Ghost Ship
Ahsoka started her latest venture at some abandoned docks. They weren't so abandoned after all as Phantom Skulls slowly floated towards her. As she struck each of them with the Vampire Killer, they burst into flame. After fighting through several Flail Guards, she reached an opening into a shipwreck. Before she could enter, she was ambushed by two Blade Masters. Neither got a chance to stab their blades into her, she anticipated their move and managed to defeat her enemies when they had their back turned briefly.
As she entered the shipwreck, the waves were rocking the insides, almost bringing Ahsoka to seasickness. "Ohhhhh ! This movement is really messing with my stomach. The last thing I need right now is to end up sick !" Several more steps and her montrals caught the sound of an arrow being ready for release. In the darkness, a Bone Archer waited to surprise her. Thanks to her sensitive hearing, she anticipated the attack and leapt as the arrow was released. Before the Bone Archer could load up another arrow, she cracked the whip several times and the enemy soon crumbled into flames.
She went further down into the shipwreck and encountered her first real "otherworldly" foe : The Spectral Sword. Basically a large floating sword controlling other weapons to strike at a given target. In this case, there was several types of swords, spears, lances and maces at its disposal. Before the weapons could be unleashed towards her, Ahsoka quickly attacked the Spectral Sword. Defeating it caused the weapons to fall down to the floor, rendering them harmless. She entered a room where 3 Bone Archers tried their best to get in a hit. None came close. Ahsoka's added speed as a Jedi and her Togrutan flexibility she was born with make her incredibly difficult to hit for the majority of foes. She kept on, ignoring a large painting in the middle of the room. She reached a door, but it was covered with thorny vines. "Now how am I gonna get past this ? Let's try breaking these vines with the Vampire Killer." No effect. She tried every sub-weapon with the exception of the Stopwatch as it wouldn't be useful in this case.
Her montrals catch the sound of something flying nearby. She turns around and to her surprise, it's the painting she ignored earlier that's flying around. "A flying painting ? Now there's something you don't see everyday ! Perhaps I need to "defeat" it ? It worked with that spooky sword earlier, could work with this thing as well." She began to strike at the painting when it got too close. While it made no noise when hit, it backed off momentarily before attempting to attack again. After several hits, the painting burned to pieces. As it did, the vines burned off of the door as well. She entered the door and found a room with a broken stairway leading up. There was a also a Bone Musket, poised and waiting to shoot at anything in range. As she climbed the stairs, she felt the projectile passing between her montrals. The Bone Musket loaded his gun for another shot, but Ahsoka managed to land a hit, causing it to groan loudly as it burned away.
She soon found herself on the deck of the ship, Flea Men riding eagles attacked her relentlessly. She managed to clear her way through them all the while fighting Plate Lords and avoiding their iron ball and chain strike. Eventually, she found a doorway leading to the upper masts of the ship. As expected being a Ghost Ship, the masts were rugged and deteriorating. As she climbed the masts, she stopped for a moment. "What's this ? I feel cold all of a sudden. I feel a great surge of darkness. But it's not the Dark Side of the Force. Could it be that floating scythe-wielding maniac that almost killed Richter when I first got here ?"
As she reached the topmost mast, thunder rumbled in the distance. A shadow materialized. Ahsoka's feelings were right. She was about to face Dracula's long-term, right-hand man, Death.
"Ah. So you've survived still ? It appears I might have misjudged your ability to get this far. What is your power, little girl ? I sense a strong emanation of Light flowing through you... yet there is a faint presence of Darkness present as well. It matters not, you will soon be served to my Master. Sliced and diced to his preference ! Prepare to die, foolish girl !"
Death summoned many small scythes from the void and they zeroed in on her location. In order to avoid being cut everywhere, she had to keep moving. She also had to be careful to avoid falling off the mast. Ahsoka managed to get a few hits on her enemy, but not without suffering a few small cuts, one being on her back lek. She had to pull herself together to keep from screaming in agony.
After several more lucky hits, Death rushed back at a distance and launched a group of large skulls towards her direction. Ahsoka was smart to choose to keep running as the skulls whizzed past her. Soon, Death unveiled his true self, a full body, capable of movement. He leapt right before her, slashing with his enormous scythe. She had to keep her distance as she could be decapitated in one fell swoop. Before she went for the last attack, Death jumped into the air and whirled into the air with his scythe towards her. This brought her teetering to the edge of the mast. Death slowly crept towards her.
"Don't even think about it, sleemo ! If I'm going down, I'm taking YOU with ME !"
As Death lunged for the final strike, Ahsoka was one second faster than him. The Grim Reaper lost control of his scythe, launching itself in the air only to fall back right on his master, decapitating him in the process ! As Death lost his head, his body disintegrated into thin air.
Ahsoka felt her back lek, immense pain shot through her whole body. She fell to her knees, on the verge of crying. Fortunately, the magical orb appeared and brought her back to her former self. The pain quickly dissipated and the gashes closed themselves relatively quickly.
She looked forward and saw an abandoned monastery. No doubt this was where Dracula was brought back to life by means of some hellish sacrifice.
Meanwhile, aboard the Resolute...
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were in the hangar, waiting for a specific ship to arrive.
Anakin couldn't stop pacing back and forth. "What is taking them so long ?!"
Obi-Wan merely raised an eyebrow towards his old Padawan. "Patience is definitely not one of your virtues, Anakin. When the scouts arrive, we'll know if there has been any news on Ahsoka's whereabouts. You need to relax."
"Relax ?! My Padawan has been MIA for 7 rotations and you expect me to relax ? Something happened to her, Obi-Wan. It can't be good. R2 has been trying over and over to pick up on R7's signals and he still isn't picking up anything ! I'm at my wits end, Master ! I don't know what to do anymore..." He cried silently in despair.
"You shouldn't have to do anything... Our spies within the Confederacy have confirmed that she wasn't captured. Hondo Ohnaka hasn't seen her either... We've even asked Senator Bonteri and he's clueless as everyone else." Obi-Wan argued.
Finally, the scouts arrived. Anakin quickly ran to their ship.
"Boil, Fives... any luck ?"
They looked at each other before giving their report. "We're sorry, General. No sign of Commander Tano anywhere. We've scoured all systems and planets of the Inner and Outer Rim. No one we asked has seen her..."
Anakin sighed in frustration. "All right. You did look every possible known location. Thanks for trying. You're dismissed, both of you."
Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "You should trust in the Force more. You've trained her well to this point, Anakin. She will find her way back... eventually. I have no doubt on that matter."
Both Jedi resumed their typical duties, eagerly awaiting Ahsoka's return safe and sound to them.
I'm on a roll, aren't I ? I don't know where I'm getting this sudden inspiration, but I'll keep at it until I finish this story. In the next chapter, Ahsoka will be facing off against the Dark Priest, Shaft. It will be a tense chapter as it's basically a series of battles after another. Feel free to leave a review.