Success! Gunda is hard pressed not to feel too pleased with himself. This hasn't taken him long at all. He briefly wonders how the others are doing, before realizing he might not be out of the woods yet. The **** thing seems to be stuck in the ice, for some reason. The Dug, never one to go for complex solutions when an easier one might present itself, picks up a hefty rock with his right foot and starts to carefully bash at the ice, trying to break enough of it to get to the crystal. "Come here, don't be shy," he mutters to himself as he works away, ice fractures showering him as he hammers the ice with the rock.

After the experience with the cat, Svae is very reluctant to let Perig go again, but Perig manages to get away again! He runs, scuttles, and flies down the tunnelc although a bit slower this time as he is hurt from his encounter with the cat.

Svae, determined not to let Perig out of his sight again, runs after him as fast as his small, 8 year old, Polis Massan legs let him.

"Ouch!"

The sudden shock is something Walden isn't expecting.

"...Agh, I always hate it when Master Sellas is right..." he mutters in his breath. Walden decides that he might as well calm himself down and get a hold of the situation. He tries to sit down and meditate.

The large concentrations of Force power are still too much for Walden to penetrate through, and the pain from the shock distracts him from focusing. Hopefully, Walden thinks, he's learned something of value. At least, he's learned not to stick his hand into unknown alcoves.

The sunken Alter has Zoroku intrigued he steps towards it trying to get a better look, ' I nteresting the alter seems to be buried, what, or whom could have done that.'

Walden keeps on meditating, but all it's doing is tiring him out.

Impatience is setting in faster than Walden expected. If he is going to make good on his oath, sitting here is not working at all. He has to make it up to those that didn't live.

"Come on, come on...I need something, anything!"

And then, pieces of rock start falling around an alcove right in front of him. Immediately, Walden sticks his right arm deep into the alcove. Another shock pushes his hand away, preventing access. But this time, Walden isn't deterred.

"This has to be the right one. I know it..."

Walden stares at the alcove for a moment, and remembers a time where he was sparring with Master Sellas.

"Walden, you're not taking your time to learn the situation." he says, effortlessly parrying Walden's blows. "Rushing your attacks leaves you open. You will be in the eye of the storm, guarding your fellow Jedi. And being in the eye requires one's focus, to think about what you're doing. Sometimes, the same approach in a different manner is all it takes..."

Walden thinks about it for a moment. "Rushing it is giving me nothing but pain...what if I push my arm in slow and steady?"

He takes a deep breath, and slowly pushes his right arm in the alcove.

Something falls into his hand. At first touch, Walden pulls his hand out...

And in his hand lies a crystal.

Walden takes a moment to realize what's happened. And then it hits him.

"Haha, I did it!"

Gunda is making good progress. The ice shatters under every blow and the Dug hammers the ice again and again. He only stops when he turns the rock the wrong way and catches his toe between the rock and the ice. "Ahrr, frakk it all to he..." he begins, sucking at his bruised toe. As he pauses he looks at the ice. He may have felt like he was making progress, but when he looks at the ice, there is only a few small scratches in the ice.

"Impossible," he mutters. He grabs the rock with renewed fervor and attacks the ice like it owes him credits, hammering at it until he is panting with exhaustion. He stops to catch his breath and slumps against the ice when he realizes the ice is as solid as it was before he started. "This isn't working," he says, annoyed, and drops the rock at his hands. He looks longingly at the imperfection in the ice. At that tiny blue speck that he's hoping is the kyber crystal he's looking for.

"If I can't get through the ice, perhaps there is a way around it," he muses. He turns back, looking for alcoves or cracks in the tunnel walls he might have missed on his way there, getting increasingly frustrated as he finds nothing.

And then the Dug is back at the ice wall, trying to figure out how to get to the little imperfection. He clenches his feet in frustration, trying to figure out a way to break the ice, before he forces himself to calm down. After a little while he sits down, focuses his breath and meditates for a little while. He gets no hints on how to proceed.

Thoughts of doubt come unbidden to his mind. Perhaps this isn't even a crystal. Perhaps he is meant to fail. Master Vrook might be right. Perhaps he will make a terrible Jedi. He should just stop this Force-nonsense and concentrate on what he does well. Racing. His mind wanders, recalling the daring overtakes, the narrow escapes since his racing days.

"I guess this isn't my future after all," he says to himself, disbelief in his voice. "I'm not meant to be a Jedi then. It's all been a waste of everyone's time," he says, surprised to hear sadness in his voice. "And now I'm talking to myself like a lunatic," he scolds himself uselessly.

He gets up and looks at the imperfection in the clear ice wall. If he only had an up-tuned XR-1200 model racing plasma thruster he could melt this wall to slag in a few seconds. But he doesn't. And nothing the Jedi have taught him helps with getting a crystal nugget out of a solid slab of ice.

The Dug uselessly puts his right foot up against the ice, the toes splayed over where the imperfection in the ice lies. "Guess I should get back. Don't wan't another of those ice walls waiting for me when I get up," he mutters, the palm of his dexterous right foot melting a tiny amount of ice with the heat from his body.

Kataddik closes his eyes shutting out the specter's voice and image from his mind and walks past it.

1 hour ago, Rabobankrider said:

Quel would cross the narrow bride over the chasm, convinced of the route he was taking. As he crosses the bride, he would eventually reach the other side and the blue glow he had followed begun to shift. It changed from the rich blue colour to verging on a pale white. The rocks were eventually replaced with great layers of ice. He would enter a chasm that appeared to be a large frozen pond. At the centre there seemed to be a small fishing hole, and from within, what looks like a glistening rock. The pond is not deep, from the edge of the pond, you could already see the bottom of the pond. A single step onto the surface though would prove the ice to be supernaturally slippy. Crossing this was going to be no simple feat.

More determined than ever, Quell set out to get that crystal, splaying his hands and feet to spread his body weight as much as possible over the ice. He tries to use this spider-crawl method to reach the hole.

"Come on..." he says, gingerly placing each appendage in turn on the magically slippery ice.

As Muu began to plummet with gravity towards the dark abyss he would hurdle his entire body extending his grip towards the cliff's edge. The fortunate Iktotchi youngling fingers would attain just enough grip to prevent his descent into darkness. Muu's body would feel the tension of the gravity pulling down as he almost experienced death. The young cliffhanger would immediately receive a flash vision of the fringe of the bedrock shattering where he grasped. Exiting the vision, Muu placed fierce urgency to pull himself up over the cliff's edge onto a secure surface. Muu with great strength lifted himself over the edge rolling away from the inky black abyss. Weary from his near peril decision, Muu would center himself by slowing his breath down. Internally, he would say " You were selected for this trial " glancing back at the crystal in mid suspension. Muu would extend his arm out, reach with his fingers and close his eyes to feel the crystal's powerful presence. Breathing more steadily, Muu could sense the crystal through the Force by recognizing it was within the mind eye's reach. Muu focused firmly on the atomic structure of the crystal and swiftly pulled it toward his hand's grasp! A sense of joy and relief sweep through Muu's heart as he open his eyes seeing the crystal in the palm of his hand. He said to himself " Incredible !!!" with great awe in his accomplishment. As Muu return his focus back to his environment, he would think " Time to get off this cliff! ". The overjoyed youngling, now a padawan would begin a light jog back to the main chamber were Master Vrook resides.

Matt remembers his vision and wonders, what was that tornado thing? Perhaps the test was going to be a test of fear. He also remembers something else. He was going to the dark side. There is no hope.

Were they burning bones? Was this some Jedi death cult where they sent the trainees they didn't want, it wouldn't surprise Tiberius he had seen the look's he had been given in the temple. The first few years he had even been bullied until he beat them in a fight, if he had learned anything at the temple it was that Mandalorians, while not often openly discussed, were to be regarded with hate and distaste, and he was sick of it. "What have you got there?" He hollered at the circle of figures, all the while wading through the stinking, knee deep, ash that surrounded his figure.

On 10/27/2017 at 4:16 PM, Rabobankrider said:

The whispering around Gaze would seem to cease as he actively listens. However as soon as he continues waling, it would return, louder, more clearly. 'M, mand, mandalore, mandalore, mandalore'. Over and over it would chant, like the marching chant of an army coming over the hills. Even if he had never heard the chant, Gaze knew who it belonged to, and he knew what they had done. The noise was almost definitely coming from the alcoves set in the wall, and continued to raise in decibel.

Gaze would focus on the path, and ignore the sounds of the chanting. He would try and remember the lessons of his teachers, about controlling his fear. It is the little death, you must face it and let is pass. There is no way a Mandalorian regiment just happened to be on Ilium, and in this tunnel with him. He would try and practice his breathing techniques and continue down the hall.

As Gaze moves forward, the chanting would continue, no longer a whisper, but ringing load and true, echoing off the walls, surrounding the boy. Before too long, he could see the end of the tunnel, a tall archway framed inky blackness before him. The voices would change as the arch comes into sight though. They would become less ordered, shifting from chanting to shouting, screaming. It was like being in the middle of a battle, and then there were new voices. Voices Gaze recognized, people from his village. He heard them cry for help, pleading for their lives. It sounded so real, it would be difficult to ignore. Within the darkness of the archway, a single speck of blue light would appear in the centre of the blackness. Perhaps the boys crystal? He would have to press on to be sure.

The strangers would remain silent as Tiberius approaches. It would not be till he reached them that they would react, like statues coming to life. It was clear that they were Mandalorians, but their armour was strange. It was not the crusader armour that they were known for, this looked bulkier, more integrated into a single piece. There were five individuals in total stood in a circle. Three had their armour painted in a rich blue, while another was a brilliant red. The final Mandalorian stood opposite Tiberius wore golden coloured armour, and in his hand he held what looked like an ancient ceremonial sword. Knelt between them was a young man, dressed in a Republic uniform. His head was covered in blood, he looked badly injured and defeated. As Tiberius reaches them, the head Mandalorian looked up at the boy, holding the sword out to him to take. 'There is no mercy for the weak, for the defeated' he would growl, the others nodding solemnly in agreement.

Unfortunately for Matt, there was no way to go but forwards, not if he wanted his crystal. As he steps into the room, the dust would spring to life, just as he had seen it do in his vision. Within moments it would envelop him in a whirling vortex, transforming into the brilliant colours of red and gold. For the boy it was as if he was standing in the centre of a fire. He could just about see the crystal though the vortex, but he begun to see and hear other things as well. He could hear screams of pain, images of loved ones being slaughtered, and all the while he could hear a voice just behind him. 'What if you're not strong enough? What if you fail? You are weak! You will only do more harm than good! Why not quit?' This psychological battering would continue, seeming to have no end. He had to get to the crystal as soon as possible.

Quell would not find the challenge of reaching the crystal easy. The surface was perfectly smooth, little to no traction could be achieved by the boy. All the while the glinting from the pond continued to taunt him as he struggles.

Kataddik would reach the centre of the cave, though the Trandoshan had not gone anywhere just yet. 'What'sss the matter ssslave? Do you know how many of your kin I have caught, have killed? Thisss isss your chance for jussstice. Why not take it?' To the Wookie's left, the small tunnel gave off a faint blue glow, while the Trandoshan had moved to stand in the mouth of the tunnel opposite it. 'What'sss it to be ssslave?' he says tauntingly.

As Gunda begun to calm down, accepting the difficulty of the situation, it was then that something interesting happened. The ice around his foot would begin to melt, much faster than he could have expected. Within a few moments, his foot had sunk deep within ice. Perhaps he could do the same again to reach his crystal?

Zoroku would notice something of interest as he approaches the alter. Along the base, there was a tiny mess of gears and wheels. What they were for, it was difficult to say. However this was not the only thing of interest in the room. As he approaches the alter, he would hear a noise coming from the pile of rubble. A groan perhaps? It would be difficult to tell at this moment.

Perig would not go much further up the corridor before pausing, seeming to look for something. It was then that the cat reappeared. With a hiss, it would leap forward, pouncing on the insect once more. This time though, there was a low crunch. As the feline turns to face the boy, Perig would no longer be moving, lying between its attacker and the youngling. Rather than fleeing into the shadows like before, the cat would remain, watching the boy closely.

Muu would be the first to arrive at the entrance to the cave, the first to see Master Vrook deep in meditation. The ice had already grown back over the entrance a surprisingly large amount. He must have been in there longer than he thought. Vrook would not stir as the boy approaches, but Muu would not be left alone for long.

Walden would appear shortly after Muu. With nothing left to do in the caves, the only thing left to do was to leave and return to the entrance. He would emerge through the entrance to see Muu and Vrook bathe in the sunlight from above.

Kataddik walks past the phantom towards the blue light.

Muu would be surprised to be the first to return in Master Vrook’s presence. The Padawan would sit nearby the Master and attempt to restore any imbalances due to fatigue in meditation. Before entering in a deep trance, Muu would smile at the return of Walden as if greeting the new Padawan.

"This is impossible," Gunda says with disbelief as the ice begins to melt. He tries to understand what is happening, and can only conclude that he is in someway affecting the ice through the Force. Encouraged, he keeps his foot pressed against the melting ice, willing the ice to melt enough for his foot to grasp at whatever is buried within.

4 hours ago, Rabobankrider said:

Zoroku would notice something of interest as he approaches the alter. Along the base, there was a tiny mess of gears and wheels. What they were for, it was difficult to say. However this was not the only thing of interest in the room. As he approaches the alter, he would hear a noise coming from the pile of rubble. A groan perhaps? It would be difficult to tell at this moment.

' Interesting there seems to be a mechanism controlling this Alter... What it does I have no clue, its function is likely hidden by the ice. ' Zoroku thought to himself, then he heard what seemed to be a groan coming from the rubble. Zoroku moved closer to it trying to figure out if there in fact was someone beneath all the rocks.

On 10/27/2017 at 5:16 PM, Rabobankrider said:

The rubble did not seem to have come from the wall, rather it looked as if it had been placed there by hand

'It is unlikely that someone was covered in rocks, these do not seem like they came from a cave in, more so in fact that they were placed here.' Zoroku thought as he moved closer to the rock pile he had dismissed before. ' From what I understand only Jedi frequent these caves, could this be a youngling buried underneath by a rival? That would be uncharacteristic from what I've seen at the temple. ' Zoroku began to examine the pile for signs of life, if there was someone alive underneath he would want to help them. He began moving some of the lighter rocks around maybe his Infrared vision could help him to determine a warmer body stuck underneath all the cold rocks and ice.

When Walden gets out of the entrance, he sees Muu and Vrook meditating. He sees Muu's smile and responds back, quitely saying to Muu one phrase before he meditates to try and recover:

"Thank you."

"No. The man was doing his duty and has been defeated, there is no honor in killing him unarmed. If you truly wish for me to kill him, give him a weapon so he may at least try to defend himself." Tiberius responds to the Mandalorian, what were they doing down here? How had they gotten so deep in the caves? Tiberius was filled with questions as he took the blade and pointed it down towards the ground, "What has he done to oppose the will of Mand'alor?"

The Mandalorian would audibly growl at the boys response, jabbing a finger at the boys face. 'He is Republic, you are Taung! You are Mandalorian! It is the duty of every one of us to follow the ways of the Mandalorians. You die as you live, and the Republic has lived a life on their knees. They are weak, decadent, and deserve no other fate'. He would pause before pointing at the bloodied man. 'Kill him!'

As Zoroku approaches the pile of rubble, he could just about make out a living being, trapped beneath. It looked like a initiate, a human dressed in the same style robes as Zoroku. As he approaches, a young girls voice would emerge, muffled by the rocks. 'H-hello? Please help! Please!'

Behind him though, he heard a low rumble. The mechanism at the base of the alter had begun to whir into life. The altar had begun to sink into the ground at a worrying pace. The boy wasn't going to have time to help the girl and collect his crystal. He was going to have to choose one or the other.

Kataddik tunes out the phantom's taunts. Reaching out, he plucks a small crystal shard from the cavern as the phantom fades away. Then, turning back, the big Wookiee returns to the main chamber.

39 minutes ago, Rabobankrider said:

As Zoroku approaches the pile of rubble, he could just about make out a living being, trapped beneath. It looked like a initiate, a human dressed in the same style robes as Zoroku. As he approaches, a young girls voice would emerge, muffled by the rocks. 'H-hello? Please help! Please!'

It seemed almost immediately after he had started to move the rocks that he noticed the a warmer shape appear underneath the rocks, upon hearing a voice Zoroku quickened his speed. he began tossing the rocks as fast as he possibly could.

40 minutes ago, Rabobankrider said:

Behind him though, he heard a low rumble. The mechanism at the base of the alter had begun to whir into life. The altar had begun to sink into the ground at a worrying pace. The boy wasn't going to have time to help the girl and collect his crystal. He was going to have to choose one or the other.

' So that's what it does... this is troublesome... if I help the girl I likely lose my chance at being able to learn how to beat the Sith...', he thought to himself as he saw what was going on with the alter. 'But if I let her die it is unlikely I will get that chance either, maybe... I could throw the rocks I remove from the girl to break the Mechanism!' Zoroku prepared himself to throw a rock at the Mechanism he'd likely only get one shot.

"You are correct! I am Taung which is why I demand a fair fight! I will not dishonor myself, my Clan and Mandalore by killing in cold blood. Give him a weapon!" Tiberius shouts back, "There is no honor in cold-blooded murder, the Taung, the Mandalorians, leave that to them." He points to the Republic soldier, "Make him stand. Or I will take one of your weapons and give it to him." Tiberius stands there keeping the point of his blade facong down. "Our way is one of honor, the Taung have been honorable warriors since the battles against the Zhell, I see no reason to stop now."

14 hours ago, Rabobankrider said:

Quell would not find the challenge of reaching the crystal easy. The surface was perfectly smooth, little to no traction could be achieved by the boy. All the while the glinting from the pond continued to taunt him as he struggles.

Coordination on ice (flipping a Destiny Point) : 1eP+1eA+1eC+2eD 2 failures

Quell completely loses any traction, and slides out onto the ice.

"Gah! Cold!" He says. "Should have spent more time on mission training."