The Demon Moon

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

"Welcome to the Demon Moon." Nadgkema's voice cut the silence as she descended the boarding ramp. She looked at the other members of the Penumbra she had taken with her to this trip to Dxun. The moon was filled with wild and dangerous life, and a perfect ground for survival training, including Force skills.

The brown haired beauty had always had fondness for this place, since she had first been brought here as a child when beginning her education as royal handmaiden. She had made sure to take the group away from the lands used by the Onderonian trainers and from the smaller Mandalorian enclaves that existed on the moon. The world was large enough for everyone to find their own spot, especially as most avoided it, due to how deadly the place could be.

"I saw a Zakkeg from afar as we flew to our landing spot. Finding and killing shall happen before nightfall." This wasn't a question. They would have to prove how much they had trained and find a way to kill that dangerous predator.

Dxun had a lot of entertaining suprises and with her extensive knowledge of the planet, flora and fauna, Nadgkema would push everyone in the group, including herself, so they could go better themselves.

[Torgeir DeHaan]

Humid air filled the cabin once the ramp lowered and the door opened and Torgeir shouldered his pack and followed Nadgkema down into the tall grass. Wearing a simple, long sleeved shirt and cargo-like pants and boots. He knew enough about this moon to know that it contained a host of dangerous predators and he thought brothers of girls that his friends got in trouble with were bad. Echoing calls of various avians bounced through the forest around them and he could already imagine them telling everyone else within earshot that a banquet had just arrived.

They were going to have a time taking him down, the Corellian determined.

Turning his attention to their guide on this hunting adventure, Torgeir realized that she meant business and apparently they were going to be eating this thing for dinner, or starve. The look on her face gave him the impression that either they or the animal was going to be eating well tonight. He also had the feeling that Nadgkema had no intentions on being the main course either. Nodding, the neophyte opened himself to the Force the way that Jacob had taught him and began searching for the creature.

[Valeska Van-Derveld]

Tonight the Archduchess had set aside her silks and jewels in favor of garments more suited to the terrain of the largest of Onderon's moons, Dxun. The Demon's Moon, it was called. Valeska was not unfamiliar with the moon, or what awaited them on it having done her fair bit of research in the archives before committing to the excursion, as her Lady Librarian Master would have counseled. Still, reading of a subject and experiencing it were very different indeed. The moon was rich with the Darkside of the Force, not unlike Dagobah, which had not been a very pleasant experience for the young lupine heiress.

This time she was not going alone though..

She followed Torgeir and Nadgkema down the ramp, grateful for the lightsaber at her hip. More so grateful that her experience in the ways of the Force had grown since her trip to Dagobah.

[Chrysothemis]

Much like the Archduchess, the Marquess had adopted a far more sensible manner of dress for this training excursion to Dxun. It was with Daniel's blessing that she had asked to accompany Nadgkema and the others, in the hopes that it would be one step closer to her attaining the rank of Acolyte. Too long had she spent as a Neophyte, wasting valuable time within the Penumbra on trivial things.

Granted, some of that fault lay with the reasons she had spent some few years away from Ruusan entirely. And Amethyst? She could not regret one moment spent with her daughter, or any moment spent ensuring her safety and well-being. Truly, the little one was well worth any sacrifice imaginable.

Chrysothemis stepped down the ramp a scant few moments after the others, taking pains to settle her swords perfectly in the crossed scabbards worn on her back. Her lightsaber, as it was only a training blade, was useless in this environment, and thus remained securely aboard the shuttle. Her wits, her blades, and her power would carry her through this trial.

Crimson eyes narrowed as she opened herself to the ebb and flow of the Force, fingers absently ensuring that her locks remained secure within the bun she had confined them to. It was, all in all, a look the woman was not accustomed to in her daily life, but a necessary one. One could not, after all, traipse about a feral jungle moon in silks and stilettos.

Well. One could.

But one would not survive long.

"Northeast." she said softly, after the silence had descended between the four of them. Looking toward Torgeir and Valeska, she nodded. "Are either of you picking up the same direction for the creature?"

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema observed the three other Dark Jedi she had taken with her to Dxun. Being back on the grounds where she had first learned to survive, kill and become predator instead of prey, was invigorating. It gave her both a bizarre sense of peaceful accomplishment and stirred the animal side of her, concealed under layers of poise and grace.

She had faith in the three others, for the task she had assigned to them. She knew they would have a nice meal to eat for dinner. They just had to kill the food first, track it and take it down.

She didn't say a word, her gem like eyes going from one to the other among the trio.

[Torgeir DeHaan]

Being in such company would be the envy of any man, he mused and as Chrysothemis had already picked out a direction, the Corellian nodded, his own touch to the Force being honed after several excursions with Jacob and others that he had met along the way. Nodding, Torgeir began trekking in that direction, the tall grass swishing with each long stride as his pride wouldn't allow the females in his group to be harmed in this venture. His grandfather would have his hide tacked to the break room door at work for all to see if he failed. The unspoken promise one that drove him onward with not but a long knife on his belt.

Bravery or brashness?

"Start a fire, I'll be right back," he stated without thought, forgetting that most of those with him were more capable with the Force and had much more training than he did. That was beside the point, he was male and it was expected.

Disappearing into the dense jungle, his chrome metal left arm remained a beacon for a few brief moments before his form was fully consumed. Sounds of the large avians and other creatures that inhabited this moon echoed through the high boughs, keeping his own movements quiet to the prey that he was now stalking. Unsheathing the long knife, the dark jedi opened himself to the flora and fauna around him awaiting that one danger that would try and claim his life. Confident in his own ability, he wasn't about to admit that he was out of his depth here. Corellian back alleys and cantinas were a totally different beast.

A loud, croaking call made him stop in his tracks, listening as the rest of the animals around him also became silent. The creature he was hunting was perhaps calling him out and Torgier was going to answer as he pushed forward, closing with the predator. Through the parting bushes, he soon saw the scaly armored target standing on the shore of a stream, it's solid black eyes scanning the far shore as Torgeir crouched and slowly moved toward it, keeping to the cover of the large tree trunks and bushes between them. Unfortunately ignoring the fact that he was upwind...

[Valeska Van-Derveld]

Valeska's sensitive lupine sense of smell was picking up the scent of another predator on the air. Were she in wolf form, her hackles would have been raised in distaste. It made her confrontational, the smell. She wanted to find it quickly and put it down . A new scent on the air, the scent of death would let the rest of the moon's denizens know that new predators walked among them now, ones capable of taking down a zakkeg.

"I smell it.", was all she said. The petite archduchess had a shine on her eyes, one that said her vision was already scanning with the eyes of an apex hunter.

Her eyes swung after Torgeir as he moved deeper into the jungle. She would not have gone that way.. Her eyes lifted to meet Chrysa's and then Nadgekema's, she shrugged and quietly stole after Torgeir. They had already proven they could do alright together when they had to. She would make sure nothing ate him, he was a nice guy. She was pretty sure he wouldn't let anything eat her.

Stepping into the trees, the Dark Jedi curled her fingers around the hilt of the weapon she carried, yellow in color and single bladed, she had worked on it's original design to make sure it would not short out in water again, but it was not truly hers. It belonged to Killian Quane, and she was just borrowing it. Still, she had been through much with the hilt in her hand, and it had begun to feel familiar to her. It would serve her well on this trip, she felt.

The Darkside of the Force was present in this place, she could tell in the way it make the animal in her act in aggression. She was ready for a fight, the blood in her veins pumping quicker with each step she took. Still, she could use this experience as well. You had to understand a thing to be in control of it, and so far.. she remained in control.

Rounding the path of her Penumbra brother, she followed the stream a while before stepping into the floor of water and coming back in his direction. Well, he'd found the zakkeg. The beast was charging at the opposite side of the river, right at the tree line.

Kicking a spray of water at it, the diminutive lady bared her teeth, which were suddenly fanged. She growled low and menacingly at the zakkeg, letting it know there was more than one contender in it's territory.