Seeing the last of the interlopers subdued, Kai approaches the fallen leader, and removes the mask. Concealment only, or did it serve another purpose?

Retrieving the sheath, the throwing dagger requires more of a search, but he is curious about the small blade. Hoo-hooo! Found it! Kai wipes the blade and flips it dexterously into the air, before sheathing it and securing it to his utility belt.

Chadrik and Takane are still nearby. Thank you for the timely intervention! Spying the sword lying on the ground: Not so fine as your own, to be sure, but what do you make of the blade? he asks the young swordswoman.

These men all died in an attempt to take this child.. we must have words with the survivor.

Chadrik extinguished his lightsaber slowly. As Bralane towered over the man, the Rodian walked up behind him. Firmly, he stood the man up, took the binders that he carried, and braced the man's hands in them.

"There is an old saying that the hand is the precursor to the heart," he said to the man. "Either you are free with money, you love children, or you are a murderer."

Chadrik glanced at the dead bodies around them and he whispered, "It seems that it's the latter."

Chadrik smiles. I seem to be turning into Zik with all these proverbs.

Zik glances at Takane, out of breath. "Catch your breath, Takane," he tells her. "That brawl took it out of all of us." Satisfied that Chadrik has subdued the enemy, the Human trots back over to the downed fusion lamp and finds the throwing dagger that knocked it over nearby. He picks up both and places the dagger in his belt. Feeling the chill once again, Zik taps the fusion lamp to try to get it turn back on.

2 minutes ago, SavageBob said:

Zik glances at Takane, out of breath. "Catch your breath, Takane," he tells her. "That brawl took it out of all of us." Satisfied that Chadrik has subdued the enemy, the Human trots back over to the downed fusion lamp and finds the throwing dagger that knocked it over nearby. He picks up both and places the dagger in his belt. Feeling the chill once again, Zik taps the fusion lamp to try to get it turn back on.

The lamps turns back on with a flicker and a buzz. Seems like it getting knocked over only tripped a safety switch.

The bound man tests the strength of the binders once, looking irritated, but quickly stops. He glances about as the group surrounds him, before looking towards Shisa.

He speaks quickly, saying something to Shisa. She barks back something in the same language, and the two go back and forth a few more times before the conversation ends.

Kamoa approaches Kai, seeing their injuries, and jabs a stimpack into their shoulder. There is a hiss and a pop, and the injection is done. He nods to Kai and smiles, and then turns at the exchange between Shisa and the attacker. He tilts his head as they go back and forth. "Anything you care to share with the rest of the class?" He says to them.

Zik smiles as the lamp surges back to life. He hangs it from the end of his shockprod and rejoins the others, arriving just as Kamoa addresses the priestess and the captive. "Yes. Young one, do you know who these people are and why they were after you?"

After Kai's leaping assault laid the leader low, Takane tensed, looking towards the final remaining assailant. But the combined attentions of the group, especially Bralane's sinister approach (the woman could feel a...not malevolence , but at least a darkness roiling around her as she spoke), the man broke and fell to his knees, the skirmish over.

Kai retrieved the sword and offered it to her for her opinion, but Takane was distracted. Now that the danger was over, she had something she had to do, a promise to keep. She walked back along her previous path to where the two thugs she had slain lay, blood beginning to pool on the rocks and twigs that littered the ruins. She looked down at them in the darkness. One still had his eyes open.

She knelt down and gently closed them. Then she began the ritual, saying the short prayer she had been taught at the same time she had been given her sword.

She spoke quietly, a whisper, her head bowed. When she finished for the first man, she shifted, reciting the blessing to fallen warriors for the other. But her words stumbled--ever so slightly-- as she spoke, her tone stilted. She said the words, went through the motions, but she didn't feel them. Grandfather had always insisted; when you take a life, it must be honored, no matter the how or why. And because he insisted, she performed the short ritual now. But for monsters like these, child-thieves with who knew what kind of dishonorable intentions, it seemed like wasted breath.

After she was done, she stood, taking out the silken white cloth she carried and cleaning her blade. The edge was keen, and hadn't accrued much blood, but she dutifully wiped it down before returning it to it's home and turning to rejoin her companions. And their prisoner.

Takane doesn't spare the sword a glance, leaving it to lie there upon the battlefield, a testament to the night's violence. Kneeling by her vanquished foes, she goes through the motions of the practiced ritual, but her prayers falter.

Be at peace, little one. Such words are for your benefit, not theirs.

Still decidedly worse for the wear, Kai also rejoins the group, gratefully accepting the ministrations of Chadrik and Kamoa.

Now about this prisoner.. What sort of man chooses to wield a whip against his fellow man? In pursuit of a young girl?

20 hours ago, SavageBob said:

Zik smiles as the lamp surges back to life. He hangs it from the end of his shockprod and rejoins the others, arriving just as Kamoa addresses the priestess and the captive. "Yes. Young one, do you know who these people are and why they were after you?"

Shisa scoffs. "These are the Ao-Andon. They are the ones who attacked the Temple," she explains. "You should kill him--he was going to kill all of you."

Phoon growls, glaring at the captive. "I should just let Phoon at him," she says.

Kamoa puts a hand on Shisa's shoulder for a moment. "Taking a life should never be so easy a choice." He says to her. "Nor should it be so quickly sought after." He walks over to the captive and squats down to be level with his face. "That true? Did your people attack this place? Why?"

Just now, KungFuFerret said:

Kamoa puts a hand on Shisa's shoulder for a moment. "Taking a life should never be so easy a choice." He says to her. "Nor should it be so quickly sought after." He walks over to the captive and squats down to be level with his face. "That true? Did your people attack this place? Why?"

The man says something short and biting in his language to Kamoa--an obvious curse--then grows silent, turning his gaze away from anybody in particular.

"He can't speak your tongue," Shisa says. "He understands, but unless you know the tongue, you won't get anything out of him. And he didn't attack this temple, but my temple."

He frowns. "Inconvenient." Clearly annoyed that the only one who could speak to them was apparently killed. He turns back to Shiso. "Ok then, why would they attack your temple? What did they teach there? Something these people found offensive?"

"Nothing!" Shisa says quickly, sounding defensive, "The Ao-Andon just attacked one night, and they burned the temple. Before that, I don't think anyone has ever seen the Ao-Andon."

Kamoa raises an eyebrow. "You were a priestess of nothing? That sounds strange." He sighs and kneels down, looking at Shiso. "Look" he begins, his voice calm and relaxed. "We just defended you against these people, I think we've earned a little good will on your part about what's going on and why." He smiles at her gently. "So please, tell us why they would attack your temple. If they have a name as a group, then they must stand for something. Why would they target your temple? "

Shisa pouts a bit.

"The Ao-Andon are what the rumors call them--in your tongue, it means 'blue lantern demons.' There are stories, but they've mostly kept to themselves. The Masters at the temple used to say that they were always 'the strange from another land.' No matter how far you travel, the Ao-Andon were always a strange group from a distant place. I think some of the priests didn't believe they existed at all, and they only told the children stories to tease us," she explains, sounding a little deflated. "It happened in the middle of the night, so I don't know why they attacked."

He tilts his head a bit. "What were the stories of them? That they hated a particular group? Or people who wandered into the woods? Anything like that?" His tone curious.

"I don't really remember all of them," she says. "Some of the older children would tease the younger children, telling us that if we didn't do what they said, the Ao-Andon would steal us away. Or some said that on the night of a new moon, if you were outside, you'd get attacked by a demon in blue light. Some just called them bandits or mercenaries, and others said they had a temple somewhere to the south."

She shakes her head. "But that's not important. They attacked my temple, and they attacked you! You should deal with him," she says, nodding at the bound captive, "and we need to get out of here."

Seemingly bored with the conversation, she prompts Phoon to follow her and disappears back into her hiding spot. "Imma get my stuff," you hear her say, faintly.

Kamoa frowns at the girls eagerness for killing, but then he looks around at the carnage from his companions, and figures it's apparently not an uncommon stance. Still, he wonders just what they taught at her temple. He turns to the captive, and starts to search him for anything of significance or identifying marks.

Kamoa finds nothing of interest with his cursory glance and pat down of the guy, but he's clearly too distracted by other thoughts to pay it much attention. He looks at the others. "Ideas? Thoughts? We've got a girl eager for his blood." He points at the captive. "And a group that's apparently willing to buy children from complete strangers, who may or may not be part of some boogey man cult used to scare children. But our only source of information, is the same girl who wants him dead. None of this is sounding good to me, from either side."

"Well, I don't see Baak Harrema anywhere. This must not be the shrine that he told me about. I don't know where we go from here but wherever we go, we have a little girl and her dog in tow for sure. As for this guy (here he kicks softly at the back of the man. Soft enough not to hurt but hard enough to tell the man his position), we either kill him or let the dog kill him, let him go, take him with us or leave him here in my binders. Although those binders did cost me 15 credits," He finished ruefully.

"He could be a nice bargaining chip if we run into more of his friends. Not that my specialty is a guard or fighter. I mainly fix things. Not break them."

Kamoa glances around the bodies. "I think we've shed enough blood without knowing what's truly going on for one night. I'll keep an eye on him if need be. Leaving him here tied up is the same as killing him most likely, but I'm not keen to let him go either." He glances at the others to see what their thoughts on the matter are.

Zik sighs. All this bloodshed, and no real information from either the prisoner or the little one he was threatening. He shakes his head slowly at the idea of keeping the hostile with them. " The enemy outside is no match for the enemy in your own home. Keeping him with us is too dangerous. We could leave him bound somewhere, perhaps in a tree outside these hallowed grounds. " The storyteller holds up the man's whip, coiled around his fist. " For extra security, maybe tie him up with this. Unless one of you wants the whip? "

Kai approaches the captive, rests a taloned claw gently upon his head, and seeks an answer in the Force... in vain. I guess we keep him alive .

I say we don their garb, and let this one lead us to their camp or outpost. Beneath these masks, broad-brimmed hats, and heavy cloaks, we could all be sporting blue feathers, and still pass, from even a short distance. There, perhaps, we may find our answers?

The man says something in his language. Nobody can understand it, but by his tone he sounds amused, derisive, and derogatory.

"That was just a threat--he said he's going to slit your throats if he gets the chance," Shisa says as she approaches. She now has a small traveling pack. "If you're not going to kill him, you might as well tie him up and leave him somewhere. He'll probably escape on his own anyway." She frowns. "Besides, you said you wanted to help me, but I'm not going with anybody who tried to kidnap me."

She reaches into her bag and...

the temple grounds are suddenly alive with the fires of [intent] and [purpose] and [thought]

...pulls out a small object. It has a polyhedron shape and appears to be made of some kind of crystal. It catches the light of the fusion lantern and turns a warm golden-orange ( or is that light glowing from within? ) as she holds it in her hands. "Master Saah told me to take this and sell it for supplies so I can get to the last temple, but if you're all willing to be my guards, you can have it. After you get us where I'm going, of course."

1 hour ago, Edgehawk said:

Kai approaches the captive, rests a taloned claw gently upon his head, and seeks an answer in the Force... in vain. I guess we keep him alive .

I say we don their garb, and let this one lead us to their camp or outpost. Beneath these masks, broad-brimmed hats, and heavy cloaks, we could all be sporting blue feathers, and still pass, from even a short distance. There, perhaps, we may find our answers?

Zik hands the whip to Kamoa and then chuckles at the bird-man's suggestion. "Very clever, Kai. You've flipped the proverb on its head. In that case, we become the enemies in the home rather than the enemies outside." The man spots the young priestess plodding back to the group with a pack, Ploon in tow. "The Ao-Andon may have answers, but maybe the little one can give us another path? Here she comes."

1 minute ago, Blackbird888 said:

The man says something in his language. Nobody can understand it, but by his tone he sounds amused, derisive, and derogatory.

"That was just a threat--he said he's going to slit your throats if he gets the chance," Shisa says as she approaches. She now has a small traveling pack. "If you're not going to kill him, you might as well tie him up and leave him somewhere. He'll probably escape on his own anyway." She frowns. "Besides, you said you wanted to help me, but I'm not going with anybody who tried to kidnap me."

She reaches into her bag and...

the temple grounds are suddenly alive with the fires of [intent] and [purpose] and [thought]

...pulls out a small object. It has a polyhedron shape and appears to be made of some kind of crystal. It catches the light of the fusion lantern and turns a warm golden-orange ( or is that light glowing from within? ) as she holds it in her hands. "Master Saah told me to take this and sell it for supplies so I can get to the last temple, but if you're all willing to be my guards, you can have it. After you get us where I'm going, of course."

"Interesting, little one. Let me get a better look at that..."