Chapter 15: Rushing Into second Trial

I parked the swoop bike half a mile from the tomb proper and approached on foot. Despite my initial enthusiasm for my Second Trial, rushing into it wasn't wise and was liable to get me killed.

The Tomb of Marka Ragnos was actually one of the more dangerous tombs in the Valley, despite being extensively looted over the centuries. Something was active in the tomb and the area around it, whether it was Ragnos himself or some other entity no one knew.

Dark Side beasts were drawn to the tomb like flies to honey and I knew that at least one Tarentatek stalked its halls. Many acolytes and soldiers that ventured in either went mad or disappeared altogether.

In the end, Castor Vol might be the least dangerous thing I'd encounter here.

Despite the sheer forboding emanating from the structure, I couldn't help but hope I might find something of value inside. Marka Ragnos wasn't just a warrior, but also one of the premier alchemists and sorcerers of his day. His "pet" Tarentatek was just one of the many things he created.

Note to self, track down that damn scepter before someone gets the bright idea to use it before I can.

I knew there was at least one holocron in the tomb, but I was wary of taking it out of fear of accidentally getting the Inquisitor killed. Then again, if they turned out to be Darth Nox, then that might be a good thing.

…Perhaps I didn't have to "take" it, just study it for a while and put it back where I found it.

But I'd cross that bridge when or if I got to it. For now, I needed to find Vol.

As I got closer to the tomb, I felt a pressure starting to build in my head, like someone was trying to squeeze my head in a vice grip. The only thing I could really do was to rebuild the mental dam that I had used to block out Korriban's influence. It seemed to help somewhat as the pressure stopped at a dull throb. I hoped it would be enough.

As Marka Ragnos' stone eyes glared down at me, I hid behind one of the few rocky outcroppings on the perimeter of the tomb. I pushed my goggles up off my eyes and examined the area with my macrobinoculars.

My caution had been warranted. Between me and the entrance were dozens of Sith troopers and the occasional acolyte, with more inside of the tomb. Though there were several raised platforms, there were few places to hide where the troopers couldn't see.

Something felt off as I watched them walk about. It took me a moment to realize why that was.

They weren't milling around randomly. They were defending the tomb.

The troopers still marched on patrols, led by an officer or an acolyte. Heavy troopers stationed themselves where they could best use their weapons. Groups of acolytes sparred without trying to kill each other. All of this was done in complete silence.

I frowned. I wouldn't be able to take on those kind of numbers. The looters in the tomb of Ajunta Pall hadn't been a problem due to their lack of training. They had been as likely to shoot themselves as us. Plentiful cover had been a bonus.

These were trained soldiers and acolytes. Just charging in would be suicide.

I panned my sight around the perimeter of the tomb, looking for something I could use. I smiled as I laid eyes on a pack of fourteen Tuk'ata resting in the shadow of a cliff.

Korriban's most common and, dare I say, most useful beasts. They weren't the hulking monsters that I had been bringing to Renning, but they would do.

I reached out for their minds with the Force. Normally, I'd be careful about this, to try and keep them calm and docile. But that wasn't what I needed now. This time, I did all I could to prod them into a rage.

My efforts bore fruit when the pack alpha howled and charged the nearest non-Tuk'ata, which just happened to be one of the patrols. The rest of its pack quickly followed behind it, covering the ground at vehicular speeds.

The six-man patrol barely had time to bring their guns to bear before being torn limb from limb by the half ton masses of muscle and teeth. The Tuk'ata howled as one before moving on to the rest. As one, the other soldiers started converging on the pack, though a few stragglers stayed at their posts.

I waited for the majority of them to shift before slipping my goggles back down and moving. Using the Force to strengthen my leg muscles, I leaped high into the air, covering about a quarter of the distance between me and the structure.

I tucked and rolled when I hit the ground, the sand both cushioning my fall and muffling it. I immediately leaped to my feet and started running.

Just in time too, as a blaster bolt slammed into the spot I just vacated, courtesy of one of the heavy gunners. Thankfully, he was the only one who had noticed me given the nearby fighting.

With the Force boosting my speed, I crossed most of the gap quickly. Fortunately, I managed to avoid faceplanting into the sand. All the while, a trail of red lights followed me, throwing sand into the air.

When I got to three quarters of the way there, I threw myself into another inhuman leap, closing the remaining distance in nearly an instant. As I sailed forward, I diverted my attention just long enough to use the Force to snap the trooper's neck before I had to focus on my landing.

After hitting ground, I paused long enough to relieve the soldier of his grenade belt. My distraction wasn't going to last long against their numbers, but I'd be fine if could make it to the tomb. Numbers don't mean much in small spaces.

There were two guards at the door. Without stopping, I Force Slammed both of them against the walls behind them hard enough to crack the stone. That done, I ran into the comforting darkness of the tomb.

Only to be hurled back out of it by a wave of pressure slamming into my chest.

I landed hard on the stone and rolled to a stop. Thankfully I wasn't hurt, though I would definitely have some more bruises to show for it. I scrambled to my feet and drew my weapons just in time to see my assailant.

The acolyte that emerged from the yawning entrance was a human woman, perhaps a few years older than I was. Long blonde hair fell haphazardly over bony shoulders, clad in a tattered robe.

Dark Side corruption ran rampant over her face, shown by her pale, dark-veined skin and yellow eyes. However, her eyes didn't quite have that spark that showed someone was actually there. A snarl passed over her dried and cracked lips.

Her left hand clutched a vibroblade, though she made no move to raise it. Instead, her offhand rose. I dove to my left just before a Force Blast slammed into the place I had been standing. Stone chips flew as the attack gouged a small crater into the ground. I tried to throw one right back at her, only to see it dissipate against a telekinetic barrier.

I needed to get past her and fast before the soldiers got done with the Tuk'ata. Just as I was about to move forward, she unleashed a telekinetic wave, sending me tumbling further back.

Again, I got to my feet. The acolyte hadn't moved, though she now had a smirk on her face.

I fired a few shots with my blaster. This time, she moved, dodging from side to side to avoid the bolts of plasma, but she didn't attack again. My eyes widened beneath my goggles as I realized what she was doing. She was stonewalling me. Stalling me until the others could swing around and flank me.

Holstering my pistol, I glanced around the ruin, eyeing the stone pillars scattered around us. When you come across a gate, sometimes you needed a ram. Using the Force, I picked up one and launched it towards her like a javelin.

The pillar was large enough that the acolyte had few options for how to handle it without getting crushed. As her own telekinesis gripped and halted the object, I made a Force-assisted leap onto the pillar and ran down its length.

My now-empty hand shot out, throwing a bolt of Force Lightning at the woman. The electrical discharge caught the woman head on, causing her muscles to spasm. While she was momentarily stunned, I tackled her to the ground with my blade over her throat, only to have it stopped.

Now, the only thing standing between her throat and enhanced durasteel was a thin telekinetic barrier.

So I shocked her again. This time, nothing stopped the blade as it descended like a guillotine and stained Korriban's sand red.

Before I got the chance to clean my sword, the blood on it simply…sank into the metal. I guess that's convenient? And slightly worrying. Pushing that thought into the "investigate later" mental file, I examined the woman for a moment.

Truthfully, I didn't know if she was one of the crazies or one of the disgraced acolytes that tended to congregate in the tombs. Not that I recognized her either way. I didn't go out of my way to memorize faces outside of my little group. I'd have to fix that.

I shrugged to myself. Whoever she was, it didn't really matter anymore.

Leaving the corpse to the sand, I stepped into the tomb entrance and paused to let my eyes adjust to the darker interior.

Unlike Ajunta Pall's tomb, Marka Ragnos' was seeing regular use by people that couldn't see in the dark. Torches were lit in brackets on the walls, though I couldn't say it was a comfort.

With each flame that crackled, it sent the shadows cast by their light dancing. Given that this was a Sith Tomb of a Dark Lord that I knew for a fact still had a Force Ghost wandering around somewhere, there was a non-zero chance of getting strangled by an animated shadow.

Fun times.

But I'd come this far and turning around wasn't an option. Mustering as much of my self-control as I could, I soldiered on as I tried to ignored the persistent pressure in my head.

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