass mummies… which have horns.  Those mummies have horns.”

       “Demons?”

       “I can’t tell”

       The mage finished his spell and a channel of red light struck them, disappearing just as fast as it came.  The four mummies began to move and rip their bandages.  The mage cackled as they stood to their full height, at least half a foot taller than Kylo. 

       “First the khazra, then the undead, now giant undead khazra.” Finn grumbled

       “If one of them starts puking I’m outta hear” Rey replied flatly.

       “You know” Poe said quietly “one day you’re going to have to tell us that story”

       He lined up his longbow and without another word let loose an arrow which struck on of the khazra in the shoulder.  The lumbering beasts turned to their hiding place instantly spotting them among the trees.

       “Here’s an idea” Kylo growled as everyone jumped to their feet preparing for battle “let’s scope them out first before we make a move.  Come up with a plan so we aren’t running headfirst into a battle against a foe we know nothing about”

       Poe ignored Kylo’s biting sarcasm and stood letting loose another arrow, as the mage shrieked his orders to his new minions. 

---

       The undead khazra were not fast, and they were not smart.  They took a hit like a mountain though, unmovable and strong. 

       They swung old weapons, hammers and axes, in wide arches around them, hitting anything within a three foot radius.  Rey nearly got brained as a massive mallet swung by her head when she dived in to attack the goat-man’s legs, managing to trip one leaving it open to Kylo’s sword.  Poe got one right in the eye, it screamed bringing both hands up to its face, hitting itself with the dull end of its own weapon; it wobbled and was impaled on Finns lance. 

       Rose had taken up with the mage who, it seemed, couldn’t perform any spells without reading them from the book.  Both of their staffs lay forgotten on the ground as they tugged at the tome in his hands like children fighting over a toy.  Rose had the upper hand until the mage took a cheap shot and bit her arm.  He wrested the book away from her taking several steps back laughing holding his prize a loft in his hands completely unaware of his surroundings. 

       Stepping backwards into the radius of his own undead khazra minions. 

       He was caught around the middle by the thick nasty looking spike on the back of one of the khazras axes.  As the khazra swung forward at its opponents it paid no mind to the mage.  Ripping deep into the flesh of the man’s stomach, the mage was sent flying by the force of the hit, even as the spike tore out muscles bones and viscera, splattering blood in an arch around it. 

       While the mages death did affect the spell on the beasts slowing them down, making them dumber, it didn’t stop them.  Kylo and Finn body slammed one into the other which sent one stumbling to the side and plummeting off the edge of the cliff.  The second one barely managing to right its massive body.  It seemed almost confused by the loss of its companion.  It stopped fighting, the party it had been fighting forgotten, and looked over the edge at its fallen ally.  It only took a quick head-butt from Beebee to send him toppling along head first as well. 

---

       The cultist lay in the dirt his yellow robes stained with red from where he had been gored.  Upon closer inspection it was revealed that goats and khazra in intricate detail had been embroidered into his robes in the same yellow color.  He had gold jewelry adorned with goats and goat skulls.  Even his staff was decorated in their visage. 

       Poe tugged a tiny dagger out of the mages boots, mother of pearl scabbard with a goat skull on the hilt.  He handed it to Rey insisting that she should always have a backup blade.  Poe pocketed a golden amulet and winked at her.  Rose took the spell book she had been bitten for with a huff, as well as the goat staff.  In the mages pack he had a fair amount of coin and supplies they added to their own. 

       Finally they found a weathered a worn journal, it was well used and had numerous papers stuck into it.  Rey glanced through it, it was filled with information on Bazine’s cult, and progressively illegible ramblings from the cultist himself.  She flipped to the last page with writing in it. 

       Oh she was defiantly keeping this:

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Bazine thinks she can keep all of the power to herself, holed up in that desert out-post licking her wounds after her pitiful loss in Tatooine.

But not for long! I will raise my army from these savage animals and bind their heathen souls to my indomitable will.  With these primitive beasts at my every command Bazine and the Kingdoms of Sanctuary will bend to my will.

All shall hail -- The Lord of Goats!

I may have to work on that title a bit.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

       “A desert outpost” Finn said excitedly “that’s a clue”

       “We can find Bazine and make her pay for what she did to Han” Rey jumped in

       “You know there are a lot of deserts” Kylo said “we still need to narrow it down”

       “That’s a bit of an exaggeration there aren’t that many”

       “Actually there are seven areas with desert climate; Jakku, the Desolate Sands, Geonosis, Cantonica, Korriban, and a lot of people don’t know that both Hoth and Ilum are also classified as deserts.  Water there evaporates faster than it precipitates---“ Rose looked up from the spell book she had been examining to see that everyone was staring at her blankly “more water falls down then falls up” she stammered wincing at her flustered explanation. 

       Kylo leaned in and quietly told her he thought it was fascinating.  Her bashful smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

       “Maybe we can ask Luke or Leia” Rey said pulling the scrying glass out of her bag “If I could just get it to work”

       Rey had tried several times to get it to work, but talking to an unresponsive mirror made her feel silly.  Rose however was delighted, her earlier embarrassment forgotten, as she plucked it out of Rey’s hands.  She had been trained by the Prophet to use many magical objects, scrying glasses included.  Rey had only begun to tell her that it may have been a dud when Rose got it to work, on the first try.  She proudly held it up to Rey, who took it back from her with a forced grin. 

       Leia’s face shone through the glass, just as prim as she was when they first met. 

       “Rey, it’s good to see you.  Did you find something?”

       “We found the journal of the Lord of Goats.  He says Bazine is holed up in a desert out post”

       Leia didn’t even question who or what the Lord of Goats was, just thinking intently.

       “Interesting, we’ve heard rumors that the city of Mandalore has closed off the gates to the inner city.” she told them “there are suspicions surrounding the strange behavior of the child Emperor, Almec III, and the new imperial guards he’s put in place around the city.  The desert out post that the, Lord of Goats was it, referred to could be Concordia”

       “It sounds like a good place to start” Rey responded

       “We have the black soul stone, it’s almost complete.  Our friend is going to bring it to you, we trust him with our lives; it will be in good hands.  He can get it to you faster if we aren’t holding him back.  We’ll tell him to head for Mon Cala and he can meet you there when you reach the coast.”

---

       With plans in place they said their good byes, and the spell was cancelled.  As soon as it had been Rey swore colorfully.  “I meant to ask them about the Je’daii”

       “I can bring the spell back if you want” Rose offered.  But Rey tersely cut back that it could wait, it wasn’t that important. 

       Rey didn’t see Rose’s sad eyes as she pushed her way to the front of the group.  She also remained unaware how uncomfortable the walk had become the closer they got to the big city.  Finally when it appeared no one else was going to say anything Poe came up beside Rey.

       “Rose is a nice girl, I know women can be catty, but there is no reason for you to dislike her”

       “Excuse me, I’m not being catty, and I don’t dislike her.  I don’t know her.” Rey hissed

       “You hardly knew me, but that wasn’t a problem” Poe pointed out. 

       “It wasn’t hard to figure you out.”

       Poe snorted and shrugged.  “Whatever you say, I just want you to know you shouldn’t feel intimidated by her.  From the looks of it, none of us are going to leave any time soon, you can relax a little.”

       Rey shoved him flushing and grumbling that he has no idea what he was talking about, and he should stop acting like he understands women when he clearly doesn’t.  He just chuckled in response. 

       Behind them, Rose was absently talking to Finn and Kylo.  She asked questions about some of the training they received, the books they read.  The places they’ve been.  Kylo who for the longest time had been happy to talk about his order at length, seemed pained every time it was brought up.  Neither of the Templars were giving more than two word answers.  Rose was undeterred it seemed, content to make idle conversation while they walked.

       The book had caused Kylo to suffer from strange flashbacks, to memories he couldn’t recall or place.  Finn explained that over time they would subside, they would be less intense and less frequent.  Although they still happened. 

       The group had a rather nasty encounter with a group of trees that fought back when they tried to cut it down for firewood they dubbed them ‘the Walking Woods’.  Which would pull themselves out of the dirt and drag along ground using their pliant roots.  If anyone stayed in the same place for too long the walking woods re-root themselves and attack you from beneath.  Both Templars had been struck with intense memories, dazed and confused they had been unable to throw off the roots, leaving it up to the others to fight this new enemy alone, and protect them. 

---

       By the time they made camp however, the awkward silence had completely consumed them, the Templars were more closed off then they had ever been.  It hadn’t been this tense for a long while, now that they had Poe and Rose, both of whom where extroverted and sociable, they made it easy to talk but not tonight. 

       It was clear that something wasn’t quite right, but neither of them spoke up until the night had set fully so that the only light around them was the small fire at the center of the camp.  It was then that Kylo finally cleared his throat.

       “There’s a stop we need to make in Coruscant.”

       “Have some business there do you?” Poe asked casually leaning back

       “We need to stop at the Central Lodge of the First Order.”

       There was only a moment’s pause before the anger bubbled up in Rey’s chest and she exploded.  She got right up close to Kylo, shoving his chest with the bottom of her boot. 

       “How could you!” she hollered “How could you! Here I thought we were actually a team now, friends even, and you’re still planning on turning Finn into the Order!”

       Everyone looked at him then, the questions came at him rapid fire.

       “What is she talking about Kylo” Rose asked “what is he being turned in for?”

       “You are such an ass you know that” Poe added tossing a clump of dirt at him. 

       Rey continued, pushing her attack forward. 

       “Finn is a good man! I don’t care what you think he’s done, I don’t care if you’re ‘just following orders’.  He doesn’t deserve to be tortured because he asked, completely reasonable, questions.  You sir, can march your tall dark ass back there by yourself!”

       Rey’s eyes glittered with unshed tears as she glared down at him, his eyes were wide in shock and confusion, but an unlikely ally came to his aide. 

       “Rey it’s ok” Finn told her gently, hand on her arm.  She tried to argue weakly but he stopped her.  “From the day we were initiated the Order told us that they saved us from drowning in sin, that when they found us we were in the gutter clinging to life by a thread, it was the same speech for both of us.  Our returned memories contradict this.  There are Templar Lodges all over Sanctuary Kylo thinks it’s possible that the Grand Maester doesn’t know that some lodges are taking people against their will.  That they may be building up forces so as to act against him.  I’ve never met the Maester before, but Kylo knows him.  Currently the Maester is in Coruscant Kylo want to warn him, and if possible confront him about returning our memories.”

       Rey was silent then, she had jumped to conclusions and insulted Kylo, who had really been trying hard lately to be a part of the group.  She felt humiliated and very guilty.  She was biting her lip looking between them, it was certainly a good idea if it could help Finn and Kylo get their memories back, and who knows how many innocent people had been stripped of their former lives, if the Grand Maester didn’t know it was important they told him so he could put a stop to it. 

       “It wouldn’t be out of our way or anything” Rose whispered

       Rey bowed her head and nodded “of course, who knows we might even get some information out of them.” she tried to sound cheerful but she was deeply shamed, first she had snapped at Rose and now Kylo, it seemed she could do nothing but push people away.  The more she wanted to be close to someone, the quicker she seemed to jump to conclusions that they were going to leave. 

       She felt like she was going to cry, so she muttered something about getting more firewood, and slunk off into the trees to collect herself.  Before Finn could go after her Rose stopped him with a smile, telling him that she would go talk to Rey. 

⦾

       Rose wandered a ways through the dark woods looking for Rey, that girl was quick and quiet, leaving next to no trail behind.  In the end she found Rey next to a little stream Rose was certain would be very cute during the day.  Rose illuminated the area with her spells, twinkling lights danced around their heads.  Rey was cross-legged on the cool grass, her eyes closed breathing deeply, she cracked an eye open to look at Rose but said nothing.  So Rose sat down next to her mimicking her position.  They sat together comfortably for a while before Rey finally huffed, opening her eyes she turned to look at Rose.

       “You’re not going to scold me?” she questioned sharply

       Rose smiled “what would that accomplish, you haven’t really done anything worth scolding”

       The wind shook the trees quietly, the creek babbled and insects chirped, after the defining silence of the Festering Woods, this little area was loud with life.  Rey sighed and slumped forward

       “I’m sorry” she whispered. 

       “What for?”

       Rey turned her whole body to face Rose, and again Rose followed suit turning to face Rey as well.

       “Finn is the first friend I’ve made in so long, Kylo just sort of forced his way in and wouldn’t go away, Poe managed to talk his way in, also Beebee is so cute and helpful, so he has that going for him” Rey faltered

       “Oh Maker Beebee is so cute! And smart I’ve never seen a goat do some of the things he can do.  Sometimes I think he’s smarter than Poe is”

       “Oh he’s definitely smarter then Poe is”

       They giggled a little the atmosphere around them clearing significantly.  Rey sifted uncomfortably then, looking at Rose through her eyelashes.

       “But then--“

       “But then I showed up” Rose supplied for her.

       “Even before that, but yes.” Rey sighed deeply “I’ve been feeling like a mess lately.  People around me keep saying that I have to do these monumental things; but how can I accept that really?  I’m nobody, from nowhere.  I was born in Jakku, do you know what Jakku has?”

       Rose knew very little about the desert only that it existed really.  Like most people.

       “Nothing!” Rey told her “and then there’s Finn and Kylo, Templars trained to fight evil, Poe the adventurous rouge and you the mage who’s magic actually dose what she wants; who’s brilliant and sweet.  People like you ‘cause you know your stuff.  And then there’s me, the no-body.  I guess I’m just worried everyone will realize that they picked the wrong person, and that they don’t really need me after all.”

       Rey was tearing up again, the words falling out of her like she couldn’t stop.  “I just can’t stop myself from getting attached to you all and what happens when everyone figures out that I’m a fraud?”

       Rose rubbed Rey’s back in soothing circles.  And waited for her to catch her breath. 

       “Rey, you have been given a great task that’s true.  But you are so powerful, so skilled, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are the Je’daii that the Prophet told me about.” Rose pulled Rey in for a hug “I’d like to learn about you, the real you, which I know is so more than nothing, and I know that together we can prevent the end of days, if anyone can, it’s us; us and Beebee.  The boys can help too if they want”

       Rey laughed then, a real laugh deep from the belly.  Joy and comfort breaking through the fog of doubt.  They both spread out on the grass looking up into the sky doused in stars. 

       “We can stay here for a bit longer if you want.” Rose told Rey who nodded her agreement “also, I feel that in the interest of our budding friendship I should tell you that Kylo likes your butt.”

⦾

       The men had heard the giggling long before the ladies returned.  They were talking in animated hushed whispers, stopping as soon as they made it back to the camp taking in their waiting companions, before looking at each other and bursting into giggles again. 

       It would have been charming maybe, if it hadn’t been so unsettling. 

       Rey sat down next to Kylo and looking up at him bashfully.

       “Sorry about earlier” she whispered “you didn’t deserve that”

       Kylo smiled at her relieved, he didn’t want to delve too deeply into why it meant so much that she wasn’t mad at him.

       “It’s ok, I’ll just have to do better to prove myself to you”

       He was trying to make a joke, and Rey was still smiling but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.  He shifted before leaning in again to ask

       “Are we good then?”

       “Yeah” that single word along with the small true smile she gave him doing more to soothe him then any prayer ever had. 

💛

Chapter Text

Finn was dreaming. 

       He was dreaming of an open field, animals that he tended to, there was someone sitting on the fence waiting for him, and this person made him feel delight.  Finn made to go greet them grinning wildly. 

       They were in a barn now, it was dark and they were kissing, it was bliss, the only way to describe it.  Outside the barn door he could hear the sounds of laughing and festivities.  Light from paper lanterns and big bon fires filter in through the crack along with the smell of succulent roasting meat, roasted vegetables and baking. 

       He’s in town now, buying feed and supplies, he kept his head down, just wanting to get his errands done and get home, he avoids the courtyard with all of the knights, he doesn’t recognize them but also he does, he turns to leave taking the long way around to give them a wide berth. 

       He smells smoke, back at his farm, but not the pleasant smell of bonfires, his home was under attack.  The bandits rely on surprise and fear, they were not expecting him, strong and young, not swayed by their tricks.  He fights them off with farm tools and an old sword. 

       He’s back in town again, in a warm and friendly pub.  People are cheering for him, he drove off the bandits; he is their hero.  His buddies buy him a drink, and his sweetheart proudly announces him to the room to cheers and applause.  The knights from before are sitting in a corner booth, they come over to congratulate him, they pat him on the back and buy a round for everyone.  Then they buy another, and another. 

       Finn drifts off into darkness now, it not a comforting darkness just darkness; attached to a strange emotion he can’t quite place, or does he just not want to. 

       He feels heavy and tired, all of his limbs are stiff as consciousness slowly creeps back to him.  He can identify the strange emotion now, the one he struggled with in the darkness. 

       It was longing, for something he couldn’t even really remember. 

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟─────────────────────╮

Coruscant, City of the Light.

Coruscant was founded by Finis Valorum and his efforts to unify the uncivilized tribes of the west and bring them together under the Zakarum faith. 

Valorum himself was a fervent devotee of the Zakarum faith, and seized by its superstitions he drove his armies in an unrelenting crusade toward the sea.  Ultimately he became the king of them all.

~ From the writings of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ─────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

       The whole city was made of grey stone and thick dark wood.  There were venders on every corner in every nook and cranny they could fit, eagerly trying to sell their wares.  Coruscant was a bustling city there was activity everywhere.  It was loud and friendly as people walked along it’s cobbled streets talking and laughing going about their daily lives, with no idea that two lords of hell where probably already in Sanctuary planning their assault against the human race.

       A frail and filthy man in dark tattered clothing rushed up to Rey and shoved a large thick piece of paper into her face, there was a drawing on it and he was telling her to look at it, while shoving it far too close to her face for her to get a good look.  Finn was beside her in an instant roughly knocking the man aside in an uncharacteristic show of antagonism.  Behind her Kylo shooed away a group of small children.  Telling them ‘that trick won’t work on us’

       The man took one look at Finns armor and fled.  Finn turned to Rey apologetically. 

       “He was trying to rob you” Finn told her.  “One person distracts you shoving something in your face, while someone else comes up behind you and picks your pockets”

---

       Kylo led them toward the Templar Lodge he pointed it out in the distance it was massive and stood alone in a separate courtyard.  Banners fluttered in the wind, and thick dark smoke drifted from the chimneys. 

       “The blacksmiths are in, we should get our armor repaired before we greet the Grand Maester.” Kylo informed them

       “How do we even know the Grand Maester is here?” Rey asked

       He pointed up to the tallest point of the building at a white flag.  “That flag indicates the Grand Maester is in the lodge it’s flown over any lodge he stays in”

       Finn leaned in and whispered so Kylo couldn’t hear “you can’t tell from here, but that flag is made of silk and lined in gold”

       “A silk flag” Rose questioned “kind of fragile and unnecessarily opulent don’t you think?”

       “Just a bit” Finn agreed

---

       Kylo knew a short cut that avoided the very crowded main road through a couple back allies.  They ran into less people this way but the people they did see were very obviously impoverished, and very frightened of the group pressing themselves up against the walls and averting their eyes. 

       Two small children were hiding behind a stack of crates out the back of what appeared to be a filthy pub.  They seemed to be entranced by Beebee, who loved any kind of attention.  The goat stopped to nibble at their hands and sniff at their hair, the children were delighted.  But something caught one of their eyes.  A bag on the back of the little cart had come open revealing something shiny.  As the kids began to make their way home, the larger of the two grabbed the bag off the back and ran. 

       The little boy dodged threw the streets and under broken fences in a desperate bid to get away from them.  But Rey was just as fast and agile and the Templars couldn’t be stopped by much, let alone some flimsy wooden gates.  They came out of the alleyway into a filthy court yard.  It smelled like a latrine and lye.  Little hovels tucked in behind the much larger and more structurally sound buildings around them.  Ragged clothing was hanging to dry on thin cords hung haphazardly between the houses. 

       The people here were scrawny, dirty and clearly terrified of the Templars.  People cried when they came through the entrance to the courtyard.  The child had tried to hide, but his mother scolded him coming forward carefully trembling and barely holding back her sobs, she handed the bag back to Finn with shaking hands.  Quietly she begged them not to hurt her boy, she just repeated it over again ‘Please don’t hurt my boy, he’s just a child.’

       Finn and Kylo remained calm however, Finn took the bag back removing some writing tools, and materials for spells they got from the Lord of Goats.  The shiny thing inside had been the buckle of a belt.  Finn added some food, a bag of coins and some other items (a pair of socks with no holes, and a tacky gold chain) and gave it back to her with a soft smile.  She tried to shake her head and refuse, but Finn was insistent next to him Kylo insisted she take it, to keep them out of trouble, at least for a little while.  Another boy a teen came forward putting a gentle hand on his mother’s shoulder and gratefully accepted the bag.  The whole family nodded and backed away through the dirty door of their home and shut it tight. 

       “The Templar order is quiet secretive, so a lot of rumors go around.” Finn explained, while Kylo nodded along “we get that sort of reaction a lot”

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟─────────────────────╮

Coruscant is a powerhouse city.  It boasts the largest standing army in Sanctuary.  The city is always active with merchants and sights to fill a travelers every need. 

It also plays host to the Cathedral of Light, the largest Zakarum church in Sanctuary, as well as the Grand Central Lodge of the Templar Order.  It’s a city seeped in religious ideology.

Unfortunately it’s also suffers from extreme economic inequality.  Even though the King has declared all men equal the vast divide between the rich and the poor is substantial.  Over the years it seems that the divide is just becoming progressively worse.

~Qui Gon-Jinn

╰ ─────────────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

---

       The Forge Master for the Central Lodge greeted the Templars warmly, reverently he took the battered pieces of armor and agreed to do a rush job for them.  It was a simple job, he explained, just hammer out the dents replace some of the leather and a quick cleanse and they would be good to go.  Still the whole process would take half a day, At least.  Which would give them plenty of time to get cleaned up, fed and restock. 

       Kylo insisted that while they had time he wanted to stop at his usual church for a service.  Something he hadn’t been to since before the star fell.  Finn readily agreed, both of them actually seemed… excited. 

       A feeling not shared by their companions, all of whom had differing religious leanings.  Rey of course was a Shaptev Monk, Rose was a Vecin, and Poe’s patron saint was Zei, the god of thieves and rebels. 

       “Come on guys, it’ll only take an hour and a half” Finn pleaded

       “Two at the most” Kylo added. 

       Poe laughed out loud at that.  “Look buddy, neither of you are cute enough for that” he told them.  They agreed to meet back in the central town square just after noon, the service would be over, and they could prepare to meet with the Grand Maester.  Until then Poe, Rose and Rey would explore a bit, and do their best not to get robbed. 

---

       Kylo and Finn entered the extravagant cathedral Kylo referred to as the ‘community church’ he went to while he lived in Coruscant.  It was everything the old cathedral in Tatooine once was.  Magnificent stained glass windows let the brightly colored light filter through.  Polished pews inlayed with brass sat in orderly rows facing the massive stone alter where the High Priest would perform this morning’s sermon.  Behind it was a massive stone sculpture of the holy figure Akarat and the visage of Anu himself. 

       Even without their usual armor the cathedral was packed as Finn and Kylo took seats in the middle, mingling in with the crowd. 

---

╬╬══════════════════════╬╬

~Anu and the Seven Headed Dragon~

The first being in creation was Anu. 

Anu, desired to be pure in all things and so they ripped out all traces of evil.  And Anu was at peace for a time. 

However, the disconnected pieces that had been purged came together to form one being, the Seven Headed Dragon; Tathamet the first evil. 

Despite the fact that they were now separate beings, they were still bound together; they fought an unwinnable war for eons unknown.

At last, with all of their energy spent at the end of millennia battling the two each delivered a final blow, which ignited an explosion so powerful it birthed the universe. 

Both Anu and Tathamet perished. 

Over time their remains left behind became the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.  With Anu’s spine forming the birthplace of all Angels, the Crystal Arch,

Seven evils spawned from the seven heads, and the seven levels of Hell were formed from the remains of Tathamet. 

One piece of Anu’s legacy remained the Eye of Anu, later became known as;

The Worldstone

~ Tyraels scrolls

╬╬══════════════════════╬╬

---

       After the service had ended and both Kylo and Finn had taken communion they lit candles to bless their journey and made to return to the town square to meet up with the others.  But Kylo held back, the confessional was empty and he was carrying with him many sins.  Finn left as Kylo took a seat and waited to be greeted. 

       “Pardons upon me, I have felt a pull away from the light”

       “Speak, child of Akarat, so that you may be absolved.”

       “I- I remembered something, possibly from my child hood, a practice I don’t understand, it makes me question the faith of my upbringing.”

       “As a child you obeyed your parents that is good and pure, even if they were not.  As a man, you were saved by the light.  You have no reason to confess.  Is there another confession you’d like to make?”

       “Y- no- Yes, you see… there is this… woman…”

⦾

       Finn hadn’t left for the town square as Kylo thought he would, instead he sat on the steps waiting for the other man to finish.  He turned his face up to Kylo and stood as soon as he was approached. 

       “You ok?” Finn asked

       “I’m fine, yes”

       “You know if somethings bothering you, you can talk to us about it”

       “Are you concerned because I went to confession?” Kylo was genuinely confused and curious

       “Well yeah, you’re one of us now.  You’re also the most devout man I know” Finn snorted “there is nothing you should feel you need to confess.”

       Kylo scoffed, what did Finn know? He couldn’t know that Kylo was doubting the validity his faith, that vision he had experienced had affected him deeply.  Or that he was finding his eyes on Rey more often than not.  His thoughts progressively more consumed by her.  That he feared facing the Grand Maester and what they might learn.  All of these things seemed so meaningless in the face of the lords of hell and the calamity they would bring, but these thoughts nagged at him none the less. 

       Finn had been watching him, no doubt reading every emotion on his face.  He faced forward before speaking to Kylo again this time in a much more conspiratorial whisper.

       “Having feelings for Rey doesn’t make you any less pious.”

       Kylo’s head snapped to Finn so fast he almost injured himself.  Spluttering he tried to deny scoff at the idea.  But Finn rolled his eyes and smirked, clearly not believing him, Kylo never was very good at lying; and he could feel his face heating up and just knew his traitorous ears were turning red. 

       “Is it truly that obvious?” He almost wined.  Hunching over desperately trying to make himself smaller.

       “Oh yeah, we all know.  You are not subtle” Finn told him casually as he patted the much larger man on the shoulder. 

       Kylo groaned and covered his eyes.  Asking Finn to just not bring it up for now. 

---

╭ • ✦ ─────────────────────╮

While Zakarum is the most affluent and wide spread religion of Sanctuary there are actually many different groups of worship:

Skatsim - colloquially known as the “Old Religion” is the spiritual predecessor of the Zakarum faith.  Many of the Horadrim practiced this faith, believing they were appointed to set an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the world.

The Triune - hard to consider an official religion, it’s said the Triune was an early attempt by the great evils to convert and corrupt the people of Sanctuary.

The Priests of Rathma - (see; Necromancers) dedicated to the “Great Cycle” a philosophy based around balance.  The greatest balance being between life and death, thus necromancy became the central tenet of the priests’ faith.

Shaptev Monks - intensely spiritual people, their strongly held belief is that divinity manifest itself in all things, forming the 1001 gods.  They actively work alongside and participate in the rituals of nature.  Similar to the Priests of Rathma, they strive for balance believing that light and dark are both necessary, although the monks focus is on internal balance.

The Pantheon of Askari - the polytheistic religion of the Amazons; their prime deity is Athulua, she who controls the seasons.  Each aspect of Amazon life has its own deity.

The Xiansai Pantheon - the people on this small island have a pantheon of 59 gods.  All professions on the island have a revered patron saint as well as the household of each family.  Outsiders have also come to worship many of the 59 gods however the most well-known is Zei, the god of rebels and thieves commonly worshipped by members of the Thieves’ Guild and the now defunct Rebel Resistance. 

The Ancients of the Barbarians - the Barbarians of Mt.  Hosin (now the Hosin Crater) worshiped the spirits of the ancients.  Legendary warriors tasked with protecting the Worldstone.  It’s said that these ancients were the result of the coupling between an Angel and a Demon.

Mbwiru Eirkura - (see; the Unformed Land) a faith that stresses community above all things.  The Umbaru people believe that the realm of the gods is hidden from our eyes behind the physical plane on which we reside, and that magic is power of the gods that seeps through into our realm.  When a mortal soul passes on they go to the Unformed Land to reside with the gods.

The Vecin - a primarily female order that bases their faith around the Allmother.  It’s believed that the Allmother bestows gifts upon her followers that grants them with “The Sight” something of a sixth sense that allows them to perform powerful unique magicks, and in some occasions psionic abilities. 

~ From the writings of Luke Skywalker

╰ ───────────────────── ✦ • ╯

---

Chapter Text

⦾

       The Forge Master ended up taking most of the day, with Kylo and Finn returning in the evening for their armor to find out it still had yet to be cleansed.  A process, they explained, that involved submerging the armor in holy oil and drying it over a sacred flame (a magic meat smoker, Poe called it), afterwards it would be anointed with holy sigils to protect against demons and the forces of evil. 

       They would have to announce their intentions to meet with the Grand Maester without their armor, something that just wasn’t done in the order.  No one approached the Grand Maester without their full regalia.  Finn was visibly stressed out at the thought of it, he fidgeted and wrung his hands; Kylo clenched his fist and struggled to hide his seething anger, growling out that the armor was to be delivered to them wherever they were as soon as it was ready. 

---

       They spent the better part of half an hour scrubbing away any trace of dirt and desperately trying to make their hair and clothes presentable, before the Templars lead the group to the entrance of the Grand Lodge.  The Templars felt naked unease without their trademark armor and could not hide the swirling emotions from their comrades.  They attempted to muster as much decorum as they could and went through the main door. 

       The hallway they entered was made of grey stone, imposing and bare except for the emblem of the Templar order proudly displayed so as to be the first thing seen as one enters. There were two pathways one that was closed off and guarded, only Templar were allowed through, and another that lead to an open greeting room.  That was the way the group went.

       Once in the greeting room they announced their presence and waited to be seen.  After some time they were met by a Templar wearing armor the same as Kylo’s, Black with gold trim.  He had a pasty pinched face, his hair vibrant orange neatly trimmed and combed with thick sideburns (Rey thought to herself that somehow he just looked like a thin angry weasel.)  

       The ginger man looked down at them as if he was seeing something particularly unsavory or smelled bad.  His eyes flicked to each person in turn with the same mix of boredom and disgust.  Until his eyes reach Kylo and briefly sparked with fury them amusement, probably at Kylos armor predicament.  The red haired man’s helm was tucked under his elbow while the two lower level Templar that flanked him kept theirs on; one of the perks of a high rank was more lax armor requirements while at rest and in the Lodge.  Kylo had attained a high enough rank; Finn, had not.  The unknown Templar spoke with a thick accent and a haughty attitude.

       “Welcome back Master Ren, I see you found Marshall Storm, congratulations on a successful mission” He drawled then looking at their companions as if finally noticing Kylo wasn’t alone despite the stink eye he had been giving them not a moment earlier.

       “New recruits Ren” he asked disdainfully taking in the group before stiffly introducing himself “I am Master Armitage Hux’

       “We need an audience with the Grand Maester, Hux” Kylo cut in before the man could continue

       “Well I’m afraid to tell you this,” Hux spoke as if he was in fact ecstatic he got to tell them this “but he is otherwise occupied.  We heard of your arrival however, there are rooms set up for your companions to spend the night.  He should be able to find some time to meet you tomorrow” He motioned to the Templars that flanked him and left without any further instruction.

---

       Kylo walked with them all the way up to their guest rooms which, considering the cold greeting they received, were actually very nice.  Nicer than any room they could find in an inn, just bordering too extravagant to be really comfortable, filled with religious symbols and display cases like a museum that had to show off their superiority even to someone trying to sleep. 

       Finn had been expected to sleep in the barracks with the rest of the Templars who weren’t a high enough rank to be afforded private apartments.  When he politely refused instead choosing to remain with the rest of the group it resulted in some rather confused and scandalized looks, but it was reluctantly permitted with Kylos blessing.  The two guards offered to escort Kylo to his apartments in the lodge but he snapped that he knew the way to his own quarters and shooed them off. 

       He gave them one last look nodding to Finn then left for his own rooms, after which the four remaining members had a group huddle in the ladies room making sure to keep their voices down so no one stationed outside the door could hear. 

       “Master Armitage Hux, the red head, he’s an ass, holds the same rank as Kylo and has a lot of sway, try not to get on his bad side.  We should be ok tonight, but whatever you do, don’t open the door for anyone until morning”

⦾

       On almost the opposite side of the lodge from the guest rooms were the high ranking Templar apartments.  They were all standard in size, a small single bed with a thick blanket and firm mattress.  A small window that opened onto the street below.  A short table beside the bed for a lantern or candle, a desk pushed off to one side next to a book shelf for theology.  The tall, mostly empty armoire, stood next to the nicest thing in the room which was a well taken care of shrine.  There was also a small stone tub in the corner for bathing and a rack for weapons.

       Kylo hadn’t been in his rooms for a long while, there had been hardly a day to rest between his previous assignment and this one.  They had servants come in regularly to clean and keep away the worst of the dust.  Not that he had much in the way of belongings, it was nice to be “home.” He went through his traveling pack to swap out more appropriate clothing for the continuation of their trip.  His leather boots were also quite worn and he had no socks left.  Once he had done everything he could to prepare and plan he was left with a sense of foreboding while he waited for his meeting with the Grand Maester. 

       That’s all he could do now, wait. 

       After several hours where he took a proper bath, read some religious texts, even tried to work on his calligraphy, he rolled onto his bed, a far cry from the rocky and damp terrain they had been sleeping on.  And tried to get some sleep.

       He would find he was not so lucky.  Hazel eyes appeared in his mind’s eye.  Her freckles, the way she scrunched her nose and the cute dimples when she smiled.  He would doze off and see her clearly in his mind’s eye, slyly looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes giving him a wicked grin.  Her teeth digging into her pink lips as she made her way towards him.  Her hand gentle on his face stroking the scar she gave him, while the other would run along his arm and chest.  Kylo would jerk awake his eyes snapping open as he gasped thankful for the cool night air coming in from the window as his face burned with shame and confusion.  The third time this happened, he groaned deeply, frustrated with his baser instincts that would let him sleep. 

       He had tried to get his body to ignore the salacious dreams but it clearly had not worked, now a new problem had arisen he had to deal with.  He rubbed his face and rolled out of the comfort of his bed headed to the stone tub on the other end of his room, still filled with rapidly cooling water.  He stripped quickly and got prepared to take his second cold bath of the night. 

╭ • ✦ ⋟────────────╮

Mary Matchsticks

Mary Matchsticks

Who could it be?

A man came in the night

And took my brothers three

Mary Matchsticks

Mary Matchsticks

What did you see?

It must have really been a sight

Cause now you’re hanging from a tree

How many days, till she falls

1, 2, 3 …

~Popular children’s skipping rhyme

╰ ────────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

       Poe was clearly upset, regardless of what he told Finn.  It wasn’t just their current situation he had seemed to get increasingly upset as the day had gone on, and the more upset he got the less he was able to hide it behind his causal facade. 

       “I grew up in a city like this, not as big mind you.  Yavin, you ever been? It’s just like this.  Where the rich got richer and the poor got sicker.  We tried to fight honorably; withheld our crops, demanded respect, but they just laughed at us.  So we started playing dirty literally.  We’d upend buckets of excrement on their stoops.  Piss on their personal vegetable gardens.  Set livestock loose on their perfectly manicured gardens. Block road ways so their wares couldn’t leave town.  In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t the worst we could do, we just wanted them to listen. 

       They retaliated violently.  Public floggings, they would completely destroy our property and tell us we had earned this.  People died Finn, for all we did, no one ever even got hurt. 

       That’s when things got violent.  We lit houses on fire, destroyed their places of business, and jumped them in alleyways.  One of the most “respected” men in the community was permanently crippled.  We’d sneak up to their houses at night and beat at the windows, howling and screaming every night.  Poisoned their water.  We were the resistance and by damn would we resist.  But the tides turned.  Coruscant sent guards and mercenaries.  They were better armed, better trained, better fed and clothed, and backed by the king himself.  They were led by a man named Brendol who bears an uncanny resemblance to our cheerful door greater, Hugs. 

       We had no allies to come aide us, and we were completely decimated.  Our leader Amylin died in a last ditch attempt to get us to safety.  All of the members of the resistance were chased out of Yavin, our families were forced into indentured servitude to pay off the reparations we owed.  Any hint of a revolution was quashed. 

       The only thing we could do, was flee.  Not that there many of us left mind you.  I’ve been on the run for the last five years.”

       “Do you have any family back there?”

       “No.  None of them survived.  This place brings back a lot of memories I’d like to forget.”

       “Meanwhile I’m trying to get mine back”

       “Trade you”

⦾

       Rey and Rose were escorted down to a dining room early that morning by two stone faced Templar in all their finery.  Any attempt to talk to them was met with exasperation and arrogance.  The ladies were brought to another greeting room where they were to wait to be summoned, and told to stay like an animal or a disobedient child.  I took all of Reys willpower not to tell them to suck it, but the thought of how important this was to Kylo and Finn helped her bite her tongue.  Although she and Rose made several lude hand gestures at the Templars retreating backs.

       Finn and Kylo were already there waiting for them.  They had clearly gotten their armor sometime that night.  Both looked as if they had just been made, and polished to a shine that made them look more supercilious than usual.  Finn was pacing, fretting endlessly about his helmet which had long since been lost.  As if that was the worst of his problems with the Grand Maester.  Kylo’s own helmet was sitting on the table to let his raven locks drip dry from a morning bath. 

       In their efforts to calm the big knights they didn’t realize Poe wasn’t there until he slipped quietly back into the room and handed Finn a helmet while simultaneously patting him hard on the back, leaving a dirty handprint smudged on the highly polished metal. 

       Finns eyes bugged out of his head at the helmet in his hands, it was the same metal as Finns armor, but the wrong style for his rank.  He and Kylo gave Poe similar horrified looks, although Finn seemed a touch impressed. 

       “You stole a Templar helmet.  From a Templar.  Inside the biggest Templar lodge in Sanctuary you are incorrigible” Kylo growled.  Poe simply shrugged him off saying they can return it after their tea party with the Supreme Leader.

       “I’ve never met the guy” Poe told them biting into an apple, also stolen as the order had offered them no food, only water “but this guy sounds like a real prick, I can bet you’re going to need as much help as you can get”

⦾

       The Grand Maester didn’t deign to meet with them until noon.  By that time the Templars nerves had infected the others.  The whole group was a frustrated wreck.  Armitage Hux, who was sent to retrieve them, made no secret of how much he was enjoying their distress. 

       “What and unpleasant man” Rose had stage whispered to Rey “the stick up his ass must be twice the length and girth of Kylo’s.”

       The red head huffed and pretended he hadn’t heard, but everyone had.  Kylo couldn’t even find it in himself to be offended.  The lower ranked Templars that flanked them did their very best to avoid sniggering and angering their superior.  Armitage shot them dangerous glares and they shrank away from the man, he clearly enjoyed power and the control over others that came with it, any threat to that power had to be dealt with.  Despite the fact the ginger man held his tongue Rey had no doubt he was plotting and planning how he would make them pay.  He seemed the nasty type who would bide his time and never forgot even the smallest of slight.    

       They were led through several long hallways filled with portraits of heroes of the order and an abundance of holy imagery.  The only women depicted in these pictures were old peasants and vanquished demons.  Even though it had not been stated outright, it had been implied time again that the First Order Templar believed that men were superior and where they believed a woman’s place was; it was quite likely Rey and Rose were first women to step foot in the Central Lodge in many years.

       The halls led through the grand main entrance they went through the night before.  Rey hadn’t gotten a very good look that time but she could see every detail now.  High arched ceilings with plaster molds.  Large windows both clear as day and stained glass.  Thick stone columns lined the hall and massive tapestries covered the wall.  Statues of Anu and Akarat carved out of marble and painted in bright primary colors watched over them as they passed through. 

       Everything just seemed too much, to grand and excessive for Rey to ever feel comfortable, as if the order was trying to convince every one of their devotion and piety.  Rey found it sad, the monks in Takodana had similar halls for display but everyone was allowed in to look and read and be surrounded by the beauty of it all. It seemed a shame that such splendor and craftsmanship wouldn’t be seen by anyone outside the order, as they horde this art away from the world.  She couldn’t help but think about the child and his mother who had nothing. 

---

       They were brought to the interior temple lodge.  A long room lined with dark wood and red chairs in the back, and standing room in the front filled with Templars eager to take witness; all of which was kept separate from the floor with a carved waist high dark wood bannister.   

       The floor was black, red and white marble in a checker board pattern, Red armored guards manned the doors they entered through, as well as at the opposite end of the room at the top of a short flight of stairs on either side of tall backed chair.  In which sat a man that could only be the Grand Maester himself. 

       Rey and Rose had to choke back a laugh disguising it as an ill-timed cough at the sight of the man in the chair.  Poe, didn’t even bother, his bark of laughter had everyone glaring at them.  But really no one could blame him. 

       The Grand Maester was tall, no doubt, but deathly thin and frail underneath his intricate armor.  Pale watery blue eyes were deep set in his exposed face which was bare of any hair and badly scarred.  His cheek and jaw looked like it had been caved in at some point.  His skin was so pale it was almost translucent.  He waited as they entered behind Finn and Kylo lips pulled tight into a thin smile that nowhere near reached his eyes. 

       His armor was something else entirely. 

       They had fun at Kylo’s expense teasing him about the overelaborate armor he wore, but at least it was armor made to be useful, if a bit tacky.  The Grand Maester’s however appeared to be mostly made of gold- from the thin gold band on his hairless head all the way down to his feet, and completely decorative.  Obviously this man had seen many battles, but not in a very long time.  As they got closer they could see that every inch of metal was intricately covered in filigree and detailed carvings of holy figures and battles (which he had presumably been in). 

       Finn and Kylo both had simple white tabards with the psi symbol of the Zakarum faith, The Maester’s’ was of a much finer material trimmed in gold brocade and embroidered with gold thread.  He was wrapped in a long white cloak that was lined with white fur.  Even the weapons and scabbards at his side were gold and inlayed with diamonds and mother of pearl.  Though it was finely made and certainly made an impression, the whole ensemble looked ridiculously over the top and ostentatious. 

       “Grand Maester Snoke” Kylo greeted him with a deep bow, Finn nervously gave a significantly more clumsy jerk at his side. 

       Snoke spread his arms wide as he could gazing down at them with his unsettling blue eyes. 

       “Master Kylo Ren, My loyal apprentice, you found Jondar and brought him home alive.  Truly this is a glorious day.”

       Finding out that Kylo was Snoke’s apprentice was news to them, they knew he was close to the Grand Maester but not that he was being groomed to take over the order.  Although it explained why Kylo was so devoted and so adamant that the Grand Maester needed to be warned.  It was still jarring to hear how much of an influence the Grand Maester had on him.

       “Come Jondar it’s time to repent, and re-acquaint yourself with the light.  Only then can you begin to heal from this ordeal.” Snoke motioned to his silent red guards to escort Finn. 

       But Kylo stepped out in front of him holding up a hand making every one pause unsure. 

       “Before that, we come bearing some unfortunate news.” The whole room froze.  Snoke hummed and motioned for him to continue.  But he did not look pleased at the interruption.  Kylo was undeterred “It has come to light that some of our order may have been brought to us under false pretenses”

       “Oh? Continue” Snoke leaned back in his chair. 

       “About the initiation” Kylo hesitated for the first time that day “it’s possible that some chapters of our order are not recruiting sinners to bring back to the light, instead targeting innocent men, not in need of saving”

       “Everyone needs to be saved.  You know that” Snoke’s response was clipped, face blank but his eyes had become intense. 

       “But the initiation, it’s only for men who are too far from the light to turn back alone.  To wash away the sin that’s holding them captive.  By recruiting an honest man we aren’t cleansing any darkness” Kylo was being progressively more cowed by his master’s disappointed glare and the scornful hushed whispers from the crowd.  Which prompted Finn to speak up.

       “I found a book, inside were incantations, meant to return lost memories.  When we read it, it revealed memories that don’t fit the narrative we were told by the order.  Indicating that we may have been… lied to.”

       “The order is pure, we would never strip a good man, with a family and a home, of their memories and induct them forcefully into our order, right?” Kylo asked stronger than before only getting weak at the last word. 

       Snoke stared at them for a time, his face clam but like one an exasperated mother would wear to scold an unruly child.  He let out a deep annoyed sigh.  Armitage was gleefully grinning watching Kylo sink under the Grand Maester’s scrutiny. 

       “Kylo, I am disappointed.  Weakness like this I would expect form someone of a… lesser rank” Snoke pointedly eyed Finn as he spoke “It’s clear that this tomes incantation was put there to lead you astray.  Did you even question it boy?”

       Kylo stood frozen in shame and fear.  It was no secret among the group that this was something Kylo struggled with, the prospect that this was all a test of his faith, and he had failed.  The added slight of Snoke questioning this, treating him like a child, was unnecessary and cruel. 

       “Then we failed” Finn said “you can prove these memories were a falsehood used to trick members of the order.”

       Finn was calling Snoke’s bluff, and it looked like he may have hit on something.  It was enough to reignite the flame in Kylo even if only a little. 

       “Yes, once you confirm these memories are lies, we can use this against those who would use this against us, to prevent it from affecting any more of our brothers.  And then both of us will submit to reconditioning”

       Snoke stood now, for the first time, slowly and with purpose.  He refused to acknowledge their requests for confirmation, ignoring Finn almost completely as if he wasn’t even worth the time.  Instead he seemed focused on berating and beating down his apprentice

       “This trap never should have worked on you in the first place Kylo.  You would have been able to resist if only you were strong enough.  But I can see it in you, a darkness.” This struck Kylo like a slap in the face.  It was clear Snoke knew exactly what to say to shame him and manipulate his mind against him.  “This weakness will consume you Kylo Ren, if you don’t burn it away.  When I first saw you a decade ago, I saw what every Maester lives to see.  Raw untamed potential.  I saw in you a possible leader, the next Grand Maester.  But if you are so easily deceived then perhaps I was wrong, all along.”

       Kylo was ridged his fists clenched so hard he would have no doubt drawn blood without his gloves.  He made no move to speak or defend himself.  Just stared straight ahead with a pained expression he desperately tried to cover with one of stoicism. 

       “Hey!” Poe had clearly had enough and his exclamation rang loud in the crowded room “Kylo is strong, look at him, he’s built like a mountain.  They are both strong.  They fight off hordes of beasts, the walking dead, even demon summoning cultists.  And they have a truly breathtaking amount of self-control.  All they ask is that is you confirm if the book is lying to them, or if it’s possible your dammed order is kidnapping and torturing innocent people.” 

       The situation began to rapidly deteriorate.  They had been warned before that none of them were to speak unless spoken to, and certainly not to the Grand Maester.  The guards around Snoke in their blood red armor began to get restless.  Weapons at the ready.  The group had been forbidden from bringing in their own weapons.  Kylo still had allies however sneaking in with their weapons but it was still an unpredictable and dangerous situation to be in. 

       Although it seemed today the Grand Maester would humor them. 

       “You must understand” Snoke addressed Poe “The First Order is tasked with protecting this world from the encroaching darkness-“

       “Like the people in the slums?” Poe spat

       “They refuse the help of the order.  There is nothing we can do,”

       “What help do you offer? Is it given freely no strings attached? Or do you expect them to convert, and serve your order”

       “If they truly wanted a better life, they would do whatever it takes.”

       Something seemed to dawn on Kylo then; and he moved for the first time since being berated earlier.

       “What did you mean decade?” He asked quietly

       “Use your words boy!” Snoke spit

       “You said you saw me first a decade ago, but I’ve only been a member of the order for seven years.  What did you mean by decade?” the room was on the edge of their seats listening to the exchange going on before them.  Either they were allies to Kylo and concerned for his safety, or they were steadfast to the order and eagerly watching to see Kylo get knocked down. 

       “Templars are the champions of the light.  In the interest of Sanctuary that is what we do.  Whatever.  It.  Takes.” Kylo’s eyes widened at Snoke’s confession “we must put the cause before the individual.  Recruits with the most potential must be initiated for the good of all”

       “So you admit it” Kylo’s words were quiet and dangerously calm “You take innocent people.  You strip them of their memories, feed them lies and manipulate them”

       “No recruit is truly innocent”

       “Is that how you justify it? Telling yourself that no one is really innocent so you can take whoever you want’

       “When I found you, you were worthless! You would never amount to anything substantial! So much potential is not meant to be wasted on some dry patch of dirt” Snoke was getting angry, his words no longer calm and slowly enunciated, spit flew from his mouth whenever he punctuated his words “You should thank me!”

       “Thank you?! Why would I thank you? I don’t even know who I am!” Kylo roared, the betrayal outweighed every emoting that had flowed through him “What about Finn? What did you take from him, he had a lover, a home!”

       “How many other lives did you steal?” Finn shouted “How many people did you torture till they forgot who they were?”

       Something snapped in the room, Armitage was behind Rey, Poe, and Rose kicking them to their knees.  The Red guards drew weapons and moved to place themselves between Kylo and Finn and The Grand Maester.  Snoke gave the order to attack the two unarmed Templar, while the other three were to be made to watch.

       Armitage walked along in front of the three on their knees, mocking them and laughing.  He slipped off his gauntlet and grabbed Rose’s face roughly muttering how it was a pity they couldn’t do more to spread the light.  Rose glared up at him defiantly and bit him, hard.  The red head yowled and snatched his hand away.  That was enough of a distraction for Kylo and Finn to arm themselves from their allies in the crowd, who began to fight amongst themselves.  Which gave Rose and Rey an opening to magically throw Armitage and his flunkies back and to the ground.  Hux hit the wall and slid to the floor dazed.

       “I can’t believe you bit him” Poe told Rose as he aimed his reclaimed bow at the downed men. 

       “He touched me with his creepy weasel hands” she supplied

       Rey rushed up to stand beside Kylo and Finn Bo staff in hand.  Rey Focused on the red guards as Finn focused on crowd control telling Kylo to take up with Snoke.

⦾

       Kylo had held hope until the end, until Snoke’s confession; that the order was still worth fighting for.  That there was something worth holding on to.  His mentor had showed his true face then, and it was uglier than the pockmarked and scarred one he showed to the world.  Kylo wasn’t sad now, or even angry, he felt calm detachment and a focus his former mentor had never managed to train into him.

       It was new, the feeling building up in his chest, like an energy.  This power took root behind his lungs, building there and when it began to feel overwhelming he released it all in one blast that exploded outwards, timed in sync with a swing from his sword, focused all on Snoke.  The fringes of uncontrolled power threw the red guards behind his former master to the ground, limp and unmoving.  It sliced unseen through the air before him, hitting Snoke squarely in the gut. 

       The crowed had been held back, and the Red Guards killed.  Now all of the groups focus was on Kylo, and the familiar power he had just attacked Snoke with.  No one was moving no one else was making an effort to attack.  Snoke’s twisted face was frozen in shock staring at Kylo in horrified awe.  His lips moved but no words came out, just a dribble of blood.  The top half of his torso slipped from the bottom.  And the two halves of Snoke’s body crumped to the ground in a bloody mess. 

       Kylo turned to the room behind him, the mass of bodies parted as best they could as he silently walked out.  His companions followed behind him, weapons ready warning people against an attack that never came. 

       No one put up a fuss or tried to stop them from leaving.  Kylo paused only once, looking down at the helmet in his hand that at one point he had held such reverence for, that he had put so much value in; and he smashed it soundly into a column, repeatedly.  Chipping stone and leaving the once great helm a mangled piece of scrap metal. 

       It was the helmet of a Templar, and he didn’t want it any more

---

◞┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈◟

Warning!

The Templars of the First Order are not who they say they are.

They take the humble and innocent, ripping them from their families and warping their minds with terror and torture. 

They claimed to fight that which leads to the rise of demonic cultists but they themselves have been corrupted by extremism.

Do not trust them.

◝ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ◜

---

Chapter Text

⦾

       The inn they found close to the main square was cozy, not nearly as elaborate as the Templar chambers, but that ended up being something of a bonus.  It was warm and secluded with plenty of well furnished rooms open for the party and a lively pleasant smelling cantina providing hearty food and drink.  Everyone was happy to get away from the Grand Lodge and its cold opulence.  This inn would be the perfect place to regroup and rest.  But despite its cheery atmosphere the now former Templars were still in a stake of shock. 

       Kylo left behind everything in his apartments, there was nothing there he wanted to keep, he was now homeless with nothing but his half empty travel pack, the clothes on his back, and the shining holy armor, tarnish by betrayal. 

       The group did their best to engage their companions; Finn was able to accept the loss and take it in stride way better than Kylo had, or at least it seemed that he was better at hiding his emotions. 

       The party had expected Kylo to be a ball of barely contained rage.  They were expecting to pay hefty reparations and require damage control.  But instead he was detached and quiet, his mind seemed to be far away. 

       Kylo had taken a room far away from the rest claiming he needed space to clear his head.  He did reassure them he had no plans to abandon their quest, if they would still have him, although he had added a rather self-deprecating comment about not having anything else in his life. 

---

       Everybody, (sans Kylo) sat in the room Poe and Finn would be sharing chatting and telling each other stories.  They had ordered a fruity wine from the inns well stocked bar and were splitting it between them.  They had the door wide open should Kylo feel inclined to join them, he had other ideas however.  Rose looked up just in time to see him making his way down the stairs. 

       He was out of his armor, wearing only his tight leathers.  He had no cloak, and he was gripping his tabard tightly in his hand.  Rey came up beside Rose and watched him over the railing.  He was headed to the door, they assumed he was going for a walk… until he made a beeline for the bar.  He dropped some coin on the table, too far away to hear what he ordered, but the bar hand didn’t question his request as he handed Kylo a full bottle of golden brown liquid. 

       That wasn’t a good sign.

       Rose sent Rey back in to help Poe with Finn assuring her that Kylo would be looked after.  Rey cast one last look at the tall man before thanking Rose and heading back into the room.  Rose made her way downstairs to follow Kylo as he wandered outside.  She approached him cautiously as he took a deep drink hissing a little as the drink hit his throat.  He didn’t really acknowledge her so she spoke softly.

       “I’m not going to ask if you’re ok, because I know you’re not.  But I am going to offer you some company if you so desire.”

       Kylo didn’t respond but he did walk slower so she could keep pace.  They wandered the darkened roads until they found themselves once again in the filthy back alleyways of the slums.  There were a few people wandering in and out of the doors and archways in the mess of poorly built buildings.  This time however, no one paid them any mind.  Without the armor and tabard that declared he was a Templar he was just an average man, having a really bad night.  And that was not uncommon here. 

       They kept walking until they found a barren, poorly kept, public courtyard lined with stone benches.  They used the pristine white tabard to protect them from the filthy stone bench and drank together watching people walk by, no one was fazed by their presence. 

       “They were so scared before” Rose noticed his speech was already a little slurred.  He hadn’t even drank that much, his size alone surely should have given him some tolerance, but clearly not.  “They couldn’t even look me in the eye; so certain I was going to kill them.  Is that really what people think of the Templars, of me?” He finally faced her then.

       Rose didn’t have an answer for him, certainly not one he’d want to hear.  So she busied herself by slipping the bottle out of his hand and taking a long slip herself.  It was thick and very sweet, more basic than the fruit wine she had been drinking with the others.  Of course their big scary tea totaling Kylo would get shitfaced from mead, apart from wine it was the only liquor the big cathedrals made. 

       “I’ve been a Templar for so long, and I don’t know anything else.  I dedicated myself to them for seven years.  I never questioned their orders, no matter what was asked of me, I truly believed it was for a noble cause.  I fought to uphold honor, justice, and the light.  But when I look around I don’t see any of that!  There are people too poor to feed their children, or treat their sick, disabled and filthy, with the coming prophecy these people don’t stand a chance, they are all going to die.  In the very city that houses the Templars Grand Central Lodge!  We should have been to ones to aid them, but no one is doing anything! 

       Where was I this whole time?  The Grand Maester told me I was fighting the evil that would corrupt our world, so I destroyed it.  I was good at it!  I was hailed a hero by the rich and powerful; but what did I do really?  Kept the rich, rich and the poor in filth and squalor.”

       He stared at Rose then, really stared deeply with his big brown eyes so filled with emotion and torment, desperate to get answers he whispered,

       “Rose.  Am I evil?”

       Rose was flabbergast, is that what was plaguing him?  Not just a crisis of faith but the complete destruction of his sense of self.  His eyes never left her face, imploring her to answer.

       “No Kylo, you are not evil.  You may have done questionable things, based on deceptive and flawed information from a dangerous master, but you are not evil.”

       “How can I believe that?   How can you believe that?   You were a slave in Hayes Minor, I helped stop an uprising there, I defended and supported the people that kept you like property.  It was likely that very uprising that would have freed you and your sister.  I helped keep them in power!”

       “Kylo, there is evil in this world.  I have seen it, experienced it, I know that it exists.  I’m going to let you in on a secret.  Evil, true evil, is knowing, but not caring.  It does not care about doing evil, or about trying to be better, it’s evil because it can be.”

       He let out a choked sob, and leaned against her.  His eyes were red and tears streaked his face.  At this moment he didn’t look like a holy warrior, or a fierce knight; he looked like a young man who just had his whole world broken.  No matter what he had done in the past she had to give him the chance to prove he could be a good man, even if it was just to himself. 

⦾

       He was much improved on their walk back.  He stopped drinking and agreed to let Rose hold on to the bottle.  Apparently he had something of a sweet tooth and genuinely enjoying the liquors taste. 

       No one was out on the streets now, the air was crisp, and it smelled like it would rain soon.  They were almost back at the inn when Kylo tensed up and grabbed Rose firmly by the elbow, pulling her in close and walking faster, taking a sharp turn right before the inn.  He leaned in and whispered that they were being followed. 

       They sped up and ducked through a couple arches behind the inn and coming up around the front on the other side.  Rose hadn’t thought to bring her staff, she could do magic without but it would be lacking.  Kylo thankfully never went anywhere without his sword (though he probably shouldn’t drink with it, being such a light weight).  They could hold their own no doubt, but Rose was hoping to avoid another fight with the Order.  They had almost reach the inn when a deep gruff voice spoke from behind them.

       “Ben Solo, you son of a bitch, stop running”

       Kylo froze, a strange look on his face.  Rose had no idea who Ben Solo was, although she had heard mention that Kylo was occasionally mistaken for someone else.  Realizing they had been caught and couldn’t go much further they prepared for a fight and turned to face their follower. 

       It was decidedly not a Templar as Rose had suspected.  The man was massive, no less than seven feet tall, covered in thick brown hair.  A long shaggy mane of brown hair was tied at the back of his head with leather, and his beard was filled with silver and wood beads.  His armor primarily consisted of light leather pieces and a massive belt around his waist and across his mostly bare chest.  He was hauling a heavy hammer and a pack that hung low on his back.  There was no question that this was a barbarian. 

       And he was pissed. 

⦾

       One good swing, was apparently all it had taken to knock the inebriated Kylo on his ass.  So when Rose had shown up at the inn with a seven foot barbarian that had Kylo slung limply over his shoulder like a bag of grain, Rey was neither startled nor scared; she just wanted an explanation. 

       Normally it would have taken a combined effort to get and unconscious Kylo up a flight of stairs and into this room (in all honesty, they probably would have made him sleep on the floor downstairs), But with the barbarian it was a simple matter really.  Kylo was dropped roughly on his bed.  Poe and the equally drunk Finn were no help whatsoever giggling at his misfortune in the corner. 

       The barbarian paid them no mind however, he rummaged through his pack and pulled out a roll of parchment, opening it he compared the picture drawn on it to Rey.  Once he was satisfied he had the right person he stuffed it back in his bag and offered a hand out to Rey to shake, he shook her so firmly it almost knocked her off her feet. 

       “My name is Chewbacca” he introduced himself “I was sent by Leia and Luke to bring you this” He pulled a bundle out of his bag, unwrapping it gently he produced a large jagged black stone.  The air around the stone was charged with a dark aura.  Even looking at it was making Rey uneasy. 

       “Is that the black soul stone?” She asked

       Chewbacca grunted in acknowledgment, “Finished and ready to trap the lords of hell.”

       They rewrapped the stone and tucked it safely back into Chewie’s pack.  Rey was glad it had been put away but the feeling of the aura stayed with her, chilling her.  Kylo groaned lightly starting to come around. 

       “Can you explain why you knocked out our Templar- well former Templar?” She asked Chewie.

---

       Chewbacca, it seemed, was a fixture in Kylo’s mysterious history; and the barbarian knew him before his time with the First Order.  Apparently the Skeleton King had been correct in referring to him as Ben, which was in fact his real name.  Ben Solo.  He was the son of Han and Leia, a student of Luke’s, and he had gone missing on a mission around seven years earlier. 

       Although no one realized it at the time, they had interacted with him just two years after he had gone missing.  High ranking members of the Zakarum faith displeased with Luke and his school called for its destruction along with the Horadric relics they called sacrilege.  While the Templar themselves had not partaken in the attack, they had sent some low ranking but promising warriors to aid in the cleansing.  Ben - as Kylo- had been the in charge of the attack, his very first test.  It would have been the only time they had interacted until they met again in new Tatooine. 

       Chewie had the sense to at least feel a little bad for attacking Kylo- Ben- when they explained the cause of his absence and the initiation he had undergone, stripping him of all his memories.  He was pleased to hear that the Grand Maester was now dead, killed by Ben- Kylo- and that the order was in upheaval. 

       But there was still a lingering sorrow knowing that he had been turned against his family, and with Han dead he would never truly be able to reconnect with them.  Kylo- Ben’s disappearance had cause a lot of grief, and left a rift between the spouses. 

       Once everyone had been caught up Rey gazed over to where the man in question had been lying wondering how they were going to tell him, only to find that his eyes were open, and Ben was now wide awake. 

╭ • ✦ ───────────╮

With size and the strength of the mountain they historically guarded barbarians are fierce and loyal warriors and protectors. 

For centuries the barbarians lived in the shadow of Mt.  Hosin in the dread lands they called Kashyyyk.  Generation after generation swore an oath to protect the sacred mountain. 

While many barbarians lost faith when the mountain had been destroyed leaving their homeland in ruins there are some still that stand vigil. 

Many more roam the land trying to find a worthy cause. 

It’s said that once you earn the trust and loyalty of a Barbarian, its nigh impossible to break it. 

- Luke Skywalker

╰ ─────────── ✦ • ╯

       Chewbacca ended up commandeering half of Poe and Finns room, despite the grumbles from the two much smaller men.  There was nothing to be done for them however, it wasn’t wise to argue with a barbarian.  Rose also left to go back to the room she would be sharing with Rey.  She made sure Rey knew that if they needed any help they could come get her, but Rey was adamant she would see Kylo through this. 

       Later when they were alone, Rey sat on Kylo’s bed with her back against the headboard.  Kylo was sitting on the edge at the foot of the bed elbows on his knees and head hung low.  Rey’s insistence that she help Kylo seemed a little foolish now, neither seemed to know what to say so they sat in awkward quiet for a time.  Ultimately it was Kylo who managed to speak first. 

       “I sat with Han” he said quietly “when he died”

       Rey remembered that actually.  Kylo had taken his helmet off in public for the first time.  He had held the dying man in his arms while Han stroked Kylo’s face.  It made more sense now, that strange display of affection. 

       “He kept telling me how happy he was that I had come back.  Saying we could be a family again.  I thought he was delirious.” Unshed tars stung Rey’s eyes, but she kept quiet while Kylo spoke.  He took a dep breath before he continued.  “Even though I couldn’t remember, I still can’t, there was a part of me, deep inside that was devastated he had died.  Like part of me still knew who he was, something the order couldn’t get rid of, and I didn’t want to let him go.”

       He was shaking now, and it took Rey a while to realize that he was crying, and trying not to sob. 

Chapter Text

⦾

       The next morning Rey and Rose were woken by loud knocks on the door of the room next to theirs, Finn and Poe’s room.  The girls peeked out to see a distressed employee asking Poe when they would be leaving.  The reason for this was obvious once the group had made their way down into the inn’s dining room. 

       Kylo and Chewbacca sat in the center of the room, taking up the space of three tables.  No one was sitting near them, in fact people were crammed into corners as far away as they could get.  They both had food before them but only Chewie had a deep stein of beer.  Kylo was once again adorned in his large armor, although he no longer wore the cloth tabard over top (only Rose knew that it had been left on that stone bench in Coruscant), Chewbacca was dressed the same as he had the night before, and had his mighty hammer on the table next to him.  Both men seemed completely oblivious to their frightening appearance while they sat in serious conversation. 

       It wasn’t until Chewie put his hand on Kylo’s shoulder like an uncle did Rey relax, she was concerned she would have to break up a fight between the two giants, she wasn’t even certain the party could if it came to that. 

       Rose came up to join them, after assuring the inn keeper they would pack up and leave after breakfast.  That had gotten them some of the quickest service Rey had ever seen; within minutes of entering the room, they had sat and were being brought eggs and oatmeal. 

       The serious conversation was apparently set aside for now as Kylo and Chewie greeted the rest of the team. 

       “He was telling me about who I was, or am.  Just filling in some details.” Kylo told them. 

       “Learned anything interesting?  Is there a missus we need to pay our respects to?  Progeny?” Rey teased as she sat next to him, he blushed and shook his head. 

       “No, nothing like that, but I am a lord apparently.  Also I was a scholar, being trained in Horadric magic by Luke before I was taken.”

       “A lord eh?  That explains a lot”

       Kylo chuckled in response, he seemed to be in much better moods than before; perhaps Chewie punched some sense into him.  One could only hope.

       “Also that my name is Benjamin, but we already sort of knew that.  It’s still a strange thing though, how many times was I called Ben since I met you?” He asked Rey earnestly with a little smile, the subtle crooked one Rey had grown so fond of.  

       Poe sat down on Kylo’s other side and slapped him on the back.  Kylo raised a dark eyebrow at the smiling rouge.

       “So then, what are we going to be calling you from now on?  Kylo Ren or Ben Solo?”

       The dark haired knight thought for a moment, he looked down at his armor where the symbol of his order had once been.

       “I-I’m not sure, I still don’t really know who I am anymore, but I do know that I am taking a… sabbatical from the order, if I even decide to return.” He was nervous letting out a shaky breath, but finally met everyone’s eyes “I think I’d rather not use the name they gave on me.  I think I’d like it if I could be Ben again.  If you all think we could try that?”

       “Ben it is!” Poe announced cheerfully then raising his mug.  The table toasted to his new name, and the former Templar graced them with another one of his rare crooked smiles, so small but it lit up his eyes.  He turned back to Poe again uncomfortably.

       “Also thanks, for what you said back there… to Snoke”

       “Of course!” Poe replied dramatically “No one insults you but me.”

       “Right” The newly anointed Ben said flatly while everyone laughed.  Poe was not done with him yet though, or Finn.

       “So… Liquor and whores?  Let’s get these two a proper introduction to the world outside the order”

       Both of them flushed deeply and inelegantly tried to hide their embarrassment.  The whole room was filled with the laughs and teasing from the central table.  A couple of strangers slipped out of the room, scared that the boisterous table would turn rowdy. 

⦾

       They marched on towards the coast where they would come to the port town of Mon Cala where they would charter a ship to take them to Mandalore.  They had walked quite a ways and all the while Finn had been quiet. 

       The whole morning went by and Finn had said hardly a word to anyone.  He walked at the back and kept to himself.  He would reply, if asked a question and made non-committal noises if someone was talking at him, but he didn’t engage, off in his own head and isolated.  Ben had no idea what Finn was feeling, the younger knight had initially adapted to everything so much faster than he had. 

       But Ben did know what it felt like to be lost and confused, wanting to talk but not knowing how to go about it.  While the larger man had no illusions that he could support this man with comforting words, at least he could walk slowly beside him for company, like Rose had.  He made no effort to talk, but he hoped the gesture meant something. 

       Rey on the other hand wanted nothing more than to see the usually cheerful and talkative knight out of his stupor.  When that failed somewhat Rey seemed to decide that she would fill the silence herself, she talked about how they would find Bazine and make her pay.  She often found herself telling everyone stories about the monks in Takodana and read passages from the journal they got from the Lord of Goats.  Rey actually had a very soothing voice, and by midday Finn was starting to regain some of his spirit. 

       They made good time with very few altercations, even catching a ride in a wagon for a brief while, and once the midday sun had passed and started making its way to the horizon they had gotten farther than expected in such a short amount of time,

       Chewbacca estimated that if they kept up their pace they would make it to the coastal town by this time the next day.  Poe was adamant the if they wanted to keep pace then they earned a break, some food and a couple hours sleep wouldn’t put them that far behind. 

       The ever observant Rose made a show of commanding Chewbacca to gather firewood, telling Ben that he had to start setting up camp while she and Poe went to the stream for water, and fish if they could find any.  Finally she turned to Rey and Finn telling them that they should take Beebee out to graze.  Nobody argued with her, even if some of them hadn’t noticed why she had made sure Rey and Finn would have some time alone. 

       Finn and Rey didn’t go very far from where they had decided to make camp, and took turns feeding Beebee handfuls of grass and dandelions much to the little orange goats delight.  Small conversation was maintained for a while but soon petered off. 

       With a deep breath Rey locked eyes with Finn.

       “I know all my chatter is probably annoying you but I want you to know that-“

       “You’re not” Finn interrupted “It means a lot that you’re just talking to me, and not asking me to pretend nothings bugging me.”

       Rey fidgeted “Do you wanna… talk about… it?” she asked weakly

       Finn smiled and sighed looking over at the newly renamed Ben, who was doing a very bad job of hiding his eavesdropping. 

       “It’s silly really.  Even with all the memories that come back to me, I don’t really believe that I’ll remember everything.  But Kyl- Ben, he has Chewie, and later on he’s going to have Luke and Leia too.  They are going to remind him and tell him stories things he’s missing they can fill in the blanks.  And I guess… I’m jealous.”

       Rey gave him a big hug then, the best she could around his (officially stolen) armor.  She smiled brightly at him, nose scrunching the light from the sun making her stray hairs look like a halo around her head. 

       “That will just have to go on our quest to do list” Rey told him confidently “right between trap Belial in the black soul stone and kill Bazine; Find Finns family”

       Finn looked her with mock shock “Wow I’m a head of kill Bazine?  You guys must really like me.” He joked.  “It’s nice to know.  And even though I may never find my family, because let’s face it, Bazine pissed off the wrong party her days are numbered, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.  It would be nice for everyone involved to get some closure.  But I’d like to work on just being me right now, not the old Finn, not the person the Order made me, just- Finn.”

╔════════════════╗

Let the barbarian win

╚════════════════╝

       Ben and Chewbacca were arguing. 

       Each of them stood full height bellowing at one another as if they could shout the other into submission.  The sight alone was certainly something to behold; both tall and broad wielding dangerous weapons and dramatic armor. 

       Two giants among men-

       Screaming about whether or not Ben should talk to his mother. 

       The scrying glass was available more to them now.  Thanks to Rose who had trained not just Rey but also Ben and Finn.  All that was required, Chewbacca roared, was that he show his face and say hi, let her know that he was alive, the rest of the group would do the rest.  Ben however was adamant that it wasn’t going to happen any time soon.  Making up excuses like, what if he died before they could meet, he didn’t know what to say (which made Chewie roar again and throw a log at Bens head) and other progressively less reasonable justifications. 

       Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe sat in a line on a thick log watching the scene in amusement.  The fight had woken Rose and Poe so they were still a little groggy while they watched.  Beebee (the most chill goat ever) stood to the side eating someone’s breakfast that had been knocked to the ground in a rage. 

       “He’s scared to talk to his mother?” Poe snorted to the group of onlookers.  Which earned him a backhand to the chest from Rose.

       “Fear is nothing to be ashamed of” she hissed

       “Fear of a woman who maxed out at 5’1” is.” Finn teased, “Bens what 6’3”, 200 pounds?”

       Poe found the whole situation absolutely hilarious

       “Ok but to be fair, that’s 5’1” of Leia Organa” Rey pointed out “I’d be scared too”

       “He’s aware that we’re going to be meeting up with them again, right?” Finn asked her “He’s going to have to face her and Luke at some time.  Probably at the same time.”

       Another chunk of firewood hit the ground in front of them with a heavy thud, apparently it had narrowly missed coming in contact with Bens head, to which he yelled that next time the giant barbarian should keep his aim true, and that would solve the problem faster. 

       “Don’t tempt me boy!” Chewie yelled holding up another chunk of firewood as if it were a stick or a roll of parchment “I’m telling her, whether you’re there or not.”

       “Fine!”

       “Fine!”

       Ben spun abruptly to see the rest of the party watching their fight causally from the fallen tree.  The startled look on his face melted quickly into one of embarrassed rage.  He snarled at them while he wrenched his sword form its sheath and stormed off into the woods. 

       “Welp!  He should be done his hissy fit by the time we have everything packed” Poe said hopping off the log and offering his hands out to Rose and Finn.  “We can head out as soon as he gets back”

       In the distance, they heard the sudden screech and then silence as well as a couple of dull thuds that indicated Ben had found an opponent, be it alive or inanimate.  Chewie shook his head. 

       “Hasn’t changed too much” he told them gruffly “as a kid he was always very emotional, had a hair pin anger.  He was smaller then though, didn’t do as much damage.  That is till Luke started teaching him magic.  Always gifted with fire that one.”

       “One day we’re all gonna have a sit down, and you’re going to fill us in on some of these delightful stories” Poe told Chewie patting him on the bicep. 

╭ ✦ ⋟───────────╮

Elemental magic is the most commonly practiced magic among humans, alongside summoning. 

Elementalists, those who perform elemental magic, tend to be aligned primarily with only one of the elemental magic branches. 

Fire; it is a simple matter to shape mana into flame as magical fire requires no earthly source.  Magical flame will burn as long as mana is available to feed them.  Fire however, is an uncooperative power.  Even for a highly skilled practitioner.  It’s most powerful in warm dry climates.

Ice; a powerful elemental force as a projectile but primarily as a means of defense.  Ice magic can be used and practiced throughout Sanctuary but is strongest at the poles and in in mountain ranges.  It is the hardest type of magic for mana to be reformed to.

Lighting; an almost ethereal magic, while easy to transform mana into electrical energy its wickedly difficult to control, while it’s easy to protect oneself from the effects any creature be they friend or foe, may be struck.

Druid’s elemental magic requires years of study and a harmony with nature.  Their elemental magic include Fire, ice and lightning as well as wind.  The sources of their magic come from the earth itself as opposed to shaping mana. 

~ From the writings of Obi-Wan Kenobi

╰ ───────────⋞ ✦ ╯

       Mon Cala was a prominent fishing city, and had some of the best seafood soup Rey had ever eaten.  It was thick and made with fresh heavy cream and potatoes, and they served it in bowls made out of bread, she finished hers and half of Roses before she started picking at Poe’s. 

       The only person who ate with the same gusto as Rey was Chewbacca. 

       He consumed his soup as well as a second loaf of bread, a whole roasted fish with carrots and potatoes, several slices of honeyed ham, and a plate of dried fruit and cheese, washing it all down with several pints of dark ale. 

       Rey had been beside herself with joy when Chewbacca had given her a plate filled with a little bit of everything he ate on it for her to try. 

       The table also took great joy in ordering various types of alcohols and getting both Finn and Ben to try each one. 

       Finn settled on a warm spiced cider while Ben claimed that he still preferred the mead he had gotten drunk on in Coruscant.  Chewie was surprised that he had been drunk when the barbarian had first confronted him.  Informing him that even before the Templars Ben was something of a teetotaler, his father had tried to get him to try tobacco once only for Ben to end up throwing up on his uncles robes. 

       Even after a few glasses of watered down wine Ben was obviously starting to feel the effects.  Much to the group’s amusement. 

⦾

       The boat they had chartered was a trading ship, not one that typically took passengers, and without a steep amount of money they would have to work off their debt if they wanted to sail.  The next commuter ship that could take them wasn’t set to come back for a couple weeks at least, so it looked like they would have to work.

Chapter Text

        On board the ship Poe and Ben were immediately thrown into work, both of whom seemed to have some sailing knowledge.  Chewie was himself a one man crew, massive and strong he happily went to work proving himself useful.  Rey was quick in speed and a fast learner.  She had seen the ocean only once when the monks brought her from Jakku to Takodana but remembered very little of it.  She proved to be fearless as she raced up the rigging.  Poe often right on her heels, he told her one morning, and up high in the rigging that he loved the freedom of sailing the vastness of the ocean, like flying through the air he said.  He had an unusual wistful look on his face as he talked about his mother and father who had lived in Yavin how they would regularly travel and took him with them, teaching him everything they knew. 

       She asked Poe if he missed his family, if he would like to go back one day and see them.  He got quiet and in a rare moment of somber seriousness told her that his parents had perished a long time ago.  But he quickly hid his hurt with a happy mask and told Rey that he was sure they would be proud of him now, and maybe one day he would go back to the old town. 

       Rey didn’t bring it up again after that.

---

       Rose and Finn, however, did not take so well to the sea. 

       Neither had been able to truly grasp their sea legs and experienced particularly bad motion sickness.  After throwing up on the deck for the third time, Finn was told that his only job would be to clean the floors. 

       Many of the crew gave him a lot of room and spoke rudely to him their disapproval of a man who couldn’t be put to work was pointedly obvious. 

       Chewie took him to the side telling him that it didn’t matter what the crew thought, they would never leave this ship, they would go back and forth and never see any other part of the world, content in their own little bubble like so many others; but Finn was a warrior, and a good one at that, he was going to help save all of Sanctuary, so what if he spewed on the deck a couple times, he would do more in a month then any of these men would do in their lives. 

       It was quiet moving actually, though the big barbarian had to pause halfway through when Finn pitched his lunch, otherwise very moving. 

       Rose however was nothing if not wily.  She was able to charm most of the crew, including the Capitan himself, into letting her take it easy.  She would entertain them with magic tricks and stories.  The Capitan seemed particularly taken with her, which Rose used to her advantage.

       “Women have so few rights in this world” Rose whispered conspiratorially to Rey one evening “Who am I to not utilize one of the few perks?”

       Rey had never been so proud, the shy enchantress could be really crafty when she put her acumens to work. 

       Rose though was not one to waste time, nor was she lazy. 

       The young woman poured every moment she could, not hoodwinking sailors, into studying.  They had taken magic tomes from the Lord of Goats, as well as the Templar book from Finn, and she devoured the information within.  Any information they could use against the cultists was relayed to the rest of the group. 

       Once she had finished with those she got documents and manifestos from the ships Capitan, she learned about the inner workings of the ship and how they were built. 

       The only person whose scholarly pursuits equaled hers was Ben. 

       He was a natural when it came to sailing, even Poe seemed impressed with his skill.  Together he and Rose became well versed in the inner workings of all things boats and ships. 

       Which was lucky for the rest of the group, as none of them had quite the same level of excitement for the craft and all struggled to keep up with either of them, either because they couldn’t understand or the fact that Rose spoke very fast when she was excited. 

---

       The night air is cool on the girl’s faces as they are lulled by the rhythmic creaking and clinking of the ship.  When weather permitted, Rose and Rey would often find themselves on the deck away from the dimly lit and pungent sleeping quarters.  They had become friendly with the night shift crew who in turn granted them a safe space on deck to sprawl out, so that they may practice magic while they talked in hushed whispers and giggles. 

       Rey had never had so close a friend, one with whom she found she could talk so freely and she found it filling a part of her heart she tried so hard not to acknowledge, that lonely part of her that just wanted a family. 

       It was during once such a night that Rey and Rose caught sight of Poe and the Capitan talking quietly in the light of a single lamp.  There was no doubt that Poe had taken to this ship like a gull to the air and the Capitan had taken notice. 

       They slipped closer to the two men trying to get an idea of what was being said. 

       “You have a gift for the sea” the Capitan told Poe “Mark my words, on this ship you could do great things.”

       “I’ve always thought of myself as something of a seaman” Poe agreed “some of my fondest memories are of the fishing ships back home, it’s been a long time since I was aboard one”

       “So think about my offer, we could use a strong pair of such able hands around here.”

       The Capitan gave Poe a firm pat on the back and head towards his cabin for the night, Poe remained on deck looking out at the dark and quiet sea.

       “That traitorous Capitan!” Rey snapped as soon as she and Rose were some distance away “trying to take Poe away from us.  We can’t let him leave”

       Rey was fuming all this time she had thought that the Capitan was a good man, and here he was trying to break apart their party.  Rose had other feelings however.

       “We can’t force Poe to stay with us if he doesn’t want to Rey.  This decision should be up to him”

       “How can you say that?  He’s one of us, right?”

       “If you love something you must be willing to set it free Rey”

       “I don’t love him.”

       “But you care about him.  We all do.  If he’s really happy here, shouldn’t we do what’s best for him and let him stay?  None of us know what tomorrow holds.”

       Rey knew in her heart that she was being selfish, but she just wasn’t prepared to let him go.  So she shoved her feelings of guilt down and went in search of someone who might be a little more upset by the thought.

---

       Finn had been laying in his designated hammock listening to the snores of the sailors around him.  Sleep was not easy for him on the ship Rey knew this so she found him quickly and told him what she and Rose had overheard.  Finn, Rey thought, was appropriately distraught at the thought of Poe leaving them to remain here aboard the ship. 

       “It was almost like Rose didn’t care if he left”

       “I doubt that, but maybe we should go talk to him, see what he’s thinking”

       “Excellent idea Finn!  He’s helping out in the crow’s nest tomorrow”

       Finn turned both white and green at the thought of being the one to follow Poe up the rigging so far from the relative safety of the ship.  Rey barked out a laugh waking several of the crew members around them.  After apologizing profusely she assured Finn that she wouldn’t make him go that she would talk with him.

       “I mean I’m sure I could make it up if I really tried...”

       “Sure you could Finn” she said warmly patting him on the shoulder

---

       The next morning Rey found Poe precisely where he was supposed to be high above the deck watching the horizon.  He gleefully watched Rey as she crawled into position next to him. 

       “Well look who it is.  I must admit impressed you not bothered by this.”

       “I’m not afraid of heights Poe” she deadpanned at him while she took a look around “You know that”

       “I more meant the fact we are surrounded by so much water as far as the eye can see.  I heard you couldn’t even get across a bridge alone”

       “Finn and Ben told you about that huh.”

       “Without any prompting on my part”

       Oh she was going to have a talk with those two. 

       “So what brings you up to this slice of heaven?” Poe asks turning his tanned face to the sun.  He spread his arms wide and closed his eyes taking a deep breath.  He looked so content, the constant fear of death and demons erased from his handsome face. 

       “It’s not that great” she mumbled looking out at the sparkling water. 

       “What are you talking about?” Poe sounded aghast, but continued to grin “this is freedom right here.  The sea breeze the sun, nothing but beautiful ocean as far as the eye can see.  There is always something to do on a ship, organized chaos just how I like it.  A ship is like a living breathing thing, Rey, it needs to be cared for, and in return there’s nothing she won’t do for you”

       In the weeks she had known Poe, she had never seen him so passionate, as if he was talking about a first love.  He really did seem at home here and Roses words echoed painfully loud in her head.  If you love something, you must be willing to let it go free. 

       “Do you like sailing a lot then?”

       His only response was one of his charming grins.

---

       Rey and Poe were up in the crow’s nest, apparently having a grand old time.  While one couldn’t hear the words they were saying, their laughter carried down all the way to the deck.  The Capitan walked past Rose and Finn shaking his head.

       “Never have I heard someone have so much fun up there”

       Maybe, Finn thought hopefully, Rey would convince him to stay with them.  But then again, they did sound like they were having an awfully fun time.  Finn couldn’t for the life of him understand the appeal.  For the first time in days he didn’t feel like he was going to be sick all over his freshly cleaned deck.  But looking all the way up the sails to where Rey and Poe were caused his stomach to flip ungracefully. 

       “It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he stayed you know” Rose tried to tell him, Finn glared at her out of the corner of his eye.  “We’d always have access to a ship” she tried helpfully

       But like Rey, Finn was not ready to see Poe leave.  Just the thought of losing his friend had his chest aching.  He was brought out of his internal conflict by a loud thud close by. 

       Ben had been put in charge of fixing some things on board the ship.  For the most part he had done his duty admirably, but it was obvious that at the moment he was frustrated and in a bad mood, which would no doubt lead to more broken than fixed.  He returned to his task but a light giggle from high above caused him to become unnecessarily aggressive once again.

       “Well, one person isn’t going to be to upset if Poe leaves” Finn deadpanned as Ben was forced to start all over again. 

---

       Later on in the day, when Rey had once again returned to the deck leaving Poe to keep watch alone.  But she did not look victorious, like someone who had successfully convinced a certain archer to remain with them on their quest. 

       “Rose was right.  I couldn’t even bring myself to broach the subject, he just seemed so happy”

       “It’s really the right thing to do Rey.  We can’t make his choices for him.  But we can support him, after all, we’ll always be friends” Rose told her

       Finn could only sigh and agree.  Maybe they could convince him to finish the quest and then come back to the ship, he thought.  But that was a thought for another time.  Ben had joined them now trying (and failing) to look aloof.

       “How was the crow’s nest” he asked Rey “You and Poe sounded like you were having a lot of fun”

       Good lord, the man was as subtle as a brick to the face. 

       If Rey caught on, she didn’t make a move to address it.  She just raised her eyes up to the taller mans and told him about the Capitan’s offer to Poe. 

       “I was planning on trying to talk him out of it, but he really is happy here” sighing deeply she began to continue but Ben cut her off

       “There’s still time to convince him”

       That had been unexpected, enough that everyone looked at the tall man in shock he only huffed and explained that it would be a shame to lose such a skilled archer in this time of need.  But it seemed that even Ben would rather not see Poe go. 

       “Maybe we should work that angle.  Poe would never leave us if he knew he had such material to tease Ben with”

       “I regret weighing in” He muttered glaring at Rey

---

       “Are you ok Ben?” Rey asked him.  Night had settled and the former Templar had not joined them for dinner “We didn’t talk about him leaving”

       He shook his head and looked up at Rey from the stool he was perched on.  His big brown eyes looked black in the darkness.  His big hands were working at a net that had been hopelessly tangled.  So she settled down next to him and began to help tugging the knots out from the other end. 

       “There are times I just don’t feel as if I belong, like I need to be alone for a bit, to revitalize myself so I can go back later.”

       “Do you want me to leave?”

       “No!” he answered quickly and then blushed deeply when she smiled at him.  “No I like spending time with you” He couldn’t look at her as he said this focusing intently on the net in his hands. 

       “I like spending time with you too”

       “The same as when you spend time with Poe?” she almost didn’t hear him whisper the question

       She placed her hand gently on his and he froze before finally forcing himself to look at her and she smiled brightly at him. 

       “Don’t compare yourself to him Ben” she gave his hand a little squeeze and returned to the net.  It took Ben several long seconds to relax and return to the work before him. 

       Rey couldn’t help but to tease him, just a little, and she leaned against his side while they worked.  It took him mush longer to recover from that, but she considered it a success when he didn’t inch awkwardly away from her. 

⦾

       They had been traveling for almost a week when the coast finally came into sight.  It took the rest of the afternoon for them to reach the docks.  And while Rey had found an unexpected love of the ocean she was glad to be back on the mainland, even if it was another desert. 

       Finn looked as if he could kiss the sodden wood docks the moment their feet hit them.  But all eyes were on Poe who fell behind and stared up at the ships massive sails.  The Capitan approached him putting his hand on Poe’s back.

       “Have you made a decision lad?”

       “I have.  Your ship is a fine vessel, anyone would be proud to sail it, but I can’t abandon the quest.” He turned to the Capitan and shook the older man’s hand “Perhaps there will be some room on your crew if the world doesn’t end?”

       The Capitan laughed and nodded, telling Poe he’d be welcome to come back any time and returned to his boat. 

       Poe finally turned to the rest of the party, in time to see four sets of eyes dart to every direction.  Finn coughed and as casually as he could said

       “So you’re staying with us then?”

       “You guys were not as subtle as you think you were” he informed them laughing “bringing up very specific ‘hypothetical situations’ even Ben wants me to stay”

       “I never said that” Ben snapped

---

╭ • ✦ ───────────╮

Mandalore has long since been described as a proud and noble city. Once a collection of warrior clans Mandalore grew into a hub of trading and affluence.

For much of its history Mandalore was considered one of the greatest cities on Sanctuary, if not for the constant civil unrest Mandalore would be Sanctuary’s undisputed superpower.

In an effort to make up for the strict and uncompassionate rule of his father Almec I, (who had stolen the crown from the previous ruler in a time of upheaval) Almec II was most well-known for addressing issues of income equality and declaring all citizens equal.

Mandelore’s prosperity and influence grew vast under his command, and would have continued to grow had tragedy not struck early on in his rule; the still childless emperor grew gravely ill and perished, leaving his council and high ranking Zakarum priests to scramble and find his successor.

They conducted elaborate and dramatic rituals, (likely for the benefit of their followers and the warring powers that sought to take control of the vulnerable and leaderless empire) and declared a child recently born into an impoverish outpost under Mandalore rule as Almec II’s spiritual successor.

The boy was named Almec III and put on the throne, despite his tender age of 6.

One can only hope the new emperor can live up to the standards and reputation of his predecessor.

~from the writings of Luke Skywalker

╰ ─────────── ✦ • ╯

Chapter Text

⦿

       The city was a dump. 

       If Mandalore had truly once been the jewel of the desert, Rey would have to take the historians word for it. 

       The party made their entrance into the once great city through the docks which were filled with merchant vessels from all over the world; from the massive ships of the north to the brightly colored vessels from the east.  While the docks were kept clean and in relatively good working order, it made the sudden change in city upkeep jarring and all the more drastic.  They kept to the main street which would take them straight to the gate of the imperial center but all around they could see a city falling apart at the seams.

       Mandalore had been built along the largest river that flowed through the surrounding desert, designed in a giant labyrinthine circle.  The outermost rings were made up of farms and other agriculture, separated from the main city by a manmade river that circled the entire city with only one way in from the sea. 

       The outer city was the poorest area, many of the people who lived there were sick or disabled and were made easy targets for crime and poverty by an emperor and council that just didn’t seem to care.  The whole area had a thick layer of dust and decay that choked out the light and left everything in a pitiful haze. 

       The mid-city was the next, and largest ring; the whole area seemed to hinge on the edge of destitute and survival which gave it something of an otherworldly feel. 

       The central city was built up along a tall stone wall that surrounded the imperial center and housed the grand market.  It was here that one could see the great potential the city had.  There were artisans and merchants from every corner of the world.  There was exotic food, finely made tools and weapons, fabric made in every color of the rainbow, as well as a rich assortment of magical tomes and supplies.  People were still trying to make the best of it.

       But no matter where one looked it was obvious the once great city was now falling completely into disrepair.  The Child Emperor was now 14 and his rule had not been kind.  It seemed that he was unable, or unwilling, to do anything about the encroaching poverty.   

---

       They walked through the grand market with plans to stock up while they could, not to mention clothes.  Every member of the party was in dire need of new clothing and shoes, the few garments they still had were patched and threadbare, pants were stained and shirts smelled no matter how much they tried to clean them.  No one had shoes that didn’t have holes.  They certainly did not look like a group of heroes Sanctuary could put their hope in.

       They had plenty of money but the ever prudent Ben was adamant that what they did spend went towards essentials.  They got simple linin shirts and trousers, and basic leather boots.  Rey and Rose got scarfs to cover their heads as was traditional in Mandalore and they were the nicest part of the clothing they received.  Not the best of what Mandalore had to offer but it was nice to have something fresh to wear.

       It wasn’t long before they got distracted by all the activity in the market and allowed themselves a chance to take a look around.  There was a lot to see and people were eager to interact. Not to mention Rey wanted to try whatever it was that she smelled cooking.  Chewie, who had opted to remain in his traditional barbarian skirt (a kilt, he constantly corrected), wandered with Rey in search of the Mandalorian delicacies.

       Small lizards impaled on skewers and roasted over a hot fire, once purchased the vendor would dip it in a thick sweet and savory sauce before handing it over.  Rey ate three.  Along with several fresh fruits she had never seen before.  One of the vendors found her appetite so humorous they even gave her a small box of sweets to try. 

       In that moment Rey knew true love, it came in the shape of a square rolled in powdered sugar and it was sticky and sweet. 

       Poe snapped his fingers in front of Rey’s face a few times to get her attention and bring her out of her sugar haze.  They had to find the main gate before they got any more distracted.

---

       Both Ben and Finn had been to Mandalore before.  The Templars had worked together with the Iron Wolves on several occasions.  But as the party looked around, they couldn’t seem to find any.  In their place were new imperial guards, constantly meandering around every corner showing up when one wouldn’t expect.  You couldn’t walk more than ten feet without seeing one come round a corner or out of a dark alley way.

       They were friendly enough greeting them politely and giving them directions to the main gate.  But there was an undercurrent of dangerous energy that put Rey on edge.  Despite their appearance something was off.  Every time she looked at one, they were staring.  Once they locked eyes the guard would grin, sometimes wave, but everything about it seemed too much.  Like they had only just learned how to smile.

       The market near the main gate was different then the rest along the wall.  The shops here had more extravagant and pointless merchandise.  The best of the best was positioned right next to the main city entrance, but the atmosphere was significantly more suppressed.  It wasn’t as loud as the other areas of the market had been.  Most transactions were done politely and quietly. 

       “You must be loving this” Poe said to Ben, nudging him with his elbow “no one’s laughing, everything is quiet,”         

       “It’s not terrible” Ben grumbled.  Poe’s bark of laughter echoed around them, drawing glares and harsh whispers.  It also got the attention of the guards at the gate. 

       They had finally found the Iron Wolves.  At least, they found a few. 

       Three Iron Wolves stood guard in front of the closed gate.  Four more imperial guards each were stationed on either side.  There were people standing in front of the Iron Wolves pleading to let them inside.  The Wolves would just push them away and remained stationed in front unspeaking and blank faced. 

       The closer they got, the more it looked like the rumors were true.  No one in, no one out.  When they were close enough to get a good look at their faces, Finn yipped and hid behind one of the dry fountains that decorated the area.  Confused the group awkwardly concealed themselves behind the fountain as well. 

       Except Chewbacca, who just stood in the open watching the scene play out before him, making no effort what so ever to hide his seven foot frame.  Finn peered around the corner and stared at the Iron Wolves. 

“Gonna fill us in buddy?” Poe asked “What did you see?”

“The Iron Wolf in the middle.  I know her.”

       Now the group’s curiosity had been piqued and they looked around the fountain as well.  None of what they were doing was subtle but it didn’t seem to matter.  The Iron Wolves continued staring straight ahead and the imperial guards focused on the people in their immediate area. 

       The Iron Wolf in question was a tall blond woman, with pale skin.  The tallest woman Rey had ever seen, perhaps she was an Amazon.  She was also incredibly beautiful.  She stood tall and proud impossibly still with a stern face. 

       “Her name is Phasma, and she’s the toughest bitch I’ve ever met.” It was unusual to hear either of the former Templars cuss so his comment had the double purpose of being terribly funny and deeply concerning. 

       The second they approached the gate they were stopped by two imperial guards, Phasma fixed them with an intense glare, her sharp pale green eyes narrowed as she stomped forward.

       “No one enters” she announced “by order of the emperor” the closer she got the more her eyes seemed to be looking right through them. 

       Rey pushed forward and stood toe to toe with the giant woman.  Where were all these tall people coming from, first Ben, then Chewie, now this lady?  And why were so many of them so attractive?  The woman’s face showed no change in emotion.  As Rey tried to make herself look at least a little intimidating.

       “We have word that there might be a Lord of Hell right here in Mandalore.  We’ve come to warn the emperor.”

       Phasma visibly recoiled, but the emotion was gone as fast as it came.  “There are no Lords of Hell in Mandalore.  Not now.  Not ever.” Was her stern reply

       Before Rey could open her mouth to argue, Phasma pushed her away, prodding Rey with her sharp spear.  Phasma then returned to the center of the gate and once again took up position, stony faced and completely still. 

       She hadn’t given any indication that she recognized Finn or Ben.  Made no comment about the Templar armor, and was clearly not interested in talking to them. 

       Rey was gearing up to confront Phasma again when she was ushered away by Ben.

       “We can try again later, for now let’s replace the rest of our supplies and gather what information we can.”

---

╭ • ✦ ───────────╮

The Mandalore Sewers and Aqueducts

The sewers and underground aqueducts of Mandelor where once state of the art, bringing fresh water from the Dagobah oasis to the city proper.  It allowed the city to thrive in the harshest of climates.  It’s what allowed Mandelor to grow from a small dustbowl village, to the vast trading metropolis it is today.

However, due to the continued decline of the city, the sewers have begun to fall to ruin.  Where once every citizen had access to clean fresh water, many nobles have taken to using private wells, and the poor are forced to work with what they can, or rely on daily water rations.

After a fever ravaged a section of the city, many people began dumping bodies into the sewer system in an effort to get rid of the mounting corpses.

~From the writings of Luke Skywalker

╰ ─────────── ✦ • ╯

---

       By the time dusk had fallen it had become completely obvious that not only was a lord of hell in Mandalore, he was in the imperial palace.

       The child emperor had never in his reign been considered a great ruler, but in the last month he had taken a drastic change in personality and interests; becoming increasingly paranoid of everyone around him, similar to the Dark King prior to his fall in Tatooine. 

       He had dismissed all but a few of the well-liked and respected Iron Wolves replacing them with the overly friendly and secretive imperial guards.  Even though they had been dismissed many the Iron Wolves were concerned and opted to stay, which the Child Emperor had permitted reluctantly. 

       Over the next several weeks the Iron Wolves vanished until only the ones kept on by the emperor remained, the imperial guards told anyone who asked that they had left of their own volition or moved onto other jobs within the main central city, but the city’s residents were suspicious.  No one was able to verify these claims as no one could enter or leave the walled area. 

       Citizens told the group that the few remaining Iron Wolves were acting peculiar.  Oblivious to the people they once protected and cared about.  Their only interest, it seemed was to guard the front gate, even from the people who lived there.  They would subject merchants and other traders to unnecessary and unprovoked security checks.  On occasion the Iron Wolves, with the imperial guards in tow, would execute a violent raid of the market and neighboring communities searching people and trashing their wares.  Anyone who didn’t comply would be forcefully removed from the area, none had come back. 

       The group searched everywhere, talked to dozens of people but no matter what they said or how hard they tried they couldn’t find anyone to help them, or tell them another way to get past the wall.  It was done out of fear.  Fear for the lives of anyone who risked helping them, and fear that they would be sending these heroes to their death.  Rey couldn’t really blame them, but it was still a frustrating blow to their plans. 

       It wasn’t a completely useless endeavor however.  They did get confirmation that Bazine had arrived as they had suspected.  Which also confirmed that the Lord of Hell that they would be facing was Belial, Lord of Lies. 

       On top of that, many of her cultists had been spotted heading out into the desert in the direction of the outpost Concordia just days before Rey and group had arrived in the city.  That would be their target. 

       Upon asking some of the locals for a map to the outpost they were refused and informed that leaving the city at night and making their way through the desert would be tantamount to suicide.  The desert was plagued with dust ghouls and vicious cat like lacuni which hunted primarily at night.  The locals could not be persuaded.  Despite Poe’s insistence that would be fine and her desire to confront Bazine as soon as possible Rey, having spent a good chunk of her child in the dangerous desert of Jakku, chose to follow the local’s warnings.  They were told that if they came back in the morning they could get a map.

       Undeterred by the unremitting setbacks, they decided to continue looking around the outer city.  It was a big city and they would be more likely to catch something at night. 

       They split into three groups.  Ben and Chewbacca, Poe and Finn, Rose and Rey; each group took a different direction and agreed to meet back at the market, away from the front gate. 

---

╭ • ✦ ⋟───────────╮

Zygerrian Lacuni (referred to commonly as simply Lacuni) are the bipedal feline inhabitants of the deserts around Mandalore. 

For centuries they occupied the wastes of the desert rarely coming in contact with humans, until they started making their way towards the outposts outside Mandalore looking for new prey.

They maintained that distance until a few generations ago, when they started to add human flesh to their diet, actively hunting and killing those traveling from Mandalore to the outposts in the area. 

It’s believed that the travelers are easier to hunt and the more people that travel through the desert, especially at night, the bolder the Lacuni become as the Lacuni start to relate humans as an easy source of food. 

One pride got so accustom to a diet of human flesh they began to attack during the day even sneaking into the out skirts of the city to drag unsuspecting prey away.

Although that pride was eventually killed by a traveling group of heroes, it’s crucial to avoid traveling the wastes at night or risk encouraging this sort of behavior again.

~ From the writings of Qui-Gon Jinn

╰ ───────────⋞ ✦ • ╯

⦿

       The streets were dark and eerie as Rey and Rose slipped quietly between the buildings keeping their eyes open for anything suspicious.  As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon the streets were deserted.  There were rumors they had heard earlier in the day, reports really, that people had been going missing at night.  Even more once the emperor instated the new imperial guards.  This had caused the poorer residents to enact a self-imposed curfew.  The only thing that moved were the imperial guards as they continued on their uninterrupted set routs. 

       Rey was getting frustrated, the imperial guards were showing up with increased frequency and clearly becoming suspicious.  She was about to call it a night when Rose spotted an anomaly.  An imperial guard, slinking through the darkness towards an area that had just been patrolled.  Before long another one followed, and another.  They were all headed to the same location. 

⦿

       The city of Mandalore had an impressive sewer and aqueduct system, they tunneled under the whole city.  They were also tall enough that even Ben could walk comfortably (not Chewie though he would find it cramped).  Rey and Rose followed the guards down into the sublevel tunnels below the streets. 

---

         Every surface was wet and slimy, like the tunnels had their own muggy climate that clung to every part of Rey’s body.  All of it just compounded offensive putrid smell of fetid water and refuse.  They followed along the sides of the tunnels as the sludge and water made its way through a channel in the center.  Even rats avoided this stink hole the only living things were them and the guards. 

       The new clothes Rey had purchased stuck to her skin her hair felt heavy plastered to her face.  A thin layer of sweat had formed almost instantaneously as they entered the tunnels.  Her earlier agitation came back with a vengeance at being down in the putrid heat. 

       They followed the guards to an open area that must have once been used to house some unfortunate service workers while they maintained the tunnels.  At the end of the area was a door to a closed off room, the would-be spies looked around the corner in time to see the guards close the door behind them. 

       Along each wall was a row of tall narrow Iron cages.  The tops of these cages were fitted with thick spikes pointing inward forcing the prisoners to crouch and kneel or risk an impromptu lobotomy.  There were twelve cages in all but only three had occupants.  Closer inspection revealed that they were three of the missing Iron Wolves. 

       Rey and Rose had to act fast.  They couldn’t smash the locks or use a spell otherwise they risk getting caught.  So they slipped towards the cages and began picking the locks as fast as they could. 

       Rey was working on the last of the cages when next to her Rose cast a spell loudly, it echoed through the tunnels as lightning leapt towards the guards, one took a direct hit to the chest shaking with the force of the current then falling to the ground in a heap. 

       Rey finished and prepared to join Rose in the fight but the Iron Wolves caught her eye.  They were shaking, backing away while staring in open horror at the imperial guards.  Roses shriek brought Rey back to the present and she looked back to where the Imperial Guards has stood, replaced now by demonic snake like creatures. 

       Humanoid torsos of blue flesh stretched painfully towards their featureless face, the only orifice being a wide set mouth and rows of sharp tiny teeth for ripping at their prey, thick saliva drip from their open maws.  They wore the remnants of the armor they did as imperial guards.  And despite not having any visible eyes clearly knew exactly where everyone stood.  They slithered forward on their serpentine bodies, thick bands of black and vibrant yellow from the waist to the tips of their tails. 

       “No point in screaming” one hissed at them delightedly “No one will hear you”

       “Wasn’t planning on it” Rey snapped back readying her Bo staff, next to her Rose prepared to launch another spell.

       Behind the Iron Wolves has stopped backing away and, impressing Rey, despite the terror they no doubt felt they stood firmly in place holding their spears and swords ready to fight back against their own nightmare jailers.

       “Watch out, their bite is a paralytic” the only female Wolf told Rey “We’ve already watched them eat five of our own”

       “They don’t kill you first either, they eat you alive” another supplied unhelpfully. 

       “Thanks” Rey grunted

---

╭ ✦ ⋟───────────╮

Veiled Demons are the personal guard of Belial, Lord of Lies and his favored servants.

They’re extremely fast and gifted in illusion, similar to their lord and master.

They are able to take on familiar forms and lie in wait to strike at the opportune moment.

It’s said that their very touch can chill their unwitting victim to the bone.

These demons make up the bulk of Belials army and while smaller then the armies of other Lords of Hell, they should not be overlooked. 

Along with the art of illusion it appears some of them also have the ability to vanish seemingly into thin air.  Although they cannot attack while invisible they are adept spies and information gatherers.

Also known as Deceivers they are some of the most dangerous demons to face.

If you see one, rest assured there are five more you cannot see.

~ From the writings of Obi-Wan Kenobi

╰ ───────────⋞ ✦ ╯

Chapter Text

The snake guards were horrific things.  Fast and tough.  Their scales protected them from all of Reys attacks causing her Bo staff to bounce lamely off their hides.  And when they let loose their battle cries their jaws unhooked allowing them to expand their mouths in all angles revealing rows of spikes, no doubt used to prevent prey from squirming out once caught. 

Their only weak spot Rey could find was where their eyes should be.  The skin there was different from the rest and a jab from her staff served to successfully disorient them for a time. 

          Rose had better luck with her lightning spells stunning the demons and causing them to seize in agony.  The iron wolves being the only ones with bladed weapons were tasked with finishing them off.  But it wasn’t easy.  Few places on the snake demons body was fleshy enough to penetrate, and unlike actual snakes these ones had hands, and weapons of their own. 

          One of them, with off green skin who seemed to appear out of thin air, managed to get the drop on Rey.  It had her pinned to the floor, its hulking body being held back by the end of Reys staff as she tried to get out from underneath it. 

          It opened its vast maw the jaw coming unhinged then spreading out to each side stretching orange and yellow elastic skin around its mouth in a terrifying display.  Two inch fangs dropped down from its pallet dripping a viscous clear liquid down onto her staff.  The second it made contact with the skin of her hand, she felt painful pins a needles shoot up her arm.  Soon her fingers began to lose function and Rey struggled to get them to do what she wanted. 

          By now she was hunched up on the floor kicking out at the snake guard getting a couple hits in, but also receiving deep gashes as the demons claws ripped at the flesh on her lower legs trying to grab her. 

With one hand wrapped ever more loosely around her staff she reached for the knife tucked into her boot, the one Poe had convinced her to take from the Lord of Goats, she reached it just as her other hand lost strength and the snake guard lunged forward at her blindly.  She brought the dagger up in a clumsy arch, slashing between the lower half of the snake guards jaw, cutting through tendons and mobile cartilage. 

          The demons howl was deafening as it snapped back, its lower jaw now hanging uselessly on its chest.  With that as a distraction Rey used her power to force it backward into one of the spiked cages it had held the Iron Wolves in.  The two male Wolves pushed the massive cage over on top of it impaling it through the sternum.  It writhed and howled violently but a bolt of bright blue lighting from Rose streaked through the room hitting the cage and causing the snake guards body to convulse and shutter before finally going limp.  Smoke and the distinct smell of cooking meat wafted through the air. 

          Rey looked around, all of the demons had been defeated black blood and nasty smelling green viscera covered the floor and the dirty armor of the Iron Wolves.  One of them sported a deep wound on their arm that may require amputation but they were otherwise alive. 

---

       The Iron Wolves introduced themselves as Jannah, Jayelle and Forten.  They led Rey and Rose deeper into the underground tunnels towards the market place.

       “They showed up about a month ago when the emperor started acting stranger than usual.  At first we didn’t think much of them.  But soon most of our troops had gone missing.  Then the whole debacle with the gate happened.” Jannah explained as she led the way “Capitan Phasma and her white squadron met for an audience with the Emperor, when they came back they were different.  It was as if half the time they didn’t even recognize us, and it only got worse as time went on”

       “We saw the guards leading a group of Wolves into the underground tunnels and we followed,” Forten added “there were more of us then”

       “They took us prisoner and they ate all of green squad and then started on us” Jannah finished as they reached another open area with a rickety ladder that lead to a small circular hole with light pouring through it. 

       Jannah began to climb as she explained “There are sewer grates all over the city most people don’t notice them, that’s why the Imperial Guards were able to cover so much more ground then us.”

---

       Only a couple papers crumpled on the moist ground had given any indication of what the snake guards were doing.

╭─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─╮

You are doing excellent work my loyal servants

But do remember to keep some of the Iron Wolves alive.

Pain will lose a tongue but only so much.

I understand the pleasure you receive from your work, but don’t forget what happened to the former councilor, he had only bloody babble and strings of pus dripping from his lips by the end.

-Bilal’s message to his servants

╰ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─╯

⦿

       Finn and Poe had found nothing in their entire search.  Not even a hint that someone might be up to something, just some overly friendly guards that tried to get them to go for some food.  Poe casually told them they were meeting up with some others and where already late before they headed back to the market.  Ben and Chewie were already waiting for them, having also found nothing as well. 

       “Well this was a waste of time” Ben grumbled when Poe and Finn could only shrug and shake their heads in response. 

       So they waited for Rey and Rose to show up. 

       And waited.

       And waited. 

       They spent most of the night waiting for them to get back, there was almost no activity at night anywhere in the city, and overall the first several hours are uneventful and boring. 

       Also watching Ben slowly lose his cool was the best part of the early evening. 

       As time ticked by however, Ben wasn’t the only nervous wreck.  When the girls hadn’t shown up buy the third patrol all of the men were on edge.  They had just agreed to go looking for the girls when they could hear the sound of metal dragging across metal.  At the far end of the market a sewer grate began to lift.  Out of it crawled an Iron Wolf followed by Rey, Rose and two more Iron Wolves.  

       Relief flooded the men as the familiar, albeit dirty, faces of their companions appeared over the edge. 

       Poe could have hugged them.  Could have. 

       Except they were disgusting.  The smell hit them before the girls were even close enough to talk to.  They were wet and covered in brown and green sludge, the clothing they had purchased in the morning was beyond saving.  They looked exhausted and banged up and relived that they had reached fresh air. 

       The new group staggered over to the men, Rey introduced the three new faces as the Iron Wolves; Jannah, Jayelle, and Forten. 

       “We followed some of the imperial guards down into the sublevels.  Turns out they were sneaking down for a snack” she motioned to the Iron Wolves “this is what’s left of the snacks”

       The Iron Wolves waved and pat the men on their backs as they walked by, leaving big muddy prints on their new clothes, muttering something about knowing a place they could stay.  Sending Chewie and Ben nervous glances as they passed. 

       Rey was following close behind as Rose brought up the rear, slapping her filthy scarf into Finns hand as she walked by.

       “The imperial guards are big snakes.  They eat people” she informed them absently as she walked by.

       Everyone left could only stare at them for a moment before following, while Jannah spoke to them

       “So it was the Guards and the cultists that were carting off all of the people at night?  People were blaming the Lacuni, come to think of it, I haven’t seen one in ages I wonder where they are.”

⦿

       Jannah led them to a rickety boarding house secreted on the outskirts of the impoverished outer city where the line between the poor and the destitute was blurred.  Staying at an inn would be far too risky, but the boarding house was clean had food and warm beds, not to mention it was attached to a large public bathhouse.  They were greeted with enthusiasm, particularly Chewbacca who stood a foot or taller than everyone else. 

       Jannah helped confirm that Bazine was preparing for something big in the Concordia outpost.  She also told them she had a way to get past the wall and into the central city. 

       “The sewers and aqueducts are a maze of filth now.  They haven’t been maintained since the Child took control.  Fever took more than a few people and with the pressure of mounting bodies and the fact that we would get no help from the palace, people began to dump bodies in the sewer.  But, they span the entire city, right up and under the imperial palace itself.” Jannah told them “I’m going to have to clear it out though, find the right path, and make sure nothing has caved in.  Won’t take more than a day.  Once I’ve figured it out the trip into the palace will be smooth sailing.”

---

       It was decided then that the Iron Wolves would gather what forces they could and they would find and clear out a path through the sewers into the central city.  While the Iron Wolves were doing that, Rey and group would head out to the desert outpost and confront Bazine at last.  They had to be careful not to arouse the suspicion of the imperial guards so they would leave right at dawn. 

       Once the plans for the next day had been decided Jannah offered to lead them to the bathhouse to get rid of the muck. 

       The water was only lukewarm and the soap cakes they had been given were rough and didn’t smell as nice as the ones they got from Ben and Finn.  (Rey was going to be sad when they ran out of those, now that they no longer had access to get any more from the Templar Order) But despite everything it was still one of the best bathes she had ever had. 

       The three girls soaked in compatible comfort, they shared stories and compared scars; Rose even showed them her flower shaped birthmark that sat right above her right butt cheek. 

       “I was told once that wherever you have a birthmark, is where you were wounded and killed in a previous life.” Rose told them “Basically it means someone in my past life shot me in the ass.”

       Rey had no birthmarks that she was aware of, Jannah had a splotch on the back of her neck.  Which they joked was a botched execution. 

---

       Now clean and comfortably warm, the girls made their way back to the room they would be sharing with Ben.  The boarding house put up a thin patched sheet to separate the room for them, though in reality it provided little actual privacy. 

       Ben was already in bed and asleep when the girls entered, and even their shushed giggles did not wake him up.  They knew they should get what rest they could, they had a long day ahead of them and dawn would break soon.  They snuffed the candle and crawled into bed with only the moon to guide them.  Rose was out quick but Rey sat up briefly listening to the noises her roommates made as they slept peacefully.  Rose snuffled a little as she curled into a tight ball.  The big knight twitched a lot and let out the occasional pained grunt but was otherwise silent.  The night terrors he suffered had subsided somewhat re-emerging only on the rare occasion. 

       Rey slipped out of her bed and wandered over to Ben peeking around the makeshift curtain.  When they had initially met her opinion of him had been negatively impacted by the fact that he was trying to kill them.  For the first quarter of their journey she hadn’t seen enough of him to figure whether he was attractive or not.  However the more they traveled together the more she got to know him.  Sure he had been a little annoying with his preaching but he was very dedicated, and knowledgeable.  What she originally thought was cold arrogance revealed itself to be an endearingly shy personality coupled with acute social awkwardness.  They had become close on their journey spending long hours talking.  Even though she had hardly seen his face much for that first little while, she began to admire and then genuinely like him. 

       Lying there shirtless in bed he was completely unguarded, fast asleep he was still all muscle and sharp angles, but there was a softness to him as well.  By societal standards he shouldn’t be handsome, big nose, crooked smile, dotted in moles, but that’s what she found most attractive about him, the imperfections that made him unique.

       Finn was charming and boyish, Poe was charismatic and roguish, Chewie was a giant of a man, Rose was brilliant and got shot in the butt in a previous life and Ben was—unique.

          It didn’t register with her that she was touching him until she was already caressing his cheek.  She stood beside the bed and ran her thumb along his plush bottom lip.  His long black eyelashes fluttered but the rise and fall of his chest maintained its rhythm.  As if by its own volition her hand began to run down his neck on to his collarbone and down to his sternum where she could feel his steady heartbeat. 

          It was like copping a feel on a marble statue. 

          But he was warm and he smelled nice.  💚

She didn’t remove her hand from his chest until he cracked an eye open at her and stared back, not in the nervous incredulous way she expected but as if he was analyzing her trying to get a read on her as much as she was on him.  He blinked and his lips parted and closed as if he was going to say something and thought better of it.  When she wet her lips eyes quickly darted to her mouth and then back to her eyes.  He shifted and exposed more of his chest and Rey could feel herself heating up looking at the broad pale expanse of bare skin, covered with scars and beauty marks. 

Ben finally looked down at her hand still hovering in the air between them and gingerly reached out to her, when their hangs connected, like they had by the fire what felt like so long ago, Rey remembered the strange feeling and looked into his eyes, he remembered too. 

A powerful breeze banged the shutters against the window jarring them both out of their trance.  Once Rey could feel her heart beat slowly she looked back to Ben who had covered his chest again and was blushing deeply, she smiled at him and headed back to bed and she heard him mutter goodnight before the privacy sheet dropped down between them.

---

          The next morning when dawn broke across the sky Ben made no mention of what happened the night before.  And neither did Rey.

⦿

╭ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ╮

Bazine,

I receive word that this party of “heroes” mean to face you in Concordia.  If I were you I would set a trap for them…

But I am not you.

For all I know, you wish to fail me again and will force me to kill you.

That would grieve me…

But somehow I think I could manage it.

-Bilal’s message to Bazine

╰ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ╯

⦿

          Rey did not like the desert, she made no effort to hide that fact, but she was the only one who knew how to survive its ravages.  Along with avoiding the Imperial Guards, who would not be active until the sun was up, leaving early in the day had other advantages.  Less likely to run into nocturnal predators who would be returning to their dens, and they wouldn’t have to face the midday sun.  They would be at the outpost and in its protection long before the sun hit its highest point. 

          She had forced Ben and Finn into smaller sets of subpar armor telling them that the sand blown around them would end up taking them before they ever got close to Bazine if they tried to wear their Templar armor. 

          Rose, Poe along with herself was draped in thin white fabric, wrapped loosely around them and the group headed out into the sands. 

          Chewie offered to stay behind and help clear out the passages, the smell didn’t bother him and with his strength the job would be substantially easier. 

---

          Finn had known that Rey’s hatred of the desert had something to do with having been born in Jakku.  Likewise he knew that her parents had abandoned her alone in the desert, in an outpost much like the one they were headed to. 

          She had spent years waiting for them to return, to come find her.  She had almost turned down the monks who ultimately saved her, dude to the desperate belief that her parents would return. 

          They never did.

          For so long whenever her past was brought up, she would tell them that her parents went away, but one day they would find her again.  She had been so certain.  Ben- when he was still Kylo- would argue that it was useless to wait around for them and ask her why she hadn’t just gone looking for them.  She had never had much of an answer only that they said they would be back. 

When they had that conversation (fight) it would always put the group into a foul mood so they had avoided the topic as much as possible. 

However, since her test at the drowned temple her blind faith in their return or even that of unification at all had withered significantly.  Only Ben knew what tests they faced and what they had learned, but he advised them not to broach the subject, at least not yet. 

          And now she found herself in a similar desert headed to a similar outpost and it was no secret that Rey hated it. 

          Regardless, she was the best hope they had of traversing the dangers and coming out on the other side.

Chapter Text

⦿

          Something was off. 

          Concordia was visible in the distance, but even in the haze of the heat they could identify the buzzards and other carrion monsters circling over the outpost.  A particularly strong gust of hot dry air showered them in sand and brought with it the heavy metallic stench of blood.  

          The closer they got the more horrific the scene before them. 

          Bodies, impaled on long thick wooden spikes positioned around the perimeter of the outpost.  They had been flayed, spread open to the sun, with their internal organs spilling out onto the ground around them.  Severed heads had been displayed from the top of the walls hanging by their hair with stretched and grotesque screams frozen on their faces, and blank empty eyes.

          Viscera was draped and dangled from every outcrop and ledge.  Blood and all manner of bodily fluids dripped and smeared down the outside of the walls.  Piles of remaining body parts had been tossed over the side and left in heaps at the bottom of the walls. 

          Dozens of species of scavengers were gorging themselves on what lay there in the sand.  A group Lacuni were hunched over severed limbs and torsos blood dripping down their claws as they chewed through flesh and bone, paying no attention to the travelers.  None of the scavengers did, there was no reason to defend the area as it was a feast enough for all of them, violence would undoubtedly break out once most of the remains had been consumed until then nothing payed any attention to prey that would fight back. 

          The rising sun was heating up the torn flesh and combined with the smell of blood and refuse from the scavengers it combined into a miasma of stench.

          They hadn’t even made it past the front gate.

          The entire outpost had been massacred, every person that had resided there was spread out on racks and displayed on poles.  No one had been left untouched not even the few children that had been living there, their desecrated bodies splayed out right next to the adults. 

          Even the livestock had been butchered, their throats slit and left to bleed out on the ground.  Anything that could be ripped smashed or broken had been.  Water and food had been dumped haphazardly on the blood drenched streets.  There wasn’t a single surface that hadn’t been smeared in filth and blood. 

          They stood just inside the outposts walls, Frozen in horror.  Memories of Alderaan twisted in Rey’s mind.  Two towns completely destroyed by these cultists.  If they hadn’t made it back to Tatooine in time it would have been three. 

          People, homes, and memories everything destroyed and left to rot in the unforgiving desert sun.  These places would take generations to recover; if ever. 

          They had no regard for life, this was a message.  They killed because they could.  They tortured because they liked it.  No one was safe from their vile desecration.  And Rey swore, Bazine and her cult were going to pay dearly. 

          They moved further into the massacred space.  Houses had their doors ripped off the hinges, deep claw marks scored the buildings.  There was a watch tower that stood taller than any other building at the center of the outpost, claw marks dug into the clay walls up the side, all the way to the top.  The guards at the top had been tossed over the side leaving a coopery red trail down to where their mutilated bodies hit the ground.  The party was surrounded by death, its image, its smell, the knowledge that there was nothing they could do for these people now, and it was suffocating and inescapable.

          The cultists had gathered in a tight circle on the far side of the outpost stamping their staffs and chanting around a familiar glowing circle on the ground.  It was much smaller than the one in the chambers beneath the Tatooine cathedral but there was no mistaking Bazine’s cultists were calling forth demons.  It seemed they were gathering their forces using the same tricks they had in Alderaan in anticipation to the party’s arrival, but they were still in the middle of their spells vulnerable to attack until it was finished. 

          The demons they had managed to summon were primed and attacked instantly these little monsters looked like no more than a mouth of sharp jutting teeth on six legs.  They skittered around biting and latching on to anything in reach.  But while their ripping maw was strong, their spine wasn’t.  A powerful strike from Reys Bo staff or Finns lance cracked through their bones like snapping twigs.  In fact the only advantage the cultists did seem to have was their sheer numbers.  It seemed every time they cut one cultist down another would replace them and bring two boney demons with them. 

          Soon the tides of battle turned, and the party pushed back the demons and their masters; just when it looked like the cultists would flee they began a new ritual.  

          A powerful vortex would surround a cultist and a demon minion ripping their flesh and audibly breaking bone pulling them together in a tornado of blood.  The resulting monster was a human demon amalgamation roughly slapped together with different pieces of flesh and bone combined in stark contrast.  Protruding spines and horns burst from skin creating oozing sores and gashes.  The cultist’s faces were warped and so full of sharp fangs they couldn’t close their jaws or prevent the bloody drool that dripped from their thin lips.  They looked as if their skeleton had been stretched underneath their patchwork skin causing it to stretch tightly around bone.  These demonic thralls screeched in agony and violently attacked anyone in their way be they friend or foe.  They hit hard and were powerful enough to knock back the Templars.  A hit from them could smash stone but caused their skin to rip open and bleed.  While Rey, Finn and Ben managed to keep two of the thralls busy, Poe unloaded over a dozen arrows into the third managing only to slow it down.  But the metal arrow heads acted as conduit for Roses electrical spells and a powerful blast from her caused the thrall they were facing to explode in a tidal wave of blood and muscle.  Behind them more cultists were reemerging to begin the spells all over again.  

          Finns solution was to lead the thralls to the cultists and let them attack their own creators.  Every hit a thrall took caused it to fall apart more and more leaving the powerful monstrosity a bloody mess before they were finally taken out.

          Still the cultists continued to arrive, crawling out of the cellar where they hid bringing more spindly little demons with them.  Finn was more than a match for the cultists as they pushed out of the cellar entrance with Poe and Rose taking out the demons and stopping them from creating any more thralls.

          This allowed Rey and Ben to break off from the others and head to the largest building in the outpost.  A Handsome clay house that had been dug deep into the cool ground.  Like the rest of Concordia the clay house was covered in blood and viscera, but unlike the rest of the area, the blood had been painted onto the walls in the form of sigils and spell circles and altars had been constructed out of human remains at the entrance.  No doubt a show of devotion to the leader, Bazine. 

          She was making no effort to hide from them, going to great lengths to antagonize them into attacking her.  Bazine was expecting them and in her arrogance convinced herself they would be no match on her own turf. 

---

          The inside of the appropriated building was ‘decorated’ much the same as the outside, a short staircase led them to an entrance way filled with black silk and candles and bone.  Wall sconces were lit giving them a clear line of sight towards the main room where Bazine was likely waiting.

          The main room was open and one could imagine a large family living here; it would have been cozy and pleasant even-

          If Bazine had not made herself at home. 

          She had altars and statues to her dark master surrounding the red chaise chair she currently lounged in.  She had draped herself in beautiful cloth, ate from a tray of fresh food and drank deeply from a silver goblet.  The room was filled with property stolen from the residents she had violently murdered, anything she wanted that had taken her fancy. 

          On the floor more sigils and spell circles had been neatly painted in blood meant to trap them, so she could torture them like she had this outpost. 

          But Bazine’s greatest weakness was herself. 

          More useful in death than he had been in life, Rose studied the journal from the Lord of Goats.  Not only did it describe all of Bazine’s magic, it told them how to negate it. 

          Mandalore night shade, dark vinegar, and saliva from a demon combined with an assortment of herbs in a clay pot that shattered on the ground in front of them spreading the neutralizing agent along her carefully laid trap spells causing the blood they had been painted with to turn dark and sizzle as the magic was destroyed. 

          She scowled and finally stood.

---

╭───────────╮

Only a select few of the worthy chosen are suitable hosts to ascend to a higher plain of existence.

Those who survive the ritual go on to glory under our Lord Belial, chosen to reap the rewards that will bring endless splendor to the Great One.

Once chosen a host will be anointed with fire searing the runes into their flesh and imbedding devils tooth into their bodies.

At any time thereafter they can be call upon to cast off their inferior human forms to be molded to a superior being

For the glory of the coven

For the glory of Belial

~ THE LORD OF GOATS

╰ ───────────╯

---

          Even without her traps and cultist minions Bazine was a formidable enemy.  The shocks from her magical bolts of energy burned when they grazed Ben’s body and a direct hit was enough to gouge the durable clay walls of the dwelling.  But as powerful as her magic was, like all magic, it was limited.  As her blasts weakened she retreated away from them to begin using Belials dark power to call forces to aide her. 

          The demons she summoned to support her now were larger and more powerful than the spindly demons her minions summoned.  They were the same height as Rey but with leather that covered their eyes, like a demonic falcon hood.  They hauled large heavy weapons as they lumbered towards Rey and Ben.  The followed the noises Ben made in his large armor as he made his way to Bazine.  Sweat dripped from the witch’s immaculate brow and her face was contorted in fury.  They had her cornered just like they did in Tatooine, only this time she had no teleportation circle to escape with. 

          The demon began to advance still out of reach as the sniffled around listening to the sounds of fighting.  But Ben’s wrath was trained on the witch who had caused so much agony.  She would not get away this time, her blood would join the dead villagers, her soul condemned to the burning hells.  Rey was at his back ready to force away the advancing hell spawn he could feel that familiar power coursing through his body, his blood pounding in his veins.  He could feel Rey’s power behind him, connecting them, thrumming raw but focused, combined with his fury, they created a blast so powerful it threw all of their opponents back against the walls.  It threw them so hard it caused skin to peel away leaving large bloody wounds. 

          Once the blast had run its course, Bazine slumped to the ground.  She hissed up at them with all the calm of a caged hare, trying to scramble backwards away from them and only managing to push herself harder against the wall. 

          Ben’s needed only one massive hand to hoist her into the air by her throat.  She coughed and choked and scratched his hands with her sharp nails drawing blood.  She managed to kick Ben hard in the stomach, but his grasp did not falter.  His sword plunged into her chest so hard it went deep into the wall behind her.  He held her there by the throat sword imbedded in to heart and watched until he was certain all of the life had drained from her before finally releasing her. 

---

          For all of her power and followers, her death was anticlimactic.  The demons she summoned had abandoned her at the first sign of weakness. 

          The moment they defeated her should have felt powerful, been wonderful.  But it wasn’t.  At that moment they just felt tired and sad.  Bazine was gone but it felt like a drop in the ocean. 

          “It won’t bring any of them back” Rey said thinking about the desecrated outpost “all it means is that she can’t send anyone else after them”

          “Will it stop someone else from taking her place?” Ben asked absently

          It was a somber thought.  Bazine may be dead but the coven remained, it may be fractured now, but there was a void that would undoubtedly be filled by another witch, another person so consumed by the lust for power that would take pleasure in destruction and control that the coven could offer.

---

          Bazine’s head was enough to send her followers fleeing; held aloft by the people who had slain her.  They wailed and screeched that this wouldn’t be the end of them, claiming they would come back stronger than before to seek their revenge.  But their bravado only lasted until Bens pointed glare landed on them. 

          Soon only the dead remained. 

          This outpost would never recover.  They contemplated bringing in the bodies, laying them out in a more dignified manor, but before they could, black clouds began to form and circle above the larger city.  Mandalore was plunged into unnatural darkness, and though it killed Rey to leave these dead in such a disrespectful manner, there was a city, much larger, full of the living who would face Belial’s wrath once he realized Bazine had failed in killing them. 

---

          The sky turned acid green before they made it back to the market place of Mandalore.  The swirling winds howled around them tearing at their skin with sand and bringing with it the smells of death and decay.  The air around them was electrified and still burned with dry heat. 

          Civilians were screaming and trying to find cover, none of it would matter however, as glowing green boulders began to fall from the dark clouds.  They struck carts and buildings sending debris into the air and bodies flying.  Nowhere was safe. 

          Despite all the chaos Jannah managed to find them latching tightly onto Rey’s arm as she pulled her out from the open. 

          “I got the path cleared!” the Iron Wolf shouted over the wind and the screams “not only that but there is a clearing underneath the market if we can get the people down there it should keep them safe.  We need to get everyone into the sewers!  You go on a head stop Belial and we’ll deal with the civilians!”

          Rey nodded her head and turned to rush to the others with the plan, but found herself almost knocking over an elderly man in a crimson red robe and hood.  He was one of the Zakarum priests that she had seen earlier, she tried to tell him to head to the sewers but he shook his head.

          “I heard the plan, to get everyone to the sewers, please allow me to help.” He called out to her

          Rey bit her lip but she couldn’t say anything to prevent him from heading towards Jannah to lend his aide.  The last thing Rey saw as she dropped down into the sewers was the marketplace in ruins.  Iron Wolves and the elderly hunched priest helping people and leading them to safety while green meteors struck the ground clouding her vision in dust and green light. 

⦿

◞┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈◟

We have long endeavored to make Mandalore a city of mercy but still we haven’t been able to convince the Emperor to amend the ancient and barbaric policy of exile.

Prisoners convicted of treason and desertion are send out into the deserts around Mandalore with naught but the shirt on their backs. 

In a thousand years of records I can’t find a single example of anyone punished to exile surviving, their dried bones dot the land and those who die there meet a terrible end. 

~Archivist Kryze

◝ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ◜

Chapter Text

---

╬╬═════════════╬╬

Belial; Lord of Lies

Belial is a master manipulator and a master of deceit. 

It’s suspected that it was Belial who influenced Azmodan and tricked him into the revolt against the Greater Evils which began the Burning Hells civil war. 

╬╬═════════════╬╬

---

          The imperial palace is completely deserted, not a single person walked the dirty halls.  The party could hear the telltale sounds of Belials demon snakes moving around them concealed from their view by magic, but they never revealed themselves, clearly ordered by their master to not engage. 

          They were being herded towards the emperors greeting room.  A circular room with a balcony set several feet off the ground where the child emperor would listen to the impassioned pleas of his people. 

          The Child emperor sat languidly in a throne that was much too big for him, waiting for them.  The telltale signs of magic covered the area but was focused heavily on his person his face was gaunt and waxy with dark bags under his sunken unfocused eyes telltale signs that a great power was leaching off him.  His head lolled as he sat up straighter to great them making no effort to rise from his seat. 

          He was flanked by six of the demon snakes the armor they wore was nothing like the imperial guards; this armor was unnatural, decked out with spikes and covered in scratched and burns from a life in the Burning Hells.  He wasn’t even trying to hide his affiliation with the demon lord and basked in the feeling of superiority it clearly gave him. 

          “Who do we have here” the child emperor drawled “some mangy travelers think they deserve an audience with me”

          Ben stepped forward and threw Bazine's head in a rough burlap bag up onto the balcony before the child.  The child gestured towards the bag and one of the demons rushed forward to snatch it and bring it to the emperor.  They opened it up and showed him the contents. 

          The gruesome contents of the bag didn’t seem to faze him in the least but he did finally seem to give them all of his attention.

          “I see, you’re the ones who killed Bazine.  I’ve heard a lot about you.  How you defeated the Skeleton King.  About the now mortal Tyrael, along with your allies searching for the archives of the mad Horadrim Maul.  What could they be looking for?”

          “We seek Belial, and will not rest until he is dead” Ben commanded which earned them a disgusted sneer from the emperor.

          “we’ll see about that” he spat with another lazy gesture of his hand the doors behind them slammed shut and several of the demon snakes slithered out of their hiding places in the shadows of the room. 

---

          The child emperor clearly thought very highly of the snakes and himself hardly paying attention to the fight, until the tides began to turn. 

          The demons were no less powerful than the others but without the element of surprise and Rey and Rose’s detailed rundown the battle against them, and despite there being more of them, was not as difficult. 

          As his demonic guards began to fall the emperor became more and more upset.  He was standing at the edge of the balcony when the last of them was cut down.  Rey looked up to him and pointed her Bo staff at him.

          “Face us yourself Belial!”

          The emperor sneered green fire surrounded him transporting him from in front of the throne, to the same level as the party.  When the fire evaporated in front of them it wasn’t a fourteen year old child who stood before them, but the Lord of Lies himself; Belial.

          Ghastly green and skeletal, he hovered off the ground taller than even Chewie with wide boney shoulders four horns and no visible neck.  He had four arms the uppermost two were larger and ended with a cluster of long black spikes.  The lower set of arms were more humanoid but with savage claws. 

          “You can’t possibly hope to defeat me, you mortal whelp” he roared at Rey but she stood tall falling back on her training as a monk to keep her calm.  The energy within her churned and gave her strength.  Together each party member took up their place.  With Chewie and the Knights up front Rose and Poe behind and Rey in the center. 

          With every hit they made on the Demon Lord the more confident the party became.  His attacks while powerful never seemed to land effectively or have long lasting impacts.  Rey began to set up for the ritual needed to seal away Belial and revealed the black soulstone.

          It caught the demon lord’s eye and only served to anger him further.

          “ENOUGH!” he howled forcing the party backwards with the force of his magic.  “You think you can trap me away in one of your soulstones!  I cast off these petty illusions!  Behold the true vison of the Lord of Hell!”

---

          The balcony is completely destroyed.  Along with half the palace.  The roof was ripped off and the walls around them crumbled.  All that’s left is a quarter moon sliver of the greeting room and the locked door behind them and a vast swirling void before them.

          Belial is now colossal only his horned head, shoulders, and upper set of arms remain.  Rey had fallen flat on her ass, now stared up at the monumental face of the lord of Lies.  Every time he roars he lets loose a pillar of acid green flame. 

          He slams his spiked arms down on the cracked marble floor in front of them.  He spews fire across the whole area causing the party to drop to the ground as the flames lick at their skin and clothes.  Flaming green saliva dripped to the ground before him and alights eating up short paths of the ground around it, leaving trails of glowing green embers. 

          Ben and Fin where the first upright.  Shields up they hacked and slashed at the head of Belial.  Tendrils of black shadows crawled down the imbedded spikes and everywhere the floor glowed green with embers they burst forth targeting the knights and holding them in place while The demon lord released another blast of green fire from his maw. 

          Rey could hear Ben and Finn scream. 

          The flames licked at their armor, neither had a helmet and so their faces were completely exposed to the hell fire.  Belial only stopped when Poe managed to shoot him square in the eye. 

          The upper arms wrenched themselves from the ground and the tendrils of shadow holding the knights evaporated.  Both men stumbled before climbing back to their feet. 

          Despite the fact they had both had taken direct hits from the flame, neither had burns on their skin.  Only soot and sweat.  But they were still reeling from the pain. 

          Again Belial tried to smash his spiked arms into the ground but this time Chewie managed to stop one from connecting.  Leaving only the other to act as a bridge for the shadowy tendrils making them easier to dodge. 

          When Poe had shot the demon lord, Rey had felt his power lessen substantially.  They would have to get in another shot like that for her to be able to overcome him and trap him in the black soulstone. 

          With the demon successfully distracted by the three tanks.  Rey began the ritual.  Several strikes from Rose and Poe made contact and the spell began to take hold.  But it wasn’t enough for Rey to overcome him and she was rapidly running out of strength to continue. 

          She was forced to call for Ben to help her which drew Bilal’s attention.  Leaving the other two tanks to try and keep the demons attention he rushed to Reys side.  Together they focused on the ritual and the black soulstone. 

          Belial focused his attention on Rey and Ben, making it harder for Finn and Chewie to pull his attacks away.  They needed one good hit on the demon and they needed it now.

          Together Rey and Ben worked crouching behind his shield, as Finn and Chewie howled with pain more frequently.  Rose and Poe’s attacks formed a non-stop barrage of hits, but it just wasn’t enough.  They needed more.

          A hit! 

          A powerful one, struck Bilal and Rey was able to draw a large amount of his essence into the stone.  Whatever the others had done, it was working.

          She raised her eyes to see Poe and Rose together lining up and attacking at the same time, making the attacks slower, but stronger. 

          One after another their attacks hit together, and every time they did Rey was able to overtake him more and more. 

          The more they hit together, the more their attacks began to blend.  Arrows pierced Belials face bringing with it bolts of blue lightning.  Soon sharp bolts of electricity blended in perfect harmony hit Bilal, in the eyes, the mouth and finally dead center of his forehead. 

          The metal arrow pierced his hard bone skull and the lighting made its way underneath Belials protection. 

          The demon lord shrieked and with one final push, Reys power overcame Belials essence and the demon lord was dragged cursing and flailing into the black depths of the stone. 

          It glowed bright green and shook as Rey and Ben focused all of their combined remaining power to suppress the demon.  With a blast of energy that caused everyone to stumble the demon lord was finally contained. 

---

          Focusing all of her power on trapping Belial stripped Rey of all her strength, even with Ben at her side helping.  Rey’s chest was burning from exertion and she shook like she was freezing but felt like her body burned from the inside out.  Ben hadn’t fared much better with sweat dripping from his face coughing desperate to get air into his lungs.  Finn and Poe helped the weakened Rey and Ben limp back the way they had entered while Rose led the way. 

          The enchantress easily dispatched Belials minions that remained, weakened considerably without their master’s power to aid them while Rey and Ben clung to Chewie’s large frame. 

          The palace still stood around them.  Damaged and covered with scorch marks.  But it had not been destroyed as they had been lead to believe.  Belial was a master of lies and illusion after all.

          Rey was thankful they didn’t have to go back through the sewers, when a group of Iron Wolves rushed into the corridor to help them, led by Phasma.  They had opened the main gate to the marketplace as soon as Belial had been imprisoned, whatever control the Lord of Lies had exerted over them had been lifted freeing their minds from his influence.  They half carried Rey and Ben to the market place where they were greeted by cheers and applause. 

          There was massive amounts of destruction, buildings had chunks ripped out of the side the decorative stone streets had been chipped away, and everywhere there were the remains of vendor’s carts.  But the sky had cleared and despite the damages there didn’t seem to be as many casualties as they expected. 

          The group was brought to the makeshift healer’s tent where healers and priestesses rushed around tending to injuries.  Jannah stood next to them telling them about the event that transpired while they fought off Belial.  The Imperial Guards had pretty much all fled when Belial began raining molten green rock on the city, and the Iron Wolves who were guarding the gate had tried to attack them.

          “Bet old Belial wasn’t counting on Phasma not taking his shit” Jannah laughed.  Apparently all of them had fought off Belials influence, Phasma likely through sheer fury and badassery alone.  Once they had recovered, and with the help of the old healer in crimson robes, they had gotten everyone from the market place into the sewers.  The old healer used his magic to send out dancing lights similar to Rose’s to alert people all over the city to seek shelter down below ground. 

          In a strange turn of events, people in the poverty stricken outer city had received the least damage out of everyone, with those in the center hub may have lost almost everything.  Mandalore would be rebuilding for a long time, but they would all be starting from the same place. 

          Jannah was describing a moment when they had managed to smash a molten boulder out of the air and save a dozen children when the crimson robed healer approached them.  He had his hood down for the first time he had pale blue eyes and thin lips stretched into a long smiled at them, like a fond grandfather.  His features were soft and gentle. 

          “Come children lay down.  I have water for you and these healers are here to help you clean up.” He motioned to several novice priests and priestesses as they hurried forward with water, cloths, and bandages.  “What you did was very brave, and you have saved us all.  May Akarat bless you, always”

          “We hear you were pretty brave yourself” Rey said with a yawn and a tired smile

          “Running through sewers and telling people to hide is hardly brave” he chuckled as he gently wiped some blood and grime from Reys face

          “Nonsense” Poe laughed while enjoying the attention of some attractive healers “We’ve been in those sewers, braving the smell alone is enough to warrant the title of hero”

          The old healer put his hand gently on Poe’s shoulder and smiled softly at him

          “Rest now my child, you have earned it”

          They all lay back on their cots and let the healers do their jobs.  Before the old priest could leave Rey grabbed the hem of his billowing sleeve.

          “Thank you … uuuh”

          “Machia San Tekka my dear”

          “Thank you healer Machia”

          Rey gave Ben one last look only to find him fast asleep before she drifted off into a deep, deep sleep.

⦿

          She was cold, there was a pressure on her chest and her mind became foggy as the world around her fell away. 

          Surrounded by ice and snow, she could do nothing to warm herself up.  She spun looking in every direction, and in every direction she saw carnage.  Human soldiers being slaughtered and tosses aside like ragdolls.  Monolithic weapons of war like she had never seen rolled across a never ending frozen battlefield.  New, more terrifying demons crawled forth, bursting from the ruins of a mountain. 

          The sky turned from pale ice blue, to burning fire red as the commander of this onslaught rose up above the crater, looking out onto the battle field.  This beast was thick with fat and muscle eight fiery eyes lined his face with a gaping maw that burned like a blacksmiths furnace.  Two thick horns protruded from his forehead.  Thick stumpy arms raised in his perceived glory, and the glee at the slaughter.  And his fat body sat on spiked spidery legs.  The nipples of his chest were pierced with thick gold rings that pulled roughly at his skin. 

          He looked straight at Rey and laughed, which shook his whole body and the earth around them.

          But despite never having seen this demon before she recognized him and where he was.

          All at once everything overwhelmed her, rushing toward her forcing the air from her lungs preventing her from screaming. 

          And everything went dark.

---

          Reys eyes opened to find herself lying back looking up, crowded once again, just like she had before her quest had even begun.  But this time she was surrounded by the friends she had long since started to consider family - and the healer Machia.  The old man was at her side in an instant holding her hand and stroking her head, much in the same way Maz did when Rey was young and confused by her gifts.

          “Calm yourself dear.  It was a nightmare.” He cooed

          “Azmodan” she croaked

          Machia’s eyes widened and he stopped stroking her head.

          “He’s coming.  His forces are gathering at the Hosin crater.  The last lord of Hell has declared war on Sanctuary”

⦿

--- End Act II ---