Reasons and Recognition
"Hey Niner," Jag began, his voice transmitting clearly between their secure line. "How much farther down?"
"Shouldn't be too much further." The squad leader stated, "when we get there, Blast I want a charge on the door and everyone in position."
"Copy that." The three of them echoed as they continued to repel even further down.
Nearing where the open lift of the maintenance shaft was, the four of them quickly disconnected from there and got into their predetermined spots.
"Charge is set." Blast immediately took up his spot next to Niner.
"Fire in the hole!" Both Niner and '05 called out as they tossed in an EMP grenade and a Thermal detonator.
With the sounds of them detonating, they moved in, to see bug viscera and the remains of B-1 battle droids all over the place.
"Clear," Niner said over comms as he lowered his DC-17m as entered the room. "Jag."
"Sir?"
"I'm going to need you to splice that terminal, we'll need a layout of the factory."
"Leave it up to me." With a two-finger salute, he moved up to the terminal, one hand on his rifle while the other deftly tapped away on the Geonosian terminal. "I'll have it within a couple of seconds."
Seconds later as promised, an orange hologram of the factory's layout was presented before him.
"Good work." Niner pulled out a handheld holoprojector and downloaded the data.
"My suggestion? I'd say to head straight to the main power relay here." '05 pointed to the spot on the holoprojector where a series of power cables met and diverged, deeper into the facility. "Or you can go to the main factory computer here and disable the controls." He pointed to the other spot, higher than they were.
"I see, "Their squad leader put his hand on his chin." it would be quicker for us to head towards the main power relay, any objections? "Turning off the holoprojector, he turned to his squad.
With no response from the rest of the squad, Niner made the tactical gesture to form up, and the three of them complied, lining up behind him.
"The sooner we take it out, the sooner our brothers on the surface can come and sweep the area clear," Niner explained while leading forth.
For what felt like hours, the four commandos traveled through the tunnel system, deposing any Geonosians and B-1 battle droids they saw.
"So Niner, I've been thinking—" Began Jag, before being cut off by Blast.
"That's a first."
"Hey, rude!" The tech specialist feigned offense. "I think all the time! More than you at least."
"Clearly not thinking enough." Blast grumbled.
"Is it mission-critical?" The lead commando asked, his tone stern to halt their bickering.
"Uh… no." The splicer sounded lost in thought.
"'05, you handle it." The Squad leader deftly delegated the task to him.
"Yes, '99?" His visor slightly turned behind him. "What is your non-mission-critical thought Jag?"
"Well," He cleared his throat as if he was going to say something brilliant. "I was thinking, you know how the other squads have nicknames like Skiratas boys are all ancient phonetics."
"What about it?" '05 questioned, his attention divided between keeping an eye on the areas around them while they walked.
"Well, after this mission, perhaps we get a new name?" He gestured with his hand, voice hopeful.
"What's wrong with Squad 57?" The de-facto second in command tilted his head. "It's who we are is it not?"
"You're not serious… my you are." With a sigh, he could tell he was already exhausted with the ever stoic antics of their team's medic. "We need something that will separate us from the rest!"
"And do you have any suggestions?" Blast looked to his brother, only asking what the other three were most likely wondering.
"I'm glad you asked!" He sounded gleeful now. "Perhaps something that'll make us sound like a fierce fighting force, like Katarn Squad, or something that sounds good for the Republic, like Commando Errants! Or maybe—"
Jag was promptly silenced when he noticed Niner lift his fist to halt them. "Squad 57, breach maneuver."
Once again, the squad got into their positions, and as the detonator countdown got faster, '05 prepared a thermal detonator.
With the small explosion, Niner and '05 called out once more. "Fire in the hole!"
The combined explosion caused some chaos in the room, the squad now rushing in, finding suitable cover.
"Ten droids, two bugs!"
"Clones? Here?" One of the nasal voices of a black droid could be heard.
"Well, you know the drill." Another one said, followed by blaster fire.
"Squad, offensive action!" The squad leader called out over comms, back towards the cover that protected him from oncoming fire. He pulled out a stun grenade, pressing the button. "Stun grenade out!"
Tossing it over his shoulder, one could hear one of the B1's call out. "Hey, I caught it!"
"You idi—"
With the detonation of the stun grenade, they popped out of cover, and fired upon the stunned forces, Blast charging out towards a nearby Geonosian, using his knuckle plate vibroblade to depose the bug.
"Hostile Detected." A deep voice of a droid could be heard followed by loud footsteps. "Moving in to eliminate."
"Looks like they have a Super Battle Droid!" Blast spoke from his new position next to the dead bug. Soon he popped out of cover to shoot at the oncoming droid.
"And a few more of the small fry too!" Jag joined Blast in firing at the oncoming forces.
"Clones!" One of the newer droids called out. "We'll handle them with ease!"
"Squad focus fire on that B2!" Niner rigidly moved his arm up, red markers appearing on the Super Battle Droid. Niner turned to '05. "Thin them out with a popper!"
"Way ahead of you!" EMP grenade already primed, he popped out of cover to throw the popper.
The B2 immediately turned to him and fired three shots, two of which blocked by his built-in deflector shield, the last one imprinting a scorch mark on his shoulder plate. The impact itself was stronger than he anticipated, pushing him to the ground.
"Uh oh." One of the B1's looked down at the EMP grenade and it went off with a reverbed pulse of electricity. The B1's around began to spaz out and collapsed. The B2 is more well constructed started to violently shake, before regaining its bearings.
"Vod! Are you ok?!" Jag exclaimed over the comms.
"Dandy!" '05 exclaimed, quickly rising back up to fire at the droid. "Continue firing!"
The full attention of the Squad 57's landed on the larger droid as the focus fire of the DC-17m's tore through the plating of the hulking figure.
"No!" The Super exclaimed, its systems starting to fail. Kneeling, it lifted its left arm, a large wrist-mounted cannon on it warming up, pointed at the spot, '05 and Niner were at.
"Niner get down!" '05 pulled his squad leader down as the rocket flew right over them and hit the wall further behind them.
"Shutting… down…" The heavy collapse of the droid was heard from the other side of the room.
"Thanks for the save Vod." Niner got up, extending a hand to his brother. "Are you injured?"
"My vitals are reading all clear." He took Niner's hand, helping him get back up. "Kaminoian Armorsmiths choice on Duraplast for armor was a smart choice."
"Well, they certainly know we are here now." Jag was looking through a terminal. "A few squads are headed in our direction."
"Then redirect them," Niner ordered. "We're almost there."
"On it." His fellow commando started to type into the terminal, and moments later an announcement was heard.
"Alert, enemies sighted heading towards the upper levels."
"For bugs with space travel and large foundries you'd think their terminals would be more secure." Jag chuckled as he lifted his blaster.
"Better for us." '05 looked to Niner. "Shall we continue?"
"Let's."Niner took point once again.
They would be successful in planting those charges, but the hardships were yet to come…
…
A bump in the road rocked everything inside the carriage, waking a few of its passengers from their slumber.
"My apologies!" The driver looked back to the lot of them. "Bumpy roads and post-haste travel make bad combinations!"
"Yeah, yeah." A gruff voice spoke as a hand waved it off.
Sitting directly across from him were two members of the same guild he frequented, recruited on behest of the Guild's recommendation.
One that had two distinct scars on his face, was resting in his jet-black suit of armor, his sword almost the size of its wielder in the space that sat in front of them.
Leaning on the distinguished warrior was a woman, hair as blonde as the fields preparing for harvest. She was wrapped within the warrior's cape, but she wore the armor of a knight.
To him, they were his seniors in the Guild, veterans by all accounts.
To his left and right sat the rest of their party. They were not of the same rank as their seniors, and they certainly did not outrank him in experience, however, they officially outranked him within the guild.
One was a human who wore relatively light armor and had an eye for detail.
Another was a half-human, a 'half-elf' who was meant to be more of a skirmisher.
The last member and perhaps the youngest wore a green dress and had relatively pointy ears, a 'rhea', whatever that was. Apparently, she could cast spells of the sort, whether or not that was true would be seen.
This was a group of adventurers with a bit of renown to their name known as 'The Frontier's Coolest Party'. Their leader called himself 'Heavy Warrior', his second calling herself 'Female Knight'.
Their juniors called themselves Scout Boy, Half-Elf Light Warrior, and Druid Girl.
For the past two (almost three) days, he had been riding in the carriage alongside them, the only stops being to change out the horses and driver.
The better part of those two days traveling were quiet. The party with renown to their name talked amongst themselves, while he sat back silently, always on vigil for anything that might occur.
Being silent is also a great means to learn things as well.
He had learned that they have been a cohesive squad for around five years, only half the time of that of one of the first commando units back on Kamino.
They cared deeply for one another, the younger members were like brothers and sister, whereas they viewed their mentors in the same respect to their own kin. There was a sense of comradery between the two Silvers, but he was unsure the type. More observation would be needed to come to a more concise conclusion.
With a team like this, their likelihood of survival had gone up substantially. Of course, he would rather prefer to have his old squad at his side, but at this moment, it seemed like that would never happen.
All things considered, he was lucky to have them along. They nearly waved off his proposal just because of his affiliation with Goblin Slayer.
"How much longer." '05 looked towards the front of the wagon.
"We should be there within the hour." The driver spoke, not looking back.
What I wouldn't do for an LA-AT or Speeder to ride on. '05 thought to himself, fiddling with his DC-17m. He considered looking through the gear he had decided to bring but decided against it.
"Do you even sleep?" The Heavy Warrior's eyes were focused on him.
"I do." He looked up for the moment. "I only need around five hours for… optimal combat efficiency."
Having nothing else to say, the Heavy Warrior went back to doing his weapon maintenance.
Within the next ten minutes, the rest of the party had woken up from their slumber. Aside from the embarrassed outburst of the Female Knight towards the Heavy Warrior for having found herself on his shoulder, it was a calm morning.
"Um… excuse me Mr. Cataphract Errant." The youngest of the invited party, Druid Girl, got his attention. "You're a Steel Rank already right?"
"I am." He did not turn his head, continuing to do the necessary check-ups with his weapons. "I was promoted right after my most recent quest."
"You only joined within the year right?" She asked again, and he only replied with a nod.
The one next to her joined in. "I guess quests are easier when you come into the Guild with enchanted weapons and armor."
"Is it true your first day in the Guild you took three quests?" The Light Warrior leaned forward and asked his question.
"It is." Pulling back the slide of the DC-15 pistol, he looked for anything out of place. When satisfied, he holstered it.
"You killed a Dark-Elf Necromancer just earlier this week." The Female Knight decided to jump in, after all, her party members were picking his brain, so what was the harm of her joining in. "Must've been a tough fight."
"It was annoying." He finally looked up, responding to the Silver Rank in a manner he would respond to any superior within the G.A.R. "He made a weird flesh monster."
"You and your party member took on a Flesh Golem and a Necromancer?" The woman in armor raised a brow.
"No, I took on the… Flesh Golem is what you called it?" The Female Knight nodded. "My partner fought the Necromancer. And won."
"Impressive." The Heavy Warrior piped in. "How long have you been honing your skills?"
"Since birth." He turned to the Heavy Warrior. "It is what I was bred for."
"Bred for?" The voice of Druid Girl held confusion in it. The two boys simply shrugged, not understanding what he meant by it.
He could see the Heavy Warrior raise his brows with mild concern before he turned to his second. The Female Knight was unsure what to say, so she decided to shrug and say.
"Sounds… rough?"
An awkward silence soon developed, and they did not speak again for the rest of the trip.
…
The early hours of the day had passed, and it was getting closer and closer to mid-day.
She had arrived at the Cliffside Burg only the day prior, but she could tell that not much had changed in the past year and a half. She had been greeted by the Countess personally, which for anyone else, would be considered a great honor.
From there they immediately went straight to the Inner Bailey, where she was raised for most of her life. Once in, she was 'advised' to change into what could be considered as nicer clothing, to exchange the courtly pleasantries with the Countess. She tolerated it, but made it visibly clear she could care less for it, it is one of her motivating factors for becoming an adventurer beside the acclaim and renown that comes alongside it.
Once these courtly obligations could be considered fulfilled, she took her leave and changed back into the clothing which allowed her more degrees of freedom. Then it was straight to the training field.
Fencer Squire had arrived there in the early morning, no one was present and it seemed like no one would be arriving, the gravely soil here less disturbed than she remembered it. She took in her surroundings, how her path to becoming an adventurer began here.
However, she knew that this dungeon would be no easy feat, so instead of practicing the usual swordsmanship skills she often did with Cataphract Errant, she instead decided on honing her inherent abilities.
For this training session, she had been out here since dawn trying to get a better grasp of her powers. Sweat beads trickled down her face as she tried to will into existence the abilities she has barely used all these years.
Is moving things around the limit of my spellcasting? Fencer Squire hoped not, for such circumstantial powers might not be as useful.
So far, she'd like to think it a success. She had pushed and pulled small stones to and from her, and even managed to push one of the larger stones down a hill (even though it took her a lot longer and made her feel quite faint).
Looking down at her hand, she wondered about the mysteries of her abilities. Mother always told me to not use these powers.
There were several reasons she could imagine why. Perhaps they would think that the Countess had courted a sorcerer or a spawn of hell. Many of the nobility wishing to step on those in a higher station would most certainly use the leverage a rumor like that held.
Perhaps the Countess worried that it would interfere with any attempts she would have when she would have to settle down. It was unlikely that the Countess would look out for her like that, but she would like to think she wasn't that heartless.
Fencer Squire put out her sheathed sword down in front of her, she took a few steps back, grasping the amulet as it hung from her neck.
"You're a holy relic right?" She spoke quietly to the medallion. "Maybe give me a sign or something?"
After a moment of nothing occurring, she pouted. I suppose it was never going to be that easy…
Extending her right hand, she took a deep breath in. Remember, you need to concentrate for this. Closing her eyes, she began to visualize the sword in her mind.
In and out, she breathed and for a moment, she could hear the sword rattling from the short distance in front of her. She could feel that it was no longer on the ground.
With a controlled breath, she exhaled. Ok… time to bring it over here… She could feel it moving closer and closer to her, albeit shakily. Just as it was about to reach her hand, a voice, no louder than a whisper, spoke to her.
"You try to control your gift..." The voice began, wispy like the wind. "Try to subject it to your will…"
Her concentration broke, her sword falling to the ground. She prepared herself for unarmed combat but saw that no one was there.
"Who's there!" Her head on a swivel, she could not find the individual who spoke to her.
"Use your feelings to reach out…" The voice began to fade. "Let your gift flow through you like water…"
"What?" Still, on guard, she called out. "What are you talking about?"
She received no response, for the voice had gone with the wind. Picking up her rapier from the ground, she looked at the sheathe. What in the God's name was that?
The raven-haired woman stood there for a moment, completely oblivious to her surroundings while she tried to think of the voice that just talked to her.
"Excuse me, Milady." The sound of a formal greeting snapped her out of her thought. Turning to the source, she could see a man in armor, a chain hauberk with a tabard over it with the colors of the Cliffside Burg, a slight bow to him. "I hope I am not disturbing you."
"You are not." Buckling the sword back to her belt, looked to the man. "What is it?"
"Someone at the gate was asking for you." He stood straight up now. "A fella in enchanted silver armor, and a few others, looked like adventurers."
"Ah, must be my party member." Fencer Squire looked to him. "I'll head off and greet them."
"Would you like for me to escort you to them?" The guardsman asked, leaning on his pike.
"That won't be necessary," She waved him off, as she walked towards the main gate.
"If it is what milady wishes." He bowed again, before taking his leave.
…
As she approached the gate, she could see the group of adventurers waiting around the entrance of town.
She immediately recognized the helmet that belonged to Cataphract Errant, but the other five were a tad bit difficult to tell from the distance. Only when she got closer did she know who they were.
"Cataphract Errant!" She called to him, and his helmet turned. "You didn't tell me you had enlisted the help of the 'Frontier's Coolest Party'!"
"They were recommended to me by the receptionist at the Guild Hall." He walked up to her, directing his attention downwards. "I received your correspondence, so I came as soon as possible."
"He came to us for help, and as a Paladin candidate, I couldn't deny someone in need of aid." The Female Knight said, a smug expression on her face. "Plus, the boss wanted to take a chance with this quest."
The Heavy warrior simply grunted, a large sword resting on his shoulder. "So, you're his party member?"
"That I am." She put her hands on her hip. "Fencer Squire, at your service." The hazel-eyed woman then performed a faux pompous bow for effect.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Druid Girl!" The rhea in the green dress waved. "Beside me are Half-Elf Light Warrior and Scout Boy."
"Hello!" The one known as Scout Boy followed Druid Girl's lead and waved.
"Yo." The Half-Elf Light Warrior gave a nod.
"Well, if introductions are over, where will we be heading." Cataphract Errant spoke, little care for the formalities.
"Ah, well follow me then." The Sapphire Ranked Adventurer beckoned.
While they headed through the Cliffside Burg, it seemed that the other party kept mostly to themselves, whereas Cataphract Errant matched the pace of his more common party member.
"You look more… equipped than usual." She looked him up and down. His belt had several silver tubes, and a couple of those silver orbs.
"I was informed that this might be a difficult task." He turned to her. "Do you know anything more about this?"
"I do." She pulled out a folded-up sheet of paper from her belt. "I couldn't send you everything with the messenger pigeon, or it wouldn't have arrived within the same day."
The silver armored knight looked at the paper with the iconography on the piece of parchment, and although it would be difficult to read his expression, his helmet seemed to tilt with recognition.
"Interesting." He stated before handing it back.
Raising a brow, she wondered if he knew more than he was letting on. "Does it look familiar?"
"It does." Cataphract Errant stated. "I will need more before I can truly say my suspicion."
"Fair." She stated, before putting the letter away. Does he know the symbol?
"Your mother is the employer?" He asked, his voice with question.
"Yes." She nodded, deciding her musings on his knowledge are a matter for later. "The Countess wanted my party to deal with the threat."
"I take it she did not know that you ran solo until recently?"
"That is true. An oversight on my part, but I am grateful that you have had the foresight to get help." She sighed, shaking her head.
"Will we have assistance from the soldiers of this town?" Cataphract Errant asked.
"I doubt it." Her eyes wandered around the town, the lack of guard evident. "My father has taken most of the forces of our town to fight the war against the Demon Lord and his forces of Chaos."
"So it will just be us."
"Yes, which reminds me… how did you get them on board for such a task?"
"They were not my first pick." Cataphract Errant tilted his head towards her. "I was planning on getting aid from Goblin Slayer."
"Just him?" True he was a Silver Ranked Adventurer, however, the raven-haired one certainly doubted his capabilities like any sane member of the Guild.
"He seems to be working with more adventurers now." Lifting his hand, his hand was open. "He works with five others now."
"Well, I guess that doesn't make you the only crazy one of the Western Frontier now does it?" Elbowing his side, she chuckled. "What stopped him from helping?"
"He had an urgent quest to Water Town."
"Goblins." She stated, remembering the one she slew.
"Yes." With the simple response, his pace was unchanged. "The two Silvers behind us almost declined my request for help."
"Really?" She fully turned her body to him. She didn't need to ask, his affiliation with Goblin Slayer was old news now. "What changed their minds?"
"The mention of a dungeon. The younger ones joined only because the Silver Ranked Adventurers did."
"Ah." She peaked a look behind her. "It makes sense that Silvers would want to try their meddle against a dungeon before anyone else, and those three have been partied with them for a while."
"I suppose so." He looked down at her again. "I see you still are in possession of the amulet."
"Ah yes." She held it in her left hand. "The Relic Keeper in Water Town suggested I hold on to it because it 'attuned' to me."
"Attuned to you?" He looked down at it. "Strange."
"I thought so too." She smiled. "Hopefully I'll learn more about it the more I carry it around."
…
'05 looked at the second set of fortifications within the walls as they neared them.
"We are getting close." The energetic member of his party called out to the adventurers. "Our employer will be here."
"Ah, so is it the bailiff?" The Female Knight looked to Fencer Squire.
"The Countess."
Heavy Warrior's party members straightened themselves out, the three younger party members clearly not expecting to speak to a noble of such status.
"My, I didn't realize we'd be speaking to nobility today, or I would've polished my armor more." The armored woman seemed a bit caught off guard.
"We won't be here for long," '05 stated before walking forth towards the gate of the second set of fortifications.
"Ah, you must be milady's party." One of the two guards approached him. "The Countess has been… eagerly awaiting the arrival of your party."
Deciding not to say more, they were led into a bigger hall. Upon entry, one could see knights in full plate standing in each corner of the room, a pair at each doorway.
"Ah, it seems that my esteemed guests have finally arrived." The woman spoke with poise and purpose. "If this is all of you, hope that your trip to the Cliffside Burg was a safe and swift one."
"With all due respect Countess, let us skip the pleasantries." The commando called out from across the room, this lack of courtly decorum seemed to cause the party members to stop in their tracks. "We need the location of the dungeon, any intel on it, any objectives that must be completed, and the reward."
'05 did not need to turn his head to know that the adventurers with him were staring daggers at him, for such a disrespectful approach to their employer.
"My apologies Countess." Fencer Squire stepped forth, an apologetic bow to her mother. "He is from afar and is… unfamiliar with the nobility here."
The knights in the room gripped onto the handles of their weapons preparing for the command from the Countess. However, with a raise of the hand from their superior, lowered their hands. It seemed that the Countess was more agreeable to his statement, finding humor in the breach of courtly decorum.
"Straight to the point." The Countess had a strange smile on her face. "Good. Take a seat and we will get everything in order."
With a snap of her fingers, a few scribes walked into the room, pieces of parchment put before her.
"The Dungeon will be located in the side of a hill a couple of miles east of the Cliffside Burg." She began, a map being brought towards them. "It emerged from the ground only a month ago at earliest, however the age of the stone would suggest that it is an ancient site."
The party remained silent as the Countess continued.
"There are strange runes and symbols on the entrance of the dungeon, a rotunda that has popped out of the ground. Several monsters have been seen in the areas around it." Looking up at them, she continued. "We have tried to translate the runes on the entrance, but we have not been able to stay around its entrance long enough to do just that."
"Can you give us more than just that?" The Female Knight looked up, a brow raised.
"You'll see monsters you've seen before, and it'll be likely that you'll see monsters you've never seen before." A servant came by with a teacup, the Countess taking a sip before continuing. "Some of the best scholars who felt the magical disturbance even postulated that time distortion might be involved."
The adventurers took a moment to take that in, and after a few more sips from her tea, she continued.
"There are no parameters on how to complete the dungeon, and your payment will be a single 3-pound pouch of gold coins awarded to the adventurers that return."
He noticed how the other party flinched at that statement. He knew what was running through their minds.
"Is there anything you want from the dungeon?" The Heavy Warrior spoke up, the reward here being too good for them to just clear it.
"Other than its completion? Surprise me."
"Do you want it cleared or destroyed?" Cataphract Errant asked, looking at the map.
"Dungeons are creations of the God's, they can't be destroyed," The Female Knight explained to the Steel Ranked Adventurer,
"That is true," The Countess raised her finger for an upcoming point, "but clearing them will render them inactive for a period of time."
"How long?"
"Don't rightly know, it could be a year, or it could be a century."
"I see." He looked up at the Countess. "Then why do you want it cleared so soon after its awakening? Could this not be something that might bring business?"
"I considered this at first." The well-dressed woman put her hands together, looking directly at him. "Then I remembered the fate of the settlement that relied on its dungeon for its livelihood."
"Destroyed?" The commando guessed.
"In a sense. Ten years back, Fortress City was a thriving community with many venues of business and relied on the loot from the dungeon known as 'The Dungeon of the Dead'." The ornate signet ring glistened in the light as she leaned forward. "Once the party of legend defeated said dungeon, it lost its life, and slowly it became a husk of what it once was."
"I see." The commando nodded, understanding the parallels.
"Our town does well enough with its industry of stonecutting, as well as its many mines on the outskirts of the area, and I would prefer they don't suffer due to this dungeon." Countess finished her explanation, her pale brown eyes switching to the paperwork on the table. "That is all, you are dismissed." The
Getting up from his seat, he felt a push from behind. Turning, he saw his party member, who seemed less than pleased.
"What the hell was that?" Fencer Squire looked at him with mild anger.
"The negotiations?" He tilted his head.
"You know what." The Heavy Warrior now approached him. "Have you never interacted with a noble before?"
"None from this region." He stated the truth. Many of the Republic Navy's officers and admirals were nobles of their respective planets and sectors.
"The gall!" Fencer Squire crossed her arms. "I've seen her punish people for less! You're lucky she was employing us."
"My apologies, but I figured the sooner we get the information for this quest, the sooner we can complete it."
"By the Gods." She put her hand to her face, walking alongside her companion. "What am I going to do with you."
…
The two groups had checked and doubled checked their gear right after the meeting. Most of his teammates were carrying the bare minimum in terms of essentials. Armor, weapons Adventurers kits, stamina potions, health potions, a couple of days' worth of rations, a religious tome if they were the type. If they did not have what they needed, the town was happy to sell them what they needed.
He had opted to bring more than his standard gear. He had rearranged his bag to fit the majority of a medical pack into it, along with extra rations. Strapped to a repurposed utility belt of the standard phase II clone armor, tibanna cartridges, and four thermal detonators were affixed to it until needed.
He brought the anti-armor attachment to his DC-17m as well, which normally isn't needed, for most of the rank-and-file goblin would be pasted by one.
By the time they left town, it was reaching the later hours of the afternoon.
The march to the area around the dungeon was not a long one, but it became clear that the closer they got to the entrance itself, the more signs of increased monster activity there was. A deer carcass here, the remains of a larger monster there.
It reminded him of the way droid remains and clone armor were spread about a desolate battlefield in the aftermath of Zero Hour.
Deciding that the darker it got, the more dangerous it would be to travel, they decided to set up camp in a relatively open area, for most of the fighters here thrived in open combat.
I wonder how many of my brothers were never recovered after that brutal battle. Looking up at the sky, he could not help but think of the millions of men that shared his face, fighting across many fronts.
"Since we are heading into the mission of our lives, why don't we share the reasons we became adventurers?" Fencer Squire looked at the other party. "Surely some comradery between us would help us on the trials ahead no?"
The Heavy Warrior simply grunted, The Female Knight seemed indifferent to it, however, the younger members seemed very interested in the idea.
"Since I proposed the idea, I'll start." She said with a smile. "I became an adventurer to prove myself to my father, to show that I'm worthy to be a knight of the Cliffside Burg."
"Really? So, you're from the town?" The Druid Girl looked at her with her purplish eyes.
"Yep!" She put a thumbs up. "I want to earn Knighthood, and adventuring is one way to prove your worth."
"Well, I wanted to see the world, travel the four corners one day." The Half-Elf Light Warrior spoke. "I've got a fair amount of time to do so."
"I wanted to live the life of adventure!" The Druid Girl piped in next, her eyes shining. "It'll make great stories if I settle down."
"I want to make some coin so I can live on my own plot of land one day." The Scout Boy rubbed the back of his head, his face expressing some embarrassment. "It isn't as grand as the others, but if I can have a place to call my own one day, then it'll be all worth it in the long run."
"I wish to be a full paladin of the Supreme God one day." The Female Knight gestured with her hand. "So, I try to help where I can as an adventurer."
"I joined for the fights." The man in black armor spoke. "There's nothing more thrilling than the high stakes of fighting monsters."
And now it was his turn. He tried to think of something, but he drew blank. Only one question rang in his mind.
Why did I become an adventurer?
Initially, it was to gather intelligence and earn money to survive, but he could've done anything else. So why specifically an adventurer.
The Cuy'val Dar taught me the skill set for this work.
Reau and Priest did talk much about the life of a mercenary before their posting on Kamino, but anyone could be a mercenary with the right gear and some teaching.
Clones were never meant to live normal lives.
A true statement, however, all wars would have to end someday, and he would find himself no longer a soldier one day.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"I was… am stranded here, and I needed work," He began, hand on the handle of his sword, "my skillset is quite handy in this line of work."
"Stranded?" The Female Knight asked, leaning towards the campfire. "Where are you from?"
"Far from here." He stated, not wishing to reveal to a sentient species that is unaware of the larger galaxy. "I was born to fight a war for a nation I'd never seen."
"You were born to fight a war?" The Druid Girl looked at him, confused. "How did they know you would be needed?"
"I don't rightly know." He looked to the young woman. "All that matters is that there is a war now, one I am unable to return to."
"Why is that?" Scout Boy looked to him.
"Because it is overseas right?" Fencer Squire looked to him. "Your home is like an archipelago, right?"
"Yeah… right." He agreed to the simplicity of the explanation.
"Hey Cataphract Errant." Fencer Squire spoke up again. "I was wondering…"
"Yes?" The blue glow turned to her.
"Do you ever take off that armor?" Twiddling her thumbs, she looked to him. "I've never seen you out of it."
"Only when the chance of ambush is impossible." He nodded.
"Doesn't it get too heavy or too hot or cold in there?"
"This suit was designed for all temperatures meaning I will be fine wherever I am deployed." He looked back down to the silvery duraplast of his glove. "It is like a second skin to me, so I am used to the weight of it too."
"How much did that suit of armor cost you." The Heavy Warrior looked at him. "It doesn't look cheap."
"It wasn't, but the Republic… sponsored us." The commando did not give him an exact price, after all, credits were more than likely useless here. "My brothers called us 'deluxe models' because of it."
"You have brothers?" The Female Knight asked. "Brothers by blood or in arms?"
"They were both." He stated, with a tone that silently stated he would not speak more.
…
The watch was set up so the senior members of the party would be up while the younger members rested. Most of the night was a silent one, the only noise being the distant howls of wolves and other forms of monstrosities.
When dawn arrived, those who were asleep were roused from their rest. After a meal, the party prepared itself to move out.
By the time the sun was properly up, they could see the mouth of the dungeon. It was a distance away, no more than a mile at most.
The dungeon seemed to have changed quite a bit from what was described. Instead of it being a simple opening into the ground as initially thought, there were now humanoid statues popping out from the ground, spaced out equidistantly in the surrounding area. The entrance itself looked more like a ziggurat or the face of a stepped pyramid, half engulfed by the ground.
At the top was a rotunda,
"Do you think anything is guarding it?" Fencer Squire asked the members of her party.
"I doubt it." Heavy Warrior pointed towards the entrance. "If it was even open, wouldn't monster be pouring out of it?"
"Perhaps if we approach it, something will appear?" Female Knight looked to her partner.
"Doesn't look like anything is lying in wait," '05 stated, lowering his electrobinoculars. "But, there is only one way to find out."
"Agreed." The Heavy Warrior turned to his party. "Stay close and keep your wits about you, I'll be in front."
"Yes sir!" The three nodded as they followed along, the Female Knight taking the rear-guard position.
"I'll take the left side, and you the right." Fencer Squire told him as she took her spot in the squad-like formation.
This had taken him a bit by surprise, but he did a faux salute. "By your lead then."
Weapons drawn, they slowly approached the set of statues. Many pieces of them were broken, along with the inscriptions being aged beyond recognition. Similar effects of weather were also on the second and third sets of statues, but it was clear that the figures portrayed here were revered warriors, the iconography of swords and armor present.
As they climbed the pyramid, there were smaller statues. They too were weathered, but it was clear that they represented soldiers of some kind. Their armor looking vaguely familiar, and their weapons sharing similarities to swords.
Not too surprising, warriors have been using swords for hundreds of thousands of years. He thought to himself, his thoughts now on his vibrosaber. Even now they are trying to perfect them.
With no hostiles in sight, they easily made it to the rotunda at the top. This structure was surprisingly well preserved. Strangely enough, the relief images on the side were in near perfect condition, but no inscriptions were found underneath them as if they were meant to be told through oration.
"What do you think it means?" Scout Boy walked up to it, tilting his head.
"I don't know." Druid Girl responded.
"Perhaps an old order of knights?" The blonde-haired Silver Ranked proposed. "We've passed by several statues of armored men and women, it's most likely that."
"It can't be." '05 walked up to the relief sculpture on the side of the rotunda. " The iconography…"
"And you know what it is?" Heavy Warrior raised a brow, skeptical of his supposed knowledge.
Ignoring him, he let his hand run on the surface of it, following it to the entrance of it. The rest of the adventurers followed behind him.
"That's… impossible." The silvery armored commando lowered his blaster as he reached the stone-like wall with many engravings on it.
This was the main entrance, the door itself was at least twenty feet in height, and had a series of rings in the middle of it. Between a few of the lines, there were spheres and written scripture. Where there were no lines, was scripture itself engraved into it.
The largest sphere in the middle, however, had engraved into it, the sigil of the Jedi Order.
The text engraved into the wall however was a familiar one. It was the scripture of Mando'a
This is a homage site to one of the Mand'alor's… to Tarre Vizsla himself…
Here's the next chapter!
I want to thank you all who have followed and favorite the story so far, the last chapter moving this story past 100 favorites and we are almost at 150 followers!
Also! I have a new story too! It's called 'The Foundling', which is a 'What-if' story about Goblin Slayer was a foundling. It takes the concepts of Mandalorians and integrates them into what is already established canon. If the idea interests you, check it out!
Hope you enjoy it! If you haven't already, please favorite and follow, and maybe leave a review.
Til next posting!
-Moonlight Talon of the Night!