(Author's Note: Guess who's baaaaaaaaaaaack?!
Yeah, been a little while. Well...a long little while. Sorry for the hiatus. This is the start of a new schedule that I'm confident will work. Updating three stories per week, meaning every story gets updated every other week. Skywalker's Return assigned days will be Mondays.
Been a pretty good weekend. My eldest sister (I'm the youngest of five, two brothers and two sisters) actually got married on Friday! It was the first wedding I'd been to, so I didn't know what to expect. But it was a lovely ceremony. My dad, my other sister, and my youngest brother (I mean that he's the youngest out of my four siblings, excluding me. He's still over twice my age) were joking that she should have used all the money for this wedding (my dad said he's literally broke after it) for something else. Maybe she should have, but the ceremony was still amazing. Got to see all of my nieces and nephews, which was pretty fun (as much as it was annoying). It was a good weekend, and I'm very happy for her (even if her husband can be a little be frustrating. But then again...so can EVERYONE else in the family, so none of us can really talk;) ).
Bellatrix Lestrange-TheDarkOne: Well, it makes sense that the MCU needs to curb some of its characters. Nearly every character in the MCU is pretty weak in comparison to their comic counterpart. Thor could destroy planets, Hulk could hold up a one hundred and fifty BILLION ton mountain (for a while), and even the Infinity Gauntlet has been said on MULTIPLE occasions to grant the wielder with omnipotence (whereas the MCU depiction is damaged after effecting ONLY half of the universe, while its comic counterpart was able to do the same thing effortlessly). And yes…Stan Lee will be deeply missed.
And now let's get on with the story:)
Chapter Ten: New Discoveries
Anakin leapt up, flipped through the air, and landed, using the momentum to roll and pick himself back up into a ran. This morning, Anakin had decided to go out for a jog like he'd seen a lot (and he meant…a lot) of people do on Earth.
Although…he'd never seen anyone run and leap across the roofs of buildings like he was currently doing. But, that's besides the point.
Seeing as how the jog wasn't really anything difficult, Anakin let his mind wander to the events that took place less then twenty-four hours. He'd encountered his first Sith in more then half a century, and had met three others who could prove to be allies in his war against the New Sith Empire.
Wolverine seemed like a very dangerous person. He was aggressive, violent in combat, could heal at very quick rates, and, apparently, can grow metal claws from his knuckles! Just when he's thought he's seen it all.
However dangerous Wolverine was, Anakin was certain that Hulk was even more dangerous. His strength was insane, and his skin actually seemed impervious to that of a lightsaber (something he hasn't seen since the Zillo Beast during his time fighting in the Clone Wars).
And then there's Valkyrie. She's an…interesting person to say the least. She was a very capable warrior, that much was certain. But…he also found out (to his surprise) that she was a drunk. A pretty big one at that. Nearly as soon as they had gotten to Anakin's apartment, Valkyrie hadn't wasted any time in searching for alcohol. She found some in barely a minute, and started chugging it down like her life depended on it.
Less then half an hour after they reached the apartment, Valkyrie had (literally) just…passed out of the floor. Like…just collapsed where she stood. Anakin just (after a few moments of just staring at her in both confusion and growing frustration/disappoint) picked her up and placed her on the bed (on her side, as he remembered that you weren't supposed to put drunks like this on their backs), ever the gentlemen he was, and lied down on the room's green couch.
Anakin woke up pretty early the next day, finding his dark-skinned companion still being unconscious. As to give her a chance to wake up (and as a little workout, combined with some slight boredom), Anakin had decided to go off for the jog that he was currently on.
Anakin brought himself to a stop as he landed on the roof of his building, letting out a breath as he wiped sweat off of his forehead.
With a final look off to the (now) risen sun in the distance and the city illuminated by its light, Anakin decided to head back to his room. Maybe Valkyrie is FINALLY awake, Anakin thought to himself with a snort.
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Anakin opened the door to his room and was greeted with the Valkyrie lying on the bed, eyes shut with her right hand on her forehead.
"Well, look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living," Anakin couldn't help but joke.
"Unless you want a sword in your throat, you'll shut up for the foreseeable future," Valkyrie commented with even moving from her position or opening her eyes.
Anakin chuckled, "Little cranky from all the drinking?"
Valkyrie held up her left hand, showing that she was currently holding her sword, "Just in case you didn't believe that I actually had it."
Anakin held up his hands in surrender, "Alright, I'm done."
Suddenly, Anakin felt a…sensation come over him. More specifically his head. It wasn't precisely true pain…more like a form of weird/uncomfortable feeling. Anakin put a hand to his head, trying (and failing) to figure out precisely what this feeling was.
I assume you could detect it as well Skywalker, Anakin flinched at the voice that appeared in his head. Before he recognized it.
"Bendu," Anakin whispered in (slight) surprise.
Valkyrie turned to the Jedi, "What?"
Anakin ignored (or just didn't hear) her, simply choosing to respond in his mind, What is it?
Is that how you respond to an old friend, Bendu teased.
Bendu!
Alright, alright fine. The presence, Bendu spoke, his voice suddenly growing serious, Have you felt it?
Yes. Do you know what it is? It doesn't feel evil or dark in anyway. Though the sheer signature feels…massive. What is it?
An emergence from far off the coast of this land, somewhere in the middle of the ocean. It's something I've been able to detect for some time now. I'm not surprised that you haven't until now. Your powers are still developing from your resurrection, and the structure has been buried beneath the planet's surface for billions of years.
What structure? Anakin asked.
"Hey, Skywalker," Valkyrie waved Anakin, but he remained oblivious.
A Jedi Temple, Bendu answered plainly.
Anakin couldn't keep his surprise back, "What?!" His (temporary) roommate visibly flinched at his sudden yelling.
Well…that's actually a bit of "false advertising". It's not PRECISELY a Jedi Temple, but rather a temple that was utilized by an ancient Force religion many eons ago. This planet has been all but barren of Force-sensitives since their time, before this year. And it's possible, although not certain, that that the temple itself is reacting to all of the Force signatures recently. You, the Sith, and even myself (to an extent).
"Where is it?" By this point, Anakin didn't care how he looked to outsiders as long as he got this information from Bendu.
Not somewhere you can get to on foot I'm afraid. As I said, it's in the middle of the ocean. Perhaps your costumed friends could provide help? Anakin thought to himself at that statement.
THWACK!
"AH! DAMMIT!" Anakin stumbled, only being prevented from falling on his face by grabbing onto the wall. He held his forehead in pain and stared at Valkyrie with one eye (as his other eye was being covered by his hand), "What the hell was that for?!"
"I was trying to get you to snap out of it. It was pretty creepy seeing you standing there, talking to yourself out loud like that. You didn't respond to me talking to you, so I used other means."
Anakin looked to the ground and his eyes widened as he picked up the object that Valkyrie threw at him, the object itself being a brown sheath (no doubt from her sword), "You threw your sheath at me?!"
Valkyrie shrugged, "I didn't think a pillow would work, and I didn't want to throw a lamp. For now, at least."
Anakin face-palmed, silently wondering exactly why he had agreed to this again. Anakin locked eyes with Valkyrie and gave a little mocking smile just before he threw the sheath across the room before heading over to the nightstand.
"You don't have to be a jackass about it," Valkyrie grunted before heading over to pick up her sheath. Anakin opened the nightstand's top drawer and pulled out something he'd put away for some time now: the watch that Captain America had given him on their first "mission" side-by-side.
Sliding the watch onto his wrist, he pressed a button on the side and the top began to glow slightly blue in color. Barely five seconds later, a holographic image of the star-spangled superhero appeared.
"Anakin," Captain America spoke in a glad/surprised tone, "It's good to see you again."
"You too Captain," Anakin replied with his own smile, glad to at least see the captain in a (somewhat) better mood after…recent events, "Unfortunately, this isn't a social call."
"What's wrong?" It honestly took Anakin by surprised at how quickly Captain America's tone went from calm and relaxed to tense and business-like.
"Nothing very major, at least in the manner of any threats. To put it plainly…I need to borrow a ship."
"A ship?" Both Captain America and Valkyrie questioned at the same time.
"Yes. There's something I need to be, and it's gonna take a ship. Something that can fly, though I guess a boat would work too."
Captain America put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment, "I…believe there's something I can do to help with that. I need to make a call. If everything goes right, I'll send you coordinates for you to arrive at in half an hour."
Anakin nodded, "Alright then, see you then."
"So," Valkyrie commented as Anakin shut off the watch, "Care you explain exactly what the hell been going on?"
Anakin sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "If Captain America can help, it's likely that I'll have to tell him too. I'd prefer to just wait until then so I don't have to explain the whole thing more then once."
Valkyrie shrugged, "Alright, fine then," she then began looking around the room, searching drawers and on (virtually) every surface, "Is there anything to drink left in here?"
Anakin was completely astonished, evident by his wide eyes and lowered jaw, "Are you kidding me right now?!"
"What?"
"It's not even nine A.M.!"
"…"
"…"
"…So?"
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(Later)
Hardly five minutes after Anakin called him, Captain America called back baring good news. He was able to get a ride for Anakin's adventure and had sent the resurrected-Jedi coordinates for their meeting point. Anakin and Valkyrie had both piled onto Anakin's motorcycle (which he had nicknamed "Supernova" (1).) and were heading off to the desired location.
The ride there was relatively quiet, with the exclusion of Valkyrie's drinking from a silver flask (she wouldn't tell Anakin were she got it) and Anakin's groans/grunts of annoyance. They had arrived to their destination within minutes, and both of them were fairly impressed by the structure they stopped in front of.
The building was tall. Like…really tall, a dark grey structure that seemed to tower over all others around it.
"Impressive," Valkyrie commented as she examined the building with crossed arms before taking another sip from her flask.
"Yeah," Anakin marveled at the structure before him, completely ignoring the usual annoyance he'd feel by Valkyrie's (early) drinking.
"Yeah, I should hope so," both Anakin and Valkyrie looked up to see a familiar figure dressed in red and yellow/golden armor flew down from the sky.
Anakin smiled, "Iron Man."
"Good to see you again kid," as the resurrected-Jedi and the Armored Avenger shook heads, the latter of whom then looked at Valkyrie, "Who's your friend?"
"Valkyrie," said woman replied as she placed her flask back onto her belt, "I'm here because his actions destroyed my house."
Iron Man turned back to Anakin, "Is that true?"
"Well…it's…it's not exactly," Anakin stuttered for a few moments before sighing and hanging his head in his hands, getting chuckles from both Iron Man and Valkyrie.
"So," Anakin spoke (a little loudly), wanting to get everyone's attention off of him, "Iron Man, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, this is mine. Cap said you needed a vehicle to head off to…somewhere, and he called me. Allow me to lead the way," Iron Man moved behind Anakin and Valkyrie and wrapped an arm around each of them.
"Whoa…what're you doing there tin man?" Valkyrie turned around to glare at the Armored Avenger.
"Calm down," Iron Man replied, "I'm just getting us to the top of the tower, which is where we need to go." Without another word (or giving either of them time to reply any further), Iron Man activated his rocket boots and the three of them launched into the air.
Anakin let out a yell of surprise and even Valkyrie was taken off-guard by the sudden movement. "WHOA!" Anakin suddenly took a (tight) hold of Iron Man, completely unprepared for what was happening.
In mere moments, the three of them had completely passed over the peak of the tower and Anakin could feel them slow down considerably before beginning to float downwards. Soon, they felt their feet touch the ground.
"Do not do that again," Valkyrie turned around, pointing a finger at Iron Man's face as she glared at him.
Iron Man held up his hands in surrender, "Alright…alright, I definitely should have asked. That's definitely my bad."
"It's about time you all got here," all three of them turned over to see Captain America walking over to them, a smirk on his face.
"Cap," Anakin smirked right on back, walking up and shaking the star-spangled hero's hand, "Thank you for this. I mean it."
"It's not a problem Anakin."
"So kid," Iron Man stepped up to them, "Care to tell us why we're just going into the middle of the ocean. Something specific that's there?"
"I just…definitely need to go. I think there's something there and I need to check it out. I can explain everything on the way."
Captain America stared at him for a few moments (kind of creeping Anakin out) before nodding, "Alright. You haven't given a reason to not trust you, and I won't do so now."
"The same goes for me," Iron Man said, "And even if I had my doubts, Cap trusting you is more then enough for me."
"At least try make a conscious effort to not get us killed," Valkyrie commented, to which Anakin rolled his eyes in response.
"Well…let's get moving then, shall we?" Iron Man commented as he pressed a button on his wrist. Suddenly, a large blue light appeared from behind them. Anakin and Valkyrie turned around and (after having shielded their eyes from the sudden intense light) saw a large grey jet literally emerging from the floor. "Well, let's get going gang," Iron Man commented, walking over to the jet as it stopped moving. The others weren't far behind.
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The team of four had been moving for just over half an hour now, seeing nothing but the clear blue sky above them and the vast ocean beneath them.
"Well, we've been flying for some time now," Iron Man commented from the pilot's chair. He pressed a button on the panel before spinning around to face the others, his eyes locking onto Anakin, "Care to hand over some more information about this little…"expedition" of ours?"
Anakin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before letting it out. This was it. He had to tell the truth, especially given the fact that they were all completely willing to help him on (to quote Iron Man) this "little expedition". They deserved the truth, he owed them that much.
And that's exactly what he did. He told them about the Jedi, the Sith, the Force gods, and his resurrection and the reason for it. There were however certain details he left out, the wars of the greater galaxy and his involvement in…both of them being some of the major ones.
By the time he was finished, he saw that all three of them had their eyes on him. Captain America's were focused on him, Iron Man's seemed pretty interested, and Valkyrie's were just…staring at him with her cheek resting on her fist.
"So, let me get this straight," Valkyrie was the first on to respond after Anakin's story, "You're supposed to be some kind of…space hero with magic powers who was resurrected by some gods and we're going to some island in the middle of the ocean so you can learn from some temple in order to defeat other space warriors with the same magic powers that you have? Only they use them for evil?"
Anakin's eyes widened a bit at Valkyrie's completely blunt statement, "That's…a VERY broad statement, and I wouldn't exactly call it 100% correct either."
"But…I'm basically correct, aren't I?" Valkyrie shot back.
"…Somewhere, I guess. But only barely, I want to make that perfectly clear."
Valkyrie chuckled, "Yeah, whatever Skywalker. All I'm hearing is that I'm right. Point Valkyrie," she joked before taking out her flask and taking a sip from it.
"Well…good to know," Iron Man commented, a little smirk on his face.
Anakin took glances at both of them, "You seem to be taking this…pretty well. Admittedly, a lot better then I expected."
His "answer" came in the form in Captain America's chuckling, "Trust me kid…I can't speak for your friend, but I can guarantee that Iron Man and I have seen much weirder then your story."
"A LOT," Iron Man interjected, "You'd be surprised. We'll have to tell you about it sometime."
Anakin chuckled, "Yeah, I eagerly look forward to it."
"So Skywalker," Valkyrie called out, "Do you have any actual idea as to what it is we're looking for in that temple exactly? Did that friend of yours give you a map or something?"
"Friend?" Captain America asked.
"Oh yeah, Anakin was talking to someone this morning. I guess they were speaking through his mind or something."
"Wait a minute," Iron Man spun around and stared directly at Anakin, "Are you telling me that we're traveling to the middle of the ocean because you were told by a VOICE in your head?"
Anakin turned and pointed at Valkyrie, "First of all, you…shut up," Valkyrie scoffed and waved her hand. He then turned to Iron Man, "And second of all, that is NOT at all how I'd word it. Do either of you remember the Bendu?" Both Avengers took a moment to think about Anakin's statement.
"Bendu," all other passengers turned to Captain America, "Isn't that the creature from the park? The one who summoned you when you first visited Avengers Mansion?"
"Yes," Anakin answered, "He told me that there was a temple utilized by an ancient Force religion billions of years ago. I'm certain that he wouldn't want me to go there unless there was something vital that can be used against the Sith."
"Alright, let's hope," Valkyrie commented as she placed her arms behind her head and relaxed in her chair. For about the ten minutes, everything was pretty normal (or…at least, as normal as you can get with a group like this) and quiet.
However…that wasn't an atmosphere that lasted for long. Both figuratively…
"Man…what the hell is with this weather?"
…and literally. Anakin and Captain America looked out of the windshield and found themselves taken off guard by the sight they saw. Or, more accurately, the sight they didn't see. To put it plainly…they were surrounded by fog. A lot of it. They looked up and to the sides, but couldn't see anything. And they were unable to even see the ocean underneath because of how high in the air they were.
"Well, that's not good," Anakin commented.
"You're telling me kid," Iron Man said, pressing a few buttons on the panel as his grip tightened a bit on the controls, "This is some serious fog. You guys may wanna strap in, I can tell this won't be a walk in the park."
"I'll be fine," Anakin waved off.
"Don't worry about me," Captain America responded. All three men heard a snore and turned around to see Valkyrie completely knocked out in her chair.
"She'll be fine," Anakin spoke in a slightly(?) annoyed tone as he shook his head at his roommate's actions.
I know she's a skilled warrior and all, but I'm starting to have my doubts that her skill is worth putting up with all of this crap.
Iron Man had decreased the jet's speed so that he could maneuver through the fog, didn't want the jet going too fast in case the fog concealed any obstacles.
"Are we sure that this is a good idea?" Captain America asked, a little worried that they were flying through a mysterious fog with no way to know for certain where they were heading.
"Stop worrying so much Cap," Iron Man waved off, "We'll be fine. Let's not forget…this is ME we're talking about in the pilot's seat."
"I know…that's why I'm concerned," Captain America retorted. Iron Man looked back to glare at the super soldier, his glare only increasing from behind his helmet when he heard Anakin chuckling.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…REAL funny. The both of you. REAL nice, especially to the guy that's flying the jet."
"It's not like you're the only pilot onboard tin man," Anakin quipped, having to keep himself from laughing when Iron Man's head quickly spun around to face him (translation: glared at him), "I'll have you know that I was one of the best pilots around where I come from".
"Yeah, well…simply being one of the best from there doesn't mean that you're even good over here." Suddenly, an alarm on the ship started blaring loudly as the entire jet suddenly glowed red.
"Iron Man, what is that?!" Captain America asked in a slightly worried tone as he grabbed onto a metal bar next to his head.
"I don't know," just then, the entire ship started to shake violently, "Oh come on! What the hell?!" Iron Man frantically began pressing buttons, pulling levers, and turning switches in an attempt to stabilize the jet, but nothing seemed to be working.
Anakin tried to steady himself, but one particularly strong shake sent him to the floor. "IRON MAN!"
"WORKING ON IT! EVERYONE BUCKLE UP, THIS IS GONNA BE ROUGH!" As slowly and as careful as was physically possible for them (which wasn't very good either), Anakin and Captain America quickly (from their perspective at least) strapped themselves into their chairs.
Iron Man was growling in frustration and muttering curses to himself as he struggled to keep his jet steady. It seemed as though no matter what he did, all of his efforts seemed to be useless.
It was then, through all of this, that Iron Man noticed the one thing that (somehow) made this situation even worse then it already was: the jet was sinking.
"NO. NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"
"NO?!" Anakin called out, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN "NO", IRON MAN?!"
"UH…NOTHING! EVERYTHING IS FINE UP HERE! JUST RELAX AND LEAVE IT TO ME!" Anakin looked over to Captain America and saw the super soldier shake his head in an expression that seemed to be a hybrid of anxiety and frustration.
Well, THAT doesn't make me feel better, Anakin thought sarcastically.
By this point, the entire jet was doing a nosedive to the ground (or whatever rested below). Iron Man was literally doing all that he can think of, but it was like there was something else that was preventing the jet from doing…anything.
Iron Man's eyes narrowed slightly as he was able to catch…something out of the corner of his eye. "What the-?" The entire ship suddenly jerked to the right as…something collided with the jet's wing, tearing the wing clean off. The entire ship started spinning in a circle out of control as it flew towards the ground.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Iron Man tried to yell at the jet's other passengers, being unsure as to whether or not they even heard him. The jet was spinning at such an intense speed that none of them could even see out of the window, only appearing as a blur to them all.
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Anakin's eyes slowly opened, immediately shutting by the intense bright light that covered them. After some time, Anakin was finally able to open his eyes (after they had gotten used to the bright light in some capacity).
His hand immediately went to his head, which was throbbing in pain. Using his other hand, he unclipped his seatbelts and slowly stood up. After his eyes were finally able to get mostly used to the bright light, he was finally unable to get a glimpse of his surroundings.
The interior of the jet seemed to be in better condition then he would have expected. Other then the broken windshield and a few sections of the controls looking damaged (sparking with electricity just a bit), everything seemed to be intact.
Hearing a groan he looked to the side to see Captain America slowly coming to, a head to his head as he unbuckled himself. Anakin offered a hand, "You alright captain?"
Captain America took Anakin's hand to help stand up, "Yeah. I'm alright." Both of them then heard a yawn and turned around to see Valkyrie coming to as well. She stretched her arms out behind her (letting out a groan as they all heard cracks) and rubbed her face before opening her eyes, seeing both the Jedi and the star-spangled superhero staring at her. "Are we there yet?"
While Captain America looked confused, Anakin looked on in complete disbelief, "Valkyrie…have you been…sleeping this whole time?!"
"Yeah, why?" Valkyrie asked as she rubbed her eyelids with her fingers.
"Are you serious?! The jet just crashed!"
Valkyrie's eyebrows raised, "Seriously?!"
"YES!"
Valkyrie looked to the side, "Huh…damn," she commented as she unclipped her seatbelt and stood up to stretch her legs. Anakin just looked at her with wide eyes and a "WTF" expression.
"Hey you guys!" All three of them turned to the sound of Iron Man's voice coming from outside of the jet, "If you're alright, come out here." All three of them followed the sound of Iron Man's voice and found the armored Avenger standing outside of the jet with crossed arms as he looked up.
Captain America wasted no time, "How bad is the damage?"
"I SUPPOSE it could be worse-."
"But that doesn't make it good," Anakin finished.
"Correct. I don't know what hit us, but something tore one of the wings clean off as we came crashing down."
"Could you fix it?" Valkyrie asked as she took a seat on a large rock.
Iron Man chuckled, "You're talking to the guy who built the first Iron Man armor in a cave. With a box of scraps (3)."
Valkyrie did not looked impressed, "That doesn't answer my question."
Iron Man sighed, "Everyone's a critic," he muttered to himself, "Yes, I can fix it. Fortunately the body wasn't too damaged in the crash. I'm confident that I can fix things up, although…it's not gonna be a process that I can finish in a few seconds."
Valkyrie snorted, "That's what they all say," she muttered, though spoke loud enough to ensure that all of her companions could hear her. Captain America rolled his eyes, Anakin snorted, and Iron Man's head spun around so quickly that Valkyrie was surprised that his head didn't pop off. She was certain that Iron Man was glaring at her from beneath his helmet, but Valkyrie thought nothing of it. She merely winked and gave him a little wave.
"ANYWAY," he turned away from the battle maiden, to his other two companions, "Yeah, it's not gonna be a process that'll be done very quickly. I'll need some time. You guys go off, and I'll stay and repair the ship."
"No, I'll stay too," Captain America offered, "We don't know what dangers could be on this island, so it'll be best if no one travels alone," he turned to Anakin, "You and Valkyrie go off to find whatever you need to on this island. We'll be here."
"The watch Cap gave will help us keep track of one another, and help you guys find your way back afterwards." Iron Man pressed a few buttons on his wrist as a blue holographic image appeared as he walked to the ship.
Captain America turned to Anakin, "We'll be alright, you two go on." Anakin was feeling a bit hesitant about splitting up, as they really don't know anything about it. But he knew that Captain America and Iron Man were far from defenseless, not to mention the fact that he was curious about the island in of itself after his talk with Bendu.
"Alright," Anakin nodded with a determined expression, "We'll be back in a little bit. Take care of yourselves."
Captain America nodded, "You too."
"Come on Valkyrie! Let's go!"
Valkyrie sighed overdramatically, "I just got comfortable," she muttered before standing. Anakin rolled his eyes in annoyance.
I should really make some sort of…pros and cons list of keeping Valkyrie as a potential ally in the future.
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"Well…loving how eventful this is," Valkyrie commented sarcastically as she picked up a rock and threw it into the distance (which is the sixth time that she's done that in barely five minutes).
"Why are you complaining so much?" Anakin asked, annoyed.
"I'm bored, that's why. After all of our excitement yesterday, I expected that this little adventure of ours to have more…to do, or something. I really don't do well with long events like this without something to do."
"I'm confident that you'll be fine. Besides, just because not much is happening right now doesn't mean that it's not important," Anakin explained
"Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you," Valkyrie told Anakin, causing the Jedi to roll his eyes. He wasn't aware that Valkyrie could be so…dramatic. "So," Valkyrie spoke after a few moments of silence, "Are we there yet? Where we're supposed to be?"
"No, we're not."
"Alright."
(Two Minutes Later)
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
(Five Minutes Later)
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
(Three Minutes Later)
"Are we there yet?!"
"No!"
(Four Minutes Later)
"Are...we there…YET?!"
"No we are not!"
(One Minute Later)
"ARE WE THERE YET?!"
Anakin spun around to glare at Valkyrie, "NO!"
Valkyrie scoffed and held her hands up in mock defeat. She rolled her eyes before turning her head to examine the foliage around her. Although it was boring (from her perspective), she'd have go be an idiot to deny how beautiful the island's environment was. And it was. The grass was greener then anything she'd ever seen, and dozens of trees stood all around them. Tall, strong, and majestic.
The weather was nice. The sun was out, but the air around them felt cool. The only thing that she found a tad odd was that she hadn't seen animals of any kind around the island.
"So, are we there yet?"/"So, are we there yet?" Valkyrie's eyes widened a bit and she unconsciously took a small step back when Anakin spoke at the same time that she did. Her surprised look quickly turned into an annoyed frown, "Okay that's not funny."/"Okay that's not funny." Annoyance was quickly replaced by actual anger at her companion, who kept his focus on the path in front of him (possibly to mock her). "Yeah, that's real mature."/"Yeah, that's real mature." Valkyrie took a few angry steps forward so that she was directly beside him, but (of course) he kept his focus off of her. "Will you stop that?!"/"Will you stop that?"
"ALRIGHT!" Valkyrie threw her arms into the air in frustration, "I'll shut up!"
"Oh, thank the gods!" Anakin cheered out in an annoying fashion.
"Look, I get that this area in (apparently) a big deal to you…but you have to get how boring this is for me. I'm not used to just walking around aimlessly like this for so long."
"Then what is it that you are used to do?!"
"Not a lot, to be frank," Anakin rolled his eyes, "Look, I don't need you judging me. I'm just bored, alright?!"
"Well then, find a way to entertain yourself," Anakin said in frustration. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and sighed loudly as she looked away into some trees. With her boredom continuing to consume her, Valkyrie did the first thing that came to mind.
She clicked her tongue. Thumping her fingers along the hilt of her sword, she clicked her tongue again. Looking forward, she did so a third time…noting how Anakin seemed to (subtly) flinch when she did. Her eyebrow raised at his actions before clicking her tongue again, noting how Anakin flinched again.
A devious smirk appeared on her face before she clicked her to guess again, finding some vindictive pleasure in how Anakin flinched again in annoyance. She clicked her tongue again, causing Anakin to sigh loudly this time. He turned around to face Valkyrie with a tired expression on his face before putting his hands on his hips and chuckling, "You know…under normal circumstances, I would never ask this of someone. However, given our…situation, I would actually likely to ask. For five minutes, could you, oh…I don't know, not be yourself? FOR FIVE MINUTES!" Anakin suddenly yelled, his expression going from amused to enraged in about point five seconds (2).
Valkyrie actually flinched and took a step back at Anakin's sudden anger. He didn't give her a chance to respond as he spun around and continued to walk forward, more noticeable anger in his steps. The dark-skinned woman scoffed and glared at the back of Anakin's head…before a diabolical smirk appeared on her face. With a mocking expression on her face, she lifted her head up a bit, placed the tip of her tongue on the roof of her mouth…and clicked her tongue far louder then any of the times before.
Anakin suddenly spun around, fury etched on his face. Valkyrie, however, didn't look intimidated in the slightest, simply smiled and waved at him mockingly. Anakin opened his mouth, no doubt to yell at her again.
At that moment, however, a loud roar suddenly pierced through the silence of the island. Anakin and Valkyrie's feelings of anger and vindictive joy (respectively) were then replaced by feelings of surprise and unease as they both flinched from the roar.
"What the hell was that?" Valkyrie asked her companion as she unsheathed her sword. She soon got her answer as both of them heard loud thumping sounds…sounds that were growing closer and closer.
"We're about to find out," Anakin commented as he ignited his lightsaber, twirling the yellow blade in his hand. Both of them turning to the left, both warriors were easily able to see that…something was emerging from the trees. Evident by the shaking of said trees. Both of the warriors' grips on their weapons tightened as the thumping noises grew closer, accompanied by a low growling noise.
Suddenly, a massive creature very quickly emerged from the darkness of the trees. The creature was big, twice as tall and almost three times larger then the both of them. The creature's skin was dark red in color, with patches on black fur on its arms and around its neck. It had two massive arms with four razor sharp claws on each hand, along with two skinner arms on its sides. It had two large ears on its head and a mouthful of razor sharp fangs.
The creature glared at Anakin and Valkyrie with a primal fury glowing in its yellow eyes before it threw its arms out and let out a ferocious roar, one that nearly pushed the two warriors back and shook the trees behind them.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Valkyrie yelled once the roar ended, twirling her sword in her hand and bending her knees a bit in preparation for a fight.
"A Gundark," Anakin muttered, his grip on his lightsaber hilt tightening a bit. It had been…some time since he last seen one. It was quite surprised to find a Gundark on this island, let alone one to have remained here for so many eons (according to the Bendu).
The gundark snarled at the two and let out a smaller and shorter roar before it charged forward like a raging ball. Both Anakin and Valkyrie leapt out of the way as the Gundark lifted its fists into the air and slammed them upon the ground.
Valkyrie was the first one to recover, racing forward at incredible speed. The gundark was caught off-guard by the incredible speed of its "prey", screeching in pain as Valkyrie slashed it across on of its legs. Valkyrie was about to thrust her sword into the skin of the gundark, but the creature swung its massive fist and backhanded her in the chest. The tanned-skin woman went flying through the air, crashing into the trunk of a tree and falling to the ground.
Anakin turned to glare at the creature and charged forward with his lightsaber at the ready. The gundark roared and brought its fist up to bring it down, but Anakin quickly dodged the attack and thrusted his lightsaber into the shoulder of the gundark. The gundark howled in pain and tried to claw at the Jedi, but Anakin was quick to leap backwards to avoid the attack. Seeing a large boulder out of the corner of its eye, the gundark ran over and grabbed the boulder in its large hands. It threw the boulder with massive force, to which Anakin rolled out of the way of the incoming attack.
Hearing a sudden yell, the gundark slightly turned its head…only to roar in agony as a sharp pain appeared in its back. That sharp pain? Valkyrie leaping through the air and stabbing it in the back. Literally. The gundark roared and thrashed around wildly, trying to get this (infuriating) woman of off its back.
Looking to his side, Anakin saw the same boulder that the gundark had thrown at him merely a few moments ago…and got an idea. Reaching out with the Force (and with his hand), Anakin lifted the boulder into the air, "Valkyrie! MOVE!"
The tanned-skinned woman heard the warning and was quick to leap off of the gundark, pulling her sword out of its back as she did so. The gundark barely had time to react before the large boulder roughly collided with its chest. The gundark merely slid back a few inches, keeping their claws on the ground to try and keep itself steady. The blow only seemed to stun the beast for a few moments before it looked up to glare at the two warriors again. Its hands clenched into fists before letting out a monstrous roar before it (once again) charged forward.
Both Anakin and Valkyrie shared a look and a nod before running up to meet the gundark. Both warriors ducked underneath the gundark's swings, each of them slashing the beast across its sides with their blades. The gundark roared in pain, having to place its hands on the ground to keep itself from collapsing.
The gundark slowly turned its head to the two warriors, growling lowly and menacingly. Valkyrie was the first one to charge forward, to which the gundark quickly followed. As the gundark swung its claws to shred Valkyrie, the warrior maiden surprised the creature by leaping over its entire body.
Valkyrie threw a punch at the back of the gundark's legs, causing the creature to fall to a knee. As soon as it did, Valkyrie threw her arms around the neck of the creature and began pulling it backwards in an attempt to bring the creature down.
The gundark picked itself up and began shaking itself around wildly to try and throw the woman off. The gundark tried to claw at the battle maiden, but Valkyrie maneuvered out of the way. The attack that she couldn't dodge, she kicked away.
Anakin (done with standing around) raced forward at incredible speeds, his weapon at the ready. Seeing the Jedi approaching him, the gundark threw itself forward and attempted to grab at the man before him. Anakin, however, was faster then the gundark had expected. And faster period.
Anakin ducked underneath the gundark's claw swipe and swung his lightsaber in an upwards fashion towards the gundark's arm.
The gundark howled in pain as its arm fell to the ground, the stump sizzling and smoking. Seeing the creature distracted by its pain, Valkyrie saw her opportunity…and took it.
Valkyrie switched her sword into a reverse grip and thrusted the blade deep in the neck of the gundark. The creature gargled loudly as the blade pierced the side of its throat. The gundark fell to its hands and knees, blood dripping from both the wound and from its mouth. The gundark tried to claw around the ground, its yellow eyes glaring up at Anakin with such an intense primal fury that took Anakin by surprise for the briefest of moments.
The gundark opened its mouth, potentially to let out a final roar, before its eyes rolled into the back of its skull and its' entire body collapsed to the ground.
Both Anakin and Valkyrie simply stared at the creature for a few seconds, both seemingly waiting for the beast to leap back into battle. After a few moments…there was still nothing. Valkyrie took a final glance at the gundark corpse before she pulled her sword out of the beast. "Well…that was something," Valkyrie commented as she sheathed her sword.
"Yeah," Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt, "Something," he looked around their area, his form visibly tense, "Be on your guard, there's no telling what else is on this island."
"You think we'll be seeing other creatures like this?"
"That's my point. We don't know what's on the island, so we need to be on alert until further notice."
"What about a ship?"
That threw Anakin for a loop. He turned around, looking at Valkyrie (who he saw standing a few feet away with her back to him) in complete confusion, "A ship?"
She turned her head to look at him, "Yeah, a ship," she turned so that the front of her body faced him, jabbing her thumb behind her, "The one that's over there."
"What?!"
"You really didn't see it?" Anakin didn't answer Valkyrie as he sped walk to her side so he could see what she saw. And she wasn't lying. The two of them stood on the top of a (decently sized) hill, and there was a ship at the bottom of the hill.
The ship was large, probably just a little bit bigger then the jet they had arrived in. Most of the ship was light brown in color with streaks of (slightly) shining silver on its sides and top. It had three dark brown/red circles surrounded by a larger silver circle on its sides, along with a larger dark brown/red circle surrounded by an even larger light brown circle. It had a large cylinder-like object that was light brown and shiny silver in color, along with four life-like objects on its bottom.
However…this is what it was supposed to look like. Not necessarily what it did look like.
For starters, the ship itself was completely torn in half. The leg-like objects were bent and were barely holding on, and the circles on its' sides littered the ground. Their was a large hole in the side of the ship, and the object on top looked all but pulverized.
In spite of the horrible condition that the ship was in (and how long it had been), Anakin was still able to recognize the vehicle that laid below him. And his eyes were the size of dinner plates and his jaw completely dropped when he did.
"Hey," Valkyrie put a hand on Anakin's chin and closed his jaw for him, "You're not lost on me again, are you?"
"N-No, I'm fine," his gaze stayed on the ship, "It's just…I recognize that ship."
Now it was Valkyrie' turn to have wide eyes, "You do?! From where?!"
"An eternity ago," Anakin muttered in a depressed tone, a tone that did not go unnoticed by Valkyrie. Before she could question it, however, Anakin wordlessly began walking forward towards the wreckage of the ship. Valkyrie wasn't far behind.
The walk down the hill was silent, only took a few seconds. While Anakin wordlessly walked to the ship as if in a trance, Valkyrie kept a hand on the hilt of her sword. She was tense, and wanted to keep herself on guard. After she and Anakin had been randomly attacked by a large red animal, she was certain that something…dangerous lurked in that ship (despite how nonchalant she acted around Anakin).
Stepping up to the ship, Anakin took ahold of a loose slab of metal in his artificial hand and tore it clean off (3). He then just stared into the ship, all he could see within was darkness. He turned to Valkyrie, "Stay here and keep lookout. I'm gonna go see what I can find."
"Weren't you the one who talked about not knowing of the island's dangers?" Valkyrie spoke in a serious tone, one that actually caught Anakin off guard for a moment.
"Exactly. We don't know what creatures are on this island. If another gundark especially shows up, they can crush the ship before we get out and end us both. I'll only be a moment." Anakin unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the yellow blade, walking into the ship while leaving behind an uncertain Valkyrie.
Anakin used the light of his lightsaber to illuminate his way through the wreckage. The floor beneath him was (a slightly dulled) silver, and there were brown objects lining the walls. The memories were coming back, slowly but surely.
There was a sense of unease as he walked through the ship's destroyed halls. Almost as if…he was being watched. His grip on his blade tightened as he pushed forward.
Suddenly, he heard a quick shuffling noise. Anakin quickly spun around, his lightsaber at the ready…but found nothing.
SCREEEEEEEEECH!
Anakin spun around again, only for the light of blade to illuminate…nothing. Anakin took a few more seconds to spin around, trying to find…anything at all. But there was still nothing. Now…he could have sworn that he heard growling.
In a split second, he heard a loud roar and was barely able to make out something large in the darkness. He felt something collide with his body and sharp objects point into his chest as his lightsaber tumbled out of his hand. He barely had enough time to put his arm up to protect his face before feeling multiple sharp objects dig into said arm.
Now in complete darkness, Anakin felt his arm being jerked around wildly. He could hear fierce snarling in his ears and could feel saliva landing on his face. It was only his sheer reaction time in putting up Force enhancements that kept his arm from being torn out of its socket.
Using his free arm, Anakin punched the…creature with all of the force that he could muster up. He did so again. And again, and again, and again. Despite his best efforts, the attacks seemed to do little more then annoy the creature that held him down.
As his fell down to the floor, it came into contact with something. His lightsaber!
Acting quickly, Anakin took ahold of the cylinder weapon and placed it to what he assumed to the bottom of the creature's head before igniting his weapon. The yellow blade illuminated the darkness of the room, enabling Anakin to make out the outline of the being on him. Anakin deactivated the blade, pushed the creature's (now limp) form off of him, and got to his feet before quickly igniting the blade once again. Now, he was able to glance his attacker.
The creature was feline in nature, possessing white fur with black stripes. It had a long furless tail that split into two at the end. It had razor sharp fangs and claws, four pure black eyes, and quills along its head and back. And, thanks to the actions of Anakin, it now also had a hole running from its bottom jaw to the top of its head that was still smoking.
It had been a very long time, but the memory of the beast appeared in his mind almost immediately. A Nexu, a ferocious creature he remembered encountering when he, Obi-Wan, and Padme were captured and brought to the Geonosian arena.
Anakin's grip on his lightsaber tightened, his hands began to shake rapidly, and his throat suddenly became very dry. Obi-Wan…Padme…the thoughts of his former teacher and wife weren't ones that he'd given much thought into since his resurrection by the gods. And perhaps…thoughts that he wasn't ready to deal with quite yet.
Shaking away his…difficult thoughts, Anakin decided to continue his trek through the wreckage as he turned away from the Nexu corpse. He made his way to a busted and damaged metal door, one with claw marks across it. This fact made Anakin tense up…Nexus were dangerous, but they were nowhere near strong enough to claw through steel and nearly tear an entire steel door apart. Of all of the questions that have appeared in his mind today, the one that was currently at the forefront was "What was powerful enough to do this?".
Carefully maneuvering him and his lightsaber through the opening, Anakin stepped into the new room. The walls, ceiling, and floor was the same silver as other parts of the ship, with golden rectangles with dark brown/red squares surrounding the room. There were beige colored squares and rectangles on the walls furthest from him, each having a darkened blue spot at the top.
Anakin took a few hesitant steps further into the room, moving his lightsaber around every two seconds to allow himself to see. As he was looking, there was something in particular that caught his attention. A large shape that rested in the corner.
Moving closer to it, Anakin's eyes widened and he nearly dropped his weapon as the lightsaber blade illuminated what laid before him. He knew that this ship was familiar and if he didn't believe his original thought before, he definitely did now.
The figure that sat before him was a droid, and a deactivated one at that (if its' pitch black eyes were anything to go on). It was humanoid in form, with a helmet on its head and a backpack-like object on its back. Most of its upper body was light brown whereas dark brown stripes ran along its shoulders and arms. Its "bottoms" were a dark red in color, and its legs were a combination of the light and dark brown of its upper body. The helmet on its head where light brown on top with the rest being silver in color.
It wasn't in perfect condition, however. It was missing an arm, had a large hole in the left side of its stomach, and had four claw marks running down its left eye, with said eye also being cracked.
"Huyang," Anakin whispered in disbelief. He recognized the droid as Huyang, the instructor who would assist Jedi younglings in the construction of their lightsabers after obtaining their Khyber crystals from the planet Ilum. After the rise of the Galactic Empire, Huyang was named as one of its greatest enemies. Almost as much as a Jedi.
Obviously, Huyang had no power in the Force or even any noteworthy abilities. He had a deep understanding of the lightsaber, perhaps better then any Force-Sensitive alive at the time. He knew the precise components of a lightsaber (down to the tiniest detail and/or part), had an immense knowledge of the weapon due to his millennia adding the Jedi Order, and even had a decent understanding of the Force (something that shouldn't have been possible for a droid).
Sidious viewed the droid as a genuine threat because his understanding of the Jedi, the Force (though, to a limited extent), and a knowledge of the lightsaber that was unmatched by any. Even Sidious himself. Due to the droid also being good at hiding, Sidious was also concerned (although, the proper term should be afraid) that Huyang could align himself with surviving Jedi to amass a strike force powerful enough to pose a genuine threat to the Empire.
But…despite all of their resources, the Empire couldn't find Huyang's ship. Although, to be frank, not much effort was put into looking for the lightsaber instructor. Between dealing with surviving Jedi, uprising worlds, running the Empire, and, later, fighting the Galactic Rebellion, Sidious eventually found himself quickly losing interest in the ongoing and location of an old droid aimlessly floating through space.
"All these decades, and he was here," Anakin commented to himself. How Huyang and his ship managed to get to the other side of the universe is a complete mystery to him (until recently, he didn't even know it was possible to survive traveling outside of the galaxy that he knew).
Anakin placed a hand on the hole in Huyang's stomach before running the hand over the scar over his eye, all the while staring at Huyang's missing appendage. He put a hand to his chin, and simply thought.
What if…he could fix Huyang?
Provided that he can get the right tools and equipment, the process shouldn't be a difficult one. He's repaired his fair share of droids before, even built his own from scrap parts when he was only nine years old. Perhaps he can ask Iron Man to use his equipment, or even ask for the armored Avenger's help.
Besides…all of Huyang's knowledge and experience would no doubt come in handy against the Sith.
Draping Huyang's remaining arm over his shoulder (careful not to let him touch the yellow blade), Anakin picked the droid up with relative ease.
Well, no plan can be made until Huyang is fixed.
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Valkyrie stood at the entrance (which is a term that's used loosely) of the ship, holding her sword in a tight grip as she stood guard for dangers. She hasn't seen anything since Anakin went into the ship, but wasn't going to let her guard down.
Hearing a shuffling noise from behind her, she turned to see the glow of Anakin's lightsaber before seeing his physical form. Her form visibly relaxed, "Hey Skywalker," her eyes drifted to the…thing that was draped over his shoulders. "Um…care to tell me what…that is?" Valkyrie waved her hand to the robot over his shoulders.
"Someone who was an ally to the Jedi a long time ago. I don't know how long he's been like this, but I'm hoping that I can fix him up within some time."
Valkyrie sheathed her sword and put her fists on her hips, "Do you even know how to fix…that?"
"I'm confident that I could. Not only was I a great pilot, but I was also good with machinery. If I have the right tools and enough time, I'm pretty sure I can bring him back online."
"So…now we have to drag around this dead weight, while we travel through an island that, most likely, houses dozens (if not hundreds) of dangerous creatures?"
Anakin rolled his eyes, "He's too valuable to just leave behind. I just need to fix him up, you'll see," Anakin assured.
Valkyrie crossed her arms and her eyes shifted between Anakin and Huyang's forms for a few seconds before sighing, "Alright…fine. If you're really so sure about this, then so be it. But, if this comes back to bite of all in the ass…specifically, if another one of those things comes up and tries to kill us, I'm blaming you."
Anakin chuckled, "You know what? I think I can live with that," Valkyrie merely rolled her eyes in response.
"So…wait do we do now?"
"We keep moving," Anakin replied as he turned around, walking away with Huyang draped over his shoulder, "Huyang may be an important aspect to have, but I have a suspicion that he's not what we were sent here for."
"And…I stand by my point of the dead weight over here," she motioned her hand towards Huyang as she walked next to Anakin.
"Shut up. He stays, end of discussion."
"Fine. Whatever. So…I know I should have asked so earlier, but we're not going to be just wandering around aimlessly until we find something that makes you interested? Right?"
Anakin smirked, "No, that won't be the case. We're going to continue to look, but we're not going to stay indefinitely. We'll probably start coming back as the day ends, at dusk at the very latest."
"As long as you know what you're doing," Valkyrie replied nonchalantly, placing her arms behind her head. Anakin chuckled, but didn't respond as they continued walking.
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Unknown to either resurrected Jedi or battle maiden, they were being watched. Further back from them, back up on the top of the hill, a multitude of creatures slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees.
These creatures were canine-like in nature, possessing a "darkened" white-colored fur with black stripes and black fur running along their backs. They had razor sharp fangs and claws, a swinging tail, piercing yellow eyes, and a singular gigantic tooth on their bottom jaw that stuck out of their closed mouth.
All of these dog-like creatures were snarling and glaring at the two strange beings. The creatures were drooling and twitching, eager to race down their and rip them to shreds. One was just about finished with waiting and moved forward to charge.
Another, however, took a step towards their comrade and roared slightly, intent on keeping them still. The first creature, however, did not take this lightly…or pleasantly. This first creature snarled and attacked, tackling the second to the ground and attempting to sink their fangs into the neck of their (annoying) comrade.
The two shuffled around for a bit, both biting, clawing, and snarling at one another. The other creatures simply observed the two fighting beings, none of them choosing to involve themselves in this conflict.
Out of nowhere, a loud roar (4) suddenly pierced through the air. Immediately, the two fighting creatures quickly ceased their actions. All of the creatures turned around, to see another of their kind approaching them. This one, however, was nearly two times larger then the others, along with having a massive claw-like mark on its face that went from the top of the right side of its forehead to the bottom of the left side of his chin. Said eye was also a milky white (signifying an inability to see), while it was missing his left ear.
This larger creature snarled viciously at the former fighting creatures, who were both whimpering in fright. They knelt their heads further to the ground as the larger creature continued to walk forward, until they were on the ground with the larger creature standing directly over them. The larger being snarled a few words to them in their own tongue angrily before walking away from them (causing the two to, slightly, relax) to see what the others of his pack were staring at.
Stepping near the edge of the hill, his eyes were just able to lock onto the forms of these two beings. His eyes narrowed as he growled in a calm fury, causing the others to took a fearful step back. He turned back to his pack, snarling more in his own tongue communicating his plan. They were to follow these beings to kill them. Not only because they were trespassing in the pack's territory, but also as a source of food…given the fact that it had been quite some time since they had fed.
Half of the pack was to follow to the left and half will follow to the right, whereas the leader himself will travel down the middle. He will attack them from behind, and the rest of the pack will join him mere moments after.
All members of the pack nodded in loyalty and maneuvered to follow the plan. Half of them went off the path to the right and the other half went off the path to the right, each group hiding within the bushes and plants alongside the sides of the path. Seeing his path disappeared beneath the foliage, the leader decided it was time for his motions. Glaring at the two retreating figures with his yellow eyes, the leader began silently moving towards them.
He had no clue who these strange beings were…but they would not be leaving these lands alive.
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"Tony…how much longer is it gonna be?" Captain America asked as he kept his eyes searching rapidly over the trees.
"You ever fix a ship before Cap? This isn't simple work, especially when one of the most vital parts of the ship is completely gone," Iron Man's voice rang from within the ship, "Even someone as brilliant as me has limitations and challenges they must overcome."
Captain America rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. That's exactly what I was thinking."
"I know," even though he couldn't see Iron Man, he was certain that he was smirking.
Suddenly, the ground suddenly shifted. As if there was something under that was banging against it from down there.
"Uh…you felt that too, right?" Iron Man asked as he stepped out of the ship.
"Yes," the super soldier's eyes narrowed as he lifted his shield. Suddenly…something emerged from the ground, sending large pieces of Earth flying around. Captain America back flipped backwards as Iron Man flew into the air.
The creature in question was large, looking like a massive worm. Its skin was a dark(ish) blue in color, with purple lines horizontally on his body and the skin on its face being purple as well. It had four "fang-like" objects that rested on its face and two dark red eyes that sat on the opposite sides of its face.
The creature looked down on them, its red eyes locking onto the two heroes, and let out a monstrous roar.
"Well, this outta be entertaining," Iron Man quipped as his hands glowed blue, Captain America putting up his shield in readiness.
"That's one word for it," the beast charged forward at the same that the heroes did.
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Even further away from any of these beings, nearly on the complete opposite side of the island itself, rested…something else. Deep within the bowels of a cave, slept a creature. A massive creature, both in size and power. One that can effortlessly crush a gundark into red paste. One that makes Anakin and Valkyrie look like ants in comparison.
The being made a low, grumbling noise. Even though it was miles away, it was well aware of what was occurring on its island. It knew of the Jedi and Goddess traveling with a being of machinery. It knew of the dogs tracking them. Hell, it even knew of the other two warriors (with a machine of their own) and the beast they fought.
It opened up a single one of his eyes, being a deep purple in coloration. It had been many eons…since an outsider had set foot on this island. And to think that one of the beings showing up was a Jedi no less…
It shut its eye, but remained awake. It was curious to see what these beings were capable of. Especially…the Chosen One.
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnd scene! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, hopefully it makes up for the hiatus.
(1): A little space-themed humor (I think).
(2): I think some may not okay with Anakin's intense rage just for the sake of a Shrek reference. But I think it works. Anakin is under a lot of stress as of late, so his patience is worn pretty thin (and I don't think it was that thick to begin with personally). As for Valkyrie…she can be very frustrating when she wants to be (or even doing so unconsciously). Everyone has a limit until they finally break.
(3): An instance of Anakin's artificial hand being stronger and tougher then his real one.
(4): I want to point at that the roar wasn't heard by Anakin or Valkyrie. It was just loud enough due to their proximity.
Got some stuff happening in this one. Anakin and Valkyrie teaming up with Captain America and Iron Man, along with a whole island to explore. I'm trying to make it like Skull Island in the MonsterVerse movie "Kong: Skull Island". These being an island filled with danger and mystery. The island will be playing an important role in the story, so you'll be seeing a lot more of it.
We've got the return of lightsaber architect…Huyang. It's not officially stated what happened to him after the Clone Wars (at least, I've never heard anything), so…here he is. A new ally for Anakin.
Who is this strange being who seems to know the island and its ongoings, and even Anakin himself? Who knows?
…
Well…I do, but I'm not saying:)
So far we've got five different creatures to appear. A Gundark, a Nexu, and three other creatures. I'm gonna do a little bit of a challenge (of sorts) to try and get a few more reviews (something I've seen someone else do before): As I hope everyone knows by now (I'm pretty sure it's been at least referenced in every chapter), there's a new Sith Empire for Anakin to contend with. So far we've seen the appearance of five Sith (technically four), and I have others on the way…but I could really use a hand in making more. So…the first person who can tell me the names of the "unknown" creatures gets to add their own Sith into the story. This is something I've seen another author do (using questions to give readers better input in the story), so I thought to give it a try. If it doesn't work, I won't do it anymore after this chapter.
Also, there's something…unique about all of the creatures of this island. You'll find out;)
PS: I'm certain that none of you will guess the final creature, as I didn't give any descriptions of it. And no, the size or eye color isn't a hint. Just things that I wanted in the story.
Also….I've already gotten some ideas and suggestions on animals for the island, but feel free to let me know if you guys have any other suggestions.
Review, favorite, follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)
